Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Zhao Gao really disappointed him!

The Luo Wang, known as the number one assassin organization in the world, gathered the best assassins in the world and tried to assassinate Xiang Yan several times, but failed every time. They spent countless manpower and resources, but in the end, it was only by Mr. Xu going alone that he was able to take Xiang Yan's head!

You must understand that Mr. Xu was all alone, traveling to the State of Chu without any assistance. Although he was powerful, the Luo Wang was an organization. With so many assassins, was it really impossible for them to infiltrate Xiang Yan's central camp and kill him?

In Ying Zheng's view, this might not be the case.

In particular, Mr. Xu also said that the people from Luo Wang had severely injured Xiang Yan, which meant that they had all arrived in front of Xiang Yan. Xiang Yan may have strength, but it is definitely not as good as those assassins from Luo Wang.

Therefore, it seems that Mr. Xu's words are true; Luo Wang clearly did not exert his full strength.

Either Zhao Gao secretly held back, or the Luo Wang organization was just a name without substance, unable to even capture Xiang Yan, and instead letting Mr. Xu steal the credit. What use is such a useless person?

"Gai Nie, convey my decree to summon Zhao Gao to the palace immediately."

Ying Zheng's voice was as cold as ice, "I want to ask him what exactly the Luo Wang has been doing, taking my salary and my orders! If he can't give a reasonable explanation, I will make him pay the price for the Luo Wang's incompetence!"

Gai Nie felt a chill run down his spine. He could sense Ying Zheng's anger and understood that after this incident, the Luo Wang's standing in Ying Zheng's eyes had plummeted, and it might even lose power altogether.

He bowed and accepted the order: "Yes!"

……

Inside Zhao Gao's residence, Zhao Gao's expression was unpredictable, shifting between light and dark.

Because something beyond their control happened.

Xiang Yan is dead!

This was news he had just learned, but that wasn't the key point. The most crucial point was that this news wasn't delivered to him by Luo Wang.

The Net of Intelligence was hidden everywhere in the world, penetrating every nook and cranny. It had unique channels for transmitting intelligence. With the help of the Net of Intelligence, Zhao Gao was able to know what was happening in the world as soon as he was in Xianyang. In many cases, he even knew about things earlier than the King of Qin in the palace.

However, he only learned of Xiang Yan's death afterward, when the news reached him only after the King of Qin had Xiang Yan's head displayed to the public.

This instinctively instilled a sense of fear in Zhao Gao.

How did Xiang Yan die?

Who killed him?

Why didn't Luo Wang learn of this matter immediately?

Many questions filled Zhao Gao's mind.

What Zhao Gao didn't know was that Xu Qing's return speed after killing Xiang Yan was too fast. Even though Luo Wang learned about the incident afterward and investigated the truth, and immediately sent a message to Xianyang, Xu Qing had already returned while their message was still on its way.

However, there was one thing that Zhao Gao soon learned.

That means he won't get away with it.

When Gai Nie arrived at Zhao Gao's residence and conveyed the King of Qin's message, Zhao Gao rushed to Ying Zheng's side as soon as possible, even though it was already late outside.

"Your subject Zhao Gao greets Your Majesty!"

"Zhao Gao, I am very disappointed in you!" Ying Zheng said coldly, his back to Zhao Gao.

Zhao Gao shuddered, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. He quickly bowed and kowtowed, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of panic: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! I do not know where I have gone wrong. Please enlighten me, Your Majesty. The entire Luowang has done its utmost to assassinate Xiang Yan and to complete the task assigned by Your Majesty!"

Although he didn't know exactly how Xiang Yan died, Zhao Gao didn't mind taking credit for it to win Ying Zheng's favor.

Ying Zheng slowly turned around, his gaze piercing Zhao Gao like an icy blade, his disappointment and disgust undisguised: "With all your might?"

He sneered, his tone full of mockery, "Mr. Xu, all alone and without any help, was able to take Xiang Yan's head silently and escape unscathed. But your Luo Wang, gathering the world's top assassins and expending countless manpower and resources of mine, has failed in several assassination attempts."

"Are you suggesting that Xiang Yan was killed by your Luo Wang organization?"

Zhao Gao's mouth opened slightly, but he stopped himself from saying anything.

From Ying Zheng's words, he finally learned how Xiang Yan had died.

Mr. Xu!

With this surname and the title Ying Zheng used, Zhao Gao immediately had the answer in his mind.

Xu Qing!

Apart from this person, there is no other Mr. Xu in Xianyang.

Zhao Gao had no doubt about this person's strength. Even the top-ranking members of the Luo Wang were nothing special in front of him. In addition, this person had ruined his plans several times. In Zhao Gao's mind, he had long regarded him as an enemy.

What Zhao Gao did not expect was that this person had also become involved in Xiang Yan's affairs, and actually carried out the assassination of Xiang Yan all by himself.

"Oops!"

Recalling Ying Zheng's comparative remarks, Zhao Gao immediately realized that his situation was very bad. He hurriedly organized his words in his mind and was about to continue to defend himself.

Ying Zheng spoke first, his tone sharp, "What's even more ridiculous is that Mr. Xu himself said that the people from the Luo Wang had already gotten close enough to injure Xiang Yan. If they could get close, why couldn't they kill Xiang Yan, who wasn't even a top-tier expert?"

Ying Zheng took a step forward, his aura growing even stronger. "Is it the incompetence of the Luo Wang (a secret network of government), or is it that you, Zhao Gao, are secretly holding back, waiting for a better price, taking advantage of the chaos in the Chu army to demand more power and rewards from me?"

Chapter 354 Suddenly I turned around and saw an old friend!

Every word struck Zhao Gao's heart like a heavy hammer. He trembled all over and dared not even lift his head, yet he continued to argue.

"Your Majesty is wise! I would never dare to do such a thing! The failure of the net was an accident. I am utterly loyal to Your Majesty and have never harbored any disloyalty!"

He never imagined that a failed assassination attempt would give Ying Zheng so many ideas.

Without a doubt, these things are related to Xu Qing.

Zhao Gao seemed to see Xu Qing's smug face again, and his hatred for Xu Qing immediately reached its peak.

If this person hadn't spoken nonsense in front of the king, how could he have ended up in such a passive situation?

However, no matter how much Zhao Gao tried to explain, it all seemed weak and powerless in Ying Zheng's eyes. After all, the facts were right in front of him: Xu Qing's success was the best proof of the Luo Wang's incompetence.

Looking at Zhao Gao's humble and submissive manner, Ying Zheng felt no pity, only a growing sense of disappointment.

He recalled Xu Qing's earlier veiled remarks about the Luo Wang organization being a mixed bag and Zhao Gao being too self-serving; now it seemed that what he said was indeed true.

Keeping such a minister with impure intentions and who controls an assassin organization around would only become a hidden danger to Qin's unification of the world.

"Loyal and devoted?" Ying Zheng snorted coldly, his tone resolute. "From this day forward, the expenses of the Luo Net will be reduced by 30%. All resources must be approved by me personally, and no one is allowed to misappropriate them!"

Zhao Gao froze, the color draining from his face. Cutting expenses undoubtedly severed the foundation of the Luo Wang organization, but what made him even more desperate was yet to come.

Ying Zheng continued, "Furthermore, the Luo Wang will henceforth be temporarily under the command of Gai Nie. All matters concerning assassinations and intelligence will be reported directly to me by Gai Nie!"

These words struck Zhao Gao like a thunderbolt, and he looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Throughout his life, his greatest reliance was the Net. It was through the Net that he was able to establish himself in Xianyang City, gain Ying Zheng's deep trust, and control a portion of the power in the court.

But now, with just one sentence from Ying Zheng, he has been dragged from the heights of success into the mire.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated that he would be stripped of control of the Luo Wang organization, the fact that Gai Nie would temporarily lead it already revealed his intention.

……

Xu Qing only learned about the Luo Wang organization later.

He felt no sympathy for Zhao Gao for this outcome.

If Zhao Gao were a good person, then his suffering from these "unjust calamities" would certainly be worthy of sympathy. But the question is, was Zhao Gao a good person? He had absolutely nothing to do with being a good person.

Moreover, Xu Qing didn't think he was wrong; the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) definitely held back some information.

Xu Qing knew exactly how terrifying the Net of Deception was in the original novel.

It's true that Xiang Yan was heavily guarded, but if Luo Wang was willing to pay the price, they could definitely kill him.

The truth is that Luo Wang failed to kill Xiang Yan. On the surface, it seems that Luo Wang did its best, but in reality, it was because Zhao Gao was unwilling to make too many sacrifices and held back. This was because he had long regarded Luo Wang as his own private property, and sacrificing one's own things was naturally an unacceptable thing.

However, Xu Qing could not tolerate such behavior, so he directly told Ying Zheng about Zhao Gao's ulterior motives.

At present, Ying Zheng has punished Zhao Gao, but Xu Qing still feels that Ying Zheng's punishment is a bit too lenient.

Simply stripping Zhao Gao of his control over the Luowang organization is far from enough.

Zhao Gao is like a rat hiding in a ditch. He usually seems very honest, but if he sees your weakness, he will jump out without hesitation and tear off a piece of flesh from your body. Right now, although Ying Zheng has stripped Zhao Gao of his control over the Luo Wang, this man is still alive.

In the past, this person regarded himself as the monarch of darkness, and carried out a large-scale enslavement education within the Luo Wang organization, making all Luo Wang assassins accept the status of servants while he was the master. Now, Luo Wang has suddenly changed its leader, and those Luo Wang assassins may not be able to accept this.

Even if the order came from the King of Qin, the assassins of the Luo Wang organization had a history of murder and robbery, and had trampled on the law in various ways. They were lawless criminals who roamed all over the world, so they might not necessarily take the King of Qin's words seriously.

On the surface, they may obey Gai Nie's orders, but in reality, Zhao Gao still holds control over some people.

"Perhaps we should give Gai Nie a heads-up!"

Xu Qing's eyes flickered.

Back then, after suppressing the rebellion of Lao Ai, dismissing Lü Buwei from his post as prime minister, and regaining control of the Luo Wang organization, Ying Zheng launched a purge of Luo Wang. It was during this time that Jing Ni escaped from Luo Wang. Before leaving, she gave Xu Qing a gift and destroyed Xu Qing's file.

Since the Net of Law was able to conduct a first cleansing, it can also conduct a second cleansing.

After all, the Qin state had already destroyed so many countries one after another, and unification was inevitable. In this new era, the national system needed to be reformed, and the ancient organization Luo Wang naturally had to undergo some changes as well.

However, Xu Qing was still quite emotional about Gai Nie temporarily taking charge of the Net.

Xu Qing knew that Ying Zheng valued Gai Nie highly, which could be seen from the fact that Gai Nie always stayed by Ying Zheng's side, keeping watch in the shadows.

However, Gai Nie was indifferent to fame and fortune. According to Xu Qing, Ying Zheng originally wanted to entrust the Luo Wang to Gai Nie for management, but Gai Nie was not interested, which is why Zhao Gao benefited from it.

Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, this net eventually fell into Gai Nie's hands.

It's unknown what fate awaits Gai Nie in this world.

Jing Ke is not dead, and it's not dawn yet, so he probably won't betray the Qin state, right?

Xu Qing thought to himself, but did not go to see Gai Nie immediately.

Instead, he returned to the Yin-Yang School.

As a school that has been passed down for hundreds of years, the Yin-Yang School is also considered ancient among the Hundred Schools of Thought. Its size may not be as large as that of the Mohist School or the Confucian School, but as one of the more famous schools among the Hundred Schools of Thought, it is definitely not just a few high-ranking members.

Previously, in order to gain control of the Yin-Yang School as soon as possible, Xu Qing only summoned some of its high-ranking members.

At present, the war between the Qin and Chu states is no longer relevant to him.

With nothing else to do, he began to reorganize the Yin-Yang School.

The Yin-Yang School is divided into three lineages and five departments. The three lineages do not have any disciples; they mainly refer to the three high-ranking figures, Dongjun, Yueshen, and Xinghun, who correspond to the three luminaries of the sun, moon, and stars. The true disciples are all included in the five departments of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

The Yin-Yang School's method of recruiting disciples is also extremely domineering.

Because the entry requirements for Yin-Yang arts are extremely high, only those with the corresponding qualifications can practice it.