I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 314: The Great Tower of Go Is Already Crumbling!

"Master An Hongshi?"

"It's really Master An Hongshi!"

"Did you bring a pen? I'm going to get his autograph!"

Seeing that it truly was An Hongshi, the crowd in the hotel lobby erupted in shock and excitement, instantly stirring into a commotion.

An Hongshi walked into the hotel lobby and, facing several Go fans asking for autographs and photos, didn't refuse anyone. After patiently signing autographs and taking photos one by one, he finally hurried toward the Korea Team's discussion room.

Not long after, An Hongshi arrived at the door of the Korea Team's discussion room. Hanging on the door was a sign that read, "Korea Team Discussion Room — No Unauthorized Entry."

An Hongshi knocked on the door. Soon, footsteps sounded from inside, and the door opened.

Opening the door was Park Zhiguo, the second player for the Korea Team. When he saw An Hongshi at the door, Park Zhiguo froze for a moment. Then his eyes widened and a look of shock flashed across his face as he exclaimed, "Master An Hongshi!"

"Good morning, Park Zhiguo, 8-dan."

Inside the discussion room, the Korean players also looked toward the door. After a brief moment of confusion, their faces lit up with surprise and joy.

"Master An Hongshi, weren't you in Pyongyang recently? How come you're in Seoul now?"

"Master An Hongshi, sit over here!"

"Master An Hongshi, are you playing a match here in Seoul?"

Hearing these questions, An Hongshi didn't answer immediately. He walked into the room and sat down in the spot everyone had cleared for him, then finally spoke:

"I won't be playing many matches over the next couple of years."

After saying that, he noticed Pei Youyan and joked with a smile,

"Youyan, I haven't seen you for a year, and not only have your skills improved, but you've grown even more beautiful. You've been playing really well these past few days."

Receiving praise from the figure she had admired since childhood, Pei Youyan's face instantly flushed bright red. She quickly lowered her head and said, "Thank you, Master An Hongshi!"

At that moment, Shin Seunghyun asked curiously,

"If you're not here for a match, Master An Hongshi, then why did you come to Seoul?"

"To watch today's match."

An Hongshi didn't hide anything and said frankly,

"I'm very interested in today's main match."

Upon hearing this, the entire discussion room fell silent.

They all knew that An Hongshi hadn't shown up to watch any of the Korea Team's games over the past few days — but he was here today for the China-Japan showdown?

"Junhyuk, I watched your game against Yu Shao yesterday."

Suddenly, An Hongshi turned to Lee Junhyuk and said.

Lee Junhyuk stiffened, and then, as if realizing something, quickly asked,

"Master An Hongshi, do you think I played poorly somewhere?"

"No, honestly, I think you played quite well."

An Hongshi smiled and shook his head.

"I've seen quite a few of your other games too. Without a doubt, you already have the level to compete with me."

"Though he's still young, once a player reaches that level, even you can’t simply say you have much to teach him anymore."

"Indeed, there's not much to critique. Your thought processes are similar, but he has his own ideas, and you can't confidently say his are any worse than yours."

Park Zhiguo looked at Pei Youyan, paused, and then continued,

"At best, it's just discussing why he thinks a certain way, and why you think another way."

"So this time, I'm not here to point out flaws in your match from yesterday," An Hongshi said. "I'm here to verify a question."

Hearing this, everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward him.

Verify a question?

An Hongshi stared at the empty Go board in front of him. He reached into the Go bowl, and the stones made a crisp clack as they collided.

Then, under everyone's gaze, An Hongshi slowly placed a stone onto the board.

The moment they saw where the stone landed, everyone froze.

Right in the center of the board — a black stone at Ten, Ten.

Tengen!

A Tengen move!

"Different players have different ideas about how to play. There may be right and wrong among them, but none of us can fully convince the others — there's no absolute answer. And that's part of Go's beauty," An Hongshi said, his gaze fixed on the black stone.

"But some things do have a right or wrong — like this Tengen move."

"When we all agree something is right, then it is right. When we all agree something is wrong, then it is wrong."

"But after studying many of Yu Shao's game records, especially his match yesterday, a question has arisen in my mind," An Hongshi said.

Hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

"What question?"

Pei Yan couldn’t help but ask.

An Hongshi continued to stare at the Tengen stone for a moment before slowly speaking:

"The things we all agree are right — are they really right?"

The entire room instantly fell silent.

Everyone's mind felt like it had been struck by a hammer, blanking out completely.

"Whether it's right or wrong... we're no longer certain."

Finally withdrawing his gaze from the board, An Hongshi looked around the room and said,

"For instance, in a local battle, we might all feel that Black is attacking White — but maybe White believes the opposite."

"... Maybe White thinks, 'I'm attacking you, not the other way around.'"

"If Black is right, fine. But — what if White is right?"

Hearing this, the room became even quieter, almost deathly still.

"In Go, there’s the concept of 'direction.' If you move in the correct general direction, even if the details differ, it's acceptable. But if your direction is wrong, your play must be bad," An Hongshi said, pausing briefly.

"However — what if everyone's direction is wrong?"

Lee Junhyuk looked dazed, memories of yesterday’s game against Yu Shao flashing before his eyes like a lantern show.

After a long while, he murmured:

"These commonly accepted truths are the foundation of Go. If the foundation cracks, then modern Go’s great tower..."

Pei Youyan opened her mouth, struggling for a moment before finally speaking:

"...will completely collapse."

An Hongshi smiled lightly and asked,

"Don't you see it already?"

See what?

Everyone looked at him blankly.

An Hongshi raised his head and looked toward the television screen. It was still dark — the match had not yet started.

An Hongshi said:

"This tower that has stood for four thousand years... is already shaking."

The room once again fell into dead silence.

Just then, a knock at the door shattered everyone's trance.

Park Zhiguo, who was nearest to the door, froze for a second before standing up and quickly walking over to open it.

The moment the door opened and he saw who was standing there, he froze like a statue.

Not only Park Zhiguo — everyone inside the room stared blankly at the figure at the door. Even An Hongshi showed a rare expression of surprise.

Standing at the door was a man — though nearing forty, he was still strikingly handsome.

He wore a suit, his eyes bright and sharp. After quickly scanning the room, his gaze locked onto An Hongshi.

"Master An Hongshi, I just heard you were here. I thought it was a rumor, but it turns out it’s true," the man said in fluent Japanese, smiling.

"I came over from Pyongyang — not too far, a short ride on the bullet train," An Hongshi replied, also in fluent Japanese.

"But you, Teacher Shinwa, actually came? That really caught me off guard."

"May I come in?"

At this, Honinbo Shinwa looked at the still-stunned Park Zhiguo and asked in halting Korean.

"Of course!"

Park Zhiguo finally came back to his senses and quickly stepped aside.

Honinbo Shinwa quickly walked inside, pulled out a chair, and sat down across from An Hongshi. Then he pulled out a cigarette case, took one out, and offered it to An Hongshi.

Everyone watched this scene wordlessly — they hadn't expected not only An Hongshi but even Honinbo Shinwa to show up.

The two had been rivals for decades, clashing fiercely on the international stage, producing countless legendary games.

"Thank you."

An Hongshi smiled, taking the cigarette.

"You flew over last night?" he asked.

"Yeah."

While lighting his cigarette, Honinbo Shinwa said,

"Actually, it’s not that far — just a few hours by plane."

"Still sounds troublesome."

An Hongshi lit his cigarette with a click and asked,

"Couldn't you just watch the match at home?"

"I had a hunch," Honinbo Shinwa replied after taking a deep drag.

"A hunch?"

An Hongshi looked a bit surprised.

"If I had missed this match, even with no time, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life," Honinbo Shinwa said, flicking ash and looking toward the television screen.

"Besides... I want to see with my own eyes what the future looks like."

"Hisss... Teacher Shinwa, your hunches are usually scarily accurate. On the board, I've suffered enough from those weird instincts of yours," An Hongshi half-joked, half-serious.

"Maybe today's match really will shake the Go world. Now I'm even more excited for it!"

At that moment, the five television screens lit up simultaneously.

The match was about to begin!

Seeing this, An Hongshi curiously asked,

"You're not going to watch from the Japan Team’s discussion room?"

"Forget it — watching here is just as good. Since you're here, I'll stay too. You wouldn't kick me out, would you?" Honinbo Shinwa asked, laughing.

"Of course not," An Hongshi smiled and shook his head.

"On the contrary — I'd be honored."