Chapter 198: Another Solution to the Go Arrangement
Translator: MangoCat Editor: DarkGem
But Lei Zhonglian knew this man couldn’t be looked down upon.
No matter if he was laid back or just shameless, it couldn’t offset the fact that he was a very dangerous person.
He started getting worried.
He wasn’t the only one who knew that this man was powerful and dangerous. Of course, Miss Jun knew it as well.
He was like a lion, when he was asleep or full and lazily stretched out, you could touch him and walk around him, but he was always a lion, and he could bite you at any time.
Why was Miss Jun provoking him so irrationally?
“So you can say I indeed did not plan on meeting with you again, when I was in Yangcheng.” The young man drank a whole cup of tea then put it onto the table with a thud. “That’s right, I was the one who set up the Go board. After all, it was five thousand teals. Five thousand taels have many uses.”
He smiled at Miss Jun.
“But I’m someone who enjoys money. When I saw such an opportunity, I couldn’t stop the itch in my heart, so I gave that beggar a bit of help.”
At this, he rubbed his head thoughtfully.
“What was the beggar called?”
He acted like he couldn’t recall.
“I admit, I was in the wrong,” he said frankly, and waved at Miss Jun. “I imagine you must be angry because of this. Because I turned your lofty manner into shame, no?”
Lei Zhonglian nodded.
That’s right, it sent the tongues wagging. They thought that the one who set up the Go arrangement was playing foul , tricking everyone.
Manager Gao always knew this, and Miss Jun did not publicize what happened because it was too shameful.
“But I had no other way,” said the young man helplessly. “You see, although my looks are so naturally peerless in a crowd, I’m but a modest and low-key person.”
Lei Zhonglian stared. ‘I really don’t see that,’ he thought.
Miss Jun seemed like she hadn’t heard him.
“I don’t care about that,” she said. “Why did you call me a dunce?”
The young man rubbed his self-proclaimed gorgeous face.
“Actually, young miss, you heard wrong.” He put down his hand and said sincerely, “I was talking about me; I’m the dunce.”
“I don’t care if you are a dunce or not,” she said. She pulled the table with the Go board closer and pointed at it. “Please face me.”
He dismissed the board.
“I know you won’t believe me,” he said, “but I don’t play.”
As expected.
Miss Jun clenched her hand.
“You can’t play, so why do you think that I am a dunce for setting up the Go board?” she asked.
His eyelids widened, and he smiled strangely.
“Young Miss, have you read many books?” He did not answer her question.
Read books? The quantity of books in the imperial palace was astounding. Moreover, the number of Master’s books was even more shocking. However, she hadn’t read many besides the ones she was forced to.
Still, that was no little quantity.
The young man did not wait for her answer and continued speaking.
“Young Lady, you won’t like to hear what I’m going to say next; you’re still green. So you’ve read many books, but how could you be certain that someone else hasn’t read more? There are many smart and talented people in this world,” he stated. He pointed at his toothy smile. “For example, me.”
Miss Jun looked at him.
“So?” she asked.
“So I’ve read many books,” the young man said. “Fortunately, I saw this Go arrangement in one of them.”
After he spoke, Miss Jun jumped to her feet.
“Impossible, the Go arrangement in the book had no solution,” she said.
The young man acted as if this was all within his expectations. He coughed lightly and stroked his chin.
He acted like he was stroking a beard, but his young and bare chin did not have the slightest trace of stubble. Probably he was imitating someone he knew or trying to act sophisticated, thought Lei Zhonglian, who was always watching him.
“Young lady, just because there was no solution in the book, doesn’t mean that it’s unsolvable,” he drawled.
Miss Jun looked at him.
“Who did you hear that from?” she asked.
Her voice was calm, but she was speaking quickly, belying her anxiousness.
The young man’s leisurely appearance stiffened.
“Why couldn’t I have been the one to say it,” he said unhappily.
Miss Jun did not say anything.
“Oh,” said the young man. He straightened up imposingly. “So, I cannot play Go,” he reaffirmed. “That’s right, someone else said that.”
He pointed at her.
“So as I was saying, young miss, how could you set up a Go arrangement as a bet that came from a book? If it’s recorded in a book, then many people could have seen it. Moreover, the Go arrangement was so simple, it wasn’t smart to try to earn money from it. You said your actions weren’t those of a du…”
He coughed twice, and swallowed down the impolite phrase.
He didn’t want to be questioned by this girl again.
She looked at him strangely.
This was a simple Go arrangement?
Master spent years trying to solve it.
“You slander. This Go arrangement is very difficult,” she retorted immediately.
“Nope,” he replied.
“Very difficult, it is very difficult,” she said. Her voice had gone up a pitch and she stepped forward.
‘Just like an unreasonable young girl,’ thought Lei Zhonglian. But Young Lady was a young girl after all.
“What’s hard about it? You’re the dumb one,” the young man said simply, putting out his hands in front of him.
Lei Zhonglian immediately stiffened. He was only a few steps away, but he didn’t have the slightest certainty of stopping this man’s attack.
If he was standing next to Miss Jun, he could have tried, but Miss Jun had assigned him to protecting Young master Fang. He couldn’t leave him.
The young man’s hands did not fall on her. Rather, he went to pull the Go board. He turned it half around, then picked up a Go stone and put it on the board.
This was the required move to solve the arrangement at the Lantern Festival.
After finishing this, he moved to stand next to Miss Jun.
“You see,” he pointed at the board, stroking his chin. “What does this look like?”
Look like?
Miss Jun looked. The square Go board was now askew. From her vantage point, the white and black stones sketched an outline on the Go board.
The separate lines disappeared and the black and white joined together, only leaving behind a sketch.
The curved and meandering lines finally revealed an image.
This image was…
Miss Jun was dumbfounded. She didn’t dare to admit what she was seeing.
“A pig,” said the young man.
Lei Zhonglian squeezed his hands again. It really was not good. First you insult Miss Jun as a dunce, and now you dare call her a pig.
Fighting with a young girl is not some sort of talent.
“A pig!” he said again. He leaned forward and pinched the stone he put down. He turned to look at Miss Jun. “You see.”
He put it down again.
“Once you add this stone, it becomes the word for pig.”
The Go board formed the ‘pig (猪)’ character?
Fang Chengyu curiously got to his feet. Just a pity, Miss Jun and the young man were blocking the board.
Miss Jun was staring at the board, struck dumb.