Crossover: In Little Garden, Becoming a God Through Once Proven, Forever Proven

[It was soon your turn, and your opponent was Zhuge Qing. The stands overlooking your match were packed with people.]

[The Old Celestial Master was among them. When he saw you, he made a V sign with both hands and flashed a radiant smile.]

"That old geezer's really crafty."

Qin Qi smiled. The Old Celestial Master had definitely pulled some strings. Whether it was Zhuge Qing or Qin Qi himself, both stood in Zhang Chulan's way.

So the Old Celestial Master had simply arranged for them to face each other. No matter who won or lost, it was a good outcome. As for whether the Old Celestial Master would do such a thing...

Other people might care too much about their reputation to do it, but the Old Celestial Master was different. The old geezer had reached the state of following his heart's desires without overstepping the bounds.

After all, he was even capable of drugging his own disciple. What was a little manipulation of the draw compared to that?

"At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I was free from doubt."

"At fifty, I understood the will of heaven. At sixty, my ear was attuned. At seventy-two, I could follow my heart's desires without overstepping the bounds."

As Qin Qi recited those words, he stepped into the arena. Zhuge Qing walked in, step by step, as well.

"Mr. Qin Qi, my father asked me to give you his regards. And please, I hope you'll give me your guidance today."

Zhuge Qing looked at Qin Qi, opening his eyes with a hint of curiosity in them. Qin Qi had visited Zhuge Village before.

He had sparred with Zhuge Qing's father, the current head of the Zhuge Clan. No one knew the outcome, since the two had sparred behind closed doors.

But after Qin Qi left, Zhuge Qing heard his father tell him that he must be more courteous if he ever met Qin Qi again.

"I wouldn't presume to offer guidance. Your Zhuge Clan is more skilled in the arts. Qimen Bagua encompasses heaven, earth, man, and spirit, with endless variations."

"Divine Mechanism: Hundred Refinements also has endless wondrous applications. Both of the Zhuge Clan's techniques are peerless arts unmatched in this age."

Qin Qi spoke very politely as well. They were trading business compliments, so everyone saved face.

Meanwhile, in the stands.

"What did Mr. Qin Qi mean by what he just said?"

"That was from the Analects, wasn't it? But why was he quoting them?"

"No idea. Does it have anything to do with the fight?"

The spectators were completely bewildered and had no idea why Qin Qi had said that, but some people caught on.

"Senior brother, ptooey! You're shameless. Your skin was thick enough back then, but I didn't expect you to be the same in your old age."

Tian Jinzhong looked at his squinting senior brother. He was the first to catch on. Wasn't that bit about following one's desires referring to his senior brother?

"Junior brother, don't talk nonsense. I didn't do anything."

The Old Celestial Master spread his hands, an innocent look on his face.

"Ptooey! You shameless old thief, still pretending? You take us all for complete fools."

Lu Jin immediately joined in from the side. If he didn't take a jab at the Old Celestial Master now, when would he? He had waited a long time for this chance.

"I..."

"What do you mean, 'I'? I can't even be bothered to listen to your explanation. I'm not sitting with an old thief like you."

Lu Jin gave the Old Celestial Master no chance to explain. He got up and left, feeling much better in that instant!

Meanwhile, in the arena, the battle between Qin Qi and Zhuge Qing officially began.

"Mr. Qin Qi, watch out!"

After speaking, Zhuge Qing pushed off with his foot. In an instant, he established the central palace, and Qimen Bagua began to unfold with him at its center.

"You're the one who should watch out. Magnetic Field Rotation, break!"

Qin Qi stood still, but Magnetic Field Rotation began to move. The magnetic field and aura of the entire arena-no, the entire mountain-were affected.

"Hmm!"

In that instant, Zhuge Qing felt it. His Qimen Dunjia formation had been broken, not by an art, but torn apart directly with brute force!

"No wonder Dad told me to be more polite when I saw you. Once you pulled that move, I really didn't have any strength left to fight back."

"But I'm still very curious. How did you do it?"

Zhuge Qing looked at Qin Qi with a somewhat helpless, powerless expression. The aura above the arena was now in complete chaos.

Even if he wanted to establish the central palace again, he couldn't. He had lost before the match had even begun.

He hadn't lost in terms of skill, but purely in strength. With that step, he had established a small qi formation.

Different positions in this formation had different attributes. That was the mystery of Wuhou Qimen: it did not rely on the formation of heaven and earth.

Instead, one established a formation oneself. But now the aura he had established had been torn apart, and the formation had dispersed. At the same time, the aura (magnetic field) here had become utterly chaotic.

He could no longer use the arts of Wuhou Qimen.

"No technique to it. Just pure strength."

Qin Qi smiled as he spoke. When he had sparred with Zhuge Qing's father, he had already seen through the mysteries of Wuhou Qimen.

"Still want to continue? Your Zhuge Clan should train in hard skills too, right? How about coming over and fighting me up close?"

Qin Qi did not press the attack, but asked instead.

"No. Once a warlock's own formation is broken, he's lost. I won't struggle anymore. I give up."

Zhuge Qing raised his hand in surrender. He didn't feel much pressure at the moment. After all, his father had lost back then too, so losing now wasn't all that hard to take.

When the gap was small, one could still compete, but when it was too large, all that remained was to accept one's fate.

The referee then announced that the match was over, and Qin Qi and Zhuge Qing left.

"That's strange. Why did our Qing surrender just like that? They didn't even fight!"

"Were they putting on an act for us?"

"Did anyone see what was going on? Can you explain it to us?"

The people in the stands were all dumbfounded. They had thought they would get to see handsome men fight, but instead the two had exchanged a few words and left.

"Zhuge Qing's formation was broken, so he admitted defeat. But how did Layman Qin Qi do it?"

Zhang Lingyu frowned. Although he had discerned how Wuhou Qimen worked, he couldn't figure out how Qin Qi had done it.

He turned to look at his master, hoping he would explain.

"No technique to it. Just pure strength. When the day comes that your weight is great enough, you'll understand what I mean."

The Old Celestial Master looked at Zhang Lingyu and spoke with a smile.

"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, what happened? Why did that guy from the Zhuge Clan suddenly surrender?!"

Zhang Chulan didn't understand the arts, but he could tell something was off about the match. Zhuge Qing had looked utterly helpless when he left.

But the two of them hadn't even fought. What had Zhuge Qing been so helpless about?

"Zhuge Qing's formation was broken. Warlocks rely on that formation when they fight with their arts, and Mr. Qin Qi tore his apart directly."

"Don't ask me exactly how he did it. I don't know. In fact, even what happened in that fight is just my guess."

Xu San pushed up his glasses. He hadn't really understood what he saw either, but he had heard what the Old Celestial Master and Zhang Lingyu said, and now he passed it on to Zhang Chulan.

"San, do you remember that the company's internal records once mentioned a kind of person called Trouble-Fated?"

Xu Si suddenly spoke. He had also heard what the Old Celestial Master and Zhang Lingyu said. After pondering for a long time, he had suddenly remembered this.

"Trouble-Fated?"

Zhang Chulan asked in confusion.

"Trouble-Fated people are born with trouble around them, and anyone who gets close to them is affected. I wasn't supposed to tell you about this."

"But it's all right to mention it now. There was once a Trouble-Fated doctor. Anyone who got close to her would fall ill."

"In the past, there was also a murderous Trouble-Fated person abroad. Wherever that person went, a murder would occur. Hmm, that should have been over in Beika Town in Sakura."

Xu San explained, unconsciously pushing up his glasses again. "Si, do you mean Mr. Qin Qi is Trouble-Fated?"

"You look smart with those glasses on, so why are you so dense?"

"I'm talking about the weight the Old Celestial Master just mentioned. That weight isn't about status or position, but a person's weight in this world."

"Some people are born with a powerful influence on the world, while others grow stronger through effort after birth, thereby increasing their weight."

"Mr. Qin Qi is like that now. Just by standing there, his weight begins to affect the aura. It works on the same principle as being Trouble-Fated."

"That might be why Zhuge Qing's formation was torn apart. His formation was too small to accommodate Mr. Qin Qi's weight."

Xu Si had a quick mind. Although he was the younger brother, he was actually the person in charge of the Express Delivery Company in this area, and the one who made the decisions.

After listening to the two of them, Zhang Chulan swallowed. Although he hadn't understood, he had learned one thing.

Mr. Qin Qi was strong, unimaginably strong!

If I want to take first place, do I have to fight him? Can I win?

In that instant, Zhang Chulan suddenly felt an urge to surrender, then run off somewhere nobody knew him and leave everything behind.

But the desires in his heart, his curiosity about what had happened back then, and his fear of the unknown tugged at him, making him stay and try to fight for that nonexistent chance!

[You left the arena, but did not leave altogether. Instead, you took the initiative to approach Zhuge Qing and talk to him.]

I came up with this explanation of weight myself. It wasn't in the original work. I'm mentioning it here mainly to set up the plot later on.

Chapter 66: Zhuge Qing: Don't Wear Yourself Down Mentally, Put the Pressure on Others!

"Young Zhuge Qing, you're unwilling to accept it after losing, aren't you? You can't reconcile yourself to it."

Qin Qi walked over to Zhuge Qing and spoke with a smile.

"No. Mr. Qin Qi, your methods are superb, and my own strength falls short. There was nothing I could do about losing, and there's nothing I can't accept."

Zhuge Qing smiled too. When he did, his eyes narrowed, making him look just like a fox, as his nickname suggested.

"You can fool me with that, but don't fool yourself too."

"You're young and spirited. How could you possibly be content after losing? Want to find somewhere to have some tea and chat with me?"

Qin Qi looked at Zhuge Qing as he spoke.

"Hmm... all right."

Zhuge Qing looked at Qin Qi, his expression stiffening slightly. Then he thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. He did want to have a chat with Qin Qi~.

[Zhuge Qing first went to see his younger brother, Zhuge Xiaobai. After saying hello, he went with you to the back mountain.]

[There was a secluded spot on the back mountain. The two of you sat directly on the ground and began to talk.]

"Qing, you don't mind me calling you that, do you?"

Qin Qi asked.

"Hmm, no problem."

Zhuge Qing looked at Qin Qi. He was very curious about what Qin Qi wanted to say to him. Did he want to comfort him, or laugh at him?

"Qing, I've heard about you. Your dad told me quite a bit about you when we talked back then."

"You're a heaven-born prodigy, the treasure of your family since childhood. With Wuhou Qimen, many of your peers, and even many of your elders, can only master one of the four."

"But you mastered all four-heaven, earth, man, and spirit-at such a young age. You could be called a genius among geniuses."

"Your family has great expectations of you, and you're the eldest son of the Zhuge Clan's patriarch. You could be called a genius who has everything gathered upon himself."

"But... that's also why you're afraid of failure. You lost, and all your past efforts have gone to waste."

"You've also let down your family's expectations, so you can't accept it, and you're afraid too. Am I right?"

Qin Qi looked at Zhuge Qing. He could clearly see the change in Zhuge Qing's eyes, from curiosity and confusion at first to shock and panic now.

"You're right, Mr. Qin Qi... but I've come to terms with it now. A loss is a loss. I just need to keep working hard from here on."