I really don’t want to play Go!

Chapter 425 The Uncrowned King
three days later.

Inside the Shanhai Chess Hall.

"I lost."

Zheng Qin looked at the chessboard in front of him with a somewhat unpleasant expression, but in the end he lowered his head towards Xu Zijin on the other side and chose to resign.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zijin breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face, and said, "Thank you for your guidance."

"I was too careless here. I thought this side was impenetrable. I didn't expect that after you made that point, your pieces suddenly became lighter. Otherwise, I would definitely have won."

Zheng Qin looked annoyed, clearly dissatisfied with losing the game to Xu Zijing. He turned to Yu Shao beside him and asked, "Right? If I cut off here, then White would be powerless."

"If the pieces are disconnected, then it will indeed be very difficult for White to win."

Yu Shao took a sip of his milk tea, looked at the chessboard, nodded, and affirmed Zheng Qin's words.

In this game, Zheng Qin held the advantage throughout, but in the middle game, he failed to make a cut, and after White took advantage of the situation, the game collapsed completely. If Zheng Qin had actually made that cut, the outcome would have been completely different.

"right!"

Receiving Yu Shao's affirmation only made Zheng Qin more annoyed. He slapped his head hard and said, "What a stupid brain of mine!"

Seeing this, Yu Shao was speechless.

Zheng Qin and Xu Zijin have played more than one game at the chess club recently, and today is the first time Xu Zijin has won against Zheng Qin, finally achieving a breakthrough. No wonder Zheng Qin is so unable to accept it.

Yu Shao couldn't help but glance at Xu Zijin, only to see her sitting opposite Zheng Qin, still quietly gazing at the chessboard.

After the game ended, she didn't say a word, seemingly still thinking about every move in the game, her expression focused and lost in thought.

"In this game... it seems that Zheng Qin made a mistake, which allowed Xu Zijin to win by sheer luck."

Yu Shao silently shifted his gaze back to the chessboard, looking at the game.

"But if Xu Zijing hadn't made that move, would Zheng Qin have really realized he'd made a mistake?"

Yu doesn't necessarily think so.

"Xu Zijin won this game not only because Zheng Qin made a mistake, but also because of her keen observation and her superb chess sense."

"Zheng Qin failed to realize this, only thinking that his loss was entirely due to his momentary carelessness..."

"What Xu Zijin lacks is only time."

In fact, even he was surprised by Xu Zijing's talent. You know, back in the high school Go league, Xu Zijing was only barely at the professional first dan level.

Now, Xu Zijin has grown to the point where even players who have made it to the main tournament of the title match have to take her seriously. This rate of progress is remarkable, even among male players.

Of course, if that were all, he wouldn't really think it was a big deal.

He had seen far too many geniuses, both in his past and present lives. All those who were qualified to be his opponents were geniuses among geniuses. Compared to them, Xu Zijin seemed quite mediocre.

However, Xu Zijin possesses an extraordinary competitive spirit and self-esteem, as well as a stubbornness and persistence that will not give up until she achieves her goal, which is what makes him take her seriously.

"Knock knock."

Just then, a knock sounded on the door.

"Please come in."

Zheng Qin immediately spoke up.

Soon, with a creak, the door to the chess room was pushed open, and a receptionist walked in carrying a tray with three cups of prepared milk tea.

"Sister Su, I didn't order milk tea."

Zheng Qin noticed the receptionist placing the milk tea on the chess table and asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I'm treating Teacher Yu Shao and Xu Zijin to drinks, and I'll also treat someone else to a drink while I'm at it," the receptionist said, glancing at Zheng Qin.

"what?"

Zheng Qin's eyes widened suddenly, and he feigned anger, saying, "Sister Su, what do you mean by 'incidentally' inviting someone for a drink? Don't I deserve to have my name mentioned? Don't I deserve to be invited?"

"what?"

The receptionist joked, "One is not only a national champion but will also represent the country in the world championships, another is the most promising young female Go player right now, and who is the last one? It's hard to guess!"

"It's truly a case of new faces replacing the old!"

Zheng Qin angrily picked up the milk tea on the table, inserted the straw, and took a big gulp, as if to express his dissatisfaction.

The receptionist laughed and quickly handed Xu Zijin another cup of milk tea.

"Thank you."

Xu Zijin did not refuse. She took the milk tea from the receptionist and thanked her in a clear and melodious voice.

"fine."

The receptionist smiled and said, "Since you all started coming here to play chess regularly, our business has improved countless times."

"Even if you play chess in a private room and rarely see anyone, everyone is still very enthusiastic."

The receptionist glanced at Yu Shao, then covered her mouth and laughed, "I originally thought most people came for Teacher Yu Shao, but then I realized they actually came for you, Xu Zijin, the third dan."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao was taken aback.

The receptionist's words reminded Yu Shao of something: these past few days, every time he left the chess hall, he noticed an increasing number of young people, especially those around twenty years old.

He was initially amazed that Go was more popular in the world than he had imagined, and that it could attract so many young college students.

It seems I was just being delusional. These people weren't here for Go, they were here for Xu Zijing!

“Actually, I would rather they came for Yu Shao,” Xu Zijin said with a smile.

The receptionist smiled upon hearing this, then suddenly seemed to remember something and immediately turned to Yu Shao and Zheng Qin, saying, "By the way, Zheng, Teacher Yu Shao, have you seen the news? Teacher An Hongshi has confirmed that he will participate in this year's Phoenix Cup!"

Zheng Qin was about to question why Yu Shao was addressed as "teacher" while she, who was older than Yu Shao, was called "Little Zheng," but after hearing the information from the receptionist, she swallowed back the words she was about to say.

"Professor An Hongshi, are you sure you want to participate in this year's Phoenix Cup?"

Zheng Qin asked, somewhat shocked.

"Correct."

The receptionist's expression became more serious, and she said with some worry, "Although there's no news from China yet, the North and South Korean media have already reported it."

"what happened?"

Yu Shao asked with some doubt, "Isn't it normal for Coach An Hongshi, as a top player, to participate in world championships?"

"No, Mr. An Hongshi, it has actually been two years since I last participated in the World Championship."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zijin shook her head and said to Yu Shao, "Actually, Professor An Hongshi's health problems started four years ago."

"However, that year, Mr. An Hongshi still insisted on competing in the World Championship. Even so, Mr. An Hongshi still won two World Championship titles that year, which shocked the world." Zheng Qin nodded and continued, "Yes, the doctor said that Mr. An Hongshi lost ten pounds after the final game, and after the World Championship, Mr. An Hongshi fell ill and never recovered."

"Lost ten pounds from playing one game of chess?"

Even Yu Shao was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this.

He knew that playing Go was not easy; it could even be described as physically demanding. In a fierce match, the calories burned in one game of Go might even exceed the energy expenditure of two football games.

Even so, losing ten pounds in a single game of chess is truly astonishing.

"Therefore, in the past two years, Mr. An Hongshi has not participated in any competitions and has only been recuperating in the sanatorium. Naturally, the world championship titles in the past two years have been won by other players."

Zheng Qin said solemnly, "If the news is true, then this will be Coach An Hongshi's first time participating in the World Championship in two years, and Coach An Hongshi will be in his prime this year!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao nodded thoughtfully.

"Not only that."

The receptionist frowned and said, "I also saw news online that Araki No. 9 Dan will also participate in this year's Phoenix Cup World Championship. I don't know if it's true or not, but it was reported by official media, so it's probably true, right?"

"Who?!"

Upon hearing this news, Zheng Qin was completely shocked, and even Xu Zijing's face showed a look of disbelief.

It seems that the news that Arakino had signed up for the World Championship shocked them even more than the news that An Hiroshi had signed up.

Only Yu Shao was puzzled. He thought about the name "Arakino" but still couldn't recall it. He could only ask, "What's wrong? Why are you making such a fuss? Who is Arakino? Is he very strong? Stronger than Teacher An Hongshi?"

"He's not necessarily better than Professor An Hongshi... but he's still very strong."

Zheng Qin looked on incredulously and said, "But, shouldn't Araki-sensei have participated in the World Championship?"

Who exactly is Araki?

Yu Shao was even more puzzled and couldn't help but ask again.

"He is a Japanese Go player, the former Oza."

Xu Zijin offered an explanation.

"The former throne?"

Yu Shao asked, puzzled, "How come I've never heard of that? Has he retired?"

"No, Mr. Araki has not retired, but he hasn't participated in any competitions for ten years. It is said that he stayed at the Japan Go Association and became a Go teacher, responsible for instructing the academy students."

Xu Zijing shook her head, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, and said, "Why would Araki-sensei suddenly make a comeback?"

Hearing Xu Zijing's words, Yu Shao was still somewhat puzzled and asked, "So what if she's made a comeback? Is there any need to be so surprised?"

"Araki-sensei is not just an ordinary former title holder. Although the words 'former title holder' are not exactly ordinary either."

At this moment, Zheng Qin seemed to be lost in memories and said, "Teacher Araki was Teacher An Hongshi's greatest rival back then. He fought Teacher An Hongshi for no less than a hundred games, vying for the title of the world's number one Go player."

"Some people have said that they are lifelong rivals."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shao was stunned.

Zheng Qin, with a somber expression, continued, "Araki-sensei's playing style is somewhat similar to yours."

"But compared to you, Araki-sensei's Go has more fierceness and less cunning. He was once hailed as a master of violent aesthetics on the Go board."

"He advocated that 'one who is not prepared to risk his life is not worthy of picking up a piece.' His playing style pushed the aesthetics of fierceness to the extreme, and his exploration of attacking strategies continues to shock the chess world to this day."

Zheng Qin's expression grew more and more serious as he spoke, and he continued, "Speaking of Araki-sensei, one cannot help but mention 'Four Corners Eight Swords,' 'Hundred Eyes Great Dragon Slayer,' and 'Death Line Demon Hand.'"

When Zheng Qin mentioned the terms "Four Corners Eight Cuts", "Hundred Eyes Dragon Slayer", and "Death Line Ghost Hand", Yu Shao was taken aback. He seemed to have seen these three terms online before.

"The so-called 'Four Corners Eight Cuts' refers to Araki-sensei's use of a double star formation, launching eight attacks from the four corners to annihilate Ahn Hiroshi-sensei's dragon!"

Zheng Qin took a deep breath and continued, "The Hundred-Eyed Dragon Slayer was a record set by Araki-sensei, who, playing black, slaughtered Jiang Changdong's dragon with over a hundred eyes in the World Championship. This record has not been broken to this day!"

"The 'Death Line Ghost Hand' refers to the brilliant move made by Araki-sensei against the then-dominant Japanese Go master Iida-sensei in the last second of the countdown, which reversed the score by half a point."

Hearing Zheng Qin's words, even though Yu Shao hadn't seen those three games, he could almost feel the thrilling battles and see the pieces bleeding.

"and then?"

Yu Shao asked, "Then why didn't he participate in competitions and instead became a Go teacher? Was it also due to health reasons?"

"Do not."

Zheng Qin shook his head: "No, that's not it."

"Araki-sensei has been the runner-up in the World Championships twelve times and has never won a World Championship. And coincidentally, either he doesn't make it to the finals, or if he does, his opponent is always Hiroshi Yasushi."

"And each time, Arakino lost to Professor Yasuhiro by one game."

Zheng Qin sighed and said, "In the final of the 12th World Championship, Araki and An Hongshi had an earth-shattering battle. That battle is still regarded as the pinnacle of attack and kill in the history of Go."

"Unfortunately, in the end, Araki-sensei lost to Yasuhiro-sensei by half a point once again."

Zheng Qin sighed deeply and said, "In that game, Araki-sensei, a player known for his aggressive style, shed tears on the field."

"After that world championship, Araki-sensei quietly retired from the Go world, no longer participating in any competitions, and went behind the scenes to cultivate the next generation of Japanese Go players."

"Although he has never won a world championship, everyone calls him... the uncrowned king."

Five years ago, someone asked Professor An Hongshi what his biggest regret was.

"Teacher An Hongshi said that his biggest regret is that he will never have the chance to play against Teacher Araki again. Without Teacher Araki, he would never have the skill level he has today."

"The person he feels most sorry for is also Arakino-sensei, but even if he had to do it all over again, he would still give it his all."

Zheng Qin glanced at Yu Shao and said, "People online say, 'Why was Yu Shao born if Su Yiming was born?' But actually, ten years ago, what people online were saying was..."

"If there is a wilderness in the wilderness, why should Anhong Stone be born?"

Zheng Qin smiled and continued, "You might find it hard to imagine, but back then, everyone just wanted to see Arakino defeat Ahn Hiroshi, even Ahn Hiroshi's fans."

"Teacher Arakino has earned the respect of people all over the world for his superb Go skills and his fighting spirit in the game."

"What a pity, Heaven, how could it be so cruel to Araki-sensei?"

……

……

P.S.: I misspelled the title in the last chapter. My mistake... I was really sick and dizzy, and my brain was fried. I apologize. I will definitely check my work repeatedly before posting in the future. Sorry!

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)