Heirs of the Seven Swords of the Qin Dynasty

As the stargazing instrument on top of the Toad Palace started to operate, the roof of the Toad Palace slowly opened, revealing a round opening.

Through the layers of dark clouds, the miserable and cold moonlight and starlight passed through the round skylight and fell into the Moon Palace, sprinkling on the kneeling girl, as well as the Fantasy Sound Box and the copper box on the table.

In another room, Yan Fei changed her hand seals again, and the true energy in her body instantly condensed into strands of dragon-swimming energy. Correspondingly, the same changes occurred in the Toad Palace girl and Qian Long.

The aura of a dragon lingered above the Fantasy Sound Box and the copper box, and seemed to emit faint low sounds like a dragon's roar.

Under the influence of the constantly flowing dragon energy, the copper box began to tremble slightly, and as the copper box trembled, the space around the girl seemed to tremble as well, rippling slightly.

At the same time, golden lines began to emerge faintly on the round skylight above the girl's head and gradually became clearer.

At this moment, a look of pain appeared on the girl's face, as if she was suffering from some kind of injury.

Yan Fei in the other room had a blank expression on her face. She just looked through the bronze mirror at the bronze box on the table that was trembling but did not open even a crack. She resolutely changed her hand seals again, and her whole body of true energy surged. The dragon energy lingering around her became more and more intense and numerous.

As she improved her skills, the pain on the girl's face became more obvious, and even Qian Long on the other side began to show discomfort.

However, the effect of doing so is also very significant. The frequency of the copper box's vibration increases, and it looks like it will open at any time.

At the same time, the patterns on the skylight of the Toad Palace became clearer and clearer, revealing its true appearance - a star map.

A more accurate description is a star map describing the seven stars in the east, which are the Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei and Ji stars representing the Azure Dragon among the four spirits of the sky.

In other words, it is what many people call the Seven Stars of the Blue Dragon.

It is early autumn now, and the seven stars in the east should be in the sign of 'Shangjiu, the arrogant dragon will regret', that is, the 'Blue Dragon' has risen to the highest point and started to turn around and sink to the west.

However, the seven stars of the Azure Dragon in this star map clearly represent the image of 'Nine Five, a flying dragon in the sky'.

As the star map took shape, the low dragon roar faintly coming from the copper box came to an abrupt halt, and instead a thin layer of illusory golden light appeared, which was not noticeable under the dazzling golden light in the room.

Although she couldn't see clearly, Yan Fei was the first to notice the changes in the copper box and knew that the time was almost right.

………………

On the other side, in the forest outside the Xixiang Valley, the situation of Master Ban and others became increasingly urgent.

The Mechanical Azure Dragon is the leader of the four spiritual beasts of the Mohist school of mechanical arts. It can even be said to be the best mechanical beast in the world. Even the Gongshu family cannot surpass it. It truly represents the highest achievement of mechanical arts.

It is also the biggest trump card for the Mohist School to gain a foothold in the world.

However, there has always been a problem with this trump card, which is that the Mohists themselves cannot use it well.

Ever since the founder Mozi created it, Azure Dragon has become the Mohist School's greatest reliance, but after Mozi's death, it has also become the Mohist School's greatest danger.

Because apart from the founder Mozi, no one else in the Mohist school can fully control the highest crystallization of this mechanical art.

That is why the Mohist Mechanical City was built based on the Mechanical Azure Dragon - it is both the last resort for the Mechanical City to turn the situation around after it fell into a desperate situation, and it is also the source of danger that must be suppressed by the Mechanical City.

As for the mechanism of Qinglong, Master Ban is just like all the previous mechanism masters of Mohism. In short, it is just that six of the seven orifices are connected.

The reason for this is not only because the mechanical Azure Dragon itself is special and contains many secrets, but also because all the masters of Mohist mechanical techniques throughout the ages, including Master Ban, have been unable to conduct on-site research on this first of the four spiritual beasts.

Since actual research is not possible, we can only conduct indirect research based on some mechanical blue dragon design drawings handed down from the time of Mozi, so naturally we won't get any clues.

As one of the most outstanding masters of mechanical engineering in the world, Master Ban was like a novice driver who had just passed his driving test when facing Qinglong.

If you ask him how to start a car, he knows how to do it. If you ask him about the structure of a car, he can probably tell you a thing or two. But if you ask him to fix a problematic engine, he really has no idea how to do it.

After conducting a routine functional examination of Qinglong, Master Ban confirmed two points.

First, there was definitely something wrong with Qinglong, and it could lose control and start at any time.

Second, he couldn't stop it.

At this time, the ground where Master Ban and the others were standing was shaking slightly, as if an earthquake was about to occur.

This is a prelude to Qinglong's upcoming action.

In other words, the Xixiang Valley Road is also a mess now, otherwise the East Tour Team would most likely be able to detect the unusual movements here.

After all his efforts were completely ineffective, Master Ban sighed deeply and waved his hand to signal other Mohist disciples to evacuate the place as planned.

Since it cannot be stopped and cannot be saved, we can only give up and let everything continue to develop.

Anyway, the disciples of the Nong and Mo families have already retreated, and now there is only the East Tour convoy in the Xixiang Valley. As long as Qinglong does not deviate too far from the planned action trajectory, the people of the Empire will definitely suffer the most.

However, the out-of-control Qinglong might not be able to kill Ying Zheng.

………………

On the cliffs on both sides of the Xixiang Valley Road, Gu Xun looked up at the gloomy sky and suddenly said:

"Qinglong is about to come into the world."

Bai Feng, who had already guessed it in his mind, could not help but confirm with surprise, "Sir, are you talking about... the mechanical Azure Dragon?"

"Yes..." Gu Xun nodded, but then changed the subject, "But it's not just the Mechanical Azure Dragon."

These words suddenly froze Bai Feng, who was originally shocked to see Qinglong appear again.

What does 'more than' mean?
Apart from the Mechanical Azure Dragon, are there any other Azure Dragons in the world?
Gu Xun did not explain Bai Feng's doubts, but suddenly sighed without any context, "I'm afraid Sanghai is not peaceful at this moment."

Songhai?

Bai Feng became even more confused after hearing this.

What else could Sang Hai be doing at this moment? Most of the people who could cause trouble have come here tonight... Could it be someone from the Yin-Yang family?

Gu Xun still ignored Bai Feng's doubts and reminded him, "Be careful later, so as not to be affected."

"...Yes." Bai Feng was confused and could only respond dryly, looking awkward.

………………

Inside the East Tour convoy, the battle between the group that was trying to assassinate Ying Zheng and the group of assassins from Luowang was still going on.

Due to the excessive procrastination of Gai Nie and others, Zhang Han even rearranged the outer encirclement and arranged the most suitable personnel to increase the chances of keeping them.

Of course, the so-called suitable personnel are actually archers.

Melee infantry are no different from wooden stakes to these martial arts masters; only flying props such as bows and crossbows can interfere with them.

There were neither too many nor too few archers in the Imperial Guards accompanying the convoy, about five hundred in total. However, due to the tight schedule and the numerous casualties before, he only had time to mobilize about three hundred of them.

It's hard to say how much of a difference it really makes.

If there is enough time, all the members of the Imperial Guards could be transferred here, and together with the archers and crossbowmen from the local garrisons coming to support, Zhang Han would be able to gather at least 800 people, which would provide him with more manpower.

Unfortunately, there is not enough time.

Such a complicated manpower mobilization would take at least two incense sticks, or even half an hour. Although Gai Nie and his men were still pestering them, they had only been struggling for a quarter of an hour since they appeared. In the next quarter of an hour at most, they would have to run away.

While the fierce battle was going on outside, Ying Zheng in the carriage finally stopped working on the memorials.

It wasn't because of the battle outside, but because he suddenly became uneasy.

As an emperor with a strong will and tough temper, Ying Zheng had a lot of things to worry about every day, but he rarely got upset about them and his emotions always remained very stable.

It is even rarer to feel upset for no reason like tonight.

Ying Zheng only remembered one such incident where his emotions suddenly changed... but it was a very deep impression.

That was the time when Jing Ke assassinated him.

When Jing Ke grasped Canhong, Ying Zheng began to feel an inexplicable fear from the bottom of his heart, which was completely out of his control, as if he had met a small animal that was its natural enemy.

The emotions at that time, just like his emotions at this moment, were completely unreasonable, and penetrated deep into his heart, making it difficult for him to suppress them.

The long-forgotten memories were thus awakened, and even with Ying Zheng's temperament, he couldn't help but feel a little worried at this moment.

He glanced at the situation outside through the curtains. Although he was very dissatisfied with the procrastination of Zhao Gao and Zhang Han, he also knew that his side was in an advantageous position and there was no sign of being overturned by the other side.

However, his surging emotions reminded Ying Zheng that something was about to happen, which in turn intensified his restlessness.

This urged him to do something, but Ying Zheng relied on his own willpower to suppress this impulse and continued to remain calm.

He has no idea of ​​the situation now, and it would be unwise to act rashly. Moreover, the behavior of those rebels is obviously abnormal, and there is no guarantee that there is no conspiracy behind it.

If you move, you might end up falling into a trap.

In this case, it is better to continue to wait and see.

Of course, there is also the possibility that the other party will do the opposite, and it will be dangerous if Ying Zheng does not move, but it will be fine if he moves.

However, Ying Zheng did not think in this kind of nesting doll cycle.

Because if you start nesting dolls, the cycle will repeat endlessly, and there will be no end to the guessing.

In any case, he is now under the strictest protection, and if he moves, he will only reveal more flaws.

………………

The hustle and bustle dozens of miles away did not affect the silence of the Mirage anchored outside the Sanghai Port.

From the outside, the ship looked just like any other night.

The lights were on where they should be, and the darkness was dark where it should be, and everything seemed normal.

However, if one's eyesight is good enough, one can notice that the light emitted from a certain cabin is obviously wrong. It does not look like lamplight or candlelight at all, but rather like the golden color under the sun.

At the same time, you will also find that the stargazing equipment on the top of the Toad Palace, located at the highest point of the mirage, begins to operate on its own.

In the central room of the Toad Palace, after some efforts by Yan Fei, the copper box containing the secret of the Seven Stars of the Azure Dragon was finally opened under the cover of a star map representing the Seven Stars of the East.

Just like when she opened the copper box many years ago, this time it was also extremely troublesome and took a lot of effort, and the copper box was only opened to a very small angle.

Maybe the angle is a little bigger than that time, or maybe there is no difference, anyway, it is not that big.

As the copper box was opened, a strange aura suddenly burst out. The girl seemed to be shocked. The movements of her hands completely stopped, and the pain on her face disappeared, revealing a calmness.

In another room, the image in the bronze mirror in front of Yan Fei began to blur and become looming.

Yan Fei had no choice but to form seals and cast spells again, and she managed to maintain the scene, but it seemed that she could no longer control the girl.

On the other side, in the room where Yan Fei and her daughter were hiding, Qian Long's expression also calmed down, and his whole body emanated a faint and soft golden light.

At this moment, she closed her eyes tightly, but an extremely clear scene of the cabin appeared in her mind, as if there was an invisible eye that could move freely.

Qianlong tried to move his gaze and found that he could control it freely, allowing the corresponding scene to appear in his mind.

In this way, she could really do what her mother had told her before and stay in the room to monitor everything that was happening on the entire ship.

Just as Qianlong began to explore the mirage with surprise, a new person appeared in the room where Yanfei was.

The Moon Goddess came back.

Looking at Yan Fei who took her place, a complex emotion flashed across her face - she was unhappy about her place being taken, she was envious of Yan Fei for being able to achieve this, and there was also a hint of hesitation and despair that came from an unknown reason.

Then she calmed down and warned in a deep voice, "You have already pried the Blue Dragon Seven Stars away. It is meaningless to continue to hold on. It is time to stop."

"That woman won't keep holding Xinghun back forever."

When Yan Fei heard this, a hint of unwillingness flashed in her eyes, but she had no choice but to stop.

Just as the Moon Goddess said, her goal had been achieved the moment she opened the copper box, and continuing to insist would do more harm than good.

As soon as Yan Fei stopped, the bronze mirror returned to normal, reflecting Yan Fei's own delicate face.

At the same time, the girl in the central room of the Moon Palace regained consciousness, the Magic Sound Box stopped rotating, and it was folded layer by layer, automatically closing into a small box.

As for the copper box, it had already been quietly closed.

In the cabin where Yan Fei and her daughter were hiding, Qian Long, who was happily exploring the mirage, suddenly lost his focus. When he came back to his senses, he found that he had opened his eyes and returned to reality.

She quickly closed her eyes and practiced her internal energy, trying to get back into her previous state, but found that she couldn't do it at all.

This made her very depressed.

After trying a few more times unwillingly, the bad news was that she still couldn't enter that state. The good news was that she grasped a vague feeling, and maybe she would succeed if she tried more.

This gave Qianlong some comfort despite his melancholy.

………………

At the same time, in Zibei Water Pavilion.

Xinghun walked towards the exit of Zibei Water Pavilion with a gloomy face, thinking about his previous meeting with the woman in Yingyu.

He gained a lot from this meeting and obtained a lot of valuable information.

But many doubts also arose in my mind.

Putting aside the matter of the Seven Stars of the Azure Dragon, what was troubling him now was why that woman was suddenly willing to give in?

Although the other party had always said that they were willing to cooperate, their attitude was not positive enough and seemed perfunctory.

This time, he took the initiative, contrary to his usual behavior. (End of this chapter)