Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 256 Seeing Water as Water, Han Xin and Dongjun

"She seemed to have figured something out."

On the banks of the Jade Liquid River, Qingze's tone became somewhat hesitant. As a smart man, he never doubted the opinions of others.

A wise person sees no fools, just as a fool sees no wise people.

Qingze was smart enough that he could see things clearly from his perspective. Since the girl was his creation, he believed that she must have noticed something.

"Really?"

Qingxu stood by the river, looking at the rolling water, with his hands behind his back.

When I was observing water back then, I felt that the universe contained the great Dao, so I sat in meditation for several years and comprehended the Dao of "the highest good is like water".

Looking at the water today, I only feel the rushing water, which makes me feel relaxed and open-minded. But this water is just water, the water of the Jade Liquid River, and it doesn't hide anything else.

Thinking this way, his heart was unconsciously stirred with ripples. All things in nature are water, and water is just water. It is not that the Great Dao is hidden in all things in the world, but that the Great Dao is in all things in the world.

It's not that he didn't understand the Dao contained in the water, so the Dao doesn't exist; rather, the Dao is right there, and you'll discover it once you understand it.

This is a process of going from something to something, not a process of going from nothing to something.

So when he recalled that sentence deep in his mind, he suddenly felt enlightened.

"The great path lies beneath your feet, let's go!!"

Indeed, the Tao is there, and what people need to do is discover it and thus achieve their goals.

"Aren't you worried?"

Qingze glanced at the young man beside him, his eyes flickering, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps he could no longer understand the person beside him.

He has been in Sanhepu for seven years. Sanhepu is a Taoist shop, so in the process of running it, he has come into contact with many Taoist disciples.

Some of these people are highly accomplished, their conduct is natural and profound, while others have not yet broken free from the shackles of their own minds and are still struggling.

As an outsider, he saw all of this clearly. He also knew that the Taoist Heavenly Sect pursued the supreme state of detachment from worldly desires, a state that seemed to be reached by only one or two people in the entire Taoist community.

Do you think quicksand will be our enemy?

Upon hearing this, Qingze narrowed his eyes.

"There are no permanent friends in the world, only permanent interests. Just like this time, Quicksand made a move because the Empire offered them tempting bargaining chips. If the Empire can still offer Quicksand tempting bargaining chips next time, it is hard to say whether Quicksand will make a move against us."

At this point, Qingze paused.

To complete a task, there is usually a certain cost. The reward provided by the object is often weighed against the cost to determine whether a task is worth completing.

Actions against the Taoist Heavenly Sect often come at a great cost, a cost that cannot be offset by ordinary means, unless it involves a life-or-death terror.

"However, even the Empire might not be able to provide enough leverage for the Quicksand to take action against the Daoist school."

"unless."

Upon hearing this, Qingxu glanced at him slightly, then added softly, "Unless it's a matter of life and death, but if it comes to that, I don't think Wei Zhuang will choose to obey, but rather perish together with him."

Qingze nodded.

"Yes, Wei Zhuang is not someone who can be manipulated by others, unless it is something he wants to do."

“A long time ago, I wondered if Honglian had fallen in love with someone she shouldn’t have. Now it seems she did make a mistake. In chaotic times, love is a luxury, and not everyone is entitled to it.”

Qingze turned to look at the young man beside him, but the young man seemed not to notice and did not respond.

Many things in this world have their trajectories predetermined by fate, but some things are overlooked by fate. For example, a beautiful woman should not fall in love with a beggar, but in this chaotic world, anything becomes possible.

Who is the person from the Yin-Yang School who made the move?

Time passed slowly, and after a long while, Qingxu suddenly spoke up and asked again.

Qingze looked up at the sky. The Yin-Yang School was no ordinary sect.

"They are Dongjun, Yueshen, Da Siming, and Shao Siming."

Upon hearing these four names, Qingxu reached out and pinched his chin. These four people from the Yin Yang School had all reached the Grandmaster realm. The strongest among them should be Dongjun Yanfei, whose actual combat strength was comparable to the Ghost Valley Twin Swords.

With the addition of the Moon Goddess, the Great Master of Fate, and the Lesser Master of Fate, this level of combat power is enough to suppress an ordinary sect. What exactly does the Yin Yang School intend to do by sending out four Grandmaster-level combatants this time?

"However, we also discovered some information at the edge of the sea. Among the four members of the Yin-Yang School who made this move, the strongest one, Miss Dongjun, seems to be targeting you, not Gai Nie."

Upon hearing that Yan Fei's target was him, Qing Xu subconsciously rubbed his nose. He could swear that he had never done anything wrong to that girl.

"What? I've heard that Consort Yan is a stunning beauty. Being coveted by a beauty shouldn't be a bad thing, right?"

Seeing Qingxu's action, Qingze chuckled and then winked and nudged Qingxu's shoulder.

Upon noticing the gossip around him, Qingxu's lips twitched; he didn't remember this guy having this trait.

"Why don't you give it a try?"

After a long pause, Qingxu replied expressionlessly, leaving Qingze speechless. Yanfei was indeed a beauty, a beauty as beautiful as a flower and as beautiful as the moon, but she was a member of the Yin-Yang School. Because they practiced those powerful Yin-Yang techniques, the Yin-Yang School members were inherently somewhat extreme in temperament. In addition, those Yin-Yang techniques were difficult to defend against, and if one was not careful, one would die. Beautiful flowers all have thorns, and as a person who cherished his life, he did not want to be a philandering ghost.

"I am not worthy of enjoying flowers with thorns."

Qingxu shook his head, but he still agreed with Qingze's description. That girl was indeed a very beautiful woman, but she was also a very troublesome one.

If possible, he really wouldn't want to have anything to do with this beauty, but that's impossible now.

"Do you think Zhao Gao will be furious if he finds out what's going on here? That scene would be quite a spectacle."

Then Qingze brought up another matter, which was about the assassination attempt.

The current leader of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) is a eunuch who holds the official position of Zhongchefu Ling (Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office), making him a close attendant of Ying Zheng. From several encounters, he discovered that this man is extremely good at concealing his true intentions and is ruthless. It is not a good thing for the empire for such a person to control the Luo Wang. Of course, these things are not actually his concern, but Zhao Gao's control of the Luo Wang is also a disaster for the whole world, which is what he does not want to see.

"I wouldn't say he'd fly into a rage, but I think that the Grand Master of the Imperial Carriage Office will be afraid to leave Xianyang Palace for a while."

Qingxu flicked his finger, sending an invisible burst of energy straight into the Jade Liquid River. A wave several meters high suddenly erupted on the surface. The major powers of the martial world must have already received news of the events of the night before last. The Luo Wang organization is deeply entrenched and extremely complex. Completely eradicating this organization entrenched in the empire would require immense time and resources for every individual and power.

Given the current state of the world, spending enormous energy to deal with the Net is not a worthwhile investment.

"I left someone at the edge of the sea; he'll relay news of my visit to the Luo Wang organization back to Zhao Gao."

Upon hearing this, Qingze's eye twitched.

A grandmaster visiting is not a good thing, especially since it's a grandmaster with whom one has a grudge. More importantly, the Taoist Tianzong's "Harmony with the World" technique can make one's whereabouts unknown. In other words, if Qingxu deliberately hides his tracks, no one, unless they are a grandmaster, can detect his movements.

On the Qin side, there aren't many Grandmaster-level experts. Apart from the two from the Yin-Yang School and one more in the Xianyang Palace, there's no word on the others for the time being.

And one thing is certain: Luo Wang does not have any Grandmaster-level experts. In other words, if Zhao Gao does not want to be targeted by Qing Xu, he would better not go anywhere during this period. Otherwise, once Qing Xu makes a move, he will have no other choice.

"By the way, how's the person I asked you to keep an eye on doing?"

Finally, Qingxu's gaze flickered with a hint of emotion, and he turned to ask about something else.

Are you talking about Han Xin?

Qingze's lips curled up and his eyebrows curved, and he seemed to be in a very good mood when talking about this person.

"Although I don't know where you learned about this person, he is indeed a promising talent, especially in his understanding and application of military strategy, which can even reach the point of applying what he has learned to other situations."

"If he were to be tempered in battle, he might very well grow into a Martial Lord of a nation, or even stronger."

Qingze was extremely intelligent, but he felt a sense of unease about the young man named Han Xin. If things really did turn out as Qingxu had said, and the world descended into chaos, then the role that man could play would be immeasurable.

In the battlefield, the strength of one person is ultimately insignificant. Even a grandmaster cannot withstand thousands of troops. Therefore, an excellent general will become the biggest bargaining chip in the future.

Qingxu nodded with considerable emotion upon hearing Qingze's assessment.

Han Xin, a man known in history as the "God of War," was probably unmatched in military ability during that period.

If that butcher from Qin hadn't died, he would most likely have been defeated and killed by this man.

Unfortunately, this military genius did not have a good end. Some say that his achievements overshadowed his lord, so Liu Bang had to turn a blind eye and let Empress Lü kill him. Others say that he killed too many people in his life, which shortened his lifespan and ruined his fate, leading to his tragic end.

"He will be a sword, an unparalleled sword. If you want to use this sword, you'd better go and see him in person."

After a while, Qingze's voice came again.

Qingxu did not object to the proposal. He actually had two choices regarding this person: one was to recruit him for his own use, and the other was to die rather than surrender.

Such a person could have a far greater impact on the world today than Donghuang Taiyi could ever achieve.

If one day they become enemies, the other will surely become a nightmare on the battlefield. So Qingze is right, it's better to meet sooner rather than later to save some trouble in the future.

“Xiaomeng has already sensed the color loss of the world that you created. I told her that you are my disciple, and if she asks about it later, you can use that as an excuse.”

Qingxu's figure flickered, and a voice rang in Qingze's heart. Watching the afterimage slowly dissipate in the distance, Qingze shook his head casually.

It's just a title; it's nothing to him. Since he went into seclusion here, he has become indifferent to worldly possessions.

"When can I go out for a walk?"

It was also a celestial voice transmission; one voice entered Qingxu's heart.

Qingxu's figure flashed by on the mountain path, then he replied, "Let's wait until the martial world is completely in chaos."

"In the eastern part of the city, Mars guards the heart."

Qingze was about to return to the shop when he heard these words, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Mars guarding the heart" refers to a celestial phenomenon that is considered a very ominous sign in astrology, foretelling the death of an emperor, a change of regime, war, or a major disaster.

The world has only been at peace for a few years now, and judging from Qingxu's words, it seems that another great upheaval is about to occur.

Will he die?

A hint of emotion suddenly welled up in Qingze's eyes. He had said the same thing back then, but he never expected things to happen so suddenly.

After a long while, no sound came back; only the sound of the wind blew everything away.

Then the shopkeeper slowly walked back into the shop. Death is something everyone will experience; no one can avoid it, it's just a matter of time.

Even if it's him, the girls in the shop, or that young man, they will eventually take that step after the passage of time.

A rough-around-the-edges man from the martial arts world once said something rather crude: "The purpose of being born is to wait for death."

Although the words are crude, they are worth exploring from another perspective. A person begins their life journey from the moment they are born, but the final destination of life is death. In other words, a person is moving step by step toward death from birth, and this statement is true.

However, reality is so cruel that many people cannot accept it, so almost no one likes to hear this.

"Shopkeeper, where is the young master?"

Inside the shop, seeing Qingze walk back, Nongyu couldn't help but ask.

She knew Qingze's identity; she had seen Qingze's performance in the store before, and he hadn't made any major mistakes.

"Is there something you need, Miss Nongyu?"

Qingze returned to the recliner and looked at Nongyu before asking softly.

After thinking for a moment, Nongyu replied softly, "It's like this, the imperial court sent a letter, it seems that an elder from the Yin-Yang School has come to visit, and the Tianzong sect intends to have him stay here for a few days."

Upon hearing Nongyu mention this matter, Qingze's eyes suddenly showed a hint of hesitation.

"Could it be that Dongjun?"

"."

(End of this chapter)