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

"What are you afraid of?"

Despite her cousin's attempts to dissuade her, Ying Shu simply patted the water stains off her clothes indifferently.

"What danger could be at Uncle Lü's residence?"

Besides, don't you still have Xiaowan?

Xiao Wan, you are the most accomplished person in the palace, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and the most powerful female knight-errant in the future of Qin.

With you by my side, I feel at ease going anywhere, let alone just the same courtyard. Please make an exception for me!

I promise, we'll just go in, take a quick look around, and then leave!

Ying Shu held her cousin's hand and shook it repeatedly, pleading with her.

Ying Wan was already used to her cousin's unreliability and knew that her cousin wouldn't leave unless she agreed.

She was also worried about leaving her cousin behind on her own.

"It's settled then. We'll just take one walk around and leave right away."

Yingwan held down her cousin's waving hand and said earnestly.

Seeing that her cousin had agreed, Ying Shu nodded vigorously.

Ying Wan couldn't help but chuckle at her cousin's unexpected and comical appearance.

The courtyard is dark and there shouldn't be anyone there. As long as we take my cousin for a casual stroll and leave before the owner returns, nothing should happen.

Meanwhile, inside the courtyard.

Li Ji was sitting cross-legged on an open space in the courtyard, cultivating, with the Broken Water Sword resting horizontally on his knees.

In front of him, three figures that looked exactly like him to outsiders were attacking each other.

One of them wielded a water sword, his movements unpredictable, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing, making him impossible to fathom.

One of them constantly changes its form, sometimes into a human, sometimes into a beast, and sometimes into a bird. Often, it is split in two one moment and then quickly transforms into two water-shaped pythons to bite and counterattack the next.

The last figure was half a meter off the ground, raising his hand to unleash the water arrows, water blades, and sailor techniques that Li Ji often used.

Although these attacks were much less powerful than Li Ji's, this figure had the advantage of being reckless and not caring about conserving his true energy. He attacked with all his might from the start, thus suppressing the other two figures at the same time.

These three figures were none other than Li Ji's Water Element Illusionary Body, a being at the Dragon Embryo Realm.

The Water Element Illusion Body is essentially the condensed Netherworld True Qi to its extreme, and each strand consumes half a unit of Netherworld True Qi from Li Ji's dantian.

The three water elemental illusions attacked each other, causing water vapor to fill the air above the courtyard, while a layer of water that could reach above a person's calves had accumulated below.

Strangely, there was no trace of water within a foot of Li Ji, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

The water flowed past him, quickly splitting in two before flowing to either side.

This was thanks to the water-splitting sword on his knee.

At this moment, Li Ji had already noticed the commotion outside the courtyard. He chose to cultivate at night because he did not want to disturb outsiders, but he did not expect that two daughters of the royal family would come here by mistake. Moreover, it seemed that they even planned to climb into his courtyard for a stroll before leaving.

Li Ji opened his closed eyes, raised his hand and waved it. The three water elemental illusions instantly dissolved, turning into a puddle of water that merged with the water in the courtyard.

At this moment, Ying Wan, with Ying Shu by her side, jumped into the courtyard together.

The courtyard gate had already been locked by Li Ji, so the two of them had no choice but to sneak in this way.

But as soon as they jumped in, the two felt a cold sensation on their calves.

"Oh no, why is there so much water in this yard?"

As soon as Ying Shu jumped in, she stumbled and almost fell, but fortunately Ying Wan, who was next to her, caught her in time, thus preventing a tragedy from happening.

As members of the Qin royal family, both women naturally practiced martial arts. However, Ying Shu was usually playful and her martial arts skills were rudimentary, barely enough to handle one or two ordinary people. Ying Wan, on the other hand, was not only well-versed in classical texts but also quite talented in martial arts.

"This courtyard...something's not right. Cousin, you'd better stay close to me and don't wander off."

Ying Wanqing frowned slightly, a look of seriousness flashing in her eyes.

Ying Shu knew that this courtyard was indeed very strange, so she did not refute it and nodded honestly.

Just then, a cold and calm male voice entered their ears.

"Ladies, why have you intruded into my residence without cause?"

Ying Shu and Ying Wan looked up at the sound and saw a tall and handsome man standing under a tree a few feet away from them.

"Oh, you startled me! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Ying Shu patted her bulging chest and said irritably.

Seeing this, Ying Wan felt an urge to tell her cousin to shut up.

The fact that this person is here, combined with what he just said, clearly indicates that he is the owner of this small courtyard.

Ying Wan bowed slightly and said:

"Sir, my sister and I are guests attending Prime Minister Lü's banquet tonight. Since we were bored, we thought we'd take a walk around the mansion."

Seeing that this courtyard was different from others, my sister and I became curious and decided to come in and take a look.

"We didn't mean to offend you, sir. Please forgive us. We may leave now."

"In that case, please make yourselves at home."

Li Ji looked at the two young women from the imperial clan and said calmly.

He naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind the girl's words. She pointed out that the two were Lu Buwei's guests, intending to show that they were of extraordinary status. Her words were reasonable and well-founded, and if anyone else were here, they wouldn't be able to pursue the matter.

Although Li Ji knew that the two were hiding a lot of things, he didn't care.

He received a message from Lü Buwei early this morning that he could enter the palace to see Zhao Ji, the Empress Dowager, tomorrow evening.

In other words, tonight will be his last night at Lü Buwei's residence.

Even if these two young ladies from the royal family discovered something, by the time they reacted, he would no longer be in Lü Buwei's residence, and they probably wouldn't have the chance to meet again in the future.

Upon hearing Li Ji's words, Ying Shu's first reaction wasn't to leave immediately. Instead, her eyes darted around, and she asked, "..."

"Since you say we can do as we please, may we take a tour of your yard?"

I'm really curious, why is there so much water in your yard? It hasn't rained lately...

Ying Wan had already pulled her cousin to walk away, but unexpectedly, her cousin still wanted to stay here. It seemed that her cousin really hadn't realized the danger here. She had no choice but to quickly cover her cousin's mouth and give Li Ji an apologetic look.

"The water in the courtyard is because I had excessive internal heat, and in order to recuperate, I blocked the drain, hence the water accumulation."

Li Ji didn't pay attention to the two girls' private actions and simply explained.

Upon hearing this, Ying Shu showed an expression of "I see," but also a hint of disappointment in her eyes. She had thought there was something more interesting to come.

However, upon hearing Li Ji's words, Ying Wan's pupils contracted. She could sense that this matter was definitely not that simple.

This water didn't resemble stagnant water that had accumulated over time; it didn't have that strange smell. On the contrary, the water was very cool and clear, like fresh water just drawn from a river or pond.

In other words, this person is lying.

Moreover, Ying Wan was certain that there was absolutely no one under that tree when she and her cousin jumped down.

Perhaps my cousin didn't notice, but she had observed her surroundings.

That person was suspicious, strange, and dangerous.

This is also why she doesn't want to stay any longer.

Yingwan pulled her cousin along, and the two of them waded through the puddles to get out.

With the host present, the two naturally couldn't climb over the wall to leave. The courtyard gate could be opened from the inside, so they left through the main gate.

"Splash—splash—"

The water was gently stirred by the two girls' feet, and Ying Shu felt that her shoes and socks were soaked through, and it seemed that a small pebble had gotten into her shoe.

Just as the two reached the door, preparing to open it and leave,

A detached voice came from behind the two of them.

"Wait, please wait a moment."

Upon hearing this, Ying Wan's body tensed instantly, and a sense of unease welled up in her heart.