Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 161 The Unexpected Great Liang City
"Two heroes of the ages, their glory shines in Daliang City."

Three days later, two young men arrived outside Daliang, the capital of Wei.

Looking at the magnificent capital city before him, the young man spoke with a touch of emotion.

He didn't have much memory of Daliang City, but these two lines of poetry remained in his heart.

Related to this are a few lines: "He wielded a golden hammer to save Zhao, and Handan was the first to be shocked. Two heroes for all time, their fame resounds in Daliang. Even in death, their chivalrous spirit lingers, worthy of being heroes of the world."

These lines of poetry are from "Ballad of the Knight-Errant" by the poet Li Bai. They depict a chivalrous hero with a heroic spirit and unwavering loyalty. Even for an outsider, such a world of chivalry is extremely fascinating.

Xiaomeng stood to the side, and when she heard the boy's words, she raised an eyebrow.

Xiu Yuan's words were quite interesting. She was originally from the State of Wei, so she naturally knew a lot about what had happened in this capital.

Back then, Lord Xinling, Wei Wuji, stole the tally to rescue Zhao. Two chivalrous men appeared, one named Hou Ying and the other named Zhu Hai. After the Battle of Changping, Qin attacked Zhao and besieged Handan. Zhao was on the verge of destruction and asked Wei for help.

At that time, the State of Zhao was inextricably linked to the State of Wei, but King Anxi of Wei, fearing the threat from Qin, ordered his general Jin Bi to garrison Ye City and remain inactive, secretly observing the situation. Upon hearing this news, Wei Wuji led his retainers to Zhao to fight to the death. When he bid farewell to Hou Ying at Yimen, Hou Ying offered a plan: steal the tiger tally and seize military power to save Zhao.

Then another woman was implicated—Ruji. She was the favored concubine of the King of Wei, and Wei Wuji had avenged her father's death for her. Ruji remained grateful and later secretly broke into the King's bedroom at night to steal the tiger tally, handing it over to him. Wei Wuji then took the tiger tally to Ye City, but things didn't go as planned. General Jin Bi suspected him of forging the king's order and refused to hand over military power. Left with no other option, Zhu Hai suddenly killed Jin Bi with an iron mace, and only then did Wei Wuji seize military power.

In the end, the combined forces of Wei, Zhao, and Chu attacked the Qin army, ultimately defeating them and relieving the siege of Handan.

Hou Ying, who offered the plan, could not overcome the hurdle in his heart. Although he saved Zhao for the greater good of the country, stealing the tally was ultimately a betrayal of the King of Wei. In the end, he chose to die to prove his innocence.

He committed suicide facing north, and this story is widely known as the "Suicide in the North Village."

Regarding this matter, two opinions emerged in the State of Wei. One opinion was that King Wei was short-sighted, indecisive, and unaware of the principle that "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," meaning that if the State of Zhao perished, Wei would be the next Zhao. The other opinion was that Wei Wuji disobeyed the king's orders, killed a general of his own country, and implicated Ruji, making him a complete villain.

At the time, Xiaomeng didn't know which of these two opinions was correct, but now, stepping outside the realm of royal power, she feels that Lord Xinling, Wei Wuji, is right.

The State of Wei is not the State of Wei of the King of Wei, but the State of Wei of the people of Wei. Lord Xinling is not helping the King of Wei, but the State of Wei. From different perspectives, one's thoughts on the issue are different. Now that she has entered the Dao, she looks at this matter from a higher perspective, and naturally comes to a conclusion that is different from those of ordinary people.

"From the perspective of the Dao, things have no inherent value or worth."

This was her biggest takeaway from the trip.

"They're gone."

Just as the two were about to enter the city, a commotion arose in the distance. A squad of imperial guards jogged over, parted the crowd, and cleared the main road in the middle.

Seeing this, Xiu Yuan and Xiao Meng were slightly taken aback. In their opinion, someone with such a grand display was certainly not an ordinary person. The two of them had just arrived in Daliang and there was no need to join in the fun.

After thinking for a moment, Xiu Yuan pulled Xiao Meng back a little and came to the back of the crowd.

Before long, the two met the culprit behind the incident.

A huge, muscular man appeared on the wide street, his body covered in explosive muscles and broad shoulders. As he walked down the street, he looked like a wall.

Behind him were two large swords that looked like two banana leaves. Upon seeing this, Xiu Yuan couldn't help but think of a name.

Dianqing.

For the State of Wei, this can be considered a legendary figure.

On the battlefield, with his invulnerable body, he took down thirteen tanks in a row. Such a feat would be extremely impressive anywhere.

"It's Commander Dian!!"

"I heard that when they went out to suppress bandits this time, the bandits knelt down and begged for mercy as soon as they heard that it was Commander Dian, even before they had a fight."

“That’s normal. Even if Commander Dian just stood there and let those people attack him, they probably wouldn’t be able to hurt a single hair on his head.”

"By the way, who's that girl next to him? Could she be someone he kidnapped to be his wife?"

Among the ranks, there was a young woman standing beside Dian Qing, striding confidently. In this era, women were already at a disadvantage, but now she had not only joined the army but was also standing with Dian Qing, which was nothing short of astonishing.

"Shh~~"

"Keep your voice down, don't let her hear you. She's the only female disciple of the Armored Sect—Mei San Niang. Her external martial arts skills are extremely formidable, second only to Dian Qing and the Great General."

Looking at the girl holding a sickle, the boy's gaze suddenly became somewhat distant from the back of the crowd.

What impressed him most about the two people in front of him was not the two of them themselves, but the people from the farming family.

After the fall of the Wei state, the two of them joined the peasant school.

On the way, Dianqing and Mei Sanniang seemed to be used to such a grand occasion and did not feel uncomfortable at all. The two chatted casually without any restraint.

"Senior brother, has Master said when he will be back?"

Upon hearing Mei San Niang's words, Dian Qing replied in a low voice, "Someone needs to guard the Hexi area. If Master wants to return to Daliang, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the situation is completely stable!"

Amidst the noise, their conversation went unnoticed, but for Xiu Yuan, every sound reached his ears.

From their conversation, it's clear that the leader of the Armored Sect is currently stationed in Hexi and is not in the city.

However, thinking about it from another perspective, this situation is understandable. Now, the Qin Dynasty is sharpening its swords and pointing them at the six states. The only force in Wei that can stop the Qin's fierce army is the Wei Wuzu.

After a while, when Dian Qing and Mei San Niang led the Imperial Guards into Daliang City, the streets returned to their previous state.

Long queues formed again outside the city gates, but compared to other royal capitals, the checks here were surprisingly lax. As long as they weren't wanted criminals by the seven kingdoms, the soldiers generally didn't stop them and just waved them in.

When it was Xiuyuan and Xiaomeng's turn, Xiaomeng said in the Wei language that she had brought her brother to Daliang to find relatives. The soldiers didn't ask any questions and waved their hands to let them pass. They just took a few more glances at the little girl with silver hair.

After all, it's relatively rare for someone to have gray hair at a young age.

Upon entering the city, the two felt a different sensation. Compared to the bustling atmosphere of the pass, Daliang City gave people only one feeling: prosperity.

The long street is lined with shops on both sides, covering almost every area. People come and go on the street, including peddlers, wandering knights, wealthy families, and even some high-ranking officials and nobles.

Of course, besides these, there were also imperial guards coming and going, and the patrols here were much more frequent than those at the pass.

After walking for a while, Xiu Yuan sighed softly.

Too many people on the street is not a pleasant thing either. Everywhere you look, there are people, and it is quite difficult to find a place.

"Let's find a place first! Our matter can't be resolved in a day or two."

A voice echoed in Xiaomeng's heart. She glanced at the street and nodded in agreement.

Although she wasn't an introverted girl, the presence of so many people still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

No wonder Dian Qing had the Imperial Guards clear the way when he entered the city; otherwise, they would have been stuck in traffic as soon as they entered.

Before long, the two found an inn.

Looking at the sign on the inn, Xiu Yuan's eye twitched. It seemed that there was no such thing as trademarks or patents in this era. The inn he had seen in Guancheng earlier had miraculously appeared here.

"Yuelai Inn".

When Xiaomeng saw the inn, her eyes showed a hint of surprise, but she was much better than Xiuyuan, since she didn't know anything about patents.

Opposite the inn was a luxuriously built flower house, with colorful gauze hanging in front of the door, adding a unique atmosphere to the building.

Looking at the signboard on the brothel, Xiu Yuan couldn't help but glance at Xiao Meng again. The characters here were still from the Wei Kingdom, which he couldn't understand at all.

"The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Flowers!"

The little girl frowned, her voice filled with disdain. Although she had never been to such a place, she had heard people talk about what it was for.

Xiu Yuan nodded.

It certainly sounds like the name of a brothel. At the entrance of Wan Hua Lou, there were several brightly dressed girls soliciting customers.

"Sir, come in and have some fun!"

"I've missed you so much!"

Xiaomeng raised an eyebrow. Even though she had the mindset of not caring about anything, she still felt a bit disgusted by girls who frequented places of ill repute.

Seeing this, Xiu Yuan smiled and shook his head. Without lingering, he took the little girl's hand and turned to walk into the Yue Lai Inn.

In addition, two girls were smiling and observing the passersby on the street from the window on the second floor of Wanhua Tower.

The two women, each holding a round fan, chatted and laughed, talking about this and that. When they were particularly happy, they would wave their fans and say, "I've been waiting for you so long!"

Unfortunately, most people here seem to be quite wary of this brothel, and even though there are girls soliciting customers, very few actually go in to enjoy themselves.

It wasn't until Xiu Yuan and Xiao Meng came into their line of sight that the girl on the left looked somewhat surprised.

"What a handsome young man!!"

Xiu Yuan was already quite good-looking, and with his otherworldly Taoist aura, he stood out even among princes and noblemen, let alone on the street!

Following the girl's hand, the girl on the right's eyes lit up immediately. Although it is said that heroes have always loved beauties, beauties also like handsome young men.

The boy in front of them, though young, was exactly what they considered beautiful, and the two women couldn't help but feel a stirring in their hearts.

Then they saw the silver-haired girl next to the boy, and a hint of jealousy appeared in their eyes. Since ancient times, scholars have been jealous of each other, and so have beautiful women.

Although the silver-haired girl was also young, her small face was pitiful to look at, especially since she and the boy were acting so intimately.

"What a beauty! The general would probably love someone like her!"

"However, I find this young master quite to my liking. How about we buy him after the general succeeds?"

"Haitang, we don't have that much money. This young master is probably worth several hundred gold coins!"

"Yun Shu, don't give me that crap. I don't believe you haven't been secretly saving up some money all this time. I'd be willing to sleep with someone like that for just one night!!"

Hearing the two women's conversation, Xiu Yuan suddenly stopped and narrowed his eyes. He looked up and carefully examined the inn in front of him. People were coming and going in an endless stream, and whether it was the innkeeper or the waiter, nothing seemed amiss.

But a strange feeling crept into his heart.

The inn being built opposite the brothel was already a rather strange thing; at least in the several large cities he had traveled to, no one had done that.

After all, brothels have bedrooms, so once those who seek pleasure enter a brothel, why would they want to leave and stay at an inn?

Something's fishy here!

An idea quietly surfaced in his mind.

He then looked up and turned around. The two girls on the second floor were taken aback by Xiu Yuan's action.

They seemed surprised that Xiu Yuan would look at them. Seeing his calm gaze, the two women exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with caution.

"Did he hear our conversation?"

"Stop scaring yourself. It's so noisy outside, and we're at least ten feet apart. There's no way he could hear us!"

Upon seeing Xiu Yuan's action, Xiao Meng subconsciously looked up.

"Something's strange here."

Xiu Yuan then used his telepathic communication to tell the girl beside him what he had just heard.

Hearing Xiu Yuan's words, Xiao Meng frowned. This was her first time in Daliang, but she didn't have a good impression of the city. From the words of the two girls in the brothel, it was clear that the place was very chaotic.

"Want to leave?"

Hearing the little girl's words, Xiu Yuan thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"No need for that, just be extra careful at night!"

At this point, Xiu Yuan shook his head inwardly again.

Judging from the current situation, this brothel is probably quite powerful. The fact that it can operate here, yet people avoid it, and that it hasn't closed down yet, already says a lot.

If the two girls really are spies, even if they leave this place, it will probably be of no use; they will eventually come looking for us.

Of course, none of this mattered much to him. Along the way, he hadn't encountered any Grandmaster-level experts.

The two people I encountered at the city gate, Dian Qing and Mei San Niang, were at most at the Innate Realm, but they practiced hard skills, which made them a bit more troublesome to deal with.

Xiaomeng nodded upon hearing the boy's words.

The two then settled down there temporarily. Of course, even with his high skill and daring, Xiu Yuan did not let his guard down.

There are many underhanded tricks in the martial arts world, which can sometimes be hard to guard against. Just like the five people they encountered in the dilapidated temple when they first entered the Wei Kingdom, they were all masters of this kind of trick.

Inside the room, Xiuyuan sat cross-legged, quietly observing the lake of his heart.

Wei State

From the moment they entered the State of Wei, they encountered a group of scoundrels with ulterior motives, or rather, several groups of people with ill intentions, but in the end they were intimidated by his methods.

After arriving at the pass, when he and Xiaomeng visited Lian Po, they also encountered several groups of people. The spirit of the martial arts world was particularly strong in this country.

They then traveled to Daliang City, encountering several incidents along the way, some good and some bad, but all involving conflicts within the martial arts world.

Lord Xinling, Wei Wuji, once kept three thousand retainers, causing a sensation. Now that this young master has passed away, the spirit of the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) does not seem to have disappeared in this country.

Recalling fragments of his memory, it seems that Xuan Jian, the top-tier assassin of the Luo Wang organization, met his end here. It's absolutely impossible to say that there's nothing fishy about this country.

Half an hour later, Xiu Yuan slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the wisp of starlight dancing on his fingertips, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The South Dipper governs life, and the North Dipper governs death.

Before entering Daliang City, I comprehended the meaning of the Big Dipper. Whether it was an arrangement of fate or a coincidence, it is now difficult to say.

"I hope it's not what I imagine."

After a moment, Xiu Yuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and his mind calmed down again.

Beside her, the silver-haired girl faced the sky with her five hearts facing upwards and began to circulate her inner energy.

Xiaomeng didn't talk much along the way, spending most of her time cultivating her inner strength. Xiuyuan was quite pleased with this, since in this chaotic world, strength is fundamental, especially one's own strength.

Xiu Yuan got up and went to the window. Time passed quietly. Before he knew it, the street outside was already lit up with lights. The five-story Wan Hua Building was brightly lit and extremely beautiful.

Just then, Xiu Yuan's eyes narrowed as three dark figures darted out of the Wan Hua Lou and headed straight for his room.

"Haha, interesting."

Xiu Yuan sneered. These people didn't even bother to cover it up. It seems that there is indeed an unknown relationship between the Wan Hua Lou and the Yue Lai Inn.

The next moment, the boy standing by the window flicked his finger, and three invisible sword energies shot out. The three black shadows exploded in mid-air before they even realized what was happening.

On the fifth floor of the Wan Hua Lou, a man with a sinister expression was wantonly kneading the beauty in his arms, his eyes filled with a hint of madness.

Upon seeing the guards who suddenly appeared in front of him, the man frowned and showed displeasure.

"What's wrong now??"

The guards standing in front of the man had their eyes fixed on the front, their expressions showing an indescribable tension.

"Young master, Lin Qi and the others were just killed."

Upon hearing this, the man was taken aback.

The man, realizing what had happened, turned pale and asked incredulously, "Lin Qi and the others are dead?? Didn't they just leave?"

The guard swallowed hard. Just now, they had witnessed a terrifying scene right outside the room.

The few people who were sent out were hit by something and instantly blown to pieces, leaving no trace of their bodies. Such methods were unprecedented and unheard of.

"Young master, things aren't looking good today. Let's retreat!"

As guards, their master's safety was their top priority. Today's situation was so strange that they had a bad feeling, so they decided to persuade the other party to leave.

Upon hearing this, the man chuckled.

"Walk??"

"Where to?"

"This is Daliang, the Daliang of Wei. Here, who dares to touch this young master?"

At that moment, a ripple appeared in the void, and two people emerged from it. Almost instantly, the four guards blocking the man's path exploded and died.

At the same time, a voice echoed in the room.

"He's right, you should leave, but he's also wrong, even if you wanted to leave, you can't."

The man's face froze for a moment, then his expression changed drastically.

And the girl in the other person's arms looked like she'd seen a ghost when she saw the two people who appeared in the room.

"It's you!!"

The girl instinctively shrieked.

"You dare touch me?! If I lose even a single hair, I guarantee you won't leave Daliang alive!!"

Upon seeing that the other party was two young people, the man gave a cold smile and then spoke arrogantly.

He seemed to be used to being arrogant and domineering, and he didn't take this sudden event seriously at all.

"Senior brother, is this a fool?"

The newcomers were none other than Xiu Yuan and Xiao Meng. Upon seeing their appearance, Xiao Meng was speechless. In her opinion, it was simply absurd that such people could have survived until now.

"You're too noisy!!"

Xiu Yuan flicked his finger again, and another blood flower bloomed in the room.

Then, Xiu Yuan pulled the girl beside him to the side and said to the only girl left in the room, "Do you want to live?"

This girl has a good mental fortitude; she wasn't scared out of her wits by the scene. When she heard Xiu Yuan's words, she nodded gently.

"Answer a few questions for me, and if you satisfy me, I will let you leave!"

Hearing Xiu Yuan's words, the girl nodded again, but her gaze towards Xiu Yuan now held a strange quality. She had seen the two people standing opposite her during the day; they were originally her targets for tonight, but she never expected things to turn out this way.

Why is Daliang City in such chaos?

Upon hearing this, the girl was taken aback again, and then she looked over with great surprise.

chaos?
She never felt that the Great Liang was in chaos. The Great Liang had always been like this since Lord Xinling began to keep three thousand retainers. How could it be considered chaotic?

But when the girl saw the boy's calm gaze, she swallowed back her doubts; he didn't seem to be joking.

"You are not a citizen of Wei, sir?"

"That's always been the case in Daliang."

(End of this chapter)