Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Chapter 26

# 26

Taejonbirok Volume 2 Episode 1

Chapter 9 – The Emergence of Hanrimgi (1)

Percussion!

A white stone flew sharply onto the table.

“Ahem!”

The face of Cho Man-pyeong, widely known in Confucian circles as the Faceless Go Master, turned dark, and soon cold sweat began to pour out of him.

Cho Man-pyeong stared at the table for a while with his face drenched in sweat, then raised his head with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"I……."

Wi Yeon-ho made a strong impression.

"why?"

Cho Man-pyeong had a kind smile on his face. If you just look at his expression, he was no different from a saint who helps those in need. He spoke with a tone full of kindness and compassion.

“Ha, can’t you just give up one step?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, maybe I lost my mind for a moment…….”

“Okay. If you can’t pass away, why don’t you just get up?”

“Look, I…….”

Then suddenly several loud voices were heard from behind.

“Oh, really! If you’ve lost, then just get up!”

“Are you playing Baduk alone? Can’t you see someone waiting?”

“They say he’s a shameless chess player, but what’s with the word ‘Mu-an’? It would be more correct to call him a shameless chess player!”

Cho Man-pyeong looked back with a trembling face.

People with faces full of emotion were glaring at me as if they were going to devour me.

“Ugh…….”

It seemed like he could do it if he backed off just one more move… … However, in this atmosphere, if he kept throwing tantrums and asked for another move, it would be not just the game of Go, but his life that would be lost.

Cho Man-pyeong picked up a stone and placed it on the table.

“I lost.”

Unlike Cho Man-pyeong, who had a sorrowful expression, Wi Yeon-ho sighed and waved his hands with a face full of annoyance.

“Next person.”

“Then me!”

“I came first!”

“What are you talking about! I’ve been waiting for you since yesterday!”

“What happened yesterday! I came here from the morning and waited for you today!”

“Then you came yesterday too?”

“What? Are you going to try it now?”

“Hey, look at the way you speak!”

Eventually a scuffle broke out.

Wi Yeon-ho sighed deeply as he looked at the sight.

‘How did I… … .’

It was all Wi Yeon-ho's mistake to not understand the exact meaning of what Moon Yu-hwan said at first.

“Instead, I hope you will occasionally chat with me or with the guests who visit this manor.”

I thought he was literally asking people to come and play baduk, but who would have imagined that Moon Yu-hwan would personally invite people?

While Wi Yeon-ho was rolling around, Moon Yu-hwan leisurely sent letters to the Go players in the Central Plains.

It was a simple letter asking me to come and see a strong knight with a unique style staying at my house if I had time.

If you look at it up to this point, you might think it was just a simple greeting, but the problem is that these people called knights are people who like playing baduk more than eating, and they are people who don't hesitate to travel a thousand miles for a single thrilling game of baduk.

More than half of those who received Moon Yu-hwan's letter headed to Hanrim University, and those who did not come to the university because they thought it was not important eventually had no choice but to pack their bags as rumors spread.

― A chess saint has appeared at Hanlim University!

Even though Hallym University was famous for having the best players in the country, there was a strong player recognized by Moon Yu-hwan there. People who would jump out of their sleep to play baduk could not possibly endure it.

Eventually, Hanlim University Hall began to bustle with unexpected guests.

It was a very welcome result for Moon Eun-ji and Moon Yu-hwan. The guests who came during their difficult financial times were a great help to Hanlim University.

Moon Yu-hwan said that he could not receive money from guests, but even people who stayed at other people's houses and played baduk and received food had a sense of shame.

Although no direct money was exchanged, various items were exchanged under the pretext of gifts.

Unlike Janggi, Baduk was still the exclusive domain of the upper class.

There is no such thing as a poor person among those who play baduk.

Naturally, to play baduk well, you have to spend a lot of time playing baduk. It is not possible for people who are busy making a living to devote a lot of time to playing baduk, which can take as long as two days.

Even Cho Man-pyeong, who just played a game of Go with Wi Yeon-ho, was a descendant of a family that had served as prime ministers for generations.

There was no way the gifts these people brought were cheap.

Expensive items packaged in the name of shame began to pile up, and Moon Ji screamed in happiness as she saw the gifts starting to fill the granary.

But on the contrary, Wei Yanhu was just about to die.

I thought I could just play a game or two of baduk with the guests who stopped by for work, but who would have imagined that there would be so many people in the world who travel a thousand miles to play baduk?

Thanks to this, Wi Yeon-ho had to wake up in the morning and play baduk until the sun set.

At first, I didn't know anything and ended up spending all my time playing baduk except for meal times.

Ultimately, the measure that Wi Yeon-ho came up with was to limit the number of games played per day to five.

Of course, it was natural that the faster he finished playing baduk, the more time he would have to rest, and thanks to that, Wi Yeon-ho was able to play baduk with his eyes lit up like when he played baduk with Baek Mu-han in the cave for the first time in a long time.

Percussion!

The stones landed on the board like islands.

"hmm……."

Ma-Jeok, the owner of the fast-moving merchant group who had caught the black stone, held the stone in his hand tightly.

Even though it was not yet time for a fight, Wei Yanhu's stone was mercilessly splitting the bandits' forces. If they retreated here, their forces would be split in half and they would be defeated without a doubt.

Normally, the bandit would have trampled on the black stone that entered his forces without fear.

He would have finished the game by opening up his path as if he was going to catch it, increasing its size, and then cutting off its neck in one breath.

But that wasn't possible now.

First of all, it was impossible to figure out the intention of someone who jumped into a life-threatening situation that was obvious to anyone.

Moreover, the one holding the white stone was none other than Hanrim Giseong, who had been defeating the world's greatest players one after another.

A person like that wouldn't have jumped in without thinking.

But I just couldn't find the hidden number.

And finally… … .

The bandit raised his head slightly and looked at Hanrim Giseong's face.

'omg…….'

A young man with annoyance all over his face was glaring at the table as if he was going to eat someone.

No, what he was looking at wasn't a banquet hall.

His eyes were fixed on the bandit's right arm, which was holding the stone with precision.

'What did I do wrong?'

The bandit flinched without realizing it.

Once I was intimidated, I started to sweat strangely and felt like I had to put the stone down quickly.

“Ugh, ugh!”

The bandit had no choice but to take a step back.

If you fight without even understanding the other person's intentions, you may end up in big trouble.

Even if this force were to split, it was not yet at a level where defeat could be discussed, so it seemed right to step back for the time being.

"this……."

Thud thud.

In that moment, the sound of grinding pierced my ears.

The bandit looked at Hanrim Giseong's face, gritting his teeth while looking at the table, and became convinced.

'If I had fought there, I would have lost! There must have been something I didn't see! Ah! Good job retreating! Good job retreating!'

But Wei Yanhui had completely different thoughts.

'why!'

Wi Yeon-ho glared at the bandits.

'Why! Why! I'm getting out of there! Why!'

Wi Yeon-ho felt like he wanted to grab the bandit in front of him and throw him away right away.

He made a move that even someone who had only learned baduk for three days could win.

However, the world's strongest people would all repeat the same moves over and over again, only to eventually back down.

From Wi Yeon-ho's point of view, winning or losing was of no use.

So, even if you lose, it is a good situation if the game of baduk ends quickly.

So I threw stones at them on purpose to make them lose, but these gentlemen all started to sweat profusely and were in a hurry to back away.

No matter how much you fight, if you don't fight back, it's useless, right?

But if I were to openly lose, it was obvious that rumors would spread that I had played the game carelessly.

This wasn't just a problem for Wei Yanhui.

It is a matter of pride for Moon Yu-hwan, who invited them.

As a beggar with no money, I couldn't do anything that would harm the landlord's reputation.

Wi Yeon-ho was a lazy man, but he knew his place.

In the worst case scenario, if Moon Yu-hwan's temper deteriorated, Wi Yeon-ho might have to be kicked out of this nice place that gave him free food and lodging.

That was absolutely not possible.

Percussion!

The stone of Wei Yanhu dug inwards again.

'Ask!'

Wi Yeon-ho looked at the bandits with glaring eyes.

'I said I'd give in! I'll give in within ten seconds, so let's fight!'

But this time too, the bandit broke out in a cold sweat and retreated without turning around.

"eww……."

A puff of white steam rose from Wei Yanhu's head.

Wi Yeon-ho put the stone down on the table with trembling hands.

It was like this every time.

Wi Yeon-ho kept making unreasonable moves in order to lose, but his opponent was scared and did not accept the unreasonable moves as unreasonable moves. Then, the unreasonable moves became good moves, and Wi Yeon-ho kept winning against his will.

The fame that Wei Yanho built up without even knowing it.

The burden felt by those who directly encountered Wei Yanho.

And the momentum that Wei Yanhui unknowingly built up pressured his opponent.

If they lost moderately and got rumors that they had no skills, the people who filled the place would go home, but since they kept winning against their will, the number of people just kept increasing.

'I have to lose!'

In the end, Wei Yanhui made a series of deliberate mistakes and was barely able to lose by one house.

“Good job.”

The bandit smiled and took out a lottery ticket.

“I know it’s not my skill level. If you had played it right, I would have thrown a stone long ago. Since you have such a broad mind, I think it was a game of Go that I could learn even more from.”

“No, that’s not it……”

“I won’t forget the consideration you gave me! However, I hope you treat me properly next time. You rascal! I’m not that narrow-minded!”

"……yes."

It was a dizzying experience.

Wi Yeon-ho eventually had to play five rounds of Go with tears in his eyes, and was finally able to leave the game room after four whole hours.

“Ugh…….”

Wi Yeon-ho sighed while rubbing his legs.

“It would be a hundred times easier to just do the laundry or chop firewood! What the hell is this?”

Wi Yeon-ho felt like crying.

But today the sky was incredibly clear.

“So why did Master tell me to go to Confucius?”

If you think about it, it's all because of Baek Mu-han.

And it was because of the Baekmuhan's internal organs stuck in his stomach.

“Bad inspiration.”

Wi Yeon-ho grumbled and walked towards his quarters.

Still, I finished everything I had to do today, so I could rest a bit now.

At that moment, a sharp shout reached Wei Yanhu's ears.

“I told you I don’t want to!”