38: Chapter 38 One Step, Three Bows

Aside from marching to war, there was nothing left but waiting.

Is it painful?

Zhuge Jinyu did not think so.

She was an illegitimate daughter of the Zhuge Family, the "jinx" in people's mouths, and the Prime Minister Zhuge revered by thousands in the imperial court.

Only in front of him.

She was Xiao Yu, Sir's most proud student.

"Yes, Sir. Aside from fighting, my eyes have never left your mirror surface."

While waiting for Su Chen to wake up, she conducted the Northern Expedition, so that when he woke, he could see the empire she had conquered for him.

Fulfilling their shared wish to revive the Great Qian and ensure a prosperous nation and peaceful people.

This was the only meaning left in her life.

For a moment.

Su Chen looked at her pale, pretty face.

He didn't know whether to criticize her or praise her.

She was only twenty-two years old.

Such a prime age...

Zhuge Jinyu reached out her jade hand, grasped Su Chen's mirror body, and shook her head.

"Sir, that is not important."

"I have a goal to strive for, and I am very happy."

"Come, let me take you to see my army..."

In the following days, because the offensives of both sides happened to fall into a stalemate, Zhuge Jinyu had time to take Su Chen around.

As for whether this "stalemate" was just a stroke of luck or something Zhuge Jinyu had specifically planned, that remained unknown.

Su Chen saw her turn one tactic after another, recorded in his military books, into reality little by little.

"Sir, look, this is the search-strike-retreat squad you specifically instructed me to establish."

"The number of people is small, but the mobility is very high. They have searched for a large amount of supplies in enemy-occupied areas and retreated safely, repeatedly achieving miraculous feats..."

"Sir, in the Battle of Yinping, I used the Empty Fort Strategy you once taught me, completely, all over again..."

"Sir..."

In just three days, the changes in Prime Minister Zhuge were visible to the naked eye.

It even astonished many of her comrades.

The Female Prime Minister, who was originally like a war machine operating at full capacity.

In just three days, her face had gained many of the emotions unique to humans.

She could laugh, cry, make a fuss, and be proud.

She would even blush.

While feeling touched, Su Chen was naturally very satisfied.

Many of Zhuge Jinyu's current military insights even made him marvel.

After all, she was the powerful Prime Minister Zhuge; it was certain that the student would surpass the master.

"She was cultivated by my own hands."

"It seems I have quite a bit of talent as an angel investor."

On the evening of the third day, Su Chen fell into a deep sleep again.

This time, Su Chen had only been awake for three days.

And the sleep time would last for a full six months.

This was a normal phenomenon accompanied by the natural loss of energy.

And the extension of the last waking time could only be considered a flash of brilliance supported by the power of faith.

Zhuge Jinyu did not say too many sentimental words, only saying indifferently that the Northern Expedition was about to succeed.

He must wait until he was well.

Otherwise, she would lead her troops to the Yellow Springs to drag him back, and then pour out all the Meng Po soup in his stomach.

Su Chen smiled and said okay.

His consciousness gradually blurred, but Su Chen was still thinking about his next awakening.

"The first time I slept for one month, the second time for three months, the third time for six months."

"After that, it might be one year, two years... Then waiting would have no meaning."

"When Xiao Yu succeeds in the Northern Expedition and fulfills her wish to see my face clearly, I will depart from this world; this first investment can be considered a high-scoring conclusion..."

While he was still calculating, he had quietly fallen into his fourth sleep.

...

Su Chen's consciousness sank and struggled repeatedly in the chaotic ocean.

Every time he tried to surface, he would be dragged back into the deeper darkness by an invisible force.

He even felt that this time he would never wake up.

"Rip—"

Finally, something pierced through this chaos.

It was a sound.

The intermittent sound of wind and rain, the familiar cold voice of the Young Prime Minister, and Huang Ying's voice.

And also.

A dull, rhythmic knocking sound.

Their voices were repeatedly torn apart by the strong wind, gradually blurring.

But Su Chen heard them clearly.

"Prime Minister, do you really want to kowtow all the way up like this?"

"It's only been over three hundred steps, and your forehead is already bleeding."

"There are still over two thousand seven hundred steps above!"

The wind was loud, but Zhuge Jinyu's reply was exceptionally firm.

"A small injury, it doesn't matter."

"Only by sealing my cultivation and kowtowing three times every step up can I show my sincerity."

"Sir once told me that sincerity leads to efficacy."

"But this Mount Qingcheng is said to be spiritual, yet no one has ever really..."

"Sima Yi has left seclusion and is already in the Mahayana Realm."

"Right now, our army is in a rout, and Wudu and Qishan have all been lost."

"His Majesty was also frightened and has fallen ill."

"Prime Minister, the Great Qian is about to fall; you cannot have anything happen to you too!"

Huang Ying's words pierced into Su Chen's heart like knives.

"Bad!"

However, the darkness that carried his consciousness downward was too heavy.

He kept trying, kept trying to surface, but he could never open his eyes.

Sima Yi... Mahayana Realm... Rout.

It turned out that in the half year he had been asleep, the outside world had been turned upside down.

It seemed to be that mysterious ancestor of the Sima Family,

who had finally recovered some of his strength and made a move.

"The Great Qian... will not fall."

Zhuge Jinyu gasped for breath.

Every pause was accompanied by three dull sounds of flesh hitting the stone steps.

That was the sound of the young girl kowtowing.

"I want Sir to wake up... He must have a way."

"Sir, Sir, Xiao Yu misses you so much, I want to see you so much."

"Sir, Xiao Yu has no one else to rely on; I only have you."

"At such a time... I only pray to the gods to let my Sir wake up."

"You promised me that you would watch me unify the world, and let me see your face; you said you would not break your word..."

The Female Prime Minister, who had always scorned fate and scoffed at names like "jinx".

For her beloved Sir, for the Great Qian she worried about.

One step, three kowtows.

"Prime Minister, your body..."

"Shut up!"

"Watch the road for me, there are still... two thousand steps left."

"When I reach the top, I will pray for Sir, and for the Great Qian."

"Today... I, Zhuge Jinyu, will use this body of the Prime Minister, with this flesh and blood... to pray for a miracle!"

As her voice fell, there was another heavy kowtow.

Su Chen's consciousness could vaguely feel it.

His heart, following that dull sound, twitched fiercely.

Three thousand steps... praying for a miracle.

What is this silly girl doing?

Su Chen wanted to roar, but found he couldn't even make a sound.

Because in the end, his sleep had not completely ended.

It was just slightly stirred by the external sound.

One step, one kowtow.

On the mountain road filled with wind and snow, she removed her protective magic treasures and sealed her Integration Realm cultivation, which was enough to move mountains and drain seas.

Like the most devout and most foolish believer.

Using the most primitive, most cruel method.

One step, one stair, using her forehead to strike the cold, hard stone steps.

Only to pray to the heavens for a slim hope.

Praying for her Sir... to return.

For the Great Qian, and for Su Chen, this broken mirror.

The unceasing wind and rain and the fresh blood flowing from the girl's head.

Flowing down, splash by splash.

Making it impossible to distinguish.