Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 103 The Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon
South of Xinzheng City, Wei Zhuang stood on the city wall, watching the cavalry troop from afar. He frowned, then muttered to himself, "Bai Yifei?"

The commotion outside the city had attracted a lot of attention, and it naturally did not escape his notice. However, what he did not expect was that the culprits behind the commotion would be these two people: Blood-Clad Marquis Bai Yifei and Flame Spirit Princess.

Looking at the expressionless Blood-Clad Marquis and the Flame Spirit Princess locked in the prison cart, Wei Zhuang's eyes flickered uncertainly.

The appearance of these two people makes it easy to understand who was involved in the fight just now.

Yan Lingji is skilled, but compared to Bai Yifei, the gap is still huge. In other words, if Bai Yifei's only opponent was this girl, he would never have made such a commotion.

"Nightfall, Baiyue, interesting."

After standing there for a while, until the group disappeared at the end of the long street, Wei Zhuang smiled knowingly before turning and leaving.

Although he didn't know why Nightfall would take action against Tianze, there was only one consequence: Tianze would have to ally with Quicksand.

In the storage room, Honglian was slightly taken aback when she sensed the movement coming from afar.

She turned to look at Chen Xiuyuan, hesitant to speak, but she really wanted to know how the girl was doing.

But when she looked at the boy, she found that he didn't care at all; his gaze remained fixed on the book in his hands. So she had to swallow her words back.

Looking out the window at the azure sky, the girl sighed softly, wondering how much strife and chaos was hidden beneath this seemingly peaceful sky.

In the General's Mansion, Ji Wuye had one leg propped up on the long bench that symbolized his status, while the other leg was casually placed on the ground. As he looked at Bai Yifei, who appeared behind the curtains, the wine cup in his hand swayed slightly, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

He pondered Nongyu's matter for a long time. Bai Yifei was not a soft-hearted person. The fact that he took the initiative to release her clearly concealed an unknown secret.

"Does Your Excellency not wish to discuss Miss Nongyu's matter?"

The room suddenly fell silent. Bai Yifei stood behind the window, his gaze calm as still water. He seemed to have anticipated Ji Wuye's reaction.

After a while, Bai Yifei said slowly, "There is someone standing behind her, and this person is not easy to mess with. If the general is still interested in that girl, then the general can give it a try. My cousin and I will not get involved."

Upon hearing this, Ji Wuye was taken aback. Seeing that Bai Yifei had no intention of continuing to explain, his eyes darkened.

Not someone to be trifled with?

Is there anyone in Xinzheng he wouldn't dare to mess with?
After a moment, he said in a somewhat gloomy tone, "Your Excellency is not joking, is there? Are there people in Xinzheng that we can't afford to offend?"

Bai Yifei sighed softly.

The frog at the bottom of the well is unaware of the vastness of the sky. The smooth life of these years seems to have made this general forget many things.

"If the general thinks I'm joking, then he may as well give it a try."

Bai Yifei didn't explain anything; he didn't want to be involved with that boy anymore.

The room returned to calm. Ji Wuye wasn't stupid; he could sense that Bai Yifei seemed extremely wary of that person, as if he were keeping something to himself.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Wuye replied with a smile, "Since the Marquis has spoken, why would this general go looking for trouble?"

After saying that, he changed the subject and asked again, "However, regarding the Baiyue treasure, does the Marquis have any new leads?"

Bai Yifei put his hands behind his back and frowned slightly.

After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice, "The people who have the most clues about the Baiyue treasure should be Liu Yi and the Three Wolves with Broken Hair from back then. However, both of them are dead, so these clues should be cut off. But later, the Corpse-Driving Demon resurrected the Vulture, and Tianze also heard secrets from that corpse that he shouldn't have heard."

Upon hearing this, Ji Wuye's lips curled into a smile.

He hadn't quite understood why Bai Yifei wanted to attack Tianze before, but now everything was clear.

"So, Lord Marquis, your operation this time has been quite fruitful!"

Bai Yifei's gaze flickered uncertainly. He still didn't know how to deal with Yan Lingji. If Yan Lingji really was that boy's person, then he had to be extremely cautious.

As for Ji Wuye's flattery, Bai Yifei didn't take it to heart. Their alliance was just a matter of mutual benefit, and the name of the Four Fiends was more of a binding of interests.

After a while, Bai Yifei spoke again: "Compared to Tianze and the others, there is another thing we need to pay attention to: the Qin envoy is almost at Xinzheng."

Upon hearing this, Ji Wuye's face darkened. Indeed, compared to the internal conflicts in Han, the pressure from Qin was clearly more deadly.

"The Qin state has been making constant moves in recent years, showing a strong intention to expand eastward. We do not know what Qin's purpose is in sending envoys this time, so we must not be careless."

Bai Yifei snapped out of his thoughts, his expression becoming more serious.

They are able to control everything in Xinzheng because of the existence of South Korea. If South Korea were to disappear, all their current power would vanish. Therefore, on this point, the interests of the entire South Korea are aligned.

"We can put the treasure matter aside for now. The most pressing issue we need to address is the Qin envoy."

Ji Wuye glanced at Bai Yifei, rubbed his chin, and then nodded.

"Your Excellency is right; naturally, righteousness comes first."

After an incense stick had burned, Bai Yifei left the place, and Ji Wuye then summoned Mo Ya.

"Go and have the man in the straw raincoat investigate who is behind that Nongyu."

In Zilan Pavilion, listening to Wei Zhuang's words, Han Fei's gaze was leisurely. Bai Yifei's move had also exceeded his expectations.

"Tianze, having obtained the antidote, has lost control, so his actions are to be expected."

After a moment of silence, Han Fei shook his head.

"Nightfall's power is immense. Even if Tianze intends to target them, he will likely gain very little. In a sense, Tianze's revenge is aimed at the entire South Korea. After Nightfall's setback, his target will shift."

"In other words, as long as the night doesn't fall, Tianze is nothing more than a minor ailment to them, and what they want will definitely happen."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang and the others exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave. The Nightfall's plan was terrifying to contemplate.

Wei Zhuang narrowed his eyes, then added, "The moment the hunter released the white tiger, he had already calculated that he wouldn't be harmed. But ordinary people weren't so lucky. Thus, fear will once again rule this city."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei nodded.

"That's their goal!"

"So Bai Yifei's intervention midway must be due to something else. If I'm not mistaken, he still harbors illusions about the treasures of Baiyue!"

Time flies by, and before we know it, the sun is setting again.

Chen Xiuyuan put down the book in his hand and silently counted the days. In three days at most, he would be able to finish reading all the books in the archives.

There seem to be a lot of bamboo slips here, but the number of words recorded on them is not as exaggerated as one might imagine.

Compared to paper, bamboo slips have obvious disadvantages. Made of bamboo or wood strips, they are bulky and heavy. Each bamboo slip has a limited size and can only hold a small amount of text.

If it were the same weight of paper, the content recorded would probably be multiplied by hundreds or thousands of times. Recalling his previous arrangements, Chen Xiuyuan sighed softly.

The widespread use of paper will surely change this era.

As soon as Chen Xiuyuan stepped out of the storage room, he saw Honglian standing to the side. He was a little surprised that Honglian had not left at this time.

"Has the princess not returned yet?"

When Honglian saw Xiuyuan come out, she jumped down from the stone bench next to her, walked to Xiuyuan's side, lowered her little head and said, "Today is exactly the fifteenth, I'll take you somewhere."

Seeing Honglian acting so mysteriously, Xiu Yuan couldn't help but find it amusing. He casually asked, "Oh, what place?"

Honglian didn't answer the question. Instead, she pulled him along and said as they walked, "You'll see when we get there. I discovered it by accident. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. You're the first guest I've ever invited, so you should be secretly thrilled!"

Faced with such a quirky and clever girl, Chen Xiuyuan shook his head helplessly.

The place seemed to be quite far from the storage room. After walking for a while, it gradually got dark. Just then, Honglian found a lantern from somewhere, lit the wick with a flint, and then, holding the lantern in one hand and pulling him along with the other, continued to move forward along the corridor.

Feeling the increasing force in the other person's hand, and a slight chill, Chen Xiuyuan's lips suddenly curled into a smile.

He roughly guessed what was going on. A girl as young as Honglian should be somewhat afraid of the dark, especially deep in the palace, a place where you could hardly see anyone. It was not only dark but also very quiet, an environment that would be a challenge for most people.

However, what intrigued him was just how beautiful the scenery Honglian described was. It was enough that she, a young woman, suppressed her fear and even dragged him along to see it for herself.

"Xiao Xiuyuan, let me tell you, that place is beautiful, but it's a bit remote."

Chen Xiuyuan smiled but didn't say anything. It had been about an incense stick's time since they left the collection room, but they still hadn't arrived. Wasn't that a bit out of the way?
"The last time I came, I watched it all night!"

Upon hearing this, a strange glint flashed in Chen Xiuyuan's eyes. He had been watching all night.

No matter how beautiful the scenery is, one might lose interest after looking at it for a long time. Honglian's actions were clearly problematic. According to his estimation, the girl probably didn't go back because she didn't want to, but because she was afraid.

However, he did not expose her lie, but quietly stayed by her side.

After another cup of tea's time, Honglian seemed to have discovered something. Her pace quickened noticeably, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

"It's here, it's here!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Honglian grabbed Chen Xiuyuan and started running. They passed through a hanging flower gate, went past a rockery, followed the corridor, and walked through the last courtyard. Suddenly, the scenery before them changed.

A lake came into view, its waters clear and reflecting the moonlight. In the center of the lake was a small island with a tree on it, from which a faint fragrance of flowers wafted.

This lake is fascinating. The moonlight reflected on its surface is refracted again and focuses on this tree, making it appear breathtakingly beautiful, as if it were something otherworldly. "See, I told you so!"

Honglian pointed into the distance, her willow-leaf eyebrows now crescent-shaped, showing that the girl was very happy at that moment.

"This is a peach tree??"

Chen Xiuyuan's eyes flickered slightly, as if he was puzzled again, because the peach tree in his memory did not look like this.

Honglian shook her head.

"I don't know, but I guess so!"

"I just discovered it recently too. We'll know if it's a peach tree once it bears peaches."

Xiu Yuan nodded, then frowned. He had some memories of this place; it seemed that the secret of the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon was hidden at the bottom of this quiet lake.

The Azure Dragon Seven Mansions are the seven eastern mansions of the Twenty-Eight Mansions in the zodiac, including Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, and Winnowing Basket, and are closely related to the four seasons.

At the vernal equinox, the constellation Spica first appears on the eastern horizon. At the summer solstice, the seven constellations stretch across the southern sky, symbolizing midsummer. In autumn and winter, the seven constellations gradually sink westward and disappear, and all things hibernate.

When there was no clear boundary between seasons, people determined the seasons by observing the changes in the positions of the seven constellations of the Azure Dragon, thus guiding agricultural practices.

Similarly, the hexagram Qian in the Book of Changes also describes the movement of the Azure Dragon's seven constellations, including "Hidden Dragon, Do Not Act," "Dragon Appearing in the Field," and "Flying Dragon in the Sky."

In this timeline, the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions represent another kind of power. Legend has it that a secret is hidden within the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, and this secret is divided into seven parts, which are guarded by the royal heirs of the seven kingdoms for generations. To crack this secret, one needs to collect seven tokens, and the person who obtains this power will have the power to control the world.

Thoughts flashed through Chen Xiuyuan's mind, his eyes narrowed slightly, and then he looked down at the bottom of the lake. This abandoned palace, which had been abandoned for many years, was once the royal palace of the State of Zheng. Han Fei once said that the rise of the hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Zhuang of Zheng, seemed to be related to the Azure Dragon and the Seven Mansions.

"The Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon"

Standing by the lake, Chen Xiuyuan sighed softly.

Honglian was a little confused when she heard these four words. Why was Xiuyuan saying this?
Looking at the lake, Chen Xiuyuan's gaze deepened. In chaotic times, such power naturally attracted a lot of attention. Even after the Qin Dynasty unified the country, many people still did not give up searching for this power. But if the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon truly possessed the power to control the world, then the unification of the seven kingdoms would not have been achieved by the Qin Dynasty. Furthermore, the person who ascended to the top of the Han Dynasty after Qin was not a descendant of the royal families of the seven kingdoms.

He does not deny the existence of supernatural forces in the world, but whether it is right or wrong to use such forces as a gamble to turn the tide is a matter of opinion. Blindly pursuing external things will only lead to losing one's true self, which, in his view, is a poor choice.

With this thought, Chen Xiuyuan's mind became clearer once again. In his cultivation, he had already figured out what he should do next: to understand his own mind and nature and seek his true self. As Zhuangzi said in "External Things", "Use things without being used by things". If a person wants to achieve something in the world, he cannot be bound by his attachments. He felt that there would be more to weigh between taking up and letting go, because transcendence itself is a kind of Tao.

If it were him three years ago, he might have been tempted by this item, but now he doesn't have much of an attachment to it. If fate allows, he will naturally see it again, and he will just go with the flow.

However, when he thought of what was hidden at the bottom of the lake, Chen Xiuyuan's eyes flickered, and he made a decision in his heart.

"Red Lotus, there is something here that you are destined to encounter."

Upon hearing this, Honglian turned around and looked over. This little guy had been acting strangely ever since he arrived.

Chen Xiuyuan pointed to the lake in the distance. Honglian subconsciously looked over and looked at the calm lake. She was a little puzzled. Could Chen Xiuyuan be referring to this lake?
However, Honglian was immediately stunned by what she saw. The calm lake surface seemed to be affected by some force, automatically parting to both sides and clearing a path.

"Let's go!"

Stepping onto the soft sand, Honglian was still somewhat incredulous.

"Xiu Yuan, did you do this??"

This move was far more shocking than any sword energy or flames. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have thought she was dreaming!

Xiu Yuan nodded.

After successfully merging Wan Chuan Qiu Shui and Xin Ruo Zhi Shui, he has embarked on a path different from that of the seniors of Tian Zong.

The statement in the "Autumn Floods" chapter, "From the perspective of the Dao, things have no inherent value," has reached a completely new level in his practice.

When he realized that a drop of water and a river are the same at the level of the Tao, he possessed the power to move mountains with minimal effort. It was a very mysterious feeling, just like what the Tao Te Ching says: "The mystery within mystery, the gateway to all wonders."

Under the dim light, Honglian looked at the scene on both sides of the water curtain and felt it was somewhat dreamlike.

At this moment, she felt as if she were walking underwater, or rather, she was walking underwater. This was the first time she had ever appreciated the scenery underwater from this perspective.

The lake wasn't empty; the playful fish accidentally bumped into the water curtain and found themselves unable to move forward. Their bewildered expressions made Honglian chuckle. And the water plants, swaying freely in the water, were completely different from when they were taken outside.

Curious, she reached out and poked the water curtain, but the next moment, she was filled with surprise.

My fingers slipped through easily, and the moist sensation at my fingertips felt so real.

"Is Honglian trying to feed the fish?"

Hearing the voice beside her, Honglian was so frightened that she quickly withdrew her hand. However, when she looked at the boy beside her again, her eyes held a hint of inquiry.

"Who is he?"

After walking for a long time, Honglian suddenly felt the boy stop, so she stopped too.

The boy bent down and picked up an exquisitely crafted box from the sand.

Honglian peered at it in the dim light. The patterns on it were not Korean, and there were spots of rust on the surface, making it look quite old.

"Qimen Dunjia..."

Suddenly, Xiu Yuan's voice came again. She frowned slightly. It was a somewhat unfamiliar word; she had only seen a few words about it in military strategy books.

Before she could ask any more questions, she saw the boy toss the box into the air.

The next moment, she was surprised to find the box suspended in mid-air. A series of pressing sounds followed, which startled her again. After a while, she figured out what was going on. The box seemed to have a mechanism. The order of pressing the buttons was in a certain pattern. Only by following the correct order could it be opened. However, Xiu Yuan didn't seem to know the order.

The current situation is the simplest yet most difficult method, requiring countless attempts to find the correct order.

She then looked at Xiu Yuan, only to see that he was staring at the box with his eyes slightly narrowed, his fingers lightly pressing in the air.

"Crack!!"

A moment later, another clear mechanical sound reached Honglian's ears. She subconsciously looked up and saw the box open, revealing a very exquisite hairpin in mid-air.

Upon seeing this item, Chen Xiuyuan looked somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that the token of the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations would be a hairpin. However, recalling the strange and unusual tokens of this era, he shook his head. Then, with a flick of his right hand, the hairpin landed in Honglian's palm.

Honglian looked at the object in her hand and subconsciously glanced at the boy beside her, as if asking what it was.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Xiuyuan explained, "This is a key to unlocking a secret, which is closely related to the heirs of royal families in various countries. If I'm not mistaken, only members of the royal family can use this item. Keep it safe, as it may play a huge role in the future."

Honglian examined the object in her hand carefully, then asked uncertainly, "Is it the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations?"

Xiu Yuan nodded.

"Seven countries, seven tokens, it is said that whoever obtains this power can control the world."

Honglian was silent for a moment, then asked with some curiosity, "Why didn't Xiuyuan keep it for himself?"

Chen Xiuyuan smiled and shook his head.

“I have my own path, and this thing is of little use to me. Besides, the fact that this thing appeared here means that it is destined to be with you.”

Upon hearing this, Honglian felt a strange sensation. Was it something she was destined to see? She had been here several times, but had never seen this object before.

Xiu Yuan found it on her first visit. She's not stupid; she knows exactly who she's destined to be with.

"Let's go!"

Seeing the girl suddenly fall silent, Chen Xiuyuan spoke up.

"Oh……"

Honglian followed closely behind Xiuyuan, seemingly still processing the secret she had suddenly overheard.

When she came to her senses again, she had already arrived at the island in the middle of the lake. A gust of wind blew by, sweeping away the petals.

Honglian raised her head and looked at the full moon in the night sky, her expression suddenly becoming somewhat lost.

"Xiu Yuan..."

Chen Xiuyuan leaned against the tree trunk, enjoying the rare tranquility. Honglian was right about one thing: this place was indeed beautiful and unexpectedly quiet. Being here seemed to make one forget everything.

Hearing Honglian's words, Chen Xiuyuan nodded gently.

"Um……"

Do you think there's any hope for South Korea?

Chen Xiuyuan's gaze was somewhat complicated. Zi Nu had asked him the same question before, and he had given the same answer. In fact, before things are completely settled, there are infinite possibilities, but the possibility varies. Just like the states of Han and Qin, if we were to say who is most likely to achieve unification in the future, Qin would have the greatest chance. But that doesn't mean that Han has no chance, it just means that the possibility is very small.

"Have……"

"You...you're not lying to me, are you?"

"without……"

(End of this chapter)