The Art of Provocation  

"Are we starting already?" Huang Longshi glanced at the black stones beside his hand and the white stones beside Fan Li's. He seemed hesitant.

Although a Go enthusiast, he wasn't ignorant of social etiquette. Black had the advantage of the first move. Even with the handicap system, going first was still an advantage.

A single mistake in Go could snowball into a loss. Turning the first move into an advantage, then turning that advantage into victory - this was the essence of the game.

Huang Longshi didn't dare to take black. "Duke Jin… I usually play white," he said politely.

As a scholar, he wasn't skilled at flattery.

Fan Li instantly understood his concern. This wouldn't do. Huang Longshi didn't know that his opponent was the Sage Ruler of Chess, one of the strongest Go players in the world. A single misstep could lead to defeat.

And his defeat would be Fan Li's defeat.

'Heaven knows what kind of punishment the Rotten Axe Go Board inflicts on the loser. I can't afford to lose.'

He decided to provoke Huang Longshi, to ignite his competitive spirit and prevent him from losing due to excessive courtesy.

"Do you think you're worthy of playing black against me?" Fan Li asked coldly.

Huang Longshi was stunned. He couldn't understand why Duke Jin, who had been so warm and friendly just moments ago, had suddenly turned hostile. The way Fan Li looked down on him, with such arrogance and disdain, truly resembled the image of a treacherous official bullying the Emperor and his court.

"Duke Jin, I… That's not what I meant…" Huang Longshi stammered.

As a scholar, he was slow with words. Before he could finish his sentence, his face had turned crimson.

"I don't care what you meant." Fan Li waved his hand dismissively. "Listen! I am a man of many talents. Music, chess, calligraphy, painting – I excel in all of them. Especially Go. I am undefeated. When I was fifteen, I had already defeated hundreds of renowned Go players. I realized that everyone in the world was mediocre, unworthy of playing against me."

He continued arrogantly, "How many years have you been playing Go? You're just a nobody! If not for Marquis Lu's recommendation, you wouldn't even be worthy of entertaining me!"

His words, tyrannical and unreasonable, were a perfect display of a corrupt official's true nature.

As expected, Huang Longshi trembled with anger, but his eyes also burned with a fighting spirit, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Suddenly, he kowtowed deeply. "I am unworthy of playing against you, Duke Jin. But Go… it is my lifelong passion! I dare to request a game. If I lose, I am willing to break my own hands and never play Go again. If I win… I ask for nothing!"

By the time he finished speaking, his face had turned the color of a pig's liver. He trembled with excitement, anger, and a determination to fight for his pride.

Good!

Fan Li almost applauded him. This was a true Go enthusiast!

With Huang Longshi's declaration, Fan Li was finally certain that he would give his all in this game.

"Very well," Fan Li said. "Play black. Make your move."

…

Within the Rotten Axe Go Board, Fan Li placed the first black stone.

Bai Shijiu glanced at it, chuckling coldly. The star point? It was a common opening move for black, but predictable.

With a flick of her wrist, she placed a white stone. The small knight's move, a common response.

This was a slow game. If she wanted to defeat Fan Li quickly, she would have attacked aggressively. However, since she had decided to drain his lifespan, she would play slowly, extending the game.

She was surprised when Fan Li made his next move almost instantly, as if he hadn't even considered it.

'Playing against me with such carelessness?' she thought, cursing him silently. 'Just wait. In half a day, when you realize you're old and decrepit, I'll tell you the true nature of the Rotten Axe Go Board. Let's see if you beg for mercy then.'

Half a day within the Go board was fifty years in the outside world.

And that was only for Fan Li. For Bai Shijiu, it was a mere six months. As a Great Vehicle realm cultivator, she had centuries of lifespan to spare. She was confident she would ascend to the Immortal Realm long before her time ran out. Many Sage Rulers from the Brahma Sound Pure Land had achieved immortality throughout history.

The first twenty moves were played quickly. Bai Shijiu wasn't in a hurry. As the game progressed, the time between moves would naturally increase.

She was a bit surprised by Fan Li's skill. He was far more adept than she had imagined.

She had no idea that her true opponent wasn't Fan Li but a relatively unknown Nascent Soul realm scholar from Lu City, one of Lu Chunqiu's three thousand disciples.

"What's going on?"

Bai Shijiu intentionally dragged out the game. She focused on building a strong foundation, holding back from attacking. They were competing on strategy, but she found herself falling behind.

If the Go board was a battlefield, Fan Li had secured more advantageous terrain.

She hesitated. Should she continue building her foundation? As white, she was naturally at a disadvantage. And Fan Li, surprisingly, played a steady, defensive game, offering her no opportunity to overtake him.

Should she abandon her plan and attack?

'If I attack too quickly, it will become a fast game. No, I need to ensure he dies of old age within the board.'

She resisted the urge to attack and continued trying to catch up. Unfortunately, it was as she had predicted. She had lost the initiative. Without a decisive attack, the gap in their strategies would only widen.

"Could I… lose?"

By the fifty-second move, Bai Shijiu could no longer resist. She attacked, placing a white stone beside a large, undefended group of black stones.

Fan Li responded immediately, his move both defensive and skillful.

"Damn it!" she cursed silently.

Seeing his confident smile, his effortless defense, she gritted her teeth in frustration.

'If I had attacked sooner, he wouldn't be so relaxed. This game doesn't reflect my true skill!'

In her heart, she was already searching for excuses for her potential loss.

As the game progressed, the board became crowded with stones. Fan Li, however, remained relaxed. After all, he was merely a spectator, placing stones as instructed by Huang Longshi. The true battle was between Bai Shijiu and Huang Longshi.

Time passed. Bai Shijiu's moves grew slower. She wasn't deliberately delaying; she simply needed more time to think.

Suddenly, she remembered something. She looked up from the board, her gaze fixed on Fan Li, a cruel smile forming on her lips.

They had been playing for half a day now. Fan Li should have aged at least twenty or thirty years. He should be showing obvious signs of aging.

…

Back in Peng City, Huang Longshi's anger had subsided. He was enjoying the game and had to admit that Fan Li was a skilled Go player. But for some reason, Fan Li had prioritized building a strong foundation and hadn't attacked, putting him at a slight disadvantage.

He noticed a few white hairs appearing on Fan Li's temples and was about to express his concern when the white hairs quickly turned back to black.

'Is this some kind of secret technique Duke Jin cultivates? I shouldn't inquire about such personal matters.'

He held his tongue.

"Ding!"

"Anomaly detected in Host's clone."

"System will automatically adjust clone's attributes based on Host's current status."

"Clone anomaly corrected."

"Please rest assured, the 'Greatest Traitor System' is at your service!"