Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 295

“Lu Wei wants to cooperate. If he joins us, with our Taoist Three Talents Sword Formation and your Farmer's Twenty-Four Earth Formation, the power of the Net is nothing.”

Turning around, Xiaoyaozi spoke to Tian Guang again.

“Young Lu has great ambitions, and our strength is not enough to satisfy him.” Tian Guang shook his head: “He can now defeat me and Chisongzi together. Even the Six Sword Slaves may not be able to defeat him again, not to mention that he also has the entire Daze Mountain.”

"You've served as the leader of the Farmer's Clan for over thirty years, and he'll completely replace you in just six years?" Xiaoyaozi frowned.

“You should know that he has basically suppressed the Tian family’s power in Daze Mountain.” Tian Guang’s explanation was simple: “Moreover, if it were just a matter of dealing with the Luo Wang, he could have gathered the experts of the Farmer’s School to solve it himself. And the reason why the Luo Wang is so powerful is not because of the few Heaven-level assassins that number in the last two hands.”

The true source of Luo Wang's unbridled power lies in its identity as a member of the Qin state. Therefore, even if someone is stronger than them, they generally won't offend Luo Wang excessively. Xiaoyaozi was certainly aware of this.

'So, should we persuade Zhao Gao to help the anti-Qin alliance carry out the Azure Dragon Plan...' After receiving a hint from Tian Guang, Xiaoyaozi immediately recalled this matter.

Ying Zheng was exceptionally capable, energetic, and had a strong desire for control, which made Zhao Gao feel troubled long ago.

If he could openly and legitimately kill Ying Zheng with the help of the anti-Qin alliance, Zhao Gao certainly wouldn't stop him... And he could gather evidence in the process. Once the plan was implemented, regardless of success or failure, he could use that evidence to leverage the power of the Qin state to eliminate Zhao Gao...

Just like Zhao Gao years ago, who used the power of the Qin state to purge the other leaders of the Luo Wang organization and eventually seized power alone... After Zhao Gao and the Six Sword Slaves were both removed from the list, I, as the first-class Heavenly Rank Yan Ri, had the opportunity to emulate Zhao Gao and take control of the Luo Wang organization... to transform this bloody assassin organization into a force for good.

After finding a few reasons, Xiaoyaozi suddenly felt that this matter was feasible, but he also understood that Zhao Gao had been cautious and careful for so many years, and had gained Ying Zheng's full trust. Even when he committed a crime and was about to be executed by Meng Yi, Ying Zheng would personally give him a break. The actual success rate of this matter was almost zero.

Zhao Gao will likely condone the anti-Qin alliance's actions, but he won't help them. The chances of me being able to gather concrete evidence of his condoning behavior are slim.

Calming down and putting aside his underestimation of Zhao Gao, Xiaoyaozi said calmly, "Lu Wei's demanding nature may not be a bad thing. Go and test his attitude."

"As you wish." Tian Guang chuckled and left, just like Chi Songzi.

Xiaoyaozi, left alone with the Sun-Covering Sword, continued to ponder whether he could find a breakthrough from the low-probability Azure Dragon opportunity. If this opportunity was possible, then he should have room to maneuver.

------

Inside Sanghai City, although Han Xin had switched to the peasant faction, his identity as a shadow guard remained valid. Therefore, Lu Wei released him to roam freely after the assessment.

Han Xin was capable of doing much more. As for loyalty, that wasn't something to consider with him. All you needed to consider was how much benefit you could offer him that he needed.

The Moon Goddess ascended to the mirage. Before confirming the identity of the Eastern Emperor, Lu Wei avoided meeting with the members of the Yin-Yang School as much as possible to prevent all their efforts from going to waste.

Ji Yan has gone to organize the Azure Dragon Project. She has me backing and is also very capable. The Mo family's Azure Dragon mechanism has finally arrived and needs to be put to use.

Zhao Gao himself will soon arrive in Sanghai at Li Si's call, and the person most concerned about this matter is definitely Xiaoyaozi.

If you put yourself in Xiaoyaozi's shoes, there's really not much you can do.

'I need to push him further, to make his struggle against Zhao Gao public, so that the influence of the Net within the Mirage Plan can be minimized as much as possible.'

'We need to start with Xiaomeng...'

Chapter 354 Celestial Voice Transmission

Xiaomeng's residence in Sanghai is located in a bamboo forest outside the city, where there is a quiet house.

The tall, straight bamboo stands like a green screen, shutting out the disturbances of the world. A gentle breeze rustles the bamboo leaves, creating a beautiful melody that brings peace to the mind.

This place was originally the private villa of a prince of the old Qi state, but it has now been bestowed upon the Taoist Tianzong as imperial property.

Xiaomeng followed Fusu to Xiaoshengxianzhuang during the day, where she had an internal energy contest with Fu Nian. She used her strengths to attack Fu Nian's weaknesses, but Fu Nian cleverly resolved the situation in the end. For her, today's trip was not too boring.

As usual, Xiaomeng declined the eldest son's invitation to dinner and returned to the bamboo forest. Just as she was about to meditate and cultivate, she unexpectedly sensed a familiar guest...

As she stroked the ocarina with both hands, a glint flashed in Xiaomeng's eyes. She released her inner energy and manipulated a few cherry blossom petals that had drifted in from the courtyard, slicing them sharply towards a certain spot.

The flower petals silently parted the silk curtains that separated the view from the outside in the corridor. As the curtains fell, an old man in a Taoist robe appeared.

"Junior Sister Xiaomeng, how have you been?" The old man in the Taoist robe had several cherry blossom darts hovering in front of him. As he spoke, the petals returned to their natural state and floated back to the ground.

"Chisongzi? What brings you here?"

Xiaomeng coldly and directly addressed the old man by his Taoist name, her attitude making her hard to understand.

Although they are senior and junior brothers and sisters, Xiaomeng is now the head of the Tianzong Sect, while Chisongzi, who faked his death, has voluntarily given up everything in the Tianzong Sect.

"I came for the fate of the Heavenly Sect." Chisongzi didn't care about Xiaomeng's attitude. Instead, he raised his hand and made Xueji float in front of him, displaying it openly: "Junior Brother Xiaoyaozi asked me to return it to the Heavenly Sect and to the Daoist school. We can no longer return to our sect, but this sword is different. As for the future of the Daoist school, we will have to trouble Junior Sister Xiaomeng to take care of everything."

Xiaomeng gazed at the slender, unique sword, then lightly placed the ocarina in her hand on a table a zhang away. Her figure was enveloped in a light blue mist, and she vanished into thin air.

When she reappeared, she was already in the outdoor corridor. After glancing at Xueji and her senior brother up close, she swept the Qiuli whisk that had appeared out of thin air in her arms slightly, and Xiaomeng flashed back to the courtyard behind Chisongzi. The two of them stood back to back: "I will take this sword in front of all the disciples during the Heavenly Pact at the Guanmiao Terrace on Taiyi Mountain, not now."

With her feet treading on clusters of petals, Xiaomeng took a few steps forward, her gaze falling on the cherry blossom tree beside the pond in the courtyard.

"Junior Sister, are you aware that Junior Brother Xiaoyaozi is involved in the anti-Qin forces, and the evidence is conclusive? He may very well be forced by the Qin State to be expelled from the Human Sect?" Chisongzi turned around, his posture unchanged, with Xueji still floating above him: "If Xueji is not taken away now, the bet on next year's Heaven-Human Pact will be lost."

"Taoists have always stayed out of worldly affairs. How can the position of leader of the Heavenly and Human Sects be decided by the Qin State?" Xiaomeng sneered. "You shall bear the consequences of your actions. The Heavenly and Human Covenant shall still be held as scheduled."

Faced with this seemingly unreasonable statement that showed a lack of understanding of the hardships of the world, Chisongzi did not refute it, nor did he think it was wrong. He understood his junior sister's meaning; this was her understanding of the Dao.

The worldview of Taoist disciples depends on their understanding of the Tao. Since the Tao is without error, the views of each Taoist disciple should not be wrong. They may occasionally go astray, and correcting these deviations is the "debate between Heaven and Man".

This is Chishongzi's understanding.

"Go back now," Xiaomeng's icy voice continued. "And you, since you're here, why don't you show yourself!"

Was there a third person present?

Chisongzi was startled and quickly sheathed the Xueji Sword behind his back. Following Xiaomeng's gaze, he saw a figure leaning against the bamboo wall suddenly appear.

"I am not in a position to participate in matters of Taoist internal affairs, so why should I show myself?"

Lu Wei, dressed in a green robe, smiled as he stepped across the pond in the courtyard and came to the two Taoist brothers and sisters: "It seems that your differences have ended?"

If Xiaomeng hadn't discovered that Lu had intentionally and deliberately revealed a trace of his aura, she might have actually believed his story.

However, she doesn't care about the reason behind it now, so she hasn't exposed it.

"What are you going to do to Chishongzi?"

A faint fluctuation of internal energy rang out in Lu Wei's mind without him offering any resistance, and Xiao Meng's cold voice echoed directly in his mind.

Celestial Voice Transmission is a Taoist secret technique that allows one to use internal energy to engage in thought-to-thought dialogue with another person within a certain range without uttering a sound. It is a highly confidential form of communication and is difficult for enemies to intercept.

However, since the root cause still depends on a person's internal energy, those familiar with it can still detect that someone is performing this secret technique, such as Chisongzi.

So the former sect leader could only watch helplessly as his junior sister established a telepathic communication channel with the outsider from the peasant family, remaining silent and standing there waiting for the two to finish their conversation.

While keeping quiet, Chishongzi was also pondering a question: 'Junior Sister Xiaomeng has been cultivating on the mountain since childhood, secluded herself for ten years, and has only been out of Taiyi Mountain for less than three months this year. How could she have met this Lu Wei... and even trusted him so much that she directly used Heavenly Sound Transmission...'

"I'm just revealing this piece of information that we're familiar with to Xiaoyaozi." Lu Wei casually explained his purpose while carefully observing and analyzing the essence of this secret technique in his mind.

"I see." In reality, Xiaomeng took a deep look at Lu Wei's face before ending the Heavenly Sound Transmission Channel: Now that she understood the purpose, there was no need to use this secret technique anymore.

However, Lu Wei, who had noticed this, stopped him: "Wait a little longer, maintain this for another sixty breaths."

The longer the celestial sound transmission channel lasts, the more associations it will trigger for both Chishongzi and Xiaoyaozi after they learn of this.

"Okay." Xiaomeng readily agreed to the request without setting any conditions.

This free cooperation made Lu Wei somewhat uncomfortable: although it suited Xiaomeng's personality, he also needed to consider whether he would have to pay some price for it in the future...

Sixty breaths is not a long time, but in the empty, celestial sound transmission, since this is a dialogue of thoughts, any activity between thoughts will be captured by each other during the duration of the channel. If you want to keep your thoughts from jumping around, the time will unconsciously feel much longer.

While this wasn't too difficult for Lu Wei, it wasn't so easy for most ordinary wandering knights.

No wonder this is a Taoist secret technique; only Taoist practitioners can maintain a stable mind.

Chisongzi silently counted the time in his mind, and soon, just as Lu Wei had thought, he began to speculate about the content of his junior sister's conversation with the leader of the Farmer's Clan, which lasted for several tens of seconds. Xiaomeng didn't like to say meaningless things, so what could have made her care for so long...?

At the sixtieth breath, Xiaomeng severed the Heavenly Melody Transmission Channel, glanced at Chisongzi with an unchanged expression, and said indifferently:

Why are you still here?

"Didn't I already tell you to go back?"

"..." Chisongzi paused, glanced at Lu Wei who was silent, and said in a deep voice, "It's time to go, but as for Xueji's matter, Junior Sister, you should think about it again."

"By the way, the reason why Junior Brother Xiaoyaozi asked me to come here, besides Xueji, is to ask Junior Sister to help conceal the news of my faked death." Chisongzi added bluntly at the end, "Otherwise, the Luo Net might continue to attack the Daoists."

Xiaomeng did not answer, and Chisongzi did not linger any longer, using his lightness skill to leap over the bamboo wall and leave.

"You've done what you needed to do, so why aren't you leaving?"

After a few breaths of silence in the courtyard, Xiaomeng flicked her whisk and walked back to the corridor with her back turned.

This cold dismissal was naturally directed at Lu Wei.

"While meeting Chishongzi here was within my expectations, I came here for you, not for Chishongzi."

Lu Wei frankly said, "Although I did not attend the event at Xiaoshengxianzhuang today, I am aware of Fusu's purpose."

"After Xiaoyaozi exposed and warned the Confucianism, your value to the Qin state has temporarily disappeared. If you continue to stay in Sanghai, you may be feared by the Qin state."

"Because of the mirage?" Xiaomeng said calmly, "I have no interest in it or the immortality it represents."

"But Taoism has the ability to intervene in mirages..."

Chapter 355 Differences Between Men and Women

"The best option for the Taoist Heavenly Sect is to leave Sanghai at this time. If they don't leave, even if they have no interest in the mirage, they will not be able to escape its influence."

Lu Wei said to Xiaomeng with an expression that seemed perfectly natural.

If it were Xiaomeng when she first came down from the mountain, she would naturally have returned to Taiyi Mountain after completing her trip to Xiaoshengxianzhuang. However, since she had agreed to help Lu when she accepted Tao Xun, staying behind was what she wanted to do.

Moreover, as the leader of the Tianzong sect, Xiaomeng had already begun to waver in her decision to rely on the Qin state to preserve the sect's legacy after learning that the Yin Yang School, the Luo Wang, and the Nongjia all had ulterior motives.

Sanghai is where all the turbulent waves converge. Staying here to observe the changing winds and clouds allows for the quickest adjustment of the sect's direction.

However, the problem lies in the fact that Taoism itself is not weak. Even though Tianzong is a well-known Taoist sect, such a force cannot be ignored in the present-day Sanghai.

"So how do you intend to use me?" Xiaomeng turned back to face Lu Wei, her gray-white pupils utterly calm.

"The premise of utilization is understanding first." Lu Wei did not sense any sarcasm in Xiaomeng's tone; she was calmly discussing and inquiring about the farmers' plans.

So Lu Wei looked up at the moon's trajectory and followed her words, saying, "Tomorrow I will publicly visit Master Xiaomeng as the leader of the Farmer's School of Chivalry, and then we can have a discussion."

"Why wait until tomorrow?" Xiaomeng put down her arms, which were holding Qiuli in her arms. "We can talk freely tonight."

Noticing the change in her eyes, Lu Wei knew that Xiao Meng was testing him: if he agreed, the test would be over, but if he didn't agree, he was afraid that his reputation in her eyes would drop a lot.

After all, Xiaomeng had higher expectations for Lu Wei than most people, believing that he, like her, had transcended worldly prejudices and reached a state of pure pursuit of the Tao.

The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment when those expectations are not met.

so...

"Let's forget it. It's too late tonight, and men and women should keep to themselves." Under Xiaomeng's direct gaze, Lu Wei gave her the answer that disappointed her the most.