LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 590
Clouds and Mist…
I can’t see an inch ahead. I’m definitely stepping on the ground, yet it feels like I’m walking on clouds.
Is this place made of clouds or fog? I’ve been holding Miss Zhuge’s hand and wandering around without knowing where I’m being led.
The place we arrived at was completely unexpected.
“Wuling Peach Garden?”
The warm spring breeze gently caresses my cold cheeks from early winter. Peach blossoms bloom beautifully around a small lake, and lush green grass spreads everywhere.
This is scenery that could not possibly be called early winter. It was nothing less than the description of a Peach Blossom Spring right before my eyes.
“Hehe. Isn’t it amazing?”
Miss Zhuge nodded proudly.
“Spring weather in early winter? W-where on earth are we?”
“This is where the Zhuge family’s legacy is kept.”
“Legacy? You mean the treasures used by immortals?”
If we’re talking about treasures, then aren’t those mythic items used by the immortals? Is it true that the Zhuge family has them stored?
As I looked at Miss Zhuge in surprise, she nodded.
“Yes, the Zhuge family has existed for over a thousand years in the Central Plains. They needed ways to protect their clan and the country long before martial arts were a thing.”
“Qi Men Dun Jia. Formation tactics, I see.”
“Yes. To imitate the arts of the immortals, our ancestors have collected and researched the treasures discovered throughout the Central Plains for a long time.”
The rebels of the Yellow Turban, Zhang Jue, is said to have become a Taoist master after receiving the Book of Peace from the Southern Line.
During the same period, Zhuge Liang, the founder of the Zhuge family, was present. So, the history of formation tactics can really be considered ancient.
Really, treasures?
“Do you have ultimate treasures like the Thunderbolt Sword or the Taiji Diagram? Or something like the Master God’s Trick? Can I see them sometime?”
“Excuse me?”
Miss Zhuge looked at me with a clueless face.
“Oh dear. I’m just a little too excited because it turns out these legendary treasures actually exist.”
Did I get too carried away like a child? Trying to calm my racing heart made me feel sheepish, and Miss Zhuge smiled gently.
“Strictly speaking, the treasures possessed by the Zhuge family are more like things that were treasures long ago.”
Miss Zhuge turned to gaze at the pavilion in the center of the lake as she spoke.
“Things that were once treasures?”
“Long, long ago, the gates of heaven were closed. The era when immortals looked down upon the world has ended, and those capable of handling the treasures have also disappeared. The treasures left in the Central Plains have almost lost their powers.”
‘So, they’ve become like smartphones that can’t be charged anymore.’
As Miss Zhuge continued her explanation, I understood right away what she meant.
“So, what happened here then?”
The treasures lost their powers, yet this world unfolding before me, what on earth is it?
“Even if time has passed, treasures remain treasures. To maintain the formations set by the Zhuge family, they began to gather and have inadvertently created a habitat that resembles their past home.”
So, it’s like they gathered what they had in this weird place, thus creating a semblance of their former world.
I had noticed earlier that the dense mist I saw from afar when I arrived at the Zhuge estate was actually this place.
A gathering place for the treasures used by the immortals. The treasures that have lost their functionality tried to recreate the scenery of where they once belonged, and this landscape was an imitation of the beauty of the celestial realm.
It’s a sort of reality erosion. It can’t be called an artificial formation as humans attempted to mimic the landscape, and that’s what I’m seeing here.
So, what I’m looking at is indeed…
“It really is the Peach Blossom Spring.”
It’s the Peach Blossom Land itself.
——
“No matter where you go in Hubei Province, you won’t find a place as beautiful as this.”
“I really feel as if I’m in the realm of the immortals.”
Miss Zhuge had every reason to boast as she shrugged her shoulders. I had traveled the Central Plains but had never seen such a breathtaking sight before.
“As long as you don’t walk directly toward the pavilion in the middle of the lake, you can wander wherever you like.”
Man Geum Garden also created this to study the phenomena of the Peach Blossom Spring. They say time flows differently here, just like in stories. Hearing all this fascinating stuff, we strolled through the Peach Blossom Spring.
“I never expected to enjoy a flower viewing in winter.”
Back when I was a freshman, I heard rumors that if you didn’t go flower viewing with a girl in spring, you wouldn’t have a girlfriend throughout college.
At first, I scoffed at such superstitions, but later I realized that it meant those who didn’t get a girlfriend in their first year would have none by graduation. And guess what? That applied to me.
“Master Kang! You’ve been so busy this year that you haven’t had much time to rest. I thought a walk here would be better than the cold winter scenery.”
“Miss Zhuge, you’re amazing! What a splendid choice.”
My first flower viewing being with Miss Zhuge at the Peach Blossom Spring feels like I’m getting principal and interest back. Excitedly, I kept praising Miss Zhuge.
“Hehe. It’s nothing much. This is just a place I used to sneak away to. I thought it would be perfect since you need a change of mood. You can’t just be stuck in your worries.”
Change of mood?
“Could it be…”
I halted my steps for a moment.
“Yes?”
“Did you hear me?”
Did she suggest I go for a walk because…
“Next fall…?”
“You heard me.”
So, she’s talked to my mother about marriage.
——
“Y-You’re having a lot of worries, aren’t you?”
Miss Zhuge lowered her head slightly, constantly glancing at my face.
“…”
Thinking about marrying Miss Zhuge. Yeah, this isn’t just my decision. Marriage is a two-person affair, after all.
What should I even discuss with Miss Zhuge? I found myself momentarily speechless.
“To suddenly bring up marriage. Mom really is something. I could take my time. Master Kang, you have a fiancée and Im Ha-yeon. Your feelings are complicated enough without being pushed. Isn’t that unfair?”
“Miss Zhuge?”
Did she read something in my expression? Her face suddenly darkened, and she began to spill her thoughts.
“To be taken as a legitimate wife, it’s only natural that you’re worried. I’m not as capable as Im Ha-yeon. I’m not the first girl you met like your fiancée. I’m just a clumsy girl, so it’s obvious you wouldn’t want to get married…”
“That’s not the issue.”
I quickly interrupted Miss Zhuge’s ramblings.
“However.”
Her gaze was full of feelings; her fear, insecurities, and concerns were all mixed together as she looked up at me.
How can I alleviate her worries? I quickly relaxed my tense expression, smiled, and gently ruffled her hair.
“I’m just worried about how to avoid our hair being pulled.”
If it’s just pulling hair, that’s fine. She’s dealing with Heavenly Killing Star, poisoners, and the Shadowless Thief.
“Excuse me? My hair?”
“If I come to ask for permission to marry, how could I not want to marry? I’m just contemplating how we can solve things nicely without either of us getting hurt.”
It’s a bit early, but it’s something I’ve already decided.
“Really?”
Miss Zhuge’s uncertain voice made me nod.
“In the first place, it’s my fault, so who can I blame?”
“Master Kang…”
Miss Zhuge, there’s no need to get so emotional. We should be brainstorming how we can live together first.
“Then, Miss Zhuge, please don’t think in strange ways…”
“I’ll become your legitimate wife! I will keep the family together!”
Miss Zhuge clenched her fists and unexpectedly declared.
“Keep it together?”
“I will tell your frail fiancée this. Uh, um, oh! Madam.”
“Oh…”
She really looked like the head of a prestigious family. Seeing her delightful moment gave me an urge to smile, but she immediately resumed her act.
“Hehe. Ahem! Madam. The winter weather is cold. You should drink the special tonic sent by the Zhuge family. I had a servant warm up the heater nicely for you.”
“You’re doing quite well, I see?”
She certainly has a model in mind, but she looks just like a considerate legitimate wife.
“Hehe. This is nothing much. For Im Ha-yeon… Master Kang, you like taking baths in winter, so please prepare some warm bathwater.”
“Umm…”
Did Miss Zhuge just say something like that to Im Ha-yeon? Can she actually do it?
“Ah! No! Sister! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll have a servant do it! Please don’t attack me at my temples…!”
I was immediately countered by an imagined Im Ha-yeon.
“I lost…”
Did I really just lose?
“Hahaha!”
If I can visualize a specific opponent, am I going to lose? Looking at Miss Zhuge shaking her shoulders in laughter, I couldn’t hold back my giggles.
“Miss Zhuge, I think your sister is just too strong!”
I was about to burst from laughter. I felt like I’d have trouble breathing.
“Let’s take a seat under that big peach tree for a moment.”
I pointed to a bench made from a log that had been cut in half under a grand peach tree.
“Ah, o-okay!”
“Not next to me.”
I halted Miss Zhuge, who was trying to sit beside me with her shoulders hunched and pointed to the bench I intended for her.
“S-Sit on your lap? Master Kang?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“N-no!”
She seemed anxious but also shy, as her not-too-small but not-too-big backside carefully landed on my thigh.
“Hmm.”
Her beautiful white neck was revealed behind her silver hair. Did my breath touch her? Miss Zhuge seemed startled and leaned slightly.
I can’t have that.
I wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her close.
“M-Master Kang? Y-your side is…”
“Just remain still for a moment.”
I rested my chin on her shoulder and whispered softly.
“Aah! Ah! N-noo…”
Is Miss Zhuge malfunctioning?
I was laughing so much it hurt. I leaned my head against her shoulder, and I felt alive.
Tea Bookstore. Opera House. Man Geum Battlefield. Joseon Friends Association. Hao Gate. Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes. Successor Trials. Demonic Cult. And the Zhuge family, all came whirling back.
This year has truly been hectic. I’ve been running around without a moment’s rest, without time to rely on anyone.
Peach blossoms are blooming profusely.
I rest my head on the shoulder of the woman who thinks only of me.
This nervousness thickening my neck as it becomes more flushed brings me joy. Even serious problems feel trivial when I’m with her, and that feeling is wonderful.
In the Peach Blossom Spring, the scent of the peach blossoms is overshadowed by the fragrance of hydrangeas emanating from Miss Zhuge.
—
“Uh, Master Kang. Something keeps poking my behind.”
“Th-That! I’m sorry! Please sit beside me!”
“The Tang family’s people are said to be arriving at Yangyang District.”
In the Zhuge family’s Elder Council, after finishing a conversation with Kang Yoon-ho and concluding the day’s discussions, the elders looked at each other.
“The Tang family?”
“They say they should arrive in about a day or two.”
“We certainly don’t need to reveal our family matters while welcoming guests.”
“Everyone, is there any need to speak further?”
“…”
The question became whether Zhuge’s family could take in a black-haired son-in-law. No more dissent emerged.
“Alright. Tomorrow, I’ll bring Kang Yoon-ho along with the family head and come to a conclusion.”