Das Jianghu von Feng Qingcheng und Mo Xibei

Kapitel 3

Genius! Absolutely a genius!

Seeing that the boy was still full of killing intent, Chu Xunfeng tried to teach him how to play Go. He first demonstrated the rules of Go to him, and then asked him to understand the famous games played by players from China, Japan, and Korea over the years. The boy, however, had no interest in this and was only eager to try "playing in the open." He seemed to be a natural "killer."

Chu Xunfeng opened the Go game "Path to Ninth Dan" on his computer. It's a Go ranking game where you play against the computer. There are 72 games in total, and you advance one dan after playing 8 games. It's a classic game. Lee Chang-ho is the spokesperson for this game. His advertisements are everywhere in newspapers, websites, and magazines. Lee Chang-ho, who usually looks like a bookworm, is acting cool and pretentiously saying things like, "Learn from me, and you'll become a ninth dan."

The child was particularly enthusiastic about the game, and once he got into it, he didn't even glance at Chu Xunfeng, focusing solely on placing his pieces with lightning speed. He didn't even bother to fix his crooked bow tie.

After giving instructions for half a day, Chu Xunfeng couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the bed, falling fast asleep.

He stepped on a skull during the day and dreamed of being chased by nightmares at night. He didn't sleep well and didn't wake up until 12:00 the next day.

Waking up late, Chu Xunfeng exclaimed in delight. He should have gotten up earlier to offer Saville a "sumptuous breakfast." It seemed he could only "apologize" now. His neglect of the "Snow White" of Leipzig University would likely draw widespread condemnation from the German people upon his return. She would surely be furious with this "proud and stubborn Chinese man." And, the poor child's tummy must be starving.

The child sat upright in front of the computer, completely absorbed in battling against it. He had reached the legendary state of "forgetting oneself and the world," having no need for the grains and cereals.

Wow, could it be that he actually made it to the "ninth dan" in one night? When Chu Xunfeng went up to take a look, he saw that the child was bleeding heavily from his nose. The child had already advanced to the seventh dan, which meant that he had won at least 63 games against the computer in one night.

This is a human miracle. Since the Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov's match against IBM's supercomputer "Deep Blue" in 1997, in which "Deep Blue" defeated the chess champion and established the status of supercomputers in non-mathematical calculations, the human brain has never been able to turn the tables on computers in games such as Go and chess (including Chinese chess and international chess).

Chu Xunfeng's computer's computational and reasoning abilities are by no means inferior to "Deep Blue" back then, yet the child can so easily "slaughter" the computer. It is truly an unparalleled computing ability. The duel between human brain and computer finally has another contestant. Chu Xunfeng looked up to the sky and sighed.

He quietly sized up the child; five fingers and a head—clearly, he was still human. Perhaps a child born with a defect like him would be given a special ability by heaven to compensate for everything he had lost.

Such incredible computational ability would be beyond the reach of even if the mathematical genius Gauss were reborn.

Saviel was indeed extremely dissatisfied with him. No matter how much he called out to her, she still did not come out to meet him with her pipa. It seemed that he had seriously hurt her fragile heart.

Chu Xunfeng said he had discovered a genius, a genius who would become his godson, and that he would definitely replace Lee Chang-ho as the world's number one Go player. But she was being unreasonable and unyielding. Chu Xunfeng thought dejectedly, "What's so great about that? I'll take my 'godson' to try the 'Changwu Guokui' from Xianyang, and the 'Yongshou Angongqiao Mahua' (a type of fried dough twist) that Empress Dowager Cixi regarded as a palace delicacy. Let the fragrant Chinese food make your mouth water."

But the child remained as still as a meditating monk, completely ignoring what he said about "Changwu Guokui," "Yunyun Mo and Ganmo," "Mahua," and "Sanyuan Paoyougao." Chu Xunfeng sighed, "My godson is so proud. How can you look down on me, a poet in flowing white robes?"

Chu Xunfeng "abandoned" the child in the room and went out into the streets alone to find something to eat. Turning a corner, he heard a vendor shouting, "Come quick, everyone! Puji roast chicken, unearthed along with the original copy of the *I Ching*! Eating it nourishes yin and kidneys, strengthens the stomach and warms the liver, improves eyesight and blood circulation, and has remarkable health benefits..."

Chu Xunfeng almost died laughing. This vendor had a really good business sense, seizing on current news hotspots to promote his products.

"The Puji roast chicken that was unearthed along with the original copy of the Book of Changes, isn't that the thousand-year-old beggar's chicken?" Chu Xunfeng asked with a sly smile, his eyes narrowed.

"You're from out of town, aren't you?" the vendor said, deliberately lowering his voice. "You probably don't know that a major event has happened in Xianyang!"

"event?"

“The Book of Changes was originally unearthed here, and even CCTV and other major media outlets reported on it!” He lowered his voice again: “But there is something even more mysterious that they don’t know.”

"Something even more mysterious?" Chu Xunfeng also became interested. Mystery was definitely much more exciting than secret.

The vendor lowered his voice again: "You mustn't tell anyone about this. Along with the original copy of the Book of Changes, there was also a cookbook, which I obtained. Do you know that King Wen of Zhou didn't starve to death when he was trapped in Qishan? He ate this Puji roast chicken!"

Did King Wen of Zhou not starve to death while trapped in Qishan? He ate this Puji roast chicken. Luckily, Chu Xunfeng hadn't eaten breakfast, otherwise he probably would have vomited all over the vendor's face.

"You got the recipe?" Chu Xunfeng's eyes widened.

"Yes, that's why my Puji roast chicken is nourishing to the kidneys, stomach, and liver, and has excellent health benefits. You should know that it was unearthed along with the original copy of the Book of Changes!" The vendor looked Chu Xunfeng up and down, pretending to be very concerned. "Especially for young people like you! You need to nourish your kidneys properly to keep your balance."

Chu Xunfeng nodded repeatedly, looking flattered.

The man at the nearby newsstand laughed, "Old Wang, the original copy of the *I Ching* has already been stolen, so you'd better take good care of your cookbook too!"

"The original copy of the Book of Changes has been stolen?" Chu Xunfeng was taken aback. He glanced at the newspaper headline: "World Treasure, the Original Copy of the Book of Changes, Mysteriously Disappears!" And almost every newspaper displayed it as the headline on its front page.

The original copy of the *I Ching* has been stolen? He and Savill saw it perfectly fine yesterday! The museum's prized original copy of the *I Ching* was yesterday, under layers of crystal protection, gleaming brightly, as precious as a Buddhist relic, sacred and unapproachable. How could such a thing happen overnight?

Yesterday, the museum director stood proudly in the center of the venue, confidently asserting that this world cultural treasure was perfectly safe, boasting 13 layers of protection and jokingly referring to it as "13-dimensional blockade." Each layer of protection was specially designed by federal cultural heritage insurance experts, and the final layer even used quantum cryptography, the ultimate protection in the universe, which even God could not decipher.

Although Xianyang is becoming increasingly desolate, it is a historically rich cultural city and a famous ancient capital with many World Heritage Sites. Therefore, the preservation of ancient artifacts in Xianyang is extremely thorough, making it one of the 250 key sites globally monitored by the Federal Association for the Preservation of Antiquities. How could it have been stolen so easily?

The cultural relics in the Xianyang Museum are also rare in the world. The murals unearthed from the Qin Palace site; the murals reflecting the court life of the Tang Dynasty unearthed from the burial tombs of Zhaoling and Qianling are treasures among murals; the brick carvings unearthed from the Five Dynasties Feng Yun Tomb in Bin County are rare in the world; the horseshoe gold ingots, Chen Ai gold coins, Han Dynasty jade horses, jade bears, Anyi Xiaguan bells, Qin Zhao tablets, dragon beard hollow bricks, Tang Dynasty gold pots and other cultural relics in the Xianyang Museum are all treasures; the three thousand terracotta warriors and horses unearthed from the Yangjiawan Han Tomb are imposing; the more than one hundred gilded horses, bamboo-joint incense burners, bronze rhinoceroses, jade door knockers and other rare treasures unearthed from Maoling are all rare treasures.

While other industries in Xianyang have declined, its cultural relic preservation is absolutely world-class. For decades, not a single jade carving, not even a jade horse, has been lost.

Who would dare to do such a thing? Even if they were lucky enough to succeed, how could they escape the pursuit of the Global Bureau of Investigation? The Book of Changes is an extremely precious heritage in human history. It disappeared just one month after it was unearthed and was stolen under strict protection. This is definitely an extraordinary "shocking case".

I heard that Habis, the director of the Global Investigation Bureau, has personally taken charge of this matter and vowed at a press conference to bring this "national thief" to justice, even if he escapes to Planet X, he will be brought back to Earth for interrogation. As he said this, the vendor straightened his back, as if he had returned to the era of Emperor Wu of Han, who declared, "Those who offend the mighty Han, though thousands of miles away, shall be punished."

Chu Xunfeng bought two Puji roast chickens that were unearthed along with the original "Book of Changes". He hurriedly returned to the hotel with a newspaper in his hand and told Saviel the shocking news. Saviel, however, turned a deaf ear to this news. The Puji roast chickens that were unearthed along with the original "Book of Changes" naturally held no appeal for her.

Chu Xunfeng sighed. What was wrong with this German girl? Given her personality and professional interests, she would have been eager to solve this "mysterious case" right under her nose herself, instead of waiting for the Global Investigation Bureau to intervene. Was the person in this room still her?

Chu Xunfeng returned to his room dejectedly and sat listlessly next to the child.

At this point, the child had already reached the "eighth dan" level in the Go world, which was enough for him to represent China in the China-Japan-Korea Go Tournament.

In the last three games of the ninth dan, he even forgot to eat the roast chicken in his hand and cheered for the child on the side.

"Strive to reach the ninth dan by 2 PM, then acknowledge me as your godfather. I'll help you register for the China-Japan-Korea Go Tournament, crush the Samsung Cup, and take down Lee Chang-ho." Chu Xunfeng was thrilled at the thought of his "godson" snatching back world championship titles like the Samsung Cup, LG Cup, Ing Cup, and Chunlan Cup from Lee Chang-ho one by one, completely forgetting about the "hurtful" Saviel.

As 13:00 Beijing time approached, and it seemed the third game was about to be won, the computer had already started the countdown for the third game. Suddenly, the child lay motionless on the table; the time was exactly 13:00.

At such a crucial moment, his "godson," whose eyes were usually clear and whose murderous aura was palpable, inexplicably fell asleep. What a strange child!

"Looks like I've been overworking my brain," Chu Xunfeng thought. He picked up the child and placed him on the bed, noticing how unusually cold the child was. As he picked up the child, his hand bumped into something hard on the child's chest, like a round coin. Out of curiosity, he quietly took it from the child's neck to examine it. It was an ancient silver coin, covered with strange characters and patterns. He frowned; he vaguely remembered hearing about it somewhere before.

The old silver coin was somewhat damaged due to its age, but the designs on both sides were still clear. The obverse featured an image of a Semitic person, surrounded by German text. The reverse was more intricate than the obverse: it depicted a world shrouded in darkness, with divine light emanating from the heavens, resembling a creation story in Western Christian paintings. In the center was a rectangle with two neatly arranged rows of numerical tables. Around the rectangle were densely packed calculation equations, the exact numbers illegible. He glanced at it quickly, then, fearing it might disturb the child's sleep, gently put it back.

Strange, why is it wearing such an ancient silver coin around its neck?

Why is his body so cold? There's no heating at all.

Note:

① The "Push the Box" game, also known as the "Mountie" game, is a very popular single-player puzzle game. The player's task is to control a mover in a warehouse, pushing N identical boxes to N identical destinations. The earliest known version of the Push the Box game on computers originated in 1994 with the development of "Warehouse Family" (also known as "Warehouse Fan") by Li Guozhao in Taiwan. Boxes can only be pushed, not pulled, and only one can be pushed at a time. While its rules are simple, they contain hidden mechanisms, requiring strong calculation and logical reasoning abilities.

②Set theory is a fundamental branch of mathematics that studies general sets.

③ Automatic solution for the Sokoban game. The data and operations of the Sokoban game are encapsulated in a BoxRoom class, and the member functions and data structures used by the automatic solution algorithm are as follows: Move one space, and if there is a box, push it with shortMovePush(Direction); Move to a point and return the moved path with shortGoto(Positionp, MovePath&path); The above two are used to move the player.

④ The Xianfeng area contains numerous imperial mausoleums and accompanying tombs built by emperors from the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. Among them, Qianling is the joint tomb of Empress Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong of Tang; Zhaoling is the tomb of Emperor Taizong of Tang; Maoling is the tomb of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, and contains the famous accompanying tomb of Huo Qubing. In addition, the tombs of King Wen and King Wu of Zhou, Yang Guifei, Su Wu, Duke of Zhou, Jiang Dagong, Xu Maogong, Princess Yongtai of Tang, Crown Prince Yide, and the mausoleum of the famous water conservancy expert Li Yizhi are all located here.

The Four Cycles (Part 1)

The child slept from 13:00 Beijing time to exactly 16:00 Beijing time, down to the second.

He jumped out of bed as soon as he woke up, without any of the usual childish whining or crying, and rushed to the computer to continue his "path to the ninth dan." The countdown timer expired, and the game couldn't continue. He sat there blankly, looking quite disappointed and unhappy that he hadn't been able to finish the game.

Chu Xunfeng patted the child's fluffy head, set the computer level to the highest, and let the disappointed child play against the computer again.

As dusk approached, a dark haze swept across the crimson sky in the west, shrouding the entire city of Xianyang in a colossal, demonic shadow. Mars sank heavily into the winter twilight, the vast sky merging seamlessly with the yellow sands of the desert. Flocks of southward-flying geese, unable to find their way along the Earth's magnetic field, cried mournfully as they meandered towards the horizon.

There was still no movement in Saviel's room; a whole day and night had passed. Chu Xunfeng felt something was amiss; this was something that had never happened between them before. Was it something like they'd only argue occasionally, tell a couple of jokes, or he'd shamelessly play the turtle and touch her hand, and then it would all be over?

When he knocked on Saviel's door again, she simply ignored him, refusing to open it no matter what. Chu Xunfeng said, "Little Dimple, I'll give you an hour to think it over, otherwise I'll get the hotel manager to break down the door. If you don't open it, I'll assume you've been kidnapped." Saviel, however, was unfazed by his "tough threat" and "final statement."

Chu Xunfeng felt very puzzled. He and Saviel had been a couple for three years, understood each other's personalities, and got along very well. Usually, he would just touch her hand and the conflict would be resolved. But this time something was wrong...

Nie Longping disapproved of Chu Xunfeng's background in the humanities and did not approve of the marriage. A leading figure in mathematics and physics, Nie Longping did not appreciate his son-in-law, who constantly boasted of "My spirit lives on even after my death, my soul a mighty ghost." Therefore, every time Chu Xunfeng met his future father-in-law, he had to stay up all night cramming on Fermat's Last Theorem and Goldbach's Conjecture, but most of the time he was still stumped by their questions. This time, obtaining Professor Nie's permission was a pleasant surprise. Chu Xunfeng, along with Saviel, dreamed of a romantic getaway, hoping to consummate their relationship in their hometown. However, Saviel felt no joy at the prospect of being with Chu Xunfeng; instead, a lingering melancholy hung in her eyes.

Of course, he couldn't force himself on the delicate and beautiful Saviour. Only by taking advantage of her while she slept, and pouring a glass of red wine from the French Rose Garden into her dimples, could he vent his anger. Chu Xunfeng, dejected, returned home to see his child playing chess on the computer. The magnificent spectacle displayed on the chessboard before him astonished him.

As expected, the ultimate showdown between the human brain and computers has begun.

His computer Go game uses a standard Go board with 19 horizontal and 19 vertical lines, forming 361 intersections. Excluding the central point "Tengen", it corresponds to the number of the heavens in the Book of Changes.

In Go, the interplay of give and take, the cycle of life and death, is especially evident within this small space. An Eastern poem says: "A universe within a sleeve, observing the world's phenomena of opposites and mutual generation; black and white on the board, witnessing the rise and fall of human life." This is precisely the meaning.

Chu Xunfeng, being a Go player, understood that Go is not only a contest of calculation depth but also an understanding of life. Although his "adopted son" possessed exceptional calculation abilities, he might not have a thorough understanding of the principles of "cosmic harmony" or the concept of "going with the flow." The reason why the renowned Go master Wu Qingyuan was invincible was precisely because he highly valued harmony and found the "Tao" of perfect balance in Go.

Both children and computers rely on powerful and in-depth computing.

The computer, playing black, opens with the "Star Point" (or "Small Eye") opening. The child responds with a "Three-Star" opening. The game immediately becomes a Three-Star vs. Star Point opening. The Three-Star opening is a hallmark of the Cosmic Style, emphasizing external influence, while the Star Point opening focuses more on the combination of external influence and territory, offering greater flexibility. These are all standard moves in Go, and highly talented children often learn them without instruction.

Four-movement cycle (Part 2)

In Chu Xunfeng's view, Black 1 through Black 17 are all quite ordinary. White 18 should make an initial push.

Black's move 35 at the corner is slightly unreasonable, putting Black at a disadvantage in the capture point. By move 46, the human and computer are playing fluidly, each move easily surpassing the previous one. From move 46 onwards, a significant change occurs; White makes a risky move, advancing from the center straight to the border, and by move 52, Black feels disadvantaged. From move 71 to 73, the human and computer clash head-on, building up their forces rather than constructing high walls, each attacking and sacrificing five stones in a continuous battle. White initiates a ko fight at move 80, making it difficult for Black to find ko threats. Black's moves 97 and 103 are both detrimental ko threats; Black's move at move 104 would be a decisive advantage.

The greatest Go masters are all as still as water, possessing a clear and tranquil mind. They are unmoved by external gains or losses, achieving a state of oneness with the universe. If they experience joy, anger, or pleasure, it inevitably affects their state of mind; a restless mind creates openings. This is similar to the Buddhist concept of the highest realm in martial arts: "without attachment or form, without birth or death, emptiness at its extreme, all is emptiness."

Therefore, although there are many Go masters, very few in the world can reach the level of Lee Chang-ho. Lee Chang-ho's nickname, "Golden Buddha," speaks volumes about his brilliance. A Buddha transcends the mundane world, which is why he has remained unmatched for decades. The contest between top masters is not a contest of skill or calculation ability, but a contest of mentality.

Chu Xunfeng sensed from the very beginning that his "adopted son" was engaged in a head-on clash with the computer, a battle of calculations against calculations. From the outset, it was a full-blown open-field war of annihilation, not some kind of "mediation." Both the computer and the human brain were locked in a fierce struggle, their minds filled with a sense of impending doom. There was not a trace of peace between them.

When White attacks Black 21 with move 106, Black's attempt to capture the Central Plains would inevitably result in losses in the Western Regions, creating a difficult situation. White needs to both capture Black 120 and fight White's 46th and 48th stones at 274. At this point, Black 107 is a good move! Black has the initiative to handle White's stones at 274 and escape the potential danger. Black 119 should have played at 115 to capture White 110. In the actual game, White connected with move 124, but Black's three groups of stones in the lower left, left, and upper sides were not stable. White now had the opportunity to seize the Yellow River. Seeing the dire situation, White made a desperate move with move 142! It could even be called a ruthless move! Black forcefully seized the area north of the Yellow River and gained the initiative. However, the two groups of Black stones were solidly connected and also aimed at White's stones in the center. In the blink of an eye, the two groups of Black and White were locked in a stalemate again.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, the sounds of battle echoing across the chessboard. Chu Xunfeng felt as if the sounds of battle were forming clouds of war, and the drums were pounding the heavens. In a daze, he seemed to hear the incessant beating of drums, the relentless attacks, and the constant maneuvering. The battle between the pieces spread from the edges and corners to the entire board, with neither side giving an inch, and the fighting was extremely fierce.

Black 151 is a good move! Black 165 is another good move! If Black 177 had directly stationed a large force in the lower left corner, White would have had to retreat. In the actual game, when Black 177 advanced towards Tongguan, it gave White the opportunity to retreat to Chang'an. But White 178 used the empty city strategy, catching Black off guard. White 182 was a careless move! White gained the initiative in the Shu Road, but after Black 185's brilliant move, the human brain and the computer were locked in a stalemate again.

After Black made move 369, the child suddenly lay there silently, deep in thought.

I meditated for a long time, and the computer seemed to freeze up.

For a moment, Chu Xunfeng was stunned.

There are 361 points on the chessboard, but 369 moves were played.

Chu Xunfeng suddenly shouted: "The Four Tribulations Cycle, a famous game throughout the ages, the Four Tribulations Cycle! This is the legendary Four Tribulations Cycle!"

By the end of the game, there were four kos on the board: a chain ko at the bottom, a single ko on the left, and only one deadly ko at the top—a carefree ko for the child and a life-or-death ko for the computer. Chu Xunfeng was also considered a Go master. The so-called carefree ko and life-or-death ko on the board were actually mutually reinforcing, and could be said to be each other's life-or-death moves and carefree kos.

Legend has it that long ago, on Phoenix Mountain in western Hunan, near the Southern Great Wall, two extraordinary Go players from China and South Korea collaborated to present a game of "four ko cycles," a remarkable feat considered the pinnacle of Go competition in decades. The "four ko cycles with no winner" has become half myth and half legend.

Chu Xunfeng scooped the child into his arms: "My god, you've managed to pull off the once-in-a-century cycle of four tribulations!" He bit the child hard. The child was extremely uncomfortable with his crazy intimacy and kicked his little hands and feet wildly.

Before he could even let go of the child, he heard faint footsteps behind him.

Note:

① Wu Qingyuan: His real name was Wu Quan. He was born in 1914 in Minhou County (now Fuzhou City), Fujian Province, China, into a salt merchant family. He was the third child in his family. Wu Qingyuan began learning Go at the age of 7 and was known as a Go prodigy. Starting with the "Kamakura Ten-Game Match" in 1939, he dominated the tournament for 15 consecutive years, reducing the handicap of all top Japanese players against him to either a 1-dan difference or a 2-dan difference. These 16 years were the golden age of his brilliant achievements, earning him the title of "Showa Go Saint".

②Star point: A Go opening pattern in which nine small dots are marked on the top of the board and called "star points".

Part 4

The Unimageable Shadow (Part 1)

"He's bullying a kid, he has single eyelids."

Saviel stood smiling at the door, her dimple on her left cheek even more delicate and charming.

She stood there, pretty and delicate, with bright eyes on her fair and delicate face. Her every move was graceful and elegant. Her wispy black hair revealed a mature beauty, and her eyes, full of affection, showed no sign of anger.

Chu Xunfeng was stunned. This celestial being from the West had finally descended to earth. It took him a while to come back to his senses.

"Come and see, dimples, four cycles of tribulations, one round every sixty years." Chu Xunfeng followed the snake-beating stick straight down.

"Then why don't you kneel down and beg for a master!" Saviel hadn't realized the astonishing nature of this strange child and gracefully walked over.

“He is my godson. How can I go and pay homage to him? That would be a violation of moral principles and a disgrace to the established order.”