Dual Cultivation God Returns

"But are they truly viewing us as a threat?"

Old Yen asked with a little doubt, as it seemed that the scale was quite different, and even if Wu Long disrupted some of their plans and was generally an anomaly when it came to the feats he accomplished it would seem that people of their level would not take him seriously.

"You should never underestimate or overestimate the intelligence of your opponent. As both would bring disaster in planning"

Wu Long gave a short answer earning an impressed look from the Luo Family Patriach who previously took Wu Long for a musclehead since he heard that he beat General Feng in a spar.

"While I understand underestimating the enemy would it not be fine to overestimate? You would be that more cautious if you thought the enemy is actually smarter than in reality, which would only solidify your advantage"

Crown Prince Song Minfu asked, finding Wu Long's earlier words a little odd as General Feng nodded along.

"True, even a lion uses full force to hunt a rabbit, so assuming the worst would make a warrior use all of his potential, will it not? Ah! This little one is not arguing with Master Wu but only wondering..."

Wu Long raised his hand to stop the speech that gave him goosebumps as expressions of some of the people around became a little squeamish as if they bit off a mouthful of lemon.

"Hmm, it is fine to overestimate to a degree, but if you completely misread your opponent and they are as stupid as a brick they might do something you don't anticipate simply because it's stupid.

For example, I moved as I did in part because I knew my opponent is intelligent, if they were idiots I would have had to move differently because they would be likely to try a stupid approach... something like trying to hurt one of my women to 'send a message' or 'punish me for opposing them' which only an imbecile does to an enemy"

Wu Long shook his head again. He always found strategies which ultimate goal was to stick it to the enemy the worst approach one could have.

It was fine if that action was done with a further goal of disorientation or stifling the enemy's movements, but just spiting someone was possibly the stupidest and yet somehow a widespread action.

"But is our enemy not like that then? He did poison that old man without killing him"

Shen Min who stood in the corner not far behind Wu Long as if watching over his back raised her voice as that action of Gu Zhen seemed like the behavior Wu Long just described.

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"People are creatures of impulse and emotion, and as such we do have a desire to see our enemies suffer or relish in our superiority. You cannot deny that even smart individuals move that way sometimes"

Luo Mingyu interjected, receiving a nod from Wu Long.

"Of course, I am guilty of it at times as well..."

He chuckled as sometimes the mind becomes muddled with surging emotions that deafen all rational thinking.

"... , unlike me foiling the plans his subordinates came up with and disrupting his pawns, that was an action against him personally from a peer.

And even if we assume he was not consumed by emotions, the situation was different back then as he could be sure of his superior position which was dependent not on him but his family and position.

He was also considerably younger back then, not to mention that he suffered the consequence of that mistake when the world changed around him and there was no family to shield him any longer.

And lastly, he is now solely responsible for his safety and for the success of his endeavor which is a completely different viewpoint from which to make decisions"

Wu Long agreed with Shen Min's analysis, but underlined the crucial differences between the circumstances.

"So, now that we have established that, we should always assume that the other side is at least aware of our movements and potential. That is further supported by the fact they approached me in a formal way with an offer while I was in the capital.

They have also ceased from making any moves against me directly ever since, which shows that the game has changed. If we have been playing Chess before, we are playing Go now"

He then returned the topic to the original course.

"Are they not both games of war? How do you distinguish which one you are playing?"

Sui Luxiao who only knew the basics of the games due to conversations in the social circle, asked to clarify his meaning.

"Both can to an extent be used to represent war and strategy, but what I believe Mister Wu is alluding to is that the approach to the two games is different"

Song Lingfei noted ponderingly.

"Both strive for victory, but a chess player is playing against the opponent, while Go players play with the opponent.

The former is a total confrontation until one side is obliterated while the latter is seeking how to coexist in such a way to ultimately come out on top. While taking a stone in Go is possible, it is a rather less important part of the game than taking a figure in Chess and as such there are far more strategies centered on taking figures in Chess and much less in Go"

Luo Mingyu agreed with the Princess and added the explanation as Wu Long nodded with a smile. Though General Feng had to receive a proud smirk from the Luo Family Patriarch as a result, becoming slightly disgruntled.

"So we don't strike at each other directly but both will be making moves that interfere with each other while making one's position stronger..."

Feng Yi folded her arms as she pondered how this development would affect them as General Feng returned the smirk to the Luo Family Patriarch who rolled his eyes in return.

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"Indeed. There will be a conflict eventually, but both sides are interested in delaying it for different reasons. Although we have to behave like delaying it is not our primary goal.

In any case we have entered the phase where the first one to make an aggressive direct move would cause an immediate escalation, and since neither side wants it both sides would avoid it.

Which is partially why I had to cease striking targets such as the Golden Ox Mercenary Corps' Training Camp which I was previously going to sack, though there are of course other factors such as the much faster progression of events than I anticipated"

Wu Long then added.

"But does that not put a strain on our side, since they can do much more in this type of dynamic?"

Wei Lan furrowed her brows as she could see the other side's advantage since they had more figures moving on the board, as if for every stone their side placed, the opponents placed two or three.

"That's not true! ...right?"

Wu Mengqi proclaimed with a confident smile, only to reluctantly turn to Wu Long next.

"They have the upper hand since it was them that initiated this shift in our opposition interplay, but it does not mean we cannot use it to our advantage"

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Ye Ling calmly nodded with a smile as Wu Mengqi's expression froze from the former's tranquil and gentle gaze. She suddenly felt like they were in the same room and not vast distances apart.

"The core strategy of a Go player is to hold control of the flow of the game, making the opponent follow and react to one's moves rather than make their own moves.

It is also detrimental to focus on only one specific area of the board, the way to success being instead making each move resonate throughout the entirety of it"

Song Lingfei recounted the characteristics of the game to which Wu Long compared the situation. Although life was more complex it was true that the core dynamics of the opposition resembled the base principles of the game, which made it a useful model for this particular period before the conflict started in full.

"Which is exactly why we cannot be passive or turtle up in the sect.

And we cannot be on the receiving end and refrain from acting boldly as well, since that will only cause us to lose more ground.

The core strategy is keeping the opponent entangled in all areas while creating an advantageous situation for us. And while we will not directly be damaging their side, we will use this time to put ourselves in position to do more damage once the conflict really starts on all fronts"

Wu Long nodded with a chuckle.

"You want to start making proactive moves?"

Lian Zhiqiu asked raising her eyebrow as that could be risky.

"Indeed, Palace Master. The more pressure is on us the bolder we have to become. We cannot let ourselves be bogged down in doubt over every move, since unlike a board game there are no turns and the opponent will not wait"

He nodded with a smile appearing on his face.

"But don't we run the risk of causing the conflict starting earlier if we start shifting the scales in our favor? We have to remember they still hold the advantage, just are reluctant to start the conflict now because starting it later would be easier. If they suspect that the advantage of waiting is shrinking they might not wait anymore"

Song Minfu raised his doubts.

"Indeed, acting boldly does not mean acting carelessly, as we do have to make calculated moves and employ some tricks.

But we cannot retreat into inaction. Making us passive and reluctant to move is exactly what they want to intimidate us into doing, and what we have to avoid at all costs"

Wu Long's voice was calm as he expected this reaction to an extent. It was easy to be intimidated by the fact that the delay of the direct all-out conflict depended on the whim of the opponent who would win if it did start.