People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

"A giant? I don't know..."

Jing Ke casually said, "Go ask around. I'll get some of this... distilled spirit and see if I can improve it."

For someone as addicted to alcohol as him, distilled spirits have countless flaws, but they are undoubtedly the strongest liquor in the world.

If it were to absorb the aroma and crispness of other wines, it would be an absolute delicacy.

Cao Ze ignored the drunkard and, holding the cloth recording the knots of the Ming Ghost, went with Jing Ni to find Six-Fingered Black Knight.

Upon arriving at the Mo family's residence, they discovered that Six-Fingered Black Knight was not there.

He walked toward the old man who was wielding tools.

"Master Ban, where is the Grandmaster?"

Old Man Ban wrinkled his bulbous nose. "The General has urgent business and wants to see him."

Cao Ze remained silent, but took out the cloth with a try-it-out attitude.

"Master Ban, do you recognize this kind of Ming Gui knot?"

Old Man Ban glanced at it. As a master of mechanical engineering from the Mo family and a renowned super genius, he solved the problem with just a glance.

"East...Bin...Island...Seven...Hmm, one location is missing from the count. What about the rest?"

Cao Ze said regretfully, "It's gone."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Ban continued to bury himself in repairing the mechanism. He was currently thinking about how to create a better mechanism to deal with the Gongshu family's mechanisms and had no time to think about anything else.

Cao Ze picked up the cloth and began to let his thoughts wander.

Thinking of the scene many years later when the Yin-Yang School appeared in the Mirage of Sanghai, Cao Ze seemed to be deep in thought.

Could it be the Penglai Immortal Island on the shore of the East China Sea, where the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions reside?

Cao Ze had a toothache. If that was the case, then the missing thing was the location map.

Damn it, do you have to do this?

That old man Mozi couldn't write with anything better.

Just as Cao Ze was about to continue pondering the hidden secrets, Six-Fingered Black Knight strode over.

He quickly told Old Man Ban, "Fifty thousand Qin troops have sealed off the area around Puyang City overnight, and they are very likely to launch a strong attack in a few days. Make as many mechanical flying birds as you can."

Old Man Ban muttered, "Don't they know how to treat an old man with any pity..."

Six-Fingered Black Knight looked at Old Man Ban, who was only a little older than him and had completely white hair, and said with a hint of disdain, "You haven't even reached old age yet."

Cao Ze then came to his senses and asked, "Master, you just said that the Qin army has blockaded Puyang City?"

Six-Fingered Black Knight sighed, "That's right. The General said that this was a tactic devised by Meng Ao after realizing that Puyang didn't have many supplies, in an attempt to starve us out."

"The good thing is that we don't have to worry about the Qin army launching a strong attack in the next few days."

Cao Ze's face darkened slightly.

Doesn't this mean that no matter which way he leaves the city, he could face an ambush by the Qin army?

Although he and Jingni had more than a 50% chance of escaping, if they were to encounter that one-in-a-lifetime situation and be surrounded by hundreds of Qin soldiers, Jingni would only have a chance of breaking out if she became a Grandmaster.

If surrounded by thousands of Qin soldiers, even a Grandmaster might be forced to kneel.

Cao Ze asked the Six-Fingered Black Knight nervously.

"Master, are you really planning to defend Puyang to the death? What if Puyang falls..."

Old Man Ban chimed in from the side, "Then of course we'll ride the Vermilion Bird!"

Six-Fingered Black Knight nodded and said, "Helping Puyang defend the city is for the sake of the Mohist school, and the Mohist school has always done so."

He continued, "If you don't mind, young friend, you can leave with us when things become unbearable. The Qin army will not make things difficult for us."

Cao Ze breathed a slight sigh of relief.

That's true. If the Mohists were truly so rigid, they would have been wiped out years ago.

However, it must be said that the Mohists were quite prestigious.

They could help defend the city without fear of being punished by the Qin army later.

Ultimately, it was due to their profound cultural foundation and the fact that all the states knew what kind of people the Mohists were, so there was no need to offend them.

"Then thank you very much, Your Excellency."

Cao Ze took his leave.

Jingni followed Cao Ze, her beautiful eyes looking at the man beside her.

"Should we stay?"

Looking at the bright night sky, Cao Ze said, "Let's wait. It's not safe to leave the city alone now."

He believes that leaving by plane is much safer than leaving by ground.

At least before the Qin army breached the city, with his and Jingni's strength, as long as they weren't bombarded by a large number of divine crossbows, their lives would be in almost no danger.

Jingni nodded and said, "Alright, take this opportunity to gain experience on the battlefield, solidify your foundation, and eliminate the hidden dangers of your rapid advancement."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "You understand me best, Madam."

That's exactly what he was thinking.

Now, in addition, he also has a True Person Pill given to him by Yan Fei. If he uses it well, after opening the twelve meridians and consolidating it a little, he can try to unblock all the meridians and build the Great Circulation within his body.

Their accommodations were arranged at the General's Mansion.

As soon as Cao Ze entered the general's mansion, he saw Li Ji, who had changed out of her everyday clothes and was wearing newly polished silver armor.

Without a helmet, her waist-length hair was tied into a high ponytail. Holding a sharp sword, she had shed her delicate appearance, leaving only a heroic and valiant air, and a clearly perceptible sharpness.

This made Cao Ze vaguely realize why Li Ji had forcibly pushed him down at Fei Xue Pavilion that day.

This girl is not a gentle and understanding girl at heart.

Her original gentleness was just a subconscious act in front of others.

When Li Ji saw Cao Ze enter, she sheathed her longsword and quickly walked up to him.

"Brother Cao Ze."

She restrained her impulse, her eyes brimming with tears and deep gratitude.

Cao Ze could hardly ignore the fact that Li Ji had changed how she addressed him.

He changed from being addressed as Mr. Cao Ze to Brother Cao Ze.

Well, I accidentally gained a little sister.

"Where is the General?"

He planned to take this opportunity to gain some experience, and needed to inform Gongsun Yu beforehand, while also learning about the situation in Puyang City.

Li Ji's initially joyful expression turned serious. "Grandpa is having a meeting in the main hall."

As someone who once boasted about being a "Little Zhuge Liang" and was seen by the world as a successor of the military strategist, Cao Ze was dragged over by Li Ji without a second thought.

Cao Ze muttered to himself.

The few thousand soldiers in the city are all poorly trained, and many of them were civilians not long ago. Let alone his help in defending the city, even if Bai Qi were invited, it would be of little use.

Unless the person opposite is Wang Jian's grandson, Wang Li, a husky who likes to wreak havoc at farmhouses, there's still a sliver of hope.

Schemes are almost worthless in the face of overwhelming strength.

I thought the council chamber would be noisy.

When Cao Ze went inside, he found it unusually quiet.

He glanced at the officers in the hall; they seemed almost listless.

When Gongsun Yu saw Cao Ze enter, he said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, don't overthink it. I will find a way to deal with that Divine Crossbow!"

He hadn't expected the Qin army's new weapons to be so powerful, which almost caused the officers, who had initially been encouraged by him to be confident in defending the city, to lose their fighting spirit.

The buildings that were bombed and collapsed in the city are the best proof of this.

This isn't a catapult, it's a crossbow!

The generals in the hall remained silent, and Gongsun Yu suppressed a sigh.

He could understand the feelings of his generals.

If the Qin army hadn't been known for its massacres during sieges, Puyang would likely have fallen long ago without a fight.

The State of Wei was practically defunct, suffering defeat in almost every battle, and no state regarded it as a legitimate nation.

"Everyone, go down and do your jobs."

"Yes……"

The scattered sounds quickly faded away.

Seeing this, Cao Ze shook his head inwardly.

The situation in Puyang City was even worse than what he had faced in the grassland royal court; at least he was facing a fake Little Li Muan Lulu.

If it were the real Li Mu, he would be in grave danger by now.

Meng Ao outside the city was in no way inferior to Li Mu, and was even stronger than Li Mu before he reached his peak.

Gongsun Yu looked at his granddaughter and Cao Ze standing by the hall, and stood up.

He finally let out the sigh he had been holding back.

"Li Ji, if the city falls, you should go with the Mo family."

He is now at a loss; even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.

If the Qin army hadn't had those new weapons of war, he could have held on and risked his life.

In retrospect, it was nothing more than self-destruction.

Li Ji stubbornly insisted, "No! I want to stay! I'm not afraid to die!"

Gongsun Yu's chapped lips trembled slightly.

"But Grandpa is afraid you'll die..."