Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 275

Despite Wei Zhuang's contradictory orders, none of the Qin soldiers present dared to complain due to strict discipline.

After all, the source of this master of quicksand's power to attack the mechanical city was His Majesty the Emperor of Xianyang.

"Wei Zhuang left temporarily on Bai Feng's orders. Judging from his behavior, it doesn't seem like he was trying to lure us out."

Inside the secret room, Master Ban handed the observation window to Xiaoyaozi and frowned.

"We can't simply decide our actions based on guesswork." Fan Zeng shook his head. He was actually one of the more anxious ones about what was happening in the mechanical city outside the secret room: Xiang Clan's young master, Shao Yu, was still outside!

On the other hand, as a veteran strategist, he needs to provide everyone with more rational solutions at all times.

“Waiting for the Grand Master to arrive is undoubtedly our safest option, but what if Wei Zhuang is going to ambush the Grand Master…” Gao Jianli’s originally firm mind became uncertain.

The highly respected Xiaoyaozi remained silent, clutching the Daoist token Xueji in his hand, stroking his beard, and closing his eyes as he waited for time to pass.

Everyone is currently unsettled, and this 'unsettlement' will only worsen over time. It is crucial not to express opinions lightly, but to do so at the right time to make a decisive statement!

But reality didn't keep them waiting long, because unusual activity first appeared outside the secret room.

Suddenly, a man in black robes appeared, his sword plunging into Qin Baijiang's chest from behind. Most of the Qin soldiers, whose attention was focused on the direction of the secret chamber, were shocked. But after the decapitation was completed, dozens of anti-Qin righteous warriors immediately jumped out from the direction of the mechanical city, drew their swords, and rushed up to launch a surprise attack on these Qin soldiers!

"It's the Grandmaster!"

Having noticed the unusual activity outside, Master Ban returned to the observation post. Looking at the figure in black robes whose features were obscured in the crowd, and noting the style of the robes, he exclaimed in surprise:

"The Grand Master is back and is fighting the Qin people. Open the door quickly, let's fight our way out!"

Everyone in the secret room was startled, followed by boundless joy.

It seems no one noticed that the sword in the hand of the Grand Master who was slaughtering the Qin army outside the secret room was not Mo Mei's...

...

"Tianming, Shaoyu!"

Just as Zongheng and Jiyan were confronting each other in the meeting place, Tianming Shaoyu, who was in the corner, suddenly heard someone call his name. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Gao Yue, who had been kidnapped by the mysterious woman in front of the two of them, who had appeared on her own.

Gao Yue showed no fear under the watchful eyes and crossbows of the Qin army, and jogged to rejoin her companions.

Wei Zhuang did not give the order, and no Qin soldiers took the initiative to attack.

In the current situation, Ji Yan, whose stance is unclear, and Gai Nie, the wanted criminal that His Majesty the Emperor is concerned about, are obviously the ones who deserve attention. The three children and Ji Bu are no longer the main issues.

"Moon!" Tianming's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly asked, "You escaped? That strange woman didn't hurt you, did she?"

"No, it was Sister Ji Yan who saved me from Dongjun of the Yin Yang School. At that time..." Gao Yue lowered her eyes and quietly recounted the complete 'incident'.

The interaction between the three children was not worth paying attention to. Facing his senior brother's indifferent question, Wei Zhuang glanced at him and answered in the same indifferent way: "But my plan has never gone astray from the beginning."

The two men stared at each other for ten breaths, and then suddenly drew Yuanhong and Shark Tooth at the same time!

Gai Nie's Azure Dragon Emerging from the Water thrust was dodged by Wei Zhuang, who leaped up to retaliate with a fierce slash. The two sword energies then broke through the corridor railing, and as they fought, they gradually moved away from the crowd through the gap.

Using the entire terrain of the mechanical city as a platform, they launched the fateful battle belonging to the Ghost Valley!

The two ultimately chose to continue fighting with Ji Yan present, and seemingly because they didn't want to be disturbed, they fought further and further apart, intending to settle their differences one by one.

"Lord Chi Lian, what should we do now?"

A Qin general was at a loss. There were other rebels and Ji Yan present. Wei Zhuang was busy, so he had no choice but to ask Chi Lian for advice on the next steps.

"This is now a private matter for the Quicksand. You continue to go into the city to capture those Mohists and the traitors from the six states who are still suffering from the effects of the poison gas."

Chi Lian had a general idea of ​​Wei Zhuang's plan and knew what to do.

“But…” But Qin Jiang clearly had a different opinion. To this, Chi Lian snorted coldly: “Do you usually question the orders of your emperor?”

"This subordinate will take care of it immediately!"

Upon hearing the mention of Ying Zheng, the Qin general broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly agreed, and withdrew, leading the other Qin soldiers present to retreat.

The two kept their distance not only because they didn't want their battle to be disturbed by bystanders, but also because they didn't want their private conversation to be overheard.

As far as the current city of the mechanical city is concerned, these two are probably more concerned about the latter.

Ji Yan was fully aware of this, but she didn't care.

It would be difficult for outsiders to influence Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang's private conversations. However, the reason she was present here was to enhance the presence of this place and to make it the focus of attention in the future.

That way, even if minor changes occur elsewhere, they will have a hard time noticing them, let alone reacting.

'The important figures from the Ink Core should be gathered and rushing over by now.'

Standing ramrod straight, sword in hand, motionless, Ji Yan calmly calculated the time...

"Who is this Ji Yan?"

As the Qin army retreated, the members of the Quicksand Gang and the large black swordsman watched the duel from afar with great concentration. The three little ones squatted to the side, and Tianming asked them a question out of curiosity.

He was certainly interested in the uncle's fight, but in reality, given the distance and his own martial arts skills, he could only see two 'small dots' intertwined, and he couldn't see any more specific movements at all.

Unable to approach them, he could only rest his chin on his hands, staring at the two 'small dots' while asking about Ji Yan, who had saved Gao Yue.

With his limited knowledge, Tianming only knew from the conversation between the uncle and the big bad Wei Zhuang that Ji Yan was the head of the Four Mountains Hall of the Farmer's Clan.

Tianming had heard the name "Agricultural School" quite often, but he still didn't understand what kind of school it was.

"The chivalrous woman Ji Yan is indeed a renowned name in the martial arts world." Shao Yu looked at the figure whose clothes were fluttering in the wind and couldn't help but express a bit of admiration in his tone: "Although the name has only started to spread in the last few years, she was first known as the 'youngest hall master in the thousand-year history of the Farmer's Clan'."

"This record has actually been changing over the years: the last youngest leader of the Farmer's Clan was the current leader of the Farmer's Clan, Lu Wei, but even Lu Wei was seventeen years old when he became a leader."

"And Ji Yan pushed this record forward by three years."

"Three years?" Tianming blinked. "Then she became a hall master at the age of fourteen!"

"Not bad," Shao Yu nodded with satisfaction, showing a look of approval for Tianming Suanjing: "At the age of fourteen, this Miss Ji Yan already commanded nearly 20,000 men."

"At that time, there were rumors in the martial arts world that Miss Ji Yan was just the plaything of the chivalrous leader Lu Wei, and that she only obtained the position of hall master by pleasing Lu Wei. But in recent years, the chivalrous deeds of the heroine Ji Yan have undoubtedly completely shattered this rumor."

"Look," Shao Yu said, pointing towards Sheng Qi with his chin, "Sheng Qi, the Black Swordsman, has always been a figure of no fear in the martial world, but even he has to back down when faced with a few words from Miss Ji Yan."

"That's amazing." Tianming followed Shaoyu's gaze, first looking at the burly Sheng Qi, then at the much smaller Ji Yan, and couldn't help but say, "I want to become a powerful swordsman like her... no, like Uncle!"

"Oh?" Shao Yu chuckled. "Then you'd better work harder. Miss Ji Yan started showing her abilities in the martial world at the age of fifteen, and she's only eighteen now. She's not much older than us."

"To achieve the same status as her in the martial arts world, even someone of the same age as Mr. Gai Nie would be far behind."

"With Uncle's guidance, the Sword Saint's successor will be no worse than anyone else." Tianming was full of confidence, but suddenly his brows furrowed again as if he had thought of something, and he poked his chin with his index finger: "I've heard the name Lu Wei and his title of Farmer's Hero many times. What kind of person is this Lu Wei?"

"That's not something you can worry about," Shao Yu waved his hand. "Looking at it from a distance is too much for you to handle. I'm afraid it will be too much of a blow to you."

"What?!" Tianming protested, "I'm the successor of the Sword Saint..."

Listening to the conversation between the three little ones, it was actually only Tianming and Shaoyu who were talking. Although Jibu knew more about the farmers, he pretended not to hear it.

The relationships and power dynamics within the peasantry are complex and cannot be explained in a few words. The young master is destined not to spend his main efforts in the martial world, and that child named Tianming is not on the same level as figures like Lu Wei and Ji Yan. There is no point in saying more.

Keenly noticing the two children pointing and whispering at him from not far away, Ji Yan made no move to look back.

Although one of the children is the young master of the Xiang family and the other is the son of Jing Ke, Lu Ge's plan doesn't include either of them, which means they are destined not to stand on the big stage.

If that's the case, what substantial difference is there between their special status and that of ordinary people?

In contrast, the arrival of the Mohists and the righteous warriors from the six states from the Mohist core chamber caused a glint of light to flash in Ji Yan's eyes:

The black-robed man leading the group, disguised as Yan Dan, must be Zhang Liang, the Confucian scholar.

How exactly does this third leader of the Confucian Little Sage Village, whom Brother Lu has mentioned several times, plan to handle the relationship between the Quicksand and the remnants of the Six Kingdoms after Yan Dan's death?

It should be noted that the very act of him impersonating the leader of the Mohist school, even if there was a reason for it, already made him untrustworthy.

------

The leader of the Mohist school has finally returned, taking most of the combat power from the Mohist Core Chamber to clear out the Qin soldiers in the Mechanized City. As some of the mechanisms in the Mechanized City need to be restarted, Master Ban also led some disciples of the Mechanized Department to work on it.

For a time, the majority of people in the Mohe Secret Chamber were nobles and dignitaries from the six kingdoms who had neither combat power nor much technology.

Such a secret chamber containing ink cores is like a hedgehog without its quills; once it's targeted by someone with ulterior motives, there's only one outcome.

Chapter 325 Unexpected Choosing Sides

Lu Wei drifted to the outside of the Ink Core Secret Chamber, activated the Great Concealment in the City, and leaned against a corner of the secret chamber that was out of sight of the observation entrance, quietly waiting.

Looking around, the Qin soldiers' corpses filled the hall, and there was still no time to clean them up.

After all, there's no need to spend extra time cleaning this place, both in terms of time and needs, since there's not much time left in the Mechanical City anyway.

A short while later, another Qin army miraculously walked in from outside the secret chamber. At this moment, the Mohist disciples, who had recovered, were clearing out the enemies in the mechanical city. Master Ban was also opening some of the traps and mechanisms after Xuanwu was restarted. In fact, the Mohist family had already recovered a small part of the lost territory, at least in the vicinity of the Mohist core chamber.

However, this Qin army, numbering only about twenty men, returned here, with a clear objective, heading straight for the door of the Mohe secret chamber.

The remaining Mohist disciples in the secret chamber were surprised but not worried: the secret chamber was impenetrable, and no one could break in from the outside.

Even the heavy mechanical man made by the Gongshu family couldn't break through the gate; relying solely on these Qin soldiers was simply wishful thinking!

Lu Wei watched the Qin soldiers' movements, and as they entered the passage leading to the secret chamber, he smiled and held the Devouring Sea Sword in one hand.

Instead of drawing it, he casually tapped the observation window of the secret chamber three times with the hilt of the sword while still holding the scabbard...

The three metallic clanging sounds had no lethality; both the Mohist disciples in the secret chamber and the Qin soldiers who were simply following orders without understanding what was happening heard them. However, just as they were wondering about this strange sound, the door to the Mohist Core secret chamber opened...

Inside the Mo family core, the Mo family disciple turned around in surprise and looked at one of their companions with a wicked smile as he completely pulled off the door-opening mechanism. At the same time, his figure blatantly transformed into an ordinary Qin soldier.

No one noticed the black ripples emanating from the eyes beneath the metal mask...

The Qin army squad leader who entered also wore a standard mask, and hidden beneath it were the 'Ten Evils' engraved in seal script.

"Kill all the rebels here! Don't forget there's a second floor below!"

With a hoarse voice, he swiftly drew his sword and stabbed the Mo family leader, who had just reacted and was preparing to organize a resistance, to death, and then cruelly issued a massacre order!

Although this Qin army was outnumbered by the Mohist disciples and the remaining forces of the six states in the Mohist secret chamber.

However, they were armored and led by two outstanding martial arts masters. After they killed off the few targets who dared to organize a resistance, the remaining remnants of the six states, who were terrified by the Qin army, had no idea how many Qin soldiers had entered. They only wanted to escape, and the chaos they created greatly helped the Qin army!

The screams were so pitiful that the kind-hearted Lu Wei couldn't bear to listen any longer and left the scene of the crime out of compassion.

Now, when the severely weakened Mohist school and the remnants of the six states want to rebel against Qin again, they will have no choice but to rely on the strongest peasant school.

Let's go check on Ji Yan next. If something changes there, Xiao Yan won't be able to handle the Twin Swords of Vertical and Horizontal alone.

Furthermore, while he could understand Zhang Liang impersonating Yan Dan to stabilize the situation, the former allies of Han, the Quicksand, had almost lost their ability to threaten the Mohists. How to get the Mohists, who had suffered so much, to accept the Quicksand again was a real problem.

When news of Ji Yan's appearance in the Mechanical City first reached the ears of the Mo family and others, everyone was greatly surprised. When they actually saw Ji Yan at the scene, Gao Jianli, Dao Zhi and others frowned even more: the Mo family had tried to invite the Farmer family to this gathering in the Mechanical City beforehand, but the Farmer family refused immediately.

Now that they've refused and are coming uninvited, it's hard not to suspect that they might be following orders from the Qin state.