Mythical Three Kingdoms

"Regretful?" Li Youu asked Zhuge Liang.

"Not at all. My elder brother chose the path he believed in. At least until I became privy to these truly core secrets, his choice was the correct one. My elder brother has a good eye," Zhuge Liang said calmly, his expression not as forlorn as Li Youu had anticipated. His serenity unsettled Li Youu; Zhuge Liang was too calm.

"Your elder brother chose his path, but you know it’s wrong. Don’t you feel a bit of remorse?" Li Youu asked somewhat curiously.

"If my brother had intended to come, he would have by now. Since he hasn’t, there must be reasons for it. Since he’s chosen his own path, why should I feel remorse? I don’t think that once my brother has made up his mind, my words could sway his thoughts," Zhuge Liang stated dispassionately.

It was Li Youu who had brought Zhuge Liang the intelligence that Zhuge Jin had joined Sunx Ce. Li Youu had expected some special reaction from Zhuge Liang, but as it turned out, Zhuge Liang’s demeanor was no different than usual.

"Kongming, you are the most impressive young man I’ve ever met. Your talent lies in your insight; there’s no mistake about it. But your temperament is too detached. There are few situations that can shake you," Li Youu sighed.

Zhuge Liang neither agreed nor disagreed, just calmly looked at Li Youu. He knew that Li Youu wouldn’t have personally come to deliver the intelligence unless there was a matter other than Zhuge Jin that needed discussing.

"Kongming, you are adept at handling grand strategies. Next, there’s a task I’m entrusting to you and Xiaoo Zhi. The two of you together are like a combination of the odd and the conventional. The task I want you to undertake is to infiltrate Yuzhou and Yangzhou. With your means, counter Sunx Ce’s rise and make sure they’re too preoccupied to attend to other affairs," Li Youu said with a gentle expression.

"I’ll do my best," Zhuge Liang said, his brows knitted tightly. After a long while, he added, "This task is very difficult."

"Don’t worry, we will provide you with the support you need," Li Youu said with a smile. "General Gan Xingba, Vice General Taishi Ziyi, and the new recruits from Xuzhou Danyang led by Uncle Chen."

"I have command authority?" Zhuge Liang asked, a rare hint of surprise on his face.

"How could that be?" Li Youu said with a smile upon seeing the astonishment on Zhuge Liang’s face. After all, Zhuge Liang had not yet mastered concealing his emotions.

Zhuge Liang nodded; he had been muddled before. Gan Ning was the actual Naval Chief, and he himself had no combat achievements or experience. How could he possibly have command authority?

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"However, if you can win them over and get them to follow your commands, that wouldn’t be something we could interfere with," Li Youu added, noticing Zhuge Liang’s silence and explaining with a smile.

Zhuge Liang did not pick up the thread of conversation; his mind was occupied with pondering other matters. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Master Li, approximately how much time will this require?"

"What?" Li Youu was caught off guard and then nodded, "This is hard to say, but it won’t take too long. Wen He and I are also trying to resolve things, but the situation with Sunx Ce and Jing-Xiang has unfolded a bit too quickly, and we need to make some slight adjustments."

"That’s fine with me, but I would still ask for Master Li’s assistance in completing the planning and construction of the city’s external markets," Zhuge Liang respectfully requested.

"According to the custom here, when we believe you have the ability to hold your ground, a folding fan will be gifted to you," Li Ru said as he pulled out a blood-red and ash-grey Maodai folding fan from within his clothes. He slowly opened it, revealing patterns like traces of flowing blood, enclosed in a radiance akin to jade.

"This is my folding fan. Back then, Zichuan made quite a few, but I took a fancy to this one at first sight," Li Youu said with a smile.

In Li Youu’s eyes, his folding fan contained his dark past, the stark white pain, and the endless bloodshed he had caused. But now, all of these were wrapped in a jade-like radiance.

Similarly, there was Jia Xu—his ebony wood folding fan hardly had any patterns, but Jia Xu seemed to have taken a liking to it at first sight, always keeping it close.

In reality, when selecting a folding fan, everyone more or less revealed their true nature. Now it was Zhuge Liang’s turn to choose. Li Youu took out the remaining dozen or so folding fans, mentioning that originally only about twenty had been made, and now only this many remained.

Zhuge Liang took a cursory look over all the folding fans and felt, vaguely, that although each had its own meaning, none suited him.

"None of them suits you?" Li Youu could tell from Zhuge Liang’s eyes what he was about to say.

"Yes, none fits my temperament," Zhuge Liang replied calmly.

"I knew it," Li Youu sighed. "When Zichuan introduced these fans, he said each had its own significance. Finding a folding fan here that you truly desire means you’re peerless to some extent."

"You probably think it’s a joke," Li Youu said with another sigh after catching the odd expression on Zhuge Liang’s face. "But after observing these past few years, I’ve found that what Zichuan said was not wrong. Those who took their preferred folding fans without causing damage or loss have indeed proven to be unrivaled."

"Zizhong’s fan symbolizes wealth; it looks incredibly luxurious. Weishuo’s fan represents reputation; modest in appearance, yet it carries a lingering, faint fragrance. My fan represents the past, and Wen He’s stands for concealment. As for the rest, I won’t elaborate. Just think about the fans they chose, and you’ll understand," he explained.

Having finished, Li Youu watched Zhuge Liang with a smile, curious to know what he would think upon realizing the truth in his words.

Previously, when Fa Zheng couldn’t find a folding fan to his liking, he had become quite agitated after hearing this explanation. But then he just grabbed one from Jia Xu and declared, "If none appeals to me, then I’ll take one at random. Since we’re talking about fate, then my ability shall be my fate!"

In fact, this selection was the last test of one’s nature. The initial batch was easy, as Chen Xi roughly knew each person and had created different folding fans tailored to their temperament. And since each fan held its meaning, during the selection, everyone ended up with a fan they truly liked, feeling a connection to its particular essence.

Just as Mi Zhu’s luxurious fan—being the only one made opulent to match someone’s nature, it was obvious whom it would choose. Liu Yan, being self-aware, selected the most unadorned one. As for the inwardly dark Jia Xu, needless to say, the reasons lay not with the fans, but with the people themselves.

"I’d rather not take one. A folding fan can’t define me; I am who I am. I’ll just have one made once my wife arrives," Zhuge Liang said with a slight shake of his head, utterly unaffected by Li Youu’s words.

"Kongming, maintain this mindset forever on the battlefield, and there’s truly nothing left I can teach you. What remains is real combat," Li Youu said with a gratified smile, acknowledging that Zhuge Liang had passed the final test. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian ) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)