chapter 246 Losing the game?
Such a big flaw?
As a result, Gu Yun and Guo Yuan were dumbfounded once again!
This...
Could it be that those two brilliant moves just now were really just luck?
A smug smile appeared on Zhou Jie's face. Though not obvious, he could no longer completely hide it.
Out of luck?
Then from now on, he wouldn't hold back!
"Pa—"
Six to twelve, seal!
This move was a perfect exploitation of the flaw exposed by the black stones, like a sharp blade ruthlessly piercing the heart of Black's territory, preventing it from connecting at the head and tail.
Pushing forward with victory, leaving no way out.
Seeing this, Gu Yun shook his head slightly and let out a quiet sigh.
The outcome was decided!
What remained now was simply crushing the opponent!
Guo Yuan frowned, raised his hand to stroke his beard, and on his face, covered with deep and shallow wrinkles, a trace of displeasure appeared.
He had originally come today to spar with Gu Yun and to check on Gu Yun's recovery—what was supposed to be a good occasion. But he hadn't expected it to be disrupted by a single game of Go between his disciple and another.
He knew Gu Yun very well, and from the way Gu Yun was looking at Ye Fan, he could tell that Gu Yun valued this young man.
Zhou Jie, oh Zhou Jie, has your brain gone bad?!
"We haven't even reached thirty moves yet, didn't you say you get stronger when facing strong opponents? Why am I not seeing that?"
Looking at the already decided situation on the board, Zhou Jie said mockingly, his eyes filled with undisguised ridicule.
A strike at both body and soul!!!
For most people, such words from Zhou Jie would have been truly infuriating.
Young men, in their prime, would find it completely normal to lose their temper when humiliated in front of a girl they admired.
Of course, this was exactly Zhou Jie's plan.
In front of two ninth-dan Go masters, if Ye Fan couldn't accept defeat, it would only embarrass him even further.
Then, Zhou Jie would simply act humble, saying that he had merely lost control for a moment and accidentally used too much force.
By then, this girl named Ning Xi would surely see him in a different light, and he could take the opportunity to ask for her contact information without issue.
After that, everything would naturally fall into place.
Perfect!
"Whether you feel it or not, what does that have to do with me?"
Ye Fan replied indifferently. The disadvantageous situation on the board didn't affect him in the slightest. He continued placing his black stones, making one bad move after another.
Feeling proud?
Better hold onto that feeling tightly, or soon enough, you won't be able to smile!
Zhou Jie snorted coldly. "You really don't know when to quit. Since that's the case, I won't be polite anymore!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the attack from the white stones unfolded in full force.
Compared to the beginning, White's advantage was now overwhelmingly massive.
Earlier, Zhou Jie had played a sealing move, cutting off Black's breathing space. Now, the black stones had turned into a scattered mess, and White was not only dismantling from within but also continuing the assault from the outside.
An attack from both inside and out!
The intent was crystal clear—to completely devour Black's main force in the small corner.
If Zhou Jie succeeded, then Ye Fan's loss would be devastating—at least thirty stones taken, and it would be a mid-game victory. A win of such magnitude never even appeared in professional Go matches.
"This game should end here."
Just as Ye Fan made another bad move, Gu Yun suddenly spoke up: "Zhou Jie, Ye Fan has only been learning Go for a short while. Facing your full strength, he has no chance of winning. Continuing this game has no meaning."
Hearing this, Zhou Jie felt displeased. His final strike had only just begun, and if the game ended now, he wouldn't be able to fully showcase the brilliance of his setup.
"Teacher Gu, if nothing unexpected happens, I will secure victory in another seventeen moves. Since we've started, let's at least see it through to the end."
"See what through?"
Guo Yuan couldn't stand it anymore, his voice carrying a trace of anger. "Ye Fan has only been learning Go for a little over a month. You're a professional seven-dan player, and you couldn't play a proper teaching game? Stop immediately and get out of my sight!"
These words left no room for dignity.
"Master!"
Zhou Jie's face alternated between pale and flushed. He was, after all, a professional seven-dan player, and now, being scolded so harshly in front of others made it impossible to maintain his composure.
Taking a deep breath, he said in a low voice, "I had intended to play a teaching game, but Ye Fan said that he gets stronger when facing strong opponents, so I just wanted to see how far his limits could go. How can you blame me for that?"
"Oh, so now you're the one who's right?"
Hearing this, Guo Yuan glared at him, his beard bristling in anger. "You call yourself a professional player, yet this is all the sportsmanship you have? Pathetic!"
"Old Guo, that's enough."
Seeing his old friend berating Zhou Jie so harshly, Gu Yun quickly stepped in to stop him. He glanced at Ye Fan, whose expression remained calm, and slowly said, "Since Zhou Jie wants to continue the game, let's just finish it. It's just a game, no big deal."
Guo Yuan, still furious, glared at Zhou Jie and snapped, "So your wings have grown, huh? You even dare to talk back to me now? Just wait until we get back, I'll deal with you then!"
With that, he swung his sleeve and stopped speaking. His expression said everything.
Gu Ziyi opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. She hadn't expected things to escalate like this.
Ning Xi took light steps to Ye Fan's side, gently poking his back with her small hand. Softly, she said, "Ye… brother, if it's not going well, we can just admit defeat. Don't worry too much about winning or losing, it's okay."
No matter what, she stood by Ye Fan's side.
Even if he lost, she would still stand with him!
"Don't worry."
A black stone flipped nimbly between Ye Fan's index and middle fingers. Hearing Ning Xi's voice, he smiled, turned his head, and took her hand, guiding her to stand on his left. With a smile, he said, "Watch from here. I might not lose."
"Okay."
Though Ning Xi didn't quite understand, when she met Ye Fan's confident gaze, she nodded almost instinctively.
Ye Fan looked at Gu Yun and Guo Yuan and said, "Teachers, let's continue the game. It's too early to decide the outcome. Until the final moment, who can say for sure?"
"Ye Fan…"
"Pa—"
Gu Yun had originally wanted to dissuade him, but just as he opened his mouth, he saw Ye Fan place another black stone on the board.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided not to say anything further.
This was exactly what Zhou Jie wanted. Seeing Ye Fan make his move, as if afraid he would change his mind, Zhou Jie immediately followed with his own move.
At this moment, no one noticed the smile hidden deep in Ye Fan's eyes.
Lose the game?
Someone was definitely going to lose, but that person was absolutely not going to be him!
No amount of explanations could be as convincing as proving things with actions.
If he could win with his hands, why bother arguing with words?
As the two of them continued placing stones, the board's situation became clearer and clearer.
More importantly, Ye Fan had played nine consecutive bad moves, fully showcasing the level of someone who had only been learning Go for just over a month.
Seeing this, Guo Yuan could only laugh bitterly in his heart.
Just moments ago, he had thought Ye Fan might be a Go prodigy, capable of competing with a professional seven-dan player after only a month of study.
Now that he thought about it, how laughable!
No matter how talented someone was, that was simply impossible...