Hero Simulator in Type-Moon, Chapter 32

That was the "current" long since ordained by Heaven; to go against it would lead directly into unpredictable and immense danger.

Upon reaching this conclusion, the "Crouching Dragon" closed his eyes.

"So what?"

Fujimaru Kyoya seemed not to understand, looking at Zhuge Liang as if expecting more.

"I told you, it's all futile."

"Really? How many people did we save from the great fire in Luoyang? Have you counted?"

"Useless. Even if they survived the Luoyang calamity, they won't live long in this chaotic age."

"But they lived a few more days."

Fujimaru Kyoya looked seriously at Zhuge Liang. He understood that this Master Crouching Dragon before him was not what he had imagined.

Indeed, that was the case. Everything about Zhuge Liang's life before the three visits to his thatched cottage was a mystery. No matter what form Zhuge Liang took now, Fujimaru Kyoya wouldn't be surprised, but this Three Kingdoms era absolutely could not lack a figure named "Crouching Dragon."

"Just for those people's few extra days of life, you're willing to stake your own?"

"One person is just a few days, but ten thousand people is how many years? Besides, I didn't die."

Fujimaru Kyoya flipped off the bed, indicating his body was perfectly healthy.

"Then can I trouble Master Crouching Dragon for another plan?"

"I won't be swayed by the same rhetoric."

Zhuge Liang refused. He only wanted to live out his days idly.

"Then this time, not as a friend. This time, on behalf of the people of Chang'an living in fear of Dong Zhuo, I beg Master Crouching Dragon to offer a strategy."

"You..."

Zhuge Liang looked at Fujimaru Kyoya. For the first time, he realized his friend could be so "shameless."

A gentleman deceives with method; a petty man tempts with profit.

It seemed Mencius's teachings outweighed Zhuge Liang's after all.

"I'll help you this one time only."

Zhuge Liang was not cold-blooded or heartless. Before, it was despair that drove him to seclusion. Now that Fujimaru Kyoya had given him a "stepping stone," he would take the opportunity to dismount the donkey.

After all, it wasn't that he wanted to enter the world—it was that a "petty man" had "forced" him to, leaving him no choice.

"Lu Bu can't hold Hulao Pass. Retreating to Chang'an is only a matter of time. During this period, you need to bring a letter into Chang'an."

"A letter? To whom?"

Fujimaru Kyoya was curious. Zhuge Liang had been like a social recluse at Water Mirror Manor all these years—did he have any true friends he could confide in?

"Minister Wang."

"I know, Wang Lang, right?"

"Who is Wang Lang? I want you to deliver it to Wang Yun."

Wang Yun?

Who the hell was that?

Fujimaru Kyoya immediately felt a headache from his lacking historical knowledge.

"To be precise, deliver it to an immortal residing in Wang Yun's manor. Not the kind of charlatan like Zhang Jue, but a spirit of nature, a true ageless being."

Chapter 56: Where Is My Diao Chan?

[You carry Zhuge Liang's personal letter to Chang'an. Along the way, you hear news that Hulao Pass has fallen. You understand you must quicken your pace.]

With Zhuge Liang's letter, Fujimaru Kyoya soon met Minister Wang—not Wang Lang, but Wang Yun.

"I have read my nephew's letter. The strategy within is indeed feasible, but that person... is not easy to move."

Noble families had always interacted. The Zhuge and Wang clans were not minor houses; it was only natural they had dealings. Moreover, Zhuge Liang's plan to oust Dong Zhuo was exactly what Wang Yun wanted to see. But the person mentioned in the letter... was troublesome.

"I heard she is an immortal."

Fujimaru Kyoya was curious. What immortals could exist in this era?

According to Tohsaka Rin, the Age of Gods had dissipated on the mainland around the turn of the millennium, with only some island nations retaining remnants.

Although the last fragment of the Age of Gods in fifth-century Britain didn't vanish until later, the mainland should have long been free of its traces.

How could an immortal still live in this world?

"Whether she is an immortal is hard to say, but she... Nephew, have you heard the story of the suicide at Wujiang? The High Ancestor..."

"No need to say more. I've already savored enough of that."

Fujimaru Kyoya cut off Minister Wang's words. Clearly, he was very familiar with Xiang Yu's death, but what did that have to do with the immortal before them?

"The world says Xiang Yu and Consort Yu both died at Wujiang. But in truth, Consort Yu did not die and has lived until now, currently residing in my manor."

Consort Yu? Wang's manor? Lu Bu? Dong Zhuo?

Good heavens. It was Diao Chan.

Fujimaru Kyoya thought Zhuge Liang had some brilliant scheme, but it turns out sending Diao Chan to drive a wedge between Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu was all your doing, you old fox.

"All of my nephew's stratagem rests on Lady Consort Yu. If you cannot persuade her... this old man is powerless as well."

Minister Wang then led Fujimaru Kyoya to a side courtyard, clearly where Consort Yu lived. The implication was that if Fujimaru Kyoya could win her over, then he would be willing to help.

He could only say he would do his best.

Fujimaru Kyoya wasn't particularly stressed either. Even if Diao Chan didn't act, he could just sneak in and kill Dong Zhuo himself. Dead is dead, and it wouldn't steal the spotlight from the real Zhao Yun anyway.

Before long, Fujimaru Kyoya heard a melodious zither melody. The player was a maiden who seemed barely sixteen, untouched by the passage of time—it was impossible to imagine she was from the same era as Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang.

"Lady Consort Yu, Wang Yun requests an audience."

The music stopped, and Minister Wang stepped forward to lay out Zhuge Liang's scheme of sowing discord.

"What does Liu Bang's kingdom have to do with me?"

Consort Yu's reaction didn't surprise Fujimaru Kyoya. After all, Liu Bang was directly responsible for Xiang Yu's death. For her not to kick a man when he was down was already magnanimous; asking her for help was like scaling the heavens.

But would Zhuge Liang set up a plan destined to fail?

Since he was sent here, he might as well handle it his own way.

Thinking this, Fujimaru Kyoya looked at Consort Yu with a pitying gaze.

"Minister Wang, forget it. I never thought the Crouching Dragon could misjudge someone so badly."

"Brat, what do you mean by that?"

Consort Yu watched Fujimaru Kyoya's eyes roam up and down her figure before settling into a pitying expression, and a nameless fury flared up.

"I don't want to be too rude, but a woman who can't even defeat a steamed bun... a honey trap is clearly asking too much."

Fujimaru Kyoya gestured at his chest. Consort Yu's pitiful curves, which could rival Tohsaka Rin's, were truly sad.

At that moment, Fujimaru Kyoya silently labeled Xiang Yu with the tag "Heretics," and much of his respect for the Hegemon-King of Chu evaporated.

So this is the Hegemon-King of Chu? What a "small-minded" man.jpg

"Brat, have you never heard of the name Consort Yu?"

Clearly, Fujimaru Kyoya was adept at stoking a woman's anger—Tohsaka Rin deserved full credit for that.

"Meeting is less impressive than reputation. Next time you meet someone, why not prepare two steamed buns? A bun may be small, but the gap between having one and not is a chasm."

The taunts grew sharper with each word. Fujimaru Kyoya's presence reminded Consort Yu that she was still the same fiery-tempered woman.

Her sword slid from its sheath. Clearly, she intended to teach Fujimaru Kyoya a lesson.

But Fujimaru Kyoya was no slouch with a blade either.

[You snatch a sword from a nearby guard. Soon you realize her swordsmanship is extraordinary—no surprise for someone who once stood beside the Hegemon-King of Chu.]

[You haven't forgotten your own sword skills, and you sense she only wants to teach you a lesson, not kill you. A "friendly" "spar" begins.]

It was a dazzling dance of blades. Their figures crossed paths, killing intent fading, replaced by a "conversation" through steel.

But Consort Yu's stamina was truly lacking.

"Go back. I'll agree to your request. Now all of you, get out of my sight."

Hearing her order them to leave, Minister Wang hurriedly pulled Fujimaru Kyoya away. He had no idea why the lady was in such a foul mood today.

Could even immortals have their time of the month?

Fujimaru Kyoya saw Consort Yu's flushed face but didn't mind. As long as the plan could proceed.

[These past days, you've been hiding in Wang Yun's mansion, advancing Zhuge Liang's plan. However, Consort Yu doesn't act personally—she uses a puppet to play her part in the deception.]

[You watch as Wang Yun brings Lu Bu to the mansion and has Consort Yu's puppet dance for him. Everything goes according to Zhuge Liang's plan, but you notice the puppet's curves are far more pronounced. You conclude that Consort Yu compensated for her own shortcomings when crafting it.]

So she does know her own flaws after all.

Fujimaru Kyoya watched from the shadows. According to Zhuge Liang, Lu Bu might not be a man of great wisdom, but he was a man of great ambition.

Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu were already on a collision course. All Zhuge Liang's Diao Chan did was accelerate the conflict.

Men in this world were of two kinds: those who craved power and those who craved beauty. Most craved both.

Consort Yu was a peerless beauty, and her puppet was no less captivating. Even Fujimaru Kyoya couldn't help stealing a second glance.

Of course, those two stolen glances earned him a glare from Consort Yu.

Chapter 57: Ten Times, Even Nine Times

It was over.

Consort Yu's puppet returned to the room. The professional smile gradually faded into lifeless stillness.

"Are all men in Liu Bang's kingdom this arrogant?"

"Can't help it. You can't compare him to Xiang Yu."

Fujimaru Kyoya emerged from the shadows. He was honestly surprised—the old lady might be hot-tempered, but she still agreed to help with her puppet. Not backing out was unexpected.

"I have my own reasons. I don't need to explain them to you."

Consort Yu hadn't agreed just because she was riled up. It was because she remembered Xiang Yu again.

Back then at Wujiang, the two of them could have escaped, but Xiang Yu chose to die there of his own will.

He hoped this land would return to peace as soon as possible, even if it cost him his life. As for the realm after peace, he let Consort Yu see it in his stead.

Consort Yu was Xiang Yu's eyes, and all these years, all she had witnessed was a living hell on earth.

To restore peace quickly, to let Xiang Yu's lord continue to behold happy sights—that was the reason Consort Yu agreed.

Though she would not dance for other men, letting a puppet do it instead made it less of a concern.

"Will they take the bait?"

"You're just the fuse. Lu Bu killed Ding Yuan to climb higher—why wouldn't he kill Dong Zhuo? Knowing Lu Bu's nature, can Dong Zhuo truly trust him?"

Fujimaru Kyoya understood this was nothing more than the "Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors" stratagem. Zhuge Liang's schemes might not be novel, but they were absolutely effective.

"Controlling the puppet has a range limit. You'll have to infiltrate the Imperial Palace as well. I'll protect your safety."

"Protect me?"

Consort Yu let out a derisive laugh. As a spirit of nature, she would not die so easily.

"Protecting you is incidental. My main goal is to see the current emperor."

Fujimaru Kyoya's words were half-truth, half-lie.

Since Consort Yu was willing to help him with this, he would never let her fall into mortal danger. As for seeing the emperor, that was no lie either.

Fujimaru Kyoya intended to use the merit of killing Dong Zhuo to have the emperor recognize Liu Bei as an imperial uncle.

Though Liu Bei claimed to be a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, that prince had countless descendants. Who did Liu Bei think he was?

Only with the confirmation of the imperial clan could Liu Bei have a banner to stand under in this chaotic age—a foundation to secure his place.