Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 303

"Do you still remember what happened ten years ago?" Lu Wei carefully sensed the other person's fresh aura, and at this close distance, he did recall the scene from ten years ago.

“Everyone holds grudges, and so do I. Is that so hard to accept?” Xiaomeng smiled.

"No, it's just that this kind of 'master' is very different," the chivalrous leader said honestly, though he could only be honest with either his mouth or his hands.

Sensing the weight on her chest lessen, Xiaomeng blinked her pale eyes, then used the "Harmony with Light and Dust" technique again to vanish instantly, leaving only a fleeting message and a wisp of blue mist as Lu Wei carried her to the ground:

"Come to the bamboo forest tomorrow and teach me how to climb hills, so I can protect you from the mirage."

"Mirage..." After confirming that Xiaomeng had really left, Lu Wei murmured the name twice, got up and walked out of the house to the next room, where Xiaoyan was writing something with her head down.

"Has Amu arrived yet?" He habitually went to the windowsill and looked out at the street. He was quite satisfied that there were no spies from any faction among the passersby.

"Yes, but to be on guard against the Gongshu family's Potu Shiqilang, Uncle Mu did not get too close to Sanghai."

Ji Yan put down her pen, got up and came to the bedside. She rested her head on Lu Wei's shoulder and took his hand, playing with it like a little girl: "Did Xiao Meng promise to go with us?"

“She will naturally not refuse. Although this mission is against the legendary leader of the Yin Yang School, it won’t be very dangerous.” Lu Wei squeezed Xiao Yan’er’s delicate hand in return, and in his pleasant mood, he didn’t mind showing a bit more tenderness: “There should be changes in Sanghai first, and then in Mount Tai, but I’m afraid there won’t be enough time to get there. You need to arrange the disciples along the way to send messages in advance.”

"Yes, Brother Lu, don't worry. I've prepared two mechanisms. The Qilu region is our farm's territory, so any anomalies won't escape our notice."

"Very good, give the orders for the cleanup work on the Luo Wang side as well."

"The lands of Qi and Lu and the lands of Dong Chu will not allow our enemies any room to live!"

------

Shao Siming returned to the Mirage Tower and reported Lu Wei's reply to the fake Moon Goddess in the Moon Palace with a natural expression: she didn't need to show any expression or speak; it couldn't be simpler for her to hide her true thoughts.

"Hmm," 'Moon Goddess' responded softly, tossing the map that had been prepared in advance on the table in front of her to the elder of the Wood Department: "This is the layout of the Mirage. Go and give it to him and instruct him to act according to this map."

Shao Siming bowed slightly, quietly accepted the map, and withdrew.

Watching her departing figure, the 'Moon Goddess's' appearance quietly transformed into the Eastern Emperor, and she rose and walked towards a secret chamber in the Moon Palace.

Here, Xinghun, who recently returned to the Mirage with Yunzhongjun, has lost consciousness and fallen into a deep sleep.

Donghuang reached out to check his condition, and suddenly used the Soul Transformation Technique and Mind Reading Technique. Under this dual effect, the result was still that Xinghun only had the memories of when he was still Ganluo.

The innocent Gan Luo laughed happily beside his mother, a laugh that seemed to be a mockery of Donghuang...

"As expected of an outstanding Yin-Yang genius who was chosen by me as the Left Protector." Donghuang stopped, looking at Xinghun's unchanged expression in his sleep, and did not try again.

Donghuang's Yin-Yang technique is indeed superior to Xinghun's, but because Xinghun accepted Lu Wei's Five Virtues Inner Qi and specialized in another path, he has deviated from Donghuang's Yin-Yang technique.

Xinghun possesses extraordinary talent. Under his manipulation, Donghuang can forcibly destroy these deviations, but can no longer control him. This method piqued Donghuang's curiosity, and he planned to slowly study Xinghun's body.

Turning around and walking out of the secret chamber, Donghuang used the Soul Dragon Soaring Technique to summon the Mountain Spirit and the River God, and gave them instructions on the final arrangements for the Mirage Tower.

If Lu Wei sees through his plan, the only assistant he can use is Xiao Meng, the head of the Heavenly Sect. That alone is not enough to break the trap on the mirage!

The winner takes all, and the loser relinquishes their power without hesitation. This is the unspoken understanding that Donghuang believes he shares with Lu Wei.

After all, although their goals were different, both of them had to go through the process of overthrowing the Qin Dynasty.

Donghuang was a descendant of Ji Chao, the prince of Ji Zhou who fled south three hundred years ago. Just as the moon goddess said, he disliked the pseudo-Zhou and, as a member of the Yin-Yang School, actively pushed the Qin state to eliminate the pseudo-Zhou. However, afterwards, he also developed a new hatred for the Qin state, which had completely severed the ancestral temple of the pseudo-Zhou.

This world should have belonged to the Great Zhou!

Chapter 366 Entering the Mirage

The large ship named Mirage has been anchored on the shore of Sanghai. Because of its presence, a large area of ​​the sea around Sanghai has been blocked by the Qin army, prohibiting normal ships from going to sea.

At the same time, because the ship was too big, it could not use the normal docks originally used for fishing boats. In order to avoid thieves breaking in, it did not build a new temporary large dock. The only normal way to board the ship was through the cloud ladder that the mirage itself "spit out" and was hundreds of meters long.

This method was destined to attract attention, and it was only used for occasions like Prince Fusu's visit and when the boys and girls led by Lord Yunzhong boarded the ship. For routine material transportation and necessary personnel exchanges, official small boats were used. Higher-level secrets were delivered by bat-winged mechanical beasts.

For Lu Wei, neither of these two methods was suitable for him, so he had to find his own way to board the ship.

As for the message written on the back of the mirage map that Shao Siming delivered the second time, "On the agreed date, a small boat authorized by the Qin state will take him up there," it should of course be ignored.

The coastline on the side of the mirage was closely monitored by the Qin army, and at night there would be aerial patrols to check back and forth. Sanghai was not peaceful, and these soldiers had to strictly carry out their duties.

They piloted bat-winged mechanical beasts, their eyes wide, bows and crossbows cocked, possessing the right to attack any anomaly at any time without prior notice.

However, beneath these bat-winged mechanical beasts, on the empty sea, Lu Wei stood on a floating ice floe that could only accommodate one person, and propelled by his inner energy, he drifted brazenly toward the mirage.

The moonlight is bright tonight, but a thin layer of mist still hangs over the sea. This mist, combined with the idea of ​​being hidden in plain sight and blending in with the world, completely integrates the insignificant object into nature.

Lu Wei sensed Xiao Meng's presence from the moment he set out, but he couldn't see her specific figure. It wasn't until he created the floating ice and felt the girl's warm touch against his back that Xiao Meng's figure was revealed.

She could reach that distance by wading through the waves, but it would be better to have a place to rest and use the water for support.

The two didn't exchange any further words on the way. They had already discussed their strategy in the bamboo forest. After a silent smile, Lu looked at the large ship that was almost within reach. When they were still about ten feet away, he stepped on his toes and leaped towards the ship...

Silently stepping onto the deck, at that very moment, Donghuang Taiyi in the Moon Palace suddenly opened his eyes from meditation and shook a small bell on the table.

On the rocks at the bottom of the cliff of Sanghai Waterfall, under the watchful eyes of several figures, the massive sea city actually moved for the first time since arriving in Sanghai.

The slow start-up speed did not make the mirage appear clumsy at all; instead, under the moonlight, it created an extremely magnificent and spectacular scene.

Once you leave Sanghai and enter the mirage in the middle of the sea, it will become an isolated island completely controlled by the Yin-Yang School!

"It seems that the Eastern Emperor did not discuss this matter with Fusu beforehand."

Zhang Liang smiled and put his hands behind his back, looking at the slightly chaotic lights on the dock in the distance, and roughly imagined what the Qin soldiers stationed there looked like at this moment.

“There can be many reasons. He could even explain it directly using astrology. Compared to the gains at the moment, it’s not a choice worth hesitating over.” Ji Yan stood closer to the water, with a huge eggshell-shaped object, one-third of which was exposed, beside her.

"The mechanical water snake is ready. We'll chase after it once the mirage has turned around. At this moment, Gongshu Chou won't have the energy to control Po Tu Shiqi Lang."

Amu, who should have been in Jing County, appeared in Sanghai. From his words, the identity of the 'giant egg' was very clear: an underwater mechanical beast belonging to the Farmers, a mechanical water snake!

"The Yin-Yang School thought that only Brother Lu and Master Xiaomeng had ascended the Mirage, but little did they know that Brother Lu had already prepared such a mechanical beast that could support their retreat at any time. They also didn't know that there would be an absolutely unexpected helper inside this mechanical beast." Zhang Liang's eyes were full of admiration for the mechanical water snake: If the Mo family had brought out such a mechanical beast, he wouldn't have reacted so strongly.

He had long heard that farmers were researching mechanical arts, and he had seen the mechanical oxen and mechanical roosters in Daze Mountain, but the mechanical water snake seemed to be a much higher level of technology.

"After all, even I didn't expect that Senior Brother would step forward at this time." As Zhang Liang spoke, he turned to look at the silent Fu Nian, who glared at him with sharp eyes. He smiled and turned his head back.

Fu Nian calmly drew his Tai'a sword, recalling Lu Wei's last visit and request, while his thoughts drifted more to the records of people from various places that the farmers had been sending over the years.

He ran his hand over the broad blade of the sword, his imposing aura so powerful that it astonished everyone present. He said firmly, “Qin’s possession of the Tai’a sword is a gift from Heaven to all people. To not take it would be to suffer the consequences. Since the Confucianists have seen through the situation, how can they not be the first to act?”

"Since the beginning of the year, my senior brother has spent most of his energy dealing with the Qin state's repeated visits. He has maintained a refined and dignified appearance, seemingly doing nothing, and has even pulled me back from my radical actions on several occasions. But this time, at Brother Lu's invitation, he actually brought his Tai'a sword to participate in the Mirage Project. I really don't know what Brother Lu has promised..."

Zhang Liangxin had something on his mind. At this moment, Yan Lu, who was empty-handed, also stepped forward and expressed his opinion: "Since the senior and junior brothers have made their decisions, Zilu is dull-witted and will only follow along."

The Three Heroes of Qilu are a force to be reckoned with in Sanghai City. Every power entering Sanghai will not ignore the presence of the local master. But tonight, Donghuang could never have foreseen that these three would become Lu Wei's backup allies...

------

On the mirage, Lu Wei had a clearer understanding of what it felt like to sail on such a large ship at sea, but he didn't have time to savor it. After completing some small actions with the undercover agent on the mirage, he went inside the mirage alone.

His goal was to meet the Eastern Emperor, but he couldn't meet the Eastern Emperor according to the other party's plan: his initiative to enter the mirage was a sign of confidence that he had made all the necessary preparations, while his initiative to enter the trap on the mirage was arrogance.

The mechanical water snake would have to wait until the mirage stopped before it could catch up. Lu Wei estimated that this would be around dawn, meaning he would have to stay on the boat alone for about four hours.

During these four hours, Lu Wei can do more things.

"The blueprints given by Donghuang are exactly the same as those given to me by Yueshen in advance, but some of the Yin-Yang magic mechanisms depicted in the former were obviously added later." Opening the map in his mind, Lu Wei casually killed two Yin-Yang disciples on routine patrol at a corner.

These disciples may be close to the sun, moon, and stars, but they will all become his enemies in the future. It would be much easier to deal with them before they receive the Eastern Emperor's orders.

“The Cherry Blossom Prison is in the Purple Shell Water Pavilion, which is very likely where Sun, Moon and Star are imprisoned. However, Sun, Moon and Star are not of much use to me at the moment, and the traps there are definitely key areas that could threaten me. I’m not in a hurry to rescue them.”

"The Moon Palace is the highest point of the Mirage, and the Eastern Emperor is very likely there, but I cannot go there."

"It's best to stick to the established plan and maneuver around the New Moon Palace."

The alarm in the mirage didn't activate. Lu Wei roughly guessed what Donghuang was thinking, so he ruthlessly slaughtered his way through, forcing his way into the larger space below the deck...

Inside the Moon Palace, the River God and the Mountain Spirit were on standby, while the Eastern Emperor remained seated as steady as Mount Tai after activating the Mirage, making no attempt to interfere with Lu Wei's intrusion.

Only after Lu skillfully navigated the psychedelic corridor and entered the lower level of the mirage did Donghuang finally speak: "He is moving towards the location of the Crescent Moon Palace. You may proceed."

"Yes," the two elders of the Yin-Yang School simultaneously accepted the order and turned to walk towards the descending cloud ladder in the Moon Palace.

As a special passage, the cloud ladder can descend directly to any floor they want to go to, with the Moon Palace as its core, without having to walk through those winding corridors. Therefore, the River God and the Mountain Spirit will enter the Crescent Moon Palace faster than Lu Wei to activate those traps.

'Things are going too smoothly; everything is proceeding according to the celestial movements.'

Under the black and gold cloak, Donghuang sensed something was amiss. He deduced the astrological laws again, but the result was clear and unchanged.

Is this really good news? Donghuang shook his head and increased the intensity of his deduction.

Astrology has never been so accurate in predicting Lu Wei's fate; in the past, it had rarely yielded any results. Yet, at this crucial moment, the winds of change suddenly shifted in favor of the Yin-Yang School. There must be something wrong here.

The star knew Lu Wei would go to the Crescent Moon Palace, but it wouldn't tell Donghuang Taiyi why he was going there...

Chapter 367 I Am an Immortal

The layout of the Crescent Moon Palace resembles an astrological altar.

However, since it is located inside a mirage and cannot truly see the real starry sky, a mechanical star map was created on the roof using a combination of Yin-Yang techniques and domineering mechanical techniques during its construction. Driven by the user's Yin-Yang techniques, it can perform hypothetical deductions in a manner that conforms to laws.

However, because of the existence of the Toad Palace, both the Moon Goddess, the true master of the New Moon Palace, and the Eastern Emperor, who imprisoned all the rebellious Sun, Moon and Stars with thunderous means, were more accustomed to using the real starry sky to cultivate astrological laws from the high vantage point of the Toad Palace.

Mechanical star charts are rule-based entities. Their advantage in using them to deduce astrological laws lies in their stability, but their disadvantage is that they are too stable and lack variables.

Variables are a wondrous existence. Nothing in the world is immutable. Variables are an indispensable part of the laws, and they are also a key point that Yin-Yang School values ​​most. They fascinate countless Yin-Yang School disciples and are the driving force behind the progress of Yin-Yang arts.

Even so, the existence of the Crescent Moon Palace is indispensable, because variables not only tend to change for the better, but most of the time they tend to deviate from the plan.

Thus, the Crescent Moon Palace was intended as a reference point that eliminated the influence of variables, which was considered for the Mirage's quest for immortality. However, today, it has itself become a variable in the Mirage.

After the Mountain Spirit and the River God used the cloud ladder to arrive here first, they concealed themselves and waited for their target to arrive. However, after waiting for a long time, the main gate of the Crescent Moon Palace was never opened.

The quiet environment wouldn't normally make the two Yin-Yang masters nervous, but the target they were dealing with this time was someone highly valued by Lord Donghuang, and their hearts sank as they gained nothing.

As the supervisors in the construction of the mirage, they were very familiar with the internal routes of the mirage. They knew that under normal circumstances, the time it would take two people to wait was enough for an ordinary disciple to slowly walk from the Toad Palace to this place, let alone an outsider who should be the most worried about being discovered.

'As expected, an unexpected incident occurred.' River God and Mountain Spirit made a quick decision, but as soon as they pushed open the main gate of the Crescent Moon Palace, they saw two Yin-Yang School disciples lying on the ground not far away.

"Not good!" The two of them retreated almost instantly and used Yin-Yang techniques to assume a defensive stance, but the attack they had imagined did not occur.

It was very quiet outside; only the dead disciples were present, and there wasn't even a sound of breathing from anyone else.

Why did the enemy only kill the disciples who patrolled the area but not enter the Crescent Moon Palace?

"It seems he was prepared."

Just as the two elders were recovering from their lingering fear, the Yin-Yang School leader, Donghuang Taiyi, suddenly appeared, his voice low and unreadable.

"Master!" Hebo and Shan Gui hurriedly bowed to Donghuang, who was shrouded in a black and gold robe. But the moment they bowed, a strong killing intent erupted without warning. The two of them actually joined forces to strike Donghuang, who was standing there calmly. The yin and yang hand seals were combined and their power far exceeded the effect of one plus one.