The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 516 - 395, reporting to Your Majesty, a great victory at Yellow Court Alley!

The crowds in Yellow Court Alley grew denser by the minute, those standing at the rear found it increasingly difficult to know the situation at the front.

News about the latest developments of the never-before-seen, unfamiliar Mr. Lin and the little monk from the Western Regions playing Go was only known through word of mouth from the inside out.

In the center of the tightly encircled Go booth, the game had reached the middle phase, yet unlike the restless and frequently inquiring crowd outside.

At this moment, at the "eye of the storm," including Princess Wen Zhu and many spectators, there was a breathless attention as if they dared not even breathe heavily.

Gazes turned toward Zhao Douan, shifting from initial surprise and confusion or indifference, gradually morphing into shock and admiration.

"Clack."

Princess Wen Zhu sat cross-legged on a small stool, her eyes fixed on the Go board as Zhao Douan made another move, and a faint gasp echoed by her ear.

The sound was quickly suppressed by the breath-held audience.

Yet in the stifling air, the subtly excited atmosphere that swept away the preceding defeat and despair made it easy for even those completely ignorant of Go to comprehend the situation based on the demeanors of the two players.

The calm and relaxed demeanor on Monk Dan Che's face was long gone.

He leaned forward, his red monk's robe slightly damp from sweat.

On his somewhat youthful face, he stared intently at the interlocked black and white pieces on the board, as if trapped in a perilous predicament.

In contrast, Zhao Douan, disguised as a wealthy young master, looked relaxed and interested, enjoying the gentle fanning by a maid at his side.

Qian Kerou squatted nearby, the chess manual that acted as a fan creating a slight "whoosh" with each wave, which was highly discernible.

Beside him, Grandmaster Chen Jiuyan, a royal Go consultant, sat unabashedly close to the game, breathing heavily as if conducting some sort of calculation.

This Grandmaster still couldn't believe the scene that had just unfolded.

At first, when Zhao Douan started the game, people took it for the futile attempt of a rash young man, not knowing his own strength.

Yet, after a few moves, the previously disheartened crowd that was about to disperse was drawn back by the game.

Nothing else,

Just that Zhao Douan's style of play had greatly surprised everyone.

There were no flashy, large-scale attacks, nor step-by-step calculations.

From the beginning, Zhao Douan had not followed the conventional Go strategies of this world.

He never underestimated the ancients, and was well aware that if it came down to mere computation, he, a mere novice, was no match for Dan Che.

So, he chose the patterns in his mind that had never appeared in this world.

At the outset, the moves that seemed "heretical" to the seasoned players raised an uproar, and made people doubt whether this unknown gentleman was familiar with Go at all.

However, as the game progressed, there was a sea change in the situation.

Only then did people suddenly realize that, without knowing when, the game had fallen into Zhao Douan's control.

Those initial moves that seemed meaningless, under new formations and concepts, directly confronted Dan Che, the pinnacle of old Go, who then collapsed without any surprise.

It was as if the scene was reenacted, only this time, the one advancing relentlessly and fiercely was Zhao Douan.

Struggling to respond and gradually losing ground, the one exhibiting signs of collapse turned out to be Monk Dan Che, who had won eleven consecutive games without a single defeat!

"Brilliant move!"

When Zhao Douan played this crucial piece in the middle of the game, the Grandmaster observing at his side, after a quick calculation, his face flushed with a deep red, almost blurting out the words!

His eyes shone brightly!

With this shout, the situation on the board changed dramatically, the air filled with murderous intent, dragons and snakes took to the field, Zhao Douan's moves turning into a massive onslaught.

For a moment, murderous rage boiled over, heaven and earth turned upside down, gunpowder erupted, rivers of blood flowed.

"Clack."

"Clack."

"Clack."

...

Zhao Douan and Monk Dan Che alternated moves without long consideration delays, only the head-on clash of two forces.

The winter breeze swept through the gaps of the alley, shaking a hundred-year-old plum tree at the entrance, swirling down a shower of snowflakes, fluttering chaotically.

The crisp sound of the stones, like drumbeats on the battlefield, was rousing and solemn.

It was like a heavy hammer, striking at the hearts of the spectators.

Finally, after who knew how long, the smoke of gunpowder cleared, and with Zhao Douan placing the last stone,

The sweat-soaked monk's robe, the body of Monk Dan Che leaning almost diving into the board, his hand reaching into the Flag Box, no longer had the strength to pick even a single black stone.

Zhao Douan calmly said, "You lost."

Silence fell over the Go booth, the air seemed to solidify, and the crowd listened in disbelief, unable to judge the truth of the statement due to the situation's complexity and novelty.

Consequently, a series of gazes subconsciously turned towards Chen Jiuyan.

But they saw the royal Go consultant, who had wreaked a major disaster not long ago, staring intently at the game, muttering to himself, and eventually seemed to confirm with the last of his strength:

"Victory by five points, no mistake!"

He looked up, astonished, and said, "We... won."

We won!

We really won!

From dead silence, the crowd suddenly boiled over, the Go players from Yu Country snapped back to reality, someone abruptly shouted, "We've won! A resounding victory!" freewēbnoveℓ.com

"The monk from the Western Regions lost!"

The sound carried from the inside out towards the entire Yellow Court Alley.

Like a stone cast into still waters.

"Princess!?"

The female warrior wrapped in a cloak, shocked to see Princess Wen Zhu suddenly standing up, her abrupt movement caught her entourage off guard.

But Princess Wen Zhu only fixated her beautiful eyes on Zhao Douan, her expression one of astonished shock.