I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 280: Knowing There's a Tiger on the Mountain, Yet Going Anyway

Seeing how Table 14 was completely surrounded, the other players in the room wore slightly bewildered expressions.

Most of those crowding around didn’t even have a match today. They’d come specifically to watch this game. Meanwhile, their own matches—whether win or loss—were completely ignored.

Su Yiming also stood quietly in the crowd, waiting for Yu Shao’s opponent to arrive.

“Su Yiming.”

Just then, a voice rang out beside him.

Su Yiming turned his head to see a handsome young man in his early twenties.

“You are…?”

Su Yiming felt like he’d seen the guy before, but couldn’t immediately recall where.

Zheng Qin smiled and introduced himself. “We met when you played at Jiangling High School.”

“Zheng Qin?”

The name rang a bell—not from the High School Go League, but because Zheng Qin was now a 2-dan professional. Su Yiming nodded. “What’s up?”

Zheng Qin looked at Su Yiming, hesitated briefly, then said, “When this game ends, if you have time, could we play a match?”

Su Yiming was a little surprised. He glanced at Zheng Qin, then nodded. “Sure.”

After getting his answer, Zheng Qin said no more. He turned his attention to the still-empty board and patiently waited for the game to begin.

Minute by minute, time passed.

Not long after, a man in his thirties appeared at the entrance of the Playing Room. The moment he walked in, all eyes in the room snapped to him.

The man wore a long-sleeved shirt, tall and sturdy, his gaze sharp and piercing. As soon as he entered, his eyes locked onto Table 14.

“Yin Yan’ang, 9-dan…”

Everyone instantly recognized him.

Yin Yan’ang walked into the room and made his way toward Table 14. The crowd instinctively parted to clear a path for him.

He walked step by step through the crowd and soon arrived opposite Yu Shao.

But he didn’t sit down immediately. Instead, he glanced at Yu Shao, then scanned the crowd—and his eyes briefly landed on Su Yiming.

Then, he shifted his gaze back to Yu Shao, and only then did he pull out his chair and sit down. As he did, he finally spoke:

“A real hero emerges young.”

It sounded like praise—but for some reason, the moment Yin Yan’ang said it, the atmosphere subtly grew heavier.

Yu Shao didn’t reply. He simply stared quietly at the board, waiting for the match to start.

Yin Yan’ang also said nothing more, his expression calm.

Watching this, everyone felt a shift in the air. Though nothing was being said, the aura between the two players seemed to crash and swirl, the pressure mounting like a wave.

Finally, after another short wait, the two referees arrived late and stepped into the room.

“Time’s up!”

One of them spoke solemnly: “Each player has two hours, with one-minute overtime countdown. Black gives a 7.5-point komi. Players, begin the turn-order draw.”

Click.

As soon as the referee finished, Yin Yan’ang reached into the Go bowl and pulled out a handful of white stones.

Yu Shao also picked up two black stones and placed them on the board.

Yin Yan’ang opened his palm. Five white stones dropped onto the board.

This game would be Yin Yan’ang as Black, Yu Shao as White.

Yu Shao quickly returned the stones to the bowl, as did Yin Yan’ang. Once they had swapped bowls, Yu Shao bowed first: “Please guide me.”

“Please guide me,” Yin Yan’ang returned the bow.

Everyone in the room immediately quieted down, their attention fully focused on the board.

With the formality done—it was time to go to war.

The game began.

Yin Yan’ang stared at the board. Without much delay, he picked up a stone and placed the first move.

Column 17, Row 4 – Small Point.

As soon as Black’s stone was down, Yu Shao responded immediately:

Column 16, Row 16 – Star Point.

All around them, the crowd watched in silence. Even though it was only the opening moves, their expressions were deeply focused, as if already immersed in the game.

The two referees had also squeezed into the crowd at some point, watching the board with intense concentration.

The players quickly completed their opening four moves: Black played dual Small Points, while White formed a Two-Star Opening—a Small Point versus Double-Star formation.

It was now Black’s turn again.

Yin Yan’ang studied the board with an unreadable expression. After a brief pause, he reached into the bowl and gently placed his stone.

Click!

Column 3, Row 14 – Small Knight’s Approach.

Seeing this move, everyone’s expressions sharpened.

If one seeks stability, playing a Small Point is typically followed by a Small Knight’s Enclosure, forming an Unassailable Corner. No matter how White attacks, that corner would be solid and unshakeable.

But this Black stone didn’t go for defense. Instead of securing the corner, Yin Yan’ang approached White’s lower-left Star Point, directly threatening its survival!

Yu Shao immediately responded.

Column 6, Row 17 – Small Knight’s Approach.

Yin Yan’ang didn’t hesitate. He placed another stone.

Column 11, Row 17 – Large Knight’s Approach.

The audience watched intently, waiting for Yu Shao’s move.

Black had ignored the Unassailable Corner and instead approached yet another Star Point!

Soon after, White placed another stone.

Column 14, Row 17 – Small Knight’s Approach.

Click!

With White’s response down, Yin Yan’ang reached into the bowl again and swiftly placed his next move.

Click!

Column 4, Row 10 – High Extension!

“He played the High Extension!”

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat, though their faces didn’t show surprise—it was exactly what they expected.

At that moment, a name rose simultaneously in everyone’s mind:

Weisheng Style.

“This style doesn’t prioritize shape. It seizes territory fast. Though it may look clunky, it's full of hidden killing potential. Teacher Zhuang Weisheng was the first to play it!”

Zheng Qin grew more serious. He couldn’t help but glance at Yin Yan’ang.

“Yin Yan’ang, 9-dan, has studied this style deeply. He has his own unique understanding. Like Zhuang Weisheng, he’s used it to cut down countless top players!”

A Small Point, a High Extension on the side, and a Small Knight’s Approach—these three moves echoed across the board. They looked passive, but were actually aggressive. Appearing conservative, yet spiritually charging ahead.

Seeing Yin Yan’ang use the Weisheng Style, everyone immediately realized: he wasn’t holding back against Yu Shao—not even slightly. He had come out swinging with the strategy he knew best!

That alone spoke volumes.

This game—

Would be a fight to the death.

“High Extension...”

Yu Shao lowered his gaze, looking at the three Black stones on the left side of the board.

“This is different from my past life... In this world, this opening is called the Weisheng Style...”

Click!

Soon after, the sound of another stone being placed echoed.

Yu Shao finally reached into the bowl and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, placed his move.

Click!

Column 5, Row 4 – One-Space High Approach!

Seeing this move, the crowd was momentarily stunned.

“One-spa—”

Everyone’s eyes gradually widened.

“A One-Space High Approach?!”

This wasn’t an obscure move—in fact, it was the opposite.

When Zhuang Weisheng first developed the Weisheng Style, many players had tried to counter it with this very move.

But the results had been... underwhelming.

“If White plays the One-Space High Approach, Black can play a Two-Space High Pincer. If White jumps, Black jumps. Then White jumps again—then comes the legendary move…”

“Diagonal Push!”

One person stared blankly at the board, recalling that historic match between Zhuang Weisheng and Ahn Hongseok. Even now, that game still haunted him.

In that game, Ahn Hongseok used the One-Space High Approach to challenge the Weisheng Style.

And Zhuang Weisheng responded to White’s jump with a shocking—Diagonal Push.

At first glance, the move looked ordinary. But zooming out, it hurt Black more than helped. After that move, if White connected, he’d gain Outer Influence, and Black would suffer.

But what happened in that game stunned everyone.

White did gain Outer Influence—but shockingly, that influence never got a chance to work.

The two players battled furiously for the rest of the match. Ahn Hongseok unleashed tesuji after tesuji, but Zhuang Weisheng fought tooth and nail with monstrous resilience. The game became a sweeping epic.

Yet, in the end, because White’s Outer Influence never came into play, he lost the game by half a point.

That match was what gave Weisheng Style its fearsome reputation.

After the match, when pros reviewed the game, they realized: Black’s Diagonal Push wasn’t just a crude move—it was a hidden tesuji, harmonizing with the entire board.

This revelation shocked the Go world.

After that push, and a later extension, Black turned the game into a masterpiece. While White gained influence, Black made it useless—controlling the flow the entire time.

“After that game, many other pros tried different variations using the One-Space High Approach. But none of them worked out.”

“That’s why, after enough study, professionals stopped using that move to fight against the Weisheng Style. Instead, they switched to Two-Space Approaches, Large Knights, or even Super Large Knight’s Approaches.”

Everyone stared at that lone White stone on the board and couldn’t help thinking the same thing.

“Is he... unaware that there’s a tiger on the mountain?”

“Or is he… knowing there’s a tiger—yet going anyway?!”