The Way of the Blind Girl Chess Saint

Will I... will I forget her?

Chapter 274: Solar Eclipse

"pat..."

"is that so……"

Ji Hongying looked slightly puzzled, then slowly pinched a black chess piece between her two slender fingers, her posture impeccable.

Around her sat many cute little girls with different hair colors, who were her age.

On the podium, a young female lecturer with black pear-shaped hair was quietly explaining the proper way to hold a Go stone, whether it was because of the hot weather or because she was too nervous.

These... these are the children of the Ji family... They are so quiet.

Unlike the children she had taught at the chess academy before, these adorable little girls in front of her were all staring at her without saying a word.

The young female lecturer was very nervous. Although she was only an amateur level 3, she was a professional introductory lecturer in Go.

Some people may wonder, how could the Ji family possibly lack Go instructors?

However, it's important to know that in today's amateur Go academies, most teachers who teach beginners don't have a dan rank, most teachers who teach advanced groups are only amateur 3-dan, and even those who teach amateur 3- or 4-dan might only be amateur 5-dan. Only when you reach amateur 5-dan will you seek out a Go academy with professional players.

The Ji family simply doesn't have any professional, amateur-level instructors...

Players with even a little experience are already professional players or high-ranking amateurs. Their understanding differs, so the content they teach also differs. Why should someone with such a high rank teach beginners?

One-on-one might be okay, but teaching in a lecture style is not as effective as hiring professional instructors from outside; they don't have the patience to teach beginners.

The Ji family's chess academy was established to help professional chess players climb to a higher level. What professional chess player would specifically study how to teach beginners?

Actually, it happened before, but after that senior professional teacher gave the beginners a life-and-death problem with a pig's snout as homework, it never happened again. The kids don't even understand what a pull-out is yet, okay? It's definitely more reliable to have an outsider teach them, right?

Her fiery red eyes glanced gently out the window, and a breeze ruffled her long, fiery red hair.

Today is my first day learning Go. The female instructor is named Li Qingqing.

My name is Ji Hongying, and I am six years and four months old.

Holding a black chess piece between her slender little hands, Ji Hongying looked at it over and over, staring at it intently.

I don't know why, but I always have a strange feeling in my heart... I don't know why, but as long as my little hand holds this chess piece, holds this little chess piece, I feel very at ease.

I wanted to hold it, to gently place it on the chessboard. A small smile appeared on Ji Hongying's lips.

But... my sister can't understand this feeling, she must be very disappointed.

"Hmm... everyone did a great job..."

Li Qingqing looked around and saw that there were nine little girls sitting in the room, all around six or seven years old.

I like this feeling of holding chess pieces; it makes me feel fulfilled, satisfied, and happy.

At that time, I didn't know why my right hand was trembling slightly, but an uncontrollable excitement welled up inside me.

Fingers, arms, neck, brain, heart! Soul...

I could feel my blood circulating faster, and my beautiful, fiery red eyes widened little by little.

That is bloodline, a yearning from the bloodline, a prayer from the depths of the soul.

The blood in my body, my right hand, yearn for this chess piece. Ji Hongying swallowed hard.

Before me lay an ice-blue chessboard, exquisitely beautiful, its icy coolness permeating the surface and stimulating my blood.

This chessboard is made of ice smoke wood, one of the three most expensive chessboards in the world. The Ji family buys a batch of ice smoke wood chessboards every year, not just for their appearance.

Ice Smoke Wood is beneficial for stimulating the Ji family's chess players to awaken their family's chess technique, the Frosty Crown.

pat...

Finally, the black chess piece in front of me gently landed on the star point, making a crisp sound.

I didn't think about whether my posture was correct or not. At that time, I simply wanted to fill the gap on the star position.

I like the three stars below because this arrangement looks like three small suns, dazzling and bright.

After placing the chess piece, my gaze unconsciously drifted to the side to see a cute little girl with an ice-blue bun hairstyle.

Two months have passed, and Xiao Bingyuan's hair has grown a little longer. I heard that she hasn't been doing well lately.

Is it because her biological parents are very strict...? Her chubby face has gotten thinner, maybe she hasn't been eating properly?

She hasn't had a happy expression on her face lately, and she looks a bit depressed. Should I go and talk to her?

But, I guess I'll pass...?

Ji Hongying's small lips moved slightly a few times, but she slowly closed her mouth.

Sitting next to Ji Bingyuan was a girl with long, dry, yellow hair; she was her biological older sister, Ji Qiuyao.

Although I didn't have much of a concept of the word "biological" at that time, I knew that it meant someone even closer than me and her.

I don't want to cause trouble, but I can't help it. I've never been good at communicating with others, and I don't like to talk to people casually.

Sometimes, it's best to keep many things to yourself and not say them aloud.

The little girl with a bright red bob haircut played with her long, bright red hair in her small hands, remaining silent.

........................

Time flew by in Ji Hongying's mind, and the days of learning Go passed by one by one.

Eating pieces, robbing, counting points, land preparation, fixed patterns, life and death problems.

When I'm learning Go, I become so focused that I seem to forget everything else.

My life has fully unfolded, like a scroll being unfurled, so pleasant.

I enjoy playing chess with others!! I long to play chess with others!!

My fiery red hair is like the blazing sun in the sky; I am the most dazzling presence.

My heart and soul are trembling; I am the strongest among my peers.

They are not as good as me.

I gradually became arrogant. I was an unusual being, I... was extraordinary.

Six months later, Ji Hongying's fiery red hair grew longer and longer, and she became even more beautiful.

Suddenly, the adults in my family started paying attention to me, and the little girls my age began to admire me.

They've all changed, and so have I...

I started talking more and less, and I was silent less often than before.

These days, I rarely think about strange things anymore, and I rarely stare blankly at the birds in the trees.

There are fewer and fewer things that can make me think... My mind is already filled with knowledge of Go.

I feel like I've become ordinary, no longer strange.

There is only one person who treats me the same as always, and only she... will never change.

"Little Red Tassel... I let the cat eat grass today too."

A little girl with long, light green hair stood at the entrance of the chess academy, holding an adorable white kitten. She was wearing a light green robe, and her delicate, crescent-shaped eyebrows seemed to draw people in.

"Little Red Tassel, let's go home together. Kitty peed outside today, so she'll be punished by not eating fish today."

The verdant willow branches gently drooped before my eyes; this color brought me more peace of mind than any chess piece.

I put away the chess pieces and didn't look at my opponent sitting opposite me, who had no expression on her face. She was a young lady named Ji Xuehu.

She's a really boring girl; I wouldn't feel happy defeating an opponent like that.

Two slender little hands gently clasped together; soft, white, and cool to the touch, it felt very comfortable.

That alone is enough to calm my burning fighting spirit from the day, and then I can start thinking about what to have for dinner.

"Sister, I need to pee too..." I couldn't help but say as she held my little hand.

Of course, I don't mean I want to pee outside, but rather that I want to find a place to pee.

But even for a moment, I didn't want to let go of her cold little hand.

This conflicted feeling makes me feel like I'm still a weirdo.

I used to think that my life would continue like this until one day...

The rain was pouring down outside the window, and dark clouds covered the sky.

A girl with long, fiery red hair gently sat up in bed and rubbed her bright red eyes.

My beautiful face is expressionless, my fiery red hair falls to my waist, and two strands of fiery red layered hair fall to my ear tips. I am even more beautiful now than I was a year ago... My name is Ji Hongying, and I am almost eight years old this year. I have long, fiery red Hime-style hair.

At that moment, I wasn't thinking about what dinner was for tonight; it was the first time I hadn't thought about what dinner was for tonight.

As I entered the chess academy, the way they looked at me was slightly strange. A female lecturer with long blonde hair was giving a lecture. The original lecturer, Li Qingqing, had already left. She resigned when she couldn't even beat the last girl from the Ji family.

Actually, what she said was quite good, I thought to myself.

Yesterday, Mom injured her hand; a large, bloody hole appeared in the center of her palm, and it was bandaged.

Perhaps that's why I didn't think about dinner tonight. My mother injured her hand while cooking, which is quite pitiful. She probably won't be able to cook for herself for a long time.

Besides, I'm pretty tired of the food she makes. I'm even a little disgusted by it. Why does she have to make coconut beef every day? Nobody in my family wants to eat coconut beef.

Her fiery red eyes emanated a slightly eerie chill. Ji Hongying, with her long, fiery red hair, was completely captivated by the lecturer's words. After the lecture, the chess players would play a game as usual.

Whoosh!

In an instant, a white feather fan opened, and fiery red eyes coldly stared at the opponent before him.

She was a little girl with long black and yellow hair, and her golden tiger eyes were filled with endless fighting spirit.

Her name is Ji Tuntao, the daughter of Aunt Ji Shihu, and the only one in the chess academy who can rival me.

In the past, I might have been excited to fight her with all my might... but today... I find her boring.

She... is too weak.

No, maybe it's because I've become stronger...