Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 318

When Tianming and Shaoyu came to Gaoyue again, they saw the girl with her hands on her hips, looking down and humming softly. The two bowed their heads, apologized, and promised not to be willful again (within today). They made up smoothly and walked back together.

Watching the three children's retreating figures until they disappeared, Zhang Liang's smile gradually faded. He sighed softly and muttered to himself, "After hiding for so long, it's time to see Brother Gai and Brother Wei Zhuang..."

The Confucian and Agricultural Schools had a larger and more successful plan, and this plan itself had only one main body. The nobles of the other six states and those scattered forces for restoration were not regarded as the core of the plan. Wei Zhuang was a staunch advocate for the restoration of Han, and Zhang Liang originally was too, but after so many years, his heart had long since changed.

Earlier, he even intended to accept the Qin state, but Qin's tyranny made Zhang Liang abandon the idea. Now that a new attempt has emerged, he wants to take another gamble.

'Given Wei Zhuang's character, he won't allow himself to be excluded from this plan. In the future, he might become Lu's enemy... This is simply courting death.'

Zhang Liang pondered as he walked towards the side gate of Xiaoshengxianzhuang: with his status, he could go out openly.

"The era of strategists is passing. In a unified empire, diplomacy can only be a means, not the mainstream doctrine. The precedent set by the Qin state will become the goal pursued by later emperors. Even if Ying Zheng himself is not worth emulating, the embryonic form of this empire is destined to be inherited."

Shaking his head to temporarily set aside these extraneous thoughts, Zhang Liang began to consider his promise to the two children:

Tianming was certain that Gai Nie, whom he cared about, would be alright. He could bring back Gai Nie's keepsake on this trip to reassure the child.

As for Shao Yu, the remnants of the Xiang and Mo families are currently all in Daze Mountain. The Mo family will be very safe with Gao Jianli around, but it's hard to say about the Xiang family.

This arrogant "strongest clan in Chu" is not so easy to subdue. If they cannot be subdued, then something unexpected may happen to them.

Lu had always displayed gentleness and politeness within the Confucian tradition, but the peasant elders who had once been his benefactors were all dead; one can only imagine whether those who opposed him would survive...

Finally, there's the issue of Gao Yue. Lu Wei has publicly explained the role of this girl to Fu Nian, and it's not Zhang Liang's place to concern himself with it: Yin-Yang techniques are no longer mysterious and terrifying; they will all become alternative accomplices of the Farmer's School.

Chapter 392 Trial of a Taoist Sect Leader

Two figures in green robes stood facing each other in a bamboo forest on the outskirts of Sanghai. Bamboo leaves that twirled and fell were instantly bounced away when they entered within a ten-foot radius of each other.

An unseen, powerful internal energy surrounded the two people in the bamboo forest, signaling the imminent start of an inevitable battle.

Xiaomeng's two strands of black hair fell from her temples, her gray-white eyes coldly gazing at her opponent not far away. She drew the Qiuli sword and held it diagonally in front of her. The ethereal purple-red aura of the famous sword itself slowly rose from the hilt to the tip, making the exquisite and slender Qiuli sword even more gorgeous and cold.

Her pale blue sleeves swayed gently with the flow of her inner energy. With a light tap of her slender, white fingers, her left hand resting on Qiu Li, the purplish-red sword energy instantly turned pale blue. At the same time, as the 'blue moon' rose behind Xiao Meng, the rustling of the bamboo forest in the night wind abruptly stopped, and the world began to lose its color.

Holding the Snow Glow sword, Lu Wei's composed expression had to become slightly more serious after Xiao Meng unleashed the Color Loss of Heaven and Earth and her figure disappeared into the blue mist. The gems inlaid in the pommel and hilt of the Snow Glow sword emitted a faint purple luster, and he unleashed a horizontal slash in front of him.

Since Xueji has no blade, it should not have the function of 'slashing', but it can be given all the functions that a sword should have by human intervention.

Clang! Xiaomeng appeared in a flash and was right in the range of Xueji's attack. She raised her sword to block, and a blue Tai Chi symbol flashed at the point where the two swords met. However, due to the great difference in strength, Xiaomeng still had to retreat to deflect the force a second time.

As she retreated, her toes spun, revealing the dark bamboo leaf pattern on her unfolded skirt. This elegant turn was not a meaningless performance. Taking advantage of the moment, the whisk tassel on the tip of the Qiu Li sword unleashed a vortex of internal energy, which, along with the slender bamboo leaves, gathered together and pierced towards the motionless Lu.

This seemingly ordinary strike actually carried two kinds of internal energy: the surging autumn waters and the still waters of the heart. The Tai Chi formed by bamboo leaves suddenly exploded as it approached Lu Wei, presenting the momentum of a thousand arrows being fired simultaneously.

Lu Wei smiled slightly and released Xue Ji. The slender sword stood in the air, and the gemstone guard of the longsword spun under the control of his inner energy. The sword energy extended from the sword and the hilt, forming a black and white Tai Chi shield that blocked the bamboo leaves and blocked all the attacks.

Seeing that she couldn't break through her opponent's defenses, Xiaomeng intensified her attacks by causing the world to lose its color, while also wielding Qiuli to pluck large swaths of colorless bamboo leaves from the heights of the bamboo forest to replenish her attack frequency.

The pressure of the world losing its color had limited effect on Lu Wei, but the relentless attacks did cause his Tai Chi shield to begin to break: each bamboo leaf contained Xiao Meng's two layers of internal energy, which combined to make the bamboo leaf blades extremely sharp.

Boom! The Tai Chi Shield was finally blasted apart. The spilled internal energy stirred up a storm in the bamboo forest under the control of the colorless sky. Even the tough bamboo closest to the center of the battle was snapped in half, making a crisp creaking sound. The impact of the aftershocks on Lu Wei and Xiao Meng, who were even closer, can be imagined.

What makes things even more troublesome for Lu Wei is that he also has to deal with Xiao Meng's bamboo leaves.

Faced with these impacts, the chivalrous leader was adept at using violence to resolve them: he inhaled his inner energy and gripped Xueji's sword hilt again, forcefully injecting a large amount of inner energy into this famous Taoist sword. He then used the long-unused Butterfly Sword Technique, the move "Bees Attract Butterflies," and with a single slash, the almost infinite inner energy transformed into invisible threads that pierced through every bamboo leaf, which was indistinguishable in number, until they were all connected together and floated still in mid-air.

With a flash, he rushed directly to Xiaomeng, who was briefly stunned by the power of the sword. The latter belatedly realized what was happening and raised her sword to stab, but Lu Wei easily dodged by tilting his head and grabbed her wrist. The Tianzong Sect leader was unwilling to be captured and forcibly twisted his wrist to send the Qiuli sword tip toward his throat.

Forced to let go to avoid the attack, the latter broke free and immediately pressed his advantage, raising his leg to kick and try to force him further away, but was again caught precisely on the ankle...

Lu Wei smiled and gave Xiaomeng a sharp tug. Xiaomeng, who was standing on one high heel, immediately lost her balance and was forced to fall forward into his arms.

Qiu Li and Xue Ji were both thrown to the ground. Lu Wei, with his arm around the waist of the Tianzong Sect Master, whose hair was slightly disheveled, announced the results of the competition:

"you lose."

"Snow will naturally return to Taoism after it clears; why must you try to force it?"

"How much of your strength did you use?" Xiaomeng asked, biting her lip, her right wrist swollen and red from the forceful twisting. She had to use her left hand to tuck her long hair, which was partially obscuring her vision, behind her ear.

"I will go all out in any match." Facing the questioning look in Qingxiang's eyes, Lu Wei smiled and continued, "It's just that a nonchalant approach can easily increase the pressure on my opponents because they can't see through me, so I always deliberately don't show my pressure."

"Is that so..." The doubt in his cold eyes did not dissipate. Perhaps the only believable thing about his words was that he 'couldn't see through it'.

"My internal energy is quite depleted, please carry me back."

As usual, Xiaomeng closed her eyes and pressed her head against Lu Wei's chest. Her tone was much more casual than usual, and she spoke stiffly.

"Is that so..." Lu Wei felt the softness in his arms, turned his head to look around, and saw bamboo leaves scattered all over the ground, which were messy but not without beauty. He suddenly smiled and said, "Tianzong values ​​being close to nature. Since you and I are going to have a sword debate here, why don't we rest here as well?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaomeng's delicate body tensed up. After realizing that she had been placed on the ground, she quickly regained her usual composure.

Her pale gray eyes fixed on the burning heat close to hers, she said haughtily, "Fine," and then wrapped her arms around Lu Wei's neck, their lips meeting...

After trying the Taoist snow-clearing elixir, it's time to try the Taoist sect leader's elixir...

------

A fiery meteor streaked across the dark night sky, its dazzling brilliance visible even to people far away in the Sanghai region as it set in the west.

A day later, a top-secret intelligence letter sent from Dongjun made the atmosphere in Sanghai, which had just experienced an assassination attempt at a banquet, heavy again.

"Where will Qin perish?" Ying Zheng, residing in his palace outside Sanghai, clenched his fist as he looked at the inscription on the Mars stone reported in the intelligence report: he did not read aloud the last sentence, "The First Emperor died and the land was divided."

The emperor immediately summoned the astrologer from the Yin-Yang School. The astrologer's answer made His Majesty's gaze even more ruthless, so much so that Li Si, who arrived later, couldn't help but bow a few degrees more than usual after noticing His Majesty's mood.

"Take a look."

The top-secret intelligence was delivered to Li Si by an eunuch. Upon seeing the twelve large characters, Li Si's expression changed drastically, and he almost tore the cloth recording the information apart.

Without hesitation, Li Si knelt down and, suppressing his anger, suggested, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. Please execute all those in Dongjun who have seen the Yinghuo Stone and know about it."

"I have already sent Wang Li to handle this matter," Ying Zheng said calmly. "Also, send Meng Yi to bring back the latest intelligence from the northern border as soon as possible."

"So, I wonder what the Yin-Yang School thinks of the Yinghuo Stone?" Li Si's brain continued to race.

"The Yin-Yang School will send someone to Dongjun to escort the Yinghuo Stone to Sanghai. There is nothing wrong with the stone itself." Ying Zheng was a little restless and stood up, pacing slowly in the high hall: "After you go back, mobilize more grain and new soldiers to prepare for Meng Tian's large-scale expedition beyond the Great Wall."

"I will do it immediately." Li Si understood His Majesty's intention and quickly withdrew.

"The barbarians want to destroy my Great Qin? They're delusional!" Ying Zheng's thoughts raced back to the past. The reason the Zhou Dynasty declined was because King You of Zhou deposed the legitimate heir and installed a son of a concubine, which led the feudal lords to collude with foreign tribes to besiege the capital.

Now that internal strife has just begun to emerge within the Qin Dynasty, and I have only just punished Fusu, Heaven has immediately sent down the Mars Stone. Could this be a warning...?

Moreover, Ying Zheng always felt that the word "also" in the phrase "The one who will destroy Qin is Hu" was somewhat strange.

Shaking his head, he thought, "No matter what, as long as the Qin Dynasty takes the lead and wipes out the Hu people, then the contents of the Yinghuo Stone will no longer exist!"

Chapter 393 The Heroic Leader Cannot Say No!

'Life is finite, but knowledge is infinite. To pursue the infinite with the finite is perilous! And to pursue knowledge in this way is even more perilous!'

Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and a few strands of her dark highlights clung to Xiaomeng's cheek with sweat, giving her a unique beauty.

With his eyes closed and back bent, sensing the intense heat and despair, the sect leader of the Heavenly Sect couldn't help but let out a long, melodious murmur before beginning to reflect on his own path.

'The rights and wrongs of the world are ultimately uncertain. However, non-action can determine right and wrong. The greatest joy in life lies in non-action.'

Zhuangzi said that right and wrong in the world cannot be determined by inaction, yet there is some truth to that. I listen to Lu Wei's actions and do not find it boring; in fact, I have found enjoyment and reason in it.

Slowly opening her eyes, Xiaomeng met his aggressive, half-smiling gaze. Without any prompting, her long, slender legs hooked around Lu Wei's waist. Her noble face melted like spring snow, and she smiled faintly: "You're not bad."

Looking down at the Taoist master's alluring figure, and hearing her seemingly provocative words, the chivalrous leader naturally couldn't allow himself to be underestimated, so he bent down and pressed...

...

The chirping of birds gradually rose in the bamboo forest. The early birds began their busy day. Their chattering made Xiaomeng, who was always close to nature, frown slightly and open her eyes with a cold look.

It was a cloudy day, and the light in the bamboo forest was dim, but it was clear that it was no longer early morning.

She straightened her limp body and saw Lu Wei, who was not far from her, already dressed and had resumed his identity as the righteous leader of the peasant clan. He was practicing his internal energy with a serious expression, quite different from last night. What a hypocrite!

With a touch of the sentimentality of an ordinary young girl in her heart, Master Xiaomeng slowly and methodically straightened her clothes, her every move revealing her stunning figure, causing Lu, who had already tasted her, to feel a slight stirring in his body.

She retrieved the Qiuli Sword, which had been abandoned overnight, and turned to look at the emerald green bamboo leaves on the ground that resembled the joints of 'Xiangfei bamboo'. With a casual wave of her hand, she blew away the mementos that ordinary women would cherish: dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

Then, feeling perfectly at ease, she sat in Lu Wei's lap, closed her eyes, and whispered, "I'm tired, carry me back."

As with the same request as last night, Xia Kui, in high spirits, did not refuse this time.

Inside the bamboo forest villa, a female disciple named Yue'er was taking a nap because her master hadn't returned the night before. Xiaomeng had indeed exhausted too much of her inner energy the night before, and later, due to pleasure, she had also used up a lot of energy. Therefore, she relaxed and fell asleep in Lu Wei's arms halfway through.

He placed her on the bed in the room to rest, and hung Xueji and Qiuli on the wall. Lord Xia Kui did not stay there long because he still had to go to the Mirage.

The thought of secretly trespassing into the mirage he so desperately wanted to use to seek immortality right under the nose of the First Emperor was somewhat thrilling. However, Lu Wei had long regarded the ship as his own, so it was actually the Emperor, the one who coveted it, who was the third party.

Although this ship was built by the Qin state at great expense...

"Ying Zheng sent someone to inquire about the Yinghuo Stone. I plan to send the Grand Master of Fate to bring a slice of that stone back to Sanghai. What are your plans for handling this?"

From the inner chambers of the Crescent Moon Palace, one can see the astrological platform outside through the deep purple silk curtains.

Although the astrological observatory is no longer usable because the mechanical star charts were destroyed, it remains the bedchamber of the moon goddess.

As the new leader of the Yin-Yang School, the Moon Goddess, though over thirty, has not changed much in appearance compared to more than ten years ago; only her temperament has become more mature.

She was in the prime of her life, and having escaped the Eastern Emperor, she felt relaxed. Therefore, as she talked with Lu Wei, who had arrived, they naturally changed the location to the bed.

Last night's hard work did not hinder Lord Xia Kui's energy. Faced with the Moon Goddess's teasing, he naturally would not admit that he was 'incapable'.

After a satisfying reunion of their past feelings in Handan, the two got down to business.

"The High Priestess? Is she reliable?"

Lu Wei casually stroked the Moon Goddess's smooth, jade-like back, asking questions as he went.

The Grand Master of Fate was a key figure in the old Yin-Yang school. When the sun, moon, and stars were not performing their duties, the Eastern Emperor would personally assign tasks to this elder of the Fire Department.

After the battle at the Mirage Tower and the death of Donghuang, Da Siming was subdued by Shao Siming and handed over to Yue Shen along with Yun Zhongjun. Yun Zhongjun quickly submitted, but Yue Shen did not mention that Da Siming had also submitted last time.

Moreover, even if Yun Zhongjun submits, he will be imprisoned on the Mirage Tower, which is very different from Da Siming being released to operate in Dongjun.

“Everyone in the Yin-Yang School is only loyal to themselves, but I showed her a new level of Yin-Yang techniques. The Grand Master of Fate is a pragmatic person.”

The Moon Goddess nodded in response to his question: "I will also have the Lesser Master of Fate follow me, so the Greater Master of Fate will not have the opportunity to betray me."

“In that case…” Lu Wei sorted through the various pieces of information in his mind and quickly found a point in the plan that he could use: “Daze Mountain will encourage the main force of the Xiang clan of Chu to intercept the Grand Master of Fate. You can let her take the opportunity to get rid of this proud family!”

After the assassination of Qinglong, Han Xin brought all the survivors from the remnants of the six kingdoms who participated in the operation to Daze Mountain. On the way, this ordinary-looking future military genius, whose clothes were covered with patches, personally cracked the case of Li Liang and others, spies of the Luo Wang organization among the wandering knights of the six kingdoms, and established his authority in front of Kuang Xiu, Chi Lian and others.

With the subsequent letters sent by Gao Jianli and Wei Zhuang, both the Mohist School and the Quicksand, two powerful forces in the martial arts world, became more law-abiding. However, the nobles of the six kingdoms, mainly the Xiang clan, possessed the pride inherent in their bloodline and gradually became a source of trouble.

Although the Farmer Clan and the Xiang Clan had a good relationship in the past, and the Farmer Clan's Siyue Hall even took in Princess Mi Lian of Chu, now, even if they are still on the same path, they are destined to become obstacles for each other in the future.