Chapter 1035: Zhuge Yuan Extra 9: (End)

Chapter 1035: Zhuge Yuan Side Story 9 (Finale)

Staring at the Book of Rites descending upon him, Zhuge Yuan felt a surge of despair as his body remained utterly paralyzed. The disparity between his enemy and himself was simply too vast; escape was a sheer impossibility.

Yet, the moment the book brushed against his face, Zhuge Yuan felt a sudden warmth in his chest. In the next heartbeat, his assailant was inexplicably repelled, and he found he could move once more.

Stunned, Zhuge Yuan looked down at his chest to see a faint, glowing beast-head emblem slowly dimming. He recognized that visage, and the name slipped from his lips: "Master?"

The head was the very likeness of the man who had raised and taught him in the village.

A warmth bloomed in Zhuge Yuan’s heart. It seemed the old man had not been so confident in letting him wander the world alone, having secretly left a safeguard upon him.

But this was no time for sentiment; he had yet to make his escape.

Glancing at the elder, who was staring at his own palm in shock, Zhuge Yuan turned without hesitation and bolted toward the exit. After all he had endured, he knew this place was no sanctuary; he had to leave at once.

The Minglun Hall was vast, but having worked there for some time, he navigated the twists and turns until he reached the book-drying yard.

Yet, as he stood still, there was no joy on his face. He was surrounded.

Scholars with swords at their waists stood with hands tucked into their sleeves, closing in from all sides with indifferent expressions.

As they tightened the circle, the two scholars in front of him parted, and the elder from before stepped forward, the Book of Rites in hand.

Zhuge Yuan gritted his teeth, drew a dagger from his boot, and pointed it at the man.

"Hmph, you foolish boy. I do this for your own good. When you are older, you will regret this."

Zhuge Yuan shook his head firmly. "Perhaps the man I become will regret it, but the man I am now will not. I cannot betray who I am today for the sake of who I might be tomorrow."

"Do you know what it means to enter Minglun Hall? Whether it is the officials of the court or the scribes of the Heaven’s Watch, all are disciples of this hall."

"Once you enter Minglun Hall, you are destined for a meteoric rise!"

Zhuge Yuan heard the emotion in the man's voice; he seemed truly incredulous that anyone would refuse such an offer.

Flashing through his mind were the teachings of his Master, and Zhuge Yuan shook his head again, resolute. "I don't want it! No matter how correct the rules in the Book of Rites may be, I do not want them forced into my mind! My Master said: 'To know others is wisdom; to know oneself is enlightenment!'"

"Absurd! Who is this Master of yours? Does he truly believe he has the standing to contend with the wisdom of the sages?"

Hearing the man disparage his Master, Zhuge Yuan’s blood boiled. "Why shouldn't he? Are the rules set by your Minglun Hall the only ones that matter, while everyone else's are mere filth?"

"Insolence! Do you know that were it not for the Great Sage of the Ages establishing these laws of Heaven and Earth, the world would not be as bright as it is today! As the successor to the Sage, Minglun Hall determines the right and wrong of the world! In this Great Qi, Minglun Hall is the law!"

Zhuge Yuan raised his voice to its limit. "You are wrong! What rules a person keeps and what kind of person they become is for them to choose! I do not believe in that set of yours, Zhuge Yuan does not!"

With a thud, the elder flicked his sleeve, and Zhuge Yuan was sent flying, crashing into a rockery.

The light on Zhuge Yuan’s chest flickered intermittently, but even so, he coughed up a mouthful of blood; his words had clearly enraged the man.

"Good! Very good! You have spirit. Since you will not join Minglun Hall, we shall handle this by the book! You have incited disciples to rebellion—what is your true intent in infiltrating this temple?"

"Seize him! Throw him in the dungeon and interrogate him thoroughly!"

Zhuge Yuan was hauled up, a cold blade pressed against his throat, yet his gaze remained unyielding.

The elder approached, his eyes full of disdain. "Your bones are hard, but I wonder if they can withstand the Great Torture."

Just then, a sharp whistle pierced the air from afar: "Chen Yi! Come quickly! There are Zuo Wang Dao rebels here!"

Hearing the sound, the elder grew instantly alert. Forgetting the boy, he led his men away, stepping across the bamboo leaves toward the source of the noise, leaving only two guards behind.

Having escaped death, Zhuge Yuan was led along the rain corridor. He wiped the blood from his mouth, enduring the pain while listening to the surrounding chaos. "Who are the Zuo Wang Dao? Why is that elder so wary of them?"

Zhuge Yuan looked at the sun, judging his position. He would not sit and wait for death; he had to escape!

If he failed to seize this rare opportunity, the hope of ever escaping would be even slimmer.

As the whistle sounded again in the distance, Zhuge Yuan extended his left hand, and a peach-wood charm flew from his sleeve toward the forehead of the scholar beside him.

The scholar caught the charm firmly, but that was exactly what Zhuge Yuan wanted. As the charm shattered, the peach-wood debris exploded into the man’s face and hands.

Taking the chance, Zhuge Yuan turned and ran. The other guard gave chase, sword drawn. When Zhuge Yuan threw another charm, the man was not fooled, slicing it in two.

Yet, just as the guard lifted his foot to pursue, his body went limp, and he collapsed. An unexpected figure appeared behind him—it was the breathless Li Jinshu. "Senior Li!" Zhuge Yuan exclaimed, overjoyed.

Li Jinshu looked tense, showing no sign of wanting to reminisce. "Run! This way!" "Right!"

Zhuge Yuan followed him through winding paths until they emerged through a side gate onto a bustling street.

The common folk outside Minglun Hall were still busy with their lives; whatever happened inside did not affect them in the slightest. A red wall separated two worlds.

"Senior Li, what happened back there? They mentioned the Zuo Wang Dao."

"Ha, there is no Zuo Wang Dao. I just spread a false rumor to trick them; otherwise, we would have been trapped inside." Seeing the man, Zhuge Yuan felt a pang of guilt; in this situation, it was clear he could never return to Minglun Hall.

"Senior Li, I am truly sorry."

"What are you saying? This isn't your fault. I’ve been tired of pretending in that wretched place for a long time." Li Jinshu stretched lazily and untied the headscarf, letting long, ink-black hair cascade down.

Zhuge Yuan stared in shock, but quickly recovered. "Senior Li, you were disguised as a man all this time?"

"Who told Minglun Hall to only accept men? I had no choice but to use this ruse. Let's go, they might be catching up."

The two quickly vanished into the crowd, moving far away from Minglun Hall.

"Kid, we have a bond. You wanted to learn, didn't you? Some of the arts of Minglun Hall. I’ll teach you." "Is that really okay? Can the arts of Minglun Hall be taught to others so casually?"

"Naturally not, but since I’ve already run away, what can they do about it?" "Thank you! Senior Li!"

"Don't be so formal. I'm not much older than you. Let's reintroduce ourselves. My name is Li Yuting, courtesy name Jinshu." "Zhuge Yuan! I... I don't have a courtesy name yet."

"Hahaha, no worries, I’ll give you one. How about Zhuge Yuan, courtesy name Chenmo?" Li Yuting draped an arm over Zhuge Yuan’s shoulder and walked forward.

"Chenmo, where will you go next?"

"I don't know. I'll just keep walking and see. Perhaps I will find a place where I can keep my own rules."