"Accepting a disciple isn't impossible, but..."
At this point, Gu Yun deliberately paused, staring at Ye Fan for a few seconds before continuing, "However, you must pass a test."
"How's the test?"
Ye Fan felt relieved. As long as Gu Yun was open to it, things would be much easier.
He was confident about Ning Xi.
Reason?
No need!
"Simple."
Gu Yun leaned back on the sofa, glanced at his granddaughter, and said, "Zi Yi is currently at the professional initial stage, so she will be the test target."
As he spoke, he looked at Ning Xi and smiled kindly, "Girl, I won't make it difficult for you. If you can avoid losing more than three stones to Zi Yi within fifty moves, you pass the test. How about it?"
"Alright!"
Ning Xi clenched her fists, her expression serious.
She was an amateur first rank, while the other was a professional initial stage; the gap was indeed significant. However, not losing more than three stones within fifty moves wasn't entirely hopeless.
Ye Fan had created the opportunity for her. Whether she could become Gu Yun's disciple would depend on whether she could seize this chance.
"Grandpa, I..."
"No showing mercy."
As soon as Gu Zi Yi opened her mouth, Gu Yun stopped her with just four words. She pouted helplessly and nodded in agreement.
A few minutes later, the chessboard was set on the coffee table.
Noticing the girl beside him was nervous, Ye Fan took a cherry hair tie from his pocket and gently gathered her hair into a low ponytail.
Ning Xi did not resist, her gaze lowering slightly. The nervousness gradually faded away with Ye Fan's actions, and an inexplicable confidence surged within her.
"Relax, just perform at your level. Becoming a disciple isn't that important," Ye Fan said, raising his hand to gently pat Ning Xi's head, his eyes full of fondness.
"...Mm."
Ye Fan's deep voice gave Ning Xi a sense of reliance, a feeling she quite liked.
Gu Zi Yi's expression was odd, a hint of jealousy rising in her heart.
This public display of affection was so unexpected…
It was excessive!
Even Gu Yun was a little surprised and curiously asked, "Ye Fan, are you and Ning girl dating?"
"No!"
"No."
Seeing Ning Xi's flushed face, Ye Fan pressed his lips together, a faint smile on his face, "Teacher Gu, Xiao Xi and I are still in our senior year of high school, and our studies are heavy. We can't date; we're just good friends and classmates for now."
The words 'for now' held much meaning.
Gu Yun chuckled heartily and leisurely sipped his tea.
Gu Zi Yi also had a faint smile on her face as she softly said to Ning Xi, "Xiao Xi, may I call you that?"
"Sure."
Ning Xi nodded, and under the table, she kicked Ye Fan lightly, a hint of shyness in her eyes.
She wasn't foolish; she could naturally hear the underlying meaning in Ye Fan's words.
Gu Zi Yi picked up the white stones and pushed the black ones toward Ning Xi, "Xiao Xi, since you've been learning Go for a shorter time, you can play as black, and we won't add komi."
In Go, black moves first, giving it a more proactive stance, which provides some advantage. To offset this, different countries have different komi rules.
In the rules of Go in Xia Country, the player who goes first with black needs to give a 3.75-point komi, but Gu Zi Yi's suggestion to skip the komi was clearly giving Ning Xi an advantage.
"No need."
Ning Xi shook her head and refused.
Did she want to pass the test?
Yes!
But she wanted to pass the test with her true ability and earn the chance to become a disciple, rather than having Gu Zi Yi show leniency. Even if she passed the test like that, it wouldn't bring her joy.
"Big Sister Gu, let's guess who goes first."
Hearing this, Gu Zi Yi's eyes showed surprise, and her impression of Ning Xi rose again.
This girl was truly remarkable!
With her right hand, she grabbed some stones from the white bowl, placing them in front of Ning Xi, smiling, "Go ahead."
"Even."
She guessed correctly!
Ning Xi took the black stones to start. When she picked up the first piece, her aura subtly changed.
The stone landed on the upper-left star point.
Gu Zi Yi gracefully placed her white stone on the lower-right star point.
Ning Xi's second move was a small corner on the upper-left, trying to secure the upper-left area.
Gu Zi Yi's second move was similar, landing on the lower-left small corner.
Both sides opened conservatively.
There's a saying in the Go world: "Gold corners, silver sides, and grass-filled center."
This means the corners are the most valuable, the sides come next, and the center holds the least value.
In Go, the corners are the easiest to secure, and once you control a corner, you can expand to the sides, influencing the center of the board.
"Snap—"
"Snap—"
…
Both Ning Xi and Gu Zi Yi kept their moves at a steady pace, not too fast nor too slow.
After thirty moves, the game remained balanced.
Ye Fan knew how to play Go, but only superficially. In his previous life, he learned a little because a client liked to play, just a little.
For some reason, no matter who made a move, his thoughts would start racing uncontrollably, analyzing the game's potential outcomes.
Soon, forty moves passed.
The game took a sharp turn from its initial peace, and within just a few moves, a fierce battle erupted.
And the aggressor was Ning Xi!
Gu Zi Yi's expression shifted from relaxed to serious. Honestly, she hadn't taken this match seriously at first.
After all, she was a professional initial stage player, while Ning Xi was just an amateur first rank, and their skill gap was too wide. She had even planned to let Ning Xi win, hoping she could pass her grandfather's test.
However, as the game expanded, Gu Zi Yi realized something was off. Ning Xi's black stones had quietly launched an offensive, and especially after her forty-fifth move to the large corner, she found herself at a disadvantage.
This situation shocked Gu Zi Yi.
There were only five moves left!
If things continued like this, there was a good chance that she would… lose!!!
As a professional player, Gu Zi Yi quickly assessed the situation and launched a counterattack.
With each stone placed, the game's dynamics shifted.
"Snap!"
"Snap!"
…
Unbeknownst to them, the game had long surpassed fifty moves, but Gu Yun had no intention of stopping it. He had set his tea aside, watching the match with great interest, and the surprise in his eyes became increasingly evident.
As time passed, the astonishment grew, filling his entire gaze.
After the fiftieth move, Ye Fan looked away, his lips curling into a proud smile.
Ning Xi's performance even surprised him. Despite the significant gap in their skills, she initially feigned weakness and then launched an unexpected attack, seizing the upper hand against a professional initial-stage player like Gu Zi Yi—a true miracle.
Gu Zi Yi was strong, but it would take her at least thirty more moves to turn the situation around.
"Snap!"
As Gu Zi Yi's 106th move landed on the center star point, Ning Xi quietly put down her stone and nodded politely at Gu Zi Yi.
"Big Sister Gu, I lost."
Read more than 40 advanced chapters on patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/jodex7