NOVEL WEB Chapter 40 - Two-Faced
Chapter 40. Two-Faced
Black and white stones crisscrossed, forming a pattern.
—Tak!
A small finger placed a white stone.
Now the stones on the left side were completely surrounded. At this rate, all of them would be lost.
The only hope now lay in the center.
In terms of a battlefield, that place was undoubtedly the strategic stronghold.
Soon, the formation on the Go board began to change with each passing moment.
Sometimes, I gained the upper hand, but before long, my black stones were isolated again.
“Jizhou.”
—Tak!
A dainty voice echoed.
The girl playing with the white stones rested her chin on her hand, smiling.
“An excellent choice. That land overflows with food and is essentially the heart of Hebei. To control the Central Plains, you must pass through Jizhou.”
The girl with violet hair spoke.
“But it won’t be easy. Every warlord knows that. I’m sure everyone is eyeing Jizhou.”
“Kid, I already told you I don’t care about that stuff.”
“…I’ve told you not to call me ‘kid.'”
Puffing out her cheeks, the small girl placed another stone. Her name was Sima Yi.
Yes, that Sima Yi—the rival of Zhuge Liang.
Most people think of Sima Yi as a strategist who rivaled Zhuge Liang, the eventual victor of the Three Kingdoms, but the Sima Yi in front of me looked like a mere elementary school kid.
As I sighed and placed a stone, Sima Yi turned her gaze entirely in the opposite direction.
“If not Jizhou, then it must be Guanzhong. Surrounded by mountains, it’s the perfect defensive stronghold. So, don’t get too obsessed with Jizhou, old man.”
I told you, I don’t care about that stuff.
And hold on—did she just call me an old man?
I’m not old enough for that yet!
“What the hell are you going on about, talking to yourself?”
“I was just thinking aloud.”
As I picked up another stone, Sima Yi smirked coldly.
“Your next move, please?”
“….”
By now, I had no moves left.
The entire board was dominated by her white stones.
Am I really about to lose to a kid at Go?
Frowning and rubbing my forehead, I noticed Sima Yi laughing quietly.
“Amateur.”
“Dammit.”
***
Sima Yi hugged the Go board to her chest.
She was so small that the board covered half of her body.
“One more…! Let’s play just one more!”
“Do you know how many times you’ve said that?”
Sima Yi frowned as if tired of hearing the same request, then quickly gathered up the stones and board.
Afterward, she brought over a teacup and set it down in front of me.
“Sometimes you need to know when to accept defeat.”
“I wasn’t giving it my all.”
“…Sigh, really.”
Sima Yi carefully sipped from her teacup.
Watching her small mouth elegantly drink from it, she seemed no different from a refined young lady.
In fact, she was from a noble family.
“Even the hero of the coalition isn’t much.”
“What did you say?”
“I had high expectations, but you’re just an amateur.”
“You brat! Isn’t that why I’m asking for a rematch? This time, I’ll crush you!”
“No matter how many times we play, the result won’t change.”
With a firm click, Sima Yi set her teacup down.
“You can read the board to some extent. I’d say you have an animalistic instinct for chaotic situations, and you adapt well. But you can’t see the bigger picture. That’s why you keep throwing stones without a plan.”
Do I really have to take advice from a little brat?
Sima Yi or not, I seriously wanted to smack her upside the head.
“Also, you focus too much on practical gains. You never sacrifice any of your pieces. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices to gain something bigger. But by trying to protect everything, you end up cornered like this.”
“Good for you.”
I downed my tea in one gulp and let out a deep sigh.
“Well, I am pretty talented.”
Though she was acting like a cheeky brat now, when I first met her, she was all shy and coy around her brother.
I should have seen through it back then.
After talking to her for several days, I felt like I was losing hair from the stress.
“Why would someone as clever as you want to meet a fool like me?”
“Don’t pout. That’s not very mature.”
The girl smiled.
“Who wouldn’t want to meet the most talked-about figure in the land? You’re that kind of person, you know.”
“Then show me some respect.”
“You keep calling me ‘kid,’ though?”
Not backing down for a second, this brat.
I had no words left, so I just kept my mouth shut.
“Still, the rumors about you being on par with Lü Bu seem to be true.”
On par, my ass.
I barely survived.
“Even in Henei, your name is being shouted everywhere. You’ve only been here a few days, but you’re already feared by Dong Zhuo’s troops.”
All I did was cut down the ones who blocked my path.
Honestly, Zhao Yun did more than I did, and my brothers fought much better than before, possibly thanks to their training.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“But I still don’t understand.”
Sima Yi’s expression hardened, as if something didn’t sit right with her.
“I overheard a conversation between my brother and the Governor. They said that after the coalition fell apart, you disappeared right away.”
I nodded, and Sima Yi continued speaking.
“Why?”
“I went to gather herbs. And also to rest.”
“Is that really all?”
Sima Yi sighed, sounding unconvinced.
“Yeah, what else would there be?”
“Then why did you join the campaign to take down Dong Zhuo?”
“To rise in the world.”
“You could at least tell a polite lie.”
“Why bother? It’s the truth.”
“Haaaa…”
Sima Yi let out an even deeper sigh. Then, her crescent-shaped eyes met mine.
“The Governor of Shangdang sang your praises for hours.”
Really? Did she do that? Why is it that every time I hear about her, it’s something wild?
No wonder people overestimate me.
As I shrugged my shoulders and sighed, the girl stood up, looking somewhat deflated.
“Well, that’s enough for today. You’ve worked hard, old man. I’ll see you again.”
“Wait, you’re coming back?”
“You’re not leaving any time soon, are you? I still want to talk with you some more.”
She was right.
Things had gotten complicated, what with the entanglement with the Sima family and the Governor of Shangdang.
I just wanted to settle everything quickly and get back to the mountains.
As I watched Sima Yi skip away, I couldn’t help but think of home.
***
“Yi, you’re back.”
“Yes, brother!”
Sima Yi ran into her brother’s arms like an excited child who couldn’t contain herself.
“Did you resolve everything?”
“Yes, come sit with me.”
Sima Lang gestured toward the Go board in front of him.
Whenever they had free time, the brother and sister would play a few rounds of Go while chatting.
Sima Yi quickly ran over and sat down.
Silence followed.
Tak, tak, tak, the sound of precise stone placements echoed.
“What do you think of him, now that you’ve met him?”
“Well…”
Sima Yi tilted her head with an innocent smile.
“I’m not sure.”
“Is that so?”
Sima Lang smiled warmly at his sister, watching her fondly.
“In my opinion, he seems remarkably humble for someone of his accomplishments. Such men are rare in this world.”
“Yes, he certainly didn’t seem like an ordinary man.”
Holding a black stone in her hand, Sima Yi puffed out her cheeks, appearing to be deep in thought about her next move.
It looked like she wasn’t fully focused on what her brother was saying.
“Hmmm, the left side is completely surrounded.”
The situation on the Go board mirrored the game she had played earlier with Unryong, except this time, Sima Yi was playing as black.
Black and white stones clashed. Initially, black seemed to be on the offensive.
The front line slowly pushed toward the center, with black stones pressing white from all sides.
“You’ve improved a lot.”
“You flatter me.”
Sima Yi made her next move. It was a bad one.
With a single misstep, the entire game turned.
“But you’re still inexperienced.”
“…”
Sima Yi rested her chin on her hand, clearly troubled. At this rate, she would surely lose.
“He seemed inexperienced, too. Do you think he has the qualities of a hero?”
“…Ah!”
Sima Yi couldn’t even answer her brother’s question; instead, she grabbed her hair in frustration.
Seeing her exaggerated reaction, Sima Lang couldn’t help but smile.
“Oops, I guess I wasn’t careful enough. I didn’t mean to end the game so quickly.”
“No, it’s my fault. I’m still too inexperienced.”
“If you study a bit more, you’ll be able to have a more even match with me.”
“Yes.”
“Shall we review the game together?”
“No, I’ll do it by myself today.”
“Alright. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”
With a kind smile still on his face, Sima Lang turned and left the room.
Once her brother disappeared from view, the light in Sima Yi’s violet eyes gleamed.
“Yes, brother, you’re right. I need to study more. It’s important to know everything.”
She began to review the game from start to finish.
It had been a one-sided slaughter.
Black stones dominated the board.
“The qualities of a hero…”
Her eyes still sparkled with interest.
In fact, they seemed even more alive.
“We’ll see.”
Finally, tak!
Sima Yi stood up.
Her gaze was filled with black stones.