Niu Naitang, not to be outdone, said, "Old grandpa, if you lose, you can't cry, okay?"
"Hahaha, what an interesting little girl. Don't worry, if you really win, grandpa will give you an extra pet as a reward!"
Elder Tianyuan was rarely this generous, because he believed there was no way he could lose. Besides, he had a backup plan.
The top Go master in Fengqu City was drinking tea in his courtyard. Fearing that Lin Jichen might bring in some expert he couldn't handle, Elder Tianyuan had preemptively brought the master over and hidden him.
If things went south, he planned to use a mental secret technique to cheat and have the Go master guide him, ensuring his victory.
But now, it seemed he didn't need the master's help at all. He could easily win on his own. Gagaga...
An old man and a young girl sat facing each other, a Go board between them, black and white stones clearly separated.
Nangong Wu sat behind Elder Tianyuan, curious about who would win the bet between his father and Lin Jichen.
Of course, he hoped his father would win.
But Lin Jichen and Nangong Yue sat behind Niu Naitang, cheering her on.
Nangong Yue even openly cheered for Niu Naitang, showing no intention of supporting her grandfather.
In the guessing part, Niu Naitang lost, and Elder Tianyuan took the black stones to go first.
Guessing the first move was too easy for Elder Tianyuan.
Seeing Elder Tianyuan take the initial advantage, Nangong Yue started to worry, but Lin Jichen reassured her to stay calm.
Lin Jichen had full confidence in Niu Naitang. Even the Sect Leader of the Chess Sect could only tie with her; dealing with Elder Tianyuan would be a piece of cake.
Although Elder Tianyuan went first with the black stones, Niu Naitang's expression remained calm. Every time Elder Tianyuan placed a black stone, her white stone followed immediately.
She seemed not to need any thought, nor did she need to ponder her moves.
At first, Elder Tianyuan could keep up with Niu Naitang's pace, but as the board filled up by a third, he started to struggle.
Each move took him longer to think about, his brows furrowed, occasionally scratching his beard and coughing before finally placing a stone.
But Niu Naitang seemed bored, propping her face up with her hand, ready to place her white stone at any moment.
Despite this, Elder Tianyuan's brows remained tightly knit, sweat forming on his forehead, growing increasingly anxious, unsure of his next move.
"Grandpa, can you hurry up? I still have homework to do."
Niu Naitang, bored from waiting, urged him.
"Don't rush, don't rush, let me think."
Elder Tianyuan's momentum had significantly weakened, scratching his head even more.
Nangong Yue noticed her grandfather was really struggling against the little girl and laughed gleefully.
She even taunted, "Grandpa, can you speed up? Aren't you a Go master? How come you can't even beat a little girl?"
Elder Tianyuan's face turned red with embarrassment.
Luckily, Nangong Wu spoke up for his father, scolding his daughter, "Your grandpa is thinking, what do you know? Be quiet."
Then, Nangong Wu pointed at the board, giving Elder Tianyuan advice, "Dad, I think this move is better."
"This move? Are you sure?"
Elder Tianyuan, out of ideas, clung to his son's suggestion like a drowning man to a lifeline.
He seemed to forget that his son's Go skills were not as good as his own.
"Yes, I think it's good," Nangong Wu nodded confidently.
"Alright!" Elder Tianyuan placed his stone.
Niu Naitang's white stone quickly followed, and within a few moves, she had completely wiped out the black stones.
"Grandpa, you lost." Niu Naitang stretched lazily, speaking leisurely.
Elder Tianyuan looked at the devastated board and slapped Nangong Wu on the head in anger.
"It's all your fault for giving bad advice. If I hadn't listened to you, I wouldn't have lost!"
Nangong Wu, holding his head, muttered in dissatisfaction, "It's not like you were doing well before..."
"What did you say? You ungrateful son!" Elder Tianyuan glared, looking ready to disown him.
Nangong Wu immediately backed down, apologizing quickly, "Dad, it's my fault, this loss is on me."
"Of course it's your fault! Hmph!"
Elder Tianyuan finally calmed down a bit, then stubbornly said, "Let's go again! I'll win this time!"
They quickly started the second game.
Elder Tianyuan took the black stones again.
This time, Nangong Wu stayed silent, but Elder Tianyuan still lost miserably, defeated in no time.
By now, Elder Tianyuan no longer dared to underestimate the little girl.
"It's two to zero, grandpa. One more game and it's over. Why don't we just admit defeat and save face?" Nangong Yue continued to mock from the side.
Elder Tianyuan, fuming, slapped Nangong Wu again.
"Dad, what did I do now?" Nangong Wu was exasperated.
"It's all because of the daughter you raised, here just to mock me! Who else should I hit?" Elder Tianyuan retorted angrily.
Nangong Wu, speechless, moved his chair further away.
"Hold on, I need a drink of water."
For the third game, Elder Tianyuan used the excuse of drinking water to temporarily leave.
When he returned, he wore a confident smile.
The astute Nangong Yue immediately sensed something was off and whispered to Lin Jichen, "I think grandpa's going to use his old trick again. Should we expose him?"
Lin Jichen, unconcerned, said, "No need, we'll win for sure."
Nangong Yue then dismissed the thought and continued watching.
In this game, Elder Tianyuan seemed completely different from the previous two. He was calm and composed.
His moves were swift, much faster than before.
"Huh? Grandpa, you seem smarter now."
Niu Naitang was a bit surprised, noticing that Elder Tianyuan had successfully countered some of her traps.
He wasn't this smart before.
Elder Tianyuan chuckled, "I was just letting you win the first two games. This time, I'm serious."
Niu Naitang nodded, half-understanding, "Then Tang Tang will be serious too."
With that, she placed her stone.
Soon, Elder Tianyuan's speed slowed again, and he struggled with each move.
Elder Tianyuan grew increasingly anxious, his worry evident on his face.
After half an hour of intense battle, Niu Naitang won again.
"Yay! I won! Grandpa, you lost! You have to keep your promise!"
Nangong Yue was the first to stand up and applaud.
Elder Tianyuan's face turned pale, then red. He slapped his thigh and said, "No, let's go again!"
Lin Jichen interjected, "Elder, according to the rules, it's best of five. We've already won."
"I know, I'm not going back on my word. I just want to finish the remaining two games! Can we call it a tiebreaker?"
"But there's no bet left, so what's the point?" Lin Jichen argued.
"Who said there's no bet? For the next two games, if you lose, you still give me the Silver Moon Tiger. If I lose, you can pick a pet of the same level from the Spirit Beast Garden. Is that fair?" Elder Tianyuan shouted.
Hearing this, Lin Jichen reluctantly nodded, agreeing with difficulty.