Volcanic Age

Zhuge Yun gathered his vassals and held a meeting to discuss Zhuge Shengji's desire to enter the gangho.

The vassals didn't show much interest, unanimously responding with their consent.

It was telling, or rather showing, how important Zhuge Shengji was within the family.

The decision was made; Zhuge Shengji would be allowed to roam the gangho on the condition that he had a retinue of guards.

He was still a member of the main branch and was assigned a Peak Realm expert who was on the verge of breaking through to the Transcendent stage.

Meanwhile, several people approached Zhou Xuchuan, not for any particular reason but to build a connection with the Daoist ascetics of the Mount Hua Sect.

Zhou Xuchuan spent his time chatting with the Zhuge Family's vassals and guests.

Most of them were interested in his bet with the Poison Phoenix, asking various questions to which he gave vague answers.

"Is he the rumored Zhou Xuchuan, who won the bet against the Poison Phoenix?"

"Didn't he even admit to being lucky? Or he might have used some kind of trick, too."

"Still, isn't he a Daoist from Mount Hua? Do you really think he would do something like that?"

"Then how could someone so…someone like that defeat the Poison Phoenix Tang Hui of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes? Something must have happened."

"Well, I guess that makes sense."

Although the Zhuge Family was one of the Five Great Ancient Families, in terms of pure martial skill, they were the weakest of the five by far.

While they had high cultivations, their actual martial strength was quite laughable.

After all, their main weapon was the mind. They had few Transcendent or Peak experts, let alone any in the Harmony Realm.

As a result, there were no experts within the Zhuge Estate who noticed Zhou Xuchuan's efforts to hide his cultivation and avoid being noticed by anyone. This made everyone implicitly look down on him and quickly lose interest.

The fact that he spent his time with Zhuge Shengji, the outcast and outlier to the Family's intelligence, was a big factor in itself.

"For some reason, it feels like you're being looked down on because of me. I'm sorry."

Zhuge Shengji had also noticed what was happening and had come over to apologize.

"It's fine. All you, my cute little brother, have to do is work yourself to the bone just as much as they looked down on me."

"Huh?"

"Moreover, getting their respect after making them slap themselves out of regret later on will be more satisfying. Our revenge is already a given, it's only as fun as it could be if we get it in a blaze. Don't you think so?"

"As always, you seem like a psychopath who only chooses the strangest things to talk about…"

"What?"

"I didn't say anything."

***

The next day.

They didn't need much time to prepare. They had little luggage to pack, so they decided to leave as soon as the Family gave their permission.

Only a few people came to see them off, most of them disappearing after showing their faces.

In the end, there were only two people left to say their farewells.

"I never thought you'd go out into the gangho, Young Master. To be honest, I thought you might just stay in your room forever… I was so surprised when I first heard of your departure. What happened?" asked a maidservant who had served Zhuge Shengji since he was young.

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“To be honest, I'm worried about you in more ways than one."

She sighed, worry evident in her young eyes.

While Zhuge Shengji may be a weirdo that no one understands, he didn't have a bad personality.

He treated his subordinates kindly, especially her.

To be frank, she was the only person he could talk to, so he had no choice but to treat her well.

She was more familiar with him than anyone else, which explained why she was so worried.

“If you’re that worried, then do you want to come along?” Zhuge Shengji asked, looking at the maid with a pleading look, as if holding out a hand to the only person other than Zhou Xuchuan who could support him.

"Oh, well, my worry and my need to stay here are two completely different things. As you know, my family lives in a village near the Family Estate, and I'm also terrified of things like swords or blood," the maidservant said with a straight face.

"Okay…"

Zhuge Shengji's face became gloomier, but he quickly fixed his expression when he saw the other person waiting.

“Noonim, thank you for trusting me and sending me out into the gangho. I'll see you out there if we run into each other."

Zhuge Xiuluan was someone Zhuge Shengji couldn't read, never knowing how she felt about him. However, this time around, his view of his sister began to change as he tried to make his own way in the world.

Even if he wasn't saying anything right now, he was happy knowing that someone cared about him.

For first time, he was could to see his family's warm concern, and he wanted to return that familiar love straight from his heart.

Zhuge Xiuluan had her own journey throughout the gangho about three years ago, and had returned to the Family only a year ago during a break from her cultivation journey.

As there were no talks of any wedding, and neither the Patriarch nor Zhuge Xiuluan herself had any thoughts of pursuing one, she would soon head out into the gangho again.

"If you have any trouble during your journey, feel free to call us for help. If you send a letter to the Martial Alliance, Brother will also be happy to help you. I've written down some things to be careful of and things that might be helpful during your journey, so please read them whenever you have the time." Zhuge Xiuluan said, handing over a journal.

Zhuge Shengji used to think that Zhuge Xiuluan was quiet and emotionless, but along the way, he realized his initial impression was wrong. He had only thought that way because he had never actually had a conversation with her before.

Ah…

Zhou Xuchuan smiled as he watched Zhuge Shengji talk to his sister.

You've changed.

Zhuge Shengji had met a lonely and miserable end in the previous timeline, exploited without ever experiencing his family's love.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Zhou Xuchuan was sure of it now.

At the very least, Zhuge Shengji wouldn't have to face such misfortune anymore.

Zhuge Xiuluan would be by his side.

Little brother.

Although they might not share any blood, Zhuge Shengji was definitely his younger brother.

The moment the two became sworn brothers, he had made a vow to heaven.

A vow to his past, and his future.

I will never let you live the same life again!

"Please take good care of my brother, Young Master Zhou," Zhuge Xiuluan said, bowing politely. Zhou Xuchuan couldn't help but admire how elegant and graceful she was.

"Of course. Please leave it to me."

The corners of Zhou Xuchuan's mouth twitched before rising into a confident smile.

Zhuge Xiuluan nodded once in response, then turned and walked away, looking relieved.

“Young Lady Zhuge.”

Zhou Xuchuan called out to her before she disappeared from sight.

"Formations require natural or artificial arrays to be set in advance before they can be used, right?"

"Yes?"

"In the case of the battlefield, because of many variables and how chaotic it is, formations can be damaged before they can be activated, right? Moreover, there are many cases where they're useless until the enemy is led to them."

"Just what are you getting at…?"

"Well, I was just thinking, if we could create a formation that we could throw wherever we needed, we would be able to quickly deploy any formation we wanted, regardless of variables."

Zhuge Xiuluan opened her mouth before closing it again, lost in thought.

Zhou Xuchuan waved his hand, leaving Zhuge Xiuluan behind as he disappeared over the horizon.

***

"Hyungnim, where are we going now?"

“Shandong.”

“If it’s Shandong… Do we have any business with the Huangfu Family or the Mount Tai Sect?”

Zhuge Shengji looked at him questioningly.

"No, we're going to see a familiar face. Someone you know."

“Who?”

“Li Yicai.”

"Ah! The Head Merchant of the Gold Will Merchants!” Zhuge Shengji said, slapping his knee as he remembered who Zhou Xuchuan was referring to.

"I've heard a lot about the Gold Will Merchants during my stay with the Family. It's good to know that some of that money is mine. Although the Head Merchant's character is… questionable, that's a minor issue."

Li Yicai held an omnipotent power within his grasp that would allow Zhuge Shengji to create any number of mechanisms.

Gold!

His mouth seemed to rise all the way up to his ears at that name.

"From now on, Shandong will be your second hometown." Zhou Xuchuan grinned.

There were three people in their party, not just two, including the Peak Realm guard assigned to Zhuge Shengji by the Zhuge Family.

Liang Men looked over at the two and sighed.

Damn it![1]

Liang Men had originally been the head of a medium sized Righteous Sect within Hubei. However, due to the sect's weak power and lack of funds, he led the sect into a conflict zone within Guizhou about twenty years ago.

During his time on the battlefield, the sect was decimated, and he only barely survived. The loss had been so great that he had lost all desire to rebuild his sect.

Coincidentally, he was noticed by Zhuge Yun, who had been looking for talented people to recruit. Eventually, he was offered a position as a vassal, and joined the family.

No matter how much I've been messing around these days, how could they make me Zhuge Shengji's guard? Patriarch! How could you? This is too harsh of a punishment!

While Liang Men was a talented martial artist, he had extremely bad habits.

He had given up on cultivating after being unable to overcome the wall to the Transcendent Realm for almost twenty years, eventually just settling for his current level.

After the end of the Guizhou conflict, he was left tired and jaded, feeling bothered whenever he was assigned missions. He even spent his time going to and fro different taverns, drinking, albeit in moderation.

While the Zhuge Family was a bit irritated by his actions, they were unable to say anything due to how well Liang Men performed and his impressive skills whenever he was sent on a mission.

Finally, a suitable opportunity had come.

To think I was forced to do such a troublesome task!

While the Family neglected Zhuge Shengji, that didn't mean that Liang Men, as a vassal, could treat him the same way.

"Young Hero Liang, your expression doesn't seem too great," Zhou Xuchuan said, looking at Liang Men's expression.

"Thank you for your concern, but there’s no need to worry," Liang Men responded, openly expressing that Zhou Xuchuan shouldn't care.

Zhou Xuchuan looked at Liang Men and laughed.

"While you may regret it now, don't worry, because you're on the right side. You'll thank us later."

Liang Men was dumbfounded by his words.

What a crazy bastard!

All he could do was curse to himself. It was best not to associate with crazy people.

After all, do people avoid shit because they're afraid of it? No, they avoid it because it's disgusting!

While the saying, “birds of a feather flock together,” was cliche, that didn't mean it was wrong. Considering Zhou Xuchuan was close to the eccentric outcast of the Family, wouldn't he be of a similar type?

If I had known this would happen, I would have stopped messing around!

Still, the water had already been spilled, and regret always came too late.

It was clear.

His future would be difficult.

Liang Men just sighed, as if he wanted to be swallowed up by the ground.

Zhou Xuchuan chuckled as he saw Liang Men sigh.

Now, things really start.

He had been busy by himself all this time. However, once he arrived in Shandong, he wouldn't be alone for much longer.

Jinan, the capital of Shandong, would become his new homeground. He planned to focus his attention there, and gather his own forces to battle against the Dark Heaven Association.

While things would be easier if he borrowed the power of Mount Hua, his freedom would then be limited, and things could become annoying.

Above all, war wasn't something one could conduct by oneself.

Although it was important to help his fellow disciples and strengthen his sect, that could always be handled later.

The most important thing for him to do now was to plan out what would happen in the future and hit the Dark Heaven Association preemptively, like he had with the Ten Millennia Fire Carp or the Millennium Snow Ginseng.

Geographically, it wasn't a bad location, either.

There were many underground resources, such as iron mines that hadn't yet been discovered, as well as many agricultural products like wheat and tobacco. The sea was close by, so there was plenty of seafood, and there was a port, making it advantageous for trade.

It was even connected to the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Hebei and the Capital lay to the north, while Henan was to the west and Anhui and Jiangsu were to the south.

In addition to being the center of the Righteous Faction, it was close to the Capital, and most importantly, it was safe due to the security covering the city and the roads in all directions.

Although the land prices and related taxes were a bit expensive, it wasn't that big of a burden considering the Gold Will Merchants.

"Ah, I can see Jinan in the distance. We'll be arriving soon."

1. It's a joke because "Damn it" (Jaegil) is one letter off from Zhuge (Jaegal). ☜