NOVPUB"We have different paths and cannot scheme together," Chen Xi said with a hint of bitterness in his smile as he accompanied Zhuge Liang. "Some are driven by duty, others by strategies for power, and some by ideals. No wonder the ancient saying goes, ’A true friend is hard to find.’"
Zhuge Liang felt an emotional stir but did not take up the conversation. He quietly followed Chen Xi into the carriage. Upstairs, Zhuge Jin silently watched this scene, setting down the wine cup he was holding. He knew part of what Chen Xi had said was meant for him.
Watching the carriage slowly depart, Zhuge Jin raised his cup to the carriage at a distance, "Kongming, I hope you can succeed. The freedom you choose is not just for yourself alone, I too am burdened with more than my own duties. I hope the future of the Zhuge family can depend on you!"
Zhuge Jin put down his cup heavily, and his once uncertain eyes became firm once again. Freedom was left to his younger brother, and responsibility was his to bear.
"Have you met Sima Zhongda?" Chen Xi asked, sweeping away his melancholy after boarding the carriage. He thought of Sima Yi, who lived right next door to Zhuge Liang and couldn’t help but ask. He was curious whether these neighbors who were also arch-rivals had ever met, and if they had, who would have had the upper hand.
"Sima Zhongda?" Zhuge Liang’s memory was fresh. Besides Pang Tong, Sima Yi was the first peer to make him feel such immense pressure.
"Yes, that’s the lad who’s two years older than you and lives next door," Chen Xi clarified a bit disappointed. It seemed unusual that the Chancellor and the Grand Commandant would meet without any extraordinary stories arising from their encounter.
"Oh, that guy, yes, he’s impressive," Zhuge Liang said nonchalantly, as if to say, "Oh, you’re talking about that random guy!"
"Eh, you’ve had dealings with him?" Chen Xi instantly perked up. The young Chancellor and the young Grand Commandant had clashed, and from Zhuge Liang’s casual demeanor, there must have been some incident, otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such a remark about him being impressive.
"The day before yesterday he caused some trouble, I wasn’t in a good mood, so I sought him out for a hassle. But he couldn’t handle losing," Zhuge Liang said, glancing sideways.
"Details, details," Chen Xi urged, his interest piqued.
"We played a board game at first; he was careless and lost. The second game, he claimed he was going all out but lost again. Then he unleashed his Spiritual Talent to intimidate me, but ended up reducing my own Soul Talent. I scared him with my Spiritual Capacity, and then we played another round in haste. Though it was rushed, he still lost," Zhuge Liang said calmly but with a touch of pride.
Chen Xi rested his forehead in his hand. Everything was settled. Sima Yi was a poor sport; losing the game and then using his Soul Talent out of spite? He had reduced Zhuge Liang’s Spirit Talent, and also that of everyone in Fenggao City except Chen Xi. It seemed even the usually resilient Sima Yi had trouble accepting defeat. Too young, perhaps?
Meanwhile, Mi Zhu was going crazy. This youngster before him also possessed a Soul Talent, which essentially meant that apart from life experience and administrative skills, his own intelligence didn’t match up to this kid’s.
The very next moment, Mi Zhu felt as if someone was carving the flesh from his bones, his heart twisted in agony. A child similar in age to him had lost at the board game and had simply unleashed his Soul Talent in response. And to make matters worse, this young kid had just walked away.
"Hey, hey, hey, Zizhong, what’s wrong with you?" Chen Xi looked on as Mi Zhu clutched his heart and convulsed, patting him frantically.
"My heart hurts..." Mi Zhu finally managed to express after struggling for a while, "He’s even more monstrous than Fa Xiaozhi, worse than you. How could they let him run off like that? Ah, I have to go back and bring Zhuge Ziyu here as well."
Forgetting his refined appearance and disregarding that Zhuge Liang was still present, Mi Zhu descended into utter disarray.
"Alright, alright, the two that left are my distant relatives; unfortunately, the reason they left differs from my path, leaving them no choice. So stop going mad," Chen Xi said helplessly, having come to terms with the reality. The fact that Sima Yi and Sima Lang, as relatives, didn’t visit his home spoke volumes about their philosophical differences!
After comforting Mi Zhu, Chen Xi turned his attention back to Zhuge Liang. Chen Xi believed that Zhuge Liang wasn’t joking, meaning that Sima Yi lost all three fights fair and square! Indeed, it seemed that the Prime Minister always had some irregularities in his combat power when facing the Grand Commandant.
Even after neutralizing Zhuge Liang’s Spiritual Talent, Sima Yi still lost. Thus, one could only conclude that either the gap between Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang was too large to be bridged by Spiritual Talent, or Sima Yi’s Spiritual Talent provided no enhancement to him personally. After all, as long as the Spiritual Talent is activated, it should increase the strength of one’s thought processes—even the kind that Lub Su possesses, which seems unrelated to the brain, can significantly boost cognitive functioning upon activation.
"So, what kind of drawbacks do you think Zhongda’s Spiritual Talent has?" Chen Xi asked with a smile.
"Cannot distinguish friend from foe," Zhuge Liang replied succinctly, leaving the rest for Chen Xi to deduce as he looked on calmly.
[Impressive, Spiritual Talent, age, analytical capabilities—all trademark Zhuge Kongming, keeping the core knowledge to himself while revealing enough to earn the highest recognition.] Chen Xi looked at Zhuge Liang, somewhat astounded. Such behavior was surely not that of a twelve-year-old. It was no wonder Zhuge Liang was recorded as having cunningness bordering on the supernatural.
"Evidence?" Chen Xi curiously asked.
"Both Sima Boda and my brother have had their Spiritual Talents erased—Sima Zhongda is unable to control his target," Zhuge Liang explained evenly.
"Alright, thank you," Chen Xi said, the realization dawning on his face. If it didn’t discriminate between friend and foe, then they of Mount Tai had the advantage—his, Chen Zichuan’s, talent couldn’t be erased.
On the other hand, Xi Zhicai was completely unaware that he had already been outmaneuvered and was intently dealing with Li Youu, trying to make Li Youu feel his sincere desire to send a woman to help Liu Bei.
"Brother Zhicai, let’s settle the matter just like that," Li Youu said with a loud laugh.
"Sure thing, sure thing. As soon as I return to Yanzhou—oh, no, I’ll write to my lord right away to inform him of this matter so that he can surely rescue Lord Xuande from danger. Rest assured, Brother Wen Ru," Xi Zhicai responded with ecstatic feigning.
Outside Liu Bei’s main hall, Xuu Chu and Dian Wei were glaring at each other. If they weren’t guards strictly adhering to their orders, they would have fought by now. But even without an actual fight, the tension had reached a boiling point, and each was itching to grab the other for a thrashing.
"Elai, let’s go," Xi Zhicai came out and said to Dian Wei, who stood like an unyielding wall, peacefully speaking. According to his calculations, it would take only a day or two to decipher Zhuge Liang’s Spiritual Talent, so he planned to stay in and concentrate on the analysis once back at the inn, leaving the wedding and intelligence matters entirely to Chen Qun.
"Wait, Strategist," Dian Wei approached Xuu Chu, "You’re Xuu Chu, aren’t you? You dared to be so arrogant towards me before. If you’re brave enough, come outside the city, and I’ll show you what true power is!"
"Draw the line, and I’ll accept all your challenges!" Xuu Chu replied, lifting his chin slightly and staring back at Dian Wei with defiance.
"Just wait, you’ll receive my challenge tonight!" Dian Wei slung his Double Halberd over his shoulder and turned to leave, fully prepared to leave Xuu Chu bruised and swollen the next day. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and support it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
