Chapter Nineteen: Zhuge Ke (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

“What... what do you mean, Zhuge Ke?” I patted the Fatty. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Fatty kept his eyes fixed on Zhuge Xuan, a smile on his face that suggested he had uncovered someone’s plot. I turned to look at her and saw Zhuge Xuan suddenly start to avoid Fatty’s gaze. Although she still seemed calm on the surface, her previous defiant attitude towards him was gone.

Zhuge Ke? That’s the same surname as Zhuge Xuan... Damn, could Fatty be implying that this tomb holds Zhuge Xuan’s ancestor?

Professor Chen spoke up just then. “Zhuge Ke? Mr. Cao, how did you arrive at that conclusion?”

Fatty turned around. “I just happened to notice something by chance.”

“You saw the inscription?” Professor Chen pressed.

“No, Professor, please don’t ask. It’s not something I can explain. But I can say for certain—this is the grand tomb of Zhuge Ke, the prominent minister of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms.”

Professor Chen studied Fatty for a moment, then said nothing more.

“Three Kingdoms? Fatty, who exactly was Zhuge Ke? I’ve read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but never heard of him.” I asked.

Fatty replied that Zhuge Ke was a grand general in the later period of Eastern Wu. His father, Zhuge Jin, was a trusted minister under Sun Quan, and his uncle was even more famous—none other than Zhuge Liang, the pillar of Shu Han.

Zhuge Ke was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, and people saw in him the same aura as the legendary Sleeping Dragon. He was hailed as a prodigy. Later, Zhuge Ke used his own talent and skill to win the favor of the Wu ruler. After Lu Xun’s death, Zhuge Ke took over as grand general, becoming a commander on par with Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lü Meng, and Lu Xun. He led the army to defeat Cao Wei at Dongxing and became a household name. Afterwards, Zhuge Ke became the chief regent, virtually controlling all military and political affairs in Wu.

Originally, Zhuge Ke might have achieved lasting fame like his uncle Zhuge Liang. But at the height of his power, he suddenly lost interest in state and military affairs, withdrawing from public life for reasons unknown.

After several years, Zhuge Ke abruptly advised the Wu ruler to launch a campaign against Wei. As the leading minister and grand general, his word carried weight, and the ruler couldn’t refuse. But this time, Zhuge Ke seemed impatient; his strategies were careless, and he underestimated the enemy. After several defeats, he shrugged them off and used obvious tricks to shift the blame onto others.

The Wu ruler finally lost patience. When Zhuge Ke returned to court, the ruler set a trap and had him killed, wiping out his entire family and clan.

Despite this, Zhuge Ke was the most important minister of Eastern Wu at the time. After his death, it was said his body was buried in secret.

After Fatty finished his story, Professor Chen said thoughtfully, “You’re right, but the brick tomb we’re standing in now exceeds the standards of an ordinary Eastern Wu emperor. Even if Zhuge Ke was a top minister, he couldn’t possibly have received such treatment.”

Fatty glanced at Zhuge Xuan again. “That’s something she should answer.”

“Why ask me?” Zhuge Xuan immediately responded, her face hardening with both defiance and confusion. “How would I know? Everything you’re saying is baseless. You’re obviously making it up.”

“Whether I’m making it up or not, we’ll know when we see the tomb owner’s belongings below. Professor Chen, you once said this tomb’s location was determined by this little girl, right? Well, isn’t that a coincidence. There must be at least fifty Feng Shui masters in China, so why is it this little girl who found such a grand tomb? Because she’s a master? I don’t buy it. If she doesn’t have some connection to the tomb’s owner, I’ll eat the stone couch inside.”

At this point, my head was spinning—not so much because Zhuge Xuan might be related to Zhuge Ke, but because Fatty seemed so certain. He hadn’t shown any sign of this theory before.

My thoughts raced, and I kept circling back to that coffin filled with body parts. Damn it, Fatty said before there was nothing in there except remains from three people. Now that I think about it, if Fatty suddenly discovered something that revealed this was Zhuge Ke’s tomb, it must have come from that small coffin.

I felt uneasy, but it wasn’t the right time to mention the coffin in front of Professor Chen. Helpless, I could only wait for a private moment to ask Fatty.

“Well...” Professor Chen was at a loss for words after Fatty’s remarks.

“Say whatever you like. How I found this place has nothing to do with you,” Zhuge Xuan said, then snorted and turned away from Fatty.

Just then, a commotion sounded from the corridor behind us. We turned to see Peanut approaching quickly.

“Pea—Chen Zixiang, where did you get those backpacks?” I spun around and saw Peanut carrying three black gear bags identical to ours.

He came forward, tossed the bags onto the ground, and sat down heavily. In his southeastern accent, he said, “I’m exhausted. I found these things along the way. The passage is so long, I didn’t dare go any further alone.”

As soon as Peanut finished speaking, Professor Chen suddenly lunged toward the bags in excitement. “These—these are their gear, the equipment my three students took with them.”

He started frantically pulling the bags open, rummaging through each piece of equipment as if searching for any clue left by his students.

As Professor Chen searched, Zhuge Xuan suddenly frowned. “Professor Chen, look—the food and water in these bags are all standard issue, and it looks like none of it has been touched.”

“Yes, they’ve been in here for days. Even if they were trapped, they should have finished all the food by now...” Professor Chen didn’t dare utter the word “dead,” and instead stared blankly down the corridor.

Zhang Yaxi and Zhang Yadong came running back, panting. Professor Chen asked how it went; they both shook their heads. When they saw the gear bags, the brothers grew excited.

After a few questions, Zhang Yaxi said, “If their food and water haven’t been used, maybe something happened to them shortly after they entered.”

We all shot him a look. Anyone seeing the state of the gear bags could guess what happened to the three. Professor Chen probably knew as well, but voicing it would mean crushing his hope.

“Teacher,” Zhang Yadong stepped forward, “do we really need to keep going? I think we should focus on finding a way out. We have plenty of supplies, but the locator and communications gear are with Yang Lang, and he’s missing. If we don’t hurry, I’m afraid...”

“If you’re afraid, find your own way out,” Professor Chen suddenly stood up, his words tinged with reproach. “Alive or dead, we need to see them. Their chances of survival may be slim, but Yang Lang is still out there.”

“But Yang Lang might have already gotten out,” Zhang Yaxi said.

Zhuge Xuan pushed Zhang Yaxi. “Coward. You should never have come down here in the first place.”