Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 121 Yao Yi's Letter, Zhao State Secrets

"Ji Dong?"

In Daicheng, Chen Xiuyuan paused, turned around, and saw a man waving at him.

He then gave Mo Ya and Nong Yu a look, signaling them to go up first, before walking towards Ji Dong.

"You really are a young hero!"

Upon seeing Xiu Yuan arrive, the visitor was overjoyed, and Xiu Yuan greeted the simple and honest man with a smile.

"Brother Ji, how have you been?"

Ji Dong reached up and touched the back of his head, chuckling to himself.

"I'm fine, I'm fine~~"

"By the way, when Mr. Xu came to entrust me with looking after the old house last time, I mentioned you and that young lady in my reply. This time, when you replied, that Miss Yao Yi also wrote you a letter. The letter is at home, I'll get it for you in a bit."

As he spoke, Ji Dong chuckled to himself again. He had sensed that the person in front of him was no ordinary person, and now that he saw him, he found that the other person not only had a girl by his side, but also a coachman.

These days, ordinary families can't afford horse-drawn carriages. Being able to get to know such an extraordinary young master will give him more reason to brag when he goes out drinking in the future.

Hearing what the other person said, Xiu Yuan smiled. Yao Yi's letter to him?
That girl was the first girl he met in this world. More than three years have passed since the Sanyang Village incident, and his situation has undergone tremendous changes.

As for Yao Yi and Xiao Lin, when he and Xiao Meng came to Daicheng last time, they had already gone to Handan with Xiao Lin's uncle.

Just as he was about to speak, a gurgling sound reached his ears.

"Gulu~~"

Xiu Yuan looked over upon hearing the sound and saw Ji Dong giving an awkward smile.

"I had just finished my work and was about to go home when I unexpectedly saw you, young hero. Remembering Miss Yao Yi's letter, I spoke up to greet you."

It's getting late, so their behavior is understandable, since they came to Daicheng to rest and recuperate.

After thinking for a moment, Xiu Yuan invited, "I haven't had dinner either. In that case, Brother Ji, why don't you join us for a meal, and then we can go home to get the letter later!"

Upon hearing Xiu Yuan's words, Ji Dong chuckled and nervously rubbed his hands together.

"Isn't that too much trouble?"

Seeing this, Xiu Yuan smiled. Ji Dong's behavior reminded him of an old friend from another world. Then he said something else.

"It's just adding one more set of chopsticks and a bowl!"

Ji Dong didn't really want to refuse. Seeing Xiu Yuan continue to speak, he didn't make any further excuses. If this meal fell through, he was afraid he would regret it and not be able to eat for days!
At the dinner table, upon seeing this overly familiar stranger, Mo Ya thought to himself, "How dare he eat anyone's food? Doesn't he fear that something might be hidden in his food? He'll have nowhere to cry then."

Only after seeing Ji Dong leave satisfied did he say to Nongyu, who hadn't touched her chopsticks much, "I doubt Zilanxuan has any guests like this, right?"

Nongyu shook her head.

The people Zi Lan Xuan usually entertained were high-ranking officials or wealthy businessmen. This was the first time she had ever seen someone treat her to food and gifts like this!
"What you say is true, young master; this world is indeed vast."

On the other side, Xiu Yuan and Ji Dong returned to Ji Dong's home. After reading the letter, Xiu Yuan did not linger and hurriedly took his leave.

On the way, Xiu Yuan's expression darkened.

The letter contained little information, but some parts of it caught his attention.

The letter mentioned the weather when he narrowly escaped death. He had a very deep impression of that day. If it hadn't been a rainy night, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape. But Yao Yi said that the sun was blazing that day.

Furthermore, she repeatedly mentioned in her letter that the peach blossoms were in full bloom that day, which she missed dearly. At that time, the three of them were traveling day and night, so how could they have had the mind to look at those things? Besides, there were no peach blossoms along the way, otherwise he, who was clearing the way, would have remembered them.

If this is a letter of thanks expressing gratitude for a deceased friend, it is more accurate to describe it as a plea for help.

Some of the contents of the letter would be completely undetectable to someone who wasn't there at the time.

He had already inquired with Ji Dong and learned that the letter had been delivered more than a month ago.

Judging by the time, if Yao Yi and Xiao Lin were truly in grave danger, their fate would probably be unknown by now.

Thinking of this, Xiu Yuan sighed softly.

He didn't have much ill will towards the two girls, and they even shared a near-death experience. Now that they were asking for help, with his abilities, it wouldn't hurt to go. Of course, if he were still an ordinary person, he probably wouldn't be able to understand the letter.

After returning to the inn, Xiu Yuan thought for a moment and handed his identity token to Nong Yu. He then arranged for Mo Ya to escort Nong Yu back to the sect first, complete the mission, and then go to Handan to meet up with him.

Hearing Xiu Yuan's arrangement, Mo Ya was both amused and exasperated. He had always said that Ji Dong was too bold and would eat anyone's food, but now that it was his turn, he didn't know what to say.

It wasn't until Xiu Yuan pulled a wisp of energy from his dantian that Mo Ya's expression suddenly changed drastically. It turned out that the other party had already tampered with him before. Although Xiu Yuan told him that it was only in this one place, Mo Ya still dared not believe it.

Recalling some past events, Mo Ya suddenly felt a sense of lingering fear. If he hadn't come to find the other party as agreed, he might have already been killed by this contingency plan.

"Once you arrive at the sect, go see my senior brother first and explain the situation. They should have been properly settled. As for the follow-up matters, you can try to contact him. Having been in Zilan Pavilion for many years, you should have some insights into its management."

Xiuyuan then gave Nongyu a few more instructions, which Nongyu took to heart and nodded solemnly.

The next morning, watching the boy's receding figure, Mo Ya felt a deep sense of loss.

"The free bird has had its wings tied again!!"

Upon hearing this, Nongyu smiled gently.

"Mr. Mo Ya, there's no need to be so pessimistic. Xiu Yuan is a good person."

Mo Ya's expression was somewhat complicated.

"A good person??"

He chuckled to himself, thinking that perhaps only this girl would define a person as good or bad.
People in the arena involuntarily.

Often, people have no choice; they cannot choose between good and bad. This doesn't mean they can only do what they think is right and never do what is wrong.

"Aren't you worried that he might have left a backup plan for you?"

Mo Ya suddenly spoke up and asked. Nong Yu was taken aback, her watery eyes flickered slightly, and then she smiled and shook her head.

“He saved Nongyu’s life in the first place. If he wants Nongyu to die, what’s wrong with that?”

Mo Ya shrugged and shook his head helplessly.

He discovered that the girl beside him had been poisoned, with a very potent and incurable poison. For both men and women, this poison could be described as unwavering devotion or as eternal love.

"What kind of person is he exactly?"

"Mr. Mo Ya will find out."

The two then boarded the carriage again. Looking at the horses pulling the carriage, Mo Ya suddenly remembered what Nong Yu had said before—"It was just a scare."

Mo Ya gave a bitter laugh.

He had initially thought it was just a joke, but now he couldn't laugh anymore. People can be terrifying.

Looking at the rising sun, Mo Ya gently shook his head. In a person's life, there are many choices, or rather, decisions. Every choice requires bearing the corresponding price. This time is no different. Compared to life under the cover of night, the present seems not so bad.

Mo Ya then suppressed his many thoughts and stopped worrying about them, since he had no other choice. Looking ahead, he tightened his grip on the reins and gave a clear shout.

"drive!!"

On the other side, Xiu Yuan inquired along the way, heading straight for Handan, the capital of Zhao. He traveled alone, and his speed was even much faster than riding a horse.

He covered nearly 250 li in a single day, a remarkable speed. In the evening, he found a dilapidated temple along the way to rest temporarily.

When he entered, he was surprised to find that quite a few people had already stayed there. Encounters at night are never pleasant. Upon seeing Xiu Yuan, those people instinctively reached for their weapons, but when they realized that he was a child, they put them away.

Xiu Yuan found a place to sit down, took out a flint from his pocket and lit a fire, then began to circulate his internal energy to regulate his breathing.

At this moment, several internal energies resided within his body: the Evergreen Skill internal energy he cultivated first, followed by the Myriad Rivers Autumn Water and the Heart Like Still Water, the new internal energy that was later fused together, plus the internal energy cultivated by Harmony with the World, making a total of five types. However, they were now running smoothly and orderly within his body.

Taoist internal energy cultivation is inherently gentle, and coupled with its unique characteristic of blending in with the world, it can effectively harmonize various internal energies and ensure their harmonious operation. As early as the time of Tianzong, he had thought about the issue of internal energy.

When Xiaomeng appeared, his internal energy cultivation was close to completion. In the competition with Fu Nian, the leader of the Confucian School, and Xiaoyaozi of the Human Sect, he simultaneously activated several internal energy techniques. At that time, he was wondering if activating several internal energy techniques at the same time would cause any conflicts in his body. However, after he achieved the Great Perfection of Harmony with the World in the Xinzheng Archives, he realized that such a situation would not occur at all.

The "Harmony with Light and Dust" technique, as the supreme mental cultivation method of the Heavenly Sect, is extremely unique. It can transform internal energy into other types of internal force. He once tried to transform a portion of his internal energy into the cold-attribute internal force cultivated by Bai Yifei.

Therefore, this characteristic of being able to transform into countless forms and encompassing all things determines that those internal forces will never conflict.

After twelve cycles, Xiu Yuan frowned slightly and slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was quite surprised, and he turned to look at the group of people opposite him.

These people are discussing something. This place is located in the heart of the Zhao state, and most of the people passing by are from Zhao, so the things they are discussing are mostly related to Zhao.

He had just heard several familiar names, including the veteran general Lian Po, the favored minister Guo Kai, the eunuch Han Cang, and King Daoxiang of Zhao.

The group seemed to have some reservations about Guo Kai, and a few of the more hot-tempered ones even started swearing.

Regarding Guo Kai, Xiu Yuan recalled that, according to historical records, he was a favorite minister during the reigns of the last two rulers of the Zhao state, but his reputation was extremely bad. He framed Lian Po and Li Mu, betrayed his masters for personal gain, and was a treacherous minister.

As for the eunuch Han Cang, he didn't have much of an impression of him. If he remembered correctly, he should be the same kind of person as Guo Kai.

As for King Daoxiang of Zhao, whose personal name was Zhao Yan, he was the penultimate ruler of the State of Zhao. However, what impressed him most was not the ruler himself, but his queen.

According to records, Queen Zhao Daoxiang was originally a courtesan. She was extremely beautiful and deeply loved by King Zhao Daoxiang. After King Zhao Daoxiang's death, she and Guo Kai interfered in the court and eliminated dissidents, which ultimately led to the destruction of the Zhao state.

"I heard that His Majesty intends to reinstate General Lian Po. This is a good thing for our Zhao state."

Beside the campfire, a man stood with a burning gaze.

"Indeed, in recent years, not only have the Xiongnu in the north been invading from time to time, but the Qin dogs have also been eyeing us covetously. General Li Mu is overwhelmed and simply cannot handle everything. If General Lian Po could return, he would definitely change this situation!"

Immediately afterward, others chimed in.

Upon hearing these words, a thoughtful look flashed in Xiu Yuan's eyes. The decline of the Zhao state began with the Battle of Changping, where Qin general Bai Qi massacred 400,000 Zhao soldiers, severely weakening the Zhao state. Later, there was the Battle of Handan, where Lord Xinling stole the tally to save Zhao, forcibly giving the Zhao state a breath of fresh air.

During the Battle of Handan, Lian Po was still serving as a general in Zhao. He was later dismissed by Zhao Yan and then went to Wei.

The group was discussing Zhao Yan's plan to reinstate Lian Po, and Xiu Yuan had roughly figured out the timeline. Previously in Korea, due to intelligence issues, he had never been able to grasp the timeline hidden behind the events. Now, hearing their discussion, he had confirmed the approximate time, which was a pleasant surprise.

"That old scoundrel Guo Kai will probably not let this matter succeed. He has controlled the government for a long time and is secretly building up his own organization, recruiting all sorts of talented people from all over the country to serve him. It will be very difficult for General Lian Po to return to the country and serve again!"

Then someone else sighed heavily.

Xiu Yuan's eyes twitched, and a word jumped into his mind.

The martial arts world in Zhao Kingdom didn't seem so peaceful either. If he wasn't mistaken, this "Sun-Shielding" organization was similar to Ji Wuye's "Nightfall" organization.

If you want to control the court, it's all just empty talk if you don't have capable people under your command.

"I've heard that Prince Jia has spoken up for General Lian Po several times in court, and it was also his suggestion to reinstate General Lian Po this time. I hope that Prince Jia has other plans this time too!"

Before the man finished speaking, Xiu Yuan turned to look outside the dilapidated temple, his eyes flickering slightly. Then he activated the Harmony with Light and Dust technique, and the next moment, he disappeared from the spot.

Less than twenty breaths later, a group of men in black stormed in. Upon seeing the group from before, the men in black raised their weapons and began to attack without saying a word.

"They're traitors who blot out the sun!!"

The group that had come earlier clearly recognized the origins of the men in black. They drew their swords and engaged in a fierce battle. In an instant, the once peaceful dilapidated temple erupted into a deadly fight, with one person after another falling to the ground.

In a corner of the dilapidated temple, Xiu Yuan quietly witnessed all of this, an unexpected calm emanating from the depths of his eyes.

He suddenly remembered a passage he had read in a review magazine.

"A disordered society, the root of chaos, and constant killing—perhaps this is an inevitable part of history."

Then he sighed softly.

"This world still needs to be changed."

(End of this chapter)