It is said that Zhuge Liang practiced sorcery at Wuzhangyuan to prolong his life, lighting 81 longevity lamps. As long as the 81 longevity lamps could burn for seven days without going out, he could live another hundred years. However, on the last day, Wei Yan suddenly stormed into the tent and blew out one of the longevity lamps. Zhuge Liang sat in the center, spitting a mouthful of blood and died!

A murmur rippled through the crowd as they stood before Zhuge Liang's residence, listening to the tour guide recount tales of Zhuge Liang's life. The group sighed once more, lamenting the tragedy of a brilliant mind lost too soon, and some even voiced their anger towards Wei Yan.

A handsome young man among the crowd remained unimpressed. He was a senior history major at NC University and was quite familiar with Zhuge Liang's deeds. He found it absurd to even mention the legend of extending his lifespan, and the tour guide's introduction was full of inaccuracies.

On Mount Wuzhang, Zhuge Liang looked up at the stars and was astonished. The three stars of the Heavenly Palace were exceptionally bright, while the main star was dim. He realized that his life was nearing its end. He told Jiang Wei: "I am familiar with rituals for appeasing the heavens, but I do not know what fate has in store. You should lead forty-nine soldiers, each holding a white flag, wearing white robes, and encircling my tent. I will perform a ritual to appease Beidou from within the tent. If the main lamp does not go out for seven days, I may gain another life; if it goes out, I will surely die."

This is a description of Zhuge Liang's death in a novel, so the young man laughed at the tour guide's nonsense. He said there were eighty-one lamps instead of seventy-seven. In the novel, it is mentioned that Sima Yi observed the celestial phenomena and knew that Zhuge Liang was seriously ill. He led his troops to test the situation. Wei Yan panicked and rushed into the tent, accidentally extinguishing the main lamp. Zhuge Liang discarded his sword and sighed: "Life and death are predetermined by fate, and one cannot escape them!"

After that, Zhuge arranged his affairs and continued to strategize and fight bravely against Sima Yi until he died.

However, Zhuge Liang's continued life was just a fictional story. What the tour guide said was equally absurd and made no difference!

Qin Yu chuckled wryly, realizing he had simply come out for a change of scenery. What was the point of dwelling on these things? He collected himself and followed the crowd towards Zhuge's hut.

Wuzhishan, covering approximately 120,000 square meters, boasts 155 halls and pavilions. The structures are arranged along a central axis: the archway, Xianren Bridge, Mountain Gate, Grand Hall, and thatched cottage follow in succession. On either side of the central axis, there are buildings such as Zhuge Well, Stele Corridor, Ancient Cypress Pavilion, Wild Cloud Monastery, and Reading Desk.

There are a large number of plaques and steles here, preserving famous sayings and essays from renowned figures throughout history. Yue Fei's <前出師表>(Advancement Before the Expedition) and Ming Dynasty scholar Li Dong's <重修諸葛武侯祠記>(Record on the Rebuilding of the Wuhou Temple) are particularly admired by later generations for their calligraphy and literary merit.

"A hero's death before victory, tears fill his sleeves!"

Qin Yu gazed at the poems and articles of famous figures throughout history, sighing. Perhaps it was because Zhuge Liang died with a heart full of regret that Luo Guanzhong wrote the story of Zhuge Liang's continued life on Wuzhangyuan.

Along the way, Qin Yu admired the calligraphy of these celebrities. He unknowingly arrived at the depths of the steles. The sound of water flowing, a pavilion stood tall, and inside the pavilion, an elderly man with white hair and a middle-aged man were boiling tea and chatting.

"Yuewen, what are your thoughts on this young man's appearance?"

The white-haired old man saw Qin Yu's shadow and softly asked the middle-aged man opposite him.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed in contemplation for a moment before he spoke.

"Mr. Ren, this man has an ordinary face without any ups and downs. He is destined to live a plain life. His face is dark, with a red tip on his nose. He has knots in his heart, so there must be something unhappy happening in his family."

<< Their conversation, Qin Yu couldn't hear. Otherwise, he would have been shocked out loud. The first half of the middle-aged man's sentence could not be verified as true, but the second half was absolutely right. >>

This trip was taken because of that matter, I felt agitated and stressed, so I decided to come out and relax.

"Haha, Yuewen, your photography skills are getting better and better! It won't be long before you surpass me!"

"Lao Ren praised me, saying that my writing is simple. He asked me to point out any errors so he can learn from me."

In the presence of this elder, the middle-aged man did not dare to be presumptuous and respectfully spoke out.

The white-haired old man's wise eyes scanned Qin Yu with a glance and asked:

"Do you still remember the general idea of Yue Wen's, 'the appearance of noodles'?"

"Don't judge a book by its cover!"

"Yes, people can't be judged by their appearances. This ancient saying is more than just a guideline for me. But if people can't be judged by their appearances, how can we talk about physiognomy? Doesn't that contradict itself?"

Yue Wen believed that the saying "one should not judge a person by their appearance" means that one cannot judge someone based on their unattractive looks. Historical records show: Huang Di was majestic and resembled a dragon, Emperor Yi had eight eyebrows, Emperor Shun had double pupils in his eyes, King Zhou Wen had four, Yu the Great had three large holes in his ears, and Duke Zhou had a curved back, Confucius had a concave spot on the top of his head. These ancient sages had peculiar appearances, some even unsightly, but they are all revered by generations to come.

The middle-aged man paused for a moment and continued, "Therefore, one should not judge by appearances means that we should not determine a person's status, safety, fortune, or misfortune based on their physical appearance."

"That's right, what you said is exactly what the predecessors of Xiangyi wanted to warn us later generations about, but you still missed a point."

The old man said: “Before Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, he was just a beggar. He had a gaunt face and suffered from smallpox but survived. His face was full of pockmarks, indistinguishable from other beggars. Until he raised his army to fight against the Yuan Dynasty, he grew leaner and taller, his forehead protruded more and more. When he became emperor, his head (the lower part) was majestic and magnificent, far surpassing ordinary people. Later generations called this appearance the appearance of an emperor!”

"A person's appearance is not static; it can change due to後天 factors and circumstances. Therefore, our ancestors cautioned us with the saying "Do not judge a book by its cover," reminding us that while we can observe appearances, we should not rely on them to determine a person's destiny!"

The elder pointed at Qin Yu again and said, "The saying about fate is inherently mysterious. Look at this young man, he may seem unremarkable in appearance, but if you look closely at his bones..."

"This person's bones are unremarkable and lack the vibrant, healthy sheen. Instead, they appear dull and lifeless. This is a sign that things will not go well for them!"

The middle-aged man questioned. As a master of physiognomy, the moment Qin Yu walked in, he had seen through him.

"A single principle guides palmistry: For those under seven, observe the left ear; from eight to fourteen, the right ear; at fifteen, the forehead; at sixteen, the center of the brow; at seventeen and eighteen, the corners of the eyes; and after twenty, the cheekbones."

"What you see is just the surface, but it hides a powerful force."

"What?"

The elder's words shocked the middle-aged man. Ignoring his manners, he hurriedly asked:

"Master Ren, have you reached the realm of Qi?"

After ten years of enlightenment in Zhuge's cottage, I recently broke through to the realm of qi! It's just... ah.

The elder's voice carried a hint of pride, but more so, regret.

"Master Ren, your mastery of qi is truly commendable. In our lineage, it has been many years since anyone has achieved such a state."

Even a middle-aged man's tone of voice now carries envy.

Xiangyi (相一脈) is all about looking at physiognomy, qi. Xiang refers to facial features, while qi refers to a person's destiny. Only when physiognomy and qi are combined is it truexiang (相). However, over the past century, the art of physiognomy has declined, and talented individuals have become scarce. No one can reach the realm of qi anymore.

"Human destiny is truly profound and enigmatic. I've only scratched the surface, but observing this young man, although his face bears a melancholic air, he exudes an aura of potent energy surrounding his bones. It seems clear that he will undergo a remarkable transformation."

Qin Yu didn't notice that the other two people were discussing him. As a student of history, he was also quite fond of calligraphy. Seeing these famous calligraphers' works, some powerful and vigorous, some graceful and flowing, he walked and watched, completely lost in admiration, unaware that the sky had gradually darkened.

"Hey! What's this?"

Qin Yu suddenly discovered that the stone tablet before him only inscribed two ancient and quaint characters: "Bagua".

Qin Yu wasn't surprised to find things related to the "Eight Trigrams" in Zhuge Liang's cottage. Throughout history, Zhuge Liang's Bagua array and Bagua diagram were renowned. What Qin Yu found strange was why this stone tablet only had the two characters "Bagua" without anything else.

If Qin Yu were in mid-air, he would discover that his current location was precisely the center of the entire stele garden. With the stele inscribed with the Bagua in front of him as the center, the surrounding steles were arranged in a star-studded pattern, each with intricate mechanisms hidden within them.

Qin Yu's hands rested on the stone tablet. He felt a peculiar curiosity towards this unique artifact. His index finger traced the two ancient characters, and instantly, a wave of vicissitudes washed over him. Then, it seemed like countless pieces of information surged from the tablet directly into Qin Yu's mind.

Qin Yu at this moment was like a computer running at full capacity, overloaded with too much information and collapsed into unconsciousness.

And in that moment of his unconsciousness, the ancient stone stele radiated with an immense glow, piercing the heavens and pointing towards a distant star. Yet, despite its colossal size, this pillar went unnoticed by everyone else in Zhuge's residence, as if they were oblivious to its presence.

As the pillar's pull deepened, stars slowly shifted to illuminate Qin Yu's sky. A strange brilliance bathed his body, within which some inscriptions floated, constantly appearing and disappearing...

……

……

For a long time, the entire world had fallen into darkness. Flickering lanterns began to illuminate the scene as a young man slowly rose from the ground. His brain throbbed, as if it had just been through an explosion, with excruciating pain.

"The Art of War?"

After his mind recovered its clarity, Qin Yu was stunned to find an extra scripture in his brain. His expression became tense. Who's brain would randomly have a book appear? He wasn't scared out of his wits already. He focused on reading the scripture in his mind, and Qin Yu's spirit gradually became clearer until finally, his eyes sparkled with a mysterious light.

"Is this the legacy of Master Wulong?"

After reading through *The Book of Zhuge*, Qin Yu's spirit soared, his eyes gleaming with newfound vigor.

This scripture was actually cast by Zhuge Liang during his lifetime, divided into two parts, recording everything Zhuge Liang had learned in his life. Qin Yu only obtained the upper part, which mainly involves esotericism and geomancy, or in simpler terms, Feng Shui.

The book mentioned that Zhuge Liang's gossip formation was based on feng shui principles, and even the technique of "Beidou Xù mìng" (Northern Dipper Continuance of Life) belonged to the realm of esotericism. If Qin Yu had seen this book at a random bookstall as usual, he would have scoffed at it. But the fact that the book appeared in his mind suggested its magical nature. Although what was written in the book was enigmatic and incomprehensible, compared to how inexplicably it appeared in his mind, it didn't seem so strange anymore.

As a history major, Qin Yu had a rudimentary understanding of ancient people's research on geomancy. To say that geomancy was purely fictitious would be an oversimplification. It wouldn't have been passed down through the ages if it held no truth. There's a reason why this has been a timeless principle.

Now that this person is nowhere to be seen and it's night, only a few streetlights are emitting a warm glow. Qin Yu isn't in a hurry to leave. He sits down beside the stele and carefully reviews Zhuge Jing in his mind.

This deep, quiet and still night, under the lamplight, Qin Yu sat with his eyes closed. From time to time, he would open his eyes, a bright light flashing across them before closing again. The young man's shadow stretched long by the street lamp. Time gradually passed, and the temperature slowly dropped, but Qin Yu seemed oblivious, immersed in some kind of state...