Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 122 A Fish That Escaped the Net? A Glimpse into Handan

The moon was bright and the stars were few; only a crescent moon hung high in the night sky, giving it a somewhat desolate feel.

Looking at the corpses lying scattered in the dilapidated temple, Xiu Yuan suddenly felt a little annoyed.

In chaotic times, such battles seem to occur all the time.

Human life is like a mustard.

In a bloody battle, how many survive? And what is the meaning of the fight?

In the vortex of right and wrong in the imperial court, these people may just be insignificant pawns, while a single word from those in high positions of power may destroy countless families and take countless lives.

Caught in the middle of it all, swept along by the tide, people didn't even know why they were wielding their swords; they only knew they had to complete the mission.

Human hearts are a jumbled mess, devoid of right and wrong, good and evil. People fight and scheme, flatter and fawn, and grovel. This seems to be the true nature of this world.

A world that seems rotten to the core.

After a while, he turned to look at the door and sighed softly.

"Come out!"

The battle in the ruined temple had a winner and a loser; the group that arrived first were the losers, and no one present survived.

In the silent, dilapidated temple, Xiu Yuan's words were particularly jarring, for there was nothing else around except his voice.

After a while, there was still no movement around, except for the occasional crackling sound from the campfire.

"If you don't want to come out, then don't come out!"

Xiu Yuan casually waved his hand, and the peach sword behind him was drawn. A dazzling sword light flashed, and the sound of the sword hummed loudly. The sword energy roared like thunder, destroying everything in its path. The huge dilapidated temple was cut in half at the same time, as were several black-clad men who were lying in ambush outside the temple.

Feeling the sharp pain in their waists, the survivors were filled with disbelief. The prey they were waiting to catch had turned into a man-eating beast.

At this moment, regret appeared on their faces. If they hadn't been so clever as to insist on killing this escaped fish, they would have already left this place of trouble.

"Isn't it good to be alive?"

Xiu Yuan sighed softly.

Perhaps these people have forgotten that when one gazes into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into one.

Recalling what happened three years ago, Xiu Yuan's expression became even more complicated.

Upon arriving in this world, he learned two lessons that left a deep impression on him.

Besides the unique first lesson, the second lesson was also surprisingly memorable.

After standing there for a while, Xiu Yuan casually waved his hand, and a spark flew from his fingertip. He then threw it onto the corpses, and flames shot into the sky.

As the orange flames eventually turned into raging flames, a name flashed through Xiu Yuan's mind—Bi Ri. This organization was the instigator of this whole affair, and their first encounter with Zhao State's Prime Minister Guo Kai was actually before he even arrived in Handan.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Time goes by, and four more days have passed. On the night of the fifth day, a young man arrives at the gates of Handan, the capital of the Zhao state.

The boy's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the two ancient characters on the city wall.

Handan.

This name, which has been used for over two thousand years, now carries the weight and vicissitudes of history in the eyes of later generations. Many moving legends have been left behind here, and in later generations, this city was known as the "Capital of Chinese Idioms and Allusions," with over two hundred idioms originating from this place.

After standing for a while, the boy lightly touched the ground with his feet and rose into the air, his figure like a wild goose, and in the blink of an eye he arrived at the city wall, which was dozens of feet high.

Standing here, looking around, you can see the entire city of Handan. At night, Handan seems even more dazzling than Xinzheng, the capital of the former Han Dynasty.

On the brightly lit street, the magnificent high-rise buildings shone like pearls, dazzling the eye.

The dances of the Zhao state were unparalleled in the world, and Handan was the capital of the Zhao state. As a result, the singing and dancing in this place were extremely prosperous, which led to a large number of dance halls and brothels in the city of Handan.

Compared to the single, outstanding flower in the Zilanxuan Garden in Shinjeong, South Korea, the streets here are more like a hundred flowers blooming, vying for beauty.

Xiu Yuan pondered for a moment and made a plan in his mind. There were two brothels related to his operation: one called Zui Meng Lou and the other called Yu Hua Ge.

Zuimenglou is the brothel where Jingni works. He remembered that she had said that she would temporarily serve in this brothel and was the most beautiful courtesan there.

The other Jade Flower Pavilion is the place mentioned in Yao Yixin's letter.

Having just arrived, he was unsure of the situation in Handan, so he planned to first find Jingni to understand the situation before making any further plans.

He then tapped his foot, his figure blurred, and he disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already on the street of Handan City.

Looking at the pedestrians coming and going on the street, Xiu Yuan's eyes flashed with a strange feeling. The clothes here were somewhat different from those he had seen in Korea. Although they were generally similar, they had an exotic flavor.

This reminded him of a king of the Zhao state—King Wuling of Zhao.

Back then, the Zhao army was surrounded and annihilated by the Hu cavalry in the Battle of Zhongshan because of its cumbersome movements, which exposed the defects in the Zhao military system, or rather the defects in the system of the entire Central Plains at that time. This was because the traditional military force in the Central Plains at that time was the chariot force, which was cumbersome and could only march 80 li a day, while the Xiongnu light cavalry could travel 300 li a day.

After learning from the lessons of defeat, King Wuling of Zhao ventured deep into the heartland of the Hu people to observe and study. He finally discovered the key to the problem, overruled objections, and proposed the strategy of "adopting Hu clothing and teaching the people horsemanship and archery."

In just ten years, the State of Zhao rose rapidly, expanding its cavalry from less than 5,000 to 40,000 elite cavalry. It successively defeated nomadic tribes such as Zhongshan, Linhu, and Loufan, expanding its territory by more than 200 li. Its victory rate against the Xiongnu jumped from 30% to 80%.

It was precisely because of the reform of adopting nomadic dress and cavalry tactics that the State of Zhao was able to build the foundation for its later ability to contend with the State of Qin. Its significance was far-reaching. This ruler of Zhao set a precedent in history by establishing the first independent cavalry force in Chinese history, transforming the mode of warfare from "chariot warfare" to "cavalry warfare".

From a Taoist perspective, the other party's suggestion of "following what is convenient, not necessarily following its form" is similar in spirit to "blending with the world and being one with it."

Many years have passed since that change, and the impact on the State of Zhao has been profound. The difference in clothing and robes in Handan City is therefore understandable.

As Xiu Yuan strolled around, he searched for two places related to his mission. Soon, he found one of them—the Jade Flower Pavilion.

From the outside, the pavilion is extremely magnificent, with about five floors. Each floor is decorated with different lanterns on its eaves, making it look like a peony that unfolds layer by layer from a distance.

At the main entrance, girls were soliciting customers. Through the half-open door, one could see the general layout of the main hall inside: a high platform wrapped in a huge lotus flower, surrounded by a large pool of water, which was very elaborate and had the meaning of a lotus emerging from the water.

Seeing this reminded Xiu Yuan of a girl, the dancer who later joined the Mo family—the Snow Maiden.

If he remembered correctly, this girl seemed to have been born in the State of Zhao, and after several twists and turns, she went to the State of Yan and took refuge in the Feixue Pavilion.

Thoughts drifted through his mind, but Xiu Yuan didn't stop walking. He passed by the Jade Flower Pavilion and continued forward. This was one of his goals, but not his first destination.

After walking for a while, another extremely luxurious brothel came into his view.

"Drunken Dream Pavilion?"

Xiu Yuan paused, murmured to himself, and stepped inside.

(End of this chapter)