VOLUME 10 CHAPTER 58: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS THE SECOND VISIT TO THE THATCHED COTTAGE (7)
Liu Bei POV
“Of course not.” I frowned and resigned myself to a long drawn-out discussion before I could get any answers, “Shouldn’t there have been others who would come to seek out Kong Ming as well?”
“Ah~ No, no, no.”
“You mean, that’s impossible.”
When I finished, Shi Guang Yuan and Meng Gong Wei waved their hands dismissively as they denied what I said.
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“Ah…” Shi Guang Yuan who had been giving glib replies in quickfire succession the whole time suddenly paused and seemed to be stumped as to how she ought to reply, “Let me ask you first. Teacher Shuijing and Yuan Zhi, and Zhou Ping as well, did they give you their views on Kong Ming?”
“Yes they did.” I nodded as I thought back to what they said, “Teacher Shuijing and Yuan Zhi said Zhuge Liang is someone who was difficult to figure out, that they couldn’t understand what she was thinking or saying many times. As for Cui Zhou Ping… She said Zhuge Liang is very cute.”
“Un un,” Shi Guang Yuan listened closely and nodded, “That is more or less it. If you combine what they told you about her, that’s a pretty accurate image of Kong Ming herself.”
“Undeniably so.” Meng Gong Wei nodded.
“So what does this have to do with the question I asked?”
“Aiya, you still don’t understand even after this much?”
What a silly feudal lord. She did not say that but I could see that in her eyes.
“To put it simply, we have never seen any feudal lord come to seek Kong Ming.”
“Eh? Really?”
“Yes. Though Teacher Shuijing and Master Pang De have tries many times, Kong Ming has never left to follow any feudal lord.”
It sounds as though they are trying to marry off their daughter or something…
“And the reason why that is so is because of the 2 characteristics of Zhuge Liang I mentioned before right? No, to be more precise, the first reason right?”
The 2 hermits nodded.
“But at the same time,” Shi Guang Yuan replied as she looked up at me, “Kong Ming’s mind is definitely more brilliant than ours so you needn’t worry about that. As is Shi Yuan’s.”
Shi Yuan… Ah, it’s Pang Tong. Really, do not just use their courtesy names so casually like that. Even I find myself lost frequently enough.
“So if you really have fate with her, enough to whisk Kong Ming away from here, that means that Lord Liu Bei is truly benevolent and virtuous, enough to awaken the Crouching Dragon.”
“Hahaha, well put Gong Wei, well put.”
“No, please don’t exaggerate it.”
It sounds like you are just being sarcastic, especially when you are guffawing like that.
“The food is here~~~” Just then, the waiter came out from the kitchen with 4 plates in hand. Even though it was supposedly cheap dishes, I was completely floored by them. Be it the aesthetics or the smell, all the dishes look very delicious.
“Why did they have to bring them out now of all times…” Yun Chang mumbled as she gulped.
“You want to have some?”
“No, no, no, let’s not.” Yun Chang hurriedly shook her head and turned my offer down as she closed her eyes.
“But this is a waste of good food.” I said as I looked at the food on the table and then remembered Shi Guang Yuan and Meng Gong Wei, “Ah, why don’t you have this food?”
&ldq
uo;Eh? Can we?”
“We only came here to drink… It’s Guang Yuan’s weird habit.”
“Weren’t you enjoying it too?” Shi Guang Yuan frowned as she stared at Meng Gong Wei before edging her chair closer to the table and picking up some chopsticks.
“Well then, many thanks, Lord Liu Bei.”
“Many danksh Lad Liu Bei!”
Do not speak while you are eating.
“No need to thank me. I should be thankful to you both, in various ways.”
“No need to stand on ceremony. We don’t have anything to do after all and we should help out whenever we can.”
“You mean, helping others in need is a joy in itself.”
I looked at the 2 of them and began to feel that the relationship between them was close to the point where they were almost like the Xu state 3. Of course, they were clearly not at their level.
“But you both are really close huh?” I said as I began packing up with Yun Chang and Yi De.
“Well of course. We are husband and wife after all.”
“Eh?!!”
What a shocking revelation!
It was not just me, Yun Chang and Yi De were standing there and staring in disbelief. I really did not consider that possibility at all… No, considering how close they seem, I should have considered it.
*Pu*! Shi Guang Yuan spat out the food in her mouth, “Eh?!”
Shi Guang Yuan, what are you being surprised about?!
“No, no, no, Lord Liu Bei, don’t listen to his nonsense!” Shi Guang Yuan exclaimed with a thoroughly red face as she began hitting Meng Gong Wei who merely frowned and smiled. Yes, the same Shi Guang Yuan who was able to suppress both me and Yun Chang without batting an eyelid.
“Then… What is the relationship between you 2?” Yun Chang asked with great interest.
“J-just a male hermit and a female hermit, that’s all!!” Shi Guang Yuan yelled out loud and then curled up as she resumed shoveling food into her mouth.
“Really… Teacher Meng Gong Wei, that was one hell of a shock…”
“Sorry, sorry,” He smiled as he rubbed his arm that Shi Guang Yuan was hitting before, “Of course, I just said all that as I feel that the day when it comes to fruition is not far off.”
When he finished, he looked at Shi Guang Yuan beside him, “What do you think, Guang Yuan?”
“… You talk too much. Who would marry you?”
“Ah, it hurts.”
Shi Guang Yuan began punching Meng Gong Wei yet again but this time, her punches were clearly much weaker. When I looked at Shi Guang Yuan again, I saw that she had curled up again and her face was even redder.
Ah… She seems completely different from before. But they really suit each other, I thought but did not dare to say this at this point as it would only invite her ire.
“In any case, that’s it.” Meng Gong Wei said as he saluted me, “I wish Lord Liu Bei a safe and pleasant trip.”
“Ah… Ah, un.” I was still a little stunned from the love comedy skit I had just witnessed and it took me a while before I was able to salute back, “Well then, we’ll be leaving now.”
When I finished, the 3 of us quickly packed up and left. Not too long after we did so, singing could be heard from the inn again.
And now, we were on the mountain road, which was much more difficult to traverse than before. I thought that it would be the same journey as before thanks to the efforts of the villagers but that was not the case. Luckily, we stuck to our decision of going on foot, which made it a lot less perilous.
Thank god I am not a lazy and stubborn person.
“Wu… It’s so slippery.” Yi De muttered what I wanted to say the moment we took our first step after a while.
“It really is slippery.” Yun Chang added as well. If even Yun Chang is saying that, then I can be relieved as I am not being spoilt.
The mountain road was not particularly steep but as mentioned before, there was a lot of loose soil. The villagers have done their best but all they have done is wet the soil so the road is not entirely steady yet.
If we knew it would be like that, we should have tried ascending the mountain before the villagers did anything. At least it would not be so slippery or so I thought until I looked up and saw the distance we had to cover.
It was not warm in the least but I was by now drenched in sweat. If I could, I would have liked to shed my outer coat but if I did that, I ran the risk of catching a cold.
“…”
But on the other hand, I was well aware that my sweat was not produced entirely by the hard physical activity I was engaging in right now. It was, in part at least, caused by the uneasy atmosphere which I did not know how I ought to deal with.
Apart from expressing one’s thoughts every now and then, Yun Chang and Yi De have not spoken at all. This was a clear sign of danger. Of course, I know why and how this happened. The cause is the 2 really close hermit couple we met earlier in the morning in the inn.
I am not too worried about Yi De, but I can tell that Yun Chang is brooding about something and it is troubling her deeply. As for what it is, well, it’s about me. What I and the 2 of them did that night in Xu state many months ago.
We had drank to the point where we blacked out and I do not remember at all if I did something I could not take back but I made the decision then and there to take ownership of what I might have done.
Yes, I have not forgotten it. And I think Yun Chang has not as well.
When we finally reunited later in Gucheng with the amnesiac Yi De, Yun Chang and I made the decision to not bring this up until Yi De regained her memories.
Or at least, that was what we said back then.