Chapter 60 Princess Lanling 1

The young lady then walked up, reprimanding Shijing Tong, who was standing nearby in bewilderment: "A loss is a loss, so just get lost. Could it be that you actually intended to welsh on the wager?" Shijing Tong was so scolded that his face turned beet red, yet he dared not harbor any anger.

A middle-aged man behind the young lady glared at Shijing Tong and barked, "Our lady told you to get lost, why haven't you left yet?" His voice was booming and filled with inner energy, frightening Shijing Tong into jumping to his feet. Without even daring to look back, he squeezed through the crowd and fled.

Jian Liang suddenly found this celestial young lady standing right before him. Her fragrance was captivating, and she seemed to illuminate the entire Yellow Crane Tower, leaving him momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Raising her eyebrows with a proud yet smiling expression, the young lady asked, "Are you the Go God Jian Liang?" Hearing this, Jian Liang felt a sudden shock in his heart. Realizing he had lost his composure, he quickly reined in his gaze and replied, "Indeed, I am Jian Liang, though I hardly dare to bear the title of 'Go God'."

The young lady gave a faint smile, seated herself right by the Go board, reached out to take a bowl of Go stones, and said in a clear voice, "How about this young lady plays a game of Go with you, the famed Go God?" Jian Liang was stunned upon hearing this, and everyone present was equally astonished.

Jian Liang had never played Go against a woman. Amidst his surprise, he said, "I never play against female opponents, and I hope this young lady will forgive me." Upon hearing this, the young lady suddenly looked displeased and retorted, "Do women not produce grandmasters? When you set up this Go challenge, did you make a rule forbidding women from playing?" Jian Liang was left momentarily speechless.

The young lady sneered again, "Could it be that your reputation as the 'Go God' is undeserved, and you've set up tricks on the board to swindle people out of their money, fearing that I might come and expose you?" Seeing her ungracious remarks, Jian Liang naturally felt displeased and replied, "Since the young lady also enjoys this refined art, Go makes no distinction between men and women. I shall gladly accompany you for a game."

Hearing this, the young lady suddenly raised her voice with a triumphant laugh, "If your reputation in Go weren't so loud, I wouldn't even care to play with you. Today, I'm going to test whether you're just a Go charlatan." Hearing her laughter, Jian Liang found it exceptionally pleasant and melodious, but suddenly felt a secret pang of surprise: "What has come over me? How could I lose my composure in front of a woman?"

After all, Jian Liang's Go skills had reached the realm of perfection. He instantly straightened his body and mind, sat upright, raised a hand in invitation, and said, "As the young lady is a guest, please make your first move." Noticing the subtle change in Jian Liang's demeanor—making him look utterly unassailable—the young lady felt a secret flash of surprise and restrained her expression somewhat.

Huang Yan, standing behind Jian Liang, had wanted to scold the arrogant and rude young lady, but seeing that she was merely a young girl, he ultimately felt it inappropriate to speak up.

At this moment, Huang Yan glanced at the two middle-aged men behind the young lady and felt a jolt of surprise. Being a martial arts expert, he could tell at a glance that both men possessed supreme martial arts skills. He secretly wondered that this young lady must have an extraordinary background. Seeing her about to play against Jian Liang across the board, he deliberately prompted, "This young lady, this Go challenge is not as casual as embroidering flowers in a boudoir; it requires wagering real stakes."

The young lady was startled, gave Huang Yan a sideways glance, and looked back at the two middle-aged men. One of them hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully said, "Reporting to the lady, we came out too hurriedly and didn't bring much, only a few hundred taels in silver notes." Hearing this, the young lady appeared somewhat unnatural.

At this point, Jian Liang spoke up, "According to the rules of this challenge, a wager of a hundred taels of silver is sufficient."

Hearing this, the young lady flushed with displeasure and said, "Am I the kind of scoundrel at the Go board who uses a small stake to win a large one?" With that, she turned back to look at her maid, who also shook her head. Seeing this, Huang Yan smiled and said, "You want to save face, yet you can't produce the silver. Are you here to swindle the game?" The young lady was deeply embarrassed. One of the middle-aged men behind her, seeing Huang Yan's offensive words, grew furious and was about to step forward to take action, but was stopped by a wave of the young lady's hand.

Jian Liang hurriedly said, "I set up this Go challenge at the Yellow Crane Tower to make friends through Go and connect with top experts from all under heaven, not for the sake of profit. You are the very first young lady to play against me. Since you have this refined interest, you are surely no ordinary hand at Go, so the silver wager can be waived. If the young lady wins against me with a brilliant move, the five thousand taels of prize money will naturally be presented to you."

The young lady was slightly surprised, somewhat moved by Jian Liang's magnanimity, but she let out a "humph" and said, "You certainly are full of self-confidence. Although I didn't bring that much silver today, I have no desire to take advantage of you, winning big with a little only to be mocked by others. Very well, let this jade serve as collateral." As she spoke, she untied a pendant from her waist and placed it on the Go board.

The maid behind her gasped in shock, "Milady, how can you..." The young lady waved her hand to stop the maid's protest, and then said to Jian Liang, "This jade is a family heirloom, priceless and worth far more than ten thousand gold pieces. I will temporarily discount it at five thousand taels of silver to match your prize money, so no one can say that I took advantage of you regarding the stakes."

Jian Liang glanced at the jade. Seeing it was a bi-colored piece, half white and half green yet seamlessly integrated, he didn't pay much heed and said, "The stakes in Go are never about quantity; a small amount is enough, merely to add to the pleasure of the game."

Huang Yan sneered from the side, "Unable to produce silver, you use an old piece of jade pretending it's a treasure just to save face. Shops are full of things like this." One of the middle-aged men behind the young lady flew into a rage upon hearing this and barked, "Old wretch, you are too presumptuous!" With that, he lunged forward, ready to strike.

Yet a severe command rang out from the young lady: "Stand down!" The middle-aged man dared not disobey, reined in his hands, stepped back, and glared angrily at Huang Yan.

The young lady then said solemnly, "This jade is a Han dynasty jade plaque, worn by Emperor Wu of Han himself. It is of incomparable value, and there is only one such piece in all under heaven. Believe it or not, I am merely using it as temporary collateral. Do you really think you have the skill to win it away?"

Seeing that the young lady spoke with such bravado and unsure of how far her Go skills actually went, Jian Liang had no desire to haggle over the value of the jade. He therefore said, "Since the young lady is using jade as a stake, that is acceptable. Let the outcome be decided on the board."

Seeing Jian Liang agree, the young lady couldn't help but smile slightly, with a hint of gratitude. At this smile, Jian Liang found it infinitely beautiful, and his mind wavered slightly. Suddenly startled for fear that it might harm his game, he quickly averted his gaze from the young lady, steadied his mind inwardly, and instantly grew calm.

Noticing this, the young lady thought to herself in secret surprise, "This man truly is out of the ordinary; he is indeed an inscrutable figure." The onlookers seemed to be watching the game, but their minds were no longer on the Go board. Instead, they cast subtle, sideways glances, casting random glances at the young lady's face.

Seemingly aware of the Go etiquette where the guest plays before the host, the young lady said, "Please." Holding the black stones, she made her first move at the upper-left star point.

Realizing that the young lady had an unusual background and wishing to probe her skill level, Jian Liang played according to conventional moves, making a one-space low approach. The young lady responded with a five-space extension, and Jian Liang countered with a small knight's approach and pincer. After the two sides exchanged more than a dozen moves, they arrived at a standard "double-wing swallow" opening joseki.

The young lady thought to herself, "This man merely has the empty fame of a 'Go God'; his opening strategy is nothing out of the ordinary. I shall let her taste my methods. If he loses, I will certainly not let him survive today, as punishment for his empty reputation and the insult to the game of Go."

With that, her strategy abruptly shifted, departing radically from conventional play. Seeing this, Jian Liang was startled and thought to himself in secret astonishment, "This young lady's Go skill is truly extraordinary, but why is she harboring such murderous intent?" Still, he responded with conventional moves, leaving no trace.

Seeing this, the young lady inwardly complained, "He truly is a mediocre player. I wonder how he managed to win those five thousand taels game by game?"

As the game reached the middle board, the young lady had already grown contemptuous of Jian Liang and deliberately played a blunder to expose a weakness in her position. Seeing this, Jian Liang knew she was probing him back. With a faint smile, he played a "suppressing" move right against her flawed stone.

Seeing this, the young lady was slightly startled and thought, "He can actually tell life from death. Let me stir things up for him." She responded by invading.

Seeing this, Jian Liang inwardly sneered, "You little girl are far too arrogant; I shall rein you in." Instead of blocking, he let her pass and played a move elsewhere.

Seeing that her move had successfully and smoothly invaded his formation, the young lady couldn't help but feel a flicker of joy. Yet before her joy could fade, her expression changed drastically. Only then did she realize she had unconsciously fallen into his trap. Gasping in surprise, she looked up at Jian Liang.

Seeing Jian Liang smiling and completely at ease, she finally comprehended his clever strategy of playing the fool to catch a wise fish. Shocked, the young lady knew she had encountered a true master, so she calmed her mind and racked her brains to devise a strategy to recover from her inferior position.

Seeing that the young lady's Go skill was exceptionally high—truly the best he had encountered since setting up his challenge at the Yellow Crane Tower, and a young woman at that—Jian Liang felt a surge of respect.

Noticing that she had grown cautious and lost her condescending attitude, Jian Liang smiled inwardly. His passion for the game was thoroughly aroused, and he launched a merciless attack. A few brilliant moves left the young lady pale with fright. The very move she had racked her brains to devise was effortlessly neutralized by Jian Liang's casual response.

The young lady sat stunned for a moment, knowing full well that her skill was exhausted and she could play no further. The man truly was the "Go God," and she was instantly filled with heartfelt admiration.

Suddenly breaking into a radiant smile, she said, "This young lady has lost. This piece of jade belongs to you." With that, she rose to leave. As she walked, she turned back to cast a glance at Jian Liang, reciting softly in her heart: "Go God Jian Liang! Go God Jian Liang! Go God Jian Liang!" She turned and led her attendants away.

Jian Liang gazed at the parting glance of the young lady as if caught in a dream, standing there completely dazed.

Huang Yan exclaimed in astonishment, "What a strange lass! She must have a truly formidable background." Seeing Jian Liang still standing there in a daze, he couldn't help laughing, "That lass lost the game with such poise; it looks like she's taken a fancy to Hero Jian."

Jian Liang snapped back to his senses, blushed, and said, "You flatter me, Elder Hero Huang. That young lady is truly a female grandmaster."

Min Fengshan, who had remained silent throughout, stepped forward and picked up the jade from the table. For some unknown reason, a look of shock suddenly crossed his face. He hurriedly said to Jian Liang, "Master Jian, let's close the challenge for today and return to Lotus Pavilion immediately. I have something to say."

Sensing that something was amiss, Jian Liang replied, "Very well." He gave a few instructions to Xie Guyuan, and then returned to Lotus Pavilion in the company of Min Fengshan, Huang Yan, and Huang Chengyi.