CLS-Chapter 438

Chapter 438:

“……Did it show?”

“It showed tremendously? You kept glancing at the Go board the whole time.”

“……You’re quite perceptive.”

“I know that much.”

Wei Yan-ho snorted. He had been trying to sneakily overturn the Go board where his large group had been captured. He thought it strange when such an obvious reaction came out.

“Wow, I didn’t know you’d pull such tricks. Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Ashamed?”

Zhuge Yan put on a benevolent smile across his face and leaned back in his chair.

“Young Hero.”

“Yes.”

“That’s what strategists are like. For the sake of purpose, one must not hesitate to crawl between an enemy’s legs.”

“It would have sounded cooler if I’d heard it in a different situation.”

Right now it just looked pathetic.

“Then Young Hero has no interest in justification, honor, or great causes?”

“Why are you casually returning to conversation like that?”

“Haha, trickery is trickery, but conversation is never meaningless. Conversation always has meaning.”

“Ugh.”

Wei Yan-ho sighed and sat back down. This was not an easy person to deal with.

‘This is really troublesome…….’

People who don’t maintain face and don’t try to protect anything are always troublesome to deal with.

“Well, that’s how it is. What’s wrong with that?”

“No, it’s very good.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho, who had been prepared to hear complaints, raised his head at the unexpected reaction.

“Justification and great causes should exist.”

“But what’s good about it?”

“But one shouldn’t worry about such things.”

“Am I too stupid to understand what you’re saying?”

Zhuge Yan smiled warmly.

“Those who gained hegemony over the world always put forward justification and great causes. But there was never anyone who actually upheld those great causes. Look back. Did Emperor Hongwu fight for great causes? Emperor Gaozu of Han spoke of great causes with his mouth, but didn’t he dispose of his meritorious subjects once unification was complete?”

“That’s right.”

“Great causes are just something to show people. A true ruler must obtain practical benefits.”

“I…….”

Wei Yan-ho scratched his head.

“This conversation seems nutritionally lacking. I have no intention of becoming that kind of person.”

“What kind of person?”

“A ruler or…… well, someone in a position to lead people. Sorry, but I think you’ve come to the wrong person. I’m just someone who whiles away time in a corner room.”

“Zhu Yuanzhang was a fallen monk.”

“…….”

“Emperor Gaozu of Han was a local thug.”

“What. So you’re telling me to establish a country or something? Should I start a rebellion?”

“There’s no need to commit rebellion. What we’re talking about is the Central Plains.”

Zhuge Yan’s eyes became slightly sharp.

“Young Hero wouldn’t have such thoughts.”

“Yes, of course not.”

“But Young Hero, it’s already too late. The times won’t leave you alone. It would be good to accept that fact now.”

“I said I won’t do it.”

“Then why are you here?”

“…….”

Wei Yan-ho closed his mouth.

Zhuge Yan leaned back as if to say ‘see?’

“According to Young Hero’s words, you should be rolling around in Guangdong by now. But in reality, aren’t you traveling the world cleaning up troubles?”

“It’s not really cleaning up.”

Wei Yan-ho pouted.

“Besides, this has reasons.”

“Everything has reasons. The problem is that those ‘reasons’ won’t disappear for Young Hero in the future.”

“It’ll continue in the future too?”

“Of course, the time when they disappear will come. But at least as long as this chaotic age continues, the day when your reasons disappear won’t come.”

“Ugh, I was planning to roll around after roughly solving the things that need solving…….”

Wei Yan-ho’s face became a bit serious.

If someone else said such things, he’d let it go in one ear and out the other, but Zhuge Yan was one of the smartest people in the world. Since someone comparable to Divine Strategist Four was saying this, it must be true.

And Zhuge Yan had nothing to gain by making up such words.

“Then what should I do?”

“Don’t you already know?”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Zhuge Yan with obvious displeasure.

“Honestly, I don’t really know such things. I’m just doing it now because there are things I need to do. Once those things are resolved, whatever happens to Jianghu has nothing to do with me.”

“Young Hero Wei.”

Zhuge Yan said gently.

“There’s something you should know.”

“What?”

“There are two types of people who accomplished great works. One type never gave up their dream of accomplishing great works until the end…….”

“Those are people unrelated to me.”

“The other type are people who, when troubles arose, found that only they were left to clean up those troubles.”

“…….”

“And generally, the latter type tends to be worked very harshly.”

“Wait a moment.”

Wei Yan-ho said with a serious expression.

“Then you’ve come to the wrong address. You should go find Alliance Leader Zhengwu or Heavenly Alliance Leader. It’s something those gentlemen should resolve, not something I should do. I just came here today to talk about money.”

“Of course, they will also do their best. But well, from what I see, Young Hero already seems to be at the center of the flow?”

“Eh, from where do you see that?”

“Well, we’ll find out by watching.”

Zhuge Yan quietly stood up from his seat.

“Everything Young Hero mentioned will be processed without error. If there’s anything that needs to be paid, it will be paid. However, if there are people among them who would like to work with the Zhuge Family after asking their opinions without any coercion, I’ll give them appropriate salaries and put them to work, so I hope you’ll acknowledge this.”

Wei Yan-ho smacked his lips.

‘Ha, this gentleman is no pushover.’

Zhuge Munin seemed like a pushover, but Zhuge Yan is like a ghost.

“Your son doesn’t resemble his father at all.”

“When I was that age, I wasn’t even half as good as Munin.”

“Eh, surely not.”

“There’s something called experience. Hot blood is good, but there are things in the world that must be aged to show their true value. Munin will surely become a better strategist than me.”

“You’re not just saying that because he’s your child?”

Zhuge Yan smiled mysteriously.

“I have five children in total. Among them, the only one currently receiving proper treatment in the family is Munin alone.”

Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue.

Even hedgehogs find their own children cute, but this person seemed to lack even such emotions.

“Hmm…….”

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Wei Yan-ho asked in bewilderment.

“Have you finished everything you needed to do?”

“Is there more that needs to be done?”

“No. I was just wondering if your business was finished.”

“I came to see Young Hero, and since I’ve seen Young Hero, all business is finished. We’ll probably have another occasion to meet again.”

“Yes.”

At Wei Yan-ho’s call, Zhuge Yan quietly turned his head to look at him.

“Next time you see me, please speak more casually. It’s tremendously uncomfortable.”

“Haha, I will.”

“You said ‘next time we meet’ though…….”

Leaving behind Wei Yan-ho who was pouting, Zhuge Yan walked outside. There was no particular need for farewell greetings.

Coming outside, Zhuge Munin was waiting for him. And…….

“Hmm.”

Zhuge Yan’s eyes saw Wu-il standing behind Zhuge Munin.

“Was there any trouble?”

“…….”

Wu-il couldn’t say anything and bowed her head deeply. Though it was Zhuge Munin who had employed her, Zhuge Yan was inevitably more intimidating.

Wei Yan-ho didn’t seem to think so at all, but Wu-il had a subtle sense of debt toward the Zhuge Family. Having gone to Wei Yan-ho without fully repaying that debt made this situation uncomfortable.

“Since you’ve found a new master, abandon the name Wu-il.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

“An interesting master has appeared. Yes, a person’s life changes depending on who they serve. I hope your choice wasn’t wrong.”

“Thank you.”

“Well then.”

Zhuge Yan moved away from the guest hall with Zhuge Munin.

“How was it?”

“You mean Wei Yan-ho?”

“Yes.”

Zhuge Yan seemed to ponder for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“In peaceful times, he’d be utterly useless. At best, he’d be an idle rich man. Though he has much, since he doesn’t utilize it, he’d end up eating away at what he has.”

It was an entirely negative evaluation, but Zhuge Munin caught the hidden meaning in those words.

“Then what about in chaotic times?”

“Chaotic times…….”

Zhuge Yan raised his head to look at the sky.

“In chaotic times, I’d say he’s a variable itself.”

“A variable?”

Zhuge Yan’s answer was somewhat ambiguous.

“That fellow is like an egg picked up from the road.”

“An egg?”

“Meaning you can’t know what’s inside until it hatches. Even though he’s already revealed this much, it still doesn’t feel like we’ve seen everything. And we can’t even tell which direction he’ll move.”

“Then…….”

“Right. No one knows whether what emerges from the egg will be a sparrow or a phoenix.”

Zhuge Munin quietly nodded. The impression he’d gotten from Wei Yan-ho was similar. Though he couldn’t quite organize it in words, having Zhuge Yan organize it like this felt like his eyes were opening.

“Then how should we treat him?”

“Do you trust me?”

“How could I not trust you, Father?”

“Then you must not leave that fellow’s side.”

“That means…….”

Zhuge Munin trailed off. He couldn’t tell exactly whether this meant to keep a watchful eye on Wei Yan-ho, or to follow him.

“I don’t know what he’ll become. But Heaven’s gaze is upon that fellow.”

“…….”

“If you want to peacefully become the head of the Zhuge Family and live comfortably, return to the family. I won’t blame you for such a choice. But if you truly want to soar across the world, you must be able to move that fellow according to your will. Then it will be one of two things.”

Zhuge Munin held his breath and waited for Zhuge Yan’s next words.

“Either you’ll achieve merit that leaves your name in history, or you’ll be pointed at as a fool of the world. How about it? What will you choose?”

Zhuge Munin seemed to ponder something with his head bowed, then soon raised his head and asked.

“What are the odds of achieving merit?”

“Would it even be one in a hundred?”

“One in a hundred…….”

One out of a hundred…….

Zhuge Munin found himself smiling without knowing it.

“If the odds are that much, it’s not insufficient to stake this one life.”

“I think so too.”

There were countless people who disappeared without making a name despite having the ability to soar in the world. In such circumstances, one in a hundred odds was by no means small.

“However.”

Zhuge Yan looked at his son with an extremely serious face. At that serious expression, Zhuge Munin unconsciously swallowed.

“Father?”

“There’s one thing you must remember.”

“Yes. I’ll listen carefully.”

“I’ve been thinking about it…….”

“Yes.”

Zhuge Yan opened his mouth reluctantly.

“I spoke quite grandly, but in reality, if we try to clean up after that fellow, we’ll probably have to sacrifice our liver and gall bladder.”

“…….”

“But do we really have to do that? Isn’t there another way?”

“…….”

It was Zhuge Yan who couldn’t abandon his negativity at the last moment.

Because when you make the wrong friend, you end up ruining your child.