Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 168

Lu Wei then slowly extended his right hand, revealing a small white porcelain cup in his palm: inside was iced tea.

This is the gift inside the Star Soul Wooden Box.

Without uttering a word, the hall master gently turned the teacup. The ice inside melted quickly in a few breaths, but it was still a cup of cold tea after all.

He fearlessly downed the tea in one gulp, a confident action that prompted Xinghun to remark, "I remember you weren't this reckless a few years ago."

The Yin-Yang School's special Yin Spring Tea has a unique flavor when chilled compared to hot tea. Lu Wei tossed the teacup back to Xing Hun, who was sitting crookedly, and replied loudly, "Disciples of the Farmer School are immune to all poisons. Besides, I have checked it and the tea is fine, so you can drink it without worry."

"Gan, you've come to Qi today. Could it be that the King of Qin has sent you as an envoy to Qi again?"

"My name isn't Gan Luo anymore." Xinghun's expression remained unchanged. After revealing the special patterns on his skin that he had previously concealed using Yin-Yang magic, he smiled and pointed to his strange face: "I've given myself a new job. Hall Master Lu surely noticed, right?"

"The Yin-Yang School?" Lu Wei walked up to Xinghun and sat down, carefully examining the lines on his face. He said seriously, "The Yin-Yang School also serves the Qin Kingdom; Gan's identity as the envoy hasn't changed."

"Oh?" Xinghun's smile deepened: "Knowing that I belong to the Yin Yang School, you shouldn't be so relaxed."

“You are not the first Yin-Yang School disciple I have encountered. Based on my experience with the previous one, I think it’s fine for me to relax.”

Lu Wei rested his left cheek on one hand, his body even leaning slightly towards Xinghun; today, his main focus was on honesty.

The Hall Master estimates that all this candor was information that Xinghun could find out in advance.

"The Moon Goddess, the Right Protector of the Yin-Yang School? I know she does indeed obey the orders of the Sect Leader, Donghuang, and has been in contact with you."

"It's truly surprising, intriguing... and enviable that Master Lu has managed to hold out until now without being pulled into the Yin-Yang School!"

When Xinghun mentioned envy, a fierce glint appeared in his narrowed eyes, and his voice became ruthless: "But that's all. You will eventually join the Yin Yang School in my hands."

"I wonder what Envoy Gan means?" Hearing that it was a bluff, Lu Wei still sat up a little straighter and put his hand, which had been supporting his cheek, under the table.

He put on a serious face, intending to listen to what Xinghun was going to say in order to deduce Xinghun's purpose in suddenly coming to Daze Mountain.

Today's meeting with Xinghun came much earlier than Lu Wei had planned.

"The Yin-Yang School's forbidden techniques are unpredictable and ever-changing. Did you really think you could confidently drink my tea just because you're immune to all poisons, relying on the Farmer's School?" Xinghun leaned back, displaying a hint of smugness. "You should regret this."

"So, you've come here on the orders of that Eastern Emperor to recruit me into the Yin-Yang School?"

If that's truly the reason they came, then why didn't the Moon Goddess, who has always been in charge, take this trip instead of having the Star Soul do it...?

The hall master probed the question without revealing his true intentions.

Seeing that Lu Wei had no intention of dwelling on the forbidden technique, Xinghun realized that his deception had failed. The smugness on his face disappeared, replaced by seriousness.

Not knowing why the other party was so certain that he hadn't put a curse on the tea, Xinghun, having failed with his first plan, devised another:

"No, I'm here to ask for help."

"You've helped me once, and I think you can help me a second time...and this is also helping yourself."

Following the Hall Master's "willing to hear details" attitude, Xinghun became a little more frank and continued, "'Envoy Gan' has been killed, and now only Xinghun of the Yin Yang School remains."

"You and I were actually targeted by the Yin Yang School a long time ago, but I was in the Qin State, too close to them, and I didn't have your Farmer School's support, so I had to become a 'Star Soul'."

“You will only be their next target. I came to Dazeshan to remind them of this.”

Beware of the Yin-Yang School's conspiracy!

Xinghun's expression was genuine as he continued his act. This String Puppet Technique was not only capable of manipulating others, but also of manipulating himself: "You've met the Moon Goddess, so you should know that this woman is very dangerous, and I can tell you that she is far more dangerous than you can imagine."

Lu Wei remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled under the gaze of others and said, "I've experienced that firsthand."

"Yes, you know, that's certainly better."

Xinghun smiled brightly: "We can join forces to deal with the Yin Yang School!"

"I know that Elder Yun Zhongjun, the Minister of the Fifth Elder, is in Qi. Why don't we deal with him first and cut off one of their wings? What do you say?"

...

Strangely enough, Xinghun actually took the initiative to ask me to deal with the Yin Yang School.

And the reason given was solely for revenge.

This boy with a sinister appearance must not have told the truth.

He may have even prepared some reasons in advance for the truth, just waiting for Lu Wei to ask him in detail. However, Lu Wei agreed to the joint proposal without asking, but postponed the proposed operation to besiege that unlucky Yun Zhongjun.

This only fueled Xinghun's curiosity; the kid is really curious.

He is heavier than Ziwu.

After making up a casual excuse to arrange to meet again the next afternoon, Lu Wei hurried back to the Gonggongtang headquarters.

The goal was achieved, but the process was too smooth and had many unreasonable aspects, to the point that Xinghun felt as if the Soul Extinction Net that had once tried to assassinate him was scratching wildly in his heart.

After much deliberation, he did not attempt to secretly follow Lu Wei, because Xinghun was not confident that he could guarantee that his whereabouts would not be discovered.

The reason why the Hall Master agreed to Xinghun's request so easily was simply because when Xinghun mentioned that "the Moon Goddess is in danger," the Moon Goddess's aura really appeared outside the tavern window!

Now everything became clear: the Moon Goddess was behind Xinghun's visit.

He could ask the Moon Goddess herself for details that night; why stay and play games with the Star Soul?

As an upright head of a farming family, Lu Wei really disliked playing tricks and schemes. He believed that he had always acted straightforwardly and never engaged in any underhanded tactics.

Back in the backyard, the Moon Goddess was indeed in Qian'er's room.

She returned two incense sticks' time earlier than him and hadn't spent much time with Qian'er. The head of the hall had kindly intended to let her spend more time alone with her son, but unexpectedly, the Moon Goddess invited him into the house:

"I can't stay long. I've come here to tell you some secrets that will benefit your ambitious plans."

“Star Soul?” Lu Wei was still pondering where to begin with the so-called secret, but the Moon Goddess shook her head and interrupted him: “He is just a pawn, a secondary character. I will explain his affairs to you later.”

"The secret I'm about to tell you is related to my surname."

The Moon Goddess sat on the edge of the bed, pulled off her veil, and met Lu Wei's gaze with calm eyes, her gaze full of seriousness: "My surname is Ji. This surname is now rampant in the Seven Kingdoms, but my Ji comes from the true Zhou royal family."

"The bloodline of King Nan of Zhou?"

From the perspective of noble bloodline alone, the Ji surname has been passed down for thousands of years. Even though the Eastern and Western Zhou dynasties were destroyed one after another 30 years ago, and the weakest of the seven states before their destruction, Han, could arbitrarily bully the Zhou royal family, the Ji surname still has a certain sacred meaning in the eyes of some people.

Lu Wei knew that King Nan of Zhou had died about thirty years ago, so it was normal for him to subconsciously guess this answer.

"No, in the eyes of us Yin-Yang School, King Nan of Zhou is a false emperor!"

The Moon Goddess, as if struck by lightning, spoke with utter contempt for King Nan of Zhou: "Twenty-nine years ago, when Qin destroyed the Duke of Western Zhou, they tied him to a pillar and paraded him through the streets. It was my Yin-Yang School's idea that led to this. Although I was not yet born at that time, this story is still recorded in stone carvings at the headquarters of the Yin-Yang School."

"The Donghuang, Dongjun, myself, and Hebo and Shangui of the Yin-Yang School all belong to the Ji clan. Our lineage is mortal enemies with the lineage of the false emperor. You should be able to guess what the secret I'm about to tell you is."

Gently stroking the soft, tender face of the little Qian'er in her arms, the Moon Goddess gazed quietly at Lu Wei, awaiting his reply.

"...I don't have a deep understanding of the Zhou royal family." Judging from the Moon Goddess's tone, it seemed that the words "false emperor" were enough to reveal the truth. However, when it came to the details, the Hall Master's illiteracy was exposed.

He had never systematically studied history beyond the last thirty years in this world...

"The Yin-Yang School was born from the Taoism five hundred years ago, but the Ji family took over the Yin-Yang School two hundred and eighty-nine years ago."

The Moon Goddess blinked, and facing Lu Wei's innocent and pure gaze, she bit her lower lip and had no choice but to continue on her own:

"That year, the State of Jin sent troops to escort Ji Gai into the Zhou capital, where he defeated my ancestor Ji Chao. My ancestor had no choice but to leave the capital, but before leaving, he took with him most of the ancient books, treasures, and wealth left by the Zhou royal family since King Wen, and headed south to seek refuge with the State of Chu."

"It was during their escape to the Chu capital that our ancestor's lineage joined the Yin-Yang School, which was closely associated with Chu culture. As a result, those orthodox ancient books and treasures of the Zhou royal family have been collected by the Yin-Yang School ever since..."

Nearly three hundred years ago, the Zhou royal family's power had declined, but its accumulated cultural classics and treasures still surpassed those of all the other vassal states.

And these priceless historical legacies, at this moment, seem to be drawing ever closer to Lu Wei through the Moon Goddess's words...

Chapter 188 Yue'er

Although the Moon Goddess revered Ji Chao as her ancestor, the respect she showed for this ancestor was merely superficial.

After all, no matter how much the Yin-Yang School referred to King Nan of Zhou as a false emperor, it could not change the fact that Ji Chao was merely the eldest son of a concubine in historical records. Although he was favored by his father, King Jing of Zhou, he was ultimately not made crown prince.

The fact is that Ji Chaoxian launched a rebellion and killed King Dao of Zhou, which led to the later event where the Jin army supported Ji Gai as King Jing of Zhou.

The Yin-Yang school has another explanation for this, saying that Ji Chao was the rightful Zhou emperor who was appointed by the former king. However, opinions on this matter vary, and in the end, the victor is king and the loser is villain, and Ji Chao lost.

Lu Wei was unaware of that past history, but could only deduce from the available information that the Zhou royal family had experienced another internal strife nearly three hundred years ago, and the losing side fled to the State of Chu and joined the Yin-Yang School.

Through a series of power grabs within the Yin-Yang family, this lineage of the Ji clan seems to have fared much better than the orthodox Zhou royal family: after the fall of the Western Zhou state, the Eastern Zhou state was destroyed during the reign of King Zhuangxiang of Qin, and the Zhou royal family's sacrifices ceased, marking its true demise.

Since the Moon Goddess said that King Nan of Zhou was a false emperor, then the Yin-Yang School should still have ancestral temples for worshipping the Zhou royal family.

This ancestral temple is unlikely to be located near Xianyang, the current headquarters of the Yin-Yang School in Qin State. It is more likely to be located in Chu, where Ji Chao once fled.

The Master had little interest in these historical mysteries, but just as the Moon Goddess had predicted, no one could resist the allure of the Zhou royal treasury since the time of King Wen.

"The situation of the State of Chu that year was not much better than that of my ancestors." The Moon Goddess continued, "At that time, the State of Chu had been firmly suppressed by the State of Jin for a long time, and it just so happened that King Helü of Wu attacked and broke through the capital of Chu, King Ping of Chu was exhumed and his corpse was whipped, and the State of Chu lost face.

"After the Yin-Yang School separated from the Daoist School, it served the Chu state. In the Chu-Wu War, the Yin-Yang School suffered heavy losses, much like the Mohist School in the Qin-Yan War today."

"Therefore, when our ancestor entered the Yin-Yang school, it did not take much effort for him to seize power from the Yin-Yang school when it was weak. Even though he was assassinated by assassins from the Luo Wang organization commissioned by the Zhou royal family not long after, the Ji bloodline in the Yin-Yang school was able to continue to hold power."

The interaction between the Luo Wang and Yin Yang School is surprisingly long-standing.

This time, the Moon Goddess was truly going to tell him many deeply buried secrets. Hearing this, Lu Wei sat down on the edge of the bed, put his arm around her shoulder, and began to utilize the little bit of historical knowledge he had finally come to know:

"Later, the Qin state sent troops to help the Chu state recover its old capital, so the Yin-Yang school followed the Qin state back to Xianyang?"

"At that time, we only made some investments in the Qin state and established good relations." The behavior of a certain hall master proved that he had ideas about the Yin-Yang Ji clan. The Moon Goddess clearly grasped this point: "The entry of most of the Yin-Yang family into Qin is a recent phenomenon that has only occurred in the last few decades."

"As for the Zhou royal treasury's treasures, they remain in a hidden place in Chu, guarded and sacrificed by the two Ji family elders, the River God and the Mountain Spirit."

"Even though I am the Right Protector of the Yin-Yang School, I do not know the true location of the ancestral temple and sacrificial site."

"But you can still help me get those things from the national treasury, right, Moon?" Holding the Moon Goddess's soft hand that was stroking Little Qian'er's face, Lu Wei spoke gently without blushing or skipping a beat.

"Of course, now that I've told you this secret, I won't disappoint you." The Right Protector of the Yin-Yang School glanced at the Hall Master Lu standing close beside him and said calmly:

"Although the location of the ancestral temple where the Zhou dynasty's treasury is hidden cannot be found now, it will come out on its own one day in the future."

"That's Project Mirage!"

"The Mirage Project?" The hall master asked in a puzzled tone. He knew about the Mirage, but only had a vague understanding of the full scope of the Mirage Project.

“The Mirage itself is a large ship, and the Mirage Project is an ultimate plan.” The Moon Goddess lay down on Lu Wei’s chest, feeling the solid support: “It is a plan to seek immortality jointly created by the King of Qin and our Yin-Yang School.”

"The King of Qin's migraines persisted and became a torment. His desire for power would inevitably give rise to a desire for immortality and eternal power. Therefore, for the Qin state, the Mirage Project was a quest for the elixir of immortality."

"As for our Yin-Yang School's Donghuang, nearly three hundred years have passed since our ancestor Ji Chao was overthrown from the throne. After three hundred years of powerlessness, he has no means to seek the restoration of the Great Zhou Dynasty in a normal way, so he has turned his attention to seeking immortality and asking questions."

"The purpose of the Mirage Project against Donghuang is to restore the Zhou emperor's rule over all directions by using the power of immortals."

"Besides the mirage, there is also the wondrous Azure Dragon Seven Mansions. This is also a plan to restore the country through objects. In fact, if you look closely, the Mirage Plan is a more practical solution derived from the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions."