At that, Father gently interjected.
“I understand. Since these two hold important posts in the merchant group, it’s difficult to give an immediate response. We’ll do our best to respond promptly, so please rest in the meantime. We’ll prepare a comfortable room for you.”
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
The man from the Zhuge Clan followed the deputy Father had called.
A brief silence fell over Father’s office.
“Chief Administrator Yu, so that letter… was an invitation?”
“Yes.”
He answered with a dazed expression.
“A man named Zhuge Hyeon-ri (諸葛炫理) from the Zhuge Clan has invited the Young Master and me. He wishes to speak with us about the poetry. He earnestly hopes we’ll accept, and said if we do, he’ll send a carriage and escort.”
“Oho!”
Father beamed as if it were his own good news.
“Then of course you must accept!”
“But my poetry is unworthy…”
“What nonsense! You’re far too harsh on yourself. If your poetry were truly unworthy, would the Zhuge Clan send a carriage and escort just to extend an invitation?”
“…”
“And to be frank, I was a little hurt when I read your poems.”
“Pardon?”
“You have such a beautiful gift for poetry, yet you kept it hidden all this time.”
“That’s…”
“In any case, accept it! You must accept!”
Honestly, it was the kind of invitation one couldn’t refuse.
The Zhuge Clan! Who were they?
A great Murim family based in Yongzhong Mountain (隆中山), also called Fulong Mountain (伏龍山), in western Hubei Province.
They’re as revered as the Wudang Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects of Murim, based on Mount Wudang, one of Daoism’s three holy sites.
To fall out of favor with them was as troublesome as getting blacklisted by the authorities.
In other words, it was critical to form ties with them however possible.
And now, out of nowhere, such an opportunity had fallen into our laps.
.
.
.
That afternoon.
After returning home from work, I stood by the window in my quarters and sighed.
The Zhuge Clan…
While their current prestige was immense, I felt conflicted. In my previous life, the Zhuge Clan had practically been wiped out.
And if memory served, Zhuge Hyeon-ri was the former Patriarch of the Zhuge Clan—the Grand Elder.
Neither Father nor the others realized he was the former Patriarch because of one simple reason.
Zhuge Hyeon-ri was an alias he used when concealing his identity.
Knowing that future, it was hard not to feel unsettled about receiving an invitation from the Zhuge Clan.
But that didn’t mean we could refuse.
The Zhuge Clan was still standing strong for now.
A few days passed like that.
Apparently eager to speak with Chief Administrator Yu as soon as possible, Zhuge Hyeon-ri—no, the former Patriarch—immediately sent a carriage and escort.
Before our departure, Father gave me a word of caution.
“I’m relieved you’re going with him. As you know, Chief Administrator Yu isn’t exactly eloquent. If we’re not careful, it could end badly.”
“Haha.”
“Take good care of him.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best to support him.”
And so, Chief Administrator Yu and I set out for the Zhuge Clan.
At one of the Zhuge Clan’s residences.
A middle-aged man was receiving a report.
“…That is all.”
“Very well. Anything else?”
“Ah, Lord Hyeon-ri has invited some guests.”
“Guests?”
“He invited the authors of the recently popular ‘Poetry Collection, by So-ak’. They’re expected to arrive tomorrow.”
“I see. That old man really is eccentric. A poetry lover in a Murim family…”
“Shall we proceed with our plan as intended? What if the guests notice something…”
“It doesn’t matter. If our own people haven’t noticed, how would outsiders? And even if they did, what could they possibly do?”
“Understood.”
“Anything else?”
“Oh! Lady Yu-ah has…”
“What is it? Beat up the trainees again?”
“…Yes.”
The carriage came to a halt.
“We’ve arrived.”
The door opened, and Chief Administrator Yu and I stepped down.
Before us stood a series of grand buildings lined up in rows.
Our merchant group was fairly wealthy, but it couldn’t compare to this.
Chief Administrator Yu’s eyes wavered slightly at the sight.
But I wasn’t particularly moved.
After all, in the future, the Eunhae Merchant Group would also have grand halls like this.
Yet even such a place…
Damn that Murim Alliance! And that dog of a Baekcheon Merchant Group!
Just thinking about it made my neck stiffen.
“You must be tired from the journey.”
Palgap looked at me with concern.
“Ah, well, something like that.”
“Then you should rest right away—”
“We should greet our host first.”
I glanced at Chief Administrator Yu, but he still hadn’t snapped out of it.
He wasn’t usually this awkward, even with his lack of social skills.
Was he really that shocked by the Zhuge Clan’s estate?
Guess I’ll handle this.
“We’d like to greet the one who invited us. Would someone kindly show us the way?”
One of the greeters answered.
“Of course. We’ll inform the family. For now, please head to your accommodations.”
“Thank you.”
We followed them to the guest quarters.
Thinking of how these enormous halls would one day be reduced to ashes left me with a bitter taste.
The lodgings were excellent.
Even better than my quarters in the merchant group.
Though the Zhuge Clan avoided showy luxury, the understated refinement couldn’t be hidden.
“As expected of the Zhuge Clan!”
Palgap said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Wow! Isn’t that an inkstone made of Duan stone? To put one of those even in a guest room—this place is amazing!”
“Oh? You’re right. But how’d you know it was a Duan Stream Inkstone?”
“You explained it to me before, Young Master. I still remember!”
Ah, right. I bought one at the Ghost-faced Constable’s shop back then.
Still haven’t used it…
Anyway, from the quality of this room, it was clear we were honored guests.
It’s true that all guests deserve respect and courtesy.
But in reality, even courtesy comes in ranks.
Those who receive a cold shoulder and are just barely offered a bed to sleep in fall into the lowest tier.
Attendants of guests who are somewhat helpful or important are considered mid-tier.
And those directly important to the household are high-tier guests.
Guests understand this hierarchy, so there’s usually no complaint.
Which meant we were considered high-tier guests.
Must be because we were invited by the Grand Elder himself.
While we were unpacking and enjoying the tea that had been provided, a maid arrived.
“The Grand Elder has granted your audience.”
.
.
.
Chief Administrator Yu and I followed the maid toward the Grand Elder’s quarters.
Yu whispered softly to me.
“So this Zhuge Hyeon-ri… was the Grand Elder? That’s surprising.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
I wasn’t surprised.
I already knew.
“So then I really do have talent for poetry, don’t I?”
“Yes. Why don’t you ever believe me when I say that?”
“It’s just… hard to believe.”
The walk to the Grand Elder was fairly long.
Most likely because, according to the customs of martial families and sects, guest quarters were set far from the inner residences.
After all, as outsiders, we couldn’t be housed deep within their territory.
Because of that, we happened to pass by the disciples’ quarters.
At that moment—
Whack! Whack!
“Waaah!”
“Next one, come out!”
A sharp-voiced girl shouted, and I turned my head instinctively.
A girl dressed in white martial robes, her hair tied high in a knot, was holding up a wooden sword.
Ah…
I knew her.
Seeing her, the maid guiding us gave an awkward smile.
“The disciples are just… very enthusiastic.”
Her expression said this wasn’t the first time.
But was she always like that?
She was so different from the girl I remembered that for a moment I thought I’d mistaken her identity.
But there was no doubt. It was her.
Unlike sects, martial families are built around bloodlines. Which meant those disciples were likely all children of the Zhuge Clan.
Or perhaps children of those with close ties to the Zhuge Clan.
I smiled.
“She must be from a collateral branch?”
At my question, the maid’s expression stiffened slightly. In a martial family, the distinction between direct and collateral lines was strict.
Which meant…
“That is Lady Zhuge Yu-ah, daughter of the Clan Lord.”
“Ah! My apologies. I’ve been rude.”
“It’s quite alright.”
So I was right after all.
In the future, there were two people who became the most famous figures of the Yougang Merchant Group (有姜商團), one of the Ten Great Merchant Groups.
One was the Merchant Lord.
The other was the Merchant Lord’s personal guard, Yu-ah.
Especially as a female guard, she rose to fame as one of the Hundred Masters of the Martial World.
Beautiful, yet said to be void of emotion—never seen smiling—she was known as the Smilingless Jade Maiden (無笑玉女).
And now that Smilingless Jade Maiden turned out to be the daughter of the Zhuge Clan Lord?
That was something I never knew in my previous life.
If she were the Clan Lord’s daughter, many must’ve known her face, so why hadn’t her identity been revealed?
Just then—
“Hey, you!”
Thud-thud-thud!
The sound of rapid footsteps came from behind.
“Hold it right there!”
With that shout, she blocked our path.
We were startled by her sudden action, but she didn’t seem to care and looked directly at me.
“You. Who are you?”
The maid quickly stepped in.
“My lady, these are guests of the Grand Elder. Please show proper respect.”
“Grandfather’s guests?”
“Yes.”
Normally, when the maid says that, the appropriate thing is to apologize and step aside.
But this girl didn’t seem to understand the concept.
“It’s fine! Grandpa likes me!”
“…”
She turned to me and said,
“You look strong! Fight me!”
Judging by what she said, she must’ve sensed I had martial arts training.
But that’s something only someone with real experience could detect.
For a young girl to notice that… it gave me a strange feeling.
In any case, I couldn’t cross swords with her.
She was the daughter of the Zhuge Clan Lord, one of the Eight Great Martial Families, and I was just the son of a mere merchant group in Hubei.
If she were to get even a scratch, how could I possibly answer for that?
I’m someone who takes reality seriously.
“I apologize, but I’m just a humble merchant. I only studied a bit of self-defense. There’s no way I could spar with the precious daughter of the Clan Lord. That would be utterly inappropriate.”
“It’s fine!”
“It’s not fine. I must respectfully decline.”
“I said it’s fine!”
Not just Chief Administrator Yu—everyone around us looked bewildered.
But this reckless girl wouldn’t back down.
As far as I knew, the Zhuge Clan’s people were supposed to be calm and composed…
Was she really the Clan Lord’s daughter?
Still, this was going too far, and I was starting to get irritated.
I was tired. I wanted to meet the Grand Elder and rest, but here I was getting blocked.
“My lady, it seems you’ve no idea what consequences your actions might bring.”
“Why should I know that?”
“Let me ask first. Are you of the Zhuge Clan?”
“Obviously! I’m Zhuge Yu-ah! My surname’s Zhuge, so I’m part of the clan!”
“To hear a Zhuge say she doesn’t care what the clan must bear because of her actions—that’s absurd.”
I continued.
“If you bear the name Zhuge, then you must consider the weight that name carries. It’s a name of honor, but one that also comes with duty.”
“Well, I don’t like that.”
“Then cast off the name Zhuge.”
For a moment, something passed across Zhuge Yu-ah’s face.
Did I imagine it?
No, there was no mistaking it—her expression had shown sorrow.
What was that?
Before I could think further—
“So if I cast off the name Zhuge, I can fight you?”
Her next words were spoken with the same unfiltered madness as before.
Which made me wonder if I really had imagined it.
–TL Notes–
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