Nightfall

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

The Go Master from South Jin screamed and created a disturbance outside the pavilion.

Everyone, including novice Go players, knew of Master Dongming. Over the century, he was recognized as the best player of Wa Mountain, a place near the Lanke Temple, where there were many outstanding Go masters. In all the world, he was seen as the smartest person.

Master Dongming had shown his talent in Go since he was young, and he had been watching over the third game on Wa Mountain for more than 10 years. He was middle-aged when he disappeared for no apparent reason, and it was said that he had passed away. However, in the Go players’ hearts, he had always been a legend.

The Go Master looked at the old monk in the pavilion, who had been regarded as a venerable master by many Go players. He could not help trembling and quaveringly said, “You are still alive?”

The old monk surprisedly looked at him and said, “I didn’t expect that somebody would recognize me.”

The Go Master finally calmed down. He then knelt on the futon and kowtowed to Master Dongming. He respectfully said, “I had been watching your image since I am a kid, so I can recognize you.”

The old monk sighed and said, “When I traveled to South Jin, I played with Xu Chu. I’m surprised that he still remembers me.”

After hearing his teacher’s name, the Go Master didn’t dare to interpose, but he couldn’t suppress his doubt. He asked, “Master, why did you disappear for so many years?”

The old monk thought for a moment and said, “Many years ago, a young man came to the Lanke Temple and beat most of the monks in our temple. So I left Wa Mountain to play with him. We were well-matched until the third one because we had different opinions on some algorithms.”

“The young man was too proud and said something bad, so I could not help punching him. He spat a lot of blood and left with a grudge. After that, I reflected on what had happened that day, and I found that his algorithm was right. I was very truly remorseful about that. Inspired by Master Qishan, I decided to cultivate and resolve my regrets.”

The Go Master was shocked.

He was very proud of his skill in Go playing and he believed the Messy Phase Game by the Jumping Tiger Stream would not baffle him, but he never thought he would be able to beat Master Dongming even if he had not played Go for many years. It was unbelievable that someone could play the game as good as him when he was younger.

Who was the young man exactly?

The Go Master thought in his mind and a name sprang to his mind.

However, he could not say the name out in front of Master Dongming, so he asked, “Then why did you come to preside over the Wa Mountain’s Go game?”

The old monk quietly looked at the curtain and did not say anything, but his answer was clear.

The one who could bring him back was Sangsang.

…

…

The Go board was very big, so were the Go pieces. They needed to land the Go pieces with the customized wooden fork. Ning Que planed to help Sangsang, but she refused.

Looking at her engrossed face, Ning Que discovered she didn’t cough anymore and looked better, so he was at ease to watch the game through the curtain even though he was not good at it.

The Go Master was able to understand the game, but he was quieter than when he was at Jumping Tiger Stream. He just sat on the futon and watched the Go board quietly.

He didn’t expect Sangsang to beat Master Dongming. It was impossible. He believed the game today would be as boring as the one he played with the Empress.

Go playing was more than calculation. As the participants played on, they needed wisdom, experience, and surprise moves. The rules were dead, but the people were alive. Even if Sangsang was good at mathematics and had solved the Messy Phase Game, she would be unable to work out what Master Dongming was thinking.

However, the game went against his wishes.

The Go pieces on the board increased, but they were still in a tie.

The Go Master was sure that Master Dongming hadn’t become weaker because of old age. He seemed to be more skillful and meticulous than before, and no one could find a flaw.

Under this situation, a draw indicated one thing: Sangsang who was playing black was as good as Master Dongming.

In the Go Master’s eyes, the way she played was different from Master Dongming’s. She just relied on her careful calculation, which had no loopholes in it and gradually showed the greatest charm of the Go game.

She put one piece down while taking subsequent steps into account and hid the clues in ways that no one was able to imagine. What was more surprising, the way she placed the black pieces was as aggressive as a god descended into the world.

The Go Master felt as warm as in spring when he watched Master Dongming playing, while he felt as cold as in winter when he observed Sangsang playing; both of styles were attractive and would not let him go.

Sometimes it was warm, and sometimes cold, which uplifted him as if a cultivator had taken a Heavenly Power Pill. His body lightened and was about to fly up into the sky.

Between the movements of white and black pieces, the Go Master woke up occasionally. Then he felt familiar with the way of playing black as if he had seen it somewhere.

He thought that he must be so shocked by Master Dongming’s appearance that he felt familiar with everything else he saw, but later he decided to ignore the thought.

…

…

In the pavilion, the Go pieces on the board became dense.

The two colors on the Go board integrated and created a perfect and harmonious pattern. The Go Master stared at the Goboard and had forgotten where he was.

He was not a cultivator, but he seemed to understand something.

The people outside the pavilion felt the same as him. The Go board was big enough for them to watch, but at the moment, no one could notice the details on it.

They all saw the alternation of day and night, morning and dusk switching in the world, and then they heard the sounds of the bell in the morning and the drum in the evening.

With the sounds of morning bells and evening drums, a fragment of peace and warmth burst in their hearts and diluted their competition drive.

The wind became wilder and the birds in the woods began singing.

The Go Master’s eyes began to weep.

…

…

Some time passed.

“My only regret in life was not seeing a game played by Master Dongming and Song Qian. The game played today makes up for that. I am satisfied.”

He sincerely saluted the old monk and said, “Thank you very much.”

Then he turned to the curtain, bowed and said, “Thank you, too, lady. You are the Great Wisdom in the world indeed. I am not qualified to be your teacher. On the contrary, you should be mine.”

Sangsang sheepishly said, “I could barely win in the mountain, so I am not qualified to take a disciple either.”

Upon hearing this, the Go Master’s body trembled. He previously felt familiar with her way of playing Go and could not help coming up with an incredible idea. He quaveringly asked, “Would it be daring to know if you learned from Master Song Qian?”

Sangsang shook her head blankly.

Ning Que frowned. The name sounded familiar to him. He must have heard of it somewhere.

The old monk looked at the curtain and said, “How does Mr. Song do in the Academy?”

Hearing that, Ning Que finally remembered something. When the Academy issued the winter uniforms, Second Brother’s little servant mentioned the name of Song Qian. Was he…

“Do you mean my Fifth Brother?”

Ning Que’s voice spread outside the pavilion and shocked everyone. They didn’t know the Master of Go from South Jin had been living on the Second Floor of the Academy and they couldn’t help holding the Academy in awe.

The Go Master was paralyzed by the news and he took a long time to recover. He cried out and said, “I need to go to the Academy right now. I want to see Master Song Qian.”

Ning Que didn’t expect that his neurotic Fifth Brother, who often forgot to eat because of Go, was so famous in the world. He was stunned.

…

…

The game in the pavilion was over in a tie. The stones of two colors held such harmony that no one had the heart to break it. Even counting the pieces was thought to be a blasphemy. Therefore, the game ended with no winner.

Master Dongming looked less regretful and seemed to have thought something through. He looked at the curtain and said with a smile, “You chose black because you want it. Life is the same as Go playing. Just do what your heart tells you to.”

He stood up, turned to face both the Lanke Temple’s abbot and monk Guan Hai, then slowly said, “Since you had sealed the Messy Phase Game, I will seal this game as well. If someone wants to go up the mountain, you don’t have to stop them.”

Monk Guan Hai was surprised and asked, “Why?”

Master Dongming answered, “It’s a perfect ending that I could play Go with such an opponent as the last game in my life, isn’t it?”

The people outside the pavilion were shocked, too. They knew the Messy Phase Game had been sealed. Now the second game was going to be sealed as well. Didn’t it mean that the Three Games in the Wa Mountian were going to vanish?

…

…

The black horse carriage slowly inched toward the top of the mountain.

Ning Que thought of the game in the pavilion and could not help asking, “Who won?”

Sangsang said, “I should have won a few pieces, but black is a dominant stance anyway.”

Ning Que was stunned, and then he burst into laughter.

Then he sighed and said, “No wonder Fifth Brother said the Lanke Temple monks were good at Go playing. Since you have learned from him and you beat the old monk, you somehow made up for him.”

Dozens of days ago.

At the back of the mountain, fellow apprentices were sending them out.

At that time, Fifth Brother looked at Sangsang and happily said, “Sangsang, the most important responsibility of defending the glory of the Academy… is given to you.”

The Academy was the best in the world, in Go, music, and calligraphy.

It was not easy to maintain these.

However, it was as Fifth Brother expected.

Today, Sangsang made it.

…