Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 203

Although the treasure vault was certainly not as large as the national treasury in the Shouchun Palace, it was still an incredibly rich treasure for a martial arts sect like the Farmer's Family.

This is a crucial part of why Tian Guang took the initiative to find Lu Wei under the guise of Yan Ri at Daze Mountain.

Lu is suspicious and has a sharp eye. If I go there, I will most likely expose my identity. Although this goes against Tian Guang's initial plan to hide his connection with Yan Ri, it doesn't matter.

He wanted to give the new leader a heads-up about some of his actions so that both sides could coordinate their actions. As for Zhou Wen, although he was ruthless, the fewer people who knew this secret, the better.

Tian Guang carefully calculated in his mind that the Chu state had just won a victory on the battlefield and would need some time to prepare before the Qin army came again.

The net needs to infiltrate even deeper now.

Taking this opportunity, he could send a message to Lu Xiaozi in the city.

A knocking sound came from the door, which was not locked, so the visitor pushed the door open and entered.

Tian Guang tossed the Hidden Sun Sword to the other party without surprise; the real Hidden Sun had returned.

After gripping the sword, the other party calmly said, "On the surface, you have now been sent to Lishan Mausoleum. You need to find out the situation there yourself."

“Once things are settled in Chu, you won’t need me for a while, and I will go to Mount Li then.” Tian Guang nodded.

"Besides the Qin people, the prisoners in the Lishan Mausoleum also include many soldiers and civilians from the six states of Shandong, as well as some Jianghu people who are unwilling to submit to the net. You won't be idle there."

Yan Ri hesitated for a couple of steps, then said, "Five years from now, I will need you to return to the mountains."

“Of course, this is our plan.” Tian Guang laughed heartily in the darkness.

"Don't you have any other arrangements for the farmers? The internal strife within the six halls can still be resolved under your rule."

"The earth nourishes all things, and Shennong is immortal. No one in a farming family is indispensable, and a too unified farming family may not be a good thing."

------

It is unknown what kind of sincerity Yan Fei displayed that convinced the Moon Goddess that she was pragmatic, so the three of them, Sun, Moon and Star, finally stood together in public at this moment.

Given the Moon Goddess's meticulous planning, Yan Fei's guarantee must be flawless. The Yin Yang School's second-highest level protector, after Dong Huang, is about to challenge Dong Huang.

The challenge will take place on that still-unfinished mirage.

Before that, the immediate priority was for the three of them to obtain the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon of Chu so that they could return to the Yin-Yang School and continue to gain trust.

Since the sun, moon, and stars are not currently with the Yin-Yang School, the Eastern Emperor will be issuing direct orders to the elders of the Yin-Yang School during this period. What will happen to the Yin-Yang School during this time is unknown to them.

This is a variable.

With Lu Wei and the three of them, Riyuexing, their combined strength is considered fearless among the martial arts forces in Shouchun City. However, attempting to force their way into the Chu King's Palace would still be a highly risky endeavor.

Martial arts sects are a hidden danger to a country's rule, but in history, no martial arts sect has ever been able to threaten the foundation of a country's rule.

Moreover, with too much clandestine attention on the plans of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, it is indeed not suitable to pursue them openly and honestly.

We can only investigate secretly first and wait for things to get chaotic before taking it.

However, if the investigation reveals a possibility of the item being taken, they wouldn't mind taking it along the way.

Encountering the Mo family's "King of Thieves" on the way to the palace was an accident. By quietly following this person, we discovered the Mo family's stronghold in the city, which was a useful gain.

After obtaining a small amount of Lu Wei's Five Virtues Rejuvenation Technique internal energy, Yan Fei's need for cultivating the Yin-Yang Cleansing Technique decreased. Although she still wanted to take revenge, she had more important things to do right now, and she already had arrangements for the Mechanized City, so she wasn't in a hurry.

Judging by the timeline, the future attack of Quicksand on the Mechanical City could coincide with Yanfei's plan.

But why would Quicksand agree to Qin's plan to attack the Mohists, even though it was part of the Azure Dragon Plan...?

In Chenying City, Lord Changping distributed all of the King of Chu's rewards to the soldiers and common people in the city, thus winning over the hearts of the people once again.

Such behavior was politically unwise, but the threat from Qin had not been eliminated. No matter how politically astute one is, one must first serve the military. Xiong Qi had already mentally prepared himself to meet the Qin army at Chenying City, and this practical preparation could not be relaxed.

Changping Jun was also pleased that his younger brother, Changwen Jun, had successfully escaped from Qin with his family. Even though Xiong Qi had long been prepared to become a lonely figure, the fact that his wife and daughters were safe was certainly a good thing.

Next, he could prepare for the war against Qin without any worries.

Lady Changping unconditionally supports her husband, but little Mi Lian complains about the sudden drop in their treatment.

She was initially very curious about life outside of Xianyang, but that curiosity didn't last long.

However, since she could still live with her father and mother, Mi Lian's resentment wasn't too great.

In order to strengthen the defense of Chenying, Xiang Yan specifically entrusted the Hidden Tiger Legion to Lord Changping, which was also part of Lord Changping's plan.

Ji Bu, the general of the Hidden Tiger Legion, had his family pledge allegiance to Lord Changping long ago, and even sent his twin sister to run a business in the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world).

That was a way out, a way out for his family.

Chapter 227 Lord Changping and the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon

Dao Zhi waited for a long time in the dark hut, and after confirming that no one was following him, he went to the back room.

By manipulating a mechanism under the bed in the room, a secret passage is opened, leading directly underground.

He skillfully slipped into the secret passage, closed the entrance again below, and then followed the underground path to the real Mo family stronghold.

"Hehe, right now the news about Qin's defeat is spreading like wildfire, and some people have even vividly portrayed the scene of Ying Zheng's possible rage in Xianyang Palace."

Emerging from the secret passage, Dao Zhi dusted off his hands, squinted at the people in the stronghold, and laughed, "If Ying Zheng's reaction to this news wasn't the same, then it must be Ying Zheng's fault!"

"Hahaha!" Big Hammer laughed loudly a few times in the stronghold, "That tyrant really suffered a big loss this time!"

Although the Mohists deployed mechanical beasts as an aid in Xiang Yan's Chu army's victory over Li Xin, the situation changed so rapidly that they were never used. Despite their limited role in this victory, it didn't stop Da Tiechui from rejoicing over the Qin army's defeat.

As a former member of the Yan army, he had no goodwill towards the Qin people who attacked his hometown.

"This victory was indeed hard-won." Gao Jianli smiled slightly. "The people of the six kingdoms will be greatly encouraged by this!"

"Where is the Grand Master? Hasn't he returned yet?" Dao Zhi asked curiously, noticing that apart from the three commanders, everyone else in the stronghold was just an ordinary disciple.

"They should still be in General Xiang Yan's residence," Big Hammer replied in a deep voice. "After you left during the day, the Grand Master sent a disciple back with a message, telling us to be careful these days, as there might be Qin people or traitors loyal to Qin lurking in the city."

“These people are well hidden, but the Grand Master has already noticed them.” Gao Jianli continued, “The Yunmeng market is a mixed bag. Now that the Chu army has won a great victory, we must pay close attention to those wandering knights who are acting strangely.”

"King Ying Zheng of Qin is definitely eager to regain face now, and he might sacrifice some cannon fodder and create some riots in the capital of Chu."

"I'm already investigating this matter without you needing to tell me, Master." Dao Zhi nodded, crossed his arms, and sat down in a chair with his legs crossed. "But there's no progress yet. Right now, everyone in the taverns and even the dance halls of the entire Yunmeng market is mocking the Qin state."

"I think even if there were real Qin spies among us, they wouldn't be at odds with us on this point at this time."

"In matters of military strategy, the Xiang family doesn't need the Mohists' help. Ensuring social stability and preventing Qin sabotage at the level of the martial world is one of the few things the Mohists can currently do," Gao Jianli said firmly, looking down at the Water-Cold Sword in his hand.

"This is the Grand Master's mission, and also part of the resistance against the tyrannical Qin. From now on, everyone must pay close attention to the movements in the city."

"Yes!"

...

The security measures at the Chu King's palace were much more stringent than those at the Yan King's palace.

At least Yan Fei couldn't easily sneak in like she could into the cold palace of Yan. Ji City of Yan had just experienced a civil war, and after the victory, its internal defenses were naturally relaxed after being cleaned up. At that time, the focus of defense was mainly on the external Qin and Liaodong Yan states.

The Chu state was several times stronger than the Yan state. Although the various talented individuals recruited by the royal family were not as well-versed in the Mohist school controlled by Yan Dan, and their technical skills, such as mechanical arts and weapon forging, were far inferior, they were no less capable in terms of pure martial protection, and were even stronger than the Mohist school as a whole without the Six-Fingered Black Knight and Jing Ke.

Admittedly, most of these people could be killed in a few moves compared to the Yin-Yang School's Sun, Moon, Stars, and Lu Wei. However, once their whereabouts were exposed, escaping would be troublesome in the face of a large-scale army blockade.

The location where the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions are kept is most likely not far from the Chu King's palace, a fact that both the Moon Goddess and the Star Soul have experienced firsthand.

Lu Wei acted as a lookout for Riyuexing, and in less than half an hour, the three of them came out, each carrying a 'Azure Dragon Bronze Box'.

"?" Looking at the boxes in the hands of the three people that were indistinguishable in appearance, Lu Wei shook his head silently. Riyuexing also realized that the box in his hand was probably a fake, because there were quite a few boxes like this in this Chu King's Palace... you could even say there were many!

In the nearby palaces, wherever decorations or small boxes were needed, boxes identical in style to the Azure Dragon Bronze Box were used.

They could only roughly pick out one box that might be genuine, and escaped without being discovered by the guards.

"Let's go first," the hall master said softly. The three of them did not linger and took another route away from the vast Chu King's Palace.

Once outside, with a whoosh, the Devouring Sea Sword was drawn swiftly, slicing through the boxes held by Riyuexing...

The cutting was smooth, without any resistance; all three copper boxes were sliced ​​horizontally in half. These are all fake.

Sun, Moon, and Star were not surprised, but their expressions were inevitably somewhat unpleasant. Right Protector Moon Goddess then closed her eyes and said, "The Chu Kingdom has a large number of astrologers and various wizards. Over the centuries, some of them have emerged who are no less capable than our Yin-Yang School. Among the seven kingdoms, the Chu Kingdom has the most profound research on the Azure Dragon Bronze Box."

"These counterfeit copper boxes are probably made by them."

"Chu Wumo" Xinghun gathered his energy into a blade and cut the bronze box in his hand several more times: "The problem now is that we can't possibly verify every bronze box in the palace. At this rate, even if we don't get caught, who knows what secret rooms and hidden places are still in the Chu King's palace?"

“This should be within Donghuang’s expectations,” Yanfei said calmly, as if she had no distance between herself and those present. “If we want to find the real box, we probably won’t be able to do it without making a scene.”

Lu Wei listened to Riyuexing's speech and looked at the fragments of the fake bronze box on the ground. He seemed to be deep in thought, as if he suddenly wanted to grasp something, but he couldn't think of any specific clues for the moment. He only said, "Let's go back first. We need to organize the clues."

"Do you have any clues?" the Moon Goddess asked.

"Staying here will definitely lead to no clues."

Back at the Yin-Yang School's stronghold, there were no valuables inside, and the four of them weren't worried about anyone breaking in and setting up an ambush. Therefore, they didn't set up any complicated traps. However, before leaving, Dongjun and Yueshen set up some minor Yin-Yang forbidden techniques as a warning against trespassing.

Lying in bed with his eyes closed in deep thought, Master Lu had little memory of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon in the Chu Kingdom.

However, he knew clearly that the later royal representatives of the Chu state were the daughters of Lord Changping: Mi Lian and Mi Xin.

If we follow this line of reasoning, then among the 'seven countries and seven successors' of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions, the lineage of the Chu Kingdom has Mi Lian as the secret successor of the Azure Dragon, and the successor before her should be Lord Changping!

However, even after returning to Chu, Lord Changping did not go back to Shouchun, but instead remained steadfastly in Chenying. Judging from the current situation, if he never returned to Shouchun, is it possible that the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, belonging to Chu, were never in Shouchun in the first place, but were in Lord Changping's hands?

It's important to know that Shouchun was not the capital of Chu for long; it was only moved there after King Kaolie ascended the throne. Changping Jun was King Kaolie's son.

If King Kaolie left the Azure Dragon Bronze Box of Chu to Lord Changping before he fled Qin as a hostage, then it would be understandable why Lord Changping, who had never set foot on Chu soil, still harbored deep longing for Chu and had been preparing to rebel against Qin for twenty years.

Perhaps, King Kaolie of Chu entrusted his son, Lord Changping, with a secret mission before he left... who knows!

The next day, Lu Wei directly informed Riyuexing of the possibility of the result regarding this conjecture. As for the process of reasoning the result, that was all information reported by the Farmer's mysterious intelligence network.

The three members of the Yin-Yang School had no right to interrogate him, not even with a blatant lie. All they needed was for him to know he had a way to obtain it.

“Even though Lord Changping is the son of King Kaolie, King Kaolie has no reason to hide the secret of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions on his person.”

Yan Fei shook her head and said that she had studied the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon. After encountering obstacles, she was unable to attack the King of Qin in the Qin Kingdom, so she turned her attention to Yan Dan.

If Lord Changping had the box on him, then wasn't she in the same city as the bronze box but never discovered it...?

“I also have doubts about whether Lord Changping possesses the Azure Dragon Bronze Box, but if we’re looking for reasons based on that…” Xinghun raised his hand and pinched his chin: “Lord Dongjun, it would be best if you didn’t make such a hasty judgment.”

"What advice does Lord Xinghun have for me?" the Moon Goddess asked calmly. Although Xinghun's predecessor, Gan Luo, was forced to join the Yin-Yang School after only a short time in the Qin political arena, he had followed Marquis Wenxin, Lü Buwei, since childhood.

They, as semi-pure江湖人士 (jianghu figures), certainly knew less about certain secrets of the Qin state's political arena and even the political arena of the Seven Kingdoms than he did.

"King Kaolie of Chu came to Qin as a hostage in his capacity as the crown prince of Chu, but when King Qingxiang of Chu was critically ill, King Zhaoxiang of Qin refused to let him return to Chu."

Xinghun clearly recounted this history, revealing that the Qin state's reputation in this regard was indeed poor. The most typical example was the story of King Huai of Chu being deceived several times...