Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

After wasting a considerable amount of time with Ju Shou, Xi Zhicai finally found an opportunity to end the seemingly endless probing. He didn’t take Ju Shou’s words too seriously—Yanzhou’s strategy didn’t need any outside interference, and as for Liu Bei, Xi Zhicai would verify everything himself.

After leaving Ju Shou, Xi Zhicai immediately went after the two clustered spiritual talents he had sensed earlier. The ones near the government office were likely Liu Bei’s subordinates, but there was still one spiritual talent lingering outside, and that was a prime target for Xi Zhicai to recruit.

Facing the concentrated spiritual talents near the government office made Xi Zhicai somewhat apprehensive. The presence of spiritual talents meant that Liu Bei’s team of civil officials was incredibly strong.

As Xi Zhicai hurried towards the direction of the two spiritual talents, he began analyzing the spiritual energy of one of them.

When Xi Zhicai arrived at the Mi family inn and saw the brothers Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang, his first impressions were youth and surprise—Zhuge Jin’s age was startling, but Zhuge Liang’s was even more so.

Upon seeing Zhuge Liang, Xi Zhicai couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. Even a fool could tell that someone so young with such abilities was bound to be extraordinary.

Having witnessed Liu Bei’s remarkably talented team of officials, Xi Zhicai was already considering how to fill Cao Cao’s talent gaps. These two unaligned geniuses were a golden opportunity. One of them, Zhuge Liang, even seemed like a natural prodigy.

Wasting no time, Xi Zhicai spent money to inquire about the Zhuge brothers’ identities. After a short time, he had all the information he needed.

Quickly going through the collected information, Xi Zhicai formulated a plan. After tidying up his appearance, he approached the Zhuge brothers.

”May I ask if you are Zhuge Ziyu and Zhuge Kongming of the Zhuge clan from Langya?” Xi Zhicai greeted them with a smile as he bowed to Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang, who were in the middle of their meal.”I am Zhuge Ziyu, and this is my younger brother, Zhuge Kongming. May I ask what brings you here, sir?” Zhuge Jin was slightly annoyed at being interrupted during his meal, but seeing the refined demeanor of the man in front of him, he didn’t reject Xi Zhicai’s approach.

”I am Xi Zhicai, a strategist under Lord Cao. I originally came to Qingzhou to establish an alliance with Governor Liu, but I didn’t expect to meet the two prodigies whom my lord’s father has praised so highly,” Xi Zhicai said, not hesitating to embellish the truth. After all, they were all from Langya—knowing about them wasn’t that far-fetched.

”Much honored, much honored,” Zhuge Jin said, initially surprised to hear Xi Zhicai’s name but quickly standing up to greet him respectfully. ”Greetings, Master Xi!”

”Hahaha, no need for such formality. We can treat each other as equals. With your talents, praised by my lord’s father, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. You’re no less talented than I am,” Xi Zhicai replied with a laugh.

”Lord Cao’s father? Oh, you must be referring to Cao Song, styled Ju Gao?” Zhuge Jin paused for a moment as he recalled the name. Given that both families were from Langya, it wasn’t surprising that they had crossed paths before.

Xi Zhicai underestimated the extent of social interaction among noble families from the same region. It turned out that the Zhuge family had indeed visited Cao Song before, given that Cao Song had once held the high office of Three Excellencies, making such a visit reasonable for a former prefect like Zhuge Jin’s father.

Zhuge Jin’s tone made it clear that he had interacted with Cao Song before, which only increased Xi Zhicai’s excitement.

”Indeed. My lord’s father speaks highly of you two. I never expected to meet you here in Taishan. Would you consider joining us in Yanzhou? Lord Cao has always been eager to recruit talent,” Xi Zhicai said eagerly, already imagining the triumph of bringing two top strategists back to Cao Cao.

Zhuge Jin seemed taken aback but scratched his head and said, ”Lord Cao’s offer is certainly flattering.”

Hearing these words, Xi Zhicai felt that his trip to Qingzhou had already paid off. Not only had he picked up a high-IQ talent in Sima Lang on the way, but now he was also about to secure two more top-tier strategists. It seemed like a winning journey!

”However, I must first return to my family and seek the approval of the elders before considering anything further. But given my uncle’s acquaintance with Lord Cao, I don’t foresee any issues,” Zhuge Jin said with a hint of resignation.

Zhuge Jin was aware of Cao Cao’s standing, which wasn’t much different from Liu Bei’s. Acknowledging the praise from someone of Cao Cao’s stature naturally inflated his pride, making him more inclined to consider the offer. Since his younger brother had chosen to follow Liu Bei, it seemed only reasonable for him to seek a different path. With Cao Cao showing such respect, Zhuge Jin thought it might be worth exploring.

Seeing Zhuge Jin’s expression, Xi Zhicai knew that he had piqued his interest. After all, the strict protocols of noble families sometimes required such cautious consideration.

”Kongming, how about you? Would you like to join us in Yanzhou?” Xi Zhicai, not content with just recruiting Zhuge Jin, turned his attention to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang, in a childlike tone, replied, ”Sure, if my brother goes, I’ll go too. My uncle doesn’t allow me to go out alone, so if you take my brother, I’ll have to stay home.”

Zhuge Jin’s eyes flickered with a brief, unreadable emotion before he glanced at the slightly excited Xi Zhicai, who seemed oblivious to any hidden meanings.

As for his younger brother’s response, Zhuge Jin, ever the mature one, didn’t let his confusion show. Instead, he smiled warmly and said, ”My little brother is still young. Without me, the family wouldn’t be at ease leaving him alone. Since our parents passed away, I’ve always taken him along wherever I go.”

With a gentle smile, Zhuge Jin patted Zhuge Liang’s back, and Zhuge Liang looked up at his brother with wide, innocent eyes. It was a picture of brotherly love and harmony.