565 Lucky to Have Sangsang (2/2)
The wind became wilder and the birds in the woods began singing.
The Go Master's eyes began to weep.
...
...
Some time passed.
”My only regret in life was not seeing a game played by Master Dongming and Song Qian. The game played today makes up for that. I am satisfied.”
He sincerely saluted the old monk and said, ”Thank you very much.”
Then he turned to the curtain, bowed and said, ”Thank you, too, lady. You are the Great Wisdom in the world indeed. I am not qualified to be your teacher. On the contrary, you should be mine.”
Sangsang sheepishly said, ”I could barely win in the mountain, so I am not qualified to take a disciple either.”
Upon hearing this, the Go Master's body trembled. He previously felt familiar with her way of playing Go and could not help coming up with an incredible idea. He quaveringly asked, ”Would it be daring to know if you learned from Master Song Qian?”
Sangsang shook her head blankly.
Ning Que frowned. The name sounded familiar to him. He must have heard of it somewhere.
The old monk looked at the curtain and said, ”How does Mr. Song do in the Academy?”
Hearing that, Ning Que finally remembered something. When the Academy issued the winter uniforms, Second Brother's little servant mentioned the name of Song Qian. Was he...
”Do you mean my Fifth Brother?”
Ning Que's voice spread outside the pavilion and shocked everyone. They didn't know the Master of Go from South Jin had been living on the Second Floor of the Academy and they couldn't help holding the Academy in awe.
The Go Master was paralyzed by the news and he took a long time to recover. He cried out and said, ”I need to go to the Academy right now. I want to see Master Song Qian.”
Ning Que didn't expect that his neurotic Fifth Brother, who often forgot to eat because of Go, was so famous in the world. He was stunned.
...
...
The game in the pavilion was over in a tie. The stones of two colors held such harmony that no one had the heart to break it. Even counting the pieces was thought to be a blasphemy. Therefore, the game ended with no winner.
Master Dongming looked less regretful and seemed to have thought something through. He looked at the curtain and said with a smile, ”You chose black because you want it. Life is the same as Go playing. Just do what your heart tells you to.”
He stood up, turned to face both the Lanke Temple's abbot and monk Guan Hai, then slowly said, ”Since you had sealed the Messy Phase Game, I will seal this game as well. If someone wants to go up the mountain, you don't have to stop them.”
Monk Guan Hai was surprised and asked, ”Why?”
Master Dongming answered, ”It's a perfect ending that I could play Go with such an opponent as the last game in my life, isn't it?”
The people outside the pavilion were shocked, too. They knew the Messy Phase Game had been sealed. Now the second game was going to be sealed as well. Didn't it mean that the Three Games in the Wa Mountian were going to vanish?
...
...
The black horse carriage slowly inched toward the top of the mountain.
Ning Que thought of the game in the pavilion and could not help asking, ”Who won?”
Sangsang said, ”I should have won a few pieces, but black is a dominant stance anyway.”
Ning Que was stunned, and then he burst into laughter.
Then he sighed and said, ”No wonder Fifth Brother said the Lanke Temple monks were good at Go playing. Since you have learned from him and you beat the old monk, you somehow made up for him.”
Dozens of days ago.
At the back of the mountain, fellow apprentices were sending them out.
At that time, Fifth Brother looked at Sangsang and happily said, ”Sangsang, the most important responsibility of defending the glory of the Academy... is given to you.”
The Academy was the best in the world, in Go, music, and calligraphy.
It was not easy to maintain these.
However, it was as Fifth Brother expected.
Today, Sangsang made it.
...
...
-