This bastard.
Or should I say bitch?
Anyway. I don't know a whole lot about this person.
Zhuge Jihee.
That was the name of this brat that I knew.
The woman with the Zhuge surname.
Had noticeable freckles on her face.
And gave the impression of having small, narrow eyes.
What was more important than her physical appearance, however.
Was the fact that she was someone who bore the Zhuge surname.
In the past, the Zhuge Family, which was called one of the Five Great Families and stood as a pillar of the Central Plains.
One day, of all places, faced extermination at the hands of the Murim Alliance.
The reason recorded by the Murim Alliance for the Zhuge Family's extermination was.
The seeds of rebellion and a bloodbath.
If you ask what kind of rebellion and bloodbath the prestigious Zhuge Family prepared.
You could know by thinking of the other name they were called.
'Descendants of the Blood Demon.'
Looking at the Zhuge Family, people called them the descendants of the Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon did not leave behind any bloodline or descendants according to records, but.
The reason they were called descendants upon seeing the Zhuge Family was none other than this.
Following the achievements of the Blood Demon.
Based on the path he had walked.
The Zhuge Family secretly plotted a rebellion.
It is known that the Murim Alliance's swift suppression upon discovering this led to the Zhuge Family's extermination, but.
Following the path of the Blood Demon...
Honestly, I can't understand it.
That a place that was a prestigious Orthodox family.
Made such a choice.
I didn't even have interest, let alone understanding, in the first place, but.
Anyway.
Because of that, the true bloodline, the roots of the Zhuge Family, was executed by beheading, and.
By now, most of those with the Zhuge surname are surviving collateral blood relatives, and.
Even they mostly live hiding their surnames, or.
Spend their lives having forgotten their surname.
Just counting the people with the Zhuge surname that I know.
There were only Zhuge Hyeok and Zhuge Jihee.
Of course.
If Zhuge Hyeok is truly the biological grandson of the Divine Doctor.
There is a probability that the Divine Doctor also has the Zhuge surname, but.
That wasn't a very important story, so I never thought deeply about it.
The important thing is.
What position her existence will hold in the future.
Zhuge Jihee.
The words she shouted to the world when she appeared were.
That she would clear the Zhuge Family's false charges and reclaim their fame and lost honor.
Isn't it funny?
The descendant of a family that dreamed of rebellion and tried to cause a bloodbath.
Saying she will reclaim their fame and honor.
According to her claims.
The record that the Zhuge Family plotted a rebellion using the power and achievements of the Blood Demon was false, but.
There was no way the Murim Alliance side would acknowledge this.
Acknowledging that would mean.
The Murim Alliance admitting that the incident occurred due to their own mistake, so.
There was no way those bastards would do that.
Actually, even if, just as Zhuge Jihee said.
There truly were no mistakes or faults on their part.
The current Murim Alliance would not admit it.
Those guys are obvious.
The one who took Zhuge Jihee's side amid all this was.
None other than the Meteor Sword, Jang Seonyeon.
It wasn't that the bastard stepped forward saying Zhuge Jihee's words were right, but.
He asked to trust her abilities and power.
She proved her power and.
Showed her intention to help the Zhuge Family rise again.
Whether the Meteor Sword's influence worked.
Or the higher-ups of the Murim Alliance accepted it, I don't know, but.
The Murim Alliance accepted Zhuge Jihee.
The position they gave her was.
None other than the position of Strategist.
Of course, that doesn't mean she did a good job as a Strategist.
Unfortunately.
At that time, it was the era of the bloodbath.
The opponent of the woman appointed as the Murim Alliance's Strategist was.
Zhuge Hyeok.
The brain of the Demonic Cult, and.
A genius called the Head of the Heavenly Demon.
Around the time he was surrounded alone by three peak martial artists.
With the body of a normal person without a speck of inner energy, he shook off the pursuit of the three peak martial artists.
Utilized the terrain and circumstances.
And the anecdote that he eventually killed all three with his own hands.
Was a very famous story in the Central Plains.
Against such an opponent, Zhuge Jihee.
Was not a very outstanding strategist.
To face Zhuge Hyeok.
They say you need at least someone on the level of Moyong Hui-a, but.
At the time, Moyong Hui-a was already dead.
So she wasn't suitable as an example.
And.
It's just that Zhuge Jihee's abilities as a strategist were low.
It wasn't that the power she possessed was unhelpful.
Moreover.
In the end, she even achieved one feat.
Zhuge Hyeok's death.
That was something accomplished by Zhuge Jihee's own hands, and.
Starting from that point, the direction of the war against the Demonic Cult.
Began to change little by little.
"What are you."
However.
Is this bastard really that Zhuge Jihee?
If she is the Zhuge Jihee I was looking for.
'Why does she look like this?'
Why does the appearance look like this.
No matter how I look at the visible appearance, it was not that of a woman.
'Is she cross-dressing?'
It wasn't certain.
Even if the lines of the body are fine.
To just call it a woman's body, it lacked curves.
'...The probability that the future Zhuge Jihee is cross-dressing as a woman?'
That seemed like a higher probability. Although I wondered why such a perverted act would be done.
The current appearance certainly fit that.
'As for the physical description.'
There are freckles, and the eyes are narrow too.
An appearance not too different from the one I know.
*Crack—* "Urk...!" The age was around the level of just reaching or passing twenty.
The voice was a thin, boyish voice, but.
It definitely had a masculine feel to it.
"Hey."
"I, I was wro...ng..."
"What's your name."
"Keok.. keok..."
Maybe I grabbed it too tightly.
Since it seemed like he couldn't speak, I loosened my grip slightly.
"Hah...!"
"Name."
"Ji, Jiseon."
"Including your surname."
""
When told to include the surname, he couldn't answer.
I didn't plan on waiting.
"I'll give you three seconds. If you don't answer, I'll break your arm first." *Craack—*
"Urk."
"O, one." "Yo... you said three seconds, why from the first...! I will answer!" Only after the desperate answer came did I release my grip.
"Speak." "Che, Cheol Jiseon."
The Cheol surname.
'A lie.'
Seeing as the name is also Jiseon, I don't know if it's a lie or not, but.
At least the surname is highly likely to be false.
I figured they would naturally be using an alias, but.
"What business do you have with me?"
I need to find out what I need to find out.
"Th... that is... I needed a belt...."
Discovering me collapsed from exhaustion.
It seemed they were thinking of secretly stealing it.
"Hmm...
Looking at the level of their realm.
It's roughly around second-rate. The movements and the felt energy were like that.
How the hell did a guy like this pass?
'This might not be everything.' Hiding one's strength is always possible.
Right now, what I was doing was exactly that.
Of course, I got caught, but...
Damn it.
Hey." "P, please let me off just this once...! I won't even peek when you sleep from now on...!" It's quite a pathetic stance.
Is a guy like this really Zhuge Jihee?
It could be an act, so I can't make hasty moves, but.
"Do you, have an older sister?"
I had to keep other possibilities in mind just in case.
"Pardon...?"
"Or a younger sister."
""
I have to ask what I need to ask.
At my words, the guy's expression changes.
How should I put it, rather than a look of being caught.
It was closer to utter disgust.
What's with that expression.
"That is... why do you ask..."
...
"N, no, I don't!"
Only after hearing those words did I release the strength in the hand that was holding the guy.
"Keok.. keok..."
Only then did the guy collapse to the floor and let out dry coughs.
Looking at such a guy, I thought.
'That's a lie too.'
The subtle difference when spitting out the denial.
Looking at the disturbance in breathing or the feel of the energy.
That answer was a lie.
I don't know if he really has a sister or not, and it doesn't matter.
The important thing is.
'That he's a guy hiding something.'
That's enough.
If the guy has a secret, whether he is Zhuge Jihee. Or not.
It means the probability increases that he is a person related to her.
'The timing for entering the sect is clearly now.'
Since he said he was in the same cohort as Jang Seonyeon.
Now should be right, but.
Did something go wrong?
That could be possible.
It wasn't like I remembered the exact timing.
And since this was a point where the butterfly effect had spread crazily because of my bullshit.
This too might have changed.
'But, I still don't know.'
I observed the guy lying face down.
No matter how I look at him, he's so frail that I wonder how he made it to the third exam.
'Should I turn him into a demonic practitioner?'
As soon as I thought that, my dantian writhed.
As if it had been waiting.
Honestly, that's the easiest method, you know.
But I had to forcefully suppress the writhing demonic energy.
'...Not yet.'
Still, it's right to hold back for now.
Moreover, with internal injuries and bruises right now, it was difficult to corrupt someone.
If I went that far.
I might have to be dead for a few days.
Then.
What's the other method?
'There is, there can't be no method.' There was one very simple method left.
"Friend."
"Yes... Yes? Fri... yes?"
I called as affectionately as possible and made eye contact.
I deliberately went down on one knee for him.
When I met his eyes and smiled brightly.
The guy flinched and shuddered.
It's different from the original plan.
And I don't know what kind of guy this is, but.
Then.
Finding out is enough.
"Shall we get along well?"
I can just keep him by my side and find out, right?
I was planning to approach him if I saw him anyway.
And something like a clue came to me on its own two feet.
I couldn't miss it.
The problem was, at my words to get along well.
The guy suddenly started crying.
"Sob... sniff... sniff..."
Though he groaned as if trying to hold back the tears.
It seemed the tears, once they burst out, couldn't be stopped.
'...No, why is he suddenly crying and throwing a fit?'
I just said let's get along.
Why is he crying so sorrowfully.
It makes a person feel bad.
I said to the crying Cheol Jiseon.
"Hey, are you crying?"
"N, no... sob... it's not."
"You're really crying, you bastard. Do you not want to be friends with me?"
"Yes. No, no! I want to...!"
"Right, you should. Let's do well together, okay?"
"Ye... yes."
"Let's get along, okay? You also owe me one."
"I... if you put it that way."
When I spoke holding the attempt to steal my belt earlier as collateral.
The self-proclaimed Cheol Jiseon pulled out the belt from his bosom, trembling.
"I, I will give you this..."
"Geez. Friend."
I grabbed the belt he was trying to give and forcibly returned it to his bosom.
"Friends don't take things like this. Do I look like the kind of person who just snatches things away?"
""
"Answer."
"N, no you don't!"
At the obediently heard answer.
I nodded as if satisfied.
How should I say.
It felt like I got one... no, one good friend.
Lucky me.
Very, I mean.