Chapter 297: Zhuge Jihee (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 297: Zhuge Jihee (2)
This bastard…
Wait, maybe “bitch” was more appropriate? Honestly, I didn’t know much about her.
Zhuge Jihee.
That was the name I knew her by.
This daughter of the Zhuge Clan had freckles and narrow eyes. But her appearance was irrelevant; what mattered was that surname—Zhuge.
The Zhuge Clan was once one of the Five Great Noble Families, a pillar of the Central Plains, until they were wiped out by the Murim Alliance.
The reason for their destruction was simple: treason. They had schemed in relation to the Blood Calamity.
It wasn’t hard to guess what kind of treachery a noble clan like the Zhuge might commit, especially when you considered the other name people called them.
The Blood Demon’s Descendants.
That’s what they were known as.
According to the records, the Blood Demon had no family and left no heirs. Yet, the Zhuge Clan earned that ominous title because they had willingly become his followers, secretly plotting to betray the Orthodox Faction.
It’s said the Murim Alliance uncovered their plot, moved swiftly, and eradicated them.
They chose to follow the Blood Demon? I can’t wrap my head around it.
It made no sense. Why would one of the Five Great Noble Clans, a pillar of the Orthodox Faction, make such a choice?
But then again, I never bothered to understand things like that. It wasn’t my concern.
Anyway.
Because of their betrayal, the main Zhuge bloodline was executed. Most people bearing the Zhuge name today are from distant branch families, and even they live in hiding, either concealing their surname or unaware of it entirely.
I only knew of two people who still openly carried the Zhuge name: Zhuge Hyuk and Zhuge Jihee.
Of course, if Zhuge Hyuk was truly the Immortal Healer’s grandson, then the Healer might be a Zhuge as well. But I didn’t dwell on that; it wasn’t important.
What mattered was the role Zhuge Jihee would play in the future.
Zhuge Jihee.
When she first emerged, she vowed to prove her clan’s innocence and restore their lost honor and prestige.
Hah! The irony.
A descendant of traitors who betrayed the Orthodox Faction and nearly unleashed the Blood Calamity, now claiming she would reclaim their honor? She argued that the Zhuge Clan only sought to borrow the Blood Demon’s power, not betray the world, but her words weren’t enough to sway the Murim Alliance.
Getting them to believe her would mean forcing them to admit their own mistake.
Hah! Those self-righteous orthodox bastards would never do that!
Even if Zhuge Jihee was right, the current Murim Alliance would never acknowledge it.
A futile effort.
Surprisingly, the only one who spoke up for her was the Meteor Sword, Jang Seonyeon.
That slippery bastard didn’t outright confirm her claims were true. Instead, he suggested people should trust in her ability and strength.
And to her credit, she did prove her power. It genuinely seemed like she was trying to clear her clan’s name.
Whether it was due to Jang Seonyeon’s influence or some ulterior motive among the Alliance’s higher-ups, they accepted her and even gave her a position as a strategist.
But she wasn’t particularly good at it.
Unfortunately for her, she was born in a disastrous era, and her opponent was none other than Zhuge Hyuk—a genius known as the ‘brain’ of the Heavenly Demon, the chief strategist of the Demonic Cult.
There’s a famous story in the Central Plains about how he used terrain and cunning to trap and kill three Peak Realm experts, despite having an ordinary body devoid of any Qi.
Compared to him, Zhuge Jihee couldn’t hope to match even a fraction of his strategic prowess. To counter Zhuge Hyuk, you’d need someone on the level of Moyong Hi-ah, but she was already dead by then.
However, while Zhuge Jihee lacked strategic genius, she more than made up for it with her martial power. And she ultimately achieved something significant.
The death of Zhuge Hyuk.
It was solely her doing. From that point on, the tide of the war against the Demonic Cult began to turn, little by little.
“What are you?”
But…
Is this bastard really Zhuge Jihee?
If this was the same Zhuge Jihee I was looking for…
Why does she look like this?
No matter how hard I stared, she didn’t look like a girl at all…
Is she cross-dressing as a man?
I wasn’t sure. The figure was somewhat slender, but not enough to be unmistakably feminine.
Wait… What if the future Zhuge Jihee was the one cross-dressing as a woman?
That seemed far more likely. Why he would commit such a perverted act was a mystery, but it was the most plausible explanation for now.
Hmm… Let’s see… What about the face?
Freckles. Narrow eyes.
Not too different from the ‘her’ I remembered.
Squeeze—
“Ughh…!”
He looked to be around twenty, maybe a little older. The voice had a feminine quality, but there was a definite undercurrent of masculinity mixed in.
“Hey.”
“I-I’m sorry… rr…”
“What’s your name?”
“Cough… Kegh…”
Was I holding him too tight? I loosened my grip slightly so he could speak.
“Gasp…!”
“Your name.”
“J-Jiseon.”
“Your full name.”
“…”
He fell silent when I demanded his surname. I had no intention of waiting.
“You have three seconds. If you don’t answer, I’ll break your arm.”
Squeeze—
“Ugh.”
“Two. One.”
“Y-You said three seconds! Why are you counting down from two…! I’ll talk!”
Hearing the panic in his voice, I loosened my grip again.
“Speak.”
“Ch-Cheol Jiseon.”
Cheol? That was the surname?
He’s lying.
He might have told the truth about the given name ‘Jiseon’, but the surname was almost certainly fake. I’d expected him to use an alias.
“What do you want from me?” I needed to know his objective.
“Um… The band…”
So he saw me lying on the ground and tried to sneak over to steal my band.
“Hmm…”
His Qi circulation felt around the level of a Second-rate martial artist.
How did someone this weak even pass the preliminary exam? Hmm… There’s a chance he’s hiding his true strength.
It’s certainly possible to conceal one’s power; hell, I was doing it myself.
Well, I got caught… Dammit.
“Hey.”
“P-Please, give me a chance…! I won’t come near you again when you’re resting…!”
Hmm, he looks so pathetic… Is this bastard really Zhuge Jihee?
I couldn’t tell if it was an act or not, so I couldn’t afford to be reckless.
“Hey. …Do you have an older sister?”
I had to explore all possibilities.
“Pardon…?”
“Or a younger sister?”
“…”
His expression shifted the moment I asked. It wasn’t shock; it was more like disgust.
What’s with that look?
“W-Why are you… asking something like that…?”
“One…”
“I-I don’t!”
I let out a sigh and released him.
“Cough… Cough…!”
He collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.
That was a lie, too.
There was a slight tremor in his voice. Combined with his unstable breathing and movements, it was clearly a lie.
Whether he actually had a sister or not was irrelevant.
The important thing was…
This bastard is hiding something.
That was enough.
If he had a secret, it increased the likelihood he was connected to Zhuge Jihee, even if he wasn’t her himself.
The timing is right for her to be at the Academy.
She was a contemporary of Jang Seonyeon, so she should be here around now.
Did something change?
That was possible. I didn’t remember the exact timeline of her enrollment, and my actions might have caused a butterfly effect.
But I can’t be sure yet.
I watched the bastard on the ground. How had someone so weak made it this far in the exam?
Should I just turn him into a Demonic Human?
My Dantian twitched at the mere thought… as if it had been waiting for the suggestion.
Honestly, that would be the most convenient solution.
But I forced the wild Demonic Qi in my Dantian to settle.
…Not yet.
It was better to hold back. Besides, in my current injured state, turning someone into a Demonic Human would likely leave me bedridden for days.
So, what are my other options? …There is one.
A very simple answer came to mind.
“Hey, friend!”
“P-Pardon? Fri… huh…?”
I looked him directly in the eyes, my voice kind and soft. I even knelt down on one knee.
As I smiled warmly, the bastard flinched.
The situation had taken an unexpected turn, and I still didn’t know who this person really was.
But that’s not a big deal… I’ll just have to find out.
“Want to become friends?”
Hahahahaha! All I have to do is keep him close, right?
I’d planned to approach him if I found him, but he delivered himself to me. How could I let him escape now?
Huh? …Did he just start crying when I offered friendship?
“…Ungh… Ngh…”
He tried to hold back, but the tears were already flowing.
…Why was he crying all of a sudden? I just proposed a friendship. Was the idea of being my friend that upsetting? I was a bit offended.
“Hey… Are you crying?”
“No! N-Not at… Ngh… all.”
“You are crying, you bastard!!! You don’t want to be friends with me!”
“That’s not— N-No! I do…!”
“Yes, yes! Let’s get along well, okay?”
“U-Understood…”
“We’ll be good friends, right? After all, you owe me.”
“T…Then.”
Remembering the band he’d tried to steal, Cheol Jiseon shakily pulled one from his pocket.
“I-I’ll give you this, so…”
“Hey, friend.”
I pushed the band back into his pocket.
“Friends don’t do things like that. Do I look like someone who would steal from a friend?”
“…”
“Answer me.”
“N-Not at all!”
Satisfied with his clear response, I nodded.
It felt like I had captu— No, that’s not right. It felt like I’d gained a valuable new friend.
What a fortunate day.