Chapter 10

Jizheshu

Only after the meaningless, theatrical act ended could the man and I have a normal conversation.

What’s the point of an apology with words... It was a culture I couldn’t quite understand.

Well, understanding Chinese kids was a stretch in both my past life and this one.

‘But thinking about it, I’m Chinese now, right? Chinese blood flows through my veins...’

As I suddenly realized this fact, I looked down at my body with a bewildered expression.

Before I could properly react, a middle-aged man’s voice, pretending nothing had happened, chuckled and said,

“I’ll formally introduce myself. I am Zhuge Tian, the head of the Zhuge family. Could you tell me the name of the young hero who saved my daughter’s life?”

‘Head of the family?’

I couldn’t help but be shocked to learn that he was the head of the Zhuge family.

The head of one of the seven major families is like the top gangster in a local area.

Moreover, the Zhuge family is the dominant force in Hubei.

If the Wudang Sect, located in the same province, is a national-level gang, then the Zhuge family is the top local gang in Hubei.

I had disgraced the leader of a local gang right in front of him!

Cold sweat trickled down my spine. It was a lucky escape yesterday.

They say a young dog doesn’t know the fear of a tiger.

It was a clear mistake on my part, being a newcomer to this martial arts world.

When you’re weak, the best thing to do is to keep your mouth shut.

That’s how it works for civilians in the martial arts world.

They get extorted by the authorities, drained of blood and essence by blood demons or lust demons, and treated like trees or crops that can be freely taken from.

For a civilian, the best response to any situation is to keep quiet, but now I felt a wave of regret.

At least he was a well-respected head of a martial family and didn’t act rashly; if he had been a black path figure, I might have been in real trouble.

*Swallow*

I swallowed hard.

And I felt a bit annoyed.

If he’s a gang leader, he must have many enemies, so why travel with only his daughter and a servant, causing confusion?

‘Wouldn’t a typical head of a martial family usually travel with a retinue of bodyguards?’

But how could I know the ways of such high-ranking people?

I was just unlucky.

I vowed to be polite and kind to everyone from now on.

And, given that he was the leader of a local gang, I answered him as respectfully as possible.

“My name is Liu Qingyun. Sir.”

“Oh! Qingyun? Does it mean ‘blue cloud’? My daughter’s name is Zhuge Qing. The names suit each other... No, they’re great! So, how old are you?”

As expected, Head Zhuge Tian started with the typical old man questions.

He would surely ask about my parents, background, and family status next.

I don’t know why people of his age, in both my past and present lives, are so obsessed with censuses, but I smiled and answered his questions.

I figured he wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew everything about me.

“I am twenty-two this year.”

In this world, men are considered adults at twenty-one, and women at sixteen.

I became an adult last year and was kicked out of my family. I wandered for almost a year, claiming to learn martial arts, and settled here about a month ago, so I am twenty-two this year.

Upon hearing my age, he beamed.

“Oh, so you became an adult last year. My daughter is eighteen.”

He seemed to be trying to get my approval as a doting father, mentioning his daughter in every sentence.

‘Oh, a doting father, I see.’

I couldn’t understand his constant references to his daughter, but trying to understand a doting father is foolish.

I decided to compliment his daughter, no matter what.

Too much flattery might backfire, making him think, ‘Do you have designs on my daughter?’ But there’s nothing better for making a doting father happy than praising his daughter.

It was a delicate balance, but I decided to take the risk.

“Is that so? I thought the young lady was around sixteen, the age of blossoming beauty. Ha ha... Ha...”

“Ha ha... My daughter is quite pretty and young-looking, but she’s definitely over sixteen. Ha ha... My friend!”

‘Eighteen, you say? I thought she was only sixteen?’ His voice was cheerful, and he seemed pleased.

To be honest, her face was like a pancake, and her mouth was like a duck’s beak.

I had to perform CPR to save her, but in my right mind, I would never have done it.

She was far from beautiful.

Though her blue eyes were my type.

But like the saying goes, even a hedgehog thinks its offspring is beautiful. He was very pleased with my words, chuckling happily.

‘Let’s treat it as part of the job.’

After all, an inn is a service industry.

He seemed very pleased with my compliments about his daughter and proceeded with the standard census questions.

After asking my name and age, he moved on to my parents and hometown, as if following a script.

“Your parents are well? You seem to be running this inn alone at such a young age. Is it a family business?”

“No, sir. I come from a humble family in Fujian. I lost my parents some time ago. I started this inn business with the inheritance they left me...”

I put on a sad face, but honestly, I had never seen my parents, so I had no reason to be sad.

They existed only in my memory, like characters in a movie.

But my expression seemed to resonate with Head Zhuge.

“Oh... You lost your parents and are on your own? What a hard life.”

He looked very sympathetic and seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Then he muttered, “Maybe not bad? No, it’s even better!” and said with a determined look,

“So, you’ve had a tough time in this harsh world. But what you did was to save my daughter, so I won’t blame you. Here’s what I’m thinking. How about joining our family? It might seem sudden, but isn’t everything fate?”

‘Oh... So, because I saved his daughter’s life, he wants to take me in and give me a boost, is that it?’

He seemed to be a very straightforward and fiery man, typical of a gang leader.

His mood swings were a bit hormonal, but he seemed to be in a good mood now.

He declared he would give me a big boost.

But I couldn’t just say yes right away.

I decided to pretend to refuse out of politeness, as that’s the custom here.

“It wasn’t done for any reward...”

“Nonsense! How can you talk about no reward?!”

The head’s voice was like a pumpkin.

“If you refuse, I’ll be angry! I have my reputation to consider!”

He seemed genuinely angry, explaining that as a person of high status, he would lose face if he received help and didn’t repay it.

In the martial arts world, people value honor and righteousness, and they despise not repaying favors, so I could understand his stance.

His intimidating expression, as if he was about to emit a killing aura, left me no choice but to accept his offer.

“Well, then, I’ll trust you, sir.”

“Of course! Now you’re part of our family!”

I couldn’t help but be pleased. I thought he would just give me some money or a small favor.

But he, being a gang leader, seemed to want more.

His words made me wonder if my life was about to turn around.

I was an orphan, with no family or connections, and now he was offering to take me in.

Especially into the Zhuge family, which, in my past life, would be like joining a local gang.

Gangsters are known for taking care of their own.

And in the martial arts world, being part of a family means...

Connections. It’s all about connections.

You can’t just know someone; you have to benefit each other to form connections.

So, the chances of me forming connections with the head of the Zhuge family were almost zero.

But he was offering to include me in his network as a reward for saving his daughter.

‘Wow. Connections with the Zhuge family, one of the seven major families in the martial arts world!’

How much unfair treatment had I endured due to lack of connections?

I had been turned away from martial arts sects and swindled by brokers when trying to find an inn.

In China, connections are essential, but as a small innkeeper and an outsider, the chances of anyone forming connections with me were almost zero.

But now, in one go, I was being offered connections with a local gang leader.

Even though I despise the concept of connections, being on the receiving end felt good.

The Zhuge family’s base is in Hubei, so it’s a bit far from here, but with the presence of Emei, Qingcheng, and Tangmen in Sichuan, there must be some interaction between the gangs.

If I hint that I run an inn...

They might even become my customers.

The thought made my heart swell with happiness.

So, even after the census-like questions, I continued to flatter him, listening to his boasts about his daughter.

“– My daughter is so intelligent.”

“Isn’t it because she inherited the wisdom of the great Zhuge Wu Hou?”

“Oh! Do you know much about Wu Hou?”

‘Do I know much? In this era, no one knows as much as I do.’

I smiled and, instead of answering his question, started reciting a passage.

“夫君子之行, 靜以修身, 儉以養德. (A gentleman should have principles in his actions, cultivate his body with a calm and contented mind, and nurture his character and virtue through frugality and simplicity.)”

The head’s eyes widened in surprise.

He asked, almost disbelievingly,

“D, did you study the Jizheshu?”

“Yes, I admire Wu Hou greatly...”

“Hahaha! You’re definitely one of us! To admire Wu Hou so much that you can recite the Jizheshu by heart. Do you know the next passage?”

非澹泊無以明志, 非寧靜無以致遠. (Without a simple and calm mind, one cannot clarify their aspirations, and without a peaceful and composed mind, one cannot achieve great goals.)

I recited the next passage, and he was overjoyed.

“Our own family members can’t even recite it! Hahaha!”

As a fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and a Zhuge Liang enthusiast, I never thought my memorization of the Jizheshu would come in handy like this.

The martial arts world isn’t so bad after all.