Chapter 38: Elder Ke, Don’t Be So Quick to Admit Defeat!

"Little girl, you may begin playing the zither. I’m listening," Elder Ke said, not bothering to lift his head as he watched Xu Ye place his pieces on the board.

"Yes, sir," Lin Buyu replied with a helpless nod. She took her seat at the table where the ancient zither was set, and as her fingers gently brushed the strings, a melodious tune filled the air.

"Not bad," Elder Ke praised, though his eyes never left the game. Like Elder Qin, it was clear he also knew Lin Buyu.

This was Xu Ye's first time hearing Lin Buyu play, and he was surprised by her skill. The black stone paused in his hand, suspended mid-air, as his curiosity drew his gaze toward her.

"Boy, you still have the nerve to sneak a glance at the girl at a time like this? Do you really think you can ignore me, Ke Youshan?" Elder Ke, eyes fixed on the board, grumbled and then finally looked up. The righteous energy swirling around him gathered with visible intensity.

At that, the onlookers burst into laughter.

Lin Buyu's cheeks flushed with heat and her fingers nearly slipped from the strings.

"Elder Ke, no need to be hasty. I’ll finish placing these few pieces in a moment," Xu Ye answered sheepishly, quickly averting his gaze and snapping the piece onto the board with a click.

"Just a few pieces? If you dare to toy with me, you'll be carried out of the Hall of Heavenly Kings flat on your back!" Elder Ke’s face darkened as he rolled up his sleeves, righteous energy erupting from him.

"I wouldn’t dare! Please calm yourself, Elder Ke!" Xu Ye pleaded, hurriedly dropping his pieces.

In this world, scholars were as skilled in martial virtues as they were in letters; if this old man wanted to thrash him, he’d likely have no chance to fight back.

His frantic moves, paired with his desperate appeals for mercy, sent another wave of laughter through the crowd.

Bai Zijin, however, had her eyes fixed only on Lin Buyu. As she watched the flawless face, now turning red and pale by turns because of Xu Ye, she couldn't help but smile, her beautiful eyes lighting up with rare delight.

Click!

At last, Xu Ye placed the final piece. The formation on the board was a life-and-death problem from his memory—one originally posted online by a Go grandmaster once considered second only to AlphaGo.

"It’s said that only one other genius of equal rank solved it immediately. I doubt this old man’s skill matches that of the young prodigy at his peak," Xu Ye thought.

Xu Ye might lack confidence in himself, but he placed full faith in the grandmaster who once stood just beneath AlphaGo.

"Elder Ke, please," Xu Ye said, folding his arms and looking confidently at the old Confucian before him.

"Xu Ye, do you really think such a casually arranged endgame could stump Elder Ke?" Liu Muxuan, watching from the side, scoffed.

He hadn’t paid much attention to the board, but simply wanted to ridicule Xu Ye and curry favor with Elder Ke. After all, how could Xu Ye’s puzzle possibly challenge the venerable elder?

Many shared his skepticism. Unlike the imperial examinations, this literary gathering did not forbid discussion, so the Hall of Heavenly Kings soon buzzed with noise.

But a few noticed something strange—Elder Ke's eyes hadn't left the board for a long time.

"Xu Ye, don’t waste Elder Ke’s time—"

"You, Liu family brat! If you don’t shut up, get out!" Elder Ke’s furious shout cut him off before he could finish.

He hadn’t even used his power, but the force of Elder Ke’s righteous presence struck Liu Muxuan’s chest like a heavy blow, nearly knocking the breath from him.

Yet more than the physical impact, Liu Muxuan was troubled by a single thought: "Why is Elder Ke so upset?"

He was not alone; many in the hall wondered the same.

Gradually, the noisy hall fell silent, leaving only Lin Buyu’s increasingly hurried music.

Like the others, Lin Buyu was deeply curious about Elder Ke’s sudden anger, but she couldn’t stop playing, so she focused on the elder’s reaction, trying to guess the reason.

Her gaze naturally settled on the board that Elder Ke was staring at so intently.

Lin Buyu was no novice at Go, and at a glance, she perceived the extraordinary complexity of the puzzle before the elder.

"What an intricate sequence! I can’t see any way to live—no wonder Elder Ke lost his composure!"

The board’s situation sent chills down her spine; her fingers nearly faltered.

Soon, the entire hall’s attention was drawn to the puzzle, and awed whispers began to spread.

"What a tangled web!"

"There’s no way for the white stones to survive!"

"Can the white pieces really escape this time?"

"Who has a board? I want to try it myself!"

Listening to the whispers around her, Lin Buyu’s gaze drifted from the board to Xu Ye.

Xu Ye sat with arms folded and one leg crossed, looking perfectly at ease.

"Could it be… he wasn’t lying? His skill is truly remarkable?" Lin Buyu’s heart pounded with shock.

Just then, her song came to an end and the music faded away.

"Alas…" The moment the last note died, Ke Youshan, the imperial Go examiner, let out a heavy sigh. With a defeated look, he tossed his white piece back into the bowl, lifted his head, and looked at Xu Ye with a grave expression.

"This problem—I cannot solve it in a day or two. I admit defeat," he declared.

His words sent a tide of astonishment through the hall.

"Why admit defeat? Elder Ke could try again!"

"What do you know? This puzzle is unsolvable!"

Some less skilled students cried out in confusion, thinking Elder Ke ought to try again. But those who truly understood the game were sweating; for them, even months might not be enough, let alone a few days.

"This young man’s skill is unfathomable," many thought to themselves.

"Weren’t you the one who said his skills were mediocre?" Watching Xu Ye, companion to Lin Buyu, steal the spotlight, Bai Zijin’s face darkened. She shot a venomous glare at Liu Muxuan.

Her family was no less than his; she’d chosen him as her exam companion simply to spite Lin Buyu.

"Elder Ke, don’t be so quick to admit defeat!" Sensing things going awry as Xu Ye drew all attention, Liu Muxuan jumped up.

"This Xu Ye is known for his lack of diligence. There’s no way he devised this puzzle himself—it must be borrowed from some old treatise! I respectfully request that you set him a problem, so he can prove his innocence!"

He pointed indignantly at Xu Ye, his tone full of righteous fury.

The moment Liu Muxuan suggested that Xu Ye prove himself, the hall erupted again—some in agreement, others feeling it was unfair to Xu Ye.