Outside the window, drifting clouds raced backward, and ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers unfolded below into a magnificent scroll.
On the Warm Jade Go board at the Star-Watching Terrace, black and white stones were locked in fierce combat, the game already in its middle stages.
Yun Huang played white, placing each stone as though settling the fate of a realm, every move bearing the weight of an inexorable tide.
Yun Qing played black. Handsome and composed in his black robes, he studied the Go board intently with his double pupils.
"This pointed thrust exposes too much of your edge." Yun Huang lightly tapped his white stone against the edge of the Go board, producing a crisp jade chime. "If I attach and cut here, your seven central stones will immediately become an isolated army, unable to defend both head and tail."
Yun Qing's hand paused slightly over his stone. Then the corner of his mouth curved, and his stone clicked down. Rather than defend, black attacked, boldly invading an isolated spot in the corner!
"Then I simply won't defend."
"Taking the sword's unorthodox edge, seeking victory amid danger. That certainly is your usual style." Yun Huang's eyes lifted slightly, a glimmer of gold flashing through them, seemingly in appreciation.
Yet even as he spoke, his hand casually placed a white stone on the vital point!
Not only did he dissolve the danger in the corner, he turned guest into host, taking firm control of the overall position.
"But the way of Go is like the way of cultivation. If your foundation is hollow, ingenious moves are merely trees without roots." Yun Huang withdrew his hand and picked up the warm Spirit Tea beside him, its mist veiling his sharply defined profile.
There was no frustration in Yun Qing's