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

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Has the Hundred Birds Assassin Group of the Korean Nightfall become so arrogant? Even Luo Wang has never warned me like this."

Gongliang Wuqi looked at Cao Ze in surprise. He didn't seem to have told him about Yingge's identity.

Yingge paused slightly, a hint of surprise in her cold, sharp eyes.

She spends most of her time outside of South Korea carrying out missions, working as a special assassin who uncovers the secrets of other countries under the cover of night. Very few people know her true identity.

"Gongliang Wuqi, you bear the surname Gongliang and the given name Wuqi, yet you murdered parents, abducted another's child, took him in as an orphan, and made him work for you, gathering intelligence. Now you deceive your superiors and subordinates, line your own pockets, and collude with foreign traitors. You deserve to die!"

Yingge knew that Gongliang Wuqi must have betrayed his identity.

Gongliang Wuqi vehemently denied it, saying, "You're lying! I didn't!"

Yingge snorted coldly and said to Cao Ze, "Now that you know my identity, what do you plan to do?"

Cao Ze casually said, "Of course it depends on each person's ability. Whoever gets the He Shi Bi jade belongs to them."

Yingge gave Cao Ze a deep look: "Very good!"

He then looked at Gongliang Wuqi with a cold gaze and said, "Don't you like money? I'll add another five hundred gold!"

Gongliang Wuqi couldn't help but rub his hands together. "Since you two want to compete fairly, of course that's fine. We'll let you know as soon as we have any news."

Since they've already offended Ji Wuye, they might as well make some money off him.

Cao Ze was speechless. What a damn honest and upright person, what a greedy bastard.

Yingge sneered, "Did you see that clearly? This is supposed to be honest and upright. Do you dare to trust him? Goodbye!"

Cao Ze smacked his lips. What an amazing girl! She used the strategy of sowing discord so smoothly. He was exactly lacking someone like her who could both fight and talk!

It would be a waste of his talents for him to stay with Ji Wuye.

Gongliang is honest and shrewd, yet he can't understand the meaning behind the parrot's song.

Following Cao Ze, they walked outside, and he said with a fawning smile, "Young master, don't listen to her nonsense. Who can believe a killer or assassin? Ask around in Handan City. I've never lied to anyone in my life."

Cao Ze remained noncommittal, instead looking towards the courtyard of the thatched cottage.

Parrot Song was helping the Snow Woman, who was dressed in plain clothes, distribute food and daily necessities to the children.

These are all ordinary items, not many and not valuable, showing that they were carefully considered.

Gongliang Wuqi said disdainfully to Cao Ze, "That girl Yingge is very hypocritical. Every time she comes over, she chats with these children and gives them things. She's obviously trying to get information out of them."

He then changed the subject, saying, "Miss Xue Nu is different. She is truly beautiful inside and out. She has never forgotten the kindness of taking us in back then. Every now and then, she comes to visit the children and even leaves me money to take care of them. She is so kind."

Cao Ze frowned almost imperceptibly.

He knew perfectly well what kind of scoundrel Gongliang Wuqi was from Lian Cheng.

What Yingge said was absolutely right, which is one of the reasons why he didn't make things difficult for Yingge.

"You took in a snow woman? When did that happen?"

Gongliang Wuqi did not notice Cao Ze's change and said, "It's nothing serious. I am a well-known kind person. Seven or eight years ago, Xue Nu's mother left Xue Nu with me. She committed suicide not long after, so I took her in."

Cao Ze's gaze turned slightly cold: "Did you kill him?"

Chapter 45: The Eagle Catches the Chicks – A Traitor Among Them

Gongliang Wuqi quickly replied, "Young master, please don't talk nonsense. How could I do such a thing? Xue Nu's mother really did commit suicide!"

Why did you commit suicide?

"Sigh! Who knows? Maybe he's just having second thoughts."

"Tell me everything you know."

Gongliang Wuqi rubbed his hands together again, "Ten gold coins, I'll tell you everything I know."

Cao Ze took out a small gold note and made up his mind that once he got his hands on the He Shi Bi jade, he had to work with Lian Cheng and the others to raid Gongsun Wuqi's lair.

By the way, let Lian Cheng's Fierce Tiger Gang adopt these orphans. Who knows how many parents Gongliang Wuqi has killed?

He cannot investigate this matter, nor does he need to.

It can only be said that, besides Qian Sha General Bi, Gongliang Wuqi was also on his list of those destined to die.

"Hehe, it's nothing really. After I took in Xue Nu for a few days, Xue Nu was perhaps destined for wealth and fortune. She met a noble person in the palace, and now Zhao Wang's sister, Consort Ya, took her as a student and even co-founded Fei Xue Pavilion with her. Tsk tsk, what good luck."

Cao Ze thought to himself, "Seven or eight years ago, Ya Fei was only seventeen or eighteen years old."

No wonder Ya Fei and Xue Nu seem like mother and daughter, or sisters, but not quite like teacher and student.

……

Yingge remained wary of Cao Ze, and seeing him standing still and whispering to Gongliang Wuqi, she worried that he was being plotted against.

"Snow Woman, I'm leaving now. This is a small token of my appreciation. If you have time, please help me distribute these things to the children. But please, don't give them too much."

Parrot whispered something in Snow Woman's ear. She knew that Gongliang was honest and upright, and that if she gave too much to the children, it would be taken away.

Unfortunately, she was also powerless to help these children escape from Gongsun Wuqi.

Otherwise, in this chaotic world, the fate of these orphans would be even worse; they wouldn't even be able to afford a meal. They deserve to die!

The Snow Maiden smiled and said, "I am at Fei Xue Pavilion. You can come and find me when you have time."

She was happy to make friends with this girl who was easy to talk to and seemed to know the children better.

After Yingge left, Gongliang Wuqi hurried over.

"Hey, Snow Woman is here again, and with so much stuff. Thank you so much."

Snow Maiden laughed and said, "What's there to be grateful for? Mr. Gongliang adopted them without expecting anything in return. Snow Maiden should be the one grateful to Mr. Gongliang."

After speaking, Xue Nu looked at Cao Ze, somewhat surprised and pleased, and said, "Young Master Cao Ze, you're here too."

Seeing this, Gongliang Wuqi smiled knowingly. No wonder Cao Ze was willing to give him money; he was another suitor of the Snow Maiden, which was all too common in Handan.

Cao Ze smiled and said, "I've come to ask Mr. Gongliang about some things."

Xue Nu said, "Mr. Gongliang is always well-informed. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to raise these children."

Cao Ze thought to himself, "Gongliang Wuxi really knows how to pretend."

Indeed, aside from those involved in organized crime in Handan, how many people would know who Gongliang Wuqi is?

Like many modern-day internet celebrities and wealthy individuals who claim to be charitable and good, they appear benevolent and moral on the surface, but are actually wicked and immoral behind the scenes.

Gongliang Wuqi wisely left, and Cao Ze, Xue Nu, and the orphans stayed together for a while.

With nothing else to do, Cao Ze taught Xue Nu and the children to play the game of Eagle Catches Chickens.

At first, the Snow Woman was a little confused, but she quickly discovered the fun of the eagle catching chicks and strongly requested to be the eagle.

Cao Ze was a little surprised, but then he realized that this was the true nature of the Snow Woman. She was originally a quirky and mischievous person, but for various reasons, she had to hide it and act aloof to protect herself from harm.

The Snow Woman stared intently at Cao Ze, neither of them using their internal energy, relying solely on their physical abilities.

Originally, Cao Ze was followed by a long line of more than twenty "elementary school" level children, but the Snow Maiden's "graceful as a startled swan, lithe as a swimming dragon" technique caught them, leaving only two or three still hanging behind him.

Seeing that Xue Nu was about to skin him bald, Cao Ze exclaimed, "Hey! Xue Nu, we can't do this! Can't you give me some face?"

The Snow Woman laughed triumphantly, her voice like a silver bell: "When I was playing the mother hen earlier, you didn't hold back at all. This time, I must catch all your little chicks and avenge myself!"

Cao Ze was furious. He had taken advantage of Xue Nu's lack of skill earlier and had ripped her bald in no time.

When it was his turn, he never expected that the Snow Woman, who had been practicing dance for many years, had such incredible flexibility.

It just happened to pass by him in a place he never expected.

Arresting two people in one go, this is outrageous!

Cao Ze spread his wings, trying his best to protect his only chick.

Snow Woman also realized that it was not easy to take down Cao Ze's last chicken.

With a playful smile, she began a protracted battle of offense and defense with Cao Ze.

She often visited these children and knew that the little child Cao Ze was protecting wasn't very strong, and most importantly...

Cao Ze lay on the dry grass, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, gazing at the azure sky.

He had taken every precaution, but he never expected that one of them would become a traitor.

The chick said it couldn't run anymore and wanted the Snow Maiden to win, so it just surrendered...

He rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "Good heavens!"

It seems the Snow Woman has mastered the essence of military strategy; in just one game, she employed tactics such as exhausting the enemy, using her beauty to entice them, sowing discord, and luring the enemy away from their mountain stronghold...

After the children finished playing, they scattered to eat outside the thatched cottage.

This was the rule set for them by Gongliang Wuqi: if they missed the deadline or didn't get any information, they wouldn't get any food.

Snow Maiden sat down next to Cao Ze with her knees drawn up to her chest. Luckily, she was wearing a fitted casual outfit today, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to have as much fun as she wanted.

She turned her head to look at Cao Ze, who was lying on the dry grass humming a tune, and casually asked, "Where is that tune from?"

She vaguely heard the words "The sky is blue waiting for the rain, and I am waiting for you," but she was more curious about the melody she had never heard before than the words.

Although Cao Ze sang it in a hoarse and discordant way, she, being well-versed in music, knew at a glance that the melody was quite good, novel, and interesting.

Cao Ze held his head, squinted, and sighed contentedly, "It's so far away."

Seeing that Cao Ze didn't speak or ask any questions, Xue Nu subconsciously put on a facade again after the excitement of their earlier playfulness subsided, reverting to her calm and aloof demeanor.

A while later.

Before parting ways, Cao Ze used the white ice feather that Yingge had just thrown away as his main feather, and also caught a "lucky" bird to make a golden shuttlecock as a small gift for Xue Nu.

The snow woman held the object, which was supported by gold coins and decorated with white feathers, and asked curiously, "What is this?"

"This? It's a little toy from the sky, commonly known as a shuttlecock, but more elegantly called a swallow. As the saying goes, 'Kick the fragrant breeze and throw the jade swallow.' Come, let me demonstrate it for you."

Under the Snow Woman's unwavering gaze, Cao Ze skillfully kicked the shuttlecock. Thanks to his cultivation, his coordination and control were excellent, and he could recall many things he had seen and practiced.

Cao Ze casually hummed a childhood rhyme about playing shuttlecock: "One shuttlecock, kicked in two, like a flower drum, with a woven string, kicked inwards and outwards, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea."

The snow woman's aquamarine eyes shone again, stirring a certain impulse within them.

Seeing Cao Ze stop, "This looks a lot like Cuju (ancient Chinese football)?"

Cao Ze laughed and said, "Pretty much. It's a branch of Cuju (ancient Chinese football), used to train footwork."