During the Qin Dynasty, he was in charge of the net.

When Li Ji reappeared at Xianyang Palace, he was in the capacity of the Shadow Guard Commander.

Standing before him was the young King of Qin, Ying Zheng.

What should have been a harmonious scene between the emperor and his subjects was instead filled with such oppressive atmosphere that the palace maids dared not utter a sound.

Two days have passed since Li Ji last saw Zhao Ji.

Li Ji spent the past two days at the Shadow Guard's residence. When Zhao Ji delivered a secret edict and a gilded seal-engraved secret order to him, he naturally became the master of the Shadow Guard's residence and the commander of the Shadow Guard.

At this moment, Li Ji was wearing a red and black official robe on the outside and a light armor with silver cloud patterns on the inside. His clothes were neat and solemn, without any embellishments.

Ordinary Shadow Guards wear silver armor and masks when they go out, but only the Commander-in-Chief does not need to wear a mask and can show his face.

This is a symbol of identity, meaning that from now on, Li Ji can appear in most places in Xianyang Palace simply by virtue of this face and the commander's secret order.

If the Xianyang Palace was like this, then the entire Qin state must have been even more free to come and go.

He no longer had to constantly conceal his identity or hide his face.

He commands eight hundred Shadow Guards, and can use the power of the Qin state to cover his own Luo Wang mission.

He could use his position as a secret guard to act first and report later, kill first and investigate later, possessing the tacitly approved power of killing.

However, he did not feel the joy he had imagined; instead, he was enveloped by a deeper and colder silence.

Perhaps, having carried out too many missions for the Net, his heart had long been enveloped in darkness.

Perhaps, the more lush a tree's canopy, the deeper its roots must penetrate into the darkness.

His current situation is like walking on a pitch-black road at night. He can do nothing, he can take off his clothes and vent his anger in the darkness, but when dawn breaks, everything will be revealed.

Therefore, in order to survive until dawn, he had to keep going.

However, this night road is not easy to walk on. It is full of thorns and gravel, and one careless step could result in a head injury.

Right now, Li Ji has encountered the suspicion of the King of Qin.

"I was the last to know about the newly appointed commander of my Shadow Guard."

Commander Li, how do you think I should view you?

The speaker was a young man dressed in a dark, narrow-sleeved brocade robe with a dark dragon design, who appeared to be around fifteen years old.

His face still had a touch of youthful innocence, but his eyes were cold, sharp, and deep. He seemed taciturn, only occasionally revealing a maturity and composure beyond his years.

This person is none other than the current King of Qin, Ying Zheng.

Faced with Ying Zheng's suspicion, Li Ji looked up at him, his tone calm and unwavering:

"Does Your Majesty have doubts about whether you do not trust Chancellor Lü or Empress Dowager Zhao?"

Ying Zheng sat upright in his chair, his hands resting on the table, looking at Li Ji several feet away, his eyes filled with deep wariness, and said:

"Of course I trust my father-in-law and mother-in-law, but I want to know, is Commander Li truly my father-in-law's man, or my mother-in-law's man?"

Li Ji did not reply immediately.

He scrutinized the young King of Qin. In his eyes, the surrounding figures and palaces all faded away, transforming into a dark, gloomy pool.

The water was calm and still, its dark, inky surface obscuring the view of the sky.

In the center of the black water, a black dragon lies still.

The black dragon was about ten feet long, pure black all over, with fine and tight scales, a slender and agile body, and a smooth and powerful dragon body. Although it did not show any ferocious or menacing appearance, it had its own dragon aura that oppressed all directions.

This strange phenomenon was fleeting in Li Ji's eyes, but it left a deep impression on him.

This young King of Qin has a very distinguished appearance.

Unlike the great sun that fell to earth like Donghuang Taiyi, or the boundless sea of ​​blood of the leader of the Luowang, this young Qin King's appearance was still very weak.

However, this black dragon lying quietly in the middle of the black water has its own kind of grandeur that makes it impossible to ignore.

Moreover, this black dragon appears to be just a young dragon; it may become even more powerful once it reaches adulthood.

Such a black dragon might be a good companion on a dark night.

They are companions, not ruler and subject.

Li Ji never considered pledging allegiance to anyone, not even the King of Qin.

He was once a sword of the Net, but in the future, the Net will become the sword in his hand.

Li Ji looked at Ying Zheng again, the strange look in his eyes gone. He didn't answer Ying Zheng's previous question, but instead asked:

"Does Your Majesty know the name of the Shadow Guard?"

Ying Zheng replied calmly, "If I remember correctly, it is like maggots clinging to my bones, like a shadow following me, like your personal presence."

Li Ji nodded slightly and said, "Since the King of Qin knows the name of the Shadow Guard, he should also know that the Shadow Guard has never been anyone's man; the Shadow Guard is only the King of Qin's shadow."

"My lonely shadow..."

Ying Zheng took his hand off the table, rested his chin on his hand, and pondered the twelve-character name of the Shadow Guard.

After a moment of silence and contemplation, Ying Zheng looked at Li Ji again. The suspicion in his eyes had faded somewhat, but the wariness in his heart remained.

Ying Zheng said, "Even so, I find it difficult to fully trust Commander Li at the moment."

Li Ji could certainly understand the young King of Qin's thoughts, after all, the Shadow Guards were protecting the king, and their lives were at stake.

Although he was recommended by Lü Buwei and Zhao Ji, becoming the commander of the Shadow Guard was a natural progression. However, precisely because of this, he was also labeled by Lü Buwei and Zhao Ji, making it even more difficult for him to gain the trust of the King of Qin.

However, for Li Ji, gaining the trust of the King of Qin was an essential step.

Without the trust of the King of Qin, the position of Commander of the Shadow Guard would be more of a burden to him.

He didn't have that much time and energy to waste on the Shadow Guard's daily official duties, nor could he stay in Xianyang indefinitely.

He needed the King of Qin's trust so that he would have greater autonomy.

Thinking of this, Li Ji calmly cupped his hands to Ying Zheng and said:

"I would like to make a bet with Your Majesty: if a palace maid shouts that Your Majesty has been assassinated, we will observe who is the first to come to Your Majesty's side to protect you."

"If I lose, I will immediately resign from my position as commander of the Shadow Guard. If Chancellor Lü and the Empress Dowager inquire, I will provide an explanation."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng's eyes showed obvious surprise.

Although he found it hard to believe that his Shadow Guard commander was...

However, when the other party offered to resign, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, as if he didn't deserve to be protected by the other party.

Ying Zheng forcibly suppressed this feeling. He believed that no one opened a casino with the intention of losing; the other party must want something in return.

So Ying Zheng asked, "Since it's a gamble, there are winners and losers. If Commander Li wins, what reward would you like from me?"

Li Ji replied, "If I win, I only ask that Your Majesty, in the future, should have any doubts in your heart, be willing to hear a word of explanation from me."

This seemed like a very small request, and Ying Zheng had no reason not to agree.

If he wins, he can take this opportunity to find a Shadow Guard commander he can completely trust.

As for losing, he didn't suffer any loss.

Moreover, this bet is equally interesting.

Ying Zheng also wanted to see who would be the first to arrive and protect him if he were assassinated.