The GO Queen. (1)

Yu Jinsan was playing Go with his granddaughter at the residence of Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall.

As he placed a stone, he continued the conversation.

“So? You just came back alone?”

“Yeah. They probably had a lot to talk about among themselves.”

Although the living and the dead were united in spirit, it was the brothers’ final gathering.

Stepping aside had been the right choice.

This incident had been painful for his granddaughter, but it would also be a chance for her to grow.

“Our Seol has gotten quite perceptive. Then what about that Blade Emperor fellow?”

“I don’t know either. They said they’ll handle it themselves.”

There was no way Cheon Woo-hwan would spare him. As with nature’s law, one reaps what one sows. Yu Jinsan decided not to worry about that any longer.

“But where did the other player go?”

Yu Seol had been holding a stone for some time without placing it. She didn’t have enough experience yet to match her grandfather.

The game was nearly decided—Yu Seol’s white stones were on the verge of being swallowed by black’s territory.

“Grandpa, that’s unfair. You trapped me with a dirty trick.”

Yu Jinsan snorted, picked up two black stones, and took back two moves to give her a chance.

“Dirty trick? Go is like life: you must be patient and wait—didn’t you rush in too hastily?”

“But Grandpa, you lured me in like a coward first.”

“Not cowardly—it’s a trap. In situations like this you wait defensively for a flaw, then strike.”

“Hah, we’ll see about that.”

Thud—!

Yu Seol placed a white stone and fixed her grandfather with a determined stare.

Seeing that, Yu Jinsan said, reminiscing, “Your father used to challenge me often. That expression back then was much like yours now.”

“At Go? Was he good?”

Yu Jinsan placed a stone and smiled contentedly.

Thud—!

“You never beat your granddad. Not once—even when I gave you a two-stone handicap.”

“As expected, Grandpa is the Go King.”

Puffed up by his granddaughter’s praise, Yu Jinsan straightened his shoulders.

“Yes, you know well. There was no one in the neighborhood who could beat his granddad at Go.”

But Yu Seol’s fighting spirit flared even brighter.

“Then I’ll become the Go Queen.”

Thud—!

The spot Yu Seol chose was clever. Like a warrior breaching enemy lines, it seemed aimed at collapsing the black formation from the flank.

Yu Jinsan clapped in admiration. “That was a good spot. You can see two moves ahead now.”

“Hee hee.”

Cheered by her grandfather’s praise, Yu Seol grinned.

“But it’s too early to celebrate. A great strategist must see three moves ahead.”

No sooner had he finished than Yu Seol’s expression hardened—she sensed her plan had been read.

Yu Jinsan was not the sort to let that pass. His attacks were always executed fully, without hesitation.

Just as he placed a black stone, he suddenly opened his mouth in surprise.

“Uh?” His hand began trembling uncontrollably. In an instant he lost control.

Thud—!

The stone landed in the wrong spot.

Dumbfounded, he watched as Yu Seol grabbed a white stone.

“Puhihi. Now it’s my turn.”

His granddaughter waved the stone playfully in front of her face, gave a little shimmy, and then placed it swiftly on the board.

Thud—!

That single move flipped the balance of the game.

Pushed onto the defensive, Yu Jinsan was so stunned he was left speechless.

From her triumphant look, he realized a trick had been played.

She must have momentarily emitted qi to influence his hand.

He stared blankly for a moment.

“That was cheating, wasn’t it?”

Yu Seol blinked widely, feigning innocence.

“Huh? What?”

Yu Jinsan demanded, “Didn’t you just nudge my hand with that technique?”

“Me? How?”

She shamelessly played innocent.

There was no obvious explanation. No matter how advanced someone in the Profound Realm might be, a mere void-manipulation could not affect someone of the Supreme Realm—he himself was well into the Supreme. Only one technique fit: the highest-level martial art that manipulates objects with qi.

“You used the technique from the Spear Control art on Grandpa, didn’t you?”

“Nah. There’s no such thing. Hurry and place it—it’s grandpa’s turn now.”

Yu Jinsan, still holding a stone, stole a glance at his granddaughter; she was staring at his hand with half-lidded eyes. It looked suspicious. ‘This time I’ll catch the evidence for sure,’ he thought. He moved his hand very slowly—very slowly, like a grub crawling.

Perhaps because he had been watching her continuously, she didn’t try any easy trick.

Just as the stone neared its destination, Yu Seol looked toward the door and said, “Grandpa, there’s a guest outside.”

“I’m not falling for that, you rascal. What trick are you trying to pull?”

“I’m serious. Don’t you believe me?”

Yu Jinsan chuckled and kept moving the hand that held the stone. “Grandpa trusting you is more like—”

He trailed off as the sound of someone at the door reached them.

As he turned his head briefly to look outside, his go stone again drifted to the wrong spot.

Thud—!

“…Uh?”

At that moment, as if waiting, his granddaughter gently placed the final stone.

“Hee-hee. I won, didn’t I?”

That move expanded white’s territory and sealed Yu Jinsan’s defeat.

But he could not accept such a manipulated loss.

“I won’t let this slide from now on, just you watch.”

Yu Jinsan shook his head, reached for the door, and emitted qi from his fingertips; the door opened on its own with a bang.

A warrior from Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall whom Yu Jinsan had not seen before stood at attention, tense, hands clasped.

“G-Greetings, Great Warrior. I have something to report.”

“What is it?”

“They’ve just arrived from the Black Night Clan. Shall you meet with them immediately?”

“Thank you for informing me. I’ll be out shortly, so wait a moment.”

Yu Jinsan bundled the Emei Sect spoils into a bag and glanced at his granddaughter. She lay back arrogantly, grinning, clearly pleased with her Go victory.

“I’ll be back soon, so don’t move from there.”

Yu Seol wiggled her toes and hummed. “Mhm, hurry back~”

At another pavilion of Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall not far away, two people waited at a round table.

One was Eun Hwa-rin, chief of the Black Night Clan. The other was a neatly dressed middle-aged man who looked like a scholar—someone Yu Jinsan did not recognize.

“Have you been well, elder?” Yu Jinsan asked, gesturing for Eun Hwa-rin, who bowed, to sit.

“Please sit. It’s truly good to meet again.”

“Yes. I knew you were in Sichuan, but I didn’t know exactly where you were staying, so we were looking into it.”

It hadn’t been long since the grandfather and granddaughter moved to Sichuan.

The Black Night Clan had already noticed—their information network was formidable.

“You’re certainly quick. You were looking for us?”

“Yes. We also have information to convey.”

“Hmm. Start with what you have.”

“From our inquiries, the Murim Alliance’s atmosphere has been uneasy. Word is the Murim Alliance leader has been rampaging.”

“Because of us?”

It wasn’t a laughing matter, but Eun Hwa-rin couldn’t help a small smile.

“Yes. It seems they’ve formed a small elite assassination squad—be careful.”

Not surprising; they’d ruined everything she had been planning, so of course she’d be furious.

But it was too early for a full rampage. They probably hadn’t heard yet that the Emei Sect had been looted.

“They’d faint if they knew what happened at the Sect. It’s a pity you weren’t there to see it.”

“What happened? I heard you were selling a Buddha statue—was it from the Emei Sect…?”

Yu Jinsan set the bundle on the table. “You have sharp instincts. As compensation for the damages we suffered, we brought some items first.”

When he opened the bundle, Eun Hwa-rin exclaimed in admiration.

“I’ve never seen a statue shine so brilliantly. It’s good you brought an expert.”

The neatly dressed man beside Eun Hwa-rin bowed respectfully and introduced himself. “Please take care of me, elder. I am a scholar called Baek-bul; speak freely.”

At his polite demeanor, Yu Jinsan nodded with a pleased smile. “Nice to meet you. How much is this worth?”

Scholar Baek-bul began to appraise the statue in earnest. He tapped it, inspected the patterns, and applied a reagent he had brought. After a long examination he spoke with a serious expression.

“I can’t believe it. How did this…”

“Hmm. Tell me in detail.”

“It’s a rare item called a root Buddha statue. In my opinion, it’s the Banya Jon Buddha statue.”

“Banya Jon Buddha statue?”

“Yes. It’s one of the earliest Buddha statues.”

Yu Jinsan wasn’t particularly religious; he was simply curious about its value.

“I see. So how much could we get for it?”

Scholar Baek-bul hesitated, troubled, then said, “It’s invaluable. The asking price will determine its worth.”

“Hmm. How should we dispose of this…” Yu Jinsan crossed his arms and pondered. Eun Hwa-rin watched and then asked cautiously, “How about sending it to Western Tibet, where Buddhism has a deep history? The statue would be put to better use there than in the hands of those corrupt nuns.”

Western Tibet was one of the Western regions and differed from the Central Plains. Those known for deep devotion would surely pay its true value.

“It’s a good idea, but we can’t go all the way there ourselves, can we?”

“Don’t worry. The Black Night Clan has connections there.”

With the Black Night Clan handling it, there was no reason to refuse. Yu Jinsan slid the statue toward Eun Hwa-rin without further thought.

“Then please handle it. As compensation, I’ll give you half of the sale proceeds.”

Eun Hwa-rin looked puzzled. “You’re entrusting such a precious item to us so readily?”

“We’re comrades who have shared life and death many times—what is there to worry about?”

“If the Black Night Clan ever grew greedy and tried to seize it, take it—I’ll not complain.”

Perhaps because Yu Jinsan’s words carried warm sincerity, a faint smile blossomed on Eun Hwa-rin’s face.

“Leave it to us. No statue, however precious, matters more than our ties with the Yin Yang Twin Monster.”

“If you think that way, I’m grateful. Ah, and wait a moment.”

Suddenly Yu Jinsan remembered something, turned, and called, “Seol!”

The response came quickly. Not long after, the pavilion’s entrance opened quietly and Yu Seol peeked her head through the doorway. “Huh? Did you call me?”

“Yes. Give me what’s around your neck. An expert’s here; let’s see what he can tell us.”

Yu Seol was equally curious. It was a simple necklace with a single prayer bead hanging from it—an item that had been safely kept deep within the Ami Sect.

“Here you go.”

Scholar Baek-bul took the necklace, peered closely, and muttered as he deciphered the tiny ancient characters engraved on the bead.

After a moment he said, astonished, “It seems there’s something extraordinary inside this bead. According to my reading…”

Yu Jinsan leaned forward with a curious look. “Well, what is it? Do tell quickly.”