Zhuge Liang's Journey to Dominate the World: Starting from Another World

Although Zhu Ganglie had little interest in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he was captivated by the women's graceful dance and watched with great interest.

Kongming, however, was more focused on the rise and fall of the zither music. He closed his eyes, as if he were in another world.

Suddenly, the music changed abruptly, from melodious to urgent, as if thousands of horses were galloping across a battlefield.

Kongming suddenly opened his eyes and saw that the woman on the stage had also suddenly become sharp, and every movement was full of power.

At this moment, a woman quickly wielded her brush on the canvas, and vivid battlefield scenes gradually appeared on the canvas.

Meanwhile, the woman beside her was rapidly placing pieces on a chessboard, as if simulating a battlefield situation.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Let me compose a poem." Upon seeing this, Kongming downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, stood up, and walked to the center of the elegant room.

Let us drink and sing, for life is short! Like morning dew, the days gone by are many and fleeting…

The sound of the zither was like the flames of war on the battlefield, and a surge of heroic ambition welled up in Kongming's heart. His nemesis from the past was gone, and Cao Aman's poem perfectly matched the mood in his heart.

Kongming walked to the zither and met the eyes of the woman whose face was veiled by a light veil.

The music was melodious, yet even more stirring than before. Kongming seemed to be transported back to the battles of his past life. He closed his eyes and chanted:

With a sigh, I express my deep sorrow, for my worries are hard to forget. What can dispel my sorrow? Only wine. The green of your collar, so dear to my heart. For your sake, I have pondered until now. The deer cry out, feeding on the wild apples. I am your guest, playing the zither and blowing the flute. The moon shines brightly, when can I grasp it? Sorrow arises from within, and cannot be severed… (Note: From Cao Cao's Short Song)

As the music faded, Kongming finished his poem. He walked up to the woman who had played the zither, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your zither skills are superb, young lady. I admire you greatly."

The woman gently raised her head, her eyes sparkling brightly beneath her veil. She smiled softly, her voice as melodious as a clear spring: "Young master, your talent is outstanding. It is my honor to be able to resonate with you."

Then she waved her hand, and the dancers all left the private room.

Kongming gently waved his feather fan, staring at the woman playing the zither, "May I ask your name, young lady?"

"My name is Song Xiruo. May I ask your name, sir?"

"I am Zhu Ganglie, and this is..."

"I am Ma Yi, and I have long admired your name, Fairy." Kongming interrupted Zhu Ganglie's introduction.

When the woman who had led the way invited them, they vaguely sensed fluctuations of magical power emanating from her. At the time, they didn't pay much attention to it, as they just wanted to see what her true purpose was.

Subsequently, along the way, Kongming had this feeling with at least twenty people, presumably using some clever means to cover it up. When he met Song Xiruo, he felt the same way.

His Seven Stars Divine Transformation Technique was extremely sensitive to fluctuations in magical power, so he concluded that the Myriad Sounds Manor must belong to a certain organization or an intelligence agency established by a certain sect.

Then, Kongming said calmly, "I enjoyed playing music with the fairy just now. I wonder what it would be worth to spend a spring night with her?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xiruo's face, hidden beneath her veil, stiffened slightly before returning to normal. She chuckled softly, her voice seemingly tinged with amusement: "Young master is truly a man of great charm, but I'm afraid my humble abode cannot satisfy your needs."

"Oh? How do you know you can't be satisfied if you don't try?" Kongming leaned closer and gently wrapped his arms around Song Xiruo's slender waist from behind. Although his movements were frivolous, his eyes were unusually clear, as if he could see through everything.

Song Xiruo trembled slightly, but did not break free. Instead, she gently turned her head and parted her red lips under the veil: "Young master, this is a refined place. I hope you will show some respect."

Kongming, however, went even further, bringing his face close to Song Xiruo's ear and whispering, "I am willing to redeem you, Fairy. As long as you agree, I am willing to pay any amount of gold coins."

Song Xiruo was stunned again. She hadn't expected the person in front of her to be so difficult. She struggled slightly, but found that Kongming's arms were as if cast in iron, firmly fixed in front of the guqin.

Feeling Kongming's hot breath, she was momentarily flustered. "If you continue to be so rude, young master, I will have no choice but to call for help."

Kongming chuckled softly, his voice deep and magnetic, "Why must you do this, fairy? I have no ill intentions, I simply wish to spend this night with you."

Song Xiruo's heart suddenly raced, and she felt her face burning. She was actually a little overwhelmed by this man's teasing. Although she tried her best to remain calm, her beautiful eyes couldn't help but glance at Kong Ming.

She knew she couldn't continue like this, or she might really be taken advantage of by the man in front of her. So she said firmly, "Young master, although I am a woman of the night, I have my own principles and bottom line. I hope you will let me go."

Despite her best efforts to remain calm, her beautiful eyes involuntarily drifted toward Kongming.

"So she's begging for mercy already?" Kongming's lips curled up. Just now, he had used a minor technique called Seven Star Demonic Sound from the Seven Star Divine Transformation Technique to seduce Song Xiruo, but he didn't expect that this woman could still maintain her rationality.

"Letting you go is not impossible, but tell me about your background."

"What are you saying, young master? I don't understand."

Suddenly, Kongming's hand brushed across Song Xiruo's cheek, and the veil on her face fluttered away.

Song Xiruo gasped and tried to cover her face, but Kongming's movements were too fast, and she had no time to react.

A stunningly beautiful face was immediately revealed.

"Should I call you Madam, or Song Xiruo?" Kongming stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar face before him.

"You've mistaken me for someone else." Song Xiruo snorted lightly, straightened her clothes and veil, and sat back down in front of the guqin.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and then looked up at Kongming again, her eyes now calm and indifferent.

Zhu Bajie, standing to the side, was filled with admiration for Kongming's skill in flirting with women. But then, seeing that Kongming had suddenly become a wife, he cursed him countless times as a beast.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside, and dozens of cultivators rushed in, surrounding Kongming inside the room.

Kongming scanned the group one by one, and among them were two Golden Core cultivators who had followed An Lushan in Leizhou.

He wasn't too surprised by this. A few days ago, when the princes came to visit him, they talked about Miaoyin Manor.

One of them was particularly infatuated with Song Xiruo, and even secretly drew a portrait of her, which he thought resembled Su Yao by seven or eight points.

If this woman is indeed Su Yao, then the person behind her is obvious. After all, Su Yao led dozens of disciples to seek refuge with the An family in the three northern prefectures.

However, these princes have unwittingly muddied the waters, and Kongming is unsure which one is colluding with An Lushan...