Mythical Three Kingdoms: Martial Arts Reach Divine Ranks, I Alone Rule the World

Zhang Mu turned his head to look at Guo Jia, a hint of hesitation flashing through his mind.

He couldn't help but ponder to himself.

If the young Zhuge Liang had been sent to study under Guo Jia and influenced by his character, would the Zhuge Wolong, who was famous in history in his previous life, have been subtly changed and taken a completely different path?

I think... probably not.

Zhang Mu consoled himself.

Zhuge Liang is Zhuge Liang after all; his inherent character and temperament are not so easily changed.

Even if he spent every day with Guo Jia, he would never become a dissolute person who frequented brothels.

Zhang Mu wasn't very confident about Guo Jia's carefree and unrestrained nature.

but.

However, they had great confidence in Zhuge Liang, who devoted his life to the cause and whose legacy has been honored by millions of people in later generations.

not to mention.

The path to becoming a talent requires trials and tribulations.

Zhuge Liang, who was able to remain true to himself and grow healthily under the influence of the brilliant strategist Guo Jia, was a peerless hidden dragon who could withstand the tempering of the world.

If you can't even withstand this much training...

Then he can't be considered a hidden dragon.

If he ends up working in brothels, it can only be said that... he's just another brothel hostess.

Thinking about this...

Zhang Mu's lips curled up slightly, and a mischievous smile flashed in his eyes.

"Gongzhi, why are you staring at me like that?"

Guo Jia's perception has always been keen.

Noticing the strange look in Zhang Mu's eyes, he couldn't help but shiver, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"I have a feeling you're plotting something against me. Are you perhaps secretly scheming against me?"

Guo Jia narrowed his eyes, looking Zhang Mu up and down, his tone tinged with wariness.

Zhang Mu collected his thoughts and resolutely shook his head.

"Fengxiao, is Mu that kind of person?"

His expression was so sincere that even he almost believed it.

"By the way, Fengxiao, have you ever considered taking on a student like Zhicai and mentoring him?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia looked astonished, as if he had heard an extremely outrageous suggestion.

He stared wide-eyed at Zhang Mu in disbelief.

"Gongzhi, you don't mean I have to deal with brothel girls while also having to deal with an apprentice waiting outside to give lessons, do you?"

Guo Jia shook his head repeatedly.

Their attitude was one of strong resistance, even tinged with panic.

"My own life is a mess, how dare I take on disciples and spread the teachings! If I mislead others, I'll become a laughingstock."

As Guo Jia spoke, he took half a step back, as if Zhang Mu was about to force a hot potato on him.

Zhang Mu's other side.

Xi Zhicai had recovered from the imperial aura that Zhang Mu had previously displayed. He stood quietly to the side, watching the two talk with a smile.

His gaze shifted back and forth between Zhang Mu and Guo Jia, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

He really wanted to see it.

What kind of arguments will Zhang Mu use to persuade his friend Guo Jia, who is known for his dislike of restraint and dissolute nature?

As a friend of Guo Jia for many years, Xi Zhicai naturally knew that Guo Jia was fully qualified to teach and pass on his knowledge to students.

However.

Whether one is qualified or not, the key lies in whether Guo Jia is willing or not, and whether the students he teaches can withstand Guo Jia's temperament.

"Fengxiao, what if the shepherd said that the student he found for you has the potential to become a master of literature and that his cultivation will surpass yours?"

Zhang Mu remained calm and offered a very tempting offer.

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it carried a firm confidence.

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia abruptly stopped shaking his head.

He looked up at Zhang Mu, his tone tinged with suspicion: "Gongzhi, are you deliberately trying to deceive me?"

"Where in the world can you find a child with such extraordinary talent?"

Guo Jia frowned slightly, and his expression became serious.

He continued, his tone somewhat grave: "This is not a conclusion I'm making lightly."

"If a child prodigy is over ten years old, that's fine, but if he shows extraordinary talent before he's ten, he'll likely be envied by the heavens and die young."

He paused, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

"When I was young, I saw a child who could compose poems at the age of five and understand the teachings of various schools of thought at the age of seven. He was hailed as a child prodigy in the village."

"But when that child was nine years old, a sudden and serious illness took his life."

Guo Jia's voice lowered, tinged with emotion.

"So, Gongzhi, you mustn't joke about something like this."

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai, who was standing to the side, also quietly echoed.

"General Zhang... Gongzhi, although Fengxiao's words are somewhat biased, they are not unfounded."

"I have seen many precocious people who died young due to some kind of misfortune. Although many precocious people survived, when I saw them again, they had already blended into the crowd and were no longer as precocious as when I first met them."

Seeing that Xi Zhicai had gotten involved...

Zhang Mu smiled slightly and looked at the young Zhuge Jin, who stood upright and quietly to one side.

"Zhicai, may I ask when you took Ajin as your disciple? What was your first impression of him?"

Although Xi Zhicai didn't understand why Zhang Mu suddenly brought up his apprentice, he still answered truthfully.

"I took Ah Jin in three years ago, in the spring."

When he spoke of their first meeting, Xi Zhicai's expression softened.

"That day, I flew through Langya County and came across a group of children being chased by a village dog."

"While the other children were only focused on running away, Ah Jin turned back and spread her arms to protect her fallen playmate."

As they were talking, Xi Zhicai raised his hand and gently patted Zhuge Jin's head, smiling as he said, "I felt right then and there that this child had a rare and precious heart."

"After obtaining his family's consent, we accepted him as our disciple."

After listening.

Zhang Mu suddenly realized that the two of them had such a connection when they met.

He then asked, "Ah Jin has been a disciple for three years now. Do you sometimes allow him to go home to visit his family?"

Before Xi Zhicai could answer, Zhuge Jin took a step forward.

As he bowed in response, the young Zhuge Jin's words were filled with gratitude.

"Reporting to General Zhang!"

Young Zhuge Jin stepped forward and answered Zhang Mu's question on behalf of his teacher, Xi Zhicai.

"Ever since I became your disciple, you have sent someone to escort me back to Langya every year."

"A teacher's sincerity and kindness towards students is comparable to that of a loving biological parent."

These words, spoken by the young Zhuge Jin, came from the bottom of his heart.

As Xi Zhicai's only student, he was given access to all of Xi Zhicai's collection of scriptures and ancient books without reservation.

Once, in a half-awake state after falling asleep, Zhuge Jin accidentally discovered...

It turned out that every day after he fell asleep, his teacher Xi Zhicai would come to his bedside and use his own literary energy to nourish his body, laying a solid foundation for his future cultivation in literature and Taoism.

After listening to the boy's story, Zhang Mu understood.

It turns out that Xi Zhicai passed through Langya three years ago, only encountered Zhuge Jin, and did not meet the yet-to-be-born Zhuge Liang.

If Xi Zhicai had met Zhuge Liang back then, with his keen eye for talent, he would surely have noticed the child's extraordinary nature.

This statement is not an exaggeration by Zhang Mu.

Rather, it was something he had actually experienced.

When Zhang Mu traveled the world and arrived in Jingzhou, he had a brief encounter with the young Phoenix Chick from the tale of "Sleeping Dragon and Phoenix Chick".

He once used the half-baked aura-reading technique he learned from Zhang Jiao to observe the young Phoenix Chick, and what he saw in the mysterious aura was a flame of rebirth.

An egg remained in the flames, as if something was being nurtured.

At first, Zhang Mu thought that his skill in observing qi was not good enough and that he had misjudged it.

But after multiple verifications, he finally confirmed that what he saw in the destiny of the young phoenix was indeed the flame of rebirth and the egg.

Even the young Phoenix Chick possessed such extraordinary qualities in his destiny.

I ask you?

How could the destiny of a young strategist like Zhuge Liang be ordinary?

So Zhang Mu leaned down to look at Zhuge Jin and asked in a gentle tone.

"Ah Jin, you've been away from home for so long, wouldn't you like to go home and visit your parents now?"

Before the boy could respond, Zhang Mu snapped his fingers crisply.

The void distorted and vibrated slightly.

A narrow spatial rift appeared out of nowhere in the courtyard, connecting to the distant Langya region.

"If you want to go home, you, Mother..."

Zhang Mu's voice faltered for a moment. After comparing his age with Xi Zhicai's, he shamelessly said without hesitation, "If you want, your Uncle Mu can take your teacher and your Uncle Guo home with you!"

"bawl!"

Zhang Mu pointed to the gap in the space.

"Cross this spatial rift, and you'll be home in the blink of an eye!"

Zhuge Jin had never seen such a supernatural power as tearing through the void.

The most magical experience I had ever had was simply flying through the air with my teacher, Xi Zhicai.

Therefore.

Faced with Zhang Mu's question, he was at a loss and subconsciously looked to his mentor, Xi Zhicai, for help.

Xi Zhicai immediately comforted his disciple in a gentle voice.

"Ah Jin, don't be afraid!"

"Go if you wish, I will accompany you."

After comforting Zhuge Jin, Xi Zhicai looked at Zhang Mu with a more thoughtful expression.

A powerful expert at the Emperor Realm would never waste their power tearing through the void for no reason. This is further supported by the earlier conversation where Zhang Mu persuaded Guo Jia to accept a disciple…

He had already guessed it.

The genius disciple that my friend Guo Jia is about to take in is most likely in Langya County.

Just as Xi Zhicai had figured it out, Guo Jia had also seen through the intricacies and Zhang Mu's schemes.

Looking at the spatial rift, he sighed helplessly.

For some reason, Jia has a terrible feeling that she's about to be tricked by this guy.

"That's enough!"

"Out of consideration for the drop of imperial blood that you gave to Jia before, I will go with you, but let's make some things clear beforehand..."

"If the disciple you recommended to Jia doesn't possess the qualities of a master of literature, you should find someone more capable to be his teacher!"

After saying this, Guo Jia took the young Zhuge Jin's hand and led him straight into the spatial rift.

"Zhicai, let's go together!"

Zhang Mu raised his hand and gestured for Xi Zhicai to join him. Xi Zhicai readily accepted without hesitation.

After the group stepped into the rift, the spatial cracks in the courtyard slowly closed and dissipated.

next moment.

The group was already standing high above Langya County, with the sea breeze carrying a faint salty smell.

Looking out into the distance, the vast sea stretches to the horizon, a magnificent sight.

however.

Neither Guo Jia nor Xi Zhicai had any interest in appreciating the sea view; their eyes were fixed on Zhang Mu, waiting for the mystery to be revealed.

Zhang Mu looked down at the city below, then turned to look at Zhuge Jin, who was also looking down.

"Ah Jin, where is your house located? Can you give me directions?"

Although he could locate Langya Commandery, he was unaware of the exact location of the Zhuge clan's territory.

after all.

This was also his first time visiting this land.

Zhuge Jin carefully discerned the outlines of the streets and alleys below, then pointed southeast of the county town.

"Uncle Mu, it's over there. My home is the house with a big willow tree in front of it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mu released a gentle imperial aura, protecting all three of them. With a single step, they landed instantly.

Suddenly, they found themselves standing in the courtyard of the Zhuge family, where the old willow tree stood quietly at the entrance of the courtyard wall.

After scanning the room, Guo Jia, unable to hide his surprise, couldn't help but ask, "Gongzhi, you wouldn't be telling me...?"

"The disciple you're looking for for me, is he a member of Ah Jin's clan?"

Before Zhang Mu could answer, the aura emanating from the group had already alerted the people in the mansion.

Hurried footsteps came from inside the courtyard, accompanied by a shout.

"Who is it?"

Not long after.

A middle-aged scholar with a thin face and a short beard walked briskly over.

He was dressed in a blue long robe with a jade belt around his waist. His steps were steady, exuding a refined and scholarly air.

Zhang Mu sensed it briefly and determined that this person's cultivation level was at the "Guanzhangluo" realm among the four realms of literature and art.

Most of the seventy-two meridians in his body have been connected by the true meaning of the article, but he is still some distance away from reaching the realm of "establishing a noble character" and forging his own path in literature.

It's nothing compared to Luoyang.

However, in Langya County, having such literary and artistic cultivation is already considered a rare talent.

"uncle!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhuge Jin quickly spoke up to prevent any misunderstanding between the two parties.

It was precisely because of this call from him.

Zhang Mu immediately understood the middle-aged scholar's identity:

After Zhuge Liang's father, Zhuge Gui, died, his uncle, Zhuge Xuan, took Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang's family to Jingzhou for refuge.

Upon hearing his nephew's voice, the middle-aged scholar Zhuge Xuan relaxed his tense expression.

After looking at the person's face, Zhuge Xuan's gaze lingered on Xi Zhicai's face for a moment, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.

"Could you be the opera master who took Jin'er as his apprentice three years ago?"

"Mr. Zhuge has a good memory," Xi Zhicai laughed heartily.

"I have come to your door with two friends without prior notice. I hope you will forgive me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a hearty laugh came from the backyard.

"What crime have you committed, sir?"

"Our distinguished guests have arrived, and we have not even had the chance to greet them properly. If we are guilty, it is our fault for being negligent."

Another refined and cultured middle-aged scholar stepped forward.

His eyebrows and eyes bore a resemblance to those of Zhuge Xuan, and he was also holding a child of about three years old in his arms.

The child was exquisitely beautiful, with exceptionally bright eyes, and two small buns on his head, making him look like a fairy child who had stepped out of a painting.

Now he is curiously observing the strangers in the courtyard, his eyes showing no fear, but rather a sense of innocence and curiosity.

however.

The moment this young child came into view...

Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai, who also had some knowledge of physiognomy and aura reading, suddenly froze, their eyes widening in shock.