Chapter 577: Dragon Slaying, Even Match!

【Sixth Game, the Curtain Rises Again!】

【You hold the black stones and move first; the white stones follow.】

【Su Yun focused entirely, eyes fixed straight ahead, locked on the tiny space of the go board.】

【The two played with lightning speed; the woman's strategy was steadier, her attacks frequent and sharp.】

In an instant, the game entered the middle game—dramatic and unpredictable!

【The woman reached lightly into the stone container, withdrew a white stone, rubbed its surface with her fingertip, her expression hesitant.】

【Su Yun looked up, startled—this was a perfectly even position.】

【The woman held a slight advantage, but victory was far from certain!】

【Now, past the middle game, a turning point was near.】

【The woman no longer hesitated; she placed the white stone decisively—the crisp sound echoed through the room.】

【Su Yun reached for the teacup beside him—it was empty. A quick-witted servant rushed forward to refill it, accidentally knocking off the lid; Su Yun's hand shot out and caught the teapot mid-air.】

【His gaze was sharp—he signaled the servant to withdraw, not to disturb the quiet of the game.】

【Su Yun poured the water himself, fearing even the slightest sound might disrupt their thoughts.】

【From the moment Chen Jiuyan placed her stone, the situation grew fierce—the white stones launched a direct assault to cut down the black dragon.】

【Su Yun understood fully—this was Princess Kangle's signature style: aggressive, ruthless, brutal.】

【Chen Jiuyan excelled in the "Dragon Slaying Technique."】

【In go, black and white are distinct: seven connected stones form a small dragon; ten or more connected stones form a great dragon.】

【Once a great dragon is slain, it is like striking the vital core—the entire game collapses like a building about to fall, beyond salvation.】

【"Dragon Slaying" is the most spectacular, captivating sequence in go, often drawing cheers from spectators.】

【Since move forty, Xie Guan had focused entirely on the lower board, forming a great dragon that tightly entangled the white stones, trapping them.】

【His goal was clear: use the advantage of the middle game to completely suppress the white stones, rendering them immobile.】

【Xie Xuan, watching nearby, was utterly absorbed—mainly because this game was exceptionally brilliant.】

【He frowned: beginners in go must avoid direct confrontation, or they will lose their composure; the more one studies manuals, the more one develops one's own style.】

【Xie Xuan's style favored immediate gains—prioritizing territory, advancing steadily; this chaotic opening style directly countered him.】

【Go is like two armies clashing, fighting for land—the one who controls the greater territory wins.】

【Stones are like soldiers, endlessly deployed onto the board to seize every inch of ground. When the stones meet, fierce battles erupt—captures occur constantly, just as casualties are unavoidable on the battlefield.】

【When no empty intersections remain, the game ends.】

【The winner is determined by counting each player's stones to see who controls more territory.】

【It is precisely this heart-stopping struggle for victory that makes go so gripping.】

The board's nineteen horizontal and vertical lines create three hundred sixty-one intersections—its variations are infinite and incalculable.

【Since ancient times, no two games have ever been identical—truly, "No two games are ever the same."】

【Both players moved swiftly; Xie Xuan suddenly sensed your style had shifted—from steady, territory-focused play to aggressive, unbound by fixed patterns.】

【The game changed abruptly!】

【Black and white stones no longer defended territory—they clung tightly, attacking head-on.】

【Su Yun's gaze sharpened; he whispered: "It's time to strike!"】

【"Strike," a go term, means a critical move that directly threatens victory, forcing the opponent to respond.】

【The woman gripped the white stone, hesitated briefly, then placed it decisively.】

【Su Yun sighed inwardly: "Bad!"】

【This move, like pulling a single hair that sets the whole body in motion, triggered a cascade of white responses, forming a ferocious net to cut off the lower white stones.】

【The white stones began their dragon-slaying assault!】

【Xie Guan was in mortal danger!】

【Beside him, Xie Xuan's face broke into a smile—he had already foreseen your defeat.】

【Of the ten-game agreement, you had lost four straight; one more loss and you had no chance of victory.】

【Yet you did not panic—only placed your stone slowly.】

【The woman's brows furrowed; when placing her second stone, she hesitated slightly.】

【After dozens more intense moves!】

As Su Yun reached to pour tea, he accidentally knocked off the lid, producing a metallic "hum"—the woman turned her head to look.

【He quickly bent to pick up the lid, embarrassed.】

【This slip was due to the game's sudden reversal, which had shaken his composure.】

【Chen Jiuyan had intended to slay the dragon—but fell into Xie Guan's carefully laid "trap," now tightly entangled by his lower-board dragon.】

【Xie Guan's lower board had come alive, unstoppable.】

【After placing a few more stones, the woman sighed softly: "This game is lost. We may rise."】

【Xie Xuan was startled—had Chen Jiuyan lost again?】

【"This game is lost. We may rise," is a go idiom meaning "The game is hopeless—concede."】

【Xie Xuan stared at the board—he felt the woman still had moves left; such an easy surrender felt unjust.】

【The woman clapped her hands and asked, puzzled: "How did you see through it?"】

【You gently pinched a black stone and placed it calmly: "To truly slay a dragon, you shouldn't wait until now."】

【"Young Master Yan, you meant to revive the white stones on the lower board."】

【As your black stone slipped precisely between the white stones, Xie Xuan finally understood—the woman had long planted hidden counters.】

【Chen Jiuyan did not call for servants to clear the board—her slender hands gathered the scattered white stones back into the container.】

【"Again."】

【"How interesting—I thought this Dragon Slaying game would win."】

【The woman was not annoyed; her tone was almost excited as she adjusted her falling headband.】

【"Now, I'll be serious!"】

【Su Yun knew: the princess had not yet revealed her true skill. He recalled now—earlier, Chen Jiuyan had defeated his father with nearly the same pattern.】

【His father said this was a pattern she invented at age seven.】

【A "pattern" refers to established sequences in the opening phase, where both sides contest the corners to form fundamental shapes.】

【Feigning a dragon-slaying move, she secretly concealed dragon scales.】

【Chen Jiuyan named this move: "Dragon Slaying with Skill—The Dragon Awakens."】

【Su Yun recalled the game and sighed inwardly—he had been fooled by that "Dragon Slaying Technique." Had he played himself, he would have been utterly defeated.】

【At seven, Chen Jiuyan's strength likely surpassed his own.】

【As his father said, Grandfather had hoarded too much fortune in the black-and-white arts, draining the Su family's luck across generations—not just the Su family, but the entire go world.】

【The Su lineage seemed unable to produce even a single go player capable of rising to prominence.】

【Xie Xuan found it unbelievable—he vaguely sensed that over five games, your strength had grown. In the first game, you had been clumsy, barely holding your own against Chen Jiuyan.】

【Now, you could plan deep strategies.】

【Xie Xuan shook his head again!】

【How could this be? To improve so rapidly in just a few games?】

【Wouldn't that make all those who toil over manuals, who sit by windows tapping stones under lamplight, into a joke?】

【Seventh Game begins!】

【Outside the window, a gentle breeze stirred the courtyard.】

【Inside, the servants, drawn by their master's mood and atmosphere, could not help but gaze at the board, their eyes filled with anticipation for the outcome.】

【Fortunately, you two did not linger like seasoned masters who ponder each move for hours—often playing until dawn. You moved swiftly, almost too fast to follow.】

【Su Yun stared at the board, trying to predict the next moves—but you two had already placed several stones in succession.】

He was astonished: Chen Jiuyan's style had changed again—now plain and unadorned, focused on territory, no longer the fierce fighting of the opening; instead, she placed seemingly "useless" moves everywhere.

【Xie Xuan rubbed his slightly aching forehead—he had tried following Chen Jiuyan's moves and already felt drained.】

【Go is mentally exhausting; even mid-career players often go bald.】

【Xie Xuan excelled at this style—he knew its power lay in the endgame. At first, he could barely keep up with Chen Jiuyan's moves, but as the game deepened, her several "tight yet leaking" moves seemed full of holes, yet cleverly patched just a few steps later—leaving him in awe.】

【"Truly brilliant!"】

【Xie Xuan couldn't help whispering praise, his eyes gleaming. At just eighty moves, he had already spotted seven or eight masterful moves—each one breathtaking.】

【This game revealed Chen Jiuyan's profound, unfathomable skill.】

【Xie Xuan was certain you would lose.】

【His eyes sparkled with excitement—for this was the exact style he dreamed of.】

【Opening with territory focus, skilled in strategy, then crushing the opponent in the middle game with unstoppable force.】

【Opponents often "died in regret," stunned to discover your hidden traps.】

【Xie Xuan always won with great satisfaction.】

【Some criticized it as flashy but hollow—because one misstep early could lose the entire game.】

【The woman had mastered this style to perfection—flawless.】

【Su Yun also saw: no counter-strategy remained; the endgame was lost.】

【Yet you did not surrender—the black stone descended slowly, advancing toward the center, pressing forward in a straight-line dragon-slaying thrust.】

【The woman smiled lightly—she excelled at such direct battles, and feared nothing.】

The white stone fell, met with effortless response, as if all was under control.

Su Yun watched the board, his palms sweating slightly; you had shifted your strategy, seemingly intent on slaughtering the great dragon.

Yet the white stones, having gained an early advantage, now clearly displayed an "uplifting" momentum, with countless points ready to generate "life."

To slaughter the dragon would be difficult.

After a few more moves, the board's situation suddenly grew subtle.

The woman suddenly froze, her gaze locked tightly on the board's layout, as if witnessing something inconceivable.

You smiled faintly and dropped another black stone, like a gentle breeze dispersing the mist on the board, revealing the "turbulent waves" beneath.

The woman cried out in irritation: "You're copying my style!"

Su Yun, as you made your final move, suddenly realized—the entire game bore an astonishing resemblance to the previous one, only with the roles reversed.

You employed the established pattern Chen Jiuyan once used: "The Art of Slaughtering the Dragon—The Dragon Is Born!"

You turned his own method against him, catching the woman off guard.

After another dozen moves, the "central area" of the board had secretly formed a ten-stone chain—a mighty, vital dragon.

Only now did Chen Jiuyan notice the change—but it was too late; "the dragon had coiled around the mountain," and no force could shake it.

She, who had been so confident moments ago, now collapsed like a mountain in ruin, beyond redemption.

You smiled lightly: "All is fair in war."

Chen Jiuyan clenched her silver teeth; in all her life, she had only ever heard "All is fair in war" spoken to her uncles and aunts as they lost to her, watching them sigh and groan.

Yet today, karma had returned to her—those very words were now turned against her.

"Again!"

Su Yun, watching the visibly displeased Lady Kangle, felt a flicker of satisfaction.

How often had he been crushed on the board by her, reduced to tears, too afraid to tell his grandfather?

He never imagined someone on the board could finally humble her.

Xie Xuan's face finally showed disbelief; her meticulous, nearly flawless opening had been overturned so easily.

The woman watched you calmly pick up the black stones, then simply dumped them into the bowl for you.

"This time, I won't be careless."

The eighth game begins!

You had no objection, and took a stone to play.

The woman changed her style again, opening with lightning speed, using exchanges to accumulate small advantages and slowly amplify them.

She avoided direct confrontation, choosing instead to respond after the opponent, dismantling their moves, waiting for errors before striking with accumulated force.

Su Yun watched as Chen Jiuyan altered her style in nearly every game, and could not help but feel admiration; mastering multiple styles was no feat of days or weeks—it required absorbing the strengths of countless schools.

This princess had held a go board since childhood; beyond her innate talent, her diligence was unmatched.

Su Yun watched your next move, his expression growing increasingly strange.

Your style shifted too—now plain and unadorned, focused on securing territory; each stone seemed laden with hidden meaning, impossible to fathom.

This was not Chen Jiuyan's style from the last game!

Xie Xuan, beside you, could scarcely believe it—you had played this style, his favorite, one that emphasized central influence and grand formations, elegant and powerful, with decisive force reserved for the endgame.

"This…"

After another dozens of moves.

Xie Xuan picked up his cold tea and drank it down in one gulp, oblivious to its bitterness.

How was this possible? Your play seemed even more "unfettered" than the woman's last game, as elusive as "a deer's horn hanging in the air."

Each move linked flawlessly, with a subtle, lingering sweetness.

How could a mere bastard like you play like this?

The game reached the middle stage, evenly matched, no clear advantage.

The woman sought change, pressing her white stones close to disrupt your black lines—but still could not break free.

Another dozens of moves passed.

As the endgame neared, your advantage was overwhelming.

The woman stopped playing, her eyes fixed on you, demanding:

"Were you pretending to be weak from the start?"

You shook your head. "I merely humbly sought instruction, guided by Master Yan's patient teaching."

The woman stared at your calm demeanor, her face flushing red then pale, fury rising within her.

So far, eight games had been played—four wins each, evenly matched.

The woman took a deep breath.

"Continue!"

Su Yun could hardly believe it: Xie Guan had lost the first four games—now he had won four in a row.

(End of Chapter)