Chapter 38: The Aspirations of Youth

"Also, have you found the person I asked you to look for?"

Hearing Liu Xie's inquiry, Qin Yu shook his head.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have inquired about the person you asked me to find, and it seems they are not in Yuzhang Commandery."

"Then where are they now?"

Liu Xie frowned slightly; it seemed this trip might have been in vain. Fortunately, Liu Xie had prepared himself for this possibility. Moreover, he had successfully established the Sky Net throughout the south during this journey and gained a firsthand understanding of whether the current situation remained aligned with his plans.

It appeared that everything was still under control, so the trip had not been entirely fruitless. Thinking of this, Liu Xie’s brow smoothed out. However, Qin Yu, standing before him, was unaware of what Liu Xie was contemplating and continued, "But I have learned that a man named Zhuge Xuan is with Liu Biao!"

"Liu Biao? Yes, of course!" Upon hearing Qin Yu’s report, Liu Xie’s eyes lit up instantly.

Liu Biao and Zhuge Xuan had been classmates and close friends. With Zhuge Xuan having sought refuge with Liu Biao, it would not be long before Liu Biao recommended Zhuge Xuan to the imperial court as the Administrator of Yuzhang. And Zhuge Liang would accompany his uncle to Yuzhang to take up the post.

Thinking of this, Liu Xie's eyes brightened even further. He had originally intended to bring Zhuge Liang back to Luoyang, but now he decided to change his mind.

"Taking him back now wouldn't be as interesting..."

A mysterious smile curled the corners of Liu Xie's mouth. He gazed toward the north through the window, a brilliant glint shining in his eyes.

At that same moment, in a bustling night market far away in Yizhou, a handsome youth dressed in simple robes sneezed.

The youth, no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, looked exceptionally fair and refined. He sniffed his nose, his eyes filled with confusion. "Who is cursing me?"

"Young Master, let us return. Your health is delicate; do not catch a cold!" an old servant following behind him urged earnestly.

The youth curled his lip, looking quite annoyed by the old servant. "My constitution is fine. I've been reading at home for months; I just came out for a breath of fresh air!"

"My uncle is truly something, actually being able to stay with Liu Biao for so long."

Hearing the youth’s grumbling, the old servant behind him could only offer a helpless smile. He knew his young master well—incredibly intelligent, ambitious, and possessed of immense talent despite his youth.

The youth watched the prosperity of the night market and the flow of people, the joy he felt upon first arriving fading from his eyes. Suddenly, he spotted a tavern ahead with few customers. There was a seat by the window on the upper floor that offered a perfect view of the bustling nightscape.

A flash of delight appeared in the youth's eyes, and he quickened his pace.

"Hey, Young Master, slow down! Wait for this old servant!" The servant hurried to catch up.

As soon as they reached the window seat and sat down, the youth shouted, "Innkeeper, bring a pot of fine wine!"

"Young Master, drink less! Otherwise, the master will be angry again!" the old servant nagged from the side.

The youth treated him like thin air, ignoring him completely. Suddenly, he noticed another youth approaching—an alluring figure clad in black robes, followed by two silent guards. Seeing the window seat, the newcomer’s eyes lit up, and he walked over.

"My friend, may I sit here?"

The youth looked up and met a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes. Seeing the sincerity within them, he gave a hearty laugh.

"Haha, come, sit! On such a night, one should share a pot of wine with another!"

The alluring youth smiled and sat down. Soon, both were captivated by the bustling night view outside the window, completely unaware of the mutual vigilance between the old servant and the two black-clad guards.

Just as they were about to warn their respective masters to be wary of the other's guards—who were clearly experts—they saw the two youths already pointing and chatting about the scenery outside. The three men could only heave silent sighs of helplessness, then exchanged wary glances with one another.

Soon, a waiter brought the wine along with two plates of exquisite side dishes.

"Sigh!"

Seeing the handsome youth sigh, the black-clad youth couldn't help but ask, "Why the sigh, my friend?"

Hearing the question, the handsome youth shook his head and replied, "Following elders through a life of displacement, I only lament when this chaotic world will end, and where in this world one can call home."

These words quickly resonated with the black-clad youth, who let out a heavy sigh as well, downing a cup of wine with a look of frustration.

"I feel the same! I was reading perfectly well at home, yet I was dragged off to Yizhou by my father! Sigh!"

The two looked at each other as if they were long-lost soulmates, clinked their cups, and drained them in one go.

"My friend, you love to read as well?"

"Indeed! I’ve been quite fond of the 'Liangfu Yin' lately!"

"What an ambitious spirit! I have had the fortune to read it; it carries the ambition of a prime minister!"

"Haha, you flatter me! And you? What have you been reading lately?"

"My reading is quite eclectic, broad but not refined—just miscellaneous books that are hardly worth mentioning!"

"Haha, you are being too modest!"

The two youths sat at the table engaged in high-minded conversation. One pot of wine was soon emptied. The black-clad youth, feeling it wasn't enough, ordered several more. They talked from the history of Zhou to the Qin and Han dynasties, from the Chu Ci to Han Fu, and from statecraft to political strategy, as time drifted by unnoticed.

The servants and guards behind them exchanged glances. Seeing how congenial the two youths were, they all slowly lowered their guard, watching the pair pour their hearts out to one another.

When one finds a true soulmate, even a thousand cups of wine feel like too few.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but both were thoroughly intoxicated. The black-clad youth slumped over the table, hiccuping, and asked the handsome youth with a wine-thickened tongue, "Brother... *hic*... what is your... *hic*... ambition for the future?"

"Me... me? I... I will be a prime minister! A chancellor! I want to be... like Yi Yin... or Huo Guang... those kinds of men! And you?"

"Me? Me?" The black-clad youth propped up his swaying head and thought for a moment, then slurred, "I want to be... the... the most powerful... power-broker!"

"Haha! Then... then we are... much the same!"

"Haha, then in the future... we shall... serve the same lord... and assist him in taking... the world!"

"Agreed... it is a promise!"

"And if... if we don't end up... serving the same lord! Then we shall compete... to see whose master... can conquer the world!"

"Agreed!"

Moonlight bathed the table as the two youths, one in black and one in white, slumped onto the table and quietly fell asleep.

In that small tavern in Yizhou, the two youths had made their initial vow. The gears of history began to turn quietly. When, decades later, they would look back on this moment—the same pot of wine, the same tavern—it remained etched in their memories.

The next day, as dawn broke, Zhuge Liang was dragged from his bed by his uncle.

"Kongming! I am going to meet my old classmate today; you must come with me!"

"Very well..." Zhuge Liang climbed out of bed, his head throbbing.

He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his senses. He only remembered having a wonderful time drinking with an alluring youth in black, but he had forgotten to ask where that youth was staying.

Zhuge Liang patted his head in frustration. It was so hard to find a soulmate, only to lose them like this.

Much later, he recalled their self-introductions from the night before.

"Greetings, I am Sima Yi, courtesy name Zhongda, from Wen County, Henei. May I ask your name, my friend?"

"I am Zhuge Liang, courtesy name Kongming, from Yangdu, Langya."