Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 104 Bearing Darkness, Han Fei Desires to See Qingxu

Unexpected events always happen unexpectedly, just like rain in June. It was a sunny day in the morning, but before noon, people who didn't bring umbrellas were soaked to the bone.

Han Fei and Zi Nu arrived at this cold palace at some point. Looking at the two people on the island in the middle of the lake, a hint of amusement flashed in Zi Nu's eyes.

"Ninth Young Master, I have no penchant for peeping."

Hearing Zi Nu's teasing, Han Fei looked a little embarrassed. He had heard the young man mention that he knew his sister, and he thought it was just a brief encounter, but now it seemed that was not the case.

“Miss Zi Nu, to be honest, I don’t have a voyeuristic tendency. Can I say that what happened today was just a coincidence?”

Zi Nu smiled but didn't reply. Then she looked at the island in the middle of the lake again. Under the trees with fallen flowers, a boy was lying and a girl was sitting. It was quite an interesting scene.

A moment later, she saw the girl suddenly stand up and look at her and Han Fei.

Zi Nu smiled inwardly; it seemed that the boy had discovered them.

"Ninth Brother!!"

Upon hearing Honglian's voice, Han Fei's lips twitched, and he looked at Zi Nu with pleading eyes.

Zi Nu shrugged, giving a helpless look.

Han Fei sighed with a wry smile. If he had known, he wouldn't have come tonight.

Before long, Han Fei and Zi Nu circled around and arrived at the island in the middle of the lake through a wooden corridor.

"Ninth Brother, what brings you here today?"

"This"

Seeing the siblings bickering, Zi Nu smiled and shook her head. Then she turned and walked to Xiu Yuan's side, where she slowly sat down.

"Xiuyuan seems to be in a good mood today."

At this moment, Chen Xiuyuan placed his hands behind his head, his eyes slightly closed. Hearing Zi Nu's words, he replied softly without raising his eyelids, "I was dragged here by force."

Upon hearing this, Zi Nu let out a soft "hmm" and asked with some curiosity, "What do you mean by that?"

Chen Xiuyuan thought about it carefully before saying, "It's too dark and too quiet. I wouldn't dare come here alone."

Upon hearing this, Zi Nu smiled slightly. She glanced subtly at the girl who was still arguing with Han Fei, and understood immediately.

However, judging from the other party's temperament, Zi Nu couldn't help but shake her head in her heart and cast a sympathetic look at Chen Xiuyuan. If he fell into this girl's hands, his life would probably not be so smooth.

A night breeze swept by, scattering many more petals. Zi Nu reached out and caught two petals. Looking at what was in her palm, a trace of sadness flashed deep in her eyes.

"Flowers bloom and fade in their own time, why should Miss Zi Nu be sad?"

Suddenly, a voice entered Zi Nu's heart, and she turned to look at the boy lying on the ground.

Although she knew that the Taoist Tianzong sect was not attached to material things and aimed at transcendence, she still envied Chen Xiuyuan's carefree attitude.

"Does Xiu Yuan understand the thoughts and feelings of a young woman?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiuyuan remained silent. The greatest challenge in the world is understanding the book of human nature. Everyone begins their journey of self-cultivation from the moment they are born, and may not be able to fully comprehend it even until their last breath.

Likes, dislikes, envy, hatred, greed, generosity—countless complex emotions can arise in the same person.

Things are divided into yin and yang, and people are divided into good and evil, but for everyone, it is not so absolute. Perhaps at one moment, a person likes a thing or another person, but at the next moment, they may hate it.

After a while, Chen Xiuyuan changed the subject and asked, "You're here for something?"

Zi Nu shook her head; Han Fei hadn't told her why she was there.

Then, as if she had thought of something, Zi Nu turned her gaze and looked at Xiu Yuan again.

"Was Xiu Yuan present when you fought Tianze last time?"

Chen Xiuyuan nodded.

"Therefore, Miss Zi Nu should avoid going out with Young Master Jiu in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zi Nu chuckled.

Just then, Honglian and Han Fei walked over. Han Fei rubbed his reddened ears, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

What are you talking about??

Standing under the tree, Han Fei looked up at the sky, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"We didn't talk much, but I found it amusing that Xiu Yuan said he was afraid of the dark."

Zi Nu glanced at Hong Lian, her tone somewhat amused.

Upon hearing Zi Nu's words, Hong Lian's face became somewhat unnatural. She secretly glanced at the boy lying on the ground, but seeing that he did not make a sound, she quickly looked away, afraid that Zi Nu would notice something.

"Oh~~"

Han Fei was somewhat surprised and said "Oh". Then he said with some emotion, "Actually, the night is not that scary. It's just that there are too many dangers hidden in the night, so people think the night is scary. But in the end, the night is not the root of the danger."

Upon hearing this, both Zi Nu and Hong Lian nodded thoughtfully.

Han Fei's words hit the nail on the head. Light and darkness are, in a sense, the same. It's just that under the light, everything is exposed, so there are fewer ambushes and schemes.

What does Xiuyuan think?

Han Fei then looked at Xiu Yuan. He still couldn't understand this young man, even now.

"Does Ninth Prince want to ask how to overcome the fear of the dark?"

Upon hearing this, the three people present were stunned at the same time. They all looked at the boy. Han Fei had just explained why a person would be afraid of the dark, but he had not offered a solution.

Now that Xiu Yuan has brought it up, Han Fei is naturally very curious.

"Some people enjoy the darkness, some fear it, and some become the darkness itself. Do you, my lord, know the difference?"

After a moment of silence, Chen Xiuyuan's words came through again. Han Fei narrowed his eyes, realizing the unspoken message Chen Xiuyuan was conveying.

"Darkness represents the unknown, confusion, and cowardice. Those who fear the dark must first overcome themselves; those who enjoy the dark do so because of constraint, isolation, and a lack of choice; thus, they become people of darkness."

As he spoke, Chen Xiuyuan slowly opened his eyes.

As the opposite of light, darkness is almost universally viewed negatively. Some become darkness because of the corruption of power, some because they are burdened by fate, and some because they want to become light.

"He may not be a hero."

“Evil is destined to be dealt with by something even more evil. Your law is a sharp blade, but it cannot cut down all the evil people. Because a blade only has one side, if the person wielding the blade is an evil person, then this blade will only become a weapon to slaughter the common people.”

"If this knife becomes a sword, then the Dharma will be an unparalleled divine weapon, capable of sweeping away the turbid world and stabilizing the universe."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei frowned. This was the third time he had spoken with this young man. The ideas the young man put forward were unique, but from his perspective, they were constantly refining his laws.

"A sword has two edges; it can hurt others, but it can also hurt the user."

Han Fei remained silent for a long time, then nodded slightly. He then asked, "Will such a day ever come?"

Zi Nu and Hong Lian were taken aback. They had been listening to the entire conversation, but they hadn't understood Han Fei's last sentence.

"It will happen. If the law is to truly have power, it must be like the Tao. From the perspective of the Tao, things have no value. Therefore, from the perspective of the law, there should also be no value."

Han Fei sighed. Everyone has selfish desires. As long as there are selfish desires, it is inevitable that they will be exactly the same. If they cannot be exactly the same, it means that there is no absolute fairness.

Han Fei raised his head and looked at the sky again. This time, he felt that even without the moon, the night didn't seem so scary.

Some people are destined to walk in the darkness and bear everything for more people. If they had to choose one from the crowd, they would be willing to be that person who bears everything.

Under the same moon, in a dilapidated house in the north of Xinzheng City, Tianze and his group temporarily stopped to rest. Recalling the battle that had taken place during the day, all of them looked rather grim.

Even the Hundred Poison King, who had a grudge against Yan Ling Ji, was the same. In the end, Yan Ling Ji covered their retreat and saved them all.

"Perhaps we can join forces with Quicksand."

The Corpse Demon stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his wooden staff long gone. In the battle with Bai Yifei, apart from Tianze, the rest of them were lucky to have survived.

Upon hearing the Corpse Demon's suggestion, Tianze's eyes flashed wildly. Although he didn't want to admit it, their current strength was no match for Nightfall. If they wanted revenge, they couldn't fight alone.

The King of Poisons chuckled, his hoarse voice ringing out.

"quicksand."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I think the Corpse-Driving Demon's suggestion has some merit."

Tianze clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "The premise of joining forces is that both sides have their own voice. If they do not have equal status, then it is not called joining forces, but called defection."

Upon hearing this, the Corpse-Driving Demon and the King of a Hundred Poisons' expressions changed slightly.

Now that they have been driven back by Bai Yifei, they are almost like stray dogs. If they go to Liusha at this time, the situation will be almost exactly as Tianze said. It would be more like surrendering than joining forces, but this is not the result they want.

"What does Master mean?"

The Corpse-Driving Demon pondered for a moment, then asked.

“We need to demonstrate our strength to gain enough influence in our upcoming alliance. Furthermore, Yan Lingji is still in Nightfall's hands. We need to let these people know that we are not dead, and that provoking us will come at a high price.”

The Corpse-Driving Demon and the King of a Hundred Poisons nodded in succession.

"What does the master intend to do?"

"The envoy from Qin has calculated that the day is fast approaching. Do you think Qin will spare Han if he dies on Han territory?"

On the shore of a large lake outside the city, a man wearing a straw hat was fishing from the bow of a boat. A crow flew by, and he instinctively looked up, only to see a man in black robes appear on the boat. "Mo Ya?"

"The man in the straw raincoat!"

The two were none other than the man in the straw raincoat and Mo Ya. Upon seeing the man in the straw raincoat, Mo Ya's lips curled into a smile.

"The general wants to know who is behind Nongyu in Zilan Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, the man in the straw raincoat paused in his hand.

He had no shortage of information about Nongyu, but he was somewhat confused about the fact that there were other people behind Nongyu.

"Does the general want to investigate Zilan Pavilion? Or does he want to know information about Liusha?"

Mo Ya shook his head. He had been waiting outside when Bai Yifei and Ji Wuye were talking, so he heard Bai Yifei's words clearly.

Quicksand is indeed a formidable opponent, but it does not possess the power to force Bai Yifei to back down.

“It wasn’t them. Bai Yifei met the general, and the general mentioned Nongyu to him. From him, we unexpectedly learned that there was another person behind this girl named Nongyu. It was this person who made the Marquis willingly send her back to Zilanxuan.”

Upon hearing this, the man in the straw raincoat was taken aback.

For Bai Yifei, the Marquis of Blood-Clad, to back down is such a rare term in South Korea. Even after discovering Nongyu's affair, he didn't dare to go to the Marquis's residence to verify it. This actually shows Bai Yifei's special status in South Korea.

“Nongyu was adopted by Zi Nu, the owner of Zi Lan Xuan, when she was very young. She rarely comes into contact with anyone. It is unlikely that she has someone backing her.”

After thinking for a moment, the man in the straw raincoat began to list out the information he knew.

Most of the things at Zilan Pavilion are out in the open, and there's also that white-haired disciple of Guigu, who seems to be afraid that others won't know that it's his territory, acting arrogantly and domineeringly.

"Never had contact with anyone??"

Mo Ya found it hard to believe, but this was not the result or the report that Ji Wuye wanted to hear.

"You should know the general's temper. This kind of answer will never satisfy him. If the general takes his anger out on us, I won't be the only one who gets hurt."

The man in the straw raincoat sighed. The trade of intelligence was becoming increasingly difficult. In the past, no matter what happened in Korea, it could not escape his notice. Now, with the rise of the Quicksand, many information channels in Xinzheng had been cut off. For example, the Seven Absolutes Hall had initially served him.

"Any clues?"

Mo Ya reached out and pinched his chin, raising an eyebrow, and said uncertainly, "Their combat strength is very strong. Bai Yifei must have had contact with them, and I'm afraid the result wasn't good."

The man in the straw raincoat nodded, casually put the fishing rod back on the boat, and then took out a pipe from his pocket and started smoking.

"Any new intelligence these past few days? I can pass it on to the General."

The man in the straw raincoat took a couple of puffs before saying, "A big figure from Qin has secretly disappeared within Qin territory. As for who it is, it is still unconfirmed. Also, the Qin army has more than 200,000 troops stationed at the border between Qin and Han. This time, Qin probably has other plans."

Mo Ya stood on the boat for a while longer. Seeing that the man in the straw raincoat was no longer speaking, he pushed off with his feet and soared into the sky. In a short while, he had completely disappeared from the lakeside.

"Who could be the important figure who scared Bai Yifei away?"

The man in the straw raincoat murmured to himself, a bitter smile playing on his lips. He had seemingly narrowed down the search area, but in reality, it hadn't changed much. Unless he intentionally revealed himself, he simply couldn't find that kind of person.

Time passed slowly, and two more days went by in the blink of an eye. In the storage room, Chen Xiuyuan looked at the last bookshelf, his gaze becoming somewhat profound.

What kind of dream will these letters ultimately weave for themselves?

On the other side, the Han King's Palace,
Zhang Kaidi, who was ordered to welcome the Qin envoy, had a gloomy expression.

Tianze's intervention plunged the already precarious diplomatic relations between Qin and Han into a deadlock.

Even Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei's eyes flashed with killing intent again. If Tianze's actions were not handled properly, it might cause a war between the two countries.

"It is still uncertain who Qin will send to handle this matter, but Wang He has already amassed troops on the border, showing a strong intention to invade our Han state."

This time, Zhang Kaidi did not pursue the question of who was responsible for Tianze's crime; instead, he focused more on how to deal with the Qin army.

When facing the Qin state, the interests of the entire state of Han were actually aligned.

"It's the Baiyue again!"

Han Wang An's gaze was gloomy and uncertain. He glanced at Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei standing below, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

After giving Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei a good scolding, King Han An ordered the men to capture Tianze as soon as possible and give Qin an explanation. The court meeting ended unhappily.

However, things took an unexpected turn once again. It seemed that the Qin state had anticipated this, and half a day later, a new envoy appeared in Xinzheng City.

This envoy was none other than Li Si, Han Fei's junior fellow student.

His diplomatic tactics were extremely tough; with just a few words, he silenced all the ministers in the court. Faced with the Qin army, even Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei felt the urge to retreat.

Finally, Han Fei stepped in and made a five-day agreement, which temporarily brought the matter to a close.

Time flew by, and by the time Han Fei and his companions returned to Zilan Pavilion, the lanterns were already lit.

"It seems that the Qin state had anticipated all of this; Li Si arrived far too quickly."

Wei Zhuang's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

Zhang Liang frowned deeply.

"If that's really the case, then it means that the Qin state is fully aware of the current situation of the Han state. They calculated that Tianze would take action, which is why the second wave of envoys arrived in Xinzheng in such a short time."

This is a heavy topic. This matter largely aligns with what Zhang Liang said: the leakage of intelligence is a huge hidden danger in any confrontation. Right now, it's just diplomacy, but if the two armies were to clash, the leakage of intelligence could very well lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

"I've heard that there's an organization in the Qin state called Luo Wang, an assassin organization that covers the seven states. It's known as the 'Heavenly Net,' capable of penetrating anywhere. The Han state may also have its tentacles, or rather, it definitely does."

"This incident is most likely their doing."

Wei Zhuang pointed out the crux of the matter, and Han Fei and the others nodded solemnly.

However, these are secondary now, since the incident has already occurred. The most important thing is how to resolve this matter now, while the matter of the net is a problem to be addressed afterward.

"Li Si entered the Qin court with the help of Lü Buwei. This time, he is representing Qin as an envoy to Han, and he must want to make a name for himself. Therefore, he will not show us any leniency regarding the assassination of the Qin envoy."

Zi Nu glanced at Han Fei. Speaking of which, Li Si and Han Fei were from the same school, both students of the Confucian scholar Xunzi. However, one went to Qin and the other returned to Han. Their different choices determined their future outcomes. These two were likely to become rivals, or even enemies.

Han Fei shook his head.

“From the beginning, I never thought he would show mercy. When we parted ways at the Confucian school, we made a pact that neither of us would show mercy when we met again.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhuang gave a cold laugh.

But then he remembered his own experience and fell silent for a moment. Compared with Han Fei and Li Si, he and his senior brother had the same experience.

The unique rules of the Guigu School destined him to never get along with Gai Nie; there could only be one victor in each generation of Guigu.

"Tianze has been brainwashed by hatred. His opponents have never been just Nightfall. Catching him won't be easy. If it were me, I would find a place to hide and enjoy this show."

Wei Zhuang expressed his opinion on Tian Ze. He could understand Tian Ze's previous actions against the Crown Prince, but now that he had killed the Qin envoy, his motives were not so simple.

"No, this time, he won't hide."

Han Fei reached out and pinched his chin, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, before he spoke.

"They also have someone in Nightfall's hands. His actions are not only revenge against South Korea, but also a warning to Nightfall: if things really come to a standstill, they won't let South Korea off easy either."

The room fell silent. Wei Zhuang and the other two looked thoughtful. Han Fei's words made a lot of sense, and judging from his expression, he seemed to have a solution to the problem.

"Miss Zi Nu, could you tell me something?"

Suddenly, Han Fei looked at Zi Nu, his expression becoming somewhat complicated.

Zi Nu was taken aback, then she asked, "Oh, please speak, young master..."

Wei Zhuang and Zhang Liang looked over when they heard this.

"Were the two people who fought at the site of the former Zheng Palace Xiu Yuan and Bai Yifei?"

Upon hearing this, Zi Nu was taken aback, as were Wei Zhuang and Zhang Liang.

Then Wei Zhuang's eyes began to flicker. Han Fei must have had some basis for saying that.

Zi Nu remained silent for a moment, then smiled gently.

"How did you guess that, young master?"

Without denying it, since Han Fei brought up this matter, he must have already guessed it. As a smart person, Zi Nu would not underestimate this Ninth Prince who was as intelligent as a demon.

"A few days ago, when I was in the Cold Palace, I noticed by chance that when Miss Zi Nu saw Xiu Yuan, her expression would unconsciously relax, as if she didn't have to worry about anything, no matter how big the problem was. Isn't that strange?"

"Furthermore, Bai Yifei's decision to send Nongyu back to Zilan Pavilion was problematic in itself. He wouldn't have done it unless he had a compelling reason to compromise."

At this point, Han Fei sighed softly.

"Actually, we considered this outcome from the beginning, but we ruled it out. After all, how could a teenager possess such power?"

"What does the young master intend to do?"

"Let me make this clear beforehand: he is my savior. If you, young master, intend to scheme against him, then there is no point in discussing this. He has no intention of interfering in the affairs of the Korean court, and you should be able to see that."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei's lips curled into a bitter smile. What did Zi Nu take him for?

Scheming is a tactic used against enemies.

"I want to make a deal with him."

(End of this chapter)