"Different paths can't be pursued together!" Chen Xi said with a bitter smile as he escorted Zhuge Liang. "Some people act out of responsibility, some for power, and others for ideals. No wonder the ancients said, 'A true confidant is hard to find.'"
Zhuge Liang, though he felt something, did not respond to Chen Xi's words. He simply followed Chen Xi onto the carriage, while Zhuge Jin, sitting on the second floor, quietly watched the scene unfold. Placing his wine cup down, he realized that part of what Chen Xi had said was directed at him.
As the carriage slowly drove away, Zhuge Jin raised his cup towards it from afar and said, "Kongming, I hope you succeed. You're not just choosing your own freedom; I'm not carrying just my own responsibilities. May the Zhuge family rely on you in the future!"
Setting his cup down heavily, Zhuge Jin's previously uncertain gaze became resolute once again. He entrusted freedom to his younger brother, while he would bear the responsibility.
"Have you met Sima Zhongda?" Chen Xi asked after getting into the carriage, sweeping away his earlier frustration. He was curious whether Zhuge Liang, who had lived next door to Sima Yi, had ever interacted with him, and if so, who had come out on top.
"Sima Zhongda?" Zhuge Liang recalled the name vividly. Besides Pang Tong, Sima Yi was the first peer who had exerted such immense pressure on him.
"Yes, he's two years older than you and lived right next to you," Chen Xi described. He felt a bit disappointed. Hadn't the Prime Minister and Grand Commandant met? It seemed unusual that nothing noteworthy had happened.
"Oh, that guy... he's very capable," Zhuge Liang remarked calmly, as if he were merely talking about some insignificant passerby.
"Wait, you interacted with him?" Chen Xi immediately perked up. The idea of a young Zhuge Liang and a young Sima Yi crossing paths excited him. Zhuge Liang's indifferent tone suggested that something had indeed happened.
"Two days ago, he caused some trouble. I wasn't in the best of moods, so I decided to confront him. However, he didn't take losing very well," Zhuge Liang said with a slight side glance.
"Details, details!" Chen Xi's interest was fully piqued.
"The first game of Go, he was careless and lost. In the second game, he claimed to be fully focused but still lost. Then, in frustration, he unleashed his spiritual talent to intimidate me, but ended up getting scared himself when I countered with my own spiritual power. We played another round, and though it was rushed, he lost again," Zhuge Liang recounted with a calm demeanor, though his expression carried a trace of pride.
Chen Xi propped his head on his hand, realizing everything had come together. Sima Yi had apparently thrown a tantrum after losing, unleashing his spiritual talent, which diminished Zhuge Liang's and everyone else's spiritual talents in Fenggao City, except for Chen Xi's. It seemed that even the famously patient Sima Yi had moments of pettiness—perhaps due to his youth.
On the other side, Mi Zhu was in shock. He realized that the intelligence and mental fortitude of this child before him surpassed his own, despite his lack of life experience and governance skills.
Mi Zhu's heart ached even more when he heard that a child of similar ability had once been staying at his establishment, lost his temper over a game of Go, unleashed his spiritual talent, and then left.
"Hey, hey, hey, Zizhong, what's wrong?" Chen Xi anxiously patted Mi Zhu, who was clutching his chest and twitching.
"My heart hurts..." Mi Zhu finally managed to say. "He's even more monstrous than Fazheng. He's more brilliant than you. How could we let them slip away? Ah, I want to go back and grab Zhuge Ziyu too."
Mi Zhu had completely abandoned his usual elegant demeanor, and he didn't even care that Zhuge Liang was present. He was in a state of utter despair.
"Alright, alright. Those two who left are distant relatives of mine, but unfortunately, their departure was inevitable due to differences in paths. So, there's no point in losing your mind over it," Chen Xi said with resignation. He had come to terms with it—Sima Yi and Sima Lang not visiting his home already spoke volumes. Their paths were simply different.
After calming Mi Zhu down, Chen Xi shifted his focus back to Zhuge Liang. He was convinced that Zhuge Liang wasn't exaggerating—Sima Yi had indeed lost three matches in a row! It seemed that whenever the Prime Minister and the Grand Commandant met, their battle prowess became somewhat skewed.
If Sima Yi had nullified Zhuge Liang's spiritual talent and still lost, it could only mean that the gap between them was too large for spiritual talents to bridge. Or perhaps Sima Yi's spiritual talent didn't enhance his abilities directly. After all, most spiritual talents, when activated, boosted cognitive functions—even Lu Su's talent, which had nothing to do with intellect, still enhanced his thinking ability.
"So, Kongming, do you think Zhongda's spiritual talent has any weaknesses?" Chen Xi asked with a smile.
"It doesn't distinguish between friend and foe," Zhuge Liang replied succinctly, leaving the rest for Chen Xi to interpret.
Chen Xi was taken aback by Zhuge Liang's answer—this wasn't the typical behavior of a twelve-year-old. Truly, Zhuge Liang's wisdom was almost otherworldly.
"Do you have evidence?" Chen Xi asked curiously.
"My brother and Sima Boda also lost their spiritual talents. Sima Zhongda can't control who his power affects," Zhuge Liang replied calmly.
"Thank you," Chen Xi said, now understanding that Mount Tai had gained an advantage. After all, his own talent couldn't be nullified.
Meanwhile, Xun Yu was entirely unaware that his plan had been thwarted and was still carefully handling Li You, trying to convince him that he genuinely wanted to send a woman to Liu Bei.
"Brother Zicai, let's consider this settled," Li You said with a hearty laugh.
"Of course, of course! I'll write to my lord about this right away—oh no, I'll write the letter right here and now to inform him. He will certainly relieve Lord Xuande from his difficulties. Brother Wenru, rest assured," Xun Yu said with feigned joy.
Outside Liu Bei's main hall, Xu Chu and Dian Wei were glaring at each other, ready to pounce at any moment. If not for their strict orders as personal guards, they would have already started fighting. Despite their restraint, the tension between them had escalated to the point where they were practically fuming, itching to give each other a good beating.
"Let's go, Evil Lai," Xun Yu said calmly as he left the hall, seeing Dian Wei still facing off against Xu Chu. From his estimation, it would only take another day or two to fully decipher Zhuge Liang's spiritual talent, so he planned to return to the inn and focus entirely on the task. The wedding and intelligence matters would be handed over to Chen Qun.
"Wait a moment, Strategist!" Dian Wei said as he approached Xu Chu. "You're Xu Chu, right? You dared to challenge me earlier. Meet me outside the city, and I'll show you what real strength is!"
"Name the place, and I'll be there!" Xu Chu said, lifting his head with pride as he glared back at Dian Wei.
"You just wait! You'll get your challenge tonight!" Dian Wei slung his twin halberds over his back and stormed off, already preparing to leave this arrogant brute bruised and battered by morning.