Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 239 Speculation, Meeting Wei Zhuang
"Old Fan, what are you thinking about?"

On the small boat, Master Ban looked at Fan Zeng standing at the bow with some surprise. Ever since leaving the medical manor, his old friend had seemed preoccupied.

Fan Zeng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze distant.

Having lived to such an age, he had experienced countless trials and tribulations, yet today he was stunned by the words of a young man.

Everything in this world happens for a reason. Many people know what happens but not why. They can rise to the challenge when faced with danger or difficulties, but they rarely think about the deeper aspects.

The depth of one's thoughts determines one's perspective and vision. Those who are ruthless and combative are mostly ignorant and only see immediate benefits. Therefore, Fan Zeng basically looked down on those people.

In the battlefield, what is most lacking is not brave and fierce generals, but commanders who can lead an army. On a battlefield with tens of thousands of soldiers, even a master would have no chance of survival if he were caught up in it, let alone a man who relies on his courage and blood.

Unless they are top-tier masters who have reached the Grandmaster level, but such people would never appear on the battlefield. Their different perspectives and scales mean that such a situation is unlikely to occur.

There's a saying in the secular world that goes, "A dragon doesn't dwell with a snake." A divine dragon wouldn't associate with a snake, as most people would never come into contact with such a creature.

Even if you do meet them, you might not recognize them. A person's life is not long, but it is seventy or eighty years. You will see a lot of scenery and meet a lot of people. Most people are just passing by, fleeting clouds to an individual. You can only remember the names of a very small number of them, let alone have a deep contact with them.

Today, he met someone, and although they only exchanged a few words, the things reflected in those words left him with a lingering feeling.

"Back in Shouying, I heard rumors about the Grandmasters of the martial arts world. People praised them to the skies, calling them gods. At the time, I didn't take it seriously."

"Now it seems that those who can become Grandmasters are truly extraordinary individuals."

At this point, Fan Zeng recalled the old man from before. The people of Chu called him the First Wise Man. He had now joined the Yin-Yang School, but his title had never changed—Duke of Chu Nan.

If he wasn't mistaken, the first sage of Chu was also a grandmaster. Xiang Yan gathered the strength of a thousand troops and perished together with the Qin general, but fate played a cruel trick on him, and he ultimately suffered a crushing defeat.

As for how Xiang Liang, Xiang Yu, and others were able to retreat safely, it was thanks to that old man. The people of Qin would not easily let the Xiang clan go.

Especially for direct descendants like Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, the Qin state always adhered to the principle of eliminating them completely.

As for that person, he felt that he was very similar to the young man in the medical clinic.

In the end, the prophecy left by the other side—"Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin"—was probably more of a ballast for the former Chu troops at that time!

In the darkness, people hoped for a guiding light, so the wise old man lit one for everyone himself.

Upon hearing the other party's words, Master Ban stroked his beard and sighed.

Master Qingxu of the Taoist Heavenly Sect felt unfathomable to him. Even when facing the previous leader of the Mohist School, the Six-Fingered Black Knight, he had never had a similar feeling.

"Among the various schools of thought, Taoism has the deepest foundation. Even after it eventually separated into the Yin-Yang School and the Heavenly and Human Schools, it was not considered weak. Furthermore, the Heavenly School considers talent and fate when accepting disciples. Qingxu was able to be accepted as a disciple by Master Beimingzi, and both of these are indispensable."

"One can imagine just how strong his talent is, but Qingxu is not the kind of person who is overly ambitious. I once heard the previous leader of the Mo family, Six-Fingered Black Knight, say that Qingxu had traveled all over the world, and it seems that he had left his mark in Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, and Yan. A genius with exceptional talent who is also willing to humble himself and understand the suffering of the people, it is not surprising that he has achieved what he has today."

Upon hearing this, Fan Zeng let out a soft "hmm".

He didn't know much about Qingxu's deeds, and he had never heard of Qingxu traveling the world. He subconsciously thought that Qingxu had only been to the State of Chu!

Seeing that the other party did not believe him, Master Ban stroked his beard.

"The old man doesn't know much about the affairs of South Korea, but Brother Fan should know more about the affairs of Chu than I do. As for the affairs of Wei, I have heard some things about them."

Upon hearing this, Fan Zeng turned around and looked over, then said, "Oh, I would like to hear the details!"

A hint of reminiscence flashed in Master Ban's eyes. The events that happened in Daliang, the capital of Wei, had been leaked by someone with ulterior motives, even though the King of Wei had tried to stop it.

The Mohist school was the sect with the most wandering knights in the martial arts world, so they knew a lot about this matter.

"Speaking of which, it's been a few years. Back then, a major event occurred in Daliang City of Wei."

Master Ban's voice became somewhat solemn.

"Yan Wu, the patriarch of the Armored Sect of Wei, had a fierce battle with someone in Daliang City. The incident caused quite a stir, but the news was suppressed by the Wei Kingdom afterwards, so it did not spread to the martial arts world."

"However, many disciples of the Mohist school witnessed this scene in Daliang City at the time, so we in the Mohist school are aware of these things."

Upon hearing this, a strange light appeared in Fan Zeng's eyes. The fact that the Mohists were mostly wandering knights was not exactly a secret among the Hundred Schools of Thought. Although many people looked down on such power, from another perspective, such power was not useless; it was just a matter of where it was used.

In warfare, intelligence is paramount. The saying "know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated" reflects the military strategist's philosophy. And to achieve this, the most important thing is intelligence.

"Disciples of the Mohist school are found all over the world, roaming freely in the martial arts world. This is something that other schools probably cannot match."

The Tao is divided into Yin and Yang, and things are good and bad. Therefore, there will be two different interpretations of a matter, and what Fan Zeng said is the other one.

Master Ban smiled and shook his head, but instead of going along with it, he humbly said something.

"Just a bunch of peasants!"

He then continued, "According to the message relayed by the disciples at the time, the patriarch of the Armored Sect used a secret technique to mobilize the energy and spirit of over a thousand Imperial Guards, forcibly breaking through to the Grandmaster realm."

"That battle was so fierce that the heavens and earth trembled and rivers flowed backward."

"But in the end, the victor was not him, but his opponent, none other than Qingxu. Afterwards, Yan Wu died, and the Armored Sect lost its greatest backer."

Fan Zeng was startled.

He has never experienced a battle at the Grandmaster level, but he has personally witnessed the power of a military strategist using secret techniques to gather the strength of a thousand people to attack cities and capture strongholds. However, judging from Master Ban's words, the power unleashed by a Grandmaster seems to be even more terrifying.

"Old Fan, the power of a Grandmaster may truly be beyond all our comprehension."

"According to that disciple's account, during the fight, Qingxu used an extremely terrifying secret technique. The sword light covered half of Daliang City. He was able to withstand thousands of troops with his own strength. It was extremely dazzling. Such power was beyond human capabilities."

"Later, the Mohists investigated the battle and found that Qingxu's reason for taking action was that there was a brothel in Daliang City that abducted and trafficked innocent people. They had the support of the imperial court, so no one dared to provoke them, which made Daliang City chaotic and filled people with fear."

Speaking of the reason, Master Ban's tone was somewhat indignant. The Mohists valued chivalry and justice, so he naturally abhorred such things.

"It seems that Master Qingxu intervened because he could not stand this scene."

Fan Zeng subconsciously stroked his beard, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

After a while, Master Ban nodded and replied, "I'm afraid so."

"There are two aspects to the world: light and darkness. Master Qingxu's current state of mind is probably related to his experiences. Only by witnessing the darkness of the world can one cultivate such a state of mind."

“I once heard the Grand Master say that the Heavenly Sect pursues the ultimate state of detachment, which is a special state of mind, a sense of relief after experiencing the world. I think Qingxu must have reached this state.”

Fan Zeng suddenly fell silent, muttering a sentence to himself.

"The highest form of transcendence is detachment from emotions."

A gentle breeze blew across the lake, creating ripples on its surface, which also stirred ripples in the heart of this old military strategist.

Taoism is too detached, observing the world with a detached eye, but for ordinary people, this state of mind is very difficult to reach. Being in the mortal world but having one's heart beyond the heavens, this path is only suitable for a small number of people to explore, while most people are more likely to experience life in the mortal world, which is the reality.

"Old Man Ban, everyone has their own path, and that kind of path isn't suitable for us."

Upon hearing this, Master Ban laughed heartily.

"That makes sense. Out of all the people in the Seven Kingdoms, only one like him has emerged. But I often wonder, if this power were in my possession, what would I do with it?"

"Should I save more lives, or retreat from the world to cultivate myself, become a hermit, and pursue the Dao?"

Fan Zeng stood to one side, his eyes gleaming, but in the end, he shook his head. The idea was good, but he didn't believe he could hide his schemes from this person.

Having provoked such a being, he didn't believe the Xiang clan could protect him.

"Old Ban, let me be frank, this man is not someone we can easily manipulate. If you have such thoughts in mind, you'd better give up as soon as possible."

Master Ban's lips twitched.

"Old Fan, do you think I look like a fool?"

Fan Zeng laughed heartily.

"I don't think so, but even smart people make mistakes sometimes."

Xiang Yu sat in the middle of the small boat, and upon hearing what Ban Da Shi and Fan Zeng said, the little guy clenched his fists involuntarily.

There aren't many people in this world whom he can admire, but now it seems there's one more.

There seems to be another way to become an enemy of ten thousand men.

On the other side, Gai Nie, Tianming, Qingxu, Yan Lingji, and Wushuang stayed at the medical manor for the time being.

By the lake, Qingxu saw the towering, muscular man again.

Yan Lingji followed beside him, her eyes showing a hint of restraint. Although Qingxu had promised to take in Wushuang, she was still a little nervous as she actually came over.

Qingxu already has plenty of men under his command, so Wushuang is neither an added nor a lost person to him.

"Wushuang."

Yan Lingji called out, waking the burly man who was still recovering from his injuries.

Upon seeing Qingxu, Wu's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't met Qingxu back in Xinzheng, and now, several years later, Qingxu had grown up and changed appearance, making him even less likely to recognize him. "His name is Qingxu, and he is my current master."

Wushuang's eyes widened, and he tilted his head to examine Qingxu. In his opinion, how could a frail young man be worthy of being called "master" by Yanlingji?

He joined Quicksand because Wei Zhuang was strong enough, exuding domineering aura. In chaotic times, following the strong is a way of survival.

But he did not believe that the person before him could be his master.

Seemingly sensing the big guy's dissatisfaction, Qingxu sighed softly.

"I don't have much prejudice against the Baiyue people. Pursuing a strong person is a way of survival. After Tianze disappeared, following Wei Zhuang was a good choice. However, if Yan Lingji hadn't intervened, you would already be dead at Gai Nie's hands."

Wushuang's fist, which had been hanging by his side, clenched up without him noticing. The newcomer was right; if Yan Lingji hadn't intervened, he might have already died last time.

For an assassin, death means failure, which is not what he wants.

Do you know what power is?

Because Yan Lingji was present, Wushuang did not make a move. Hearing Qingxu's words, he looked at Qingxu with some confusion.

power.

In his view, the ability to defeat himself is power.

The next moment, his expression changed, because he found that everything around him had lost its original color, even Yan Lingji standing to the side was the same, and all he could see were black and white.

Such a horrifying scene gave him a sudden sense of foreboding.

He instinctively wanted to warn Yan Lingji of the danger, but when he tried to speak, he found himself unable to utter a sound.

There was an unseen force preventing him from speaking. This force was extremely powerful, and in the end, he found that even moving a finger had become a luxury.

"Young master, please have mercy."

His words didn't get out, but then he heard Yan Lingji's words. Only then did he realize that everything was the work of this young man. Upon realizing this, Wushuang's heart skipped a beat.

If he had previously thought the young man before him was a composed and unassuming gentleman, then now this seemingly calm and collected young man was an incredibly terrifying being.

Qingxu's eyes remained unwavering as he slowly walked over, past Wushuang, and arrived at the lakeside. Looking at the calm lake surface, he said leisurely, "Power is indispensable to a person, but excessive pursuit of power without a matching state of mind will only make one a slave to power."

"When working under me, the first thing you need to do is to restrain your own mind and understand where your strength should be used, instead of venting it recklessly. I will only say this once."

Upon hearing this, Wushuang looked somewhat puzzled. Although the simple-minded man heard Qingxu's words, he did not understand their meaning.

"From now on, you will stay by Yan Lingji's side! Do whatever she tells you to do, and don't do anything she forbids you to do."

After saying this, Qingxu waved his hand, dispelling the color-loss effect of his technique. A trace of lingering fear flashed in his eyes, which had regained their freedom. Such a technique was far more terrifying than that of Tianze and Weizhuang.

"Thank you, sir."

At first, she didn't know how to arrange things for Wushuang. Although she initially wanted Wushuang to help out at the Sanhe Shop, given Wushuang's personality, this matter was still open to discussion.

If a dispute arises with the owner of Sanhe Shop for any other reason, it will be difficult to resolve.

Now that Qingxu has Wushuang following him, everything is much easier to discuss.

"Gai Nie's injuries probably won't heal in a short time, and the Quicksand organization might not be able to wait that long."

Standing by the lake, Qingxu brought up another matter.

Yan Lingji frowned. She wasn't quite sure what Qingxu was thinking about Gai Nie.

Regarding the duel between the Guigu School and the School of Diplomacy, she didn't really want to get involved.

In the martial world today, there are not many people who can stop Wei Zhuang. As far as Jinghu Medical Manor is concerned, there is only one person, and that is the young man in front of us.

"What does the young master mean?"

Qingxu remained silent for a moment, then gently shook his head.

"The quicksand should be on the outskirts of Mirror Lake. Go with Wushuang to see Wei Zhuang and tell him that the Medical Manor is not a place for fighting. If he wants to fight Gai Nie, he should choose another place."

"As for Wushuang, he will be working at the Cape from now on, so tell him not to worry about him anymore."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingji blinked.

She had dealt with Wei Zhuang before, so she wondered if the owner of Quicksand would accept such a blunt statement.

If Wei Zhuang were to make a move, she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Young Master, Wei Zhuang is not the kind of person who shows mercy to women. Will Wushuang and I get into trouble if we go there?"

Qingxu stood there for a moment, pondering. Although he knew that Wei Zhuang was unlikely to make a move, he still decided to prepare for the worst just in case.

“Peach Blossom!”

He reached out towards the medical clinic, and a wooden sword flew through the air, then steadily arrived in front of Qingxu. Qingxu ran his hand along the sword, then guided it towards Yan Lingji. The peach sword spun in mid-air before flying over to her.

“He’s a smart man. If he still doesn’t know his limits, then I don’t mind letting him rest for a couple of days as well.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingji shrugged.

Everyone says that Wei Zhuang is domineering, but who knows that this young man in front of us is just as domineering?

In this martial arts world where martial arts reign supreme, isn't that the essence of things? If she were alone and went to tell Wei Zhuang these things, he would probably use his shark tooth sword to comb her hair. But with this peach sword, the outcome is different.

"What does the young master intend?"

She had some guesses about Qingxu's plans to control the world, but Qingxu had never mentioned the specific details to anyone. Now that she saw how concerned he was about Gai Nie, she made her guess.

"Get to work!"

Qingxu did not answer the question, but instead said something meaningful.

Seeing that Qingxu had no intention of explaining, Yan Lingji didn't want to make a fool of herself any further, so she took Wushuang and left in another small boat.

Inside the medical clinic, Duanmu Rong briefly examined Gai Nie's injuries and, finding that they had stabilized, began to attend to other matters.

Because of their age, Yue'er and Tianming quickly became acquainted. The medical clinic was only busy when there were injured patients; otherwise, it wasn't that busy.

Thinking back to when he saw Xiang Yu and the others off, Tianming felt a pang of regret.

Actually, he had a very good impression of Xiang Yu. In the beginning, they cooperated with each other to deal with Wushuang, a big guy, and became friends after fighting. Later, Xiang Yu had nothing but praise for him.

Even when faced with danger, he never thought of abandoning him, which made him feel that the other party was a trustworthy person. In addition, Xiang Yu was about the same age as him, so they could talk to each other. Now that he was leaving, he felt a little reluctant to part with him.

"What's wrong, Tianming?"

As Yue'er was drying medicinal herbs, she saw Tianming looking worried and casually asked him a question.

"Shaoyu just left like that. If he were here, it would have been even more lively with the rest of us."

Upon hearing this, Yue'er was taken aback, then smiled and shook her head.

She knew the Shao Yu that Tianming mentioned; he was the heir of the Xiang clan of Chu. Although he was young, he had already been to the battlefield.

"Tianming, Shaoyu is no ordinary person."

"I heard from Old Man Ban that he is a descendant of the Xiang clan of Chu. Although he looks young, he has already been on the battlefield and fought against the Qin army."

Upon hearing this, Tianming was taken aback.

Xiang Yu was skilled, but his opponent was quite old. He found it hard to believe that his opponent was going to the battlefield at such a young age.

Seeing that Tianming didn't seem to believe her, Yue'er pouted.

She heard the news from Master Ban, not made it up herself. Besides, although Shao Yu looks young, his style of doing things is completely different from theirs. You can tell just by looking at him!

"Why, you don't believe it?"

Tianming pinched his chin, his eyes darting around. He naturally didn't believe that Xiang Yu was going to the battlefield to kill enemies at such a young age, but he didn't want to offend Yue'er, so he was thinking about how to say it.

After a while, Tianming spoke up again, saying, "It's not that I don't believe it, it's just that I wonder if he's so young, can he really ride a horse?"

On the battlefield, people usually have mounts, especially those with a special status like Shao Yu, so Tianming brought up this matter.

Yue'er only had a vague understanding of war, and after hearing Tianming ask this question, she was unsure.

"I don't know about that, but this information was given to me by Master Ban. Old Man Ban usually doesn't lie. Besides, you should have met him along the way, right? I heard Old Man Ban say that Shao Yu is born with superhuman strength and has few rivals in the army."

"Born with superhuman strength."

(End of this chapter)