Chapter 387: Exploration (2)
Hefei, the provincial capital of Anhui Province.
There stood the manor of the Nangong Family, called the overlord of Anhui Province.
And even within that Nangong Family, in a place that could be called its inner depths, [Blue Sky Pavilion].
Inside that place, the office of the Nangong Family Head, Nangong Jincheon, who had been reading letters and handling work, raised his head and looked toward the window.
The faint moonlight shining beyond the window made Nangong Jincheon think that it resembled a certain woman.
'By now, the letter should have arrived.'
Why had she, who had willingly come to meet him not long ago, become angry at him?
Nangong Jincheon could not understand it no matter how hard he tried.
That was only natural, because he had spoken those words sincerely, without thinking at all.
The words that Nangong was above Zhuge, and the words that becoming the mistress of the Nangong Family was higher than becoming the family head of the Zhuge Family.
All of them had been sincere.
From his perspective, it was only natural. In all the world, there was only one family greater than the great Nangong Family. The imperial family.
Because they still had at least a minimum of common sense, the Nangong Family acknowledged the imperial family alone.
That was why Nangong Jincheon could not understand it. Why Zhuge Jinxi had become angry at those obvious words.
However, that was not important to Nangong Jincheon.
'There are few women who can openly become angry at me like that. Indeed.'
It had merely made his thought that she was truly fit to be the mistress of the Nangong Family grow even stronger.
He liked her noble temperament as well, and above all, he liked her talent for martial arts.
Even if he had been off guard, to think he had failed to avoid a woman’s palm.
That meant her level was that profound.
'If it is a child born between her and this seat, then in the future, becoming the strongest under heaven would be more than possible.'
Would a son truly fitting for the Nangong Family not be born?
Just imagining that made the corners of Nangong Jincheon’s mouth twitch.
***
Meanwhile.
The woman Nangong Jincheon was thinking of was currently having a private audience with the family head of the Zhuge Family.
“Jinxi.”
“I am the young family head. Family Head.”
At his daughter’s cold answer, the Zhuge Family Head pouted his lips with a bitter expression and said,
“When it is just the two of us, can you not treat me as father and daughter?”
At her father’s whining, Zhuge Jinxi let out a sigh.
'He certainly was not this kind of person in the past.'
She knew the turning point as well.
The civil war of the Zhuge Family.
The incident where she had succeeded in surviving with Mujin’s help and he had become the family head.
After that, her father had begun to change.
Certainly, at first, it had been a change in a positive sense. Because he had brought a wind of change into a family that had placed bitterly excessive importance on tradition.
But now, Zhuge Jinxi had begun to think that perhaps he should change in moderation.
“......Yes. Father.”
The daughter, unable to overcome her father’s whining, ultimately answered as her father wished.
Only then did the Zhuge Family Head’s pouting lips go back in, and he grinned as he said,
“I heard the story. You received a letter from the Nangong Family Head?”
“......If you called me because of that story, I will return now.”
“Kh-hm. Do not worry. This father of yours has no intention of marrying you off to the Nangong Family either. How could I marry off the young family head of one family?”
The Zhuge Family Head, who had been trying to act leisurely, spat out the words as quickly as an arrow when his daughter tried to rise.
And when his daughter stopped pretending to leave, he caught his breath and imitated the dignified tone he had long since lost as he said,
“Hmhm. However, whatever the case may be, it is true that marriage is necessary. Are you not the young family head of the family?”
“.......”
“You know as well, do you not, that preparing an heir is also one of the duties of the person who leads a family?”
“.......”
“Yes. Of course, there is no need for you to necessarily bear a child yourself. Since the family’s laws have now changed, the rule that the family head’s child must become the family head has also disappeared.”
“.......”
“You could also not marry and adopt a child from a branch line. However, speaking as a father who has had a child, the joy of watching one’s own child grow is incomparable to anything else.”
How long had she endured listening to her father’s endless nagging, which made him seem like a doting fool?
“I understand.”
Zhuge Jinxi, whose expression had become even colder than before, suddenly rose.
“If you want it that much, I will go and search for one. Per. Son. Al. Ly.”
“......Personally? What do you mean by that??”
“Take care of yourself. Family Head.”
Zhuge Jinxi left the Family Head Hall as she was, sending off a biting cold wind.
And after that day.
For a while, Zhuge Jinxi could not be found anywhere inside the Zhuge Family.
It was the first runaway in the life of a coldly enraged old maid.
***
West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Hangzhou was famous for its beauty, to the point that there was a saying: in heaven there is paradise, and on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.
And the greatest reason Hangzhou had become famous for its beautiful scenic views could, above all else, be said to be West Lake.
A place that, despite being an artificial lake made by humans, boasted an unreal beauty that preserved nature.
Among the countless tourists enjoying West Lake’s beauty while touring the ten places known as the Ten Scenes of West Lake.
There was one figure enjoying West Lake while hiding their body shape under thick black clothing, wearing a black bamboo hat pulled low, and even covering their face by placing cloth over their mouth.
That figure, who had wrapped themselves so tightly that it was difficult to distinguish even their gender, was, unlike their suspicious attire, sincerely enjoying West Lake’s magnificent scenery.
'......To think there was such a beautiful place in the world.'
Had she perhaps been unable to enjoy life because she had spent her entire life running toward the single goal of becoming family head?
The one reflecting on her own life and thinking about a leisurely existence was none other than the young family head of the Zhuge Family. Zhuge Jinxi.
The Zhuge Family was thrown into chaos because of the runaway young family head, but she was completely enjoying West Lake for the moment, having forgotten the family’s work.
Because she had lived her whole life busily amid competition, she had no memory of enjoying the beauty of nature. So, would not this much deviation be all right?
'Thinking about it, in the past, I did not pay attention even when there were beautiful sights nearby.'
There was a beautiful garden being maintained inside the Zhuge Family itself. To begin with, since the Zhuge Family had been built in the middle of Mount Longzhong, it was a place close to nature.
And even when she had roamed the martial world as a rising talent, there had been several times when she passed by lakes or mountains and the like.
But she had only been buried in the tasks she had to do. She had had no time to be distracted by mountains or lakes.
'Is this what it means to grow older.......'
When her thoughts reached that point, she quickly shook her head left and right, denying her own thought.
She was not even thirty yet, so to say she had grown older.
What a dreadful thought that was.
Of course, if one considered that most women around her married around the age of twenty, then it was a late age.
'That is only the story of daughters from ordinary families! In the martial world, cases like mine are not rare.'
Repeating that to herself with effort, she forcibly focused her mind on West Lake.
And before long, she began enjoying nature once again.
For her, who had lived her entire life diligently, knowing nothing but training and study, it was far too stimulating a day.
Because it was the first day in her life when she felt how enjoyable it was to play while ignoring the things she had to do.
After fully enjoying Viewing Fish at Flower Harbor, one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake, she moved her steps toward the park where she could enjoy Orioles Singing in the Willows, another of the Ten Scenes.
Instead of moving hurriedly as she usually did, she simply moved leisurely. Even when it was not one of the Ten Scenes, she looked over the surrounding scenery as though enjoying the nature of West Lake as a whole.
While she was walking leisurely like that.
“!?”
Her eyes caught sight of the face of someone who should not have appeared here.
'Why is the Wudang Sword Star here?'
From opposite her, Daoist Cheongsu was walking over with leisurely steps while enjoying the scenery, just like her.
The difference between him and her was that he did not seem to have any intention of hiding his face or attire at all.
He was dressed in the distinctive martial robes of Wudang, had ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the pine-patterned sword that symbolized Wudang worn at his side, and even his face was not covered in the slightest.
Naturally, the people around were looking at Daoist Cheongsu with expressions of curiosity, and despite the fact that West Lake was packed with people, a path opened as people stepped aside whenever he walked.
That did not mean people recognized Daoist Cheongsu.
They were merely stepping aside because someone wearing Wudang attire and carrying a sword was walking through.
No matter how famous Wudang was as a righteous faction, no one wanted to walk beside a person openly wearing a blade at his side.
Naturally, Zhuge Jinxi, who had wrapped herself tightly to avoid being recognized, hurriedly turned her gaze away.
'I must pretend I did not see him.'
The moment she became entangled with him, there was a risk that the identity she had been working so hard to hide would be exposed.
Though it was said she was searching for a live-in son-in-law candidate, since she was, in any case, in the middle of running away, she needed to avoid having her identity exposed.
However.
“Mm?”
Daoist Cheongsu, who had been intently sightseeing around West Lake, suddenly let out an exclamation and turned his gaze toward Zhuge Jinxi.
And after staring at her intently as though appraising a jewel.
Pat!
Daoist Cheongsu unfolded lightness skill among the people, flung his body forward, and descended right in front of Zhuge Jinxi’s nose.
“As expected!”
Toward Daoist Cheongsu, who had approached right in front of her with a beaming smile, Zhuge Jinxi cried, Please, inwardly and cleared her throat.
“Do you have some business with me?”
Thanks to her forcibly roughening her voice, a neutral voice popped out of her mouth.
At a glance, it would simply feel like a voice slightly thin for a man.
However.
“Hahahaha. I never thought I would see you in a place like this. Daoist Zhuge Jinxi!”
Damnably, it did not work on Daoist Cheongsu.
“Kh-hm. Zhu-Zhuge Jinxi? What do you mean?”
She asked back while changing her voice again, as though making one last struggle, but Daoist Cheongsu had no tact.
“Hahahaha. What an amusing joke! By any chance, is the Zhuge Family developing a new disguise art? Honestly, if not for Daoist Zhuge Jinxi’s unique cold energy, I probably would not have noticed. Hahaha.”
Daoist Cheongsu shouted loudly, as though wanting everyone to hear.
Naturally, the gazes of the people around focused on the two of them.
“He said Zhuge Family?”
“Wait, if it is Zhuge Jinxi, is that not the young family head of the Zhuge Family famous as the Ice Flower!”
They were muttering whispers among themselves, but Zhuge Jinxi, who had reached a high realm, did not miss those voices.
If she stayed like this, people’s gazes seemed likely to focus on her even more, so she ultimately had no choice but to make a decision.
“You have mistaken me for someone else.”
Pat!
After shouting that one last time, Zhuge Jinxi unfolded movement technique and flung herself away in order to leave this place, but.
'Haa.'
Immediately after, she let out a sigh without realizing it.
It was not because all the people were looking up at her as she flew as though soaring with her outstanding movement technique.
“Hahahaha! Let us go together!”
It was because that damn Daoist Cheongsu was continuing to chase after her.
***
A place a little away from West Lake. But a place with no fewer people moving through the streets than West Lake.
A woman with her face covered by a veil entered a quiet tea house located in a secluded corner of Hangzhou’s marketplace.
It was the new attire Zhuge Jinxi, who had almost had her identity exposed because of Daoist Cheongsu, had chosen in order to hide her identity.
Since the outfit of baggy black clothes with her entire face covered made her easy to identify, she had instead changed into clothing that revealed she was a woman while covering only her face.
Following her, a neat-looking young man dressed in white martial robes entered.
It was Daoist Cheongsu.
In the end, she had given up trying to shake off the lunatic who stuck to her persistently, and she had no choice but to come to a tea house together with him.
However, because Wudang’s martial robes stood out too much, she had bought him suitable white martial robes to wear.
Since it was quiet and there were many empty seats, she took a seat in a secluded corner and ordered the famous West Lake Longjing.
Though it was quiet, it was still a tea house located in Hangzhou, so West Lake Longjing was available.
Soon, she savored the fragrance of the Longjing tea the waiter brought, took a light sip, and opened her mouth.
“So, what brings you here?”
Before asking why he kept clinging to her, she asked the question in a suitably roundabout way.
And in response to that question, Daoist Cheongsu told her about the conversation he had exchanged with Mujin a few days ago.
“So, you mean to say that you are roaming the martial world in search of an excellent disciple candidate.”
“Hahahaha. That is how it happened.”
It was a strange feeling.
She had run away and come here on the pretext of searching for a live-in son-in-law, while this sword-mad human had come here saying he was looking for a disciple.
It was a situation where she might have felt sympathy as someone in the same boat, but.
“In that case, you should be searching for a disciple. Why do you keep following me?”
Zhuge Jinxi had no particular desire to share such feelings with Daoist Cheongsu.
“Hahahaha. Meeting someone I know in a place like this, it seems I was happy without realizing it.”
“Then it seems we can finish our greetings here and part ways.”
“What do you mean? Since meeting in a place like this is also fate, how about we exchange hands once?”
To someone else, those words might have sounded extremely improper, but she knew.
That he meant they should hold a sparring match.
Of course, Zhuge Jinxi had no intention of going out of her way to come all the way to Hangzhou and associate with that lunatic who knew nothing but the sword.
“Why should I do that?”
“Hahahaha. It is because there is no one here worth exchanging hands with. If it is someone of your level, Miss Jin, would you not be fully worth exchanging moves with?”
“.......”
He was a human about whom one could not tell whether this was a journey to find a disciple or a journey to find a worthy opponent.
In the middle of that, perhaps because he still remembered her telling him not to call her by her real name, Daoist Cheongsu was calling her Miss Jin suitably.
But there was no reason for such consideration to change her mind.
When Zhuge Jinxi rose as though she was too tired of dealing with him, Daoist Cheongsu rose after her.
“Do not be like that. How about exchanging one move?”
“Find someone else.”
“But......”
Just as Daoist Cheongsu was about to say something to catch Zhuge Jinxi, who was leaving.
“Stop this! How can you behave so shamelessly toward a woman who is uncomfortable!”
Some young man suddenly cut in between the two of them.