Crouching Dragon: The Journey of Zhuge Liang sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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“He overpraises, apparently,” Kongming chuckled. “He… he ‘feels it is only right, in this tumultuous age when people need encouraging words to spur them on to give their all in life’…!”
Xu Shu started to laugh again; after a few minutes, he exhaled, and chortled, “He really is a comedian.”
“He’ll go far,” Kongming suggested.
“Everyone loves a kiss-arse,” Xu Shu sighed. “Of course he will. I just never expected that of Pang Tong.”
“…Yes… what a world,” Kongming sighed as he started to fan himself slowly.
“…Indeed,” Xu Shu agreed with a more sombre tone.
“…In only a few years, my friend, the entire landscape is new, a place I barely recognise,” Kongming mused. “When you and Shi Tao came to this region, we were all carefree, all of us, and we passed the days by guessing the ways in which the times would change… now, Shi Tao is too busy to meet us even once a year… Pang Tong is gone… we’ve changed too.”
“…Yes,” Xu Shu whispered.
“None of it unexpected,” Kongming continued, “but, all the same, a lot to digest, a lot to comprehend.”
“…Yes,” Xu Shu whispered again.
Kongming continued to fan himself as he said, with no real clear intent,
“…My, how things change.”
*************
4
The city of Xiangyang was alive with anxious whispering as two significant pieces of news started to circulate amongst the people some months later.
“…Sun Ce has been assassinated.”
Xu Shu greeted the news from Kongming with a little shock as the two sat in a tavern, drinking heated wine.
“Assassinated…?” Xu Shu exclaimed. “But… but by whom…?”
“There are two theories,” Kongming said with a soft laugh. “The more plausible story is that he was attacked by former followers of a prefect that he had killed for plotting against him. Others say he was cursed by a Taoist saint that he had killed for spreading heresy. My money’s not on the curse, to be honest.”
“…Oh, that Taoist…!” Xu Shu recalled. “I wonder if he really was a saint…?”
“Sainthood did not save his life, if he was,” Kongming retorted. “Anyhow, Sun Quan, Ce’s younger brother, has taken control.”
“…Come to think of it, you said this would happen,” Xu Shu murmured.
“I guessed,” Kongming insisted. “I guessed that it might happen.”
“Good guess…!” Xu Shu retorted with an ironic laugh. “You seem to be able to anticipate everything. …So the Suns of Jiangdong are finished, then.”