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

If Li Si hadn't spoken up, he would have only thought that Cao Ze intended to help the young King of Qin become his enemy.

"In that case, go and get rid of Cao Ze."

"I?"

Lü Buwei calmly replied, "Can't you do it?"

Li Si took a deep breath: "Your subordinate obeys."

Lü Buwei said slowly, "I know it will be difficult to eliminate Cao Ze. Not only is he highly skilled, but he also has a grandmaster like Jing Ni protecting him. I won't make things difficult for you; just do it before the King of Qin's coming-of-age ceremony next April. During this time, the Net will fully cooperate with you."

Li Si was both happy and worried.

Fortunately, with the help of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), he could obtain a lot of intelligence and find a way to deal with Lü Buwei.

His worry wasn't about how to get rid of Cao Ze, because he had never even considered doing so.

His concern was that it was already June, and there were only ten months left until King Zheng of Qin was to be crowned next year.

His real headache was figuring out how to use those ten months to bring down Lü Buwei.

Should we go find Cao Ze...?

The second floor of a tavern in Xianyang.

Cao Ze and Yan Fei sat facing each other.

Cheng Jiao wisely made an excuse to leave, while Da Siming and the Black and White Sisters returned to Luo Sheng Tang.

"We parted ways in Puyang, and unexpectedly, we met again in Xianyang in just one year."

Yan Fei chuckled softly, her tone cheerful, clearly in a very good mood.

Cao Ze laughed and said, "Yes, fate is truly wondrous."

Yanfei wholeheartedly agreed.

When we parted in Handan, we thought we wouldn't see each other for many years, but we ended up meeting in Puyang just a few months later.

After their meeting in Puyang, she thought they would not see each other for many years, so she chose to go into seclusion to prepare for breaking through to the Grandmaster level. However, after successfully emerging from seclusion, they met again in Xianyang.

"How long do you plan to stay in Xianyang this time? Do you have somewhere to go? The Yin-Yang School has its own place in Xianyang, and the place is quite spacious."

If the Moon Goddess were to see her senior sister speaking like this, and saying so much, she would be speechless, and might even be so jealous of Cao Ze that she would be torn apart.

Cao Ze pondered for a moment and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, I will settle down in Xianyang. As for my residence, Brother Chengjiao has given me a mansion covering several dozen acres, which is enough for me to live in."

"Really?" Yan Fei's eyes lit up with surprise, her tone filled with joy.

Cao Ze smiled and said, "It's true. I've been invited by the King of Qin, so I can't stay in Xianyang any longer."

"King Qin?" Yan Fei frowned slightly, recalling the scene where King Qin still did not value the Yin Yang School even after the Eastern Emperor Sect Leader presented the bronze treasure box.

Cao Ze asked with a soft "hmm," "Not bad, is there something wrong with it?"

Yanfei thought for a moment and briefly recounted what had happened before the Lunar New Year.

Cao Ze did not expect that Donghuang Taiyi would so readily present the bronze box to Ying Zheng.

But this is good news for him.

"No wonder you choose to befriend Lü Buwei."

Yan Fei drank a cup of tea. "The King of Qin doesn't value the Yin-Yang School, so the Yin-Yang School can only try to save the country indirectly. That's why the leader spent a lot of money to refine the Grandmaster Pill with Yun Zhongjun in order to befriend Lü Buwei."

Cao Ze said, "This Grandmaster Pill must be very difficult to refine, right?"

Yan Fei nodded slightly, "That's right. Even with the combined alchemy skills of the sect leader and Yun Zhongjun, it was only barely possible to refine it, and the requirements for medicinal materials and users are extremely high."

Cao Ze thought to himself, "As expected. If we could mass-produce them, Grandmasters would be nothing more than dogs in the world."

A thought struck him: "Since the requirements for this Grandmaster Pill are so high, why not simplify them?"

Yan Fei shook her head slightly, "The name 'Grandmaster Pill' was just chosen arbitrarily. Its predecessor, the Barrier Breaking Pill, can be said to be a simplified version of the Grandmaster Pill."

"Back then, Lady Xiang suffered a health accident after taking the Breakthrough Pill. Although she successfully broke through to the half-step Grandmaster level, she found it difficult to cultivate and almost cut off the possibility of breaking through to the Grandmaster level. After that, the Breakthrough Pill was listed as a forbidden drug by the Yin-Yang School."

Cao Ze, recalling Lady Xiang from the original story, couldn't help but ask curiously, "What happened?"

Yan Fei paused slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes. "I don't know either. I was young then, and Xiang Jun and Xiang Furen often went into seclusion. I didn't know much about it."

Cao Ze couldn't help but ask, "Is it rumored that Lady Xiang is two people?"

Yan Fei looked slightly bewildered. "Is it two people? That's possible."

Based on her limited interactions with Lady Xiang, it's clear that Lady Xiang's personality was quite different, even two extremes, perhaps truly two different people.

She seemed to see the doubt in Cao Ze's eyes and explained, "Xiang Jun and Xiang Furen are not under my jurisdiction; they are directly under the command of the sect leader."

Cao Ze's eye twitched slightly. Goodness, this is really mysterious.

However, the Yin-Yang School truly has many masters. The deceased Xinghun was a half-step Grandmaster, and Lady Xiang was also a half-step Grandmaster. If Xiangjun were also a half-step Grandmaster, that would be too…

Cao Ze suddenly thought of the eight schools of Confucianism. Apart from Master Xun of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, who was not skilled in martial arts, his good old brother Kong Chuan was now a grandmaster. The leaders of the other schools were all first-class or half-step grandmasters, and there might even be some low-key grandmasters.

If you calculate it this way, there are quite a few Confucian masters as well.

As one of the prominent schools of thought, the Mohist school was already so powerful in the Chu region alone. If we also include the Qin and Qi schools...

Then think about those free-spirited Taoists, like Wei Gongzi Mou from the Yang Zhu school whom I had previously encountered…

There was also the renowned Gongsun Longzi, the physician Nianduan, and the Sixth Elder of the farming family…

Good heavens, I underestimated all the heroes under heaven.

Cao Ze's expression grew increasingly serious.

No wonder the Yin-Yang School, despite its current top-tier combat strength, is still not as arrogant as it was later, chasing down other schools of thought like dogs.

It's because my perspective is too narrow.

They thought that with Jingni by their side, they could sleep soundly without worry.

Ultimately, you still need to become strong yourself.

"What... is wrong with you?" Yan Fei had been paying close attention to Cao Ze, so Cao Ze's expression naturally didn't escape her notice.

Cao Ze coughed lightly and said, "It's nothing. I just feel that there are many heroes and masters in the world, so we can't let our guard down."

Yan Fei wholeheartedly agreed, “That’s right. For cultivation, the Grandmaster is merely the starting point for comprehending the universe.”

Only by breaking through to the level of a Grandmaster and merging with the universe can one truly appreciate the vastness of the universe and the insignificance of the individual.

Cao Ze smiled faintly and said confidently, "The roc rises with the wind and soars ninety thousand miles high. I believe that one day I will be able to walk the path of the sages."

Yan Fei's heart stirred, and her eyes held a faint, strange look.

She parted her lips slightly and whispered, "Yes."

When she was in Handan, Cao Ze had only just entered the second-rate realm. In less than two years, he reached the first-rate realm.

This cultivation speed is even faster than hers.

The sun is setting.

Since Yanfei had just emerged from seclusion and the Yin-Yang School still had many important matters to attend to, Cao Ze had no choice but to part ways with Yanfei temporarily, agreeing on a date to meet again.

Cao Ze left the tavern and headed towards his residence.

The sky gradually darkened.

A robust middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back in front of Cao Ze's mansion.

Li Si stood behind him.

Cao Ze looked at it from afar, paused slightly, and continued walking towards the gate of the mansion.

"Is this our first time meeting?"

The voice was gentle, so gentle that Cao Ze couldn't sense any hostility.

"Cao Ze greets Your Excellency the Prime Minister."

Cao Ze glanced deeply at Lü Buwei, whose temples were slightly gray, and calmly bowed.

Lü Buwei said to himself, “I am past the age of knowing one’s destiny, and my life is coming to an end in the foreseeable future. I have no wish in my life except to leave a good name for posterity. Therefore, I spared no effort and spent countless amounts of money to compile the all-encompassing ‘Lüshi Chunqiu’ with my guests. I have enjoyed the hardships involved.”

Cao Ze said calmly, "Did Prime Minister Lü mention this to me because of today's matter?"

Lü Buwei looked up at the night sky in the distance.

“You are mistaken. I came here because I believe you are a kindred spirit.”

"A fellow traveler?" Cao Ze was taken aback.

"Yes, like-minded people."

Lü Buwei said solemnly, “Everyone thinks that I am a power-hungry person, but they don’t know that I have long since transcended these worldly fame and fortune. Otherwise, why would I have gone to the trouble of compiling the ‘Lüshi Chunqiu’?”

Isn't that right...? Cao Ze thought with a mix of awkwardness and strangeness.

"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, have been waiting for me here tonight just to say these things?"

Cao Ze was unmoved by Lü Buwei's words.

Lü Buwei sighed and said slowly, "Young man, I advise you to take care of yourself."

But I prefer to be unsportsmanlike with an old guy like you...

Cao Ze glanced at Jing Ni, who was holding a sword in the shadows, and chuckled, "Thank you for your advice, Prime Minister Lü. If there's nothing else, I'll head back to my residence."

After saying this, he turned and went into the mansion, instructing Wushuang to close the gate, indicating that he had no connection with Lü Buwei.

Such rude behavior caused the assassins from the surrounding Luo Wang organization to gradually reveal themselves.

Old Man Zheng stood alone on the rooftop, knowing that if Lü Buwei gave the order, this place would be stained with blood tonight.

Lü Buwei smiled, not angered by Cao Ze's actions, but rather even more appreciative.

If Cao Ze were to give in tonight and speak to him insincerely, news of their pleasant conversation would spread throughout Xianyang tomorrow.

This led to the reputation of Lü Buwei for disregarding past grievances and visiting renowned scholars at night, all for the sake of recruiting talent for the Qin state.

Thus, the embarrassing incident at the West Gate today was completely forgotten.

This caused a rift between the young King of Qin and this son.

Li Si silently observed and listened to Lü Buwei's actions, seemingly gaining some insight.