Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 222 Red Lotus's Request, Gai Nie Battles a Heaven-Ranked Warrior
"Gane?"

In a valley, Li Si, the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, nodded at the person in front of him.

"He betrayed His Majesty and took a child with him."

"betray?"

I don't think this word is used well!

A man with a full head of silver hair sat on the stone seat. Upon hearing Li Si's words, a hint of sarcasm appeared in his eyes.

"He didn't need to betray anyone. Ying Zheng was just a choice he made back then. Not everyone has to be a dog to succeed."

Li Si's face darkened. After many years, he discovered that this disciple from Guigu Valley had not lost any of his verbal skills.

The other party's seemingly casual remark was actually a veiled criticism of him, implying that he had only achieved his current situation by serving the Qin state and becoming Ying Zheng's lackey.

Although it was a fact, having it said to his face still made him feel a little embarrassed. After all, things were different now. Back then, he was just a retainer under Lü Buwei, but now he was the Prime Minister of the Empire, second only to the emperor.

After a moment of silence, Li Si changed the subject.

"After many years, Mr. Wei Zhuang's verbal sparring is still sharp, but I wonder if his swordsmanship has declined."

The person present was none other than Wei Zhuang.

Upon hearing Li Si's words, Wei Zhuang's lips curled into a smile.

A streak of light flashed, followed by a whooshing sound as Wei Zhuang's Shark Tooth sword shot out.

Upon seeing this, the two Qin soldiers accompanying him instinctively stepped forward to block him. Li Si's face darkened, and he shouted urgently, "Back off!!"

As the prime minister of the empire, his identity carried a special significance, because he represented the entire Qin state. In this era, no one dared to openly kill a high-ranking official of the empire.

Although most of Qin's troops are currently stationed on the border, this does not mean that these troops cannot be mobilized.

With such a massive army pressing in, no one dares to say they can absolutely stop them. If the empire is angered, those who intervene will never have a moment's peace.

Unfortunately, Li Si's words came too late; the swiftly approaching Shark Tooth sword slit the throats of the two ignorant Qin soldiers.

At this moment, Wei Zhuang also stood in front of Li Si, looking at the prime minister of the empire, and said in a low voice: "Don't think that just because you are Ying Zheng's man, I won't dare to kill you. The debt he owed back then will eventually have to be repaid."

Upon hearing this, Li Si narrowed his eyes, but he didn't respond to the matter from back then.

He knew in his heart that the man in front of him was dangerous. Generally speaking, the other party would not attack him, but he also knew that when a person is extremely angry and loses their rationality, they may make some irrational decisions.

The person Wei Zhuang mentioned is the key to potentially triggering this premise.

After a while, Li Si slowly squatted down, looked at the wounds on the necks of the two Qin soldiers, and murmured, "What terrifying swords."

Seeing this, Wei Zhuang snorted coldly, turned around and returned to his seat. Sometimes he liked dealing with smart people, but sometimes he hated these self-righteous smart people.

For example, right now, the other party didn't take the bait at all. After sitting down, he continued to watch Li Si play with his words.

"It's just a pity that it's still a bit inferior to Gai Nie's Hundred Steps Flying Sword."

Wei Zhuang narrowed his eyes. The unique disciple-acceptance philosophy of the Guigu School meant that each generation of disciples was both fellow disciples and rivals.

This is where Li Si's entry point lies. Previously, Gai Nie had been following Ying Zheng's side the whole time, so he had no chance to get close to him, let alone fight him.

Now that Gai Nie has left Ying Zheng and the Qin state, he has the opportunity to get in touch with his senior brother. For him, this is also an opportunity, a chance to compete with Gai Nie.

After a while, Wei Zhuang raised an eyebrow and gave a cold smile.

"Provocation doesn't work on me at all."

Li Si slowly rose to his feet. Dealing with someone whose wisdom and martial prowess far surpassed that of ordinary people was undoubtedly a very mentally taxing task, especially since he had come with a mission.

Looking at the Ghost Valley disciple who was huddled in the valley, a thought struck him.

"Sir, you hail from Guigu Valley and possess extraordinary talent. In your early years, you served as a general in the state of Han. You are skilled in both literature and military strategy. Now that the empire's hegemony has just begun, it needs talents like you. His Majesty is very angry about Gai Nie's defection. If you can bring him back, I think His Majesty will give you a satisfactory reward."

Hearing this, Wei Zhuang's eyes showed a hint of disdain. He had already obtained all the things that Li Si mentioned back in Korea, and for a man, things that he had already obtained no longer held much appeal.

"Lord Li, you should stop using those clichéd phrases about bestowing titles and honors. Do you think those things can attract my attention?"

Li Si paused, though he was prepared for Wei Zhuang's rejection, the fact that the other party refused so decisively still made him feel a little strange.

In the jungle of the valley, besides Wei Zhuang, there was another person, or rather a girl, who did not interrupt from the beginning.

Li Si also remembered this person: a princess of Han, a peerless figure who had once appeared on the Qin Dynasty's wanted list.

During the Qin conquest of Han, she was ambushed by the Han general Neishi Teng, which enraged Ying Zheng. As a result, she was placed on the kill list of the Luo Wang (a secret police organization).

However, with experts like Wei Zhuang and Bai Feng constantly by her side, the Luo Wang's plans had to be slowed down.

Time has taken away youth, but it has also left behind fruitful results. In the current Quicksand, there are two openly recognized masters: Wei Zhuang and Bai Feng. More importantly, Wei Zhuang is an extremely powerful master. Back then, he single-handedly blocked the two of Luo Wang's Yan Ri and Jing Ni. Now, after all these years, no one knows where his limits lie.

As his thoughts drifted by, Li Si spoke softly.

"This must be Princess Honglian. She plotted to ambush General Neishi Teng back then, which led to her being placed on His Majesty's wanted list."

Wei Zhuang narrowed his eyes, and a murderous intent slowly spread through the forest.

"This is not something a smart person would say. You and he are fellow disciples, so you shouldn't be so foolish. If you want to leave unscathed, you'd better give me a reason not to make a move!!"

Li Si did not reply immediately; his gaze remained fixed on the girl in the green dress. The fact that Quicksand had been able to grow and become the king of the darkness in recent years was inseparable from the other party's schemes.

Quiet, peaceful.

The birds in the valley were singing, becoming the only sound at that moment.

After a long while, the girl sitting on the swing slowly raised her head, and her calm eyes swept over.

"I want an answer."

Li Si frowned, his eyes flickering as he looked at the girl.

"Oh, what kind of answer is that?"

Honglian withdrew her gaze and looked at the mottled ground. This place was extremely secluded, with deep valleys and dense forests. The sunlight only dappled through the trees, and the lush foliage was like layers of mist, obscuring everything, just like the truth of that year. Even when Wei Zhuang went undercover himself, he couldn't find a single clue.

"You should know."

I heard that you were the person he saw the most back then.

Li Si remained silent.

He had always known, but how could he say the answer?

Ying Zheng has ordered a complete news blackout, forbidding anyone from discussing the matter, and he also does not want to be associated with Quicksand because of this.

"If you agree, we can take action."

After a long silence, Li Si sighed softly.

"That matter has been sealed off by His Majesty the Emperor and has become a taboo. His departure has also caused His Majesty great sorrow."

Wei Zhuang snorted coldly.

"Are these tiger tears?"

Li Si shook his head.

"Sir, you should know that I have not spoken recklessly in this matter. You should know how much His Majesty admired his talent back then."

Wei Zhuang and Hong Lian's gazes darkened. This was indeed true. After all, under those circumstances, the fact that Ying Zheng could come to Xinzheng alone, or rather, with just one other person, was enough to explain everything.

Honglian slowly exhaled, then spoke again, "This is not the answer I want."

Li Si withdrew his gaze and paced back and forth.

After a long pause, he continued, "This matter involves a great deal of people, and I don't know whose intention it is. I can provide you with a clue, a clue that can lead to the truth."

Upon hearing this, Honglian couldn't help but glance at Li Si again.

"clue??"

"Then tell me your requirements?"

Li Si gently cupped his hands in greeting.

"The quicksand got the clues and Gai Nie, and I got the child."

Watching the other person's departing figure, Wei Zhuang suddenly said, "Take these two people with Lord Li."

A man in black emerged from the shadows, bowed to Wei Zhuang and Hong Lian, then hoisted up the two Qin soldiers' corpses from the ground and slowly disappeared from the spot.

After a while, Wei Zhuang stood leaning on his sword, looking at the once again silent forest, and asked, "How much truth is there in Li Si's words?"

Honglian shook her head.

"A lie is hidden within the truth; only in this way can people not understand it."

"The matter concerning Brother Wang is probably not as simple as it seems. I can sense that someone is playing a very big game in the shadows, but this person is very well hidden."

"The empire is not stable right now. The Mohists and other sects are still secretly vying for power. The fact that Li Si came to us at this time shows that. It is hard to say whether the seedling in the midst of turmoil will grow into a towering tree or die halfway!"

Wei Zhuang's eyes flickered twice, and finally he shook his head. He was no longer interested in those things.

"This operation may not be as safe as we imagine."

Honglian turned back to the swing and after a while, she replied, "In all these years, when has the quicksand ever been peaceful? I wonder how many old friends we will see this time!"

Time flies by, and before we knew it, night had fallen.

In the old Chu lands, Gai Nie looked at the two black-armored men in front of him with a solemn expression.

"Is it you?"

The leader, a man in black armor, said coldly, "Becoming a traitor to the empire meant you should have expected to encounter us. However, this time, we didn't come specifically for you; we just happened to be nearby!"

Another man in black armor came up behind Gai Nie. He first glanced at Gai Nie, then looked at Tianming who was standing next to Gai Nie, and spoke in a low voice. "Several years ago, I had the honor of fighting Wei Zhuang, who was from the same Ghost Valley. His swordsmanship is still fresh in my memory."

Gai Nie seemed to remember something, his eyes narrowed, and then he said softly, "The Luo Wang has always been very bold. I once had some conversations with Lord Zhao Gao, the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office. There are some things that cannot be touched. It seems that Lord Zhao Gao still hasn't listened to what I said."

The man in black armor in front of him chuckled upon hearing this.

"As expected of Guiguzi's disciple, it seems that Mr. Gai has guessed something. However, Lord Zhao Gao once said, 'Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king, and on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king. If they still do not know what is good for them, then what awaits them is the iron cavalry of my Great Qin.'"

Upon hearing this, Gai Nie sighed softly.

"As Han Fei once said, 'A frog at the bottom of a well cannot know the vastness of the sky.' Today, I pass on this saying to you."

"Back then, the seven kingdoms jointly established a rule that Grandmasters should not enter the mortal world. The root cause of this was the fear of the monarchs of each kingdom. The Luo Net has arbitrarily provoked the Tianzong, which has two Grandmasters in charge. In my opinion, doing so will only bring disaster to the empire. If His Majesty the Emperor finds out about this, do you think you will still have a way out?"

Upon hearing this, the leader of the black-armored men's eyes flickered.

They both had some concerns about this matter. Just as Gai Nie said, even with the empire as their backing, they couldn't guarantee their safety after provoking such an existence.

"That's not something we should be concerned about!"

The man in black armor standing behind Gai Nie suddenly spoke.

When facing an enemy in battle, the worst thing is to lose your resolve, especially at this time when their opponent is a top-tier fighter in the Grandmaster realm. Even if they take it seriously, their chances of winning are only 50%, and that is considering that the opponent is wary of the child.

If Gai Nie could understand this, they wouldn't dare to kill Tianming, and the balance of the battle might be reversed instantly.

The black-armored man in front of him glanced at Gai Nie with a rather complicated expression, and then said, "It is said that the disciples of Guigu are more skilled in verbal sparring than in wielding weapons. I used to think that was just empty talk, but after witnessing Mr. Gai's eloquence today, I can see that it is indeed true."

"He's right. We have no choice. All we can do is complete the mission."

"excuse me!"

Immovable as a mountain, swift as thunder.

The two men moved with incredible speed; in the blink of an eye, two strangely shaped longswords were drawn from their sheaths.

Gai Nie grabbed Tianming by the back of his collar and threw him away, then narrowly escaped the attack from both sides.

"Tianming, you go first, I'll be right behind you!!"

Seeing Gai Nie's solemn expression and his own thoughts racing, Tianming knew that staying here would only be a burden to Gai Nie, so he didn't hesitate and turned to leave.

"Uncle, you absolutely have to come!!"

"Oh?"

Watching Tianming's departing figure, one of the men in black armor spoke in a strange tone.

He seemed surprised by Gai Nie's choice.

"Since you are the top-tier members of the Luo Wang organization, you must know this child. I don't think Lord Zhao Gao would dare to put the entire Luo Wang under the assumption that His Majesty the Emperor wouldn't blame you!"

Their gazes darkened. Indeed, Zhao Gao had specifically warned them that Gai Nie could die, but the child absolutely could not be harmed.

The Net was a powerful weapon of the empire, and its master was only ever Qin Shi Huang.

If a weapon is used against its master, then destruction is the only fate awaiting them.

Although they were somewhat surprised by Gai Nie's decisiveness, the two were, after all, top-tier assassins from the Luo Wang organization. After a few breaths, they attacked again from both sides.

With no worries about the future, Gai Nie's Yuanhong sword became even more formidable.

In these seven years, it wasn't just Wei Zhuang who made progress; Gai Nie also achieved a great breakthrough.

After exchanging dozens of blows, the two became increasingly alarmed.

One of them had fought against Gai Nie back then, when the gap between them wasn't as large as it is now. But now, Gai Nie can even handle both of them without much of a weakness.

In the brief moment they passed each other, the two men in black armor exchanged glances and then nodded.

The moment they landed, the longsword in one of their hands hummed, and then an extremely strong internal force surged from his body.

"This is... a cover-up."

Gai Nie's face darkened; clearly, he recognized the origin of this move.

Naturally, he knew the people who made the move better: the top-tier assassins of the Luo Wang organization, Yan Ri and Jing Ni.

After taking the hit head-on, Gai Nie felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, but at this moment, he remained calm and did not panic as expected.

The Guiguzi mental technique circulated around his body, and a sword aura quietly gathered behind him.

Then he slowly closed his eyes, clearing his mind of all distractions, allowing his mind to return to a state of clarity as clear as a mirror.

Gai Nie himself was extremely talented, and with his cultivation of the Ghost Valley's vertical sword technique, his control over the sword was far superior to that of ordinary people. Years of training allowed his swordsmanship to advance at an extremely rapid pace.

This state is very similar to the Taoist concept of the unity of man and nature, where the mind and the sword in hand become one.

In this state, the power of his swordsmanship will be greatly enhanced, and his senses will be magnified several times. Even without using his eyes, he can perceive subtle changes around him and thus respond to the enemy.

Seeing Gai Nie calmly dodge his sword, Yan Ri's eyes turned ugly.

He gave Jing Ni a look, and Jing Ni tightened her grip on her longsword and nodded slightly.

With two top-tier experts involved, it was thought that it wouldn't be too difficult, but Gai Nie's performance has exceeded their expectations by far too much.

So the two chose to attack together again. Jing Ni's inner strength surged and poured into the sword, and sword energy was generated on its own. Just as Yan Ri and Gai Nie were locked in combat, the sword energy swept out.

This sword strike was very cunning. It was prepared and then concealed until Gai Nie withdrew to defend against Yan Ri, at which point the sword energy shot out.

"Ding!!"

Seeing Gai Nie deflect the sword energy with Yuan Hong, Jing Ni was somewhat taken aback. Even if one could see it with both eyes, such an attack should be impossible to defend against, but Gai Nie seemed to have foreseen it.

"How is this going??"

"His swordsmanship is above Wei Zhuang's."

Yan Ri's voice became more cautious. At that time, Wei Zhuang's "Horizontal Sweep in All Directions" was extremely powerful and posed a significant threat to them.

However, the fact that Wei Zhuang seized the initiative during the battle did not mean that his swordsmanship was much better than theirs, but rather that his combat experience was much greater.

But now, when they fight Gai Nie, the pressure they feel doesn't come from the opponent's methods, but from his swordsmanship.

The opponent seemed to know how to strike, from what angle, and when to strike, as if they knew my next move and what would be most advantageous.

Gai Nie's swordsmanship is superior to Wei Zhuang's, and naturally, it is also superior to theirs. Now they may finally understand what the title of Sword Saint really means.

"wrong!"

Seeing Gai Nie being sent flying by the sword energy unleashed by Jing Ni, Yan Ri suddenly realized something was wrong. The range of Yan Qu Bi Ri was limited, and Gai Nie had taken advantage of being sent flying by the sword energy to completely leave this range.

What followed was a sword strike that sent chills down their spines, like a mountain rising from the ground and piercing the sky.

"It's the Hundred-Step Flying Sword!"

Yan Ri's heart tightened. In a group attack, the horizontal sword technique was actually superior, but in a one-on-one duel, the vertical sword technique was definitely the best.

Especially the deadly sword strike in the Vertical Sword Technique, which only a handful of masters in the world can withstand.

As soon as Yan Ri finished speaking, the long sword Yuan Hong was already in front of him. A cold light flashed in Gai Nie's eyes and condensed into a point.

The Hundred-Step Flying Sword technique emphasizes breaking through the surface with a single point, and defeating all techniques with a single sword strike.

This sword is extremely fast, moving like a flash of lightning, making it impossible to defend against.

"Ding!!"

Just then, Jing Ni arrived with her sword drawn. Seeing that Yan Ri was already locked in place by the sword's momentum and unable to move, she had no choice but to lend a helping hand.

He knew that if Yan Ri were killed at this time, he would have no chance of survival either.

However, when he forcefully broke into the sword aura of the Hundred Steps Flying Sword, it was like plunging headfirst into a fire. The incomparably powerful sword aura, mixed with sword energy, directly pierced into his internal organs.

In an instant, Jing Ni bled from all seven orifices, and the sword's momentum was broken. Yan Ri also gained a chance to catch his breath. He dared not delay at all and seized this fleeting opportunity.

He suddenly raised his right hand, narrowly blocking Yuan Hong, which had already reached his throat.

But how could a sudden change of tactics withstand Gai Nie's charged attack? The powerful force sent him flying.

Meanwhile, Jingni, who was standing to the side, quietly retreated several feet away, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

Gai Nie, who was standing still, had a trace of crimson at the corner of his mouth. His sword aura had been broken, and he had naturally suffered a backlash as well.

"That was so dangerous! I almost got killed!"

Yan Ri's right hand trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he had not had an easy time receiving that sword strike. He looked at Gai Nie, the top-tier assassin from the Luo Wang organization, who was standing still, and sighed.

They had barely exchanged 120 blows when he was nearly beheaded by Gai Nie's sword.

This situation is much more serious than when we fought Wei Zhuang before.

At least that time, Wei Zhuang had a helper, a Grandmaster-level helper, but now Gai Nie is fighting both of them alone.

"You are too dangerous."

Yan Ri stared at Gai Nie with utmost seriousness and spoke, then took out a pill from his pocket and threw it into his mouth, before tossing another one to Jing Ni.

"We cannot let you leave alive today! Otherwise, we will face endless suffering."

After taking the pill, Jing Ni paused for a moment, then glanced at Yan Ri.

"this?"

"Although Guigu is a small sect, it has a grandmaster, which means that Guigu's internal cultivation method is not flawed. If we let Gai Nie continue to grow stronger, what will await us?"

"Work together and kill him!"

(End of this chapter)