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“Anyway, amidst this rambling, the main point is that Zhuge Sa is saying he’s feeling unwell and seems intent on kicking Mangnyang and me out.”

Mangnyang replied, “If you don’t want to pose a riddle, that’s perfectly fine. I read the heavenly signs and it said you’re destined to die within a few years, so I thought I’d check in on you.”

At that moment, the Great Brave Monument began to stir. It got up on all fours and walked toward us, then stood up on two legs. To my surprise, the towering figure was quite imposing and intimidating.

Then the Great Brave Monument spoke, “So, you really came all the way here to see how I’m kicking the bucket, huh? Hehe…”

Mangnyang glared straight at the Great Brave Monument, which was a rare sight for him.

“Cut the weird talk. Did you pick up some bizarre knowledge from the otherworld?”

“Whatever… what are you going to do about it?”

“I thought bringing Baek Woong here might quench your thirst for knowledge, but it seems I wasted my time. I’m leaving.”

Having said that, Mangnyang turned on his heel, but then Zhuge Sa, through the Great Brave Monument, spoke up in a proper manner, “Seriously, can’t I have any fun? I had a fortune telling about a unique person visiting, and I was looking forward to it.”

Mangnyang relaxed his gaze. “Uncle, stop abusing that poor Great Brave Monument. You know that technique isn’t good for animals.”

“Got it, you scholar.”

Why is “scholar” an insult? Scholars are powerful members of society—couldn’t be an insult! I couldn’t wrap my head around Zhuge Sa’s behavior at all, but it seemed like Mangnyang felt the same way.

Suddenly, the Great Brave Monument stumbled forward on all fours, and right in the middle of the empty room, a young man in his thirties appeared. His features bore a resemblance to Mangnyang’s, though he looked incredibly decadent and had a face full of complaints—just like Mangnyang had described him.

The astonishing part was how he didn’t seem to have much age difference from Mangnyang. Zhuge Sa was clad in a Daoist robe embellished with Eight Trigrams, but he didn’t exude that typical Taoist vibe; more like someone from the mundane world who just slopped on a robe.

Zhuge Sa spoke, “Hyun Ah.”

“Yes?”

“It’s true I’m feeling unwell, you brat. Come to a sick person’s place and making a fuss.”

He grumbled, but Mangnyang asked without a change in expression, “So you’re sick? Is it a disease?”

“Nope. I just watched too much peeping and the effects turned my eyes glazed.”

“……”

Mangnyang remained unperturbed by the mocking words. I was left dumbfounded.

Peeping? “You mean this guy sneaks around like a thief spying on other people’s lives?”

After all that practice in martial arts, this was how he spent his time—being a peeping tom? I felt Mangnyang’s prior generous assessment of him vanish in an instant. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t trust Zhuge Sa.

Zhuge Sa then placed some odd contraption with glass orbs over his nose. It was a bizarre item I had never seen before. Then he said, “In any case, I no longer feel like my heavenly destiny is long, so I’m not in the mood for riddles. You can go now.”

“Such selfishness.”

Mangnyang suddenly lost his cool, “You saw a glimpse of the future where I and Zhuge Bu settle our differences, and yet you just wanna loaf around and kick the bucket? Uncle, what do you even think your life is worth?”

His voice carried a lot of emotion. It was frustrating to simply let someone die when it felt complicated, especially since we share blood ties.

Zhuge Sa plopped down on a nearby bed and replied gruffly, “If I die comfortably, that’s all that matters. What nonsense are you spouting? It’s obvious that trying to extend my life would just make my death more pitiful. So I’ll choose how I die, idiot.”

“That’s…”

“Oh shut it! What’s better than dying comfortably? Right?”

As he said this, Zhuge Sa looked at me as if seeking my agreement.

“……”

He was quite unlikable, but in that moment, I couldn’t offer any counterarguments to his question. It felt as if my mouth were glued shut.

Dying comfortably really is a great blessing.

‘No one understands that truth more than me. Having experienced various ways to die, nothing beats a gentle death in one’s sleep. It was then that I finally understood what Mangnyang had been trying to convey earlier.’

Me and Zhuge Sa may not be so different after all.

‘This guy, Zhuge Sa, lives his life openly accepting death, unlike me, a reborn person.’ It felt crazy to take that kind of stance genuinely. Still, most humans cling to life despite saying otherwise; it’s an instinct to cling to what they deem important during crucial moments. Yet, Zhuge Sa was actually speaking those words with true conviction, and I could feel that connection right away.

Zhuge Sa then wore an odd expression, seemingly realizing why I hesitated.

“Look at that? I thought Hyun brought a world hero, but you’ve brought this dirt spoon over here?”

Mangnyang answered calmly, “His name is Baek Woong. I plan to travel the world with him.”

“Oh wow! If you’re taking him, I assumed he’d be someone as capable as Emperor Liu Bei, but here you are with this loser… Your dad would cry.”

“Don’t mention my father so carelessly. You’re the one estranged here.”

“Ah, my bad, my bad. But this is just unbelievable,” Zhuge Sa said incredulously, rolling his eyes before turning to me, “I can see you’ve got great internal power and martial arts skills, but you won’t fool my eyes, brat. You forcedfully broke a clay pot trying to expand its purpose, didn’t you? You’re not an ordinary person, but you won’t make it as a hero. What do you think?”

“……”

This guy sure is obnoxious; I wanted to punch him right there, but beyond that anger, my accumulated experiences made one undeniable fact emerge: he was incredibly perceptive.

He had accurately judged me—something only a genius like him could do! Even someone like Lee Kwang hadn’t grasped my true essence, but this eccentric Zhuge Sa had! I sensed a danger in allowing my emotions to dictate how I treated him.

The stakes were high. A mistake could lead to my actual death in this life, or perhaps regrets that could haunt me for centuries after death. So, I took a moment to cool my rising anger and replied calmly, “I don’t know how you figured it out, but I’m certainly an ordinary human. However, I live currently to do what I must.”

“Living currently to do what you must. Quite the nice words, though not really reflective of how successful people are in reality.”

“What are you rambling about?”

“Ha.”

Joking around, Zhuge Sa chuckled and crossed his arms, continuing, “Fine. I won’t deny you’re somewhat interesting, so let’s see if you can solve my riddle.”

I groaned in annoyance, “I’m not really confident in my wisdom.”

“Hahaha… well, what’s the fun in a game without some stakes?” Zhuge Sa burst into laughter. My experience told me that kind of laughter belonged to someone whose brain had short-circuited.

Yes, he was crazy. Whatever it was he was seeing or hearing, he was definitely out of it.

“So you want to wager?”

“If you can solve my riddle, I’ll grant you any wish of yours.”

“And if I can’t?”

When I asked, Zhuge Sa pondered for a moment. “Well, usually it means death. But you seem to have a rather twisted fear of death, so that may not work as punishment. This is a first. Hmmm, what should I choose instead…”

“……”

I felt like I was beginning to understand why Mangnyang disliked Zhuge Sa. Given his nature, as the Lord of Jangryeong Valley, he probably gave gold to those who answered his riddles correctly, but death to those who failed. He acted just like a mad demon, so it was understandable that Mangnyang didn’t want to refer to him as an uncle.

After thinking for a moment, Zhuge Sa snapped his fingers. “Alright! If you lose, I’ll place a curse on you.”

“What kind of curse?”

“Hehe, can’t tell you that, but you can look forward to it.”

With a sinister smile, Zhuge Sa said, “Now make your choice. Will you attempt the riddle or not?”

I glanced at Mangnyang, who shook his head. Understanding his silent message, I answered without delay, “I won’t do it.”

Why would I risk a curse? Any sane person would say ‘no’ to that.

Zhuge Sa mocked, “I knew you’d say that. Are you scared?”

“Think what you like.”

To Mangnyang, Zhuge Sa’s riddles seemed like an exceedingly dangerous undertaking. There was no reason for me to act recklessly, so I decided to bow out here. Zhuge Sa chuckled softly before lying back on the bed, “Then get lost. I’m a patient, so I need my rest.”

“I didn’t ask or even care.”

Annoyed out of my mind, I shot back, and Zhuge Sa was just giggling away.

“Hahaha!! What a coincidence.”

“……?”

This guy was a complete puzzle to me.

What on earth had he seen or heard that left him so deranged?

I left Jangryeong Valley with Mangnyang, casting a disdainful glance back at the valley.

‘I might be able to recruit talents like that, but I’ll make sure it won’t be under my leadership.’

Despite his prodigious skills, something about him irked me. Unless absolutely necessary, I had no plans to approach him again. As I ground my teeth in frustration, Mangnyang spoke quietly, “By the way, the riddle he asked me last time was, [In the morning, it has four legs. At noon, it has two legs. In the evening, it has three legs—what is it?]”

“Is there really such a creature?”

“It’s a human.”

“Huh?”

“With a cane.”

“Oh…!!”

I was momentarily dumbfounded, but then it clicked. Certainly, if you likened a human life to its early, mid, and late stages, it would make sense. Mangnyang sighed.

“That was a riddle he tossed out when he was in a good mood. I solved it, but he practically threw it at me. However, he doesn’t seem to be in a good mood now, so the riddles are bound to be madness incarnate.”

“Aren’t I supposed to solve three?”

“That’s just a half-baked rumor to weed out the riff-raff. You only need to answer one, but it’ll be a tough one.”

“……”

That sort of question can be answered however he pleases, can’t it?

It felt like my frustration was mounting, and noticing my mood, Mangnyang said, “He’s probably going to commit suicide in a few years due to buildup of madness and depression. So let’s just forget about trying to recruit him…”

“Fine by me.”

Yet, something felt off. ‘What is it? It feels like he’s hiding something…?’

That instinct of a reborn person! It was an irritating sensation that something was still hidden!

Logically, Mangnyang’s judgment was completely correct, but I felt that Zhuge Sa wasn’t just an insane or depressed character. It was a prickling intuition unique to someone like me who shared a similar experience.

‘Ah, whatever. I’ll come see him another time.’

For now, I decided to put Zhuge Sa on the back burner. I’ve got mountains of tasks to tackle before worrying about him.

 

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