Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 51

Otherwise, if Lu Wei and Lu Ni were not present, there would truly be no one in Luqiu Pavilion who could suppress Jueying of Yanchunjun Mansion.

Although this official has always appeared very obedient, his viciousness and ruthlessness come from the bottom of his heart, and one must never let one's guard down against him.

Besides, there's no danger for me to stay at headquarters during my return to Daze Mountain. I'll be going to the State of Chu after the New Year, and with the Xiang clan protecting me, I'll be safe too.

Aside from the travel time, the days they could stay in peace were short, and Lu Ni, carrying Xiao Yan'er, faced many inconveniences.

However, after being away for several months, Xiao Yan'er's body no longer needed to strengthen the effects of the medicine on its own, so there was no major problem.

Considering all this, keeping her is the best option.

The trusted confidants had no objections to the steward's arrangements; the only one who needed to get busy was Lu Mu.

He needed his disciples to dismantle the workshop in Jicheng, load some of the key tools onto a carriage, and bring them back to Dazeshan.

As the only person in his subordinates skilled in mechanical arts, Lu Wei had to take Amu seriously, and he personally escorted the transport of these crucial tools!

Chapter 72 Candlelight and Shadows

The moonlight was obscured by dark clouds.

"We have suffered considerable losses in recent years."

In Xianyang, in a dark little house, several shadows flickered gently in the dim candlelight...

"There will always be sacrifices to build a new world."

"A few losses will not affect the overall situation."

A slightly effeminate young male voice answered.

"A few losses? Hmph!" The aged voice rang out: "Since Marquis Wenxin left, we've lost two Heaven-level fighters, fifteen Killer-level fighters! And countless Earth-level fighters..."

"If these people were to gather together, they would be enough to wipe out an entire sect!"

"What we're after is the whole world!" A voice, neither clearly male nor female, interrupted the old man.

"Xuan Jian and Jing Ni's defection was also for the sake of Luo Wang's rule!" the old man retorted.

"Alright, we've gathered here not to argue."

The first speaker tried to ease the tension: "That young Prince Qin has decided to launch another attack on Zhao next year. The Net must be mobilized to help His Highness fulfill his wish."

When it came to serious matters, everyone fell silent and spoke in turn:

“Zhao is not a weak state. Although the King of Zhao is foolish, Li Mu is still alive. If they are enemies, who in Qin can defeat them?” This was said by the old man.

"Although Li Mu is strong, he is just one person. With Qin attacking Zhao from both the north and south, how can he possibly defend both sides?" The effeminate man was very confident in Qin.

"We can also send out assassins to kill him!" The androgynous man was filled with murderous intent.

"The matter of destroying a country is something His Highness the King of Qin can decide alone; it is not the main task of the Luo Wang." A strong voice suddenly rang out. This person had not spoken during the argument just now, but only expressed his opinion now.

"Oh? What do you think?" The first one stared intently at the speaker.

"Hei Bai Xuan Jian and Jing Ni, what has become of them?" Judging from the shadows, the strong voice turned towards the effeminate man: "People can die, but swords cannot perish!"

"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

The effeminate man's shadow flickered in the candlelight:

"Both the black and white swords are broken! They can't be repaired this time."

"As for Jing Ni, she has also escaped our sight and her whereabouts are unknown."

"Is this your performance?" The old man sneered, mocking, "You shamelessly accepted the tracking mission, and then you cut it in two with one sword and vanished with the other?"

All eyes turned to the effeminate man, who remained calm and composed.

"I will complete my mission."

"Anyone who joins the Net can never escape this identity for life!"

“Xuan Jian himself was an unstable factor, and his demise may not necessarily be a bad thing.”

"As for Jingni, she was ultimately just a woman. The last time our people discovered her was within the territory of Wei."

"Unless this mother is willing to hide in the deep mountains and forests with her child for the rest of her life, she alone will not be able to escape the net's sight."

"Someone is helping her," the androgynous voice spoke again:

"The State of Wei is the central state of the Seven Kingdoms, so she could flee to any place."

"But how many forces truly have the strength to oppose the Net?" The voice at the beginning shook its head.

"The royal families of various countries are beyond her reach."

"Confucian scholars study the classics of sages and would not take in a woman."

"The Mohist school advocates universal love and non-aggression, which is completely contrary to Jing Ni's murderous intent. The Six-Fingered Black Knight cannot tolerate this weapon."

"Taoism follows the natural way, and in theory, it will take in anyone as long as the opportunity arises, but our inside agent has not received any information about it."

"If she hadn't had children, she might have been able to join the Yin-Yang School, but now..."

As for the farmers...

At this point, the original voice fell silent.

"The world and humanity cannot be judged by conventional reasoning."

The effeminate man took over the conversation, immediately refuting the aforementioned statements:

“Not all those who study the classics are gentlemen. Confucian scholars know best how to enjoy life, so it’s not impossible for them to take in a Jingni.”

"The Six-Fingered Black Knight of the Mohist School is indeed an old and stubborn Mohist, but are all Mohists like him? Not everyone can endure a lifetime of ascetic training."

"But since we've started talking about farming, why don't you continue the conversation?"

"Fifteen members of the Killer-level Luo Wang were lost, three of whom died at the hands of one member of the Farmer Clan. Does he have to shut up?!" The old man seemed to have a bad attitude towards everyone, but this time he set his sights on the original voice.

"Who is so interesting?" the effeminate man asked, his tone becoming more assertive.

"Lu Wei, the newly appointed head steward of the Gonggong Hall of the Farmers."

The voice that spoke first replied, "This person should not be underestimated; he is only fifteen years old this year."

"A genius, huh?" the androgynous person exclaimed. "Destroying things is much more fun than dealing with ordinary people!"

"Wouldn't it be more fun to turn this genius into one of our own, according to our usual practice?" The effeminate voice chuckled, but it was quite unpleasant.

"We can discuss matters concerning the farmers later. Right now, the focus should be on Jingni."

Seeing that the topic was getting further and further off track, Chu Yin coughed twice to bring the discussion back on track: "Jing Ni has been in Luo Wang for many years. She knows our methods. Finding a powerful force to rely on is definitely her choice."

“Predators always need patience,” the effeminate voice said, knowing this was within her mission scope: “Whichever faction took in Jing Ni, this weapon will only have value if it is used.”

"The Net is best at gathering the slightest clues."

"This is your task. I brought it up to remind you not to drag it out for too long." The strong voice turned its head back: "If the Eight Swords of Yue King are not enough, I will add Chaos God to them, so that we can form the Six Sword Slaves, as the supreme assassin team."

"Although we have all the swords now, we have fewer people, so we still need some time."

"This is my mission situation."

After saying that, his voice fell completely silent.

The aged voice remained silent, as did the androgynous voice. One was responsible for overseeing the organization, and the other for assassinations. Recently, neither of these tasks had yielded any progress, leaving them with nothing to discuss.

Upon seeing this, the initial voice nodded:

"Infiltrating various forces is not easy."

"The Taoists have been infiltrated by us by chance, so it's not advisable to make any further moves."

"The Yin-Yang School and the Mohist School are well-organized, but the Six-Fingered Black Knight has been active in the Yan Kingdom in recent years. This may be a breakthrough point. I have already made arrangements."

“The Confucian school has sent people in, but they have too many rules and regulations. It will take a long time to accumulate seniority, and it will probably be difficult to achieve results within ten years.”

"The farmer's family is making the most progress. One of the six hall masters will soon be in our hands. Based on this, we can speed up the progress."

"That Lu Wei killed three of our Killer-level enemies, what are your plans?" the old man asked, seizing the opportunity.

Although those three killers weren't targeting Lu Wei, and were just killed by chance, in this situation, Chu Zisheng knew he couldn't offer such an explanation:

"I will continue to infiltrate him. There are many ways to mark a young man like him with a rudimentary mind!"

"Furthermore, for the farmers, all six branches are our targets. Soon, the second and third branches will also fall into our trap and be unable to extricate themselves!"

"A pair of brothers from the original farming family, whose skills are no less than those of the Killer level, seem to be wandering outside, their hearts filled with hatred?" the old voice said again.

"That was indeed one of my plans, but they are not desperate enough yet; we need to wait a little longer."

Initially, she calmly replied, "The task of eating half a farmer's house can be accomplished next year."

"You have the heaviest task. If needed, you can borrow people from us."

A soft, feminine voice extinguished the candle, plunging the room into darkness.

Just then, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and the moonlight shone down again, making the streets exceptionally bright.

It is, after all, a night of full moon.

The small room, where the candlelight had just flickered, was now completely empty, except for the candle wax dripping onto the floor...

Chapter 73 As an Enemy

Relocating the workshops was not something that could be done overnight, especially since the destination was Daze Mountain in the State of Qi, a long and arduous journey.

Lu Mu needed to carefully plan which components to take and which components could be rebuilt in Qi.

Fortunately, Lu Wei, as the eldest son, was not in a hurry. The only thing he had to do in his plan was to go to Chu next year. He didn't need to be too anxious about other matters.

While waiting to depart, Lu Wei unexpectedly gained the allegiance of a small faction. The steward decisively handed the matter over to Lu Shan to handle, which also served as a training opportunity for him.

As the deputy pavilion master, he will nominally take over Luqiu Pavilion immediately after the mascot above retires, and he needs to hone his skills with a lot of miscellaneous tasks.

As the capital of the Yan state, Jicheng had a complex web of relationships among its members. For those at the bottom of society, banding together for survival was the best option, and thus, groups of all sizes were formed unconsciously.

The force that wants to join the Farmer's Clan this time is a caravan called Snow Wolf, consisting of thirty-one people. Although they are very small compared to Luqiu Pavilion, which has thousands of disciples in Jicheng and the surrounding area, their reputation is by no means low.

As a ruthless mercenary group, Snow Wolf's motto is: "No job is too big, no place is too small."

The members of this organization are all highly skilled in martial arts and have excellent overall qualities. In particular, its leader, Snow Wolf, is said to have single-handedly wiped out the headquarters of three rival companies in Jicheng in one night and escaped unscathed.