Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 219 Asking the Question, Han Fei's Speculation
On the hillside outside Xinzheng City, Xiu Yuan, Zi Nu, Yan Ling Ji, Lady Ming Zhu, and Hu Meiren stood against the wind.

Looking down at Xinzheng, which had been reduced to a sea of ​​fire, the women who had a deep connection with Xinzheng had very complicated expressions in their eyes.

Women are often sentimental, and seeing this scene, Hu Meiren couldn't help but sigh softly.

"finished?"

As the favorite concubine of the King of Han, she enjoyed a level of prestige that most women never achieved. Although many things were done against her will, her status and glory were real.

Another woman with a similar experience was Madam Mingzhu.

Hearing Hu Meiren's words, the beauty's eyes showed a hint of melancholy. Although she had to feign compliance with King Han and Ji Wuye in Xinzheng City, she had obtained everything she wanted here.

Status, glory, power, and wealth.

Now, her past glory has been reduced to ashes by a great fire. Stepping back into the world of martial arts, she is forced to face uncertainty, loneliness, and wandering once again, all alone.

Everything has to start from scratch.

"It's like a dream, and now it's time to wake up."

Madam Mingzhu's voice was somewhat low and mournful.

Zi Nu reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Unlike Madam Mingzhu and Consort Hu, everything she had gained in Xinzheng was earned through her own efforts. It represented more than ten years of her hard work, but now all of that had gone down the drain.

Watching all her hard work turn into ruins, this sense of powerlessness made even a strong woman like her feel heartbroken.

How many decades or more does a person have in their lifetime?

"If this is really a dream, then I really hope that I will never wake up from this dream."

The sound was carried away by the wind and drifted into the distance.

Looking at the capital city below, now a sea of ​​fire, Yan Lingji didn't feel much sentimentality. After all, Xinzheng was just a place to rest for her, and she didn't have much affection for it.

The elevation of one's spiritual realm naturally brings with it the elevation of one's mental state.

The girl said softly, "This is the ending for South Korea, not yours. If you think this is the end of a dream, I think it's a new beginning."

Upon hearing this, Zi Nu, Madam Mingzhu, and Hu Meiren couldn't help but look at the girl standing next to the young man.

Compared to the witch who had just arrived in Korea, Yan Lingji now possessed not only alluring charm but also a transcendent and agile quality.

Seemingly sensing the gazes of the three, Yan Lingji spoke again: "A person has to walk many roads in his life. Xinzheng is very big, Han is very big, but the Seven Kingdoms are even bigger. Some people never see the vastness of the sea or appreciate the majesty of Mount Tai in their entire lives. The Ninth Prince once said that the frog at the bottom of the well only sees the world as big as the well opening, and therefore thinks that the world is only big as the well opening. Today you have this opportunity, and I hope that you can go and see the vastness of this world."

"A person is too insignificant in the world, like a grain of sand in a river. No matter how much they churn, most people can't even make a ripple."

"Breaking free from existing constraints and pursuing a higher realm is itself a form of transcendence. Young master, don't you agree?"

Yan Lingji's words drew the attention of the three to the boy.

Xiu Yuan looked up at the starry sky. The stars twinkled eternally, seemingly containing the ultimate truths of the universe.

Han Fei once asked Xunzi if there truly was a power beyond mortals that secretly controlled destiny.

Xunzi's answer was this long, flowing time, this time that flows like water.

However, for a human being, Yan Lingji's words would be expressed in a different way.

"We realize that the past cannot be changed, but we know that the future can be pursued."

"The outcome cannot be changed. Clinging to the past and letting yourself sink into despair is pointless. Instead, look to the future, where we can change things."

"future?"

Zi Nu narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself. Then her expression changed, as if she remembered something. Back when Han Fei had not yet left Xinzheng, he had said something.

Someone is playing a very big game of chess.

Using the seven kingdoms as a chessboard and the people of the world as chess pieces, the goal is to achieve lasting unification.

There was another person also playing a game of chess.

The opponent uses time as a chessboard and the world as chess pieces, seeking universal harmony.

She still remembered the look of amazement on Han Fei's face when he mentioned the second person. At the time, she didn't think much of it, but now she had a feeling that the second person Han Fei mentioned might be the young man in front of her.

Looking into the boy's calm gaze, Zi Nu seemed to see a chess player playing against the heavens and earth; with each move, the mountains and rivers would tremble, and countless lives would be lost.

"looking at what?"

"."

Time passed quickly, and news spread quickly as well. On the fourth day after Han Fei woke up, Nongyu brought news that the state of Han had been destroyed.

Upon hearing this, Han Fei sighed softly.

This was exactly what he had anticipated. Given Qin's current military strength, none of the seven states could rival it.

South Korea was one of the weaker states among the seven kingdoms, so it would be strange if it could withstand the powerful Qin.

Although the state of Han had figures like Wei Zhuang and Zhang Liang, the state of Qin was no pushover either. The Wang and Meng families had served in the military for generations and were renowned for their brilliant military strategies, making them virtually invincible on the battlefield.

With the assistance of Wei Liao, Li Si, and others in domestic affairs, they were like a tiger with wings. With such a lineup, how could they not be victorious?
"How is the quicksand?"

Han Fei, lying on the bed, asked softly.

After a moment of silence, Nongyu replied softly, "Princess Honglian, Mr. Weizhuang, Baifeng, and Mr. Zhang Liang ambushed Neishi Teng east of Xinzheng City. Neishi Teng was killed, and thousands of Qin soldiers who accompanied him were killed or wounded. Mr. Weizhuang was seriously injured, Prince Tianze of Baiyue was seriously injured, Baifeng was seriously injured, the Corpse-Driving Demon died, and Princess Honglian and Mr. Zhang Liang helped to break through the encirclement. Currently, Liusha has completely disappeared from the martial world and its whereabouts are unknown."

Upon hearing this answer, Han Fei shook his head, but did not say anything more. He knew why Hong Lian had plotted to kill Neishi Teng at the end, but the fundamental reason for the defeat of Han was not due to the governor of Nanyang, but to other factors.

"Where are my father and the other members of the royal family?"

After a moment, Han Fei asked again.

Nongyu's gaze flickered slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke frankly: "The Qin army did not intend to kill the King. Instead, they sent people to escort him to Xianyang. However, on the way to Qin, Tianze intervened, and the King and the Fourth Prince met an unfortunate end."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei clenched his fists tightly.

In his conjecture, Ying Zheng would never kill his father and members of the Han royal family. Ever since Shang Yang's reforms established trust by placing a log in place, there has been the saying that one could buy a horse's bones for a thousand pieces of gold. At this critical juncture, it would be far more worthwhile to spare their lives than to kill them.

However, he overlooked Tianze, who had been holding back and had not yet made a move. Back then, Baiyue's enemies in Han were Ji Wuye and the Han royal family. Now that Ji Wuye had been killed by Wei Zhuang, his only remaining enemy was the Han royal family.

Now that he has this opportunity again, how could he possibly miss it?
"Tianze!"

Seemingly sensing the anger hidden in Han Fei's heart, Nongyu gently shook her head.

"To make a move while severely injured is something that probably no one expected, even the Qin state miscalculated."

"According to the intelligence that came back, after Tianze made his move, he was hit by several arrows and then lost his footing and fell into the Azure Dragon Ravine, and his whereabouts are unknown."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei shook his head.

"The more impossible the situation, the more likely it is to hide a deadly danger. It's like how people who drown are often good swimmers."

Having said this, the ninth prince of Korea said no more. Since the matter had already occurred, what was the point of saying anything more?

Of course, there were two things that made him feel gratified: at least his sister, Honglian, survived, and Liusha was also fortunate enough to survive.

"Didn't Xiu Yuan do anything when he went back this time?"

After a while, Han Fei suddenly seemed to remember something and asked again.

Nongyu had once told him that after Xiuyuan sent him back to Taiyi Mountain, he set off for Xinzheng. He didn't believe that Xiuyuan really couldn't do anything.

If that's really the case, then there's no point in him going to Xinzheng.

Nongyu put down the book in her hand, thought for a moment, and spoke softly.

"Young Master saved three people and should be on his way back to Mount Taiyi."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei nodded thoughtfully.

He then spoke again, saying, "I think one of them should be Hu Meiren."

Nongyu stood aside, her gaze slightly narrowed. This Ninth Young Master could guess these things without any information, which showed that he was very thoughtful.

"Young master, your insight is astute and your words hit the nail on the head."

Han Fei shook his head.

"It's not about being meticulous or not. There aren't many people in Xinzheng City who are connected to him. Apart from a few friends of Liu Sha, I don't think there's anyone else worth his time."

"There's one more thing. I didn't hear any information about Zi Nu and Yan Ling Ji just now. If I'm not mistaken, they should be with Xiu Yuan."

Hearing this, Nongyu sighed softly.

The person valued by Ying Zheng and Xiu Yuan must be someone who is not so simple. It is truly terrifying that they could guess so much information based on what I said before.

No wonder the people from Nightfall were manipulated by this Ninth Young Master before. It's not that the people from Nightfall weren't powerful enough, but rather that their opponent was simply too monstrous.

"As for the last person, I don't have many clues for the time being, since that guy doesn't know many people in Xinzheng at all."

Nongyu nodded slightly, then said, "That person might surprise you, young master."

Han Fei raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

Unexpected?

For him, this is not a casual word.

His memories were awakened, and the various forces in Xinzheng flashed through his mind in an instant. Then he looked over in disbelief.

Back then, Liu Sha received a secret report that Xueyi Hou Bai Yifei had secretly sent people to Taiyi Mountain.

Of course, they didn't get any specific information that time, such as why Bai Yifei sent people to Taiyi Mountain. They only knew that the other party had sent people there before. Combining this with the current information, he seemed to have guessed something. There weren't many things or people that warranted Bai Yifei's personal involvement.

"is her?"

Nongyu was somewhat surprised, after all, before receiving the information, she did not know who the third person Xiuyuan had saved was.

"Young master guessed it?"

Han Fei coughed lightly twice, his voice weak. Just as Xiu Yuan had said, Han Fei had suffered a great loss of vitality this time, and it would take him at least a year and a half to recover.

He then said softly, "She is Bai Yifei's cousin, the Tide Demoness hidden in the palace, Lady Mingzhu."

Nongyu remained silent for a moment, then nodded gently.

"Young master's predictions are truly divine."

Han Fei withdrew his gaze and looked out the window. At this moment, the courtyard was as green as if it had been washed clean, and the lush green bamboo leaves were refreshing to look at.

Han Fei chuckled softly.

"Is it really her?!"

"It seems that Bai Yifei paid a considerable price back then, otherwise, given Xiu Yuan's personality, he probably wouldn't have made a move."

Nongyu shrugged. She only knew that Xiuyuan had indeed taken away Madam Mingzhu, but she didn't know whether Bai Yifei had paid the price.

"Just you wait! The world will soon be in chaos!"

Han Fei murmured softly, seemingly lost in thought. The eastward expansion of Qin was a foregone conclusion, and the destruction of Han was a precedent. The remaining five states would surely be thrown into chaos upon receiving the news.

Several days later, the states of Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi also received news of the destruction of Han.

The atmosphere among the five states suddenly became more tense, especially among the states of Zhao, Wei, and Chu. Previously, Wei Zhuang and Zhang Liang had come to persuade them, explaining the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold." Now that the disaster in Han had come true, how could they not be nervous?

After all, saying it is one thing, and reality is another. Seeing that Korea has become history, how could those kings sit still?

Meanwhile, the news reached Xianyang City. Ying Zheng's hands trembled as he looked at the intelligence. Although Han was just a small country, this was the first step Qin had taken toward unification.

When he saw that King An of Han and members of the Han royal family had been killed, the King of Qin's face darkened again.

Who were the people escorting the South Korean royal family?

Looking at the messenger in front of him, Ying Zheng asked in a cold voice.

The man knelt on one knee, not daring to delay, and replied in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, it was a young general named Zhang Yi. He was already dead when Tianze made his move."

Upon hearing the word "died in battle," Ying Zheng's expression turned even more grim.

"A mere stray dog ​​dares to mess with the people of our Great Qin. It seems that the martial world really needs to be regulated."

After standing there for a while, Ying Zheng waved his hand and said, "You may leave now!"

After the visitor left, Ying Zheng asked Gai Nie, who was guarding him, "Mr. Gai, what do you think Qin should do to deal with this kind of person?"

Ying Zheng wanted to hear Gai Nie's opinion on how to deal with people from the martial arts world.

"Tianze is the crown prince of Baiyue. Now he has no ties and travels the world alone. He is a member of the Jianghu. These people have no fixed abode and their whereabouts are unpredictable. If a large army were to invade, they would often suffer more losses than gains."

Ying Zheng nodded. For those lone wanderers in the martial world, suppressing them with a large army could solve the problem, but the cost would be too high. Mobilizing thousands or tens of thousands of people could indeed annihilate the enemy, but if the enemy is only one person, such reckless disregard for cost would be unsustainable even for the wealthy Qin state.

“In dealing with these kinds of people, I think it’s better to use people from the martial arts world to solve these problems. This way, we won’t have to send out a large army, and sometimes we’ll end up with nothing.”

Ying Zheng's eyes flashed, a cold glint shooting out.

"What does Mr. Gai mean?"

Gai Nie remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"The Net."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly. Indeed, the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) was more effective than the army in dealing with these Jianghu (martial arts world) figures.

He was aware of the fighting strength within the Luo Wang organization; there were several Grandmaster-level experts among them, more than enough to deal with Tian Ze.

"Then it's settled. Someone, go and summon Zhao Gao!"

Watching the eunuch's departing figure, Ying Zheng sighed softly.

"Mr. Gai, do you think I should continue to investigate the cause of Han Fei's death?"

The Shadow Guards and the Net were highly efficient in their investigation, and Han Fei learned the answer to the cause of his death on the same day.

The number of people involved is unimaginable; even some of the old nobles of the Qin state were involved.

Everyone except Han Fei's junior brother, Li Si, felt no goodwill towards the Ninth Prince from South Korea.

Gai Nie stood to the side, sword in hand. Hearing Ying Zheng's words, he said in a deep voice, "This matter involves too many things for me to say. However, there is one thing I need to remind Your Majesty: did Han Fei die at the hands of these people, or did he die by his own hand?"

"Could it be that the incredibly intelligent Ninth Prince of Korea really didn't sense anything wrong with the food and wine? If we were the ones in the prison, would we have eaten those things without a second thought?"

Upon hearing Gai Nie's words, the veil on Ying Zheng's head swayed slightly, revealing the unease within the young king of Qin.

He didn't believe that Han Fei hadn't noticed anything amiss with the food, so why did the other party eat it without any hesitation?

"Mr. Gai, are you saying that Han Fei deliberately ate those things?"

At this point, Ying Zheng's voice became somewhat somber.

Han Fei's talent far surpassed that of the people in the Qin court by tenfold. If Han Fei had been willing to serve Qin, he even dreamed of conquering the remaining five states within five years.

Unfortunately, Han Fei ultimately did not yield; for him, Han Fei's death was a great loss.

"Mr. Gai, do you think I really did something wrong?"

Gai Nie slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as a sword, looking out of the main hall.

"Your Majesty, for anything to succeed, someone always has to pay the price. Sometimes, the one who pays the price is oneself, but of course, it could be someone else. That's just how the world is. There is victory and defeat, life and death. If we were in the same position, I think he would make the same choice."

Time flies, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The news of Han Fei's death in Qin finally spread throughout the land. In a dense forest in Han, the people of Liusha were recuperating when they heard the news. Honglian couldn't help but shed two lines of tears.

The fact that Han Wang'an, Han Yu, and others were killed by Tianze was beyond her expectations. However, after killing them, Tianze disappeared without a trace, leaving Liu Sha helpless for the time being.

Now, news of Han Fei's death has arrived, causing even the usually strong-willed princess of Korea to burst into tears.

"I already said that Qin would not let him leave."

Wei Zhuang sat on a stone seat, with the Shark Tooth Sword in front of him. The Shark Tooth Sword was now three inches into the ground, standing upright. Wei Zhuang placed his hands on the hilt of the Shark Tooth Sword, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm.

When Qin sent people to Qin, they offered Han Fei as a hostage, claiming it was to temporarily halt the attack. But what was the actual situation?

After Han Fei entered Xianyang, the Qin army began to act without any warning.

"This is Ninth Brother's own choice."

Honglian stood to the side for a long time before speaking softly.

"A foolish choice. If he hadn't gone to Qin, things might not be like they are now."

Wei Zhuang snorted coldly.

In his view, Han Fei was too bound by rules. If he had chosen not to go at that time, Liu Sha would have been perfectly capable of going crazy with him, and he wouldn't even have needed to lift a finger; Liu Sha could have helped him take control of Han smoothly.

But in the end, Han Fei still did not disobey King An of Han's order and went to Qin alone.

In this matter, it can be said that both Han Wang An and Han Yu are murderers. Therefore, Wei Zhuang felt nothing about the murder of Han Wang An and Han Yu, and even felt a little pleasure.

Those two idiots will eventually pay the price for this.

"The Quicksand has its own rules. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. If the Quicksand were just an assassin organization, it would violate Brother Nine's original intention in creating the Quicksand."

“If Ninth Brother disobeys the King’s will and chooses not to go to Qin, he will be violating the laws he himself established. How can his laws be passed down and implemented? His going to Qin is not simply because of the King, but also because of his own laws and principles.”

Wei Zhuang narrowed his eyes, a chill running through him. Han Yu had probably anticipated this, which was why he petitioned King Han An. This unsolvable, overt scheme was the biggest problem in this situation.

"Perhaps this is what Han Yu was thinking too. Have you ever considered that Han Yu and your father are the real culprits behind his death?!"

Wei Zhuang's words were very blunt, pointing directly to the darkest scheming in people's hearts.

Upon hearing this, Honglian gently shook her head.

"Do you really think Ninth Brother is unaware of the scheming involved? But his laws don't allow him to run away. If he had to hide from everything, who would stand up for him?"

Wei Zhuang remained silent. Knowing full well that it was futile, yet still doing it, he considered it undoubtedly the most foolish decision.

To throw oneself to one's death for the sake of so-called persistence is meaningless in his eyes. He can understand Han Fei's choice, but he does not agree with it.

"Zi Nu has also disappeared."

Bai Feng, who was standing to the side, suddenly chimed in with a comment.

Honglian also looked over subconsciously, but Wei Zhuang still didn't say anything.

Zi Nu's origins are very mysterious. She was already there when he came to Xinzheng, and she contributed a lot to the construction of Liusha. Even in the subsequent actions, she did not show any abnormality, and she remained the same until the very end.

"You'd better not meddle in things that aren't your business, but I will give you an explanation regarding her matter."

After a long silence, Wei Zhuang gave a seemingly plausible but ultimately ambiguous answer.

"Sister Zi Nu is not that kind of person."

(End of this chapter)