Under One Person: Dressed as Lü Liang, with vests all over

Chapter 165 The Moment of Showing Off, So Satisfying!

In the open space ahead, a large number of people were already waiting.

In the middle, there was a row of chairs, and the people sitting on them were all calm and composed, clearly possessing considerable strength.

As Lü Liang and his two companions approached, all the experts from the Zhuge family turned their gazes toward them.
The man sitting in the center had gray hair, blue eyes, squinty eyes, and a short beard. He looked just like Zhuge Qing in his middle age.

Therefore, Lü Liang quickly guessed his identity—Zhuge Qing's biological father, the head of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Gong.

To Zhuge Gong's left sat a group of middle-aged people, both men and women, who were probably of the same generation as Zhuge Gong, or uncles of Zhuge Qing.

To the right of Zhuge Gong sat a group of elderly men and women, but no one dared to treat them as ordinary old people; these were probably the elders of the Zhuge family.

That Seventh Grandmother might be there.

Lü Liang shifted his gaze to the side.

Besides the elders of the Zhuge family who were sitting, there were also many young people standing around the open space.

These people stood in twos and threes, all craning their necks to look around.

Upon seeing Zhuge Qing arrive, they immediately adopted a look of anticipation, eager to watch the spectacle.

After taking in the expressions of everyone on the field, a hint of interest flashed in Lü Liang's eyes, and he raised his eyebrows slightly.

These people's reactions are quite intriguing.

Among the people sitting next to Zhuge Gong, some had their brows furrowed and looked indignant.

Some people looked worried and concerned.

Some people even had a hint of smugness and gloating in their eyes.

"Interesting, very interesting." Lü Liang pondered with great interest. "It seems that the Zhuge family is not harmonious at all."

……

Lü Liang had already guessed Zhuge Gong's true purpose.

He set up these so-called three checkpoints not to make things difficult for Zhuge Qing.

On the contrary, this was because he valued Zhuge Qing highly.

As the most competitive successor of the next generation of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Qing appeared with him in the Qinling Mountains, and later appeared in the battle between Quanxing and Yaoxing Society.

This is enough for outsiders to label Zhuge Qing as having colluded with the Quanxing sect.

Although in modern society, this is not a capital offense.

However, it is only natural that he was condemned by other prestigious and upright families for this.

Especially since the Zhuge family also produced thirty-six thieves in the past, they would certainly be even more vigilant about this.

Meanwhile, other members of the Zhuge family who harbored ambitions for the future position of family head were also waiting for Zhuge Gong to make his stance clear.

Lü Liang looked in the direction of Zhuge Gong.

It must be said that Zhuge Gong's arrangement was quite well thought out.

Firstly, he could use this "setting up of checkpoints" to tell the outside world the Zhuge family's attitude.

The Zhuge family disapproved of its disciples associating with Quanxing, so even though Zhuge Qing was the family head's biological son, he was still punished.

At the same time, Zhuge Gong also used this incident to convey another message—"My Zhuge family has already personally punished Zhuge Qing, so you outsiders shouldn't interfere!"

Secondly, the design of this challenge was not only to convey these two messages to the outside world, but also to be seen by the people in the clan.

Not only do we need to show them the family head's attitude, but more importantly, we need to let them see Zhuge Qing's strength.

As long as Zhuge Qing can overcome these three extremely difficult challenges, he will still be the most likely future head of the Zhuge family.

Of course, this plan also has its challenges.

To appease public opinion, these three challenges must be set up to be difficult, difficult enough to convince the public.

The most crucial point in achieving the plan is that Zhuge Qing must successfully overcome these three challenges.

Otherwise, everything is empty talk.

……

Thinking of this, Lü Liang looked at Zhuge Qing, who was already walking towards Zhuge Gong.

He was very curious about how these three levels would be designed.

Before Zhuge Qing could reach Zhuge Gong, he was stopped.

The person who stopped him was the middle-aged man who had been sitting in the seat next to Zhuge Gong on the left.

The man's hair was tied up, and he wore a long robe, giving him the air of an ancient scholar.

"Sixth Uncle."

Zhuge Qing spoke to the man.

Upon hearing this form of address, Lü Liang immediately recalled Zhuge Qing's introduction of him on the road.

The direct line of the Zhuge family, namely the line of Zhuge Qing, had eight brothers and sisters in Zhuge Gong's generation.

Among them, Zhuge Gong ranked third, and the sixth was called Zhuge Shan, who was the elegant man in the long robe in front of them.

Zhuge Shan nodded slightly to Zhuge Qing, and then spoke:
"Qing, if you want to enter the Zhuge family today, you must first pass three tests."

"The first challenge is Qimen, the second is Shenji. You pass the challenge by defeating your opponent."

"As for the third level..." Zhuge Shan paused, then said with a subtle expression, "Let's talk about it after you've passed the first two levels!"

After the introduction, Zhuge Shan did not return to his seat. Instead, he rolled up the sleeves of his robe and assumed a fighting stance.

Zhuge Qing was taken aback, but quickly realized what he meant and asked in a surprised tone:

"Sixth Uncle, you're not going to be my opponent in the first round, are you?"

"Yes, that's me."

Zhuge Shan responded with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Qing's lips twitched, and he retorted:
"Sixth Uncle, you are the person in our Zhuge family who, apart from the patriarch, is the best at using the Wuhou Qimen method."

"For an elder like you to be my opponent, a junior, is giving me far too much credit."

"Qing, don't underestimate yourself."

Zhuge Shan glanced at the young people standing on the sidelines, then looked away and continued:
“You rascal, when you were eighteen, there were no young men in the village who could rival you. Since we’re setting up a challenge, it’s only natural that we elders have to step up.”

"Come on, make your move. Don't worry, I won't hurt you!"

……

"Xunzi - wind rope!"

"The character '艮' (Gen) – Earth flows into the wall!"

"The character '巽' (Xun) – a water bomb!"

"The character '兑' (dui) represents the merits of sandalwood!"

"The Hou borrowed the east wind, which was actually the movement of the Tianfu star in the Zhen palace and the rise of the wind in the Xun region, using fire to attack wood! The character Li—Fire Meteor!"

"When the Gate of Life is located in the Zhen Palace, it indicates that fire attacks are advantageous; the character Li represents the Red Serpent!"

It must be said that the counterattacks of Wuhou Qimen are quite spectacular.

Especially when Zhuge Shan attacked first with fire, but was suppressed by Zhuge Qing with fire-based magic.

Everyone on the sidelines was watching intently.

"boom!"

The next moment, Zhuge Qing's magic actually broke through Zhuge Shan's defense and hit him, causing half of the sleeve of his robe to be torn off.

At this point, the outcome has been decided.

Zhuge Shan stopped what he was doing, his eyes showing both surprise and admiration.

"Using the Human Plate Technique as the primary method and employing the reverse Five Elements as the offensive strategy, this move is brilliant! Qing, how did you come up with this idea?"

"This wasn't my own idea; I came to it after being inspired by someone else."

Zhuge Qing looked at Lü Liang, who was standing quietly to the side.

He figured out this move because of what Lü Liang said within the context of the Qinling Mountains—

“If you look beyond the changes of time, you can see the complete pattern of a person.”

"From a perspective outside of time, destiny is but a line, while the future is a product driven by inertia, based on the accumulation of the past and present."

“Although practitioners strive to break free from the inertia of the past through complete mastery of the present, thereby independently creating the future, it is undeniable that the past is always the foundation of the future.”

"Even if only a small part of the past is destroyed, a person's fate may come to an end. This is why the Qinling Qi situation is so deadly."

The three plates represent celestial phenomena, terrestrial phenomena, and human fortune; the nine palaces form the foundation, and the eight gates serve as the application.

Since Qimen Bagua is about manipulating the overall structure, why not focus on the dynamic structure of "people" during battle?

Instead of relying on existing momentum, a direct attack is better.

Zhuge Shan patted Zhuge Qing on the shoulder and said with emotion:

"The younger generation surpasses the older generation; you young people are indeed more insightful."

"It's just a trick. If it were a direct battle of life and cultivation, I wouldn't be a match for Sixth Uncle."

Zhuge Qing smiled and looked at Zhuge Shan, answering modestly.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Shan smiled.

"Haha, this is a battle of wits, not a fight to the death."

"Besides, if word got out that I, a man with one foot in the grave, was to fight a young man like you to the death, people would laugh their heads off."

Zhuge Shan laughed heartily a few times and gestured to Zhuge Qing:

"You've passed this test; good luck on the next one."

……

Zhuge Qing quickly understood why his sixth uncle wished him good luck.

Because in the second round, his opponent was actually Granny Ba, an elder of the grandmother generation.

The Zhuge family has a saying: "Divine strategy is passed down to women, and Qimen (a type of divination) is passed down to men."

This old woman, known as the Eighth Granny, has been obsessed with the art of divination since childhood, and her mastery of divination is recognized as the strongest in the Zhuge family.

Zhuge Qing bowed to the old woman before him, then shook his head with a helpless smile and said:
"It's really too kind of you to ask you to take action personally."

Grandma Ba waved her hand, revealing a row of teeth missing two, and said with a smile:

"I was simply fulfilling a request made by someone."

"As you know, I am not good at fighting, so today you will not be fighting me, but my latest creation, the puppet."

"If you can hold out against it for five minutes, you've passed this test!" she said, pointing to the puppet next to her.

The doll appeared to be made of metal, its entire body shimmering with a silvery sheen.

What's even more amazing is that the surface of this doll's body is so smooth that you can't see the internal mechanisms at all.

"Grandma Ba's magical skills have improved again."

"Yes, look how exquisitely crafted those dolls are."

A chorus of exclamations arose from the crowd; it seemed this was the first time Granny Ba had brought out the puppets for a public appearance.

"call out--"

The puppet moved with lightning speed and struck first.

Its silver silhouette left a trail of afterimages in the air, and its swung fist produced a piercing sound as it tore through the air.

But the next moment, something happened that left everyone speechless.

Because in just one round of combat, this powerful puppet was directly defeated by Zhuge Qing.

Grandma Hachi looked surprised as she saw the doll lying on the ground.

How can it be?

The doll's current state is clearly due to the destruction of its core power unit.

When she was creating this doll, in order to protect this only weakness, she deliberately set up two places to mislead others.

Triggering any one of these triggers will cause the puppet to enter a berserk state, greatly increasing its strength.

But just now, Zhuge Qing clearly hit the target in one step, directly finding the core position of the puppet.

Even the most outstanding juniors in the clan who cultivate divine mechanisms cannot do this. How did Zhuge Qing manage to do it?
Seeing the confusion in Granny Ba's eyes, Zhuge Qing smiled and explained:

"The real key to this magical artifact lies not in its head or heart, but in the spine. I cleverly destroyed its power core... If we were to fight it directly, I would be no match for it."

Grandma Ba asked in surprise, "How did you figure that out?"

Zhuge Qing smiled and said, "Just lucky."

For more than a week, he witnessed the crafting process of the Divine Craftsmanship every day, and even provided some spell references from time to time.

Previously, when he saw the magical artifacts made by the family using divine machinery, he only thought they were extremely exquisite.

Looking at it now, I can see even more details.

Grandma Ba narrowed her eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing beneath her wrinkled eyelids.

Clearly, she did not believe Zhuge Qing's explanation.

If seeing through the first layer of disguise is a matter of luck, then seeing through the second, or even the third, layer is definitely not.

However, she also knew that this was not the right time to get to the bottom of things.

She nodded slightly to Zhuge Qing and put away the doll.

"You've passed my test."

As soon as he finished speaking, murmurs arose from the crowd of onlookers.

Especially the group of young people who had initially looked gloating now had expressions of shock on their faces.

"When did Zhuge Qing become so strong?"

"Yeah, what has he been doing all this time? How come his strength has improved by leaps and bounds? Is there really such an advantage to hanging out with the Quanxing?!"

"It's really amazing, how could he actually defeat Uncle Six?"

"What do you mean by defeating Uncle Liu? It's obvious that Uncle Liu let him win," someone said sourly.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he was immediately refuted by the people next to him.

"Putting everything else aside, could you withstand Uncle Liu's Fire Meteor move?"

The man immediately shut his mouth.

The people around them also chimed in:

"Ha! Let alone Sixth Uncle, I might not be able to stop Eighth Granny's puppet even in one move."

"Yes, that doll's speed and power look terrifying."

"If I could become as strong as Zhuge Qing, I'd be willing to join the Quanxing sect, let alone get close to them!"

"What are you talking about!"

"..."

"Stop chatting, look, look! The third level is about to begin!"

……

Lü Liang's attention also returned to the open space.

What happened next made his pupils shrink.

Because the person who stood up and walked to the center of the open space was none other than Zhuge Gong, the head of the Zhuge family and Zhuge Qing's biological father.

It was clear that many people present were kept in the dark about this arrangement.

Those sitting next to Zhuge Gong all advised him:
"Master, this is unnecessary."

"Yes, Third Brother, Qing is still young and it's normal for him to be immature. You can just discipline him. There's no need to be so serious about it."

"That's right, Third Brother, you're deliberately making things difficult for Qing."

"Qing, don't worry, your sixth aunt will protect you."

A woman in a cheongsam with a stunning figure stood up and reached out to stop Zhuge Gong.

"Sixth Aunt, it's alright."

Standing in the center of the open space, Zhuge Qing responded to the woman, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhuge Gong.

Zhuge Gong walked to the center, but instead of attacking immediately, he asked, "Qing, do you know your mistake?"

Zhuge Qing did not speak immediately.

"Qing, do you know your mistake?"

When he asked the question again, Zhuge Gong's voice rose considerably, and his expression became very serious.

His authority as the head of the family was immediately apparent.

The scene immediately fell silent, and even the woman in the cheongsam sat back down.

Facing the overwhelming pressure, Zhuge Qing remained calm and slowly spoke:

“Father, I don’t know what mistake you want me to admit. I can only say that I have a clear conscience and I have lived up to the Zhuge family’s precepts.”

"In my heart, the Zhuge family has always been the most important."

Upon hearing Zhuge Qing's statement, Zhuge Gong let out a soft snort, then said coldly:
"If you truly believe the Zhuge family is the most important thing, then you shouldn't be fooling around outside, but rather focus on your cultivation, acquire the Zhuge family's inheritance as soon as possible, and revitalize the Zhuge family—"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Several gasps of cold air could be heard around the open space.

The group of Zhuge family elders and seniors sitting in the middle all stood up, their eyes filled with disbelief.

All eyes were on Zhuge Qing in the center of the arena.

More precisely, it was the ghostly blue flame in his hand.

"A deep blue color, cold and devoid of warmth, it sends shivers down one's spine... This is the Samadhi True Fire!"

"It's it! It's the most important legacy of our Zhuge family—the Samadhi True Fire!"

"Great! The tradition has finally been passed down! The Zhuge family finally has someone who masters the Samadhi True Fire! Thank our ancestors!"

Various excited voices rang out.

Some people even walked directly into the site, wanting to get a closer look at the flames that hadn't appeared at the Zhuge family's residence for so long.

At this moment, Zhuge Gong finally realized what was happening.

His lips trembled as he asked, "Qing, have you really mastered the Samadhi True Fire?"

Despite his best efforts to suppress it, his voice still trembled with excitement.

Zhuge Qing did not answer directly, but instead snapped his fingers. The dark blue flame on his right hand moved in response, slowly drifting towards Zhuge Gong and then stopping beside him.

Ignoring the damage to his soul, Zhuge Gong excitedly reached out and touched the dark blue flame.

"That's right, this is the Samadhi True Fire!"

"Our Zhuge family has regained the Samadhi True Fire!"

This sentence definitively settled the shock and excitement, and the cheers could no longer be contained.

Soon, Zhuge Qing was surrounded by members of the Zhuge family.

"Qing, I knew you were a promising kid!"

"Hmph! Let's see who dares to say that our Zhuge family is getting worse with each generation."

"Qing, you must be tired from this trip. Make sure you eat well when you get back. Your aunt made a chicken stew. Let's go eat it later!"

Because there were too many people, those who couldn't squeeze in turned their attention to Lü Liang and Wang Ye, who were traveling with Zhuge Qing.

"Hey, this must be Master Wang."

"I heard you beat Qing to a pulp at the Luotian Grand Ceremony."

"No, no," Wang Ye hurriedly waved his hand.

Previously, he was chased and beaten by Zhuge Qing's brainless fans, but now he is surrounded and praised by Zhuge Qing's relatives.

Wang also felt that neither feeling was pleasant.

Soon, the elders of the Zhuge family turned their attention to Lü Liang, who stood calmly to the side.

"Hey, who's this young man?"

"Young man, how old are you? Are you married?"

Just as Lü Liang was beginning to succumb to the excessive enthusiasm, Zhuge Gong's voice finally rang out.

"Now that Qing has mastered the Samadhi True Fire, he has naturally passed these three tests."

"Next, I will take Qing to the ancestral hall to tell our ancestors this good news."

His gaze swept over Lü Liang and Wang Ye:

"Since you are Qing's friends, please come along as well."

　Thank you Black Flying Son and Hai De Bi Fang Hai for the monthly tickets!! Thank you!!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)