[Xie Xuan shook his head and laughed. He lifted his tea on his own, then recalled its bitterness and lightly curled his lips before slowly setting the cup back down.]
[How could such coarse tea possibly go down his throat?]
[He caught sight of the pensive look on your face and could not help laughing to himself.]
[Just moments ago, you had seemed so full of confidence, yet now Chen Jiuyan had driven you into a corner with no way to fight back.]
[Xie Xuan secretly calculated that it now depended on whether Chen Jiuyan would show mercy and leave some face for Xie Guan.]
[If she won all six games, that would truly be a sight to behold.]
[When that time came, do not blame me, Xie Xuan, for making your name known throughout Xie Manor—losing all six games to an unknown woman and becoming everyone's laughingstock.]
[Su Yun gestured for the servants to clear the board, his gaze falling upon the calm-faced Xie Guan.]
[In truth, after two games, victory and defeat had already been decided. The gap in their Go skills was plain as day.]
[Though Su Yun had expected this, he had never imagined Xie Guan would lose so quickly.]
[The woman lowered her hand lightly, her fingertips brushing the stone bowl. Her gaze shifted as she looked at you. "Will you continue?"]
[Su Yun did not want Xie Guan to lose so much face and later resent the Thatched Cottage Poetry Society.]
[He smiled from the side. "Young Master Guan, Jiuyan's Go skills are exceptional. Few can compare to her; losing to her is perfectly normal."]
["I, too, willingly concede defeat. She has never been apart from a Go board since childhood and received guidance from renowned masters. It is only natural."]
[Xie Xuan, however,