The attendees of the gathering were already largely introduced by Ye Ruoxi, who swept her gaze around once more before finally settling in the southeastern corner, a direction she had deliberately ignored before.
In the southeastern corner of the gathering, there was a cluster of emerald bamboo, beneath which sat a torreya wood chess pedestal. A man and a woman were seated opposite each other on either side.
However, at this moment the two were not engaged in a game of chess; the match on the board had been played out.
The man on the side of the white pieces was reading, a thick tome resting on his lap. He pinched two white Go pieces between his fingers, twirling them playfully, while his other hand leisurely turned the pages of his book.
The man casually flipped through his book, seemingly engrossed and oblivious to the hubbub of the gathering.
When the gathering's eyes—all following Ye Ruoxi's lead—fell upon him, he remained as if deaf to their attention, head unraised.
