“I’m back.”
“Xiao Yingzi, why are you so late? Did you visit Ninth Dan Morishita?”
“Not yet. The professional exam is next year. Let me rest a bit first.”
“The sooner you become professional, the sooner you’ll have money. Don’t you like snacks? If you can pass the professional exam, Grandpa won’t limit your snacks.”
Ao Ying chirped, “Grandpa, you said that! No backing out.”
Who doesn’t crave delicious food? It appeals to all ages.
“Alright, alright. If you want to become professional, you’ll have to work hard. Many Insei participate in the professional exam every year.”
“Do you know what Insei are? They’re similar to our Huaxia’s aspiring professional Go players.”
“Normally, they receive professional guidance and specialized training at the Ki-in.”
Grandpa Ao placed a large platter on the dining table, and the aroma instantly filled the room.
“Grandpa made your favorite steamed chicken. Try it quickly.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.” Ao Ying washed his hands and ate with relish.
Munch, munch…
“Xiao Yingzi, where did you Go today? Don’t fall too far behind in your studies.”
“I know, Grandpa. I went to experience a Go salon in Sakura Country.”
“A Go salon?” Grandpa Ao mused, “The Go atmosphere here is stronger than in our country, and there are many masters. It’s good to learn.”
“Yes, I definitely learned something. My Go intuition is too poor; relying purely on calculation isn’t enough.”
Ao Ying nodded. Sai’s last few moves were still fresh in his mind. Those were flashes of inspiration that required Go intuition.
And the Wrapped-Head Man, his desperate counterattack was worth studying.
Meeting a few masters made his trip worthwhile.
Grandpa Ao suddenly understood, “Some amateur Go players are also professional level. Sakura Country values face the most in social interactions, so speak politely, and it will be hard for others to refuse when you’re secretly learning.”
Fearing his grandson might be ignorant, he imparted some social wisdom.
Amateur Go players?
Ao Ying swallowed a piece of chicken. The Wrapped-Head Man was sneaky, and Sai was a ghost—both quite amateur.
Toya Akira was negligible; he wasn’t a professional either.
“Right, right! The amateur Go players at the Go salon were quite friendly. They actively guided me, and one even wanted to invite me to join a study group.”
“A study group, huh? There’s no need to join that. You’re almost ready for the professional exam, and amateurs are ultimately a different path. Even if you don’t pass this year, you should join a professional Go player’s study group to learn in the future.”
Grandpa Ao took a sip of his small wine, a look of contentment on his face.
“Mhm, mhm.”
Ao Ying kept eating, too lazy to explain that Toya Meijin had personally invited him. Grandpa had watched him grow up, and his sudden massive increase in Go skill would be hard to explain.
“By the way, Grandpa, you must have participated in many amateur competitions, right?”
“What’s wrong? Do you want to participate in a Sakura Country competition?”
Grandpa Ao warned, “Are you thinking of making money from that?”
He had previously agreed that his good grandson could have limited snacks, but he had to earn the money himself.
“Haha, it’s not that Grandpa wants to discourage you, but even an amateur 7-Dan or a low-ranking professional might not get a good ranking or earn money there.”
“You, an amateur 5-Dan, tsk tsk…”
Ao Ying shook his head, “Grandpa, you misunderstood. I want to read more Go records to grasp Go intuition. Do you have records of your old Go records saved?”
The AlphaGo system isn’t picky; any Go record is a learning object.
“Go records?”
Grandpa Ao was startled, then laughed, “You’ve asked the right person! I love writing things down. There are five large boxes with hundreds of books under my bed, and even more at home in our country.”
“If you need them, I’ll have your dad mail them over.”
“But why do you suddenly want Go records? Are you trying to cram moves at the last minute?”
“That stuff isn’t useful for the professional exam, though it’s enough to deal with amateur Go players.”
“You didn’t lose badly today and want to get revenge, did you?”
Ao Ying scratched the back of his head, chuckling foolishly.
Tell Grandpa about feeding the system?
He didn’t want to be treated like a lunatic.
It was indeed correct not to mention Toya Meijin’s invitation, otherwise, with all the questions, it would definitely lead to the Go game.
At that time, if they replayed the game and set up the Go record, Grandpa would probably drop his jaw, thinking his good grandson had become a spirit.
“Grandpa, you’re so smart! I want to learn some special moves to get revenge.”
Ao Ying went along with it, following the topic: “Many amateur Go players’ moves are unconventional, but if used occasionally, even professionals might be stumped.”
Grandpa Ao liked hearing that.
“After dinner, Go to my room and move them; they’re quite heavy. Remember not to get too engrossed. Learning too many amateur moves is not good for your professional path.”
Seeing him seriously study Go, Grandpa Ao smiled, “Going to the Go salon wasn’t in vain. Being able to deeply recognize your shortcomings and strive to catch up is a good thing.”
“Grandpa’s confidence in you passing the professional exam is growing.”
While praising him, he didn’t forget to add food to his bowl, a Huaxia way of doting on a grandson.
Ao Ying looked at the large bowl of vegetables with a troubled expression—green and red, quite beautiful.
After finishing dinner, Grandpa Ao cleared the dishes to the kitchen, and a question followed.
“Grandpa’s getting old and confused; I forgot to tell you something.”
“Teacher Shirakawa asked me if you’d like to attend as an Insei observer for a while? Registration is open in October.”
Ao Ying stopped in his tracks, startled, “Teacher Shirakawa can arrange for an Insei?”
“You’re an international student, so arranging for you to observe is no problem; it doesn’t take up a formal spot. Sakura Country’s economy isn’t doing well, so they have all sorts of ways to generate income. It’s all about money.”
“Grandpa, how… how much money?”
“A sponsorship fee of 50,000, and a monthly study fee of 8,000.”
Ao Ying swallowed, “sakura currency?”
“What are you thinking? Of course, it’s Huaxia currency.”
!!!
Ao Ying knew the exchange rate was around 1:12. 50,000 could be exchanged for 600,000 sakura currency, while an average person in Sakura Country earns 200,000 to 300,000 sakura currency a month.
So expensive!
“Grandpa, it’s too expensive. How about we don’t Go? I can pass the professional exam on my own.”
“No, the family can afford this much money. Xiao Yingzi, don’t think too much.”
“Uh… okay.”
Ao Ying couldn’t argue, so he returned to his room, feeling a surge of emotion.
“Insei, huh, that’s where Shindo Hikaru will Go to study in the future.”
“It’s divided into A and B groups. Currently, the strongest is Isumi Shinichiro, with professional-level Go skill, but his mental fortitude isn’t good. He always messes up at crucial moments and repeatedly fails the professional exam.”
Ao Ying flipped through the Go records, recalling some details.
“In next year’s professional exam, someone will pass by luck. Their character isn’t great, and their Go skill isn’t great either.”
He remembered the one who passed by luck was called Mashiba. He lost to Isumi but still advanced. Later, in Shindo Hikaru’s year at the Young Masters’ Tournament, he lost to Isumi again, and because his mouth was too foul, Waya beat him up.
“Such low quality lowers the standard of professional Go players.”
“I wonder which Insei in this batch has some potential…”
Ao Ying rubbed his chin. In his previous life, he always disliked Mashiba’s character. A few months as an Insei would be perfect for causing trouble for him.
For example, creating a few more competitors.
He remembered Mashiba’s passage was quite precarious, just a matter of winning one or two more games.
Unfortunately, he himself could only take the Kansai Ki-in exam, so he couldn’t join the fun.
His thoughts circled once, and Ao Ying refocused on the Go records.
Roughly estimated, Grandpa had collected tens of thousands of games.
“Toya Meijin, soon, we will meet on the professional Go stage.”