You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

It was already deep winter, and the outline of the Shangjun city wall appeared somewhat blurred in the swirling snow.

The wind swept in from the northern wilderness, howling and howling, and stung my face like a knife.

Large snowflakes were torn apart by the gale, swirling and rushing towards the eaves and the frozen "Qin" banner on the city wall.

Squeak, squeak...

The sound of footsteps crunching through the snow drifted slowly from the end of the long street.

Two figures walked side by side toward the city gate.

Even in the dead of winter, Lu Zuo and Jing Ni were still dressed in only a single layer of clothing, their protective inner energy sufficient to withstand the extreme cold and heat.

She finally managed to get a chance to spend time with him, but it turned out they had to return to Xianyang together...

If we fail to capture him on the way, how will we explain this to the Prime Minister when we return?

"Is Miss Jingni troubled by something?"

Seeing that she had lowered her head and remained silent after leaving the gate, Lu Zuo asked her a question.

"what?"

Startled by the interruption, Jingni shook her head and said, "It's nothing."

"The thought of returning to Xianyang, separating from the Marquis, and being drawn back into the bloodshed is bound to make me feel a little..."

She paused there, not continuing.

Is this girl tired of killing?

Lu Zuo pondered for a moment and said, "If Miss Jingni wants to leave the Net, I can speak with Lü Buwei."

"No need for that."

Jing Ni waved her hand: "Serving the Great Qin is my wish. Although I am somewhat disgusted by killing, I will continue to do so."

Hearing her say that, Lu Zuo was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why?"

Jing Ni: "Does Your Excellency believe that the assassins of the Luo Wang are all callous, cold-blooded weapons?"

Lu Zuo quickly denied it: "I didn't think that way."

Jing Ni glanced at him and said, "The assassins of the Luo Wang are indeed ruthless and cold-blooded killers."

"But compared to the rulers of the seven kingdoms, what are we?"

"Jing Ni took up her sword at the age of seven and entered the Heavenly Rank at the age of sixteen. She has seen the refugees in the Yi River, whose coldness chills to the bone, and she has also seen the mountains of bones piled up outside Handan City."

"When Han and Wei were at war, the people of a city resorted to cannibalism by exchanging their own children. When Yan and Zhao clashed, the fields for spring planting were filled with tattered flags."

"In this era of great strife, war rages on and battles never cease. The number of people who die every day is probably equal to the number killed by the Luo Wang organization in a year..."

Lu Zuo nodded: "That makes sense."

"That's why," Jingni said, her gaze fixed on the distant snowstorm, "we are willing to heed the Prime Minister's teachings."

"With the swords in our hands, the Great Qin will cut through all the thorns of this chaotic world."

"For every person we kill, whether they are a pillar of Qi or a rising star of Chu..."

"When the world is unified in the future, on the road to ending the war, many fewer people will die and much less blood will be shed."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "The Prime Minister's original intention in establishing the Net was not to create a batch of weapons that only knew how to kill."

"But warriors who fight for the unification of the world!"

Lu Buwei turned to look at Jing Ni and saw the burning light in her eyes. He couldn't help but think to himself, "This Lu Buwei is something else."

"To cultivate an assassin organization, you can't just rely on money or threats."

"We also need to give them goals to strive for!"

"I've learned something, I've learned something..."

Just then, a commotion ahead interrupted Lu and Zuo's thoughts.

The two looked up and saw that at the foot of the city wall ahead, in a cleared area, there were several small hills of black coal piled up.

Dozens of soldiers, dressed in thick fur coats, were busy working in pairs, using large shovels to load coal into the baskets, carts, or tattered sacks of the people queuing up.

"queue!"

"No pushing! Elderly people, women, and children, please come to the front!"

A man who looked like an officer stood in front of the coal pile, shouting loudly to maintain order.

The people of Shangjun lined up in a long, winding queue that almost stretched to another street corner, their faces filled with joy.

Jing Ni glanced at it a few times, then fixed her gaze on Lu Zuo: "Is this the Marquis's order?"

Lu Zuo nodded: "The people of Shangjun helped a lot during the prospecting and mining."

"So much coal can't be transported away in a short time. It's better to distribute it to the people to help them get through the winter than to leave it there in a pile."

Jingni's heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself, "If we had had this kind of coal back then, my parents wouldn't have..."

Soon, the two left Shangjun City, and the people who had received the coal also headed back home.

The wind and snow continued, but people's steps seemed much lighter, and their conversations gradually grew louder as they moved further away from the distribution point.

"Mother, will this black stone really burn brightly?"

A boy, about half a year old, helped his mother push the cart, saying, "It doesn't look as dry as the firewood we used to chop."

"Silly boy, don't underestimate this coal!"

An elderly man with gray hair, wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat, chimed in: "The adults demonstrated this the other day; it burns really well!"

"This winter, our house will finally be a little warm!"

……

The next day, in Xianyang, at the main hall of the Yin-Yang School.

As soon as Lu Zuo stepped into the majestic main hall, he felt a grand, profound, and almost inhuman aura rushing towards him.

The interior is high and spacious, with a deep dome in which stars twinkle and move endlessly according to mysterious trajectories.

The ground is as smooth as a mirror, presenting a deep, dark black color that clearly reflects the starry sky above. Walking on it is like strolling through the abyss of the universe.

The main hall of the Yin-Yang School was completed half a year ago, but this was Lu Zuo's first time here.

Seeing the interior of the hall, he felt even more strongly that this was a world of cultivation…

"I don't know what you've been busy with all this time; you're always nowhere to be seen."

Not far away, Donghuang Taiyi walked slowly over, his voice low.

Lu Zuo smiled and said, "Mr. Donghuang, I have come here today to ask you something."

"Oh?"

Donghuang Taiyi seemed somewhat surprised, paused for a moment, and said, "Speak."

Lu Zuo cut to the chase: "Does the Yin-Yang School possess any martial arts, or rather... methods, to counter the Netherworld God Lord?"

Donghuang Taiyi's eyes flickered slightly beneath his metal mask, then he slowly raised a hand, his fingertips gathering light as he drew lines in the air.

A moment later, the light intertwined in front of him to form a constantly flowing, ever-renewing diagram of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang.

The diagram shows the five elements rotating, with Yin and Yang energies chasing and transforming within it like two swimming fish, creating a profound and mysterious effect.

"The Lord of the Underworld has refined himself to the extreme, and his physical body is no longer an ordinary flesh and blood body."

"Every inch of its skin, every drop of its blood, and even its finest roots contain the wonders of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, forming a self-circulating cycle that is endlessly regenerating."

"External forces destroy its form, just as cutting off the flow of water will only cause it to flow again, or like wildfire burning the plains, only to be reborn in the spring breeze."

"This is because its foundation is intact, its yin and yang are not disordered, and its five elements are not broken."

"To break its immortality, one must start from the root, disrupt its yin and yang, reverse its five elements, and destroy its foundation..."

……

A short while later, outside the Yin-Yang School's residence.

Lu Zuo strolled through the wind and snow, pondering to himself, "I've finally figured out the secret to the Yin Emperor's immortality."

"To break its immortality, one must use the Eight Yin Meridian Curses to erode its Yin Soul and the Eight Yang Meridian Curses to burn its Yang Spirit."

"Using the Five Elements Yin-Yang Technique, we can manipulate the five elements within their bodies to counteract each other..."

"No wonder that bastard was so surprised when he saw that I knew the martial arts of the Yin-Yang School."

"His expression wasn't one of surprise, it was one of fear..."

"It seems I need to hurry up and master the Yin-Yang School's techniques."

Sweeping away the Dongyang Buddhist sect granted Lu Zuo a large amount of cultivation. He has already mastered the Yin-Yang techniques of the metal, earth, and water elements to perfection. Currently, he only lacks the fire, wood, and Yin-Yang seal techniques.

"Um?"

He hadn't gone far when he saw Jingni standing at the corner ahead, quietly watching him.

Her long hair was gently blown by the wind, and a few strands clung to her fair, almost translucent cheeks, making her skin appear even whiter than snow.

She was still wearing that close-fitting black outfit, which perfectly accentuated her shapely curves.

This serene beauty, quietly blossoming amidst the biting cold wind, possesses a unique charm that is even more captivating than a city covered in snow.

Lu Zuo strode forward and asked, "You didn't return to Luo Wang?"

"Jing Ni thought..."

"I want to thank the Marquis for saving my life first... before I go back."