Damuk Family Estate (1)
Time flew by for Yeon, and before she knew it, three years had passed since she first opened her eyes in this world. The little girl had grown adept at begging. She knew which inns served the best leftovers, and she had memorized the regular outing times of the Damuk Family's Taesang Gajoo and Gajoo, as well as the young master of the Baek Family Estate. To put it simply, she had adapted so well that she could talk all day about the big and small happenings in northern Anhwi Province.
There was one thing Yeon regretted amid her beggar life, though it wasn't the lack of food or the discomfort of her bedding. It was the absence of Go, which had been her entire life until now. There were no Go boards or stones, and she wasn't even sure if people in this world played Go at all. Too busy surviving day to day as a beggar, Yeon naturally couldn't play. But she couldn't suppress the growing longing, so starting a year ago, even as she swept the front gate of the Damuk Family Estate or bowed before the Cheongun Inn holding out her bowl for a lump of cold rice, she played endless games against herself in her mind.
Go played alone in her head—conjuring board and stones without a physical opponent—had gradually become familiar, even masterful. Sometimes, she watched in a daze as the stones spread in directions she hadn't anticipated.
And today was the day she had climbed the low mountain behind the culvert to gather edible roots and fruits.
Clack.
Yeon's ears perked up. It was a sound she knew all too well.
Clack. No mistake. Drawn by the clear, resonant chime of Go stones striking a board, Yeon followed it like a spellbound moth.
Clack.
"Ha ha. Placing a stone in these deep woods clears my mind like nothing else!"
Someone was playing Go and chattering to themselves. Yeon peeked through the bushes. On a flat rock beside a tree sat a boy she knew well: Damuk Jeong, the young master of the Damuk Family Estate. He looked a year or two older than her—around twelve, perhaps? The child had somehow hauled a Go board here and was playing alone, mimicking an adult.
Adults might find it cute and laugh, but Yeon was entranced by the first Go board and stones she'd seen in this world. Her everything existed here too.
Rustle.
"Who's there?!"
Damuk Jeong whipped around, startled, as Yeon pushed through the bushes.
His shrill, boyish voice snapped Yeon back to reality, and she bowed her head.
"Sorry for startling you, Young Master. I..."
"What? You're that beggar kid who loiters around our house!"
"...Yes."
"Then what are you doing here? Wait—no, did you hear what I just said?"
Recognizing Yeon as the beggar who hung around the Damuk Family Estate gate, Damuk Jeong tried to look stern, but recalling his solitary rambling made his face flush as he asked cautiously.
The gap in their statuses was like heaven and earth. A smart beggar would claim she heard nothing—it was safer that way. But right now, Yeon wasn't a clever beggar; she was a Go player parched for a single game.
She had no choice but to say it.
"...If you'll play a game with me, I'll pretend I heard nothing."
"What?"
Damuk Jeong's eyebrows shot up.
# In the last century, asking for Anhwi's greatest martial clan would obviously yield the Cheongan Namgung Family. But change it to the last decade, and enthusiasts would ponder long. Mention Namgung, and they'd glance nervously at the rising Damuk Family Estate; say Damuk, and they'd fear the Namgung's sword ghosts might claim their heads anytime.
The Damuk Family Estate's growth had been explosive, centered on its current Taesang Gajoo, the Anhui Divine Spear, Damuk Un. For twenty years as head, he laid the foundation for his son and current Gajoo, Damuk Baekun, to spread his wings—devoting his life to it without neglecting his innate talent. Long renowned in Anhwi as unbeatable with the spear.
And that Damuk Un was the grandfather of the fuming boy before Yeon.
"What did you say?" he repeated.
I've lost my mind.
Though young, as the family heir, Damuk Jeong had built considerable internal energy. When he infused his voice with it lightly, Yeon snapped to attention. But what could she do now?
"...Sorry."
"Pfft."
Laughter burst out as Yeon bowed. Peeking up, she saw Damuk Jeong giggling.
"You know how to play Go?"
"......"
A few years ago, it would have been the rudest question imaginable. Yeon hesitated, then squeezed her eyes shut and cast aside her pride.
"A little."
"Ha ha ha! Fine, let's play. But plain games are no fun, right?"
"Pardon?"
"Go's exciting with bets. Wanna wager?"
A few years ago, she'd have slipped away at such insolence, but Yeon closed and opened her eyes to hide her eagerness.
"But I have nothing to stake."
"Hmph."
Her ragged appearance screamed poverty, so Damuk Jeong eyed her, pondering, then blurted:
"If you lose, I'll round up your beggar gang and thrash them all."
Yeon frowned slightly at the unexpected cruelty from a twelve-year-old. Not her concern, but the Damuk Family Estate's future worried her a bit.
"...Pardon?"
"Say it again?"
"Nothing. But why that bet?"
"Hmph! This is my land. Invade it, pay the price. I'm mercifully changing it to a wager—be grateful."
"......"
"Just win, then. Scared?"
Yeon briefly wondered if this really was his land but nodded calmly, never imagining defeat against his bluster.
"Understood. Let's do it."
"Oh? Beg for mercy now, and I might let you off."
"We'll bet."
"Hmph!"
Irked by Yeon's sudden firmness, Damuk Jeong snorted and handed her a bowl of stones.
"Here. I yield first move. You're Black. You know the rules? Black goes first, White second. Black's advantage, so I'm already—"
"Got it. I'll take Black. But before we start, one thing to settle."
"What?"
"If I win, what's your wager?"
Of course. A fair bet balanced both sides. Damuk Jeong, not considering loss, chuckled.
"Money."
"......"
"If I lose, one silver tael."
One silver tael equaled a thousand copper coins—enough for a hundred bowls of cheap noodles. Visions of her always-hungry beggar kids danced in Yeon's head.
"Yes."
"Lose, and prepare yourself."
"Yes."
Clack.
Yeon placed her first stone before the still-grumpy Damuk Jeong. Rough, not smoothly polished like modern stones, but the feel on the board was the same. For Yeon, this was her first game in this world—and her first betting game ever.
Clack.
Damuk Jeong focused, placing stones carefully, one by one.
By the thirty-sixth move, Yeon relaxed. The rules matched her world's Go, and his skill was exactly as expected—age-appropriate.
But she knew better than to crush him like twisting a child's wrist. She kept that firmly in mind.
By the 247th move, Yeon's final placement filled the board. Only ge-ga—comparing territories—remained.
"Mmgh..."
Damuk Jeong groaned at the board. The beggar girl's skill exceeded his expectations; he'd struggled. The tangled board looked even, boiling his frustration. His grandfather always said Go skill rivaled martial prowess in the martial world. Losing ground to a filthy beggar? Unacceptable.
He shook his head and grumbled curtly.
"Hurry and count."
"Yes..."
Yeon had known she'd win by one house before counting—she'd adjusted precisely for that. Child's play for a veteran of countless teaching games.
After a short count, the board cleared, territories plain.
White: 65 houses total.
Black: 66 houses total.
Black's one-house win.
True, Black's first-move advantage mattered. Her old world compensated White with a komi of six and a half houses, so she'd have lost there. But this romantic wuxia world, where experts yielded first move to novices, had no such thing.
"Th..."
Damuk Jeong's face burned red, hands trembling, but Yeon averted her gaze to avoid provoking him. Boys that age burned with competitive fire.
"One more!"
"Young Master..."
"What!"
"The silver tael..."
"Hah—think I'd welch on a measly tael?"
With that, he yanked a silver tael from his bosom and flung it to the ground.
Yeon scrambled to snatch it up, tucking it safely away. A trifle to him, but enough to feed her gang for ten days.
Seeing her scrabble like a beggar filled Damuk Jeong with superiority.
Right. No way I'd lose to trash like her. Luck, complacency, and—
Excuses piled up as he prodded her.
"What're you waiting for? Play!"
"Yes..."
The two played until dusk, but results stayed the same.
"Argh!!"
Crash!
"......"
After the fifth game's count, unable to contain his rage, Damuk Jeong flipped the board. Five razor-thin losses—the widest three houses—fueled his fury.
Yet Yeon sat unchanged. For her, it was deep satisfaction after so long. Even against a low-level kid, a real opponent felt worlds apart from solo play. Go was about weaving thoughts on the board, communing and clashing—not diminished by weak opposition.
"D..."
Damuk Jeong shoved a trembling hand into his bosom for silver, but it was empty. A lot for a kid to carry, really.
As his hand froze, Yeon stood and bowed.
"Young Master, we should stop for today."
"What? Wait—I'll get more from home. One more!"
"Sun's setting soon. You should head back before the estate worries—"
That was when.
"You little—!"
Hearing this cheeky younger beggar—who played Go dirtily—talk like a nanny about estate worries snapped Damuk Jeong's reason.
Slap!
"Aak."
Thud!
With a cry, Yeon's tiny body tumbled across the ground. Stunned by his own instinctive qi-infused slap, Damuk Jeong froze.
"Uh..."