Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 193

Turning around, she placed a small gold ingot on the counter, and wearing the piece of jewelry she had just personally chosen, Hua Ying left with elegant steps.

The message from Chu was that she needed to find Tian Guang and Lu Wei as soon as possible. After receiving the mission, Hua Ying not only cast a wide net and laid out plans in Zuimenglou, but also kept an eye on Jun Jinxuan.

Although Jun Jin Xuan is small and its owner is just a young man, he still has some connections, so the cost of giving it a try is not high.

Moreover, this young man named Chen Ping is somewhat talented, and it's always a good thing to be able to bring Chu under his command.

After the figure of Hua Ying disappeared, Chen Ping pondered for a few moments, then deftly picked up the small gold nugget and returned to the back room.

Facing Hua Ying's smiling demeanor as she sought to investigate her target, he placed the gold ingot on the table between the two of them: "Does Hall Master Lu think this piece of gold is enough to buy the whereabouts of 'Lu Wei'?"

“The price is a bit too low, I’m afraid Brother Chen Ping will have to make up the difference himself.” While pretending to think, Lu Wei stuck his index finger into the wine and casually drew the character ‘Chu’ on the table.

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The fact that Hua Ying would inquire about my news suggests that the mastermind behind this is unlikely to be the Zhu family, but most likely from Shouchun.

The fact that Chen Ping had just mentioned that "the anti-Qin forces of the six states have their eyes on us" has happened so quickly.

Whether Tian Guang's disappearance was real or fake, it was certain that they couldn't be relied upon. The reason Shouchun supported them instead of the Zhu family was simply because the Zhu family's strength was insufficient to subdue the other five halls.

Chen Ping suspected that Lu Wei himself should not associate with Hua Ying. However, for him, the owner of Junjinxuan, cooperating with Zuimenglou would definitely be more beneficial than harmful.

However, cooperating with Gonggongtang is still more important, so Chen Ping needs to "test the waters" and see what the leader's attitude is.

Hua Ying's initiative to seek out Chen Ping is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house. Once the cooperation between the two parties begins, Hua Ying and the Shouchun forces behind her will be exposed little by little.

Lu Wei didn't mind Chen Ping's potential growing closer to Shennong Hall, since the entire farm was his...

In Xianyang, Lord Changping, tasked with appeasing the people of Chu, led a contingent to Chenying, the former capital of Chu, which was already under Qin control, before Li Xin's main force attacked Chu.

When Lord Changping set off, the two protectors of the Yin-Yang School and the two great national protectors of Qin, Moon Goddess and Star Soul, watched him depart from a high platform.

"This man is the King of Qin's most formidable opponent."

Beneath the veil, Moon Goddess's purple eyes were filled with indifference, while Star Soul remained unperturbed: "The most terrifying? Does Lady Moon Goddess truly believe that?"

"Oh? What brilliant idea does Lord Xinghun have?" Moon Goddess glanced at her colleague and said casually.

"Lord Changping may bring the King of Qin a few defeats, but that person will bring the King of Qin death and destruction. Isn't it obvious who the greatest enemy of this country is?"

Xinghun answered calmly and boldly, then asked in return, "Lady Moon Goddess and I are both partners with common interests with that person, so why bother with hiding it?"

"The concept of 'enemy' is relative. Right now, the King of Qin's only enemies are the people of the six states. Lord Xinghun, you should probably control your words a bit."

The Moon Goddess slowly shook her head, her words cool and aloof, yet her hand gestures pointed towards the sky.

Xinghun noticed this and instantly understood what was going on. He chuckled and said, "What the Moon Goddess says is correct."

The two stopped talking, and a moment later, Yan Fei stepped up the stairs behind them.

As the Eastern Lord, she now holds a very special position, but within the Yin-Yang School, it is generally accepted that the Sun, Moon, and Star are of the same level.

"The Moon Goddess and the Star Soul should have already received His Majesty the Eastern Emperor's new instructions, yet they seem in no hurry at all."

After arriving at the pavilion, Yanfei flashed to the side of the Moon Goddess and together they watched the departing army.

Neither the Moon Goddess nor the Star Soul turned their heads; only the Moon Goddess spoke, saying:

"On this trip to Chu, the three of us will act together, so there will be no surprises. Why rush?"

Chapter 216 The Puzzle of Shao Siming

The State of Wei became part of Wei territory. Although the small town where Zuimenglou and Junjinxuan were located was near Dazeshan, it was still under the jurisdiction of the former State of Wei.

Now that the land has changed hands, the two families' ways of life must conform to Qin law.

Jun Jinxuan was alright; it was just a small shop that paid taxes to the Qin soldiers stationed there and occasionally provided some money for wine and drinks to the patrolling Qin soldiers. Business was still going on as usual.

As for the restrictions on certain daily behaviors in Qin law, those restrictions apply to ordinary people. Chen Ping is a Taoist disciple, and as long as he doesn't get caught using his lightness skill, he's not breaking the law.

Zui Meng Lou was clearly under greater pressure. It was difficult for a single woman to survive in a chaotic world, and if she was also quite beautiful, she would attract even more trouble.

Being a woman is not a sin, having beauty is not a sin, and being weak should not be a sin. However, the world will not treat you kindly just because you have done nothing wrong or committed no sin.

The Drunken Dream Pavilion is filled with beautiful women. Even though the pavilion's owner, Hua Ying, boasts that her place is an elegant venue for playing music and watching dances, if the Qin soldiers really want to make things difficult for her, words alone will obviously be powerless.

Only by relying on the background of Shennong Temple and offering a large amount of money can one obtain temporary peace.

But this is clearly not enough; Zuimenglou still needs a powerful backer from the Qin state.

Besides ensuring her own safety, Hua Ying also needed a powerful backer to conceal her secret of originating from the State of Chu.

This powerful backer was chosen to be Wang Li.

It would be far more worthwhile to spend money on those powerless Qin soldiers and offer them lavish gifts in exchange for the protection of this Qin general.

Moreover, as the eldest son of Wang Ben and the eldest grandson of Wang Jian, Wang Li himself possessed extraordinary value.

As Lu Wei and Chen Ping watched several of Wang's trusted, battle-hardened armored soldiers march past in orderly formation down the street, their thoughts were in turmoil.

"Wang Li is truly a big shot in Qin. The Drunken Dream Pavilion actually managed to connect with him; even with the help of the Farmers' School, that wouldn't be so easy..."

Chen Ping sighed; the world was more complex than he had imagined. But after the sigh, his resolve to peel back the layers of the world's mystery grew stronger.

The process of getting to know the unknown is a pleasure, and it is even more enjoyable to provoke the unknown towards the known that you desire.

To get close to Wang Li, Zuimenglou certainly wouldn't be relying on its apparent backing, Shennongtang. This must be another step in Changping Jun's scheme.

The sect leader, having guessed the truth, chuckled and said, "For Drunken Dream Pavilion to be able to connect with Wang Li is naturally a good thing. But for Wang Li to be attracted to a brothel in a newly conquered area seems rather imprudent."

"Compared to his grandfather and father, Wang Li is quite inferior..." Chen Ping paused thoughtfully, "but compared to Meng Tian of the Meng family, he is still not as good as him..."

"Although both Wang and Meng were veteran generals of the Qin army, Wang Jian and Wang Ben had always firmly suppressed the Meng family. But in the third generation, the two poles are about to reverse."

The other party was a prestigious family of Qin generals, and for Master Lu and Boss Chen to so casually utter comments about them made no attempt to conceal their blatant disrespect.

"There may indeed be a factor that Wang Li's abilities are not as good as Meng Tian's, but it must also be related to the fact that the Wang family has been powerful for two generations."

...

The fall of the state brought about great changes to the lives of ordinary people in the Wei region, and everyone was trying to adapt in order to survive.

Chen Ping dealt with different Qin soldiers for several days. Generally speaking, Qin soldiers were also made up of people. Most of them were simple farmers before going to the battlefield, and were not as ferocious as the rumors of the six states.

But as time goes on, everything is very likely to change...

A few days later, this disciple of the Human Sect, calculating the timing of the Heavenly Sword Tournament, temporarily closed Junjin Pavilion and returned to Taiyi Mountain.

After Hua Ying released the information about searching for him, Lu Wei quickly contacted the Gonggong Hall headquarters and learned that Gao Jianli and Dao Zhi had come to visit him but failed.

After serving the state of Yan, the Mohists are now going to serve the state of Chu...

However, this was indeed unfortunate. If Master Lu himself were on the mountain, he would definitely have met with the two of them first and listened to what they had to say, thus being more polite in his attitude.

As for the answer to be given, that is the personal decision of the Hall Master. The Mo family does not have the power to make decisions for the Farmer family at present.

Even though I'm not here, the decisions made by the key figures won't affect the overall situation, since the Mo family has already left anyway.

In addition to the visit from the Mohists, there was another interesting thing that caught Lu Wei's attention: the Zhu family actually wrote him a letter after the Mohists.

The letter detailed Xiang Yan's and Mohist's plans, which made Zhu's attitude clear to him.

Because of the conflict over the leadership of the heroes, the Gonggong Hall's cooperation with Shennong and the Four Mountains Alliance has soured. Now, judging from the Zhu family's attitude, they seem to be considering cooperation again.

They weren't originally enemies; they just had a conflict over interests. Even if they're now allied for another interest, it's just a temporary setback of the previous conflict.

We're all from farming families; it's normal for us to bicker and talk things out.

In fact, Lu Tangzhu's position as the leader of the heroes had already been recognized by the Sixth Elder. If it weren't for the need to feign weakness to the enemy, his conflict with the Zhu family would have ceased to be a conflict long ago.

As for Xiang Yan and the Mohists' plan, it cannot be said that there is no possibility of success. However, such success would only be a restoration of the powerful and wealthy, which would not be in the interests of the Hall Master.

The old aristocracy should be forgotten along with their corrupt nation. Too much fuss will only land them on Lord Lu's mental register, leading them to the same fate as Lord Ningling, Wei Jiu...

Shaking his head to put that matter aside, there would be other opportunities to cooperate with the Zhu family in a few more charades. Right now, Lu Wei's focus was on the Azure Dragon Bronze Box that Xinghun had given him...

The box was placed upright on the table. The golden-colored copper box was not actually made of copper or gold, but of another unknown and very special metal.

In theory, this box should be handled with caution, but Lu Wei, after some deliberation, still tried to open it by trickery with the Devouring Sea Sword, but to no avail.

If this box could be melted down to forge a sword, the resulting weapon would undoubtedly be several times stronger than one made from ordinary materials.

The box body and lid are seamless, appearing to be cast as a single piece. There are no buttons on the box, and the mechanism is not on the surface.

Opening the Azure Dragon Bronze Box and deciphering the secrets of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions are two difficulties, and Lu Wei is already limited by the first one.

Perhaps it's because his bloodline isn't noble enough, but what exactly defines the nobility of bloodline... and who can define it...?

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When Xinghun, a member of the Yin-Yang School, reported to the Eastern Emperor that he had not brought back the Azure Dragon Bronze Box from Wei, the Eastern Emperor did not show any surprise. He did not even punish him or ask for specific details, but simply told the Left Protector to step down first.

Later, after news of Qin's attack on Chu reached the Yin-Yang School, the Eastern Emperor summoned the Sun, Moon, and Stars respectively, ordering the three to work together to bring back the Azure Dragon Bronze Box from Chu.

This shows that Donghuang was not indifferent to the bronze box, but if he valued it, why did he downplay his failure so much...?

Xinghun walked along the long corridor of the Yin-Yang family, lost in thought.

In the Chu Kingdom, the three—Sun, Moon, and Star—will set out together for a single bronze box; this mission is virtually guaranteed to succeed.

As he walked, lost in thought, Xinghun inadvertently caught a glimpse of the girl that the Moon Goddess had brought back from the Taoist sect when he passed by the cultivation grounds of the Five Spirits Mystic Sect disciples.

Judging from his movements, it is clear that this person's talent is far superior to that of other disciples of the same age. Moreover, since his Wood Department has no elder in charge, if nothing unexpected happens, this person will be the future Young Master of Fate.

But no matter how talented you are, it's not as good as yourself.

I've heard that the Taoist Heavenly Sect has recently taken in a female disciple with the Taoist name Xiaomeng. Her talent in Yin-Yang arts must be exceptional.

Unfortunately, with the old Taoist priest Bei Mingzi personally protecting her, the possibility of luring Xiaomeng back to the Yin Yang School is extremely slim.

The Left Protector didn't spend too much time watching his disciples practice. His thoughts, following his reflections on Shao Siming, extended to the two women of the same rank, Sun and Moon.

The two men's Yin-Yang skills were always superior to his own, which made Xinghun, who had become increasingly arrogant due to the distortion of Yin-Yang techniques, very uncomfortable.

Even if the moon goddess is his collaborator.

But strength is cultivated through practice; jealousy won't lead to progress. To increase power, time is still needed for refinement... or perhaps, a breakthrough in the Yin-Yang Cleansing Technique...

Xinghun unconsciously used the Qi Gathering Blade technique in his left hand: If he couldn't kill Donghuang, but could kill an elder of the Yin Yang Clan, he could also break through a small level!

"Where does Lord Xinghun's intense killing intent come from?"

Just as Xinghun was contemplating a possibility, Dongjun and Yueshen arrived together and interrupted his qi blade.

Yan Fei turned her head to look at the Five Spirits Mystic Masters practicing Yin-Yang techniques under the covered bridge, and smiled: "Could it be that you're going to make a move against these outstanding disciples of the Yin-Yang School?"