Volcanic Age

Qiu Feng told the three Lotus Pavilion disciples that they were free to walk around as long as they stayed within Kaiyang. Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen were really excited about this. This was their first time leaving Mount Hua, so they went around like excited children. They were given four days because the mission happened in four days.

These two often hung out with Zhuge Xiang and Zhuge Xiuluan. Zhuge Xiang was the future head of the clan, and was very enthusiastic in interacting with Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen.

As for Zhang Hong, he kept showing interest in Zhuge Xiuluan and hung around her.

"Now that I think about it, little brother Zhang. Is your apprentice-brother a bit unique even in the sect?" asked Zhuge Xiang.

He was older than the others, but he was also very smart and had a good nature. It took no time for Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen to befriend him, and they got close in less than a day.

Zhang Hong nodded, affirming Zhuge Xiang's question.

"Yes, big brother Xiang. He's called All Bite No Bark, which…"

He went on to explain Zhou Xuchuan's past in detail. Zhang Xuen couldn't help but giggle, her shoulders jerking.

Zhuge Xiang had grown close to Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen, but he didn't even get to have a proper conversation with Zhou Xuchuan.

"I never expected someone around Shengji's age to show interest in him, let alone a martial artist from the Lotus Pavilion." Zhuge Xiang couldn't hide his surprise.

*

Zhou Xuchuan approached Zhuge Shengji and tried talking to him.

"Hello, Shengji. Do you wanna be secret friends with this old man?"

"What? Aren't you only two years older than me? How are you, an old man? Please stop talking nonsense and go away," Zhuge Shengji said, finding Zhou Xuchuan's words ridiculous.

"Wow, your second uncle would be really surprised if he saw you now. Shengji can be so bold and act like a general. Can't you?"

As soon as he was given freedom to act, Zhou Xuchuan went to find Zhuge Shengji, who was holed up in his room, and kept nagging him. Eventually, Zhuge Shengji treated him like he was some eccentric man.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Zhuge Shengji was well aware of his own strangeness. With all the gazes that he received, he would be a fool if he didn't know.

"This old man just wants to play with you, Shengji." Zhou Xuchuan smiled softly.

Right, I should start by complimenting him. He's a dangerous guy and I don't want things to go wrong.

If he could act as he wished, he wanted to grab Zhuge Shengji by the collars and threaten him, saying, "Hey, let's go raid a tomb."

"I know it might be awkward coming from me, but it'll be better for you not to associate with me. I've only reached the second stage of the Lesser Heaven Star Art, and I'm obsessed with the art of trap mechanisms that has lost all meaning in this era!" Zhuge Shengji shouted, on the verge of tears. His frustration could be felt in his voice.

Hearing that, Zhou Xuchuan put on a look of understanding. "Yes. I know that your nature isn't all that great, and you're a pathetic loser who sobs whenever you do something."

"...I didn't say—"

"But being obsessed with the art of trap mechanisms isn't a bad thing. In fact, I believe that you're an amazing guy for faithfully studying an area that no one is interested in."

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Zhou Xuchuan tapped Zhuge Shengji on the shoulders and smiled softly, his eyes filled with desperation.

"So don't stop and walk your own path no matter what anyone tells you."

Posthumous Genius.

The martial world's assessment of him was only done properly after his death, as his title implied.

During the raid of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief's treasury, Zhuge Shengji gained attention for the first time. This was because of the various mechanisms installed inside the treasury.

The Orthodox Faction, and the Zhuge Family in particular, managed to obtain a considerable amount of treasure from the treasury due to Zhuge Shengji's knowledge of trap mechanisms.

It seemed Zhuge Shengji would be re-evaluated after being disdained all his life, but that was a mistake. Sure, people did see him in a new light, but most of their gazes remained indifferent, with most people thinking that he was a bit useful but not exceptional.

The world of martial arts was a world of power. Most people received acknowledgement based on their martial prowess.

Although the Zhuge Family was somewhat of an exception, martial arts cultivation was still taken into account. It couldn't be helped that Zhuge Shengji was looked down on since he was even behind some of the young children of the Zhuge Family.

It might have been a different story if he studied fields that required intellect, like strategy and scheming, or the study of arrays. However, he couldn't even do that, so he had received a lot of disdain both within and outside the family.

The existence of Zhuge Tian and Zhuge Xiuluan, the two geniuses of his generation, made the problem worse.

Ultimately, Zhuge Shengji was unable to endure the abuse from Zhuge Xiao and the other elders of the clan and died.

The cause of his death? Suicide.

"Listen to me, young brother. Everyone under heaven may look down on you, but I will not. Remember that I am here."

With all the disdain and abuse he received from a young age, Zhuge Shengji naturally lacked self-confidence, which influenced his personality.

"I may have met you only recently, but I have sensed fate. If there was wine, I would have drank with you and formed a pact of brotherhood. What a pity."

"I have no plans of becoming your younger br—"

"Just call me big brother, Shengji."

His introverted personality without any self-confidence was detrimental to him. The combination of the two ended up making Zhuge Shengji to be exploited by others.

"Don't yield like you have done until now. You do not need to deny all the things you have studied and compiled. Even if the rest of the world refuses to acknowledge you, I will. I will tell anyone who ignores my genius brother to not speak nonsense."

By the time Zhuge Shengji was almost completely forgotten, his existence was brought up again. It was thanks to trap mechanisms. The art of trap mechanisms, which was thought to be completely lost, ended up getting completely recovered by a different faction during the Era of War and Chaos.

As it was a skill not used by many, Zhuge Shengji was the only one who could use it properly.

After that, the influence of the Zhuge Family soared. This was natural as Zhuge Shengji was the only expert in the art of trap mechanisms.

However, in Zhuge Shengji's perspective, not everything was positive. Sure, people's assessment of him had improved after that event, and he was happy that the things he had studied until then weren't meaningless. The problem was that having to deal with all things related to trap mechanisms was overwhelming. The fact that there was only one person versed in trap mechanisms meant that he had to deal with everything alone.

Ultimately, he ended up having to work without anyone's help under the watch of "guards." It was extremely difficult to keep his sanity in such an environment.

He really wished to refuse everything, but due to his introverted personality that resulted from all the abuse he received when he was young, he was unable to do so.

Whenever he tried to voice his opinion, those calling themselves elders of the Zhuge Family insisted he work for the clan's sake, leaving him with no choice.

After the treasury event, he was confined in the bird's cage that was his family and never saw the outside world ever again. He was taken advantage of until his very last moment, and the mental pressure directly caused his death.

After forty-something years, Zhuge Shengji, in his mid-fifties, ended up committing suicide after being taken advantage of all his life.

It was truly a tragic life.

What's worse is that he never managed to receive the treatment he deserved.

The assessment of Zhuge Shengji was rather vague during that period. It was hard to obtain approval from the public without strength or martial arts. This was easily seen in how the Tang Clan and the Zhuge Family still received some disdain from cultivators.

It was even worse for Zhuge Shengji, who studied the lost art of trap mechanisms. Despite his incredible abilities, he still received disdain from everyone, which also contributed to his death.

Having no genuine friends or family, his death was extremely lonely, and he had a small funeral.

It was only sometime later that the Orthodox Faction regretted this loss. Right after Zhuge Shengji passed away, some people were concerned about who would handle trap mechanisms.

When opinions surfaced, the Zhug Clan guaranteed that there would be no problems. Although Zhuge Shengji never had any direct disciples, they said they would refer to the books he left behind and resolve everything.

It didn't take long for them to realize how foolish their plan was. Zhuge Shengji was a genius. His knowledge and understanding were far beyond what the people in the Zhuge Family could comprehend.

He wrote down his thoughts in a book in his own way. However, what he wrote down was the thought process of a genius. It was too obscure for anyone to interpret or understand.

In the first place, Zhuge Shengji had never interacted with anyone around him properly, not to mention teaching someone. There was no way such a man would leave behind books intended for other people's consumption.

Ultimately, no one was able to succeed Zhuge Shengji's knowledge, and after that, the Orthodox Faction, including the Martial Alliance, was unable to counter any trap mechanism set up by the enemy, resulting in huge damages.

Only then did the Zhuge Family regret it immensely. This matter was widespread after the Era of War and Chaos, and they were severely criticized.

That was how the Posthumous Genius title came to be.

"Hey, tell me properly. Uncle asked you nicely to do something about me, didn't he?"

"..."

"I knew it. Get lost!"

The road ahead seemed long.

*

The wait was over. The mission was delivered.

"If you head east for about two days from Kaiyang Town, you'll reach Weng'An Town. It's an area that the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley occupy alternately about every two months. From what I gathered yesterday, our side is being pushed back, so I hope you can support them with the warriors from the Kaiyang branch of the Martial Alliance."

Shen Tujun looked at Qiu Feng and Zhuge Xiao after finishing his words.

"Hmm." Qiu Feng groaned, appearing deep in thought.

"It might be slightly dangerous, but it should be a good experience for Xiang and Xiuluan. We accept."

Zhuge Xiao was delighted by the mission. Weng'An Town was one of the regions with the fiercest conflicts in the Guizhou province. Naturally, many people were injured or died there. It was a place where many disciples of major sects had died due to their overconfidence.

Since it was the front lines, experts from the Evil Faction appeared from time to time. Although the appearance of experts on the level of Hundred Experts Under Heaven were rare, there were definitely experts that required them to be cautious.

How rude.

Shen Tujun frowned slightly when he heard Zhuge Xiao's words, his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.

The members of the Zhuge Family would not fight against the warriors of the Evil Valley. They would only strategize behind the lines and give our orders.

He didn't think badly about that since that was what the Zhuge Family excelled at, but speaking as though the dangers had nothing to do with them was rude of him. They were going somewhere where they could lose their lives, and he was speaking in such a manner. What would Qiu Feng, who was next to him, think?

"...Understood. Mount Hua will accept this mission as well." Qiu Feng also accepted the mission after much thought.

"That is great news!" Shen Tujun rejoiced.

The Fourteenth Sword Hero was an Absolute Realm expert that almost everyone knew. This would definitely boost the morale of the warriors on their side.

Even if an expert from the Evil Faction appeared in Weng'An, they would feel relatively at ease with Qiu Feng present.

I need to make sure that the Fourteenth Sword Hero can fight without being too concerned about the members of the Lotus Pavilion as much as possible.

Shen Tujun was worried that he might refuse. He had originally prepared a safe mission. However, the news from Weng'An Town was so urgent that he had no choice.

Thankfully, Qiu Feng accepted the mission, which put his mind at ease about the matters in Weng'An town.

Later, around 1 pm, the group departed from Kaiyang after being briefed on the mission.

Weng'An. Weng'An, huh? What was there to watch out for in Weng'An around this time?

Zhou Xuchuan closed his eyes and attempted to recall. However, it had been too long, and Weng'An was a place where the occupying faction could change a dozen times in a year. There were so many events that happened that he couldn't think of anything.

"Old man, why are you still following me? You're scaring me."

Zhou Xuchuan followed Zhuge Shengji everywhere. The warriors from the Martial Alliance that came with them whispered among themselves.

"The two of them are still so young, so it shouldn't be that kind of relationship, right?"

"Shush. He might become one of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen in the future. Do you not fear that he will come to settle scores with you later? Don't you know that the brats in the ten major organizations have the worst personalities? Rumors say they're all terrible people."

"Honestly, I think you should worry about yourself more than me."

"Ehem!"

"And that kid named Zhou Xuchuan isn't someone you should be concerned about. I overheard young hero Zhang say that his title is All Bite No Bark. He only managed to join the Lotus Pavilion through luck, and it seems he isn't all that special."

"Whoa, just joining the Mount Hua sect is a stroke of fortune, and he was even luckier than that? Life is so miserable."