Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 324

"Have you made up your mind?" A rare expression of emotion flickered across Lu Wei's face, and even Ji Yan, who was ready to make a move at any moment, was startled when she heard about the sword.

The scepter has had many owners throughout history, but none of them have ever actively sought it out... "I have already explained the reason to the chief knight~" Tian Guang nodded, his tone relaxed: "The owners of the scepter are all loyal men. I am overestimating my abilities, but I also want to follow suit and leave my name after I succeed."

“This sword is in the Daze Mountains. You can ask Lu Yu, the master of the Lieshan Hall, for it when you travel west to Guanzhong.” Lu Wei stepped forward and grasped Tian Guang’s rough hand, handing him the token. At the same time, he seemed to be saying involuntarily, “If you change your mind, you might as well take the fifth sword in the sword manual, Gan Jiang and Mo Xie.”

"The chivalrous leader is overthinking it." Tian Guang laughed heartily, ignoring the man's performance, and happily departed westward.

"Brother Lu, how about..." Ji Yan leaned forward, watching the departing figure of the former leader of the knights with Lu Wei, and whispered a cruel suggestion.

“No need. He has no reason to deliberately use his affixes to show his loyalty at this time.” Shaking his head, Lu Wei withdrew his cold gaze: “Besides, at this point, no one has the ability to change the general trend of the world. Even if I suddenly change my mind, I will be pushed along.”

"Let's continue to the mirage, and sail a small boat to the seaside palace to witness the end of an era."

"Hmm," Ji Yan replied. Now, quite a few people know about Lu Wei's ambitions. Since the Farmer's Clan has already stood up to gather them together and drawn up a big pie for everyone, if they back down at the last minute, it would be tantamount to cutting themselves off from the martial world.

Indeed, no one can change the course of the world from now on.

...

The box containing the Yinghuo Stone was carried into the main hall by two eunuchs. Emperor Qin Shi Huang dismissed all irrelevant people, including the Shadow Guards who were secretly protecting him: Ying Zheng wanted to be alone with this special piece of evidence.

Looking at the exquisite gift box on the table, Ying Zheng straightened his clothes, knelt down solemnly, and placed his palm on the lid of the box.

He could seem to sense the warmth inside the box, confirming that the stone inside was indeed a gift from heaven. The next step was to verify whether the inscriptions showed any signs of human intervention.

Logically, such matters should be confirmed by professional craftsmen. Although those craftsmen would certainly be silenced regardless of the outcome after confirmation, His Majesty the Emperor wanted to see it for himself beforehand.

After pressing the lock, the box lid opens automatically, and a brilliant red light immediately catches the eye. This Yinghuo Stone has retained its extraordinary characteristics even after being transported from Dongjun to Sanghai.

Ying Zheng had a similar impression of this red light in a very short memory.

More than ten years ago, in the main hall of Xianyang Palace, the envoy from the Yan Kingdom revealed his dagger. At that moment, the special short sword in Jing Ke's hand emitted such a red light from the crack in its blade!

A slight headache returned, but Ying Zheng endured the pain without any intention of backing down. He rolled the Yinghuo Stone in the box 180 degrees, revealing two rows of deep characters that were very clear, even written in Qin Small Seal script.

But when Ying Zheng ran his finger over the surface of these characters, he could clearly feel that they were not carved by a chisel or a sword; the smooth cracks were naturally formed!

"When the First Emperor died, the land was divided; the one who destroyed Qin was Hu..." His Majesty the Emperor silently read the words on it, his eyes suddenly sharpening: Unlike the cold, impersonal words on the surface, once you see the true form of the Yinghuo Stone, the scheming behind the inscription on it cannot be hidden from the world.

The character "也" that is slightly distorted by the natural patterns of the Yinghuo Stone is clearly a combination of "十八"!

The one who destroyed Qin was Hu Shiba—the meaning couldn't be clearer!

His eighteenth son, Hu Hai, who was punished last night, is also suspected of being involved in the banquet assassination, the rebellion in two counties, and even the Qinglong assassination.

So this Yinghuo Stone wasn't created by Luo Wang to further frame Fusu?

Ying Zheng rubbed his forehead, staring at the twelve characters, his thoughts becoming complicated once again...

Zhao Gao arrived at the imperial palace at noon and requested an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.

He was unaware that Hu Hai had been punished, nor that Lu Wei had tampered with the inscription on the Yinghuo Stone, a trick that could only be seen by those who actually saw the Yinghuo Stone itself.

Zhao Gao's purpose in coming here was simply to stay in the imperial palace for a few days, as Lu Wei had instructed.

Therefore, he planned to report some secrets about Confucianism and arrange for assassins to carry out a doomed assassination, using this as an excuse for the Net to capture the murderer and protect the emperor.

However, Ying Zheng did not see him immediately. According to the eunuch, His Majesty the Emperor had not slept all night and had only just gone to bed, and did not allow anyone to disturb him.

Zhao Gao waited patiently, and four hours passed in the blink of an eye until nightfall.

The palace was brightly lit, and when the lights in the emperor's bedroom were also lit, it meant that His Majesty had woken up.

Unfortunately, the Yin-Yang School's envoy delivered today's dose of elixir, allowing Zhao Gao to be the first to receive an audience with Ying Zheng.

"This is the last night. I thought you might want to meet Ying Zheng in person. Aren't you curious about what kind of person the master of this empire is?"

On the small boat at sea, the Moon Goddess noticed the light that represented Ying Zheng's awakening and asked Lu Wei a question.

The sea area where the mirage is located is a no-sea zone, and this is especially true for the higher-level seaside palace. However, for certain necessary conveniences, some special ships can still stay there during designated times.

Very few ships possess this qualification, but the small boats in the Mirage responsible for delivering elixirs to His Majesty enjoy almost absolute freedom.

This is because although Yun Zhongjun usually refines pills at fixed times, there are occasional times when he has a burst of inspiration and refines new pills. The pills produced at such times are often extremely precious, and some lose their medicinal properties as soon as they are refined, so there can be no delay.

Using this ship, Lu Wei was able to reach the place closest to the emperor.

"This is the last poison pill. After ingestion, it will detonate all the accumulated poison within half an hour at most, leaving no chance of survival." Lu Wei gazed at the majestic palace not far away. He had indeed had the opportunity to impersonate an envoy of the Yin-Yang School to see Ying Zheng one last time...

However, there is no need...

In theory, all he needed to do was confirm that Ying Zheng was truly dead. Taking the risk of entering the heavily guarded palace was tantamount to deliberately putting himself in a precarious situation on the eve of victory, risking everything to fail...

"An emperor has his own way of dying. We cannot use weapons indiscriminately. Dying on his path of seeking immortality is a relatively good ending for him, and it is also a silent and greatest mockery of him."

Lu Wei said earnestly, "His fate will serve as a warning to all emperors of later generations."

"Are you trying to convince yourself?" Xiaomeng, who arrived later at the stern, tilted her head slightly and saw through Lu Wei's thoughts.

Ji Yan remained silent, as did Yan Fei: Gathering so many experts crammed onto a small boat, if it really was just to watch the imperial star fall, was a bit of an overreaction.

Upon hearing Xiaomeng's words, Lu Wei stood up and went to the bow of the ship. He put his hands behind his back and looked out at the palace again. After a long while, he sighed and said, "So be it. It's come to this. I should see him one last time."

"I hope I won't have to feed him that pill myself..."

Chapter 404 The Death of the First Emperor (Part 3)

The Binhai Palace was heavily guarded, and Lu Wei easily broke in on his own.

He suppressed his aura completely and climbed over the wall. He rarely did such sneaky things. His movements were certainly not as professional as those masters of lightness skills, such as Dao Zhi and Bai Feng. However, he had enough room to make mistakes, so he did not need to be nervous.

Elegantly and casually admiring his future palace, Lu Wei suddenly encountered a young eunuch approaching at a corner. The eunuch's eyes widened, and just as he was about to shout, he saw the intruder's eerie purple pupils...

With the sudden use of the Soul-Sweeping Technique, the little eunuch's memories were interrupted. When he regained his senses, he couldn't help but frown and scratch his head in thought, not understanding why he had stopped. He simply continued with his busy work and walked away.

Lu Wei, who was right next to him, was easily overlooked.

After repeating this process several times, the intruder Lu Wei arrived at the long corridor laid out like a constellation, and further inward from there, he reached the main hall of the imperial palace.

Based on the straight-line distance, he is now no more than 100 meters away from Ying Zheng.

Therefore, the guards in this corridor are more elite than those on the outer layer, including Lu Wei's secondary target: the Six Sword Slaves.

After His Majesty the Emperor awoke, he took the newly refined elixir from Yun Zhongjun and immediately felt an unprecedented sense of ease, as if he had just swallowed a true elixir of immortality.

The physical comfort improved his mood considerably, and he inquired about the mirage's departure. He learned that everything was ready and they could depart at any time to search for the immortal mountain upon the emperor's order.

Having chosen an auspicious day nearby, Ying Zheng nodded and dismissed the Yin-Yang School's envoys. He then learned that Zhao Gao was requesting an audience with important intelligence to report.

Ying Zheng subconsciously thought of the inscription on the Yinghuo Stone again. With keen insight, he ordered the eunuch to take the person to the main hall. He had already left his bedroom, dressed in plain clothes, but on a whim, he returned and had a maid change him into the emperor's black dragon robe.

The Net was once his most trusted murder weapon, but after the Azure Dragon assassination, it seems that this murder weapon had long since developed its own consciousness.

However, if that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. He could still tolerate a certain degree of unusual activity involving this murder weapon: he himself had once spoken up to save Zhao Gao from Meng Yifa and chosen him as Hu Hai's teacher. It can be said that Ying Zheng had long anticipated and tacitly approved of Luo Wang and Hu Hai's alignment.

However, new developments and the appearance of the Yinghuo Stone led Ying Zheng to make another choice in a very short time.

Zhao Gao was summoned by the emperor and walked through the corridor into the main hall, while the Six Sword Slaves remained outside to join the palace's defense system.

With his broadsword slung over his shoulder, Zhen Gang observed the positions of his fellow Shadow Guards and subtly adjusted the formation of the other five sword slaves using concealed hand gestures.

According to the plan of the Lord of the Central Carriage Office, there will be an assassination attempt next. This is the opportunity for the Six Sword Slaves to show their skills. Zhen Gang needs to find the best position to make a fatal blow at the critical moment!

With meticulous planning, he led his entourage, bypassing all the Shadow Guards, to a secluded corridor to set up defenses. Zhen Gang concealed himself in the shadows...

The assassin is almost here...

*Click*, just as his vigilance reached its peak, a sudden, sharp pain in his heart drained all of Zhengang's strength. His pupils dilated to their maximum. The mask covering the lower half of the Six Sword Slaves' face appeared to have been stained with even darker ink, the dark color spreading outwards from the center...

A dull cracking sound came from his neck, as if something was blocking it. His right hand struggled to draw his sword, but the hilt, so familiar in the past, felt as heavy as Mount Tai today...

Tick.

Finally, the face towel reached its limit of absorption, and the excess 'ink' dripped from his chest and onto the ground. Only then, by the starlight, could it be seen that this so-called 'ink' was clearly bright red blood...

Standing behind Zhen Gang, Lu Wei felt that the sound was a bit too loud, so he increased the amount of internal energy he channeled into the Frost Palm on the broadsword behind Zhen Gang.

The initial cold air froze the moisture in Zhen Gang's body into icicles. The sharpness of these icicles pierced through Zhen Gang's heart and other vital organs, causing blood to gush from his mouth. As the temperature dropped further, the warm blood froze inside his body before it could flow out...

A cool night breeze gently blew by, and Zhen Gang, whose entire body was frozen like an ice cube and whose assassin's suit was still slightly frosted, was dead beyond dead.

The Six Sword Slaves have taken care of the first one.

Leaning the body against the wall, it would be discovered in no more than ten breaths, so Lu Wei had to deal with another one within those ten breaths.

This is the emperor's temporary palace. He needs to deal with the Six Sword Slaves as quickly as possible, so he has to resort to some sneak attacks.

It has been nearly seven years since Lu last fought the Six Sword Slaves at Daze Mountain. In those seven years, the individual strength of the Six Sword Slaves members has not increased at all, while Lu Wei is now incomparable to what he was before.

The most skilled members of the organization are now being hunted down!

Lord Xia Kui stood where Zhen Gang should have been standing, and after surveying the positions of the Five Sword Slaves, he decisively set his sights on the young Wang Liang as his second target.

The two-handed swordsman, Wangliang, was the opportunist among the Six Sword Slaves. He was positioned in the most remote location. Lu Wei drew his Devouring Sea Sword and flashed towards his target step by step.

The six sword slaves were one entity, and their auras were also linked. When the commander did not respond with his aura for a long time, the five sword slaves leaped out from their hiding place with sharp eyes. But as soon as the demon among them landed, a sword light cut off his head from behind!

murderous look!

The four remaining swordsmen drew their swords simultaneously. Before they could even see who the attacker was, they instinctively surrounded him.

With the loss of Zhen Gang and Wang Liang, the remaining Four Sword Slaves' formation is missing two crucial links. In particular, Zhen Gang's position as both commander and killer is irreplaceable, preventing them from setting up a deadly formation. The remaining four swords—Duan Shui, Luan Shen, Zhuan Po, and Mie Hun—are ultimately not strong enough...

Killing the Six Sword Slaves was a way to force Zhao Gao to act: after losing his greatest military guarantee, Zhao Gao would become even more frantic in eliminating his enemies in the court, thus making the entire country his safe haven.

Sheathing his sword, the four corpses didn't waste Lu Wei's time. Without even cleaning up the battlefield, he rushed straight to the main hall of the palace.

------

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

As Zhao Gao entered the main hall, he glanced at Ying Zheng's face out of the corner of his eye, then immediately lowered his head and quickly knelt down in front of the hall.

For this reason, he even ignored the box containing the Yinghuo Stone on the emperor's desk, but the result made Zhao Gao feel solemn: Ying Zheng's complexion was very good, even more radiant than a few days ago, without any sign of 'the emperor's star dimming'.

'I'll ask Xia Wuqie later...'

"Zhao Gao, what do you have to report?"

Ying Zheng gazed indifferently at the servant he had promoted. Before dismissing him, he wanted to see what other plans Zhao Gao had in store.

"Your Majesty, I have recently discovered information concerning the Confucian rebellion. I dare not be careless and have come to report to Your Majesty immediately." Zhao Gao said with his hands clasped, "Intelligence indicates that Zhang Liang, the third leader of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, participated in last year's rebellion gathering in the Mechanical City and incited the remaining Mo family members to come to Sanghai after the destruction of the Mo Family Mechanical City."

"The innkeeper, Paoding, also became the official chef of Xiaoshengxianzhuang under his arrangement... Prince Fusu happened to have come from Xiaoshengxianzhuang before he found Paoding."

Therefore, this servant believes...