Signing In At The Civil Affairs Bureau, I Was Rewarded With A Gorgeous Wife-Chapter 504: About to Lose?

"Master Xiao Gen, as of now, the Hua Country Go community is without a grandmaster, and the piece that once pressed down upon us from above has now passed away. This is our only chance to break free from the influence of Hua Country’s Go world—a major milestone!"

Inside the room, a middle-aged man in a suit said to an old man dressed as a samurai.

The old man was the leading figure of the Sakura Country Go world and the sole ambassador of this visit.

Therefore, his opinion was crucial for Kimchi Country’s next move.

"Li Shuo, is Kimchi Country so eager to act already?"

Master Xiao Gen, his eyes slightly closed, exuding an air of feebleness, knelt on a cushion and spoke, "You should know that Hua Country never lacks for masters. Didn’t the one from before rise from the common folk and turn the tide? How can you be so sure that no one will stand up this time?"

"Master Xiao Gen! We can’t wait any longer! The ranks of Hua Country’s Go community are waning, and the signs of decline are evident. If we do nothing, we will give them a perfect opportunity to catch their breath!"

Li Shuo spoke with conviction, "This time, a total of twelve masters have come, and we will certainly deal a heavy blow to the Hua Country Go world, instilling in them a sense of powerlessness, and forcing them to acknowledge the independence of our new faction of Go!"

"You people from Kimchi Country are too hasty in your actions. I’ve already pondered over the matter you’re talking about for fifty years. But in these fifty years, has there been even the slightest progress?"

Master Xiao Gen opened his eyes and sighed, "Let’s wait and see, just wait and see."

"Master Xiao Gen! Are you afraid? You lost five games in his hands! Perhaps your unbeatable spirit has been shattered! If that’s the case, why don’t you hand over your position to someone more ambitious! Could it be that our Go fate is not as important as your position?!"

Li Shuo brazenly said, "Step down!"

"Li Shuo! As a Go player, if you can’t even master calming your mind, you might as well quit now!"

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Master Xiao Gen was also quite angry and pointed his finger towards the door, shouting, "Get out!"

"Hmph! We won’t care what you Sakura Country people want to do; this time, we from Kimchi Country will go all out! We won’t stop until we reach our goal!"

Li Shuo said coldly and turned to leave.

No sooner had he left than a young man emerged from a partition in the room, knelt before Master Xiao Gen, and asked, "Teacher, why don’t we agree with Li Shuo? In your disciple’s view, Hua Country’s Go community only has Chairman Liu who is somewhat useful, the health of the rest of the big guns is declining, and this is a great opportunity."

"Yamada, you underestimate Hua Country too much. Just wait and see. When Chairman Liu received us, his mindset didn’t fluctuate at all, which indicates they already have a new generation leader."

Master Xiao Gen said gravely, "Moreover, the match schedule that Chairman Liu mentioned today is not yet clear? Each of the three countries will send three players and compete based on points to determine the victor. This means that we and Kimchi Country are not natural allies but potential enemies!"

"Then why did Li Shuo come to you today?"

"Hehe, he’s become flustered. If our two countries both win, then only one country can top the leaderboard and break away from the shadow of Hua Country’s Go world. The other country will just have to wait for a better opportunity."

Master Xiao Gen leisurely sipped his tea and said, "Although Kimchi Country has many players, they each only study the gaming manuals and lack adaptability. Our chances of winning are quite high, and that is why Li Shuo wanted to ally with me to overturn the competition format."

"If overthrowing the competition format benefits us all, then why not?"

"Why not? Hehe, someone must suffer. When you reach my age, you’ll understand that Hua Country’s Go isn’t without successors. In the end, they are bound to rise again. When that happens, isn’t it good for Kimchi Country to become the target of their wrath?"

Master Xiao Gen chuckled slyly, "Better for a fellow Daoist to perish than for oneself. You should learn more of this principle."

...

The next morning at ten o’clock, many Go professionals packed into the venue.

The original five hundred seats prepared were now somewhat crowded.

With no other choice, Chairman Liu hastily coordinated to move to an adjacent venue that could hold two thousand people.

After all this trouble, it was already half past ten.

Representatives from the three countries gathered together and, after Chairman Liu announced the competition schedule, sparks flew in the eyes of those from each country.

"Brother, you seem a bit unfamiliar. Do you feel confident about the upcoming match?"

Sitting beside Song Yun was a player who had journeyed to the station with him, a person who had also become famous as a youth. By the age of twenty, he had obtained his professional certificate and officially participated in professional competitions, currently ranked 26th in the world for Go.

"Hehe, since Chairman Liu arranged for me, I guess there must be a reason."

"Hmm, maybe he wants to play a game of ’strategically matched horses,’ where the weaker competes against the stronger, the average against the weaker, and the stronger against the average. Bro, you’ve got it tough. If you can’t hold on, just resign. There’s no shame in that."

Song Yun chuckled at the comment but didn’t continue the conversation.

"The first match, Hua Country’s player Tian Feng versus Pickled Vegetable Country’s player Li Shuo!"

Chairman Liu announced through the microphone.

Tian Feng, who had just been speaking with Song Yun, looked at the chairman with a bit of astonishment.

What, is this how you’re playing it?

Wasn’t it supposed to be a game of ’strategically matched horses’?

Why am I, an average ’horse,’ going up against Pickled Vegetable Country’s top ’horse’ right off the bat?

Isn’t that just setting me up to lose?

Keep in mind, Li Shuo is ranked ninth internationally!

There’s too much of a gap between us two!

"Come on!"

Song Yun cheered his teammate on.

Wearing his doubts like a mantle, Tian Feng took the stage. Sure enough, after half an hour of play, he found himself without any viable moves. Continuing the game would only make his defeat more embarrassing, so he reluctantly grabbed a handful of stones and scattered them across the board.

In Go competitions, it’s quite rare for someone to bluntly state "I’ve lost." Resigning by throwing in the stones tends to be more graceful.

"The second match, I will play against Pickled Vegetable Country’s player Park Jichao!"

Chairman Liu personally took the stage, choosing to face what was apparently the weakest player from Pickled Vegetable Country!

Everyone’s gaze turned towards Song Yun.

This young man, whose reputation in Hua Country’s Go circle wasn’t outstanding, could he be a hidden gambit laid by Chairman Liu?

The match with Chairman Liu went as swiftly as Tian Feng’s. In less than half an hour, he had forced Park Jichao to angrily throw down his stones.

Then came the highlight!

Song Yun against Pickled Vegetable Country’s player Han Qi!

This Han Qi was only twenty-seven years old and already ranked twenty-fifth internationally!

Given time, he could surely take over the mantle from Li Shuo and become the leading figure in Pickled Vegetable Country!

On one side was a young prodigy, and on the other, a stranger.

Suddenly, everyone’s heart started thumping wildly.

Could it be, are we going to lose?

Could Hua Country, which has held the title of Go’s sovereign nation for a thousand years, be about to lose it?