Chapter 39
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The Vital Point Puzzle
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Ah!
Hearing that, it really clicked.
And once he started seeing those things as Go stones, suddenly everything fell into place all at once.
Yi Ho-chang said to Yu Kyung,
"Monk! Sorry to ask, but could you head down there and sweep away the dirt piled up on the floor near the stones?"
"Leave it to me."
Everyone except a few followed Yu Kyung down in a rush.
And as they began brushing the floor at Yi Ho-chang's request, sure enough, cross lines hidden beneath the dust started to emerge.
'Just as I thought.'
Yeah.
I knew it.
Just as Yi Ho-chang had predicted, the vast space below was itself a Go board.
Moss-covered rocks distinguished from regular ones, like black and white stones.
There was no need to figure out which was black or white.
Since they were different anyway, he could just assign them arbitrarily.
With that, Yi Ho-chang decided to treat the mossy rocks as white and the regular ones as black.
As he examined the stone formations with that in mind, Yi Ho-chang spotted something.
A single regular rock isolated away from the cross lines marked on the board.
Seeing it, Yi Ho-chang nodded.
'Another vital point puzzle.'
Why?
If he considered the rocks on the cross lines as opening moves, it didn't resemble a typical game.
It felt more like a problem solved with stones.
Given the situation, it seemed he needed to move that one remaining stone to create something.
A life-and-death problem would require quite a few extra moves, but there was only one loose stone?
'Of course it's not a life-and-death solution, then. It has to be a vital point puzzle.'
Is this why they left the clue as a vital point?
Yi Ho-chang chuckled softly.
'What a fun guy.'
At that moment, Nangyo, who had gone down, came scrambling back up and shouted,
"Kid! This is a vital point puzzle! No matter how I look at it, it's a vital point solution!"
"Yes, seems like it. In that case, we probably need to move that rock. Could you help with that, Master Nangyo?"
"That's easy. We've got strong guys waiting down there."
"Then could you relay the instructions for me? It's a bit awkward for me to direct them myself."
"Don't worry. So, have you solved it?"
"I'm about to start now."
With that, Yi Ho-chang read the board ahead.
White's nimble flying squadrons were outpacing Black, who couldn't keep up.
Even Black's weak group in the fish-belly space was being tentatively probed by White.
'But it's fine.'
Black's position was solid; as long as it defended, victory was within reach.
Those with houses do not fight those without.
The side with territory overwhelmingly advantages in a battle.
White's forces weren't far, but not close either.
'In times like this, seize the vital point first to isolate White.'
Then Yi Ho-chang spotted a weakness.
White's overplay.
Seemed like greed born of impatience.
Yi Ho-chang said to Nangyo,
"Solved it. Time to move the stone."
"Really? Yu Kyung!"
"Yes, Monk!"
"The kid's about to give instructions. Move the rocks accordingly!"
"...This big one?"
"Can't do it?"
"N-no, I can!"
He said that, but Yu Kyung was troubled.
And understandably so—the rock designated as black was over five times his own height.
At that moment, the sharp-eyed Dragon Pearl Gang members jumped in.
"We'll help too."
"Oh, perfect!"
With the Dragon Pearl Gang joining and even the Eight Great Warriors pitching in, a total of sixteen able-bodied men set to work moving the rock.
Rumble rumble rumble!
"Hup!"
"Heave!"
"Grrah!"
The sounds of lifting the rock and straining filled the space.
With faces flushed red from exertion, they finally managed to hoist it enough to move.
As Bok Jung-ho gritted his teeth while lifting, he muttered,
"Urgh! Shouldn't have offered to help!"
"Grr! A man's word is worth a thousand gold! No backing out now!"
"Hnnngh!!"
They looked like their faces might burst.
Thinking of their safety, Yi Ho-chang quickly gave directions.
"A bit more to the left."
"Hup!!"
"Slightly diagonal."
"Guh!"
"Up from there."
"Uwaaak!"
"That's it!"
Boom!
A massive impact echoed as the rock hit the ground.
At the same time, everyone who had lifted it collapsed, gasping roughly.
But before they could catch their breath, a faint vibration began from the floor.
Rumble rumble...
At the vibration, the eyes of those still standing turned to one spot.
A hidden entrance had opened.
Seeing it, Nangyo clenched his fist and shouted,
"Kahaha! That's more like it!"
As the entrance opened, everyone from above came down.
But their joy was short-lived; Nangyo's brow furrowed as he peered beyond the entrance.
"...What?"
What the entrance revealed was another vital point puzzle.
One that required moving the same kind of rock as before.
The late-joining workers who saw the scene beyond squeezed their eyes shut.
"Ha..."
"God help us..."
"This is insane..."
But there were no other options.
Yi Ho-chang smiled and said,
"Haha... Just a bit more effort, please."
"Ha..."
"Haha... I'll help this time too."
"...No, you solve the puzzle."
"I mean it. I'll really help."
Yi Ho-chang quickly solved the problem.
Then, after confirming the placement, he said to Nangyo,
"You help too, Master Nangyo."
"Why me?"
"What do you mean? Aren't you rebuilding Shaolin? Or not?"
"Well, that's true. Ahem, Nangjin. You come help too."
"Why me?"
"Why you?"
"...Never mind."
Soon, the three stood before the rock first.
Nangyo stroked his chin as he eyed it and said,
"Hm... Think we three can manage?"
"Master Nangyo, that's too much. Sixteen guys barely moved the last one, and we're just three."
"We can. I can handle sixteen men's worth."
"Then can't you do it alone?"
"Poor choice of words. Make it fourteen."
"Sigh... Just let's move it together?"
"Heh, that works, but kid—aren't you curious?"
Hm.
Now that he mentioned it, Yi Ho-chang was a little curious.
A man with internal energy surpassing even Yi Chan-seong—how much stronger could he be?
Of course, Hyeonyong Daesa thought differently.
"Not curious. Can I sit this out?"
"Sit it out?"
"...Never mind."
"Enough. Everyone grab on. Let's try with us three first."
At Nangyo's suggestion, the three spread out and gripped the rock.
They strained on his count.
"One, two, three!"
"Hup!"
"Tchup!"
Expecting it heavy, they went full force from the start.
But the feel was odd.
'What's this? Why's it so light?'
It was strange.
This was the rock sixteen men had barely budged?
Glancing sideways just in case, he saw the secret.
Despite calm faces, sharply defined muscles and bulging veins.
Nangyo and Hyeonyong Daesa were doing nearly all the work, so Yi Ho-chang wasn't struggling much.
'Whoa...'
He knew they were impressive, but this much?
Maybe claiming fourteen men's share wasn't brag after all.
And he could see it.
Yu Kyung and the Dragon Pearl Gang staring in dumbfounded awe.
"Lower it!"
Following Wi So-so's call from above, they set the rock down.
Boom!
The moment it landed in the confirmed spot.
Rumble rumble...
Another faint vibration, and a new entrance appeared.
But this one was much smaller than the last.
Nangyo frowned at it.
"What? Why's this one so tiny?"
It was exactly that.
The entrance was very narrow, and peering inside revealed a passage barely wide enough for one person.
Hyeonyong Daesa said,
"Hm, the width too—everyone going in might be tough."
"Yes, narrow passage means accidents could be bad. So..."
Yi Ho-chang looked at Nangyo and said,
"Master Nangyo, just you and me go in."
"You and me?"
"Yes, you and me."
"Why us two?"
"You're the strongest here physically, and I'm the only one who can solve the puzzles."
"But strength-wise..."
Nangyo glanced at Hyeonyong Daesa.
Yi Ho-chang narrowed his eyes at the look.
"Come on, you're the eldest—lead the way. Not rebuilding Shaolin?"
"Fine, fine, you brat. Such a temper."
With the entrants decided, the two squeezed into the passage right away.
Nangyo took the lead.
As they descended the stairs for a while, Yi Ho-chang asked Nangyo,
"Master Nangyo."
"What."
"Random question, but since it's just us, mind if I ask?"
"No."
"I haven't even asked yet?"
"Kidding. Ask."
"Your jokes suck."
"Don't wanna ask?"
"No, I do. Ahem, anyway—why were you using the top of Janggyeong Pavilion as your private quarters?"
"That's what you wanna know? Kids are curious about everything."
"I'm at that curious age. So why'd you stay alone?"
"Nothing special. Just my homework."
"You said something similar before. Who gave you this homework you're solving?"
Nangyo fell silent at the question, then answered.
"My senior brother, the sect leader."
"Sect leader senior brother... Master Gwanghyang?"
"Yes. This was a long time ago."
*
Narrow Palace Monk.
This was Nangyo's nickname from fifty years ago, when he was a second-generation disciple of Shaolin.
The reason stemmed from words by the abbot of the time, Master Gong Yeong.
"Living cooped up like the narrow Go board is your home—how is that not the Narrow Palace Monk?"
He skipped training to play Go nonstop, earning that moniker.
Strictly an insult, but Nangyo quite liked it.
Nothing he loved more than Go.
Of course, his martial prowess grew proportionally too.
Thus, the saying circulated in the martial world:
"With the Three Dragons of Mount Tai, Shaolin is secure for another millennium."
The Three Dragons of Mount Tai referred to himself, his senior Nanghye, and junior Nangjin.
Among those peaks, the pinnacle was one: Nanghye.
The eldest of their generation, renowned in fame and skill, a shoo-in for next abbot.
No jealousy.
Nanghye was everyone's role model, and Nangyo followed him closest.
Fifteen years later.
"Master! Demonic Cult forces are invading!"
The Righteous-Demonic Great War erupted.
The long conflict lasted a full decade.
By the end, Shaolin's elders fell one by one.
Abbot Gong Yeong perished alongside two of the Demonic Cult's Ten Demonic Heavens in mutual destruction.
Steadying the faltering Shaolin was Nanghye, who severed the Blood Cult leader Baek Ji-gok's head and claimed the abbot's seat.
Master Gwanghyang.
Nangyo had joined the fray under him but couldn't fight together.
He slaughtered Demonic Cult forces on Henan’s left flank while Nangyo guarded the temple.
One day after, Nanghye visited Nangyo first.
"Sect leader senior brother!"
"Junior brother, good you're awake."
He came to discuss the next day's battle against the Blood Cult's Eight Pillars.
Nangyo remembered their parting words.
"Junior brother, you like Go like me?"
"How could I match your skill? But... why ask suddenly?"
"Take this. Better in your hands than mine."
What he handed over.
It was half a Go board.