Book 3: Chapter 27: Lord Mo

On the street in front of This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion:

Countless cultivators in the surroundings stared at the Go board in silence. Many of them had already rolled up their sleeves, ready to rush forward to help when Gu Hai got bullied and repay the previous grace.

Isn’t this the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion’s general manager, Jiang Tianqi? Isn’t his Go Dao very incredible?

He is known as one of the ten Go kings of Silver Moon City, so what is this situation?

Gu Hai captured all his opponent’s pieces, leaving nothing? He captured one hundred Go stones in one move? That is an impossible move! Master Gu is that incredible at Go? This must be a coincidence, right?

“Excellent! Master Gu, good game!”

“Master Gu won! Hurry and hand the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion over to Master Gu!”

“Hahaha! Excellent! Master Gu is also incredible at Go!”

The surrounding cultivators immediately cheered.

Long Wanqing appeared like this was normal. Had you chosen to compete in music, you might have stood a chance, as Gu Hai does not have the music Dao’s artistic conception. However, you chose Go of all things. This was just setting yourself up for failure.

After all, the Thousand Islands Sea was too remote. Word of Gu Hai’s strong Go skills had not spread from the Thousand Islands Sea yet. In Silver Moon City, only Gu Hai and his people knew about his Go skills.

This was not a trap that Gu Hai set. Instead, it was Lu An digging a pit for himself.

Long Wanqing smiled and said, “City Lord He, since you are the host, with the entire city bearing witness and victory decided, we can proceed with the handover now, right? This is a wager that Young Master An made in the name of Duke Lu Yang.”

He Shikang frowned slightly, appearing somewhat put in a spot.

“What happened? Jiang Tianqi, didn’t you say that you would definitely win? That the outcome was set?” Lu An glared angrily.

Lu An felt like he was going mad. This was the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion. While it could not compare to the World’s Best Zither Pavilion, it was still a major business in Silver Moon City—a business that funded a large portion of his grandfather’s military budget.

Lu An had already lost the World’s Best Zither Pavilion and did not know how to account for that to his grandfather. Now, he even lost the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion?

Lu An could already imagine how terrifying his grandfather’s punishment would be.

“No! Young Master An, it’s a coincidence, luck! It must be luck!” Jiang Tianqi shouted as he pointed and glared at the Go board.

“Luck? What trick can there be? Tell me, what luck is there? You have lost the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion!” Lu An glared furiously, appearing like he wanted to kill Jiang Tianqi.

When Lu An’s subordinates saw his furious expression, no one dared to speak up for Jiang Tianqi.

Jiang Tianqi shivered and immediately called out, “Young Master An, I want another match with him. Another match! It is a coincidence, luck! He won by luck!”

Lu An showed an intense murderous intent in his eyes.

Jiang Tianqi persisted, “Young Master An, you should know that Gu Hai is incredible with the music Dao. He just fumbled his way through Go. I definitely can defeat him. I have studied the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Go Puzzle; you know that. That is the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Go Puzzle, a Go puzzle that can set up the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array. Gu Hai definitely cannot defeat me. I have eight derived puzzles. I definitely can win with those eight derived puzzles! I definitely can win. Give me another chance.”

Lu An glared at Jiang Tianqi with bloodshot eyes.

“Young Master An, trust me. I will make Gu Hai lose everything, making him kneel before you and let you humiliate him!” Jiang Tianqi swore.

Only then did Lu An’s expression relaxed slightly.

“Young Master An, thank you for going easy,” Gu Hai said with a faint smile.

However, Lu An turned from Jiang Tianqi and looked at Gu Hai. “No, you have to play one more game!”

When the surrounding cultivators heard that, they immediately became enraged.

“What? You are supposed to acknowledge your defeat. Young Master An lost but refuses to acknowledge that?”

“How could Duke Lu Yang have such a direct descendant?”

“You’re going back on your word. You completely embarrass Duke Lu Yang!”

The surrounding cultivators raised an outcry in rage.

“Oh? So, Young Master An intends to restart the wager? So, the wager that you made in Duke Lu Yang’s name does not count?” Gu Hai said with a smile.

“The earlier wager counts. I bet and I will pay. What is yours will be yours. That is not all the business my duke’s official residence has in Silver Moon City. There are other businesses as well. I want to continue the wager with you using other businesses. You have to continue!” Lu An shouted while glowering.

Right now, Lu An felt extremely anxious. Never mind the World’s Best Zither Pavilion’s collapse. He had to preserve the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion. He needed to win it back.

“Is it still Jiang Tianqi playing against me?” Gu Hai asked with a frown.

“That’s right. It is still Jiang Tianqi. However, this time, it will be with the derived puzzles that Jiang Tianqi comprehended from the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array,” Lu An shouted while glowering.

Long Wanqing stood quietly at the side, not saying a word. Right now, she was speechless beyond complaint. The Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array? Furthermore, just the derived puzzles? Jiang Tianqi had not fully comprehended the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array, yet he dared to use his created derived puzzles to make things difficult for Gu Hai?

“That is not impossible. However, has Young Master An fulfilled the earlier agreement yet? I can continue playing Go with Manager Jiang only after that,” Gu Hai said.

“Hand over the paperwork!” Lu An grandly waved his hand.

City Lord He Shikang let out a long breath as he nodded.

The group of property sales registration officials quickly proceeded with the paperwork for the business handover.

Everyone waited patiently.

Gu Hai smiled faintly and said, “Young Master An, this time, you have handed over the business before the city lord and everyone in the city. Don’t come running back in a few days with another property dispute.”

“Humph! It is still yet to be seen whether it will be yours!” Lu An said coldly.

“Go bring a group of people to the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion to take over the Go pavilion!” Gu Hai said to a Han Royal Dynasty official.

“Yes!” that Han Royal Dynasty official answered.

A group of Elite Hall disciples, under the lead of a few Han Royal Dynasty officials, and Lu An’s subordinates immediately headed for the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion to deal with the handover.

“Jiang Tianqi, listen carefully. If you lose again, just deliver your head on a platter,” Lu An said coldly.

“Yes!” Jiang Tianqi answered.

“Go prepare the puzzle,” Lu An said.

“Yes. However, this subordinate is somewhat worried. I have eight derived puzzles, each with its own merits. I do not know which one to choose.” Jiang Tianqi frowned.

“Then, use all eight Go puzzles, play them one after another and wager one business after another. For every puzzle you lose, you lose a business. When you win, you win everything that Gu Hai won previously, including This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion,” Lu An said coldly.

“What? That is not fair. The wagers do not match up!”

“How can Young Master An’s other businesses compare to This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion?!”

“Indeed. All of Gu Hai’s businesses for just one of your businesses? That is not fair!”

The surrounding cultivators clamored in rage.

“Silence!” the city lord shouted coldly.

The soldiers pushed the cultivators back again.

“Gu Hai, you have to wager whether you want to or not!” Lu An glared at Gu Hai with bloodshot eyes.

Gu Hai gave Lu An a strange look before eventually showing a bitter smile. “Young Master An, my anger has already abated over the past few days. You have also taken significant losses. Let’s just leave it at this. What do you think?”

“Young Master An, Gu Hai is afraid! He is afraid! It was just a coincidence earlier. He is afraid of my derived puzzles!” Jiang Tianqi immediately exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

“No, you have to continue wagering!” Lu An glared.

Gu Hai looked at Jiang Tianqi and smiled faintly. “Manager Jiang, you want me to wager everything I have so that you can pander to Young Master An? You want to push me to my grave, but you do not realize that you are digging a pit for yourself.”

“Humph! You are just trying to mislead us with lies. You were just lucky earlier. You are unable to comprehend the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Go Puzzle. Do you still think that you can win? How ignorant!” Jiang Tianji shouted while glaring.

“The Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Go Puzzle? Haha! It is only so-so. You built it up too much in your head,” Gu Hai said, revealing a cold smile.

“Hahahaha! Then, you’ll take it on, right?!” Lu An called out.

Gu Hai: “…”

I am speaking the truth. Why do they not believe me?

“Alright. Prepare all the proofs of ownership and paperwork, then. We’ll sign the contract and play the puzzles,” Gu Hai said helplessly.

Long Wanqing remained standing at the side, speechless all the while. The surrounding cultivators started feeling worried for Gu Hai again.

Jiang Tianqi appeared cocky, but Lu An clenched his fist, feeling that something was off.

——

In a nearby pavilion:

Sima Changkong frowned slightly and said, “Could Gu Hai be telling the truth? Before climbing out of this pit, Lu An fell back down?”

——

At another pavilion:

Fairy Waner also frowned as she looked at the center of the crowd. “You are just an inferior person intoxicated by success. Humph! Do you think you can keep winning?”

——

At the south city gate of Silver Moon City:

A flying ship came to a halt.

A group of black-clad people disembarked from the flying ship, and a gray-clad old man walked to the very front.

Some immortal crane carriages immediately approached to solicit business. The new arrivals put away the flying ship and boarded an immortal crane carriage.

“Lord Mo, where are we heading to first? The World’s Best Zither Pavilion?” one of the subordinates asked out of curiosity.

“No. Go to the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion first. I have not touched that Go Deduction Bed for a long time already. That is a treasure left by Old Mister Guan Qi. Let’s go. We’ll head there first. Hahaha!” Lord Mo laughed.

“Yes!”

After flashing an authority token at the city gate, the group entered the city and rushed to a particular street.

Soon, the immortal crane carriage stopped in front of a large Go pavilion.

“Hurry! Hurry! Move these things out!”

“Quickly move them out!”

“You have one hour. If it is still not empty by then, you are not allowed to continue moving!”

The area around the Go pavilion was incredibly noisy. Countless cultivators hung around, watching.

“The Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion was lost to Master Gu?”

“That’s great. Who told them to seek trouble for Master Gu? This is retribution!”

“It serves them right!”

The surrounding cultivators cheered.

The expression of Lord Mo, who just got off the immortal crane carriage, changed.

One of his black-clad subordinates immediately rushed over. “You bastards! What are you doing? How dare you be so unruly in the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion?!” 

One of the Han Royal Dynasty officials currently taking stock glowered at that black-clad man and retorted, “What are we doing? This is my master’s business. The Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion now belongs to my master!”

“Huh? How dare you?!” That black-clad man became angry.

“Who are you? This is Master Gu’s shop. What are you trying to do?”

“Did Young Master An arrange this? He is too much of a sore loser!”

The many cultivators watching in the surroundings immediately blocked that black-clad man.

“Come back!” Lord Mo shouted.

That black-clad man returned while frowning.

“Ah? Lord Mo!” One of the people moving things out of the Go pavilion recognized the gray-clad old man.

“Oh? It’s you. What’s going on here? Why did the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion change owners?” Lord Mo asked coldly.

That person hesitated, not knowing what to say.

Lord Mo narrowed his eyes and said, “Haha! You even dare to try and keep things from me? How bold of you! Do you know the consequence of hiding things from me?”

Plop! That person immediately fell to his knees. “Lord Mo, I have nothing to do with it. It was Young Master An. He brought the manager to This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion and made a wager with Gu Hai. Then, he lost the Go pavilion.”

“A wager? How bold! That Jiang Tianqi actually dared to use the duke’s business in gambling with others? Where is his elder brother, Jiang Tianyi? Isn’t he supervising all this?” Lord Mo asked, scowling.

“The World’s Best Zither Pavilion? The World’s Best Zither Pavilion has collapsed,” that kneeling person said bitterly.

“How audacious! How can the World’s Best Zither Pavilion collapse? Where are they? Where is Young Master An? What about Jiang Tianyi and Jiang Tianqi?” Lord Mo demanded coldly.

“They are still at This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion. They seem to still be gambling…,” that person replied bitterly.

“Get on! Bring me to that This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion. Also, tell me everything you know. If you dare to hide anything, I’ll execute your entire clan!” Lord Mo said coldly.

“Yes!” that person answered while shivering.

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