【Beginning】
???: Zhuge! Zhuge!
Zhuge Liang: Huh?...Did I fall asleep again?
Zhuge Liang: “That dream was an long-lost memory...Is it some kind of revelation?”
Liu Bei: You must be exhausted to analyze Cao Cao’s intel. How about you take a break at the tavern down the hill?
Liu Bei: Guan Yu and I will lead a squad to meet that weapon dealer.
Zhuge Liang: No. This is a big deal. We must handle it cautiously.
Guan Yu: Speaking of which, it’s so weird that secret weapon dealer picked such a remote place.
Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang and the crew had arrived at a remote mountain to meet with the secret weapon dealer, for they needed a stable weapon supply to the army.
Zhuge Liang: Not at all. With the on-going intense war, Cao Cao had been repressing weapon business to avoid uprising.
Zhuge Liang: So many weapon dealers were either dead or in prison. Right now, selling weapons publicly is literally looking for death.
Guan Yu: Humph! I ain’t afraid of him. If they come here, I’m gonna beat the shit out of them with my Crescent Blade!
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang exchanged a gaze and smiled as they saw Guan Yu wielding her blade proudly. The squad climbed the mountain stress-free. Very soon, they saw a group of armed men expecting them at the peak.
Zhuge Liang: Let’s join them.
【End】
Before Zhuge Liang took her steps, her heart suddenly sank, for she caught a weak but quick footsteps coming over . Zhuge Liang shout out to the dealer immediately——
Zhuge Liang: Ambush! Leave now!
The weapon dealer followed Liu Bei to escape as soon as he discovered the activity down the mountain. Yet they soon found a fiery fire blocking their escape path.
Guan Yu: It’s gonna burn us to charcoal if we take this way. Let me kill the incoming enemies with my Crescent Blade!
Liu Bei: No. It’s too risky for our squad to take on Cao’s army...We must break through here!
As the enemies were approaching, Guan Yu led a few soldiers to stall them off and buy time for Zhuge Liang. Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang the big brain was startled by the fire, which recalled her childhood nightmare.
Zhuge Liang: “No more escaping...Gotta come up with something…”
Much as Zhuge Liang forced herself to approach the fire, she eventually surrendered to fear, kneeling down all of a tremble.
Zhuge Liang: “I couldn’t save my parents...Mr. Huang Zhong died because of me…”
When Zhuge Liang was caught up in a panic attack, a burning tree fell down on her.
Liu Bei: Zhuge Liang! Run!
Zhuge Liang: “The reality is such a pain. Maybe it’s not bad to reunite with my parents underworld…”
Zhuge Liang, who was traumatized by her past, decided to close her eyes and take the hit. It didn’t go as she expected because someone blocked the falling tree with the bare body, and the man shouted at Zhuge Liang——
???: Go!
What was happening at this moment resembled a memory fragment in Zhuge Liang’s mind. The familiar face pulled her back to reality like a wake-up call.
Zhuge Liang: “Is he...Is he——
Zhuge Liang crawled her way back as soon as she heard the call, while the weapon dealer putting down the tree and securing himself.
Zhuge Liang: Are you...Mr. Huang Zhong?
Huang Zhong: It’s you? Daughter of Zhuge?
Zhuge Liang thought that Huang Zhong had died in the fire to save her. The moment she found him, the long-forgotten guilt erupted through tears. Bursting into tears, Zhuge Liang couldn’t help but sat on the ground crying.
Zhuge Liang: I thought I was the only one who made it that day…I had my parents and Mr. Huang died for me so that I could live…
Huang Zhong patted Zhuge Liang’s back to comfort her.
Huang Zhong: Don’t be. You were not supposed to be involved in that incident. Your father and I had already seen it coming when we had decided to bring down Cao Cao.
Zhuge Liang: If I could realize it sooner, maybe my parents wouldn’t have…
Huang Zhong: It all happened in a rush. I’ve done my best to save you. You did good enough already, and your father will always be proud of you.
Although Huang Zhong’s words were unable to wipe out Zhuge Liang’ s guilt, it reminded her of her parents’ trust in her. Putting the trauma behind, Zhuge Liang got herself together and observed the surroundings.
Zhuge Liang: “Dad and mum want me to live...They have faith in me...This time, no one will die on my watch!”