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Chapter 821: Chapter 827: The Favour
But swiftly, Jiang Fengwu gathered her thoughts because the Go contest had started!
The first to take the stage was a rather famous chess master from the Capital, who was young and thus considered Master Fan’s successor.
Their game was fascinating, but as the number of empty points on the board dwindled, the young chess master took increasingly longer to make his moves, sweating profusely.
Even those not involved in the game could tell that the young man was probably at his limit.
"Jiang, is he about to lose?" Zhang Linglong asked softly.
Jiang Fengwu nodded and said, "That’s right, in no more than five moves, he will undoubtedly be defeated!"
Her gaze towards Master Fan became extremely solemn. As an observer, Jiang Fengwu, from an outsider’s perspective, watched the whole chess game unfold.
At first, Jiang Fengwu did not understand Master Fan’s strategy until she suddenly realized that the young chess master was about to lose. She urgently looked back, reviewing the game move by move, and discovered that Master Fan had meticulously planned his moves, unknowingly capturing many of the young man’s pieces.
"He’s that amazing?!" The girl exclaimed in astonishment, focusing intently but still unable to discern what had happened.
And, as expected, the outcome was as predicted.
The young man saw his defeat and lost his composure; he was completely overtaken by Master Fan in just the second move.
After the loss, Fan Xiping offered a few words of advice.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master! I have learned my lesson!" Fortunately, the young man quickly regained his composure and stood to pay his respects.
Next up was Jiang Fengwu.
When she took the stage, a buzz arose from the crowd because not only was Jiang Fengwu a woman, she was also an unrecognized and infamous woman, with no right to seek Master Fan’s guidance.
But the matter was already settled, and no matter the opinions of the crowd, nothing could stop it.
The Nascent Soul Cultivator in the crowd cast a strange glance towards Jiang Fengwu. It was peculiar; he sensed a familiar aura from this mortal woman.
When he tried to confirm it, the feeling disappeared, as if it were just his imagination.
Seeing that none of his four disciples reacted, he murmured to himself, "It must have been a mistake."
"Please!"
Jiang Fengwu, with an indifferent expression, responded as she took her seat opposite Master Fan and, holding the black pieces, made the first move.
Perhaps because of the previous game, Jiang Fengwu contemplated each of Master Fan’s moves, wondering why he played them that way, and whether he was laying out another trap...
Because she thought too much, she fell into a passive position. Even though she later understood and extricated herself, it was too late; the overall situation was beyond her ability to reverse. She struggled for another dozen moves before suffering a bitter defeat.
"Your play is too rigid, lacking flexibility. You are defensive, which makes your strategy predictable. Moreover, it seems you learned Go in pursuit of something specific, which has inherently placed you at a disadvantage. If you do not correct your mindset, you might earn the name of a master, but you will not progress beyond that," Fan Xiping pointed out Jiang Fengwu’s problems in a gentle voice. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Jiang Fengwu felt a tremor in her heart. She stood up to pay her respects and respectfully said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master! The kindness you’ve shown by passing on your knowledge is something I will never forget."
"There’s no need for such serious gratitude."
Jiang Fengwu shook her head, but it wasn’t the time to say more. She bowed once more and turned to leave.
Back at her seat, Jiang Fengwu closed her eyes to feign sleep, shattering her utilitarian motive for learning Go and relearning it with passion and without purpose.
With the world as the chessboard, and mountains, rivers, and stars as the Laws...
In a trance, Jiang Fengwu seemed to perceive the Laws of the world but then again did not, as it was but a fleeting glimpse.
However, she remembered that sensation and now had a clear direction to move towards, no longer wandering blindly as before.
When Jiang Fengwu opened her eyes, she saw Zhang Linglong’s worried gaze and comforted her, "Jiang, don’t worry. You only started learning Go not long ago, and to have come this far is already quite impressive."
Clearly, the girl thought she could not withstand the blow and that her feigned sleep was an effort to hold back tears.
"I’m fine, I was just digesting the Master’s comments. They were indeed very beneficial."
Seeing the obvious disbelief on Zhang Linglong’s face, Jiang Fengwu did not bother to explain further.
Soon, all those who sought Master Fan’s guidance were defeated, and the old man prepared to leave.
Just then, the cultivators suddenly stepped forward, blocking Master Fan’s way.
"What is the meaning of this?" Master Fan asked with a frown.
One of the Golden Core cultivators, with an arrogant tone, said, "We are disciples of the Green Jade Mountain Xie family from the cultivation world of Central Plains. We have heard that you have reached the peak of Go and extend an invitation for you to come to Green Jade Mountain to play our ancestor."
Master Fan’s expression grew unpleasant. He naturally wished to engage with cultivation, thinking that at his old age, perhaps the immortals’ methods could grant him a few more years of life.
Moreover, he still had so many descendants; perhaps they might have a chance for cultivation? In any case, forming a good relationship with cultivators was indeed a fortunate affair.
But the man’s attitude caused Master Fan to hesitate. With such condescension, he feared that he would become a servant if he went!
This was not what he wanted.
"What’s wrong? From your troubled look, is it that you do not wish to go?" When the man did not receive Master Fan’s reply, he asked with an ugly expression.
The crowd, originally there to gawk, thinking they would witness a tale from storybooks, also sensed that something was amiss and quickly dispersed.
Jiang Fengwu also pulled Zhang Linglong away, saying, "I’m in a hurry to jot down those insights, so I won’t accompany you back. Be careful on your way."
With that, she disappeared into the crowd before Zhang Linglong could react.
"Sigh!"
Entering a deserted alley, Jiang Fengwu let out a deep sigh.
She had planned to find an opportunity to present Master Fan with some Spirit Pills to repay the debt of his teaching, but now faced this situation, she had to intervene.
Moments later, dressed in a black robe and indistinguishable as a man or woman, Jiang Fengwu headed straight for the Go venue.
"Interesting. Who would have thought that several great cultivators would threaten a mortal."
Jiang Fengwu’s voice arrived in time to stop those attempting to forcibly take Master Fan.
"Green Jade Mountain’s Xie Zhangwen, I’ve heard of Fellow Daoist," said the Nascent Soul, a trace of wariness in his eyes, sensing Jiang Fengwu’s strength was greater than his.
"An insignificant person, not worth mentioning."
With clearly stronger momentum, Xie Zhangwen could only ask in a gentle tone, "May I know what brings Fellow Daoist here?"
"Of course, it’s this old man!"
Jiang Fengwu, unflustered, said, "I am currently at the Nascent Soul perfection and decided to start from the skills of mortals. I happened to hear that there’s a Chess Saint in Ning Country and thought to learn from him for a few years. Fortunately, I have not come too late, otherwise, I might have missed the opportunity."
