The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 103

"Yun was a bright child from a young age. Even if he wasn't a genius who knew ten things from hearing one, he was a child who could certainly understand ten things from hearing one."

At first, he started with a story that was not much different from the story I heard from Zhuge Bang-ju.

How bright a child Zhuge Yun was, and why he was a special child.

"But in fact, the first problem arose five years ago. Five years ago, Yun spoke to me for the first time."

"What did he say?"

"He asked if he would have to live his whole life without leaving the Zhuge family, like his father, if he became the head of the Zhuge family."

"And so?"

"I said yes. The head of the family is like the center of the family. Although it's unavoidable to leave for a while due to some business, I said that the family can only be maintained if the head of the family stays in the family. And then..."

Zhuge Myeong-hyeon frowned slightly as if he didn't even want to recall the events of that time, and then continued, "He said he didn't want to be the head of the Zhuge family."

"I see..."

He was silent for a moment.

It seemed that he was trying to compose himself from the emotions that had welled up while talking about the old story.

Five years ago, Zhuge Yun was fourteen years old.

It seems that was the time when he, who had lived as a carefree child of the family until then, first had a dream.

But unfortunately, it seems that dream was not in the Zhuge family.

Since he didn't want to be the head of the Zhuge family because he had to be cooped up in the family, it means that his dream is in the Central Plains.

And that dream must be more precious than the position of head of the family.

"So what did you say, Family Head?"

"Of course... I scolded him, saying it was nonsense. I don't know if I had another child, but at that time, Yun was the only child who could learn martial arts..."

As expected.

In a traditional martial arts family, they usually start teaching martial arts to children before they turn ten.

That means that he must have known for a long time that Zhuge Ling couldn't learn martial arts.

Although there is a way to hand over the position of family head to a branch family, such a thing rarely happens.

It's a method that is chosen only when there is no heir to succeed the family, and since there is a bright and healthy son like Zhuge Yun, it would be even more impossible.

"Still... that incident was settled with Yun reluctantly agreeing to my words. But..."

"A real problem arose. And that was three years ago."

He nodded his head with a heavy face.

I waited quietly for his mouth to open.

He closed his eyes for a moment as if to compose himself, and then he opened his eyes and began to speak.

"Any martial artist of the Zhuge family goes through the training martial artist stage and then belongs to various groups within the family. That's the same for the direct line. Usually, they graduate from the training martial artist stage when they are about twenty years old. But Yun, three years ago. At the age of sixteen, he graduated from the training martial artist stage and was supposed to enter the Wolongdae."

"The Wolongdae... it's the place where the martial artist Zhuge Hwang-gyu, who was here a little while ago, belongs."

"That's right. It's a place where only the most outstanding people in our family gather."

Even in this, a hidden pride was evident in his voice.

Zhuge Yun's aptitude must have been really outstanding. To have entered the best group several years earlier than others.

"But Yun... refused to enter the Wolongdae."

"So he had definitely decided to leave the martial world around that time."

"That's right. That day, Yun told me. That he was no longer a young child, so he wanted to leave the Zhuge family and see the world."

"See the world..."

For some reason, I feel like I know what he really wants to do.

"At that time, I also said absolutely not. And at that time, I spoke a little strongly. That the only future set for you is to become the family head. That the position of head of the Zhuge family is a position that everyone is eager to have. And so on..."

His face gradually contorted as he spoke.

It seemed that he was very much regretting that time.

"At that time, Yun asked me. Then was he born to be the head of the Zhuge family? Was the reason he was born... to maintain the Zhuge family and pass it on to the next generation? I said yes. That you were born. That Ling couldn't learn martial arts was all for you to succeed the family. So I just told him not to say anything and to start preparing to become the head of the Zhuge family."

"No way..."

Zhuge Myeong-hyeon's eyes began to turn red.

As if he were forcing out words he didn't want to say, he barely squeezed out his voice and said, "And that night, Yun... tried to commit suicide."

"Huh..."

I let out a gasp without realizing it.

Of course, I have also confirmed that he is alive and well now, and since he also said 'tried', it is a foregone conclusion that he failed to commit suicide.

But the weight of that word and act itself is by no means light.

"At that time, Ling went to her older brother's room to play and saved Yun, who was hanging himself... If it weren't for Ling... phew..."

The moment he let out a long breath with a trembling voice, a tear rolled down.

After hearing this story, it seems that various questions are being solved at once.

The two things I was most curious about.

First, why did Zhuge Myeong-hyeon leave Zhuge Yun in that state?

Second, why did no one know about the story related to him?

But after hearing it, it seems that he just left his son, who had even tried to commit suicide, alone because he couldn't push him any further, and the reason no one knows about this is probably because he kept it a strict secret so that this story wouldn't leak out.

If it were to become a rumor outside that the son of a family of the five great families, and a man who might even become the successor, had tried to commit suicide, the prestige of the Zhuge family would literally fall to the ground.

And not only the Zhuge family, but Zhuge Yun himself would also be highly likely not to be recognized by anyone if this fact were to spread outside.

The martial world has a strict side to martial artists.

Especially for those who have lost their honor, those who have lost their dignity as a martial artist.

But in their eyes, a person who tries to commit suicide over something trivial will surely not even be treated as a martial artist.

'Perhaps he kept it a secret for the future of Zhuge Yun rather than the Zhuge family...'

Judging from the tears of Zhuge Myeong-hyeon that I see now, it seems that he thinks of Zhuge Yun as more precious than I thought.

Perhaps his thoughts changed like that after Zhuge Yun tried to commit suicide.

"Phew... only I, Ling, and my wife know about this. This is the first time I've told this to someone since that day. Now that I've said it, I feel a little relieved."

He smiled faintly with his still moist eyes.

"You said that Young Master Zhuge's dream was to travel the Central Plains, right?"

"That's right."

"Is there a separate place he wants to go? Or does he want to leave the martial world altogether and live as a person unrelated to the martial world?"

"From what I heard, it seemed that he didn't mind leaving the martial world for his dream."

"Then it's time to ask what that dream is."

"That's right."

He nodded his head as if he were ready and said, "Yun's dream is to become the best mapmaker in the Central Plains. As you know, there is no accurate and perfect map in the Central Plains right now."

"That's right. Although there may be maps on the scale of a small village, a county, or perhaps a province, there is no map that covers the entire Central Plains."

The Central Plains is too wide.

Is it just wide? The high mountains are too high to climb, and there are places where the sun doesn't shine all day because the mountain terrain is rugged.

There are countless remote areas where human feet have not reached because the forests are too dense.

It's not just the mountains. What about the water? Donghu is so wide that it can be mistaken for the sea, and there are even waves and sandy beaches.

And there are several more lakes like this in the Central Plains.

In this situation, it's impossible for there to be a proper map.

Although I've heard that the map managed by the imperial court is quite accurate, in order to even see the imperial court's map, you have to enter the military and pledge lifelong loyalty to the emperor.

And even then, you can't even see the map until you rise to a fairly high position and become a general or a commander.

"Yun said that his only dream is to make the most accurate map in the Central Plains. When I asked him what meaning it has, and why he wants to make it, do you know what answer I got?"

"What did he say?"

"He said he didn't know either... rather, he asked me back. Why I wanted to become a martial artist."

I nodded my head without realizing it.

This is usually the case.

People often ask why they want to do something they want to do.

That also applied to me.

Although the Un Family, where I was born and raised, did not have outstanding martial arts, nor did it produce great martial artists, it was not a family where you couldn't eat if you lived quietly.

Since most of the surrounding land was owned by the Un Family, you could live well enough just by giving out tenancies.

To be honest, the reason one of my ancestors put up the name Un Family and pretended to be a martial arts family with third-rate martial arts was because they were well-off.

But, for some reason, I wanted to be a real martial artist since I was young.

Not a martial artist who just walks around with a sword at his waist and his head held high in the market, but a real martial artist who travels the martial world and practices righteousness and chivalry.

So I, who trained like crazy, often received such questions.

'Why on earth do you want to go to the dangerous martial world? What do you want to do there?'

Whenever I received such questions, my answer was always the same. Just because.

I have something I want to do, and the little child inside me is telling me to do it, so I thought I didn't need to explain the reason to others, and I just answered vaguely.

'Being born into a great family is not necessarily a good thing. And being born into a family of no consequence is not necessarily a bad thing.'

Although it may sound strange to say that I was a little comforted while hearing such a serious story, I had a thought that there was a good side to being born as the Self-Taught Swordsman Unhwi in my past life.

Because at least I could work hard to do what I wanted to do.

"I see what happened now. And you, Family Head, now... ah, if you think my words are too presumptuous, can you tell me anytime? Because I think I have to speak a little directly."

"Speak comfortably. I'm ready to hear the story."

I bowed my head slightly, and then I looked straight into his eyes and said, "You want to reconcile with Young Master Zhuge Yun now, right? Until now, you had no choice but to leave him as he wanted because you had no alternative, but since Miss Zhuge Ling started to learn martial arts... and she also has peerless aptitude."

"That's... right."

"But, even if you want to have a good relationship again now, Young Master Zhuge Yun's heart has been closed for a long time... and now you want to tell him to do what he wants, but the conversation itself is impossible, right?"

"That's... right."

At my direct words, Zhuge Myeong-hyeon's face gradually turned red.

He must be very embarrassed. But he doesn't get angry.

I smiled brightly.

Zhuge Myeong-hyeon, the head of the Zhuge family, and the father of Zhuge Yun.

After struggling between the two roles, it seems that he has now decided to live as the father of Zhuge Yun.

Although there are many cases where the head of a large group like this can't give up the role of family head and disowns his children... I had a thought that Zhuge Myeong-hyeon is a great father enough.

"Although I don't know if I can help, I will try to have a conversation with Young Master Zhuge Yun once."

"Will you do that?"

He says as if he is delighted at my words.

He has a face full of expectation that I will do something.

Come to think of it, it was also me who taught Zhuge Ling how to learn martial arts.

So it's natural for him to have expectations.

"Yes. I don't know if it will work out well or not, but just having a conversation is... well..."

He suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Thank you so much! I'm sure you'll be of help. Aren't you the one who received the revelation of the Primordial Heaven Supreme?!"

"Ah, that, that's right..."

"If things go well, I will donate a large sum of money to the Wudang Sect. Enough to properly express my sincerity."

His eyes are already starting to fill with emotion as if Zhuge Yun has come out of his room, but I just barely smiled.

'Don't give it to Wudang, give it to me. Please...'

Although I desperately conveyed my heart with my eyes, it seems my heart was not conveyed.

(End of Chapter)