Liu Bei POV

I was going to mention Yi De as well but changed my mind halfway through as she’s not the Zhang Fei who can take on a hundred men at a time now.

“Keke, I have heard of the various exploits by all the individuals you just named.” Sima Hui laughed and then shook his head. He then got up and paced about beside me with his hands at his back.

“Sun Qian and the other 2 from Xu state are just book smart administrators. Chen Gong might possess well-rounded intellect but she isn’t willing to use it and she has a tendency to hold back and not give it her all. I believe this covers your administrative retainers.” He said as he patted my left shoulder.

“Guan Yu and Zhao Yun are more than capable enough as fighters but their intellect is limited in the sense that while they may be more than capable enough to see through and even counter enemy tactics, they will be unable to react effectively to more larger-scale. strategic moves. As for Lu Bu. she is difficult to control and easy to predict. It will not be easy but a good trap can deal with her appropriately. I believe this covers the warrior generals you mentioned.” He said as he patted my right shoulder.

“All the generals and retainers you mentioned have great qualities but also clear weaknesses. Dare I ask who can be considered wise and judicious amongst them?” He said as he held my shoulders and lowered his head to look at me from up close. I felt a little peeved by this and turned away. When he finished, he got up and returned to his seat.

“So I should look for said wise and judicious retainer now?”

“That is correct.” He nodded. From his expression, it was clear that he was waiting for me to say this. I do admit that what he has said thus far is correct and I am indeed looking for someone that fits that description right now.

“Imperial Uncle, did you know–”

“Hai~ I still don’t know where Zhuge Liang is right now too~”

“*Ke* *Ke* *Ke* *Ke* *Ke* *Ke*” Sima Hui violently coughed at my words.

“Ah! Teacher Sima, what’s wrong?!”

“*Ke* *Ke* *Ke* *Ke*… No, please wait.”

I went over to rub his back but he grabbed my arm tightly before turning to look at me with a face of disbelief, “You, how did you know this name?!”

“Eh?” I was rather bewildered at this question of his and frowned as I wasn’t sure how I ought to reply him, “That’s… Isn’t that person very famous?”

“Eh?!” He seemed very surprised, so surprised that he reacted completely out of character.

What’s the matter…

Ah!! Right! Zhuge Liang should still be a hermit at this time! Now that I think about it, it seems like someone called Water Mirror gave Liu Bei some recommendations and only then did Liu Bei learn of Zhuge Liang…

“Ah… Umm… I just happened to hear of some rumours.” I stammered once I realised this.

“… Un~” Sima Hui nodded after sinking into silence for a moment, all the while staring at me, “Looks like that Crouching Dragon has finally met a good lord.”

(TL: Crouching Dragon is Zhuge Liang’s t.i.tle or nickname of sorts.)

Eh?

When he finished, he stared at the ground and continuously slapped his thighs with both hands. His breathing was a little heavy and he seemed rather gloomy.

“Umm… Is there anything wrong?” I asked, curious at why he reacted like this.

“Un? Ah, it’s nothing.” He anxiously said and waved at me

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with a stiff smile, “I’m just a little shocked. I didn’t think that someone else apart from Master Pang De and I would know of the existence of a sage like Kong Ming, much less someone like you Imperial Uncle.”

(TL: Kong Ming is Zhuge Liang’s courtesy name.)

“Ah, no, no. I just heard some rumours, that’s all.” I hurriedly emphasised my point once more.

“Un un, this can’t be helped. Indeed, compared to us, the hidden dragon is far more formidable. Master Pang De and I might have intentionally or unintentionally publicised Kong Ming’s qualities, and so Imperial Uncle learned by word of mouth.”

I vigorously nodded, “Yes, that is likely the case.”

“As the saying goes, if you can get 1 of the 2, the Crouching Dragon and the Fledgling Phoenix, you can bring peace to the world. I wonder if Imperial Uncle knows of the Fledgling Phoenix if he knows about the Crouching Dragon?”

“Ah… I do not know and hope that you will be kind enough to teach me.”

Actually, I do know. But if I were to say that I do, leaving aside whether I would arouse suspicion or not, it is likely this hermit will be driven to tears. It looks like he has some pride in knowing people from how he reacted to my knowing of Zhuge Liang before.

“Un, I’ll tell you.” Seeing that I didn’t know, his frown eased, “The Fledgling Phoenix is Pang Tong Pang s.h.i.+ Yuan, and is also another hermit. Like Kong Ming, she is another gem and having her on your side will be a great boon.”

“Oh~ I see.” I said as I feigned amazement. There’s no way that I won’t know about Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong after all.

“Un, that’s more or less it. But…” I don’t know if my acting skills were adequate but Sima Hui just trailed off and sank into thought.

“Ah…” Given how sad he seemed to be just know, I wasn’t sure what to say. And after a minute or 2, the atmosphere between us became really awkward.

While mulling over what to do, I placed my hands at my back.

— Un?

When I touched my waist, I suddenly found something.

Right! This!

“Teacher Sima! May I ask if you are very close to Zhuge Liang?” I hurriedly asked.

“Un un?” I might have asked with a little too much zeal as he got shocked and took a moment to recover before asking, “I am indeed. What’s the matter?”

“Umm, do you know about this?” I asked as I pulled out the feather fan which has been with me for close to a year now and brought it in front of Sima Hui.

It’s been through a lot by now and even got soaked by river water from my recent fall. The entire fan has been covered by dirt on one side and is practically unusable now but I still carried it along and was grateful that it wasn’t washed away by the river.

“Is this… A feather fan?” Sima Hui said as he frowned after staring at it for a long while.

“It is,” I nodded, “I wanted you to take a look and see if this is Zhuge Liang’s.”

“Kong Ming’s?” Sima Hui looked up at me as he asked and looked back at the torn feather fan as he took it from me, “Un… It does seem like her’s. Wait, this is?”

When he took a closer look, he saw the piece of paper inside and gingerly took it out before slowly opening up, “The Essential Art of Great Peace… Where did you get this?”

“Ah, it was caught in the fan.” I hurriedly replied. If he were to see through everything like Yu Ji, then I have no choice but to come clean.

“Un…” He then sighed which made me even more nervous. Thereafter he put the paper back and looked it over a few more times before returning it to me.

“This fan does indeed belong to Kong Ming.” Sima Hui said as I took the fan, “But it’s her’s so why is it with you?”

“Ah, that’s… I just happened to pick it up someone where and I heard that many scholars love to use feather fans so I thought of asking you.” I gave an excuse when I saw that he didn’t know my true ident.i.ty, “But I didn’t expect that it really is Teacher Kong Ming’s.”

“Yes, that really is a tremendous coincidence.” Sima Hui said as he shook his head and then smiled, “This fan is indeed Kong Ming’s. I guarantee that.”

I nodded and looked down at the fan, relieved that I was able to finally got a confirmation. Yu Ji had already alluded to as much when we spoke but I wasn’t sure then. Now I am.

“Ah, by the way, about the piece of paper inside…”

“That’s a page from The Essential Art of Great Peace. It appears to be from a copy and not the original. The words don’t seem to be Kong Ming’s.” Sima Hui quickly said, “The Essential Art of Great Peace is a mystical book to begin with and its contents are bizarre and border on fantasy sometimes. There are even records on spells to control the weather within. If you told me that Zhuge Kong Ming possesses it, I won’t be surprised.”

Un? It seems like he meant something by those words. I looked at him and he looked like he was both smiling and not. Are all hermits like this?

“Umm… Is there any problem?” I asked, hoping to hear any continuation.

“Eh… Umm…” But this time, Sima Hui seemed very troubled at my question and he trailed off as he frowned and stroked his moustache.

I didn’t dare to inquire why his reaction was like this and only patiently, albeit anxiously, waited. This was the only time where I had no clue at all what Sima Hui was thinking about.

“It may not be very appropriate for me to say this as a friend, but since Imperial Uncle asked, I feel that I ought to share some things that Imperial Uncle ought to know about.” He said after about 3-4 minutes, and nodded resolutely.

“Please go ahead.” I nodded, placed my hands on my knees, and leaned forward.

“Un, Zhuge Kong Ming is an extraordinary talent but to be honest, Master Pang De and I don’t really understand her.” Sima Hui said as he raised his hand and knocked his head, “My view is that Kong Ming thinks very differently from most people.”