Chapter 2. My name is Zhuge Liang! (2/2)
“Eh?”
Cho Ryu Hyang took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes a bit, and looked at the book again.
And he became shocked.
The numbers in the pages looked like it was twisting a little bit, and they all mixed together to become one mass. When he was looking at the papers of the book with great concentration, the number mass changed into some other form in front of him.
A seemingly stubborn old man with a cold glare.
Cho Ryu Hyang was confused.
Was this not a piece of paper with just numbers on it before?
Then why did it turn into a drawing just now?
An even stranger thing happened next.
The old man in the book started talking.
[The idiots with fish eyes couldn’t even tell what this treasure was. If you were able to find out what this was exactly, it would mean you have quite a bit of talent in this subject.]
“……”
Cho Ryu Hyang was unable to speak, as he was too shocked to do anything. The drawing spoke again.
[It was hard to write the book in such a way so that the little greenhorns were able to understand my theory, but it looks like it succeeded. Since you were able to see this, you have the right to take in my knowledge.]
The senior in the book looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a piercing gaze.
The gaze was so lifelike, it made Cho Ryu Hyang tremble a little.
[Greenhorn, are you willing to take in my teachings?]
Cho Ryu Hyang realized then.
This was not a mere drawing. The old man in the paper was alive.
No, to be more specific, this was the consciousness of the author who lived in the past.
Even if it was just magic, it was an astounding feat. But according to the old man, this was math. The old man was staring at the boy without saying anything. Cho Ryu Hyang thought a bit under this heavy gaze, and opened his mouth.
“This young student is ignorant, so this one is unable to find out who the great teacher is. I implore you to teach me your great name.”
Asking for a name politely from a book was a rather comical scene, but Cho Ryu Hyang was extremely serious at that point.
This was purely guesswork, but if there was such a person like this, surely he left a mark in history. He needed to know the name of the man in order to at least be a little calmer, so he needed to ask this question to the senior.
Thankfully, he got an answer immediately. The old man smirked, and opened his mouth.
[My name is Liang (亮), and as for my surname, it would be Zhuge (諸葛).]
Cho Ryu Hyang had a dazed look on his face.
The man in the paper was a much bigger existence than he realized.
Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮).
Was this not the name of the chancellor of the Shu Han, the legendary Zhuge Kongming?
‘This guy’s a crazy son of a bitch, huh?’
Cho Ryu Hyang thought this the moment he heard the name.
Zhuge Kongming.
If you look at the Three Kingdoms Book written by Luo Guanzhong, the chancellor of the Shu Han had a noble air about him the moment he appeared in the book.
Starting from Liu Bei’s three visits, continuing to the battle of the Wuzhang Plains, and the event where he instructed his followers to use his own corpse to frighten away enemies. There were many famous stories originating from this man.
Was he not a person of great achievements, both in historical and realistic terms?
Most of his stories revolve around his genius strategies, but there were many other mysterious rumors about him that still existed to this date.
If one looks at the Battle of Red Cliffs, where Zhuge Liang was able to create the Three Heavenly Formation Strategy, there is a part where he reads the heavenly words in the sky, and changes the direction of the winds in order to win the battle.
Also, there are parts where he makes the Eight Diagram Formation to trap his enemies for an eternity. There might me some exaggerations in the story, but there are parts in the Romance of The Three Kingdoms where it is implied that Zhuge Liang did indeed possess mystical powers. Therefore, even if it was a figure who existed several hundred years ago, his words had power in them. Because of that, Cho Ryu Hyang was doubtful if this man was indeed Zhuge Liang.
“Are you truly the chancellor of Shu Han, Zhuge Kongming?”
The old man’s cold, arrogant face underwent a great change for the first time. His face held a tinge of regret in it.
[Indeed. I am Shu Han’s Zhuge Kongming.]
Even though the individual himself confirmed it, it was quite hard to believe. This man was much, much bigger than Cho Ryu Hyang expected, after all.
He had his own doubts, but he decided act like he believed the man for now.
“Please pass on chancellor’s knowledge to this student.”
[I don’t have any reasons to be called chancellor by you, since I’m already dead, but it shouldn’t matter.]
Unlike what he said, however, the old man promoted Cho Ryu Hyang from a “Greenhorn” to a “you”, when Cho Ryu Hyang addressed him as “chancellor”. His expression returned to the one of arrogance a little later, and talked while covering his mouth with a feather fan.
[I always liked a person with talent. I don’t know what your personality is like, but you have a good talent. That’s enough to qualify. Now, experience the truth I have attained in my lifetime.]
A light came out of the book all of the sudden.
Cho Ryu Hyang shivered a little when he felt that something was happening. The light changed into a 5-colored light and covered Cho Ryu Hyang’s entire body.
“Wha, what’s this?”
With extreme heat, an astounding amount of knowledge flooded into Cho Ryu Hyang’s brain. It felt like someone forced open his head and poured in an immense amount of knowledge. When Cho Ryu Hyang was about to pass out from the intense pain in his head, he could hear the old man’s voice.
[What I am passing onto you is neither Chi nor Technique. This is the heavenly truth of the world, so it will be a little hard for you to take it in right now, as you are a bit too young. But after a time, the powers in you will slowly awaken, so do not try to rush things.]
After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, the thread of consciousness Cho Ryu Hyang was holding onto snapped.
He fainted.
An immense amount of information that no one would be able to take in was forcefully shoved in. Looking at the collapsed child, the old man in the book talked.
[I will look at the world through your eyes.]
The man who revealed himself to be Zhuge Liang. He walked out of the book, and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang once. There were countless people who saw his book, but there were none who was able to understand it like this child did.
The talent bestowed by the heavens.
It was a different kind of talent he had, but it seemed this child had something akin to it.
[I don’t know if it’s alright to place my hopes on this boy.]
The old man’s power was so great, even “superhuman” was unable to truly show how strong he was.
The power he left unto the world was equally great.
But even he didn’t realize this great power would be given to a little child.
[That’s what makes this all so amusing, though….]
The inability to see the future.
That’s what made all this so interesting.
[I look forward to the future.]
He was unable to see the thing at the end, and died.
He was so close as to be able to touch it with his hands, but his age prevented him to reach it.
There was regret.
That’s why he did something like this.
That’s why he left his consciousness for the future generations.
He was being stubborn, for the first time in his life.