Chapter 40. The Zhuge Family (2)
I set aside my doubts and responded.
"Of course. But before that, there's something you should be aware of."
"What is it?"
"If you abandon the surname Zhuge, then from that moment on, you will no longer be a person of the Zhuge Family."
"…Right."
"In that case, do you think anyone will indulge your whims? You'll be thrown into the harsh world, scrambling just to find something to eat."
"R-Really?"
Honestly, that's an exaggeration.
Even if she abandons the Zhuge surname, her family wouldn't just leave her like that.
Ah, in my previous life, her family who would have protected her had all died.
The fact that this pure, brainless girl standing before me had become the Jade Maiden Without a Smile must mean the world had been terribly cruel to her.
Still, that's one thing, but if she doesn't move aside, I feel like I'm going to explode first.
"And if you're not a member of the Zhuge Family, do you think people here will still treat you so delicately? They'll be dying to smack your butt."
At my words, those around us nodded without even realizing it.
A sign they strongly agreed.
They must have suffered a lot because of this reckless, brainless, innocent maniac of a young lady.
Then they flinched—but it was already too late.
Lady Zhuge Yua had seen it.
"You, you're so mean!"
You're the mean one, Lady.
"In any case! If you're not a member of the Zhuge Family, then I can spar with you freely. Even if an arm gets cut off during the match, I can take full responsibility."
"Th-Then what about the Zhuge Family!"
"What a contradictory thing to say. You've abandoned the Zhuge surname, so why would you expect the Zhuge Family to protect you? And if you're no longer their person, would they even protect you? They'd have no reason to say a thing."
"Uh…"
"What I just told you and what you'll face if the clan falls, won't be so different."
"…"
She looked at me in silence.
Her gaze was strange, but somehow, I felt like I could understand her emotions.
Anger?
What could she possibly be angry about?
If it was at me… the feeling was too intense for that.
It vanished so quickly I thought maybe I imagined it.
At this point, there's definitely something going on.
She's not just some brainless, innocent lunatic.
Should I probe a little further?
"As someone bearing the Zhuge name, you should naturally protect the Zhuge Family, yet you're helping destroy it. Let me ask again."
I put my fists together in a martial salute and asked,
"Are you truly a member of the Zhuge Family, my lady?"
"…"
She seemed flustered, trailing off, but I could tell she wasn't truly shaken.
That was enough.
I didn't know what was going on, but maybe I'd play along a little.
"I don't know why you're crying right now, but isn't there something you should do before you start crying?"
"Wh-What? Sniff What is it? Are you expecting an apology? I'm not apologizing to you!"
"Why would you think I want an apology?"
"Huh?"
"Apologies must come from sincerity. If there's no sincerity behind it, receiving it just leaves a bad taste. So just step aside."
I didn't want to go this far with her, but if I hesitated now, the situation would only get stranger.
"…"
"Just take three steps to your left."
At my words, she moved three steps—almost without realizing it.
"Thank you for stepping aside. Now then, excuse me."
I turned to the maid and said,
"Please continue the guidance."
"Ah… Yes!"
She turned around and spoke.
"This way, sir… Ah! Greetings, Elder Lord!"
The maid immediately bowed low.
Standing before her was an elderly man dressed in luxurious clothing.
Oh no…
The qi radiating from the old man, with a long beard reaching his chest, was immense.
So this is the man who invited us—Zhuge Family's Elder Lord!
"I, Yoo, Finance Pavilion Master of the Eunhae Merchant Group, pay my respects to the Elder Lord."
"I, third son of the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group, pay my respects to the Elder Lord."
"Please, rise."
"Thank you."
We straightened our posture.
"I heard you were coming to greet me, but since you didn't come, I decided to visit myself—and what a rare spectacle I found. Hohoho."
So he saw it all?
Did I do anything disrespectful?
But I didn't feel his presence at all…
Is this what it means to be a true master?
At the sight of the Elder Lord, Lady Zhuge Yua rushed toward him.
"Grandfather!"
She clung to his waist and began to sob.
"He, he said he wouldn't spar with me, and he said all these mean things."
"Oh dear, is that so? My poor Yua must be upset."
He handed her a sweet treat and comforted her.
Wait, is he about to scold me for speaking harshly earlier?
I offered a martial salute and bowed respectfully.
"I apologize for my unsightly behavior. Please forgive me."
"Forgive? Every word you said was spot on."
"…?"
The Elder Lord smiled gently and continued.
"Don't blame me for letting the child grow up spoiled. I let her act out because it's something she must face and endure herself. In a few months, Yua will turn fifteen and embark on her Hidden Dragon Journey."
Hidden Dragon Journey?
As if reading my question, the Elder Lord explained further.
"It's a tradition of the Zhuge Family. The only things provided are a weapon, paper, brush, and ink. She must fend for herself—food, shelter, everything—for three years, wandering the world and building a reputation. The clan provides no support."
"She gains life experience under the clan's protection."
"You misunderstood me."
"Pardon?"
"When I say the clan provides no support, I mean none, including protection."
"…"
"Only those who return alive after three years in the martial world are officially given the Zhuge name."
Only then did I understand the Elder Lord's meaning.
The more spoiled she was, the harsher the world would be to her—and that would be her burden to bear.
"Is that why members of the Zhuge Family are so clever?"
"Exactly."
The Elder Lord nodded.
"Burying one's head in books is not true wisdom. True wisdom is earned through real-world experience."
"But they might lose their lives."
"If someone dies during a mere three-year Hidden Dragon Journey, then they were unworthy of the Zhuge name to begin with."
Now that I think about it, other clans and sects have something similar to the Hidden Dragon Journey.
There's a reason the great sects and prestigious clans of the martial world survive.
It's more ruthless than I thought.
I finally understood why no one had recognized Lady Zhuge Yua as the clan head's daughter.
She must have been on her Hidden Dragon Journey when the Zhuge Family fell.
It wasn't made public, and she lost her home.
Somehow, during that time, she formed a connection with the Merchant Lord of the Yugang Merchant Group.
Wait… she's about to turn fifteen?
That means… she's fourteen now.
So we're… only a year apart.
The Elder Lord turned to me and said,
"If Yua ever asks to spar with you again, please don't refuse."
"Please have mercy. I won't be able to handle it."
"And if you must spar, don't go so far as to cut anything off, but breaking an arm or two is fine."
"Excuse me?"
"She needs to start preparing for her journey. She's gotten too full of herself, always winning every duel."
The Elder Lord asked me,
"When do you think is the most dangerous moment?"
"That would be… after winning."
"That's exactly why I said it. And honestly, I quite like you."
"…?"
The Elder Lord chuckled.
"Despite having the skills to easily win in a duel, you beat her with words. Impressive!"
"Ah…"
"The fact that you don't recklessly draw your sword and maintain proper etiquette to the end is a virtue rarely seen at your age."
"I'm not worthy of such praise."
I answered politely, but my doubts hadn't cleared.
That look the Elder Lord gave Zhuge Yua earlier—what was that?
His gaze wasn't cynical.
But it wasn't exactly warm either.
It was… peculiar.
It seemed sorrowful, and perhaps even filled with pity…
That train of thought was broken by the Elder Lord's voice.
He looked at Chief Yoo and greeted him warmly.
"My, I've been quite rude."
"N-Not at all, sir."
"I was deeply moved by your poetry! Every verse is so beautifully written!"
"You flatter me. It's just a clumsy brush."
"Too much modesty is also rude."
He let out a hearty laugh.
"If we talk much longer, we'll all get tired. Let's continue this conversation tomorrow. Go and get some rest."
"Forgive me."
"No, no. I'm the one who should apologize. We'll talk more tomorrow."
And so, we returned to our lodging.
I had dinner and was finally about to get some proper rest.
But—
Why has the young lady come to see me?
.
.
.
Following the maid who said the young lady was waiting for me, I headed toward where Zhuge Yua was.
But—
When I saw her blankly staring off into space, I involuntarily flinched.
That face—was the face I knew as the Jade Maiden Without a Smile.
As soon as I made my presence known, that expression vanished from her face in an instant.
What was that just now?
As soon as she saw me, Zhuge Yua said,
"Fight me!"
"Young lady, as I said earlier…"
"I don't care! Just fight me!"
I sighed.
Since the Elder Lord had given his tacit approval, there was no need to back off.
And I was personally curious, too, so I nodded without hesitation.
"Understood. But in return, regardless of the outcome, please promise not to bother me anymore."
"Fine, I promise."
"Then let's go to the sparring grounds."
"There's a better place than that. Grab a wooden sword from over there and follow me."
At her words, I picked up a wooden sword of reasonable weight from the nearby rack and followed her.
Palgap followed behind me, and I whispered quietly to him,
"Do your best not to make your presence known—stay hidden, understood?"
"Yes, sir."
The place she led me to was a fairly secluded spot within the Zhuge Family's estate.
Truly, no one was around.
Zhuge Yua pointed her wooden sword at me and said,
"Then let's begin!"
At her words, I gripped my sword and took my stance. In that moment, she charged at me like a bolt of lightning.
Clack!
I blocked her sword and aimed a thrust at her shoulder.
She twisted her body to evade my blade and simultaneously slashed at my upper body.
I avoided her incoming strike using the technique Iron Plate Bridge.
So this is where all the basic training Master made me do every day pays off.
Immediately, I swung my sword at her legs.
But the strike was slightly shallow, and it looked like the blade wouldn't reach her.
Yet her leg smoothly moved into my attack range.
What?
Someone else might've brushed it off as luck—but not me.
Something was off.
So I decided to test her again.
I drew back the blade that had aimed for her legs and redirected it toward her shoulder.
It was slow enough to easily dodge.
But she didn't dodge. Instead, she leaned her shoulder into the blade.
It was clear now.
She was deliberately giving me openings and trying to get injured.
And I noticed her eyes were completely different from earlier—when she had flipped my insides around.
Her eyes now were nothing like the clueless, bright-eyed lunatic from before.
They were sharp—analyzing the opponent.
And after a few more exchanges of our blades, I could tell.
She was hiding her true skill.
If I had been inexperienced or lacked ability, I would've never noticed her real strength.
But I wasn't a novice.
So I stepped back, let out a sigh, and lowered my sword.
I'd humored her long enough. I didn't want to get dragged into this game any further without knowing the reason.
"What the? Why'd you stop all of a sudden?"
"Shouldn't you be the one to stop, my lady?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you really want to spar with me? No—more than that, just how much of this is acting, and how much is the real you?"
"W-What acting?! What makes you think I'm pretending?"
"To be honest, I wasn't sure before. But now I know. You're acting right now."
"N-No, I'm not!"
She shouted and charged at me.
Her gaze was wavering.
She was quite flustered.
What on earth is she doing all this for?
Now I was really curious.
I gently turned my body to parry her attack.
"I'm just an outsider. I have no desire to share this with anyone else, so can't we stop here?"
"…"
She bit her lip at my suggestion, but continued her barrage of attacks.
I deflected or dodged them, all while digging through my memory.
Come to think of it…
So, two years from now.
When I'm seventeen, the Elder Lord of the Zhuge Family dies.
The official cause of death announced by the clan was old age.
But some people raised suspicions.
The Elder Lord was a supreme master.
That meant his body aged differently from ordinary people, and he had a much longer lifespan.
Yet to say he died of old age at around seventy? Completely absurd.
And that became the signal flare of the Zhuge Family's collapse.
Soon after, the current clan head, who had been in closed-door training, supposedly went mad from deviation and killed a third of the clan.
Then half of the remaining clan members were said to have died, caught in a secret experiment involving forbidden formation arts.
And thus, flames consumed the declining Zhuge Family.
That was the end of the Zhuge Family.
At the time, there were no survivors, and since the clan had always been extremely secretive, the truth was buried.
Later, some people claimed to be descendants of the Zhuge Family, but they didn't last long.
All were murdered.
Everything happened within three years of the Elder Lord's death.
Even if his death was a major incident, we're still talking about one of the Eight Great Clans—a prestigious and long-standing family.
To say such a clan fell in just three years? Ridiculous.
Which means—there must've been someone with a carefully laid plan to bring the Zhuge Family down.
In the future I experienced, Yua, the Jade Maiden Without a Smile, was renowned as one of the top hundred experts in the world.
And that was because she was a master of strategy.
Was it from what she learned and studied up to that point?
No.
The Elder Lord had said only those who survive the Hidden Dragon Journey are acknowledged as members of the Zhuge Family.
Which meant she couldn't have accessed the clan's secret arts before that.
In other words, she had no access to the clan's deep secrets.
There's an old phrase used to describe the Zhuge Family:
Divine Schemes of Zhuge.
It means they were born dragons—already possessing brilliance even before the Hidden Dragon Journey.
The same must apply to Zhuge Yua before me.
In other words, she was born a genius.
And when she realized something strange was happening within the clan, she began pretending to be a troublemaking, thoughtless young lady.
Now that I'd reached this conclusion, I stopped dodging her attacks.
I raised my sword and knocked hers out of her hand.
Clack—!
"Ugh!"
She winced, clutching her stinging hand, and glared at me.
I asked seriously,
"Why are you doing this, my lady?"
"…"
Zhuge Yua bit her lip.
"Something's happening within the clan right now, isn't it? That's why you're putting on this act."
Perhaps she decided she couldn't keep silent anymore—she sighed and asked,
"…How did you know?"
Her tone suddenly changed completely.