The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 913 - 912: Master Jing Personally Said Sixteen Years Ago

Chapter 913: Chapter 912: Master Jing Personally Said Sixteen Years Ago

Su Qinghe gazed at the talisman card between Lu Mian’s slender fingers. Upon hearing what she said, his eyes subtly shifted before suddenly breaking into a faintly amused smile.

"That, I wouldn’t know. After all, I’ve been away from Jinjing for so many years—I’m quite out of the loop!"

Lu Mian’s gaze lowered slightly. Her intention had been to probe Su Qinghe for some information, but seeing that he appeared unaware, she didn’t press further.

"Thank you for gifting me something so valuable."

Su Qinghe merely smiled faintly, choosing not to continue the topic. Instead, he turned toward his own granddaughter, who had been ignored till now. "Luoluo, didn’t you say your chess academy is planning some kind of human-versus-AI tournament?"

Suddenly called upon, Su Luo had the peculiar notion she was just a pawn, pushed forward as a shield by her grandfather.

Yet, under her grandfather’s caring gaze, she couldn’t say she had any proof.

"Yes." She followed along with the elder’s words and replied, "Master Jing will come by when the time comes, and everyone is working seriously to prep for the tournament."

"Master Jing, now that’s a true grandmaster of the Go world. If you can get guidance from him, you’ll undoubtedly improve greatly," Su Qinghe mused.

Su Luo nodded earnestly. "I’d really love to apprentice under him, but I doubt I qualify for that."

The academy’s hierarchical system of categories—Di Class, Xuan Class, among others—had already determined that this human-versus-AI tournament excluded participants from both Xuan Class and Di Class.

"I heard people say, back in the day, Master Jing had three great hobbies: smoking, drinking, and playing Go. While I may not be able to help you much with Go, I could pick out some quality cigarettes and liquor for him."

"No way! They say Master Jing’s temper is quite eccentric—if I picked the wrong gift, I could very well trigger something!" Su Luo turned down Su Qinghe’s suggestion. "But Lu Mian, I heard from Principal Zhuge that you’ve been invited to take part in the tournament. You might actually have a chance to become his apprentice." Su Luo glanced at Lu Mian.

Lu Mian’s expression remained indifferent, and she didn’t commit to whether she would attend.

Su Qinghe burst into cheerful laughter. "Well now, that doesn’t seem like a bad idea. With Mianmian’s abilities, if she does become Master Jing’s apprentice, Luoluo might get to bask in some of that light!"

"Grandpa!" Su Luo spun her head away in a defiant gesture, emphasizing, "I’m someone who relies on my own abilities..."

Listening to the duo’s conversation, Lu Mian absently sipped her water.

She’d heard quite a bit about Master Jing lately, and found herself mildly intrigued.

She couldn’t help but wonder: how did this legendary Go master compare to that old man she’d encountered at age four, who had once called himself a Go grandmaster?

——

After finishing their meal, Su Luo, Su Qinghe, and Lu Mian returned to the academy for classes.

Upon arriving, La Wenwen waited at the entrance for her, immediately linking arms as they walked across the courtyard. La Wenwen gestured toward a particular direction with an exaggerated side-eye.

"Luoluo, Zhuge Lin’s friends have already hauled over their AI robots; they’re currently debugging them." As La Wenwen spoke, she twisted her lips in disdain. "What’s even the point of this tournament? Human brains and computers just aren’t on the same playing field!"

Su Luo glanced in the direction La Wenwen pointed and indeed saw several engineer-like figures tinkering with equipment at the venue.

She had little interest. With a shake of her head, she commented, "Probably just a way to promote the Lu Family’s robotics."

"Who knows? But still, Luoluo, the competition is in two days. Have you thought of a way to approach Master Jing?!"

"Not yet..."

As the two continued chatting and walking, a bold girl approached head-on.

Zhuge Lin swaggered to block their path. Upon seeing Su Luo and La Wenwen, she halted.

"Su Luo, is your friend Lu Mian coming or not? Or is she perhaps too intimidated by Yutian’s robot and chickening out?"

Su Luo easily picked up on the provocation in those words and cast a cold, dismissive glance. "She doesn’t need to prove herself to any of you, nor does she seek your approval."

"Pfft, how eloquent. You and Lu Mian truly are friends, aren’t you? So arrogant and rebellious, yet utterly lacking skill. Honestly, I’ve long suspected that win she supposedly achieved in that infamous game wasn’t even hers. Posing without talent—disgusting!"

The crude remarks really got under Su Luo’s skin. This time, she was genuinely angry.

"Zhuge Lin, if you target me, fine—but leave my friend alone. She’s not part of the academy and has no obligations to you! If you dare slander Lu Mian one more time, don’t blame me for getting rough!"

"Luoluo! Calm down, calm down..."

If La Wenwen hadn’t been there, pulling Su Luo back, Su Luo might have already retaliated physically.

Lu Mian had no stake in these petty squabbles to begin with, yet Zhuge Lin couldn’t seem to let her off. Taunting her repeatedly was truly crossing the line.

"Am I not speaking the truth? If Lu Mian were truly capable, wouldn’t she have eagerly agreed to compete? Let’s face it—she’s just scared of being exposed in front of Master Jing and the AI robot. Such a joke!"

"Exposed?" Su Luo’s lips curled into a biting smirk.

Lu Mian being "exposed"? No, that would be "showcasing"—if anything...

Even La Wenwen, offended now, chimed in hotly, "Stop underestimating people! Just wait till Lu Mian shows what she’s capable of—if we revealed her true identity, it’d probably scare you stiff!"

"Ha..." Zhuge Lin burst into laughter.

"You two sure know how to brag! Do you even know what Master Jing once said? That game’s final board originated from his family’s legacy. Across the entire world, only one player managed to use black stones to beat white—and that was sixteen years ago. Now you tell me, sixteen years ago, wasn’t Lu Mian still in diapers?"

The statement caused Su Luo to abruptly pause.

Sixteen years ago... Lu Mian was four years old.

A sudden intuition gripped her, as though she’d stumbled upon a revelation, yet couldn’t quite pin it down. "You’re sure it was sixteen years?"

"Good heavens!" Zhuge Lin rolled her eyes dramatically. "Even if I were lying, Master Jing certainly wouldn’t. It came from him personally—how could it be wrong?"

Su Luo listened intently, feeling as if she were on the brink of connecting some dots, though they remained elusive.

She decided the argument wasn’t worth her time and pulled out her phone to start Googling information about Jing Pei.

Problem was, Master Jing’s career dated back to early fame, coupled with an enigmatic personality. Online searches yielded only biographical entries and analysis of his chess games—no photographs.

Lost in thought, Su Luo walked away, head bowed.

Zhuge Lin: ???

Why was Su Luo walking off in the middle of their quarrel?

Seeing Su Luo’s phone screen with Master Jing’s page displayed, Zhuge Lin stomped her foot in frustration and screamed after her.

"You dream of apprenticing under Master Jing? You must be joking! As a small-time student in Xuan Class without even tournament eligibility, what makes you think you could ever catch his attention?"

La Wenwen, baffled by Su Luo’s sudden calm, hurried to follow her friend while throwing a mischievous face toward Zhuge Lin.

"Calling Luoluo trash? Look at your own worth before dissing others!"

Zhuge Lin, exposing her connection to Principal Zhuge Heng, had pulled strings to enter Di Class despite scoring the same as Su Luo.

Su Luo, therefore, had been assigned one rank lower to Xuan Class.

Same test results—mocking Su Luo was no different than mocking herself. Who, exactly, did she think she was belittling?

"You!" Zhuge Lin stomped her feet again. "Fine—let Lu Mian know, if she’s too scared to compete, she might as well stay away from Go her entire life! Save herself from embarrassment!"

——

Two days before the tournament, Jing Pei placed a call to Principal Zhuge Heng.

"Principal Zhuge, will Lu Mian be joining the competition this time?"

Although Zhuge Heng had yet to secure Lu Mian’s agreement, eager to curry favor with Jing Pei, he repeatedly affirmed, "Of course she’ll participate! Being under your attention, Master Jing—it’s a blessing earned over lifetimes!"

"Don’t exaggerate. I simply want to meet the girl."

Jing Pei’s voice was icy, clearly disdainful toward Zhuge Heng’s attempts to flatter. He hung up after just a couple curt sentences.

Left awkwardly standing by his phone, Zhuge Heng racked his brain for a solution.

He promptly rang Su Luo, proposing a deal: if she could persuade Lu Mian to join the tournament, he’d make an exception and let her—a student from Xuan Class—compete as well.

What was the tournament’s purpose?

It was all about visibility—being on stage ensured Jing Pei could observe one’s performance. Impressing the master while playing against AI could effortlessly invite his interest.

Every academy student coveted such an opportunity.

Especially those from lower-tier classes like Xuan Class and Huang Class, where standard chances to compete were nonexistent. For Su Luo, this offer was a rare privilege.

In the dormitory.

La Wenwen lay rolling on her bed, repeatedly pestering Su Luo. "Luoluo, are you really not going to ask Lu Mian? For some reason, I just feel she’s incredibly capable. If she joined this competition, she’d handle herself just fine."

Despite Zhuge Lin’s open hostility and the Principal’s barely masked coercion, her gut was oddly confident in Lu Mian.

Su Luo absently murmured, "Mmm," her mind obviously elsewhere.

La Wenwen rolled over once more.

"Just imagine—you could compete too! With Master Jing noticing you, this could be your one chance, Luoluo. No other Xuan Class student is being offered an exception..."

La Wenwen felt it would be a tremendous shame if Su Luo passed up this opportunity.

Plus, if Lu Mian—the enigmatic prodigy—showed up, there seemed a real possibility her brilliance might crush everyone around her.

She couldn’t help but look forward to such a scene.

"Luoluo, what are you even thinking about?"

Finally focusing, Su Luo raised her head thoughtfully, stroking her chin before musing aloud, "I was wondering how to arrange a meal with Master Jing..."

Introducing Lu Mian to the master could very well be the turning point of this affair.

"What?!" La Wenwen shouted incredulously. "You haven’t even met him and are fantasizing about dining together? Have you lost it?"

La Wenwen shook her head, giving up on interrogating her friend. Instead, she pulled out her phone and obtained Lu Mian’s contact number from her brother, La Ge, sending the girl a quick text message.

The message summarized Su Luo’s current predicament.

Lu Mian replied simply and didn’t hesitate.

She sent two characters back:

[I’ll go.]

——

On the morning of August 6th.

After finishing her run, Lu Mian informed Mo Si that she’d be heading out that day.

"Miss Lu, Mo Yu has gone to the company—shall I have him return to accompany you?"

"No need. It’s not anything major." Lu Mian smiled and waved her hand.

"Then let me accompany you!" Mo Si immediately volunteered, paying no heed to Lu Mian’s response as he grabbed his car keys and hurried downstairs. Before leaving, he also packed her a cup of warm water and a box of pastries.

Lu Mian chuckled faintly, indulgent toward his busybody attitude.

As they drove, Mo Si couldn’t help but ask with curiosity, "Miss Lu, where exactly are we headed?"

"To the chess academy’s human-AI tournament. I’m going to meet Master Jing." Lu Mian responded casually, glancing up in between her video game.

Mo Si’s lips twitched: ...

A tournament?

Meeting Master Jing?

This wasn’t a major event???!