Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 277

After the famous sword was drawn, it attracted the attention of many people who were simply interested in the sword, and Xiaoyaozi was no exception.

But at this moment, he was in a dilemma: because he was the only one being targeted by the sword.

With an uncertain expression, Xiaoyaozi remained silent for a few breaths before having no choice but to step aside and make way for Ji Yan. He couldn't actually fight Ji Yan, not because he could win, but because Ji Yan was, after all, the head of the Farmer's Clan, and had a special status. Xiaoyaozi's original intention was to get others involved and try to coerce Ji Yan with their power.

Unexpectedly, even though Xiaoyaozi had taken the lead, none of the allies he hoped for stood up for him...

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After leaving the Mechanized City with Sheng Qi, Ji Yan naturally did not intend to take him back to Daze Mountain for trial as she had said, and the two quickly parted ways.

Sheng Qi still had to wait for Wu Kuang to come out of the city. After completing the mission in the Mechanized City, the two brothers would continue to cause trouble in the martial arts world as lone heroes. As for Ji Yan, she left the territory of the Mechanized City directly.

It wasn't until late at night that Ji Yan finally met Lu Wei at a country inn.

Xiao Yan'er didn't need to introduce her gains. The reason why Lord Xia Kui was so late in coming out was because he went to continue investigating the joint situation in the Mechanized City.

In the short term, the most important gains from this raid on the Mechanized City are the Azure Dragon Plan and Xiaoyaozi's unusual behavior.

First is the Azure Dragon Plan, a plan whose earth-shattering implementation began with the assassination of the Qin emperor and will also end with the assassination of the Qin emperor.

Lu Wei and Ji Yan entered the Azure Dragon Chamber together during the day and witnessed the mechanical Azure Dragons...two of them!

The Mechanical Azure Dragon is the most mysterious mechanical beast created by the founder of the Mohist school. The complex technology used in it would take even Gongshu Choulai several years to achieve results. It would be a pipe dream for Lu Wei and Ji Yan to fully master the technology.

But not being able to master the technology doesn't mean you can't see what it's used for.

The most obvious clue in the eyes of the world regarding the Mo family's Azure Dragon Plan is Mount Tai, which is the final location of the Azure Dragon Plan. The Luo Net has already discovered their intention to assassinate the Qin emperor here again.

The prop used to assassinate the Qin emperor was the Azure Dragon Mechanical Beast!

Of the two azure dragons, the larger one is outdated in design and too conspicuous in size. It is highly likely that it will be used as the final step in the plan to destroy the mechanical city and perish together with the attacking Qin army.

This has two effects.

First, it dealt a direct blow to the Qin state: it was not easy to replace the thousands of elite soldiers who had been killed or wounded. These soldiers were not the conscripted constables from the county town; they were all carefully selected elite soldiers from Xianyang.

Secondly, they openly destroyed both the Azure Dragon Mechanism and the Mechanized City.

While people will marvel at the destructive power of the mechanical Azure Dragon, they will also underestimate the Mohist school, which has lost its only Azure Dragon. Thus, when the second Azure Dragon, which Yan Dan and Master Ban have spared no expense in creating over the years, arrives at Mount Tai, it will give His Majesty the Emperor a huge surprise on his journey.

Using the Azure Dragon mechanism to accomplish what Jing Ke failed to achieve was the first and most important step of the Azure Dragon Plan: killing Ying Zheng himself.

However, this step seems somewhat redundant given that Lu Wei has already arranged for Xinghun to poison him, and it is highly unlikely to succeed.

The Azure Dragon Plan, which began with Lord Changping Xiong Qi and was revised before Yan Dan's death, had very limited effect, with only one name circulating that made the Qin Dynasty somewhat wary.

As for Xiaoyaozi's unusual behavior, Chen Ping had reported on it earlier, but he hadn't returned to Taiyi Mountain for a long time and didn't know the specific details.

In a simple analysis, it's not surprising that Zhang Liang would meet the wandering Xiaoyaozi, but the fact that they came together and became staunch allies is quite ingenious.

According to the clues Lu Wei has already obtained, the key to this mystery is that it is likely related to another person, besides Yan Dan and Tian Guang, who also faked their death!

Faking death, what a brilliant tactic!

People of high status can do things that are normally forbidden by their status by remaining hidden in the shadows.

Chapter 327 Repeating the same trick

Seclusion is a way to focus on self-cultivation and pursue self-improvement.

Besides meditation, which is the most well-known activity, reading, painting, kendo, and other activities that require concentration are also common choices for those who choose to retreat into seclusion.

So what appears monotonous to outsiders is, in the eyes of the recluse, a unique and fascinating experience.

Moreover, although seclusion generally requires cultivation in a quiet courtyard or remote mountain cave, for those who can truly pursue the Dao at will, every moment is a "seclusion." After reaching the highest level, they no longer have strict requirements for external conditions, but instead integrate themselves into this world and breathe in harmony with the heavens.

Xiaomeng, who has been in seclusion for more than nine years, has always wanted to achieve this ultimate goal. Therefore, after passing through the initial strict and in-depth learning stage, she would occasionally practice swordsmanship alone in the bamboo forest late at night, or use the "Hidden Light and Dust" technique at noon to secretly travel from her seclusion to the foot of Mount Taiyi.

This is all part of the pursuit of the Tao.

But Xiaomeng still had no clue how to reach that legendary realm.

With the bright moon hanging in the sky, gazing at it, her intuition told her that perhaps it was time for her to emerge from seclusion.

The next round of the Taoist Heaven-Human Sword Debate is not far off. She has been practicing the Heavenly Sect's philosophy for over ten years and deeply agrees with its contents. However, before the debate begins, Xiaomeng needs to personally go and see what her fellow disciples from the Human Sect are practicing.

The fact that he could defeat his senior brother Chisongzi suggests that the doctrines practiced by the Human Sect must not be entirely erroneous.

Of course, if so, you can correct them yourself...

...

The tranquility of Mount Taiyi remained unchanged for many years, while in the Mechanized City, the righteous warriors of the six kingdoms, their eyes red with tears, gazed at the Ink Core Chamber, completely stained crimson with blood. Half of them were filled with anger, but inevitably, half of them felt a chill in their hearts...

All dead!

Apart from the high-level combatants who followed Zhang Liang, who was impersonating the Grand Master, to the Strategist Academy, and a small number of Mohist disciples who followed Master Ban to restart the mechanisms in various places, the mid-level Mohist disciples who continued to hide in the Mohist Core, as well as Han Cheng, Tian An, Anling Jun, and other nobles from the six kingdoms, had all become cold corpses.

The Mechanized City was originally the safest paradise on earth, and the Ink Core Chamber was the safest core of this 'paradise,' but now, it has become...

After uniting most of the righteous men during the day, Zhang Liang also facilitated the cooperation between the Quicksand and the Mohist school.

This is equivalent to Yan Dan's original plan being carried out by him by seizing the opportunity.

Although he failed to persuade Ji Yan of the Farmer Clan, at this point in the Mechanical City, he did not intend to let the Farmer Clan make a firm decision. He was just trying a few simple words: if it worked, it would be a pleasant surprise; if it didn't, there would be no loss.

Zhang Liang knew, of course, that all major decisions of the Farmer's Clan were made by Lu Wei himself. Although Ji Yan, the head of the Four Mountains Hall, had become famous in recent years, he probably still did not have the ability to influence Lu Wei's decisions within the Farmer's Clan.

As for how to discuss the anti-Qin movement with Lu Wei face to face, he was not in a hurry: Zhang Liang firmly believed that once the Mohists, Daoists and his small part of the Confucianists joined forces and cooperated with the remaining nobles of the six states, the Farmer's School would definitely come to him on its own initiative.

But looking at the corpses in front of him, Zhang Liang's plan failed, and a crucial question arose: there were indeed no experts left in the Mo Core chamber at the time, but how did the Qin army enter the Mo Core?

The investigating officer, Master Ban, provided the answer: there was a spy in the secret chamber of the ink core, and that spy broke the metal door's switch, letting the Qin army in.

Upon this judgment, the quick-thinking Zhang Liang, Gai Nie, and Xiaoyaozi immediately looked at the black Qilin in the quicksand:

When it comes to espionage tactics, there is probably no one in the world more skilled than this one.

However, after only a glance, these people gradually looked away: Wei Zhuang had no motive to do such a thankless task.

Moreover, having just cooperated with Liu Sha, it is not advisable to cause any more trouble at this time.

If it really was made by Black Qilin, Wei Zhuang should have a clue himself.

Wei Zhuang was naturally more aware of Hei Qilin's abilities than anyone else. He was also a highly skilled swordsman. Apart from the long spear wounds on the corpses, which were caused by ordinary Qin soldiers, there were also two types of sword wounds from outstanding martial arts masters.

However, these two skilled swordsmen did not use any profound sword techniques, nor did they use any special swords. They only used very ordinary horizontal slashes and thrusts. Such wounds could not be caused by finding the killer out of thin air.

We can only conclude that their martial arts skills are decent, but far from being top-tier. This limited clue makes finding the target even more like searching for a needle in a haystack.

According to Black Qilin himself, he was not inside the Ink Core, but rather sought an opportunity to enter the Mo Clan's forbidden area to poison the underwater Xuanwu. This aligns with the Mo Clan's intelligence.

But what the Black Qilin said might not be true... If it were before, he wouldn't have doubted Lin'er's loyalty, but after that incident three years ago, he couldn't fully trust this subordinate.

'We need to observe this further...'

Even with the loss of many comrades, the time left for everyone in the Mechanized City to grieve was short. According to the latest reconnaissance information from Liu Sha Bai Feng, who had jumped back to the six kingdoms' side, the newly arrived Qin army, just as Zhang Liang had said, immediately prepared to attack after losing contact with the Qin army inside the Mechanized City.

Moreover, Gongshu Chou, who came in with Liusha, actually took away the Mo family's mechanical Vermilion Bird that was parked in the Mo Gui Pond by using the giant mechanical snake. The failure to capture this person made the defense of the Mechanical City a problem.

Since Yan Dan's plan was to abandon the Mechanized City, the Mohist school had been preparing to abandon the Mechanized City and activate the Azure Dragon. Even with Zhang Liang and the Guigu School present, they could only continue to act according to Yan Dan's arrangements in just one day.

First, let several thousand Qin soldiers from outside the city in, then use the Azure Dragon. The surviving anti-Qin elites took advantage of the collapse of the mechanical city to escape to Sanghai!

There was a Mohist stronghold there, and the power of Xiaoshengxianzhuang could be used by Zhang Liang. Moreover, it was far from Xianyang, which sounded like a safe place to take refuge.

But at the same time, it is also the starting point of the mirage, and will become the next focus of the world's attention!

Zhang Liang, Gai Nie, Wei Zhuang, Xiaoyaozi, and Gao Jianli, the temporary leader of the Mohist school, all knew this, but they still chose to go...

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"Red pine nuts?"

Ji Yan lowered her head and pondered the name. When she looked up at Lu Wei again, there was no doubt on her face: "Chi Songzi is a Taoist master. His sudden death a few years ago after the covenant between heaven and man was already full of suspicion in the martial arts world. It is not unimaginable that he faked his death."

"But he has the ability to fake his death, so what would be his reason for faking it?"

"Does this mean even the Taoist Tianzong sect can't safely stay and cultivate in Mount Taiyi?"

"The chaos is not over yet, it's the eve of a storm. No major power can remain in a corner of the world, and the Taoist school is no exception." The Taoist school is a reclusive sect. Even with figures like Xiao He and Chen Ping among its members, Lu Wei doesn't know much about the actual situation within the Taoist community. His ability to deduce from this limited knowledge that Chi Songzi faked his death stems from knowing a crucial clue:

"This must have been Xiaoyaozi's scheme. He discussed it with Chisongzi beforehand and devised a plan to fake his death."

"After Chisongzi faked his death, he quietly gathered information little by little among the major powers of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and it is very likely that Zhang Liang was able to trust and cooperate with Xiaoyaozi through Chisongzi."

Chisongzi was a highly skilled martial artist. Even if he stayed at Taiyi Mountain and never left the mountain, his reputation would still be a notch higher than that of Tian Guang.

At the same time, because he was able to receive training from Master Beiming and participate in the Heavenly Sword Tournament, his combat ability would definitely not be weak.

Such a character, after faking his death, would be difficult to detect even by the Farmer's Clan, which boasts 100,000 disciples. Naturally, there's a high chance he could be kept in the dark by... the Net!

"Is Xiaoyaozi going to deal with the Luo Wang?"

Ji Yan blinked slightly at the name of the organization. The sword she received from her mother was a legacy from the Luo Wang organization.

“Yes, but at the same time, he is also a member of the Luo Wang!” Lu Wei said calmly, “Six of the Yue Wang Eight Swords are in group action, the Jing Ni Sword is in your hands, the Hei Bai Xuan Jian is completely broken, and there is only one left, Yan Ri. Theoretically, it must be him.”

"Yan Ri..." Ji Yan never expected that Yan Ri would actually be Xiao Yao Zi: "So, the Luo Wang was able to reach for the position of the Daoist Human Sect leader twenty years ago...?"

"No, it's not that the Net can control the leader of the Human Sect, but that their partner has become the leader of the Human Sect." Lu Wei had obtained information about Xiaoyaozi's identity from Tian Guang a long time ago, and he also knew that Xiaoyaozi played a key role in Tian Guang's fake death. Since that's the case, it would be even easier for him to design Chisongzi's fake death than for Tian Guang.

"After the Luo Wang's operation against our farmers failed, they wanted to use the same trick on the Daoists. Although Xiaoyaozi, who was Yanri, was an old member of the Luo Wang, he was actually at odds with them. So he informed Chisongzi about this in advance and arranged for a fake death so that 'Xueji' would fall into the control of the Luo Wang in the open. In this way, the Luo Wang would lower their guard."

"When the crucial moment arrives, Chisongzi, who is acting in secret, will become a key figure in the Taoist counterattack against the Luo Wang!"

Xiao Yan muttered to herself, analyzing and combining the clues Lu Wei had given her one by one, and then made bold guesses about the possible relationship between Xiaoyaozi and Luowang and their respective actions.

This conjecture is exactly the same as what Lord Xia Kui himself thought.

“This may be the truth, but it lacks the most crucial evidence.” Lu Wei nodded. “However, it’s unlikely that crucial evidence would be left behind, otherwise this evidence would become the biggest hidden danger in the Luo Wang organization.”

"Next year when we go to Sanghai, we will discuss it with Zhang Liang and then we will probably know the result."

"Yes." Ji Yan was overjoyed by Lu Wei's use of "we." There must have been an element of acting involved, but it was also an exaggerated expression of her true emotions.

However, in her heart, Xiao Yan'er actually had another consideration that she didn't say aloud:

'Where did Brother Lu get the top-secret information that Xiaoyaozi is Yanri...?'

"Furthermore, Brother Lu didn't refute my statement about 'using the same old tricks,' which confirms that my guess that the Net used a similar strategy against the Farmers was correct..."

'So, do farming families also have characters who fake their deaths...?'