Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I later learned that the bastard had gone to the academic world.

At first I didn’t believe it.

Whatever happens, that subhuman bastard wouldn’t fit into the academic world, even if he died.

So I looked into it later, and that bastard did get into the academic world! Moreover, he had looked for Moon Yu-hwan, recognized as the Great Scholar of Three Excellencies of his generation.

That’s why I found out.

All those strange rumors that had been circulating about the Great Scholar of Three Excellencies were all that bastard’s fault!

Anyway, wherever you go, it just causes trouble!

Meeting that bastard was the worst mistake of my life!

***

Moon Yu-hwan slowly lifted his cup of tea.

Enjoying the Tea Path as you contemplate the blue sky on an afternoon in which the autumn mood had already been fully established was one of the pleasures long cherished by Moon Yu-hwan.

Especially on clear days like that, his mood was naturally rising and he often looked up at the sky for a long time.

While the fresh air was blowing and tickling on his cheek, Moon Yu-hwan looked like a pleasant smile. On days like this, simply watching the distant sky quietly, doing nothing, calmed his heart.

Learning is not only found in books. It is also learned in nature.

At that time a voice was heard that disturbed Moon Yu-hwan’s mood.

“Father.”

Moon Yu-hwan’s forehead shrunk slightly.

He hated being disturbed while enjoying the Way of Tea more than anything in the world.

But his daughter could not ignore this fact, so surely something had happened that justified interrupting his Way of Tea. He calmed his heart, which for a moment had agitated, and spoke.

“Go ahead.”

The door opened and his daughter Moon Eun-ji entered.

“What is it?”

Moon Eun-ji spoke with an expression of apology.

“A guest has come to see you.”

“A guest?”

“Yes.”

Moon Yu-hwan bowed his head.

“Is there anyone who asked to see me today?”

“There was no appointment.”

It is inappropriate to treat guests with carelessness. However, if you are a guest without an appointment, it would not be foolish to call you an uninvited guest. If you are an uninvited guest, kindly tell him not to be offended and to book an appointment before coming.

Moon Eun-ji nodded.

“I will.”

Moon Yu-hwan lifted her cup of tea and was about to nod when she asked in case.

“But what did they say was their business?”

“ Well… they said they wanted to participate in a hand conversation. ”

At once, Moon Yu-hwan’s eyebrows cracked. For someone who barely showed changes in expression, such a visible change in his face was not easy.

“Conversation of hands?”

“Yes.”

The hand conversation meant go ahead!

Moon Yu-hwan was a well-known person with the title of Great Scholar of Three Excellencies in the academic world.

One of the three excellences was scholarship, another was character and the last was Go.

He had taken part in hand conversations with renowned Go players from all over the country, and had now ascended to a position where the title of National Master corresponded to him.

[TL/N: Go is a strategic table game where two players compete to control a territory using white and black stones.

]

A slight smile formed on Moon Yu-hwan’s lips.

While receiving the excessive title of National Master was certainly something to be happy about, it had made it increasingly difficult to find someone willing to engage in a Hand Talk with him in recent years.

No matter how outstanding one’s ability is, wouldn’t it be sad if there was no one to share it with?

The fact that someone came to play Go after so long captured Moon Yu-hwan’s interest.

I’ve changed my mind.

Moon Eun-ji hesitated a bit.

“But Father…”

“What is it?”

“The guest’s dress is…”

The anger broke out on Moon Yu-hwan’s face.

Now do you judge a guest by his attire? How rude is judging people by such superficial appearances! I have told you so many times, but what have you learned?

Moon Eun-ji shook and bowed her head.

“…I will bring them.”

“Ahem!”

Moon Yu-hwan let go of an upset cough with a clearly dissatisfied expression.

Despite being her daughter, how much effort had she devoted to teaching her the foundations of Confucianism? However, the fact that she could not yet observe the most basic principles bothered Moon Yu-hwan.

“She’s not usually that kind of girl…”

If only her gender were different, she would be a girl with the qualities not only to achieve fame and honor, but also to become a great scholar. But why did she show such a disappointing side today?

After a while, Moon Eun-ji entered the room again.

And someone followed her back.

Moon Yu-hwan’s eyes were wide open.

Moon Yu-hwan looked at Moon Eun-ji. His face was slightly blushing.

Moon Yu-hwan looked at Moon Eun-ji with eyes full of repentance.

He had said that people should not be judged for their clothing, but how could he imagine that he would be someone like that?

The appearance of the person who had entered the room after Moon Eun-ji was extremely strange.

His long, rough hair covered his face and, judging by the time he did not wash, a smell of moisture stormed his nose.

His clothes were no different from rags that were ashamed to call clothes, and even those rags were so blackened by dirt that they could not even be used as cleaning cloths.

In addition, the face that appeared through his long hair was actually skin and bones, to the point that it would not be wrong to call him skull, and his arms and legs were terribly emaciated.

He was really someone who fit perfectly with the description of a strange person.

“Ahem!”

Moon Yu-hwan coughed to calm his startled heart.

Throughout his life, he never imagined anyone would visit someone else’s house in such a state.

But Moon Yu-hwan didn’t lose his manners.

“Welcome.”

When he greeted him with a smile, the strange person spoke.

“I hope my sudden visit has not been a nuisance.”

Moon Yu-hwan looked at the strange person with curious eyes.

Unlike his appearance, it was a rather courteous greeting.

A nuisance? How is it possible? A guest’s visit is one of the pleasures of a scholar. So you said you wanted to have a hand conversation with me?

“That’s all I know how to do.”

It was a strange answer.

All right, then I’ll get ready.

Moon Yu-hwan signaled Moon Eun-ji to prepare the Go board.

But I didn’t have any special expectations.

Looking at the look of the strange person, he didn’t seem to be a great expert on Go.

It was not a question of dismissing the opponent on the basis of his clothing, but of a natural assumption.

Go is not something you can study on your own.

There was no other shortcut than learning from someone with skill or ability to build through an extensive game.

But looking at the opponent’s dress, it didn’t seem like he’d spent long periods with someone versed in Go, nor did he seem to have played much.

He probably heard his name and was thinking of using Go as an excuse to get food.

Moon Yu-hwan had enough to play moderately with the opponent and then help him a little. While it was unfortunate to waste time, it was something he himself had looked for, so who could he blame?

They brought the board of Go and Moon Yu-hwan took the white ones.

As soon as Go’s board arrived, the strange person took a stone without saying a word and made his move.

Chat!

With a clear sound, Go’s stone fell upon the little eye.

Moon Yu-hwan straightened out his stance.

The leisure that had prevailed on his face moments earlier had already vanished without a trace.

Those with some knowledge of Go could evaluate their opponent’s skill level to some extent simply by watching him place stones.

While they could not know the exact level of skill, they could easily determine whether the opponent was someone who had played Go extensively or was a beginner.

However, contrary to his outward appearance, the way the strange person placed the stones of Go was definitely not that of a beginner.

A Go player who has experienced countless games through hundreds of battles!

Although he did not know why that person was wearing such an outfit, that did not matter at the time. The important thing was that, after an unimaginably long time, a Go player he wanted to face was right in his eyes.

Moon Yu-hwan abandoned his attitude of demeaning his opponent and showed a pleasant smile.

It seemed like I could play a fun game of Go again after a long time.

——–

A cold sweat pearled Moon Yu-hwan’s forehead.

‘Mmm…’

Improper to someone named Great Scholar of Three Excellencies, Moon Yu-hwan’s face was already stiff because of the tension. If those who knew him had seen this scene, they would have rubbed their eyes several times, wondering what the hell was going on.

The Great Scholar of the Three Excellencies breaking in cold sweat, and while playing Go!

The person who had made him so tense was naturally the strange person sitting in front of him.

The strange person’s ability exceeded Moon Yu-hwan’s expectations.

It wasn’t just that it was good, but to the point that Moon Yu-hwan had to admit that he found it difficult to predict the result himself.

The strange person’s Go skill was tremendous enough to tense Moon Yu-hwan, whose ability could compete for first place in the world.

‘Amazing.’

Speaking coldly, in pure Go, Moon Yu-hwan no doubt surpassed the stranger. While his skill was excellent, it was still not enough to face Moon Yu-hwan.

But the way the strange person played Go had the power to make even Moon Yu-hwan shake his head unintentionally.

Moon Yu-hwan played the Go eagerly, without going against the natural order. He never overstepped and built influence little by little. He kept out of the opponent’s threats and always got what he needed.

Therefore, those who played Go with Moon Yu-hwan ended up playing strange games in which they could not find any particular mistakes or major mistakes, but when they looked at the results, they had been completely defeated.

But the strange person was all the opposite of Moon Yu-hwan.

His Go style was like an angry typhoon.

Even when it wasn’t time to start a fight, he aggressively attacked like someone mad at the battle.

If he saw even the slightest benefit, he’d throw himself like a demon and bite like lightning.

Even if others ignored those small gaps, he would attack no matter at all the damage to his own influence, and was not afraid of losing in battle.

A real ghost of war!

Moreover, his speed in laying stones was not compared to anything seen until then.

As soon as Moon Yu-hwan placed a stone, he immediately made his move as if he had anticipated it, interrupting the flow.

If Moon Yu-hwan was a master of Orthodox patterns and influence, the strange person was a genius of unorthodox patterns and combat.

‘Where the hell?’

Suddenly, Moon Yu-hwan was curious to know where his opponent had learned Go.

It was surprising that he played Go so far from common sense, but even more surprising was that his ability was not at all at a level that could be taken lightly.

Although he seemed to have learned at random, inside he could feel the ability to read hundreds of battles.

Even now, the strange person rolls Go stones into the palm of his hand while staring at Go’s board.

Was it Moon Yu-hwan’s imagination that even felt murderous intentions in that apparition?

Attitudinal and strange appearance.

A Go style that was not only aggressive but tyrannical.

Moon Yu-hwan smiled.

What a unique person!

And of course, the strange person sitting in front of Moon Yu-hwan was naturally Wei Yan-ho.

Wei Yan-ho looked at the board with an annoying expression.