I Became the Genius Mage of the Martial Academy

Chapter 78 : Daoist Scholar’s Fan (4)

The Daoist Scholar’s Fan, a masterpiece said to have been made by Zhuge Goya in his later years by shaping the essence of a divine beast.

That divine artifact was now before my eyes.

“It’s more ordinary than I thought.”

The pure white fan ribs, which had been processed from the body of a divine beast, were spread out gauntly. The sharp edge at the tip of the blades was mysterious and eerie, but that was all.

When I lowered my gaze, I saw the tail of the fan, which was beginning to be covered in stalactites that had melted over a long period of time. I grabbed the handle of the folding fan that was sticking out.

At that moment, a tremendous energy burst forth… nothing of the sort happened.

Thud-

When I applied force, the folding fan came out, and along with it, the stalactites broke, and limestone powder scattered onto the floor.

I dusted off the folding fan once and then unfolded the Daoist Scholar’s Fan.

“What is this?”

But when I unfolded the fan, what was revealed were only nine gaunt ribs.

The fan's face, which could be called its surface or painting, was missing.

Perhaps it was to be expected. The paper or whatever was applied between the ribs would have worn away over the past several hundred years.

‘Looking at its appearance, it looks more like a bundle of thin, long daggers than a folding fan.’

The blade parts, excluding the handle, had a sharp edge, which made it seem even more so.

But other than that, there was nothing particularly strange about it.

I had heard that divine artifacts choose their owners. This one had no reaction whatsoever.

‘Come to think of it, there was the concept of release for artifacts.’

From artifacts onwards, their inherent power was often sealed because it was too great or because of the potential for misuse.

‘Should I try imbuing it with energy?’

But I held off on that. I had just reached the third circle, so I had almost no mana left.

‘Let’s just take it for now.’

Thinking so, I folded the Daoist Scholar’s Fan. Then the blades interlocked precisely so they wouldn’t cut.

With a feeling of convenience, I was about to put the fan in my bosom when something suddenly fell from my wrist with a clatter.

Blue fragments scattered on the floor. The Cheongeumcheon had broken.

“Ah.”

Having been exposed to such a powerful energy, it seemed to have shattered in the process of breaking through the formation.

I decided to think of it positively, as it must have helped me withstand the pressure of the formation.

It was a miracle just to have come out after breaking through that tremendous vibration and pressure.

As I was recalling that, a question suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘Then what happens to this underground cave?’

Around the time that thought occurred to me.

Rumble-rumble-rumble-

The entire cave began to tremble.

“This is crazy!”

My ominous premonition had come true. I immediately started looking around to find an exit.

‘I thought my luck was good for a reason!’

It’s not over until it’s over.

Position-wise, this place was below the lake. If the cave collapsed like this, it was obvious that I would be buried alive.

In the midst of the crisis, I quickly racked my brain.

‘If it’s Zhuge Goya, he must have made an exit somewhere in this place.’

After all, he didn’t seem like the kind of psychopath who would create such a large-scale formation and a divine artifact for future generations, only to kill them right away.

In the confusion, my consciousness accelerated. I went over the information to overcome this situation step by step. And I found one fact.

‘This is Jam-eo Lake.’

The place where the fish that lived at the very bottom of the lake became a dragon.

Then there was only one way for me, who was in the underground of the lake, to escape.

‘I have to become a dragon.’

I looked up at the ceiling. I noticed jade stones embedded here and there between the stone domes that were shaking violently. I knew right away.

‘Is it a constellation?’

Along with that, a very natural idea came to mind.

The escape is the reverse of the entrance.

I immediately took out the Seven Star Ladle that I had slung on my back. And I began to play, capturing the energy of the halo of light that the cave ceiling was emitting.

Kiiiiing-

The ringing of the Seven Star Ladle covered the area and gradually grew louder. To the point where I could feel the atmosphere tearing from the impact.

Along with that, the floor began to tremble violently. In the midst of it, I held my head high and stared at the ceiling. The ceiling was cracking with a crackling sound.

Actually, there was something I had been secretly curious about.

Where did the power of this vibration that was shaking the very ground come from?

I had presumed it was from the earth's veins, but I didn't know its exact identity.

But when I interfered with the formation engraved on the other side of this cave with the Seven Star Ladle as a medium, I was able to know the reality of the power that was lurking under my feet.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

A huge tremor was gradually approaching.

I stood firm on the ground that was cracking like a turtle’s shell. Soon, the sign of an irresistible explosion was imminent.

And that too, right under my feet.

‘It’s coming.’

I put the Daoist Scholar’s Fan deep into my bosom and prepared for the coming shock.

The source of the great power that the earth’s veins possessed. It was a huge water vein.

Fwoosh!

A stream of water with explosive water pressure burst out from the ground, and in resonance with the last performance of the Seven Star Ladle, the jewels that had been embedded in the cave spewed out the energy of the five elements.

And so, as the formation unfolded, a round barrier formed around where I was. Like a wish-granting jewel.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-ga!

At the same time, the stream of water that had burst out from the underground earth veins wrapped around me. In an instant, my vision changed drastically, and the violent pressure of the underground water pierced through the ceiling of the underground and accelerated.

A huge stream of water, a water dragon, soared. Breaking through the dark deep sea, towards the sky where the shimmering star clusters were shining on the surface of the water.

Meanwhile, at that time. In a quiet corner of the calm Jam-eo Lake, the bottom burst, and a huge stream of water broke through the surface of the water.

Like a scene from a waterspout. And before the stream of water reached the clouds, it opened its mouth and spat out a wish-granting jewel. To be precise, a young man contained within it.

“Aaaaaah!”

I screamed from dozens of meters in the air and fell onto the surface of the water.

‘Damn it!’

I had dived in my life, but this was the first time from such a height.

It was fortunate that I had managed to get into a diving posture at the last moment; if I had fallen incorrectly, it would have been dangerous.

‘It’s not easy until the very end.’

I waited for my speed to stop in the water, where I was endlessly gurgling and falling, and then I finally moved my arms and legs towards the surface of the water.

“Puah!”

As soon as I swam to the shore, I coughed and brushed back my disheveled hair.

I was completely soaked.

The Seven Star Ladle, which I was holding in one hand before I knew it, had its metallic petals shriveled up and was crumbling into powder on the floor.

Like a wildflower that had finished all its work.

‘This acted as a protective barrier at the last moment.’

I realized belatedly that just before I hit the surface of the water after getting into a diving posture, the Seven Star Ladle had spread a barrier and protected me.

I scattered the Seven Star Ladle, which had now completely turned to ash and crumbled, over Jam-eo Lake.

The powder, which was sparkling in the moonlight, rode the blowing wind and sank, leaving only small bubbles. Towards the deep part of that lake, without leaving any lingering attachment.

Watching this, I touched the remaining Daoist Scholar’s Fan in my bosom and then moved my feet.

The stars in the night sky were still twinkling. Along with Jam-eo Lake, which was reflecting them as if embroidering them.

***

When I returned, soaked, there was a huge commotion in the family. A middle-aged man shouted from among the crowd.

“Hurry up and repair it and prevent further damage!”

“Yes!”

At those words, people, each holding a torch, were moving busily. I grabbed one of them and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, young master! Are you alright? It’s an earthquake! But why are you so wet…”

Well, since that commotion had happened at the bottom of Jam-eo Lake, it was unlikely that this area would be fine. Thanks to that, the waterspout phenomenon at Jam-eo Lake also seemed not to have received much attention.

‘Even so, an earthquake in the area.’

To think that a natural disaster, which was considered the realm of the gods, had been artificially caused. I could feel the power of Zhuge Goya’s formation anew.

“Is a bath ready now?”

I asked the man.

Because I still had a place to go back to after washing up cleanly.

The night was not over yet.

***

“You’re here?”

When the door opened, Tang Surin, who was sitting askew on the bed with her white calves and thighs stretched out, slightly lifted the blanket and asked.

It seemed she had been steadfastly guarding one side of the bed despite the earthquake.

I tried my best to tear my eyes away from the thin cloth revealed between the blankets and the dizzyingly visible curves of her skin, and then said.

“…You should have gone to sleep first.”

“How could I…”

With that, Tang Surin smiled bashfully with a flushed face. But unlike her shy expression, the gaze that was staring this way was deeply sunken, as if something had melted.

‘I’m screwed.’

I admit it. The expectation of a date with a fascinating beauty and of obtaining the Daoist Scholar’s Fan had clearly paralyzed a part of my reason.

It wasn’t that I was making empty promises in a fit of anger.

‘How do I smooth this over.’

Of course, Tang Surin had an attractive appearance. Her beautiful eyes, which anyone would fall for upon meeting, her perfect nose from any angle, and the harmony of her sensual lips were outstanding. On top of that, her skin was so white that it was almost transparent, and her hair was silkier than silk.

It was an appearance that would not be out of place to be called a nation-toppling beauty.

In the first place, she was a beauty for whom the words "too good for me" were not enough. If it weren’t for the background of being one of the five great families of the central plains, I wouldn’t have gotten involved like this.

From the beginning, she was mentioned among the connoisseurs as a candidate for the jewel of Sichuan, surpassing the Tang family, and the most beautiful woman in the central plains, just for her face, excluding her personality.

Whether it was fighting, wealth, or appearance, no matter how those who liked to rank things evaluated her. At this moment, Tang Surin’s eyes, which were shining with her eyelashes under the waning moonlight, were so captivating that it was difficult to resist.

‘I must not give in to temptation.’

I exerted my extreme will and held onto the thread of reason.

If I crossed the line, then it would be truly irreversible. Perhaps if it were the old me, I might have fallen for the sweet charm and thought, "let's just do it and see."

But now that I had passed through the Unsolvable Formation  and had faced my true self, I didn’t want to do that.

I had just gotten a clue about my future life and the reason to move forward from the bottom of my being, and if I were to move according to my immediate desires without any certainty, I felt that my heart would not be at ease.

This was a matter concerning my existence, beyond sexual attraction. Because what a man should truly stand up for was not that kind of thing.

‘There is a breakthrough.’

Wasn’t I the one who had even passed through Zhuge Goya’s Unsolvable Formation ? But even for me, this case was dangerous.

Justification, situation, opponent, strength, all of it was at a disadvantage.

‘In a sense, she’s more fearsome than a great formation master.’

I looked around the room, where everything had been calculated anew.

The reddish-brown lighting that was faintly filling the room, the floor and ceiling without a single speck of dust, the arrangement of the furniture that felt as if it existed only to emphasize the bed. The scent that felt somewhat hazy throughout the room, and the bedding that revealed a softness and fluffiness that made you want to jump in right away.

The meticulousness of the design was no less than that of a first-class formation master.

“Gaga?”

Tang Surin, who tilted her head slightly to the side with a captivatingly curving corner of her mouth. Her eyes, which shone as if to capture everything they touched, captured this side.

Unlike usual, her hair, which was cascading down, was completely let down, doubling her reverse charm.

At this rate, it’s the end. It was time to start taking measures.

‘Remember, everything for the defense.’

The brain’s processing organ, which had been calibrated with the talent of [Absolute Magic], accelerated rapidly. Me, Tang Surin, the situation, the conditions, the relationship, the justification, all the combinable information flashed by in an instant.

Come to think of it, I felt something incongruous in the scent that was faintly spreading throughout the room, which was close to being odorless.

‘Bewitching Incense ?’

Although it was hidden by Tang Surin’s sweet scent, when I checked it through my sense of smell, which had been enhanced with the little mana I had left, this was definitely a bewitching incense.

If I didn’t drive out the energy of the air with mana, my body would gradually heat up.

‘All sorts of machinations are rampant in all sorts of areas.’

As expected of a world at a medieval level. But thanks to that, I was able to find a gap. After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I parted my lips.

‘First, the bait.’

“I had fun today.”

“Yes! Me too. I think today will be a night I’ll never forget for the rest of my life…”

“But! I think I’m a little tired because I moved around so much.”

“Ah, I have a tonic too! Should I give it to you?”

Tang Surin asked, taking out a brown bottle from under the bed. I could faintly hear the sound of bottles clashing inside the slightly revealed chest.

‘How much did she even bring.’

I swallowed a dry saliva inwardly and shook my head.

“No, it’s time to sleep. And my body doesn’t take that kind of thing well. You know my body is originally weak.”

I subtly emphasized the last words. So that I could plant a weak image in her mind.

“Really?”

At my words, Tang Surin made a disappointed expression, but she soon muttered softly.

“It’s okay. I just have to try harder on my end…”

I tried my best to ignore that remark and then lifted my head as if savoring something and asked.

“But the scent in the room is nice today.”

“Really? I’m glad. I prepared it diligently! …The servants did.”

At Tang Surin’s testimony, I momentarily looked out the window with a melancholic gaze.

“I used to hate it.”

“Huh? Why?”

At the unexpected remark, Tang Surin sent a gaze full of questions. At that, I continued with the words I had prepared.

“I’m originally weak to hallucinogenic poisons and things like this that you drink. So if I smell something like that, I get drunk and faint right away.”

“……”

“But when I’m with you, I don’t have to worry about that kind of thing. I’m glad.”

“…Yes.”

Tang Surin made a confused expression for a moment. No matter how much it was her, she must be flustered.

Now the situation and justification were in place. All that was left was to drive in the nail.

“Sorry, was I too sentimental today?”

“No! I was also able to see a different side of Gaga… it was good.”

When I said that while sitting on one side of the bed, Tang Surin hurriedly shook her head. I, who had dug into the blanket, glanced up at Tang Surin.

“Thank you.”

“…Yes.”

Tang Surin stroked my hair with a gentle face. At the pleasant touch, I closed my two eyes. And…

“Zzzzz-.”

The aftermath of breaking through the Unsolvable Formation and achieving the third circle came rushing in.

Tang Surin, who had been stroking my hair for a while with a warm gaze on that quiet face, suddenly came to her senses.

“…Huh?”

Before she knew it, the sight of Zhuge Cheonwu, who was sleeping with a surprisingly peaceful expression, came into her eyes.

With a pure and child-like expression that could not be broken on his sculpted face, he was sound asleep.

That appearance was completely different from his usual sharp impression, so she could only stare at that face blankly for a moment.

Tang Surin asked cautiously.

“Gaga, are you sleeping?”

“……”

“…You’re sleeping?”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“…Sleeping?”

In the midst of the silence, the night deepened.

(End of Chapter)