Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 151 Deceiving the Heavens and Crossing the Sea, Six Fingers Uncover the Reason
"Fire!!"

The State of Zhao, Handan City.

Suddenly, another voice came from the street, causing everyone present to change their expressions.

Following the sound, they looked over and saw that another brothel, Drunken Dream Pavilion, which was on par with Jade Flower Pavilion, was also engulfed in flames.

"asshole!!"

Li Mu, standing at the front of the line, clenched his fists, his anger palpable.

"General, what should we do?"

The imperial guards beside him hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do next—should they put out the fire first, or search for the enemy?

"Put out the fire first!!"

Li Mu forced out three words, his expression somewhat unwilling, but now that things had come to this, he had no other choice.

The fire at Jade Flower Pavilion could be explained, but the fire at Drunken Dream Tower made him uneasy. Jade Flower Pavilion was Gongzi Jia's property, but Drunken Dream Tower belonged to Guo Kai. Since that young man was related to the Net, he must have been someone Guo Kai had found. So the fire was very likely not the other party's doing.

In other words, it's highly likely that Gongzi Jia ordered the fire. Upon realizing this, Li Mu frowned; Gongzi Jia's actions this time had been rather reckless.

Several kilometers away from Jade Flower Pavilion, in a dilapidated courtyard, a young man carrying a girl emerged from the void.

The boy gently placed the girl on the ground, placed his hand on her wrist, closed his eyes to feel it, and then sighed softly.

"Li Mu's strength"

Standing still, the young man's eyes flickered. After a moment, he reached out and placed his hand on the girl's back, sending a peculiar internal force into her body. This internal force contained vibrant life force and carried the power to nourish all things.

"This attempt to deceive everyone, I wonder if it will succeed in getting away with it."

Beforehand, Xiu Yuan and Ni Chang had arranged for a corpse to be placed in Zui Meng Lou. In fact, he was the one who set the fire at Zui Meng Lou.

The best lie is seven parts truth and three parts falsehood. After Li Mu discovers the corpse in Zui Meng Lou, someone will help him cover up this lie.

Li Mu was unaware of Ni Chang's identity, but the people of Luo Wang knew. Now that Ni Chang had been killed, the people of Luo Wang would certainly not let it go. As for what was going to happen further ahead, he could not judge.

"嘤咛~"

Suddenly, a voice reached Xiu Yuan's ears, and Xiu Yuan sighed softly.

"woke up?"

Ni Chang checked her internal condition, and her pale face became even more pitiful.

"Young master, I thought you didn't want me anymore!"

Xiu Yuan was silent for a moment, then replied softly, "If I can't beat you, can't I just run away?"

Upon hearing this, Ni Chang rolled her eyes in annoyance.

If she could run, wouldn't she have run? But the key issue was that Li Mu was there, and the area outside was full of Imperial Guards, so she couldn't run at all.

"Does the young master think that everyone knows the Heavenly Sect's supreme cultivation method?"

Hearing the resentment in the other person's voice, Xiu Yuan stopped talking.

Time ticked by, and after a while, Xiu Yuan brought up another matter.

"Xue Nu and Yao Yi left with the Mo family's Grand Master."

Upon hearing this, Ni Chang was taken aback.

"The Grand Master of the Mohist School? Young Master, are you referring to the Six-Fingered Black Knight?"

Xiu Yuan nodded.

"This is their own choice."

Ni Chang narrowed her eyes slightly. She hadn't witnessed this matter, so she didn't say much. However, she felt a little strange about Xiu Yuan's choice.

Although she didn't know how strong the Mo family's leader was, she didn't think he had the ability to snatch someone away from the young man beside her.

So, as the boy said, the snow woman's departure was her choice. However, for her, that was not the most important thing. The most important thing was that the boy was willing to let go.

"Does the young master not wish to keep Xue Nu and Miss Yao Yi by his side?"

After a moment of silence, Ni Chang couldn't help but ask.

Upon hearing this, Xiu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, as if he was pondering the question. After a while, he shook his head.

Seeing Xiu Yuan's reaction, Ni Chang was stunned again.

"Life is but a journey, and no one dictates how you must go. They chose to leave and see different scenery; that was their own choice."

Upon hearing this answer, Ni Chang suddenly fell silent again.

That being said, some things are not so simple. Everyone does have their own choices, but others do too. Different choices lead to different lives. She came from Luo Wang and had been infiltrating Handan for many years, witnessing many people and events and participating in many things.

In this chaotic world, following this young man is actually a choice, a very good choice.

If she had to choose between freedom and following the crowd, she would choose the latter without hesitation.

Because she knew all too well that in this chaotic world, not everyone had the right to choose freely, and if she were alone, once she was targeted by the Net, there would only be one outcome: she would become a weapon of the Net once again.

But by the side of this young man, she no longer had such concerns. At least his cultivation level was far above hers, which was enough to ensure that she had a relatively safe space.

"Young master, has anyone told you this?"

Hearing Ni Chang's words, Xiu Yuan looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"What??"

Ni Chang shook her head slightly, not finishing her sentence, but silently thought to herself, "What seems like a kind letting go is actually the greatest indifference, especially towards a girl."

The Snow Maiden's departure might be due to something she held dear, but Ni Chang also believed that if Xiu Yuan had asked her to stay, the girl would not have chosen to leave, and the same would have been true for Yao Yi.

It's just a pity that the boy in front of her would never say such things, so she would never ask for a retention offer that was impossible. Of course, she didn't seem to have any other choice.

"Two silly girls~~"

Ni Chang slowly closed her eyes, muttering a couple of complaints to herself. If she had the choice, the outcome would definitely not be like this.

Time flew by, and dawn broke again. After several hours of fighting, the fire at Zuimeng Tower was finally extinguished. When Li Mu heard that his subordinates had found a charred corpse and a suit of armor in the ruins, he looked somewhat surprised.

The fire at Zuimenglou was similar to that at Yuhuage; it started on the top floor. The girls on the other floors escaped, but the top courtesan on the very top floor never showed up.

Looking at the black armor, whose original shape was no longer discernible, Li Mu felt a heavy weight in his heart, because many of the marks on it were made by him.

Two people in the crowd noticed this and their expressions changed slightly. They then slowly retreated. However, since there were many people around, their actions did not attract much attention.

After all, some people came to join in the fun, while others were thinking of leaving; they were not particularly noticeable.

In Gongzi Jia's residence, Li Mu spoke with a solemn expression: "Zui Meng Lou is very likely related to Luo Wang, and since Zui Meng Lou is Guo Kai's property, he must also have close ties with Luo Wang."

Gongzi Jia's face darkened upon hearing this.

He had heard of the Luo Wang organization, but he never expected that Guo Kai, the prime minister of Zhao, would be connected with him.

"General, His Majesty will not believe you based on just a suit of armor and a sword."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu's eyes showed a hint of helplessness. Indeed, the current King of Zhao had great faith in Guo Kai. How could the King of Zhao possibly punish his favorite minister based on just these two items?

"Speaking of which, General, your return to Handan has caused quite a stir. My father probably already knows about it. If he summons you later, I will accompany you to the palace."

Hearing this, Li Mu felt a warmth in his heart, and then he waved his hand.

"I can handle the matter of returning to Handan on my own. It would be best if you, my lord, did not get involved. The matter of the crown prince is still unresolved. If it displeases the king, it will not be good for you, my lord."

"However, there is one thing that I am quite concerned about."

At this point, Li Mu subconsciously stroked his beard.

Gongzi Jia looked over upon hearing this.

"What is it that you are referring to, General?"

Li Mu's gaze sharpened, and then he said in a deep voice, "In the battle at Jade Flower Pavilion, the first assassin to appear, wielding the Jingni Sword, was indeed quite powerful, a Grandmaster-level expert. However, he was no match for me. After several dozen rounds, he was defeated by me. But the young man who appeared last was of extremely high cultivation, even surpassing the previous assassin and subtly overpowering me. Afterwards, he mysteriously disappeared. We must be wary of him!"

Speaking of that young man, Li Mu felt even more apprehensive. A Grandmaster at such a young age, or even above the Grandmaster level, would surely become an extremely terrifying force in the future.

Now that the other side has had such a conflict with the Zhao state, it will likely become a major enemy in the future.

Upon hearing this, Gongzi Jia's eyelids twitched. He hadn't even had a chance to hear his subordinates' report on what happened last night, but he hadn't expected that three Grandmasters would appear in this battle.

Even the last one was stronger than Li Mu.

"What does the general mean?"

After a moment of silence, Li Mu gently shook his head again.

Such a skilled opponent wouldn't be very effective even if one wanted to guard against them. However, the opponent disappeared without a trace afterward, suggesting they didn't harbor much hostility towards the Zhao state. "In the future, when the young master travels, please bring more attendants!"

Outside the city, on a main road, a carriage slowly drove away from the capital of the Zhao Kingdom.

The driver was a young man. With a gentle flick of his whip, the carriage slowly moved forward. Inside the carriage was a very beautiful girl. Watching the young man's back, the girl smiled. This new day was also a new beginning for her.

On the opposite road, there was another carriage, but it was significantly faster than the first one.

The driver was an ordinary-looking man, and there were three people in the car: one man and two women.

Looking ahead, one of the silver-haired girls spoke up, "Senior Juzi, what's the situation at Jade Flower Pavilion?"

The man was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "There is no clear reply yet regarding the specific situation, but Li Mu did not catch anyone, and the Drunken Dream Pavilion also caught fire later."

Upon hearing this, another girl said with some surprise, "Drunken Dream Pavilion also caught fire?"

The man nodded, his deep eyes flickering slightly.

"Could it have been done by our benefactor?"

The girl's lips twitched, and she cautiously guessed.

The man sighed softly and spoke again.

"Drunken Dream Tower is not simple. Mo family disciples investigated this place before, but without exception, all of them disappeared. Later, by chance, I learned from others that Drunken Dream Tower has a close relationship with Luo Wang and is hiding a Luo Wang assassin with extremely strong skills."

Upon hearing this, the two girls' eyes changed slightly, and a strange look appeared on their faces.

These three people were none other than Six-Fingered Black Knight, Snow Maiden, and Yao Yi, who had left Handan City the previous night.

Regarding their speculations about Zui Meng Lou, Xue Nu and Yao Yi couldn't help but think of the top courtesan of Zui Meng Lou—Ni Chang.

This girl is no ordinary person. Although the young man did not introduce her identity, if he was not mistaken, she was the top assassin from the Luo Wang organization that Six-Fingered Black Knight had mentioned.

However, this situation caused a slight confusion in the two women. Wasn't that young man a disciple of the Daoist Heavenly Sect? How could he be involved with the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven)?

"Senior Juzi, what is this Luo Wang?"

The snow woman remained silent for a moment before asking a question.

After a moment of contemplation, Six-Fingered Black Knight spoke again: "It is an assassin organization of the Qin Kingdom, serving the Qin court. Its tentacles extend to all parts of the seven kingdoms. In addition to collecting intelligence and assassinating, it also secretly stirs up relations between the courts of various kingdoms, causing them to kill each other. It is an extremely evil force."

"The assassins in the Net are divided into eight levels: Heaven, Kill, Earth, Absolute, Chi, Mei, Wang, and Liang. Among them, the Heaven-level assassins have even reached the Grandmaster level and should not be underestimated."

“Some people in the martial arts world have previously come into contact with the top-level experts in the Luo Wang. Those people all used the Yue Wang Eight Swords, including Yan Ri, Jing Ni, and Xuan Jian. Their strength has reached the Grandmaster level. Even if I were to encounter them, I would have to be careful.”

Snow Maiden's eyes darkened. Based on Six-Fingered Black Knight's deduction, the top courtesan of Drunken Dream Pavilion—Ni Chang—was probably a Grandmaster-level expert. If so, how strong would that young man be to subdue this unruly Grandmaster-level assassin?
"Senior Juzi, do you think it's possible that Xiu Yuan is a member of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven)?"

After hesitating for a moment, the Snow Woman asked again.

Given the current situation, Six-Fingered Black Knight probably already had some guesses, so Snow Maiden simply asked directly.

"I've considered this possibility, but my final conclusion is... impossible!!"

Six-Fingered Black Knight sighed softly.

Geniuses in any field have their own pride, just like the young man he met before. At such a young age, he had already reached the Grandmaster level, and his future achievements were limitless. In other words, the other party would definitely look down on an assassin organization like Luo Wang.

"What, is it weird?"

Seeing the puzzled looks on Xue Nu and Yao Yi's faces, Six-Fingered Black Knight smiled and shook his head.

"In the realm of martial arts, the Grandmaster is not the end. Above the Grandmaster realm, there is the Great Grandmaster. In the eyes of ordinary people, those people are no different from gods. Even if they are alone, they can laugh at kings and nobles."

Upon hearing this, Xue Nu and Yao Yi's expressions changed slightly. To be able to stand alone and laugh at kings and nobles was a power that people admired.

At this point, Six-Fingered Black Knight's gaze became somewhat distant. Grandmaster, such power is already extremely exaggerated. If a Grandmaster were to make a move, and if the opponent did not have someone of equal level to stop them, even a king of a country would be nothing more than a chicken or a dog.

"As far as I know, the Taoist Tianzong Master Beimingzi, the Guigu Master Guigu, the Yin Yang School Donghuang Taiyi, and some other reclusive patriarchs of various schools are all at this level."

"With his talent, there is a high chance that he will become a Grandmaster. What he wants is something that Luo Wang cannot give him, and even the Qin Kingdom behind Luo Wang cannot give him. Therefore, it is impossible for him to join Luo Wang."

Upon hearing this explanation, Xue Nu and Yao Yi were both astonished. They exchanged a glance, both able to see the surprise in each other's eyes. Only then did they realize just how exceptionally talented this young man who had appeared in Handan City truly was.

"Senior Juzi, what kind of sect is the Daoist Tianzong?"

Once she started talking, the Snow Woman asked a few more questions.

When Six-Fingered Black Knight heard this question, he felt a surge of emotion. Speaking of Taoism, it was an extremely mysterious school of thought.

"Taoism is a major school among the Hundred Schools of Thought. Its origins can be traced back to ancient times. During the Spring and Autumn Period, a figure named Laozi summarized Taoist thought and left three thousand words at Hangu Pass, which became the Tao Te Ching. Taoism gradually formed on this basis."

"All schools of thought in the world today have a significant connection with Taoism. A hundred years ago, the Yin-Yang School pursued the ultimate Yin-Yang principle, took an unorthodox approach, and sought the ultimate destructive power. They broke away from Taoism and established the Yin-Yang School."

"Later, due to differences in their cultivation philosophies, the Taoist school split into two factions: the Heavenly School and the Human School. These are known to outsiders as the Heavenly School and the Human School of Taoism."

Hearing Six-Fingered Black Knight's story, Snow Maiden and Yao Yi were greatly shocked. They never expected that Taoism would have such a connection, and even the Yin-Yang School originated from Taoism.

Without pausing, the Six-Fingered Black Knight continued, "Although Taoism is divided into the Heavenly Sect and the Human Sect, its strength is still unfathomable. The Heavenly Sect cultivates in seclusion, almost detached from worldly affairs, pursuing the Great Dao of the unity of heaven and man. The strongest person in the sect is Master Beimingzi, whose realm has reached the Grandmaster level. Its leader, Chisongzi, has been a Grandmaster for many years, and there are also several Grandmaster elders in the sect. Their combat strength is evident."

"As for the Human Sect, its strength should not be underestimated. Although the number of Taoist disciples is not as large as that of Mohist disciples, its strength is by no means weak."

"As for the Yin-Yang School, its leader, Donghuang Taiyi, is also of unfathomable level. It is said that he has already become a Grandmaster. In addition, the Yin-Yang School's Yin-Yang incantations make it one of the strongest schools of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought."

Upon hearing this, the two women, who had already been exposed to the ways of the martial world, had their eyes flashing.

Then Yao Yi asked again, "Are all the figures in the Taoist Heavenly Sect like my benefactor?"

Upon hearing this, Six-Fingered Black Knight was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"How can this be!!"

"That little guy from before, achieving the status of a grandmaster at such a young age is extremely rare, not only in Taoism but also in the Hundred Schools of Thought. In my memory, he is the first person to have successfully cultivated the supreme Taoist mental technique of 'Harmony with the World' at such a young age."

Upon hearing Six-Fingered Black Knight's assessment, the two goddesses' expressions became somewhat complicated.

Although they had only known each other for a short time, based on Six-Fingered Black Knight's actions, they could easily guess that he was an upright and honest person, so they did not doubt what he said.

However, the more this happened, the more pressure they felt. Such a person's future achievements were probably limitless. Would the other party still remember them in a few years?

At this point, Six-Fingered Black Knight couldn't help but shake his head.

"No wonder that kid has such a personality. The Heavenly Sect pursues transcendence and seeks to follow the will of Heaven and act without acting."

Upon hearing this, the two women couldn't help but look over again.

"What do you mean, senior?"

Six-Fingered Black Knight sighed and continued, "Don't you think his personality is too peculiar?"

"Taoism emphasizes transcending worldly affairs and achieving a state of detachment. In essence, this is about understanding one's own experiences. The deeper one's understanding, the more serene one becomes, eventually reaching a state of harmony between humanity and nature, and the highest good being like water."

Upon hearing this, for some reason, the two of them suddenly felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Forgetfulness?
Those two words sounded really jarring to them.

Seeing the change in the two girls' expressions, Six-Fingered Black Knight couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

"The higher one's level of understanding, the more clearly one sees the word 'emotion.' Many people are not bound by romantic love, which is a natural thing."

"Even those in high positions often don't prioritize romantic love when making choices. Just like Prince Jia of Zhao, who chose power over love."

"If you want to get what you want from that kid, as someone who's been there, I can only tell you to be prepared."

Upon hearing this, both women blushed simultaneously, and then fell silent.

"Some things are best left to fate!"

"Actually, this is also the way of that kid. Cultivating Fate is a good name. Go with the flow and let things take their natural course. When the time is right, everything will fall into place."

Hearing this, the two women gradually calmed down.

The word "fate" implies the impermanence of life.

"Thank you for your explanation, senior."

After a while, the Snow Woman softly expressed her gratitude.

"It's alright, it's just hearsay, and it may not be accurate. After all, everyone has their own path. Just like that kid, in his cultivation, he probably doesn't entirely follow the teachings of the Heavenly Sect. After all, the Dao is interpreted differently by everyone."

"However, forming a connection with him will be beneficial and harmless to both of you."

Xue Nu and Yao Yi nodded.

"I have a feeling that this kid will probably forge a path that is different from all the current schools of thought!"

"Taoism, this is a very special sect!! It has limitless possibilities!!"

A gentle breeze blew by, lifting a corner of the carriage curtain. Six-Fingered Black Knight looked out through the curtain, a trace of reminiscence flashing in his eyes. Years ago, he had also met a Taoist master.

The Way is boundless.
(End of this chapter)