Chapter 309: Zhuge Clan (7)
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[ Wind God ― 3rd Grade ]
[ Price : Heavenly King Divine Art Secret Manual ]
The moment I obtained the Heavenly King Divine Art secret manual, taking advantage of the moment Zhuge Yan turned her back, I purchased Wind God. By the time Zhuge Yan looked back at me, the Heavenly King Divine Art secret manual had already vanished from my hand.
“……Does it look like there is anything more to take?”
Zhuge Yan seemed to think I had tucked the secret manual into my robes. Indeed, no matter how brilliant one was, there was no way she could imagine that a secret manual in Hubei had now crossed over to a warehouse in Xinjiang.
“Not particularly? It seems a quarter of an hour has passed as well.”
“It is fine.”
Zhuge Yan spoke in an indifferent tone.
“The Zhuge Clan has strict top-down discipline. That is one of the countless reasons why the clan is going to ruin.”
In my previous life, it was a clan that ran well nevertheless. It had already changed far too much from my previous life. Truly, the world was a living organism.
For now, I assimilated with natural energy. Partly to slip out right behind Zhuge Yan’s back, but also to confirm the effect of Wind God, a talent I had purchased after a long time.
“Oh.”
The moment I assimilated with natural energy, I was astonished. The world that was visible was different. When assimilating with natural energy, the essence of things was often seen.
If looking at fire with the naked eye showed flickering flames, assimilating with natural energy felt as though one could see the fire qi.
Those energies, which had originally appeared hazy, became clearer, and were also felt through the skin. Wondering if it were possible, I tried grasping the energy. Energy that originally should have slipped through my fingers entered my palm in a handful.
As expected, the effect of Wind God was a talent related to natural energy. I had become able to interfere with natural energy one step further.
“That is a truly fascinating technique. Because you are right behind my back, yet even I cannot sense your presence at all. It would be nice if you taught it to me as well.”
While I was testing Wind God, Zhuge Yan spoke. It seemed she found it fascinating that no presence could be felt at all. I retorted in a joking tone.
“Write another contract, then.”
“It was a joke. I probably could not even learn it in the first place.”
“I was thinking of wringing something out of you and fleeing, what a pity.”
Zhuge Yan smirked. When Peng Chae-hyang smiled, it felt very pure and soft, but Zhuge Yan’s was a twisted smile.
While Peng Chae-hyang still preserved her innocence, Zhuge Yan felt as though she had thrown away every shred of innocence and was filled with venom alone.
I thought that was not Zhuge Yan’s fault. Just as I had changed greatly, had Zhuge Yan lived under different circumstances, she would have changed greatly as well.
“Have you concluded your business?”
When we exited the treasury, the guard asked stiffly. Remembering that Zhuge Yan had berated him, there was no way he would come out softly. Of course, Zhuge Yan’s insolence was not pushed back in such a battle of momentum in the slightest.
“I came out because I finished; would I have come out to watch your reactions?”
“……That is not it.”
The guard’s face flushed red.
“A person who has entered and exited the treasury must undergo a bodily search, so please cooperate.”
“Get lost.”
Zhuge Yan snapped and tried to leave, but the guard blocked her path. This time, the guard’s momentum was triumphant as well. He seemed to think justification was on his side.
“Are you saying you will touch my body right now?”
“It is my job.”
“My mood is more important than your job. Considering importance within the clan, that is only natural.”
Speaking so foully was also a talent if called a talent. Zhuge Yan lived as if researching how to speak to make the other party feel the most unpleasant.
“I will ask one more time. Get lost.”
“That cannot be.”
Zhuge Yan probably did not want to cause a commotion here either. From behind, I looked up at the sky. I saw water qi scattered faintly in the depths of the sky.
I reached my hand toward the sky. Using the Suction Art, the moisture evenly spread in the sky gathered to a single point.
In a place without a single cloud, dark clouds suddenly formed, and rain poured down.
Wind God can do something like this as well. I had tried it wondering if it would work, but to think it truly worked. It was a talent with quite high utility.
The clothes of Zhuge Yan and the guard, who were engaged in a war of nerves, became drenched. Brushing back her wet hair with her hand, Zhuge Yan glared at the guard.
“Will you take responsibility if I catch a cold and cannot perform my duties?”
“……No. My apologies.”
Thinking he could not press Zhuge Yan while rain was pouring down like this, the martial artist was eventually forced to take a step back.
It was a good opportunity to see a part of the standing a person named Zhuge Yan possessed within the Zhuge Clan right now.
I headed into an alley. Fortunately, Peng Chae-hyang was hiding well without getting caught by anyone.
“You have arrived. Did you obtain what you wanted?”
“Yes.”
“What a relief. Do we only need to leave now?”
“Indeed.”
“Let us leave quickly. I never knew the Zhuge Clan’s Inner Garden was such a suffocating place.”
As if frustrated, Peng Chae-hyang tapped her chest with her hand.
“Do we simply head back the way we came?”
“No. I told you it is a one-way system.”
Zhuge Yan replied. Peng Chae-hyang let out an ‘ah’ in realization.
“Right.”
Right now, Peng Chae-hyang’s mind seemed entirely filled with the desire to leave the Zhuge Clan. Indeed, that was understandable.
Having mastered Wind God, I understood even better. Just how suffocating a space the Zhuge Clan was. There was virtually not a single undistorted energy within the clan.
Even places without formations were distorted due to the influence of nearby formations distorting the energies. The reason Peng Chae-hyang felt frustrated was also that the energies were distorted and not flowing properly.
“If it is a one-way system, where should we exit?”
“It is fine. Because I think I know.”
Before mastering Wind God I had not known, but now the hazy path was visible clearly. Since I could even manipulate the energies in an emergency, it was safe to say there was no chance of being caught in a formation at all.
“Truly?”
Zhuge Yan asked suspiciously. Being a matter where her own safety was at stake, she seemed to want to exercise caution.
“Yes.”
“That makes no sense. In the Inner Garden, even the Clan Head walks while looking at a map every time. Yet an outsider knows the way out? How?”
“There is no time to explain that. I have no reason to claim something works when it does not.”
“Though that is true.”
“And having me take the lead is faster. Because we can use lightness skills. Chae-hyang can carry you on her back, we can pick up that guard named Won along the way, and then slip out of the Zhuge Clan. Since everyone except you can use lightness skills.”
“Though that is true, it is such hard-to-believe words.”
“To merchants, martial artists are originally hard-to-believe people. There is such a world.”
These were words I had truly heard a lot from martial artists in my previous life. It was also something that slightly wounded my pride. Because the feeling was that no matter how much you look, you will never understand.
Yet when I actually became a martial artist, these were the only words I could give her.
“……Hmph. Well, you are not someone who speaks empty words.”
Zhuge Yan was still persuaded quickly. Just as I had acknowledged Zhuge Yan while experiencing clashes with her, she must have acknowledged parts of me as well.
For now, Peng Chae-hyang took Zhuge Yan onto her back. The treasury was located so deep in the Inner Garden that it was behind the Clan Head Hall. Escaping would take quite some time.
“Where is that guard named Won?”
“He is in front of the wall your side entered today. So that we can leave immediately.”
“Good. It means there is no place we need to stop by along the way.”
“That is right. I have prepared everything.”
As expected, she was a person who handled matters quickly. No matter how large the Zhuge Clan manor was, if martial artists used lightness skills to escape, it would be in a flash.
“Let us go.”
I immediately leapt forward. If it were another noble clan, leaving without using lightness skills might be correct.
Because if one utilized internal energy, that energy would surely spread into the atmosphere. But here in the Zhuge Clan, because qi senses did not operate due to countless distorted formations, there was no problem whatsoever even if lightness skills were used.
“……It is too fast.”
From behind, Zhuge Yan’s slightly panting voice was heard. To her, who was not a martial artist, Peng Chae-hyang’s lightness skill would be too fast. Because Peng Chae-hyang was a sufficiently strong martial artist, that was only natural.
“I did not say that to tell you to reduce your speed.”
Zhuge Yan immediately added. Her fear of the Zhuge Clan seemed greater than her fear of moving fast.
In less than half a quarter of an hour, we escaped the Zhuge Clan’s Inner Garden. Seeing me weave through the path this way and that, Zhuge Yan expressed admiration from behind.
“You truly know the way. How do you know?”
“I see the path.”
“That is a bit excessive, is it not?”
“It is no joke.”
Feeling from my tone that it was truly no joke, Zhuge Yan closed her mouth. Then she opened her mouth again soon after.
“You truly are a monster indeed.”
“Why treat a person like a monster?”
“I wonder why a monster possesses human form.”
“Spouting nonsense.”
I let out a smirk. It was Zhuge Yan’s own style of joke. Joking while being sarcastic was quintessential Zhuge Yan. Rather than the joke itself being funny, it was amusing because her unique color was so heavily imbued in the joke.
Having escaped the Inner Garden, the Outer Garden was even easier. The Outer Garden was not a one-way system, and Zhuge Yan had also deactivated several formations.
Now, we only had to leave through the wall we had secretly entered through.
“By the way, what will the two of you do? You will be pursued before the Zhuge Clan falls, though.”
“I intend to entrust myself to the New Justice Association for the time being. As the saying goes, it is darkest right under the lamp.”
“Hm, well. Will the New Justice Association accept you?”
Dumbfounded, I turned my head to look at Zhuge Yan. But Zhuge Yan seemed not to doubt in the slightest that she would be able to enter the New Justice Association.
“You can interview me right now. Tell me to talk about the current situation unfolding in the Central Plains, or tell me to speak on the course the New Justice Association should take moving forward. Or shall I present opinions on methods to improve the New Justice Association’s financial soundness?”
Just hearing it, it seemed Zhuge Yan would do all of that well. In fact, we were indeed lacking in such administrative manpower.
Although Jo Chung-heon and Yu Cha-ryeon were currently handling it, the New Justice Association was now a massive power in the martial world. It was difficult for those two alone to handle the pouring workload.
“I will think about it.”
“Why? There are not many talents of my caliber.”
“Saying that with your own mouth? In any case, while I do not doubt your abilities, whether you are a trustworthy person is a separate matter.”
“Ah. To you, it could be so.”
Zhuge Yan understood. Realizing she had at least not been rejected for her abilities, her voice grew quiet again.
“We are exiting soon.”
Peng Chae-hyang joined the conversation. Just as she said, the outside of the Zhuge Clan was just ahead.
The closer we moved toward the outer perimeter of the Zhuge Clan, the more our qi senses began to return to normal.
Gradually, the wall Peng Chae-hyang and I had initially leapt over was visible in the distance. Atop the wall, a black shadow was seen. If Zhuge Yan’s words were correct, it would be the guard named Won.
And I came to a sudden halt.
“Gaga, why is it?”
When I stopped abruptly, Peng Chae-hyang asked in an anxious voice.
Because my qi sense had returned to normal now, I could tell.
That when the Zhuge Clan, where qi sense did not work, prepared an ambush, its destructive power was doubled.
“Be careful.”
Without looking at Peng Chae-hyang, I spoke in a low voice.
“People are hiding.”
Peng Chae-hyang and Zhuge Yan let out the sound of inhaling their breath in tension.