At Wuzhang Plains, Zhuge Liang gazed up at the stars for the last time. As he looked back on a life spent “giving everything until his dying breath,” he still resented Liu Bei’s test of him when entrusting the young emperor to his care. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, only to find himself back at twenty-seven, in the thatched cottage on Wolong Hill. A boy’s voice came from outside the window: “Sir, that Lord Liu is here again. This is his third visit.” Zhuge Liang looked at his youthful reflection in the water basin, gently waved his feather fan, and smiled. “This time, I’m going to make a grand plan for myself.” His inner voice added, “Liu Xuande, Liu Xuande, I’ve already watched the whole show of your acting.”
“Last time, I helped someone else build an empire. This time, it’s my turn to kindle a wildfire for myself.”
