I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 49: Another Dragon-Slaying Match

Hearing her words, Yu Shao was momentarily stunned as he looked at Xu Zijin.

Her calm gaze carried a resolute determination that Yu Shao couldn’t quite explain.

After a brief hesitation, Yu Shao nodded and said, “Alright.”

Without another word, Xu Zijin began tidying up the pieces from the previous game. She quickly returned them to their respective containers.

Raising her head, her refined, otherworldly face showed a trace of stubbornness. “Let’s determine turn order,” she said.

Xu Zijin pressed her lips together slightly, reached into the Go container, and scooped out a handful of white stones.

Yu Shao reached into the black stone container, holding a single black stone in his palm.

Seeing this, Xu Zijin released the white stones onto the board. The crisp clink of the stones landing echoed like ringing metal.

Using her slender, delicate fingers, she paired the stones and began counting: “Two, four, six… seven.”

After counting, Xu Zijin glanced at Yu Shao, who opened his hand to reveal a single black stone, indicating he had guessed correctly.

“You take Black and play first,” Xu Zijin said, nodding. Her tone was calm yet composed. “Please guide me.”

Yu Shao returned the courtesy with a slight bow. “Please guide me.”

He studied the board for a moment before selecting a black stone and placing it gently on the upper-right corner.

Seventeenth column, fourth row—Small Point.

Xu Zijin’s eyes sparkled as she immediately placed her own white stone in response.

And then—

Her hand descended like a striking hammer!

Clack!

Fourth column, fourth row—Star Point!

Watching this, Zhong Yufei, standing nearby, couldn’t help but feel a chill.

“She’s got such an intimidating presence…”

Even though Xu Zijin was a year younger than him and a girl, the pressure emanating from her was unnerving, sending shivers down his spine.

As an observer, he inexplicably felt tense.

At this moment, Xu Zijin was beautiful, but her demeanor was distant and unapproachable—yet somehow even more striking than usual.

Yu Shao reached for another black stone.

Fourth column, seventeenth row—Small Point!

Xu Zijin quickly followed with her move.

Sixteenth column, sixteenth row—Star Point!

“Diagonal Small Point and Diagonal Star opening…”

Chen Jiaming observed silently, noting the board’s early setup. “This layout is brimming with potential for conflict…”

The game progressed rapidly, with both sides making four more moves. Black played a Large Knight’s enclosure in the bottom-left corner, while White responded with a Small Knight’s approach in the upper-right. Black then played a diagonal move, and White countered with a Small Knight’s extension in the upper-left.

It was now Black’s turn again.

“Should I extend with a Small Knight’s approach, or…”

Yu Shao glanced at Xu Zijin and froze momentarily.

Xu Zijin was staring at him intently, as if… she were waiting for something.

Even though she hadn’t spoken a word, Yu Shao could sense what she was thinking.

“She’s…”

“She’s waiting for me to play a 3-3 invasion?”

Yu Shao returned his gaze to the board, a curious expression crossing his face.

Without further hesitation, he reached into the container, the crisp sound of stones clinking filling the air.

Taking out a black stone, Yu Shao placed it decisively.

“Here we go!”

Click!

Seventeenth column, seventeenth row—3-3 Invasion!

“3-3?! Seriously?!”

Zhong Yufei’s eyes widened so much they nearly popped out of their sockets. His jaw dropped, leaving him utterly speechless.

Even Chen Jiaming, a teacher and an adult, froze at the move. He instinctively removed his glasses, wiped them clean, and put them back on, as if doubting his eyes.

Xu Zijin, however, showed no surprise. Calmly, she picked up a white stone and placed it on the board without hesitation.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The sound of stones landing on the board became a relentless rhythm as the game intensified.

The two players exchanged move after move, the tension between black and white escalating with each placement. The echoes of the stones filled the room, each click resounding like the beats of a war drum.

“White’s moves are… so sharp!”

Chen Jiaming stared at the board, utterly astonished.

“That bump by White was brilliant! At first, it looked like a slow move, but now it’s clear—it was setting up for an attack on the Small Point.”

“But Black’s response is even more incredible!”

“That placement, combined with the earlier press, has trapped White on the bottom line. If White chooses to hane, it’ll tighten its own liberties and could even become dead stones!”

“Is Black gaining the advantage?”

“But why?”

“Why would Black, having played a 3-3 invasion, manage to seize such a decisive advantage so quickly during the opening?”

Chen Jiaming was starting to question everything he knew about Go.

“A 3-3 invasion is undoubtedly a bad move in this situation. What’s more, after invading at 3-3, Black didn’t even hane but crawled instead!”

“Anyone who knows a bit about Go understands that crawling on the second line is usually suboptimal. And visually, the hane clearly gains more points than crawling!”

“But why, despite all this, has Black gained the upper hand? And why is this advantage growing at such a staggering rate, even though White hasn’t made any obvious mistakes?”

Chen Jiaming struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.

The only explanation he could think of was that White had made subtle inefficiencies somewhere—though he couldn’t pinpoint them—yet Black had somehow noticed and capitalized on them.

No matter who had the advantage, Chen Jiaming, even as a teacher, had to admit—

Both Black and White in this game were playing at a level far beyond his own!

Xu Zijin gazed down at the board, her expression troubled. Unconsciously, she bit her lower lip.

She had thought that if Yu Shao really played a 3-3 invasion, she could handle it differently. Yet…

Her situation now wasn’t much better than what Zheng Qin faced earlier. If anything, it was worse.

After a long pause, Xu Zijin finally picked up another stone and placed it on the board.

Black and White resumed their relentless exchange, the clicks of the stones falling like the rhythmic beats of a drum.

Click.

Click.

Click…

After another ten minutes of silent intensity—

“I lost.”

Xu Zijin looked at the board, slowly closed her eyes, and then lowered her head, conceding defeat with a quiet resignation.

Beside her, Chen Jiaming and Zhong Yufei were speechless, staring at the scene before them, unable to find the words to express their shock.

This game…

Black had dominated White from start to finish.

Black had taken the lead in the opening, swiftly widening the gap and consolidating its advantage. White was left struggling to hold on defensively.

But once Black had accumulated enough strength and launched its offensive, the storm-like attack drowned White entirely. Black tore through White’s central dragon with a ferocity that left it utterly destroyed.

The spectators could barely fathom what Xu Zijin must have felt, being overwhelmed so completely.

They didn’t even dare to imagine themselves in White’s position. It was too hopeless, too demoralizing.

In fact, this defeat felt even harsher than Wang Rui’s.

Not because Wang Rui was stronger than Xu Zijin—the truth was the opposite.

It was precisely because Xu Zijin was far stronger than Wang Rui that Black had to adopt an even more aggressive and ruthless approach to invade White’s territory and slay the dragon.

And so, Xu Zijin’s loss was naturally much more crushing.