Chapter 776: Profound and Unfathomable

Xie Xiu’s mind was racing with exasperation. Not only had he and Zu An always treated each other as equals, but considering Zu An’s relationship with his sister, there was no logical reason for Xie Xiu to call him "Uncle." If Zu An was his uncle, how could he then become his brother-in-law?

However, he couldn't bring himself to betray his sister. Under his teacher's intimidating gaze, he reluctantly called out, "Uncle."

Zu An burst out laughing. "Oh, we're so familiar with each other," he chuckled, "there's really no need for such formalities."

Xie Xiu looked dejected, thinking, *You didn't stop me before I said it, but you spoke up only after I did. You did that on purpose, didn't you?*

*I'll have to tell my sister sometime that this scoundrel shouldn't even dream of becoming my brother-in-law.*

Hei Baizi, completely oblivious to Xie Xiu's internal turmoil, looked at Zu An with eager anticipation. "Mr. Zu," he said, "let's play a game. Anyone who can create Five-in-a-Row must surely have unparalleled mastery of Go. I haven't encountered a worthy opponent in a long time; my hands are itching for a game."

*What the hell do I know about Go?* Zu An thought to himself. The main problem was that Hei Baizi had praised him so highly; it would be too embarrassing to admit he couldn't play now.

He could only look at Jiang Luofu, as if seeking help.

Jiang Luofu spoke up, "Fifth Senior Brother, I still need to take him to see Master."

"Don't worry, it won't take long," Hei Baizi replied. "A game between masters is quickly decided. With Mr. Zu's skill, he might defeat me in just a few moves."

Although he spoke modestly, his eyes betrayed a hint of skepticism; he truly didn't believe anyone could defeat him so quickly, given his own skill.

Jiang Luofu retorted with exasperation, "If you're so eager to play, why don't you play with Junior Sister?"

At the mention of "Junior Sister," Hei Baizi trembled, displaying an expression similar to Xie Xiu's earlier, as if he had heard something terrifying.

"No, I won't play with that monster! She's not human," Hei Baizi said with lingering fear.

Zu An looked at Jiang Luofu with a bewildered expression. "Junior Sister?"

Even Xie Xiu became interested. *What kind of person could scare Hei Baizi, who called himself the Chess Saint, so badly?*

*Hmm, I should find some time to get close to her and let her torment Hei Baizi a few more times. Let him experience what I've been feeling these past few days.*

Jiang Luofu smiled faintly. "Junior Sister often observes celestial phenomena and deeply studies Ziwei Dou Shu, which allows her to predict fortunes and misfortunes, and even know the future."

"Know the future?" Zu An was greatly shocked. "That's just too incredible." He knew that in various novels and TV shows, the ability to predict the future was often overpowered, yet it didn't always lead to good outcomes; sometimes it brought about various tragedies...

"Of course, it's not the distant future," Jiang Luofu replied. "Junior Sister's power is currently limited, so she can only roughly predict the very near future. But for playing chess with Fifth Senior Brother, it's more than enough."

Hei Baizi looked dejected. "Every time I play with her, she knows my moves in advance and always sets up a counter-strategy, making me feel utterly suppressed."

"That's not the point," Jiang Luofu said, mercilessly exposing his lie. "The main thing is, you never win against her, do you?"

Hei Baizi's old face flushed. "That's not playing chess; that's cheating! What's the fun in playing with her? It's much more interesting to play with a true master like Mr. Zu."

As he spoke, Hei Baizi waved his hand, and faint, crisscrossing lines of light appeared in the air around them, with various black and white chess pieces flickering upon them.

Jiang Luofu's expression changed, and she said with a wry smile to Zu An, "You'd better play a game with him and fulfill his wish. He has already transformed the vicinity into a cage using his chess formation. You won't be able to leave unless you play a game with him."

Xie Xiu's eyes lit up. *This is good, this is good.* He had been tormented so much lately that he'd been questioning his life, always feeling that his master was just a useless old man who only knew how to play chess and taught him nothing useful.

*If one day I can learn this move, then whenever I see a young lady from any family, I'll trap her with this chess formation, making her play a game with me. With my looks and charm, the time it takes for one game will be enough for them to fall in love with me.*

*But no Go; just thinking about it makes me sick now. How about Ludo instead?*

Xie Xiu looked excited, but Zu An had a worried expression, never expecting the other party to be such a chess fanatic.

He used his primal qi to sense his surroundings and confirmed there were indeed faint restrictions. He couldn't extend his qi outwards at all.

As if sensing his actions, Hei Baizi laughed heartily. "I didn't expect Mr. Zu to possess such profound cultivation at such a young age. Indeed, those who play chess well are excellent in other areas too."

Jiang Luofu was speechless.

*I feel offended.*

Zu An's mind raced. He couldn't admit he didn't know how to play Go at all. He worried that admitting it, given Hei Baizi's high spirits, might anger him and lead to unpredictable consequences. After all, this was the academy's back mountain, and it would be unwise to offend a direct disciple of the Academy Head.

More importantly, he had already put on a show of expertise and couldn't bring himself to shatter the illusion. Seeing the eager gazes of Hei Baizi and Xie Xiu, and even Jiang Luofu's admiring and respectful look, admitting he couldn't play chess now would be social suicide.

His mind was always quick, and he soon came up with an idea. He cleared his throat lightly and said, "How about this? Go is a bit dull. Let's play Five-in-a-Row instead."

"Five-in-a-Row?" Hei Baizi frowned slightly, saying with some hesitation, "Isn't that a bit too simple?"

He admired Zu An for creating a new game out of nothing, mainly appreciating Zu An's profound understanding of Go. He had imagined that Zu An's mastery of Go must be exceptionally high to have conjured such an interesting game from thin air.

But as a Go Saint, he could tell at a glance that the rules of Five-in-a-Row were quite simple. It was only suitable for beginners or ordinary people, and hardly presentable in front of true Go masters.

Zu An smiled faintly. "Although Five-in-a-Row is simple, it actually contains hidden dangers."

"Oh?" Hei Baizi's interest was immediately piqued. "Then I truly must see for myself."

If anyone else had claimed Five-in-a-Row had more to it, he would have scorned them at best; more likely, he would have directly scoffed at them.

But the person before him was the creator of Five-in-a-Row, and in Hei Baizi's mind, he had already imagined him to be a Go Saint. Thus, he instinctively believed what Zu An said.

The two quickly took their seats in the pavilion. Xie Xiu, showing good judgment, helped set up the board for them, and even Jiang Luofu grew interested, standing by.

Hailing from a prominent aristocratic family, she naturally understood Go, though she had never been particularly interested in it. The simpler rules of Five-in-a-Row, however, suited her more.

Now, seeing two chess masters play, and playing Five-in-a-Row at that, she also wanted to see who would win.

Her gaze fell upon Zu An's face, and for a moment, she was lost in thought.

She recalled that back at Brightmoon Academy, this guy had been a recognized good-for-nothing. If she hadn't accidentally discovered his super-grade aptitude, she probably would have held the same opinion.

Even with his super-grade aptitude, he had been so weak back then that she could have killed him with just a pinky finger. How little time had passed since then, and he had already grown to this extent.

His cultivation was almost catching up to hers, and crucially, he also had such deep mastery in various other fields. Yin Shi, Wang Shuyang, and Hei Baizi were all kings in their respective domains; gaining their recognition in any single field would be enough to become famous worldwide. Yet, he had managed to impress them all in every field?

*Is this man a monster?*

She now had unprecedented confidence in Zu An. She secretly transmitted a message to him: "A'Zu, win this. It will make it much easier later when I ask Master for your official status."

"'Official status'..." Zu An looked peculiar. *Big sis, aren't you a bit overly confident in me? I don't even know if I can win.*

Just then, Xie Xiu placed a bowl of black pieces beside Zu An and the white pieces beside his master.

Hei Baizi frowned slightly. He knew that in Go, black plays first, so it was usually the beginner or weaker player who took black.

He worried this might offend Zu An.

However, if he himself took black, given his reputation as the Go Saint, he would truly lose face. He was torn for a moment.

Zu An saw his predicament and smiled, saying, "You are a renowned Go master and naturally more senior, so of course I will take black."

Hei Baizi sighed in relief and said with a smile, "Mr. Zu is indeed broad-minded. Please!"

With the black pieces in hand, Zu An felt mostly confident. The reason he dared to play with this Go Saint was that Five-in-a-Row has a guaranteed winning pattern, and the prerequisite for that is to have the first move.

He calmly placed his piece in the center of the board, at the 'tengen.'

Hei Baizi's expression shifted slightly. Generally, in Go, the edges and corners are easier to claim, and playing at the tengen at the start is not very effective, making it quite a waste.

Therefore, an opening move at the tengen is often a gesture of concession. Was the opponent deliberately trying to concede by playing there?

*One must know that in a contest between masters, victory and defeat hang by a thread. He actually dared to concede to me at the very beginning. Could it be that he believes his skill is far superior to mine?*

As he considered this, the figure of Zu An sitting opposite him seemed increasingly unfathomable in his eyes.

He dared not be careless in the slightest. He quickly straightened his back and focused all his attention on the game.

He had played Five-in-a-Row before and naturally knew which positions needed to be defended in advance. He also knew he needed to turn defense into offense, otherwise, he would be exhausted just trying to keep up.

The two placed their pieces rapidly. At first, Hei Baizi's demeanor was relatively relaxed and normal, but gradually, his expression grew more and more serious.

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Luofu's face; even though she wasn't skilled in this game, she could tell that Zu An was now gaining the upper hand.

She didn't know why, but knowing Zu An was about to win made her happier than if she had won a game herself.

On the other side, Xie Xiu was practically ready to beat drums and gongs in celebration.

*Old scoundrel Hei Baizi, you finally got what's coming to you today!*

*You enjoyed tormenting me these past few days, didn't you? But today you got tormented by a young man. Let's see how arrogant you'll be from now on!*

Of course, he only dared to think these words. On the surface, he displayed a pained expression, fearing his master might vent his anger on him.

At the same time, he secretly glanced at Zu An a few times. *This guy is really getting more and more formidable,* he thought. *My sister's taste in men is indeed better than mine...*

*Peh, peh, peh, my discerning eyes are for women, not men!*

*For example, Principal Jiang across from me is quite good. Those long legs...*

He suddenly felt a surge of killing intent and quickly looked up, only to find Jiang Luofu glaring at him with a displeased expression. He hurriedly shifted his gaze away, feeling guilty.

He couldn't help but think indignantly, *Why doesn't Zu An get glared at when he looks at you? Zu An can look, but I can't?*

*Zu An has Miss Chu, and Miss Pei, and my sister...*

Of course, he only thought this. In the end, he became even more convinced that he should stick to finding gentle and virtuous young ladies; those women were gentle and understanding. Let Zu An suffer with these tigresses.

After glaring at him, Jiang Luofu said to Hei Baizi, "Fifth Senior Brother, are you going to make your move or not? This is taking too long; the sun is almost setting."

Hei Baizi's face alternated between green and red. Finally, he reluctantly put down his piece, conceding defeat. "I lost."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. The Go Saint was indeed a Go Saint. Even though he knew the guaranteed winning moves, he had almost stumbled several times mid-game due to Hei Baizi's "divine moves." By the end, he was highly strung, daring not to make the slightest mistake, or else the opponent would have won.

Hei Baizi stared at him blankly. "You possess such chess skill at such a young age, and crucially, you even made a concession at the start," he said. "It truly makes me realize I can't deny my age."

Zu An's face flushed. In truth, going first was a clear advantage, but Hei Baizi, stuck in Go thinking, had assumed he had made a concession. "You're too kind, Senior," Zu An said. "Actually, victory and defeat hung by a thread, and I almost lost several times mid-game."

Hei Baizi laughed heartily. "Young but not arrogant or impatient, very good, very good. Eighth Junior Sister, your judgment is indeed excellent."

Jiang Luofu felt a bit annoyed. "Don't talk nonsense," she said, "he's just a regular friend of mine."

*These annoying old men, I don't know what's wrong with them; they all keep trying to play matchmaker.*

"Regular friend?" Hei Baizi smiled ambiguously. *I don't believe a word of it. This woman is quite cunning. When have I ever seen her close to any man? Not to mention bringing him to the academy's back mountain herself.*

*Do you think we're blind?*

Jiang Luofu couldn't stand his strange gaze. She grabbed Zu An and said, "A'Zu, let's go. Don't mind this old geezer."

After saying that, she pulled him away in a hurry. Zu An could only apologize and cup his hands to Hei Baizi, "Senior, we shall meet again."

Because he had won the game against Hei Baizi, the chess formation restrictions Hei Baizi had just set around them automatically disappeared.

"We shall meet again," Hei Baizi said, watching the two depart. "But I wouldn't dare to accept your address of 'Senior'." He couldn't help but sigh, looking particularly lonely and wistful.

Xie Xiu, although overjoyed internally, still had to keep up appearances. He feigned sorrow and said, "Master, you don't need to be too sad. A'Zu just got lucky this time; his true chess skill is definitely not as good as yours."

"What the hell do you know?!" Hei Baizi was furious, blasting him with a torrent of words. "Only incompetent people habitually attribute others' success to luck! I lost, and that's that. Mr. Zu's chess skill is the most brilliant I've ever witnessed in my life. He even made a concession at the start, and I still lost. I only have admiration and respect for him. How could I be someone who can't accept defeat?"

"Yes, yes, yes, Master is broad-minded and magnanimous," Xie Xiu said, quickly changing his tactic to flatter him.

Hei Baizi snorted. "Reset the board, and play a few rounds with me."

"Huh?" Xie Xiu immediately pulled a long face. Now, just seeing Go made him feel like vomiting.

"What 'huh'?! Hurry up!" Hei Baizi flicked his sleeve, and the intermingled black and white pieces on the board instantly separated to their respective sides. "This time, we'll play Five-in-a-Row. You'll learn from Mr. Zu's opening move, and we'll review it."

"Okay, okay!" Xie Xiu's eyes lit up. *I can't beat you at Go, but Five-in-a-Row? I just saw Zu An play it seemingly so effortlessly. At worst, I'll just repeat his moves. Let's see how I torment you this time!*

He sat down enthusiastically, but it wasn't long before he regretted it, because he lost almost every single game.

From the pavilion, Hei Baizi's scolding could be heard from time to time:

"Idiot, idiot! You lost so quickly!"

"You are truly a rotten piece of wood that cannot be carved!"

"Look at Mr. Zu! You're roughly the same age, so why is the gap between people so vast?"

Xie Xiu wanted to cry but had no tears. *He can get my sister, but I can't even marry his sister. Of course, the gap is huge!*

On the other side, Zu An was unaware that his other companion was in dire straits because of him. He was currently taking the opportunity to ask Jiang Luofu, "Sister, which of your senior and junior brothers are still ahead? Give me a heads-up so I'm not caught unprepared if I encounter them later."

Along the way, he felt like he was being drained. The reason he could handle the previous few challenges was mainly his advantage as a transmigrator, drawing upon millennia of accumulated wisdom from Earth.

But in his previous life, he was just a keyboard warrior. He knew how to use various online knowledge to boast, but when he met true experts, it was too easy for him to expose himself.

Just like moments ago, Hei Baizi almost exposed him completely.

He really didn't want to have a few more frights like this.

Jiang Luofu smiled, seemingly quite pleased to be called 'Sister' by the young man. She lightly coughed and explained, "You don't have to worry about that; there are no more ahead."

"None?" Zu An was surprised. "Doesn't the Academy Head have twelve disciples? We've only met a few."

"Among Master's twelve disciples, three have mysterious identities," Jiang Luofu said. "Even we don't necessarily know their true identities. In any case, they have never been seen at the academy over the years."

"Which three?" Zu An was curious, wanting to use this opportunity to clarify the information. Although he had heard some rumors before, it was no match for an explanation from a direct disciple of the Academy Head.

Jiang Luofu hesitated for a moment, but still explained: "Second Senior Brother is a healer; no one knows his name or identity, only that he disappeared many years ago. Sixth Senior Sister is a painter, rumored to have attained enlightenment through art, but unfortunately, I've never met her and don't know who she is. Ninth Junior Sister is a singer; very few know her identity, and she has always been mysterious. You will know when the time is right."

Zu An looked bewildered. *The Academy Head's disciples are so mysterious,* he thought. *And by the way, the proportion of female disciples isn't low. Plus Jiang Luofu and the Junior Sister just mentioned, that's at least four, right?*

*The Academy Head isn't an old pervert too, is he?*

This thought was dispelled by Zu An as soon as it arose; he secretly called himself sinful. He had met the Academy Head once in the Heavenly Prison before—a typical reclusive master, an elder who had taught such excellent disciples in various fields. How could he be someone with low-brow tastes like him?

*Hmm, let me bear all these low-brow tastes then.*

A sudden thought flashed in Zu An's mind. "Wait, your Second Senior Brother is a healer... could it be Ji Dengtu?"

"How could it be him? Don't mention that person in front of me." Jiang Luofu's expression instantly turned cold, and the temperature around them seemed to drop by many degrees.

Zu An remembered that she was Ji Xiaoxi's aunt, and Ji Xiaoxi had mentioned her mother's accidental early death. It seemed Jiang Luofu harbored some resentment towards Ji Dengtu because of her sister's passing.

Not wanting to bring up her painful memories, he immediately changed the subject. "What about the Academy Head's other disciples?"

Jiang Luofu's expression eased slightly. "Third Senior Brother calls himself the 'Drunken Sword Immortal'; he travels the world all day and isn't at the academy. Tenth Junior Brother cultivates the military arts and is stationed long-term at the border, so he's not here either."

"Also, Eldest Senior Brother is a runemaster, spending his days in seclusion studying his cryptic talismans. Recently, he's also been teaching Xie Daoyun, so we probably won't encounter him."

"Fourth Senior Brother is an alchemist; he's either holed up in his room refining pills or tinkering with his puppet warriors all day."

"So, all in all, we've pretty much met everyone we're likely to encounter," she concluded. "There naturally won't be anyone else after this."

Zu An was a bit curious. "The Academy Head's disciples feel like they belong to the Hundred Schools of Thought," he remarked. "So, Sister, which field do you belong to?"

Jiang Luofu adjusted the exquisite glasses on her nose, her red lips parting slightly. "I am a Legalist Lawbringer," she stated.

Zu An's gaze swept over her uniquely cold and stunning aura—her office lady uniform, paired with her long legs and high heels. He couldn't help but be greatly shocked internally. *Sure enough, a lawyer is the best fit for her temperament!*

*The 'teacher-secretary' series has automatically evolved into the 'lawyer-female prosecutor' series!*