[成歷|西玉]棋手 英文版 020
PS：本章是《棋手》中很重要的一章，是前期的重要轉(zhuǎn)折，引出西木的獻祭計劃。
*Another name for this chapter: Hsi Wu the Go Player
????"Hsi Wu, your turn."
????"Nearly ready, let me think." Uncle was on the store's second floor. Holding the book Go ABC, Hsi Wu scratched his head and studied how to move the stone.
????Jackie newly bought a set of Go to let Jade learn more about Chinese traditional culture. Jade and Hsi Wu were always playing it together these days. Although neither was familiar with it, they played happily, experiencing the special pleasure of learning while practicing.
????Over the board, Jade held the white stones while Hsi Wu held the black. The white stones had surrounded the black ones at the board's lower right corner, suppressing them. Hsi Wu was unable to regain his advantage by his skill in such a situation. With every move, he drew closer to his failure, eventually could not recover, and lost the game.
????"Alas, I still cannot defeat you." Hsi Wu could just smile, put down the book, and stretched.
????"The outcome is not important." Jade blinked and said, giggling.
????"Jade!" Jackie Chan called for Jade downstairs.
????"Jackie, I'm coming!"
????Jade went downstairs jumping. Hsi Wu did not follow her. His mouth corners curled up slightly, forming a weird smile.
????It had been five months since he took her away last time. These months, "Hsi Wu" was traced by Uncle several times but every time he fled exactly from Uncle's grip.
????The play was almost over. It was time for the ending.
????In the building five months ago, Hsi Wu successfully took his good half though considerable efforts were made. He could now kill Jade and broke Jackie and his companions one by one. After that, no one can hamper him from ruling the world. But he could only rule for a short time by doing this.
????He was not to cope with Jackie Chan and his companions, but the Great Law behind them.
????In ancient times, the Eight Demons shared the world. Their reign continued until the coming of the Eight Immortals who sealed them, marking the beginning of Human Age and the ending of Demon's Age.
????The Law is no human side!
????So these demons declined and were sealed.
????He could have freedom only for a while by destroying Jackie Chan and his companions. As long as the Great Law was unchanged, someone would come forth and turn the tide and seal them. He had thought that freedom was worth fighting for even if it would be transient! But he had a better idea after he came across Jade.
????Jade had a great chi within her, which usually hid in her body and only showed its existence now and then. The chi could not be owned by an ordinary girl but it did belong to her. Many reasons may account for this, the most possible of which was that the chi was not derived only from This Life.
????Intriguing… thought Hsi Wu.
????Wandering from Past Life into This Life, one's memory will be all gone. But Jade could inherit the chi from her past lives as if she was exclusively permitted by the Law.
????If the Eight Demons stood in the form of Bagua, the Eight Trigrams, and sacrificed Jade to reverse it, the Great Law would be possible to reshape and Demon's Age would return. They would have permanent freedom by then.
????But now they were all too weak to reverse Bagua. If they wanted to do so, they should be let to return to the Earth and recover to their pinnacle.
????Hsi Wu needed opportunities.
????Where else in the world was more proper to plan these all? Certainly, it was by Jade's side that he could supervise his enemies and earn her trust to carry on his actions.
????He gave a glimpse at his tail and smiled with his teeth out.
????It was worthwhile to forbode even his tail and half of his strength for these all.
????He used his doppelg?nger formed by his tail to attract Uncle's attention and earn their trust. Everything went smoothly and the next step was to let the tail be sealed instead of himself to dispel Uncle's scruples.
????This was a Go game between him and the Law.
????The Black and the White strived within the inches. The winner would live and the loser would die! He must defeat the Law even if he spared nothing!
????He was the Player whereas Jade and others were all the Stones.
????But only the white stones were on the board, by which a game could not begin.
????I need black stones yet, mighty black ones. Hsi Wu smiled evilly and a human figure emerged in his eyes – Daolon Wong.
????But though Daolon is mighty, he may not defeat Uncle. The black stones need some help. Hsi Wu thought and took out a mask. It was dark red with bloody eyes, a huge scaring mouth opened, and two yellow horns sticking out. This was the mask of General Rairakku of Shadowkhan, an intriguing gadget found by him in Shendu's palace.
????Hsi Wu waved his hand, flying the black and white stones back to their box.
????As a friend, Jade is nice indeed. But Jade, I desire freedom more than needing a friend.
????The earth is a board and all creatures are stones. Only I, the Lord of Sky, sit on the heavens' throne!
參見：《棋手》翻譯原則
