Book 5 Chap 2 – Open animosity
Jing Jun did not expect his opponent to immediately strike without even a greeting. But he has lived all his life in the forests and grew up among ferocious animals so he has met even more dangerous situations than this numerous times. He chortled, made a false move as if he's going to move diagonally to the left and when the long sword is about to reach him, he moved to the right by a few millimeters and dashed to Zhao Zhi's back towards the left, his speed even faster than a spirit.
Zhao Mu and Guo Zhong exchanged a look, and both could see the surprise in each other. With such a person helping Xiang Shaolong, it's akin to giving wings to a tiger. Therefore, that Wu Zhuo and Teng Yi must be formidable as well and they have no choice but to reevaluate Xiang Shaolong's ability.
Zhao Zhi was obviously not afraid, this sword stroke is purely to test Jing Jun's reflexes and now that she knows that her opponent is extremely nimble, she gave a soft grunt as she bent her legs and jumped up into the air, turning a huge somersault. The sharp weapon in her hand turned into a million sword sparks aiming towards Jing Jun from the air. Zhao Ba's men immediately cheered.
Xiang Shaolong saw that Zhao Zhi's swordplay looks nice and tightly executed as well, absolutely not just showy moves and was secretly startled as he can deduce from this that Zhao Ba will definitely be extremely formidable. At the same time he remembered how Lian Jin called himself invincible in Handan; people with elevated status like Zhao Mu and Yan Ping will naturally not duel with Lian Jin but Zhao Ba as the head of the warrior association, why did he allow Lian Jin to have his way?
He had a sudden thought, as if he could grasp the meaning of it, but can't really accurately describe what he felt. Such a weird feeling is making him feel extremely uncomfortable. The empty handed Jing Jun who was standing in the middle of the hall finally took out his weapon, a dagger secured to his waist. His hand reached into his clothes and a ball of something blackish looking suddenly flew out from his hand, first aimed towards Zhao Zhi's right then it speeded up and turned back and hit Zhao Zhi's long sword with a 'dang!'.
Zhao Zhi's sword speaks were immediately dispersed and she also dropped to the ground. That thing belonging to Jing Jun flew above his head, turning circles above following the movements of his right hand, it turned out to be a shiny, silvery crescent shaped 'Flying Knife', which is extremely sharp on both sides, especially the sharp ends that is shaped like a cow's horns, making one feel it's horrible danger. It's the first time Xiang Shaolong has seen his specialized weapon and secretly thought that it will take little effort if it's used to kill beasts.
Jing Jun grinned and looked at Zhao Zhi, who seemed at a loss as to how to deal with his weapon, his eyes staring leeringly at her chest. Zhao Ba raised his voice, "Such unorthodox weapons, how can it be even taken out in public." A loud laugh was heard from the main door and someone commented, "Chairman Zhao's words are not quite right! In the world there are only weapons that can kill or cannot kill, there's no such thing as unorthodox."
Everyone turned around in surprise only to see the great general Li Mu step into through the door accompanied by 10 over family warriors. Gao Ang and a few Guo family guards were running after him, obviously they did not even have the chance to announce his arrival. Xiang Shaolong took the chance to call Jing Jun back. A flash of icy murderous intent flashed past Zhao Zhi's eyes before she quietly returned to her seat.
The wily old fox Guo Zhong chuckled as he left the host table, his face full of smiles as he said, "When did general come back, or else you would certainly not be left out tonight." Li Mu's dynamic eyes swept over all the guests who stood up to welcome him and when he saw Zhao Mu, a murderous intent flashed swiftly in his eyes before he covered it up and said with a cold smile, "I just hope that Mister Guo will not blame me for coming uninvited."
He stared at the embarrassed looking Zhao Ba and said, "Chairman is in charge of cultivating talents for great Zhao, but please do not be such a stickler for customs. I have been fighting with barbarians for a long time and am used to seeing the countless changes on the battlefield. When 2 armies fight, the only goal is to win the other party, who cares what weapon is being used." Zhao Ba was so furious his face turned dark but he was at a loss for words. Li Mu turned towards Xiang Shaolong and his tone softened as he said, "Shaolong has accomplished a great merit, I came today to offer you 3 toasts. Bring me wine!"
This famous Zhao general who is almost on par with Lian Po shocked the entire gathering upon his arrival and even a bully like Zhao Mu dared not speak up and risk offending this number 2 person in the military. Words seem to be stuck in Le Cheng and Guo Kai's throats as they dared not reply as well. Xiang Shaolong was secretly surprised, he did not expect this person who represents the Zhao military would show his support for him publicly, and now he is no longer fighting alone.
Only Yan Ping remained seated, not showing any deference to Li Mu at all. Li Mu did not blame him at all and just drank 3 cups of wine with Xiang Shaolong, even seating himself down at Xiang Shaolong's table. Wu Zhuo and the rest immediately left their seats while Guo Zhong summoned his men to arrange for 3 extra tables behind for them and Li Mu's men.
After everyone was seated, Zhao Mu gave a dry cough and said, "Great general has just returned, I wonder how is the situation at the border?" Li Mu replied icily, "This is the first time the Marquis of Julu has asked about the Xiong Nus but the reason I rushed back to Handan this time is because of Lady Ni's incident. After discussing with Premier Lian, we felt that there are many suspicious points regarding her suicide and decided that the military will jointly send in an official request to his Majesty to look into this matter thoroughly. Marquis is the person who dealt with this case single handedly, so you will know that my words are not baseless. I still need to seek your advice."
Xiang Shaolong was suddenly enlightened. He remembered Zhao Qian once mentioned that Zhao Ni is the daughter-in-law of Zhao She, a famed general of Zhao who once defeated the Qin army. Because of her insistence of preserving her chastity she was well liked by the people and even has the support of the military, that's why even Zhao Mu dared not touch her. Now that Zhao Mu's lust has gotten the better of him and caused her death, there's no way his relations with Zhao She, the military and the other generals can maintain cordiality and now they are going to fight each other face on. That's why Li Mu is being so open about his intention to deal with Zhao Mu now.
Zhao Mu's expression changed for the worse immediately but because of Li Mu's military powers and status, he dared not throw his temper. Guo Kai said condescendingly, "Lady Ni committed suicide because of her pining for her dead husband, this is a fact and his Majesty is most aware of this matter. General is not putting your energy at the borders, isn't all this unnecessary?"
Xiang Shaolong did not expect someone as subtle as Guo Kai would actually rebut Li Mu. Obviously the fight between the military and Zhao Mu's gang have reached a burning stage where each will not give any face to the opposite party. Li Mu is indeed a hardened soldier. He looked heavenward and laughed loudly, "We're exactly afraid his Majesty will be tricked by unscrupulous people, that's why we have no choice but to interfere. The way to winning is first to settle internal problems before dealing with external problems. If you say this is unnecessary, this must be a very extreme joke."
Guo Zhong has never joined in any faction's fight but the various groups will try to pull him towards their cause due to his influence, hence he was able to make friends with all sides. Now that he saw that the atmosphere is getting more and more fiery, he felt that things might be getting out of hand so he interrupted and tried to cool things down by saying, "We will not talk about state affairs tonight, but only talk about entertainment. I have arranged a very exciting show of beauties dancing with swords, shall we all enjoy it?" He has not even given the signal when Yan Ping called out, "Hold it!"
Slowly standing up, he pulled out from his back the Juzi sword which is at least 1.5 times longer than the average sword and looked at Xiang Shaolong icily as he said, "Commander Xiang, tonight either you will perish or I will die. Let me see what that traitor Yuan Zong has taught you?" Because of Yan Ping's special status, there is no way Li Mu can find a reason to interrupt or interfere. Xiang Shaolong knows that this duel is unavoidable and thought to himself that he might as well let this duel be a form of offering for Yuan Zong. If not because that his has numbers on his side, there's no way Yan Ping can harm even a hair on that Mohist master! He stood up loudly, his eyes icy as he stared at Yan Ping and said, "Who is the traitor? You can debate about it when you see Mo Yi himself!"
Yan Ping snorted angrily, obviously he is feeling extremely furious as he moved to the middle of the hall and stood ready. The hall was silent, everyone knows Yan Ping's swordplay is unfathomable. Naturally some are secretly cheering while some were worried for Xiang Shaolong. Zhao Mu is secretly laughing, because if Yan Ping is killed, King Xiaocheng will still be extremely unhappy although he knows that Xiang Shaolong has no choice. If Yan Ping were to kill Xiang Shaolong and get rid of this thorn in his eye, it will be beneficial to him. So no matter what the outcome is, he has all to gain and nothing to lose.
Xiang Shaolong left his table and beyond everyone's expectations, he actually walked towards Zhao Mu's table instead, his eyes frosty as he stared at Zhao Mu unceasingly. Zhao Mu and his men were on the alert, some of them even moving their hands to their sword handles, getting ready to deal with any moves that might be harm Zhao Mu. Xiang Shaolong came to the front of Zhao Mu's table and with a slight smile, removed the Flying Rainbow from his waist and placed it together with the scabbard on the table in front of Zhao Mu, saying calmly, "This sword will be returned to Marquis. It has once happily drunk the fresh blood of Xiao Weimou, it has not shamed the reason why Marquis generously gave it away." He then stared hard at this conniving thief who now has a blood feud with him before turning around and walking towards Yan Ping who was standing in the middle of the hall.
Although Xiao Weimou died because of him, the real person who killed Xiao Weimou is Teng Yi. The reason why Xiang Shaolong said that is to deliberately antagonize Zhao Mu and at the same time let him know that he is already aware of his nefarious plan. The act of returning the sword signifies that a clear line will henceforth be drawn between them, an open rebuke. At this instant, he doesn't even care about King Xiaocheng, much less Zhao Mu. And only when he publicly shows his animosity like this can he get the full support of Lian Po, Li Mu and the military.
Indeed Zhao Mu was so furious that his face turned red and pale, looking extremely horrible. As for the rest it is the first time they found out that Xiao Weimou has been killed and were all surprised and whispered amongst themselves. An expression of shock even flashed past Li Mu and Yan Ping's faces. Xiang Shaolong felt greatly relieved that he now no longer have to put on an act with his enemy Zhao Mu. His eyes staring at Yan Ping, he reached out and drew his Mohist wooden sword as waves of murderous aura emitted from him like steam. At the same time his mind was clear, everything is inconsequential, forgetting even about Yuan Zong's revenge. Only his Mohist wooden sword and his opponent's Juzi sword is left in this world, with no place for anything else.
Although Yan Ping looks as stable as a mountain with no loopholes at all, it seems that Xiang Shaolong totally understands his enemy's movement and intent, which are totally reflected in his calm mind. This is the method of 'keeping one's heart as clear as jade' in Mo Yi's 3 killer strikes, which uses a extraordinary breathing method and a resolute mind. The open animosity with Zhao Mu has also made him calmer, like a reverend who has suddenly found the Way, he has now reached the epitome of the way of the sword. In other people's eyes, Xiang Shaolong seems to have suddenly changed into another person, as quiet as still water but also simmering within an explosive strength and murderous aura.
Zhao Mu and Zhao Ba revealed a look of shock at the same time. They're all expert swordsmen so they naturally know that the essence of swordplay can be most effectively executed when once reaches such a stage. Yan Ping's expression turned somber, he deeply understands Mohist swordplay's reason of emphasizing more on defense than attack so thinking that Xiang Shaolong will be young and rash, decided that he will not attack first. If not for the fact that Xiang Shaolong is revealing such a frightening aura, he will never control himself and give way like this.
Xiang Shaolong's gaze fell onto his opponent's Juzi sword. Under the firelight, it seems to radiate an indescribable shine and dust could not even settle on it. Obviously it's extremely sharp. He can't help but feel puzzled, isn't Mohist sword play's dexterity based on its cumbersome weight, but isn't this sharp and swift long sword just the opposite of the essence of Mohist swordplay? Unless Yan Ping has some other skills, or else this type of sword can never fully execute the essence of Mohist swordplay. Once he thought of this, he has a plan in his mind and he lifted his wooden sword as he walked slowly but surely towards Yan Ping. Yan Ping's eyes was shooting daggers at him as he stared at Xiang Shaolong's shoulders.
The hall was so quiet one can hear a pin drop. Only the footsteps of Xiang Shaolong, which seems to be in total synchronization with the tempo of the universe, can be heard. Everyone suddenly has a strange feeling, as if everything is now in Xiang Shaolong's control and everything in the universe will have to bow down to him but little do they know that this is exactly the essence of the Mohist's 3 killer strikes.
Xiang Shaolong thought of the Zou Yan's observation tower in Daliang, remembered the beautiful scene of the sky filled with stars and an encompassing feeling of the universe flared up in him as he roared and executed the move of 'Attacking instead of defending' from the 3 killer strikes. The Mohist sword seems to extend yet retract, suddenly it seems to be moving weirdly in a fashion that encompasses the meaning of the mystical universe straight towards Yan Ping's face. Even for a person as calm as Yan Ping, he was startled as well. He only felt his opponent's sword styles are like the Changjiang River, never ending, and if he only uses Mohist swordplay's defense style, he'll immediately be beaten. What is even more shocking is that his opponent's styles seems to be made to go against the Mohist swordplay and yet they are undeniably Mohist swordplay as well. Left with no choice, the Juzi sword morphed into icy sparks as it meets the attack with an attack.
Xiang Shaolong's intent is to force him to execute his secret skills and now that he saw his trick has worked, he suddenly retreated and executed one of the moves 'Returning sword stance' from 'Defending instead of attacking'. Yan Ping was ecstatic, thinking that his opponent's elaborate swordplay is just a farce and he returned to the old method of Mohist swordplay. He invented this swordplay of his, and named it 'Breaking Mohism', used especially to deal with his enemies within the Mohist sect. That's why he's so confident of killing Xiang Shaolong so at this point in time he won't let such a splendid opportunity pass and hurriedly moved forward to attack, totally forgetting about his initial plan to use defense as the main strategy. Xiang Shaolong's mind is as clear as water and on seeing his opponent's sword sparks grow wider, but the aim is towards his right shoulder. However, that is the loophole he deliberately showed.
Defending instead of attacking is the first stance oh Mohist swordplay's 3 killer moves and it encompasses 120 moves and each move has a loophole which are in fact intricately designed traps to lure the enemy in, which is exactly the essence of using defense instead of attacks. On seeing that Yan Ping has been tricked, he laughed loudly as he moved forward like lightning and Yan Ping's sword stabbed into empty air. Xiang Shaolong turned his waist slightly and his Mohist wooden sword turned back like lightning and struck heavily but surely on his opponent's sword.
He knows that Yan Ping's swordsmanship is excellent and extremely experienced as well, so he's definitely not worse off when compared. Even if he has the 3 killer strikes, he'd just learnt them after all and not totally adept at it so he is not insisting on injuring his enemy at all. However he took the opportunity and used his wooden sword which is at least 3 to 4 times heavier than his opponent's sword in addition to his extraordinary arm strength to force his opponent to use his strength. Yan Ping was immediately greatly disadvantaged as he felt his right hand go numb and his Juzi sword almost slipped from his grasp. Xiang Shaolong was secretly startled. Although Yan Ping looks as skinny as a pole on the surface, his arm strength is extraordinary and the rebounding force of the clash cause his right arm to go numb as well.
Yan Ping gave a quiet snort and moved away diagonally, executing the defense stance of Mohist swordplay, which is so tight, that even splashing water won't be able to get past him. Just as the onlookers were dumbfounded from what just happened, Xiang Shaolong moved his sword to his left hand and in a totally unexpected way, the wooden sword seemed like a swallow flying as it flew out in a curve and came back, sweeping Yan Ping's right shoulder. Yan Ping did not expect that his opponent can use the sword so well with his left hand as well and as his right hand have not recovered from the impact, he had no choice but to take another step back and face his enemy. The Juzi sword's execution was light and nimble as it tried to counterbalance his opponent's heavy handed sweeps.
Xiang Shaolong laughed loudly, "You've been tricked!" as he wooden sword rose to tangle with his opponent's precious sword. The 2 bodies joined then separated. On the surface it seems there's no injury to either of them but everyone can see that Yan Ping has been greatly disadvantaged and his face is now extremely pale. Xiang Shaolong took 3 steps forward towards Yan Ping. Yan Ping gritted his teeth and retreated in unison. At the same time they moved to the left in unison, as if there's an invisible thread joining the two of them together.
Yan Ping is indeed someone who has trained hard for many years and his expression quickly returned to normal, as if he is not injured at all. It turned out that earlier Xiang Shaolong had kneed Yan Ping on his lower calf and if not for the fact that his stance was steady and he immediately moved his strength down, he would have fallen to the ground. However the pain is still throbbing and he knows that he is not able to fight a long battle and he gave a low snort and the Juzi sword attacked towards his opponent, moving like a meteor. Xiang Shaolong fighting mood is at its peak as he counted Yan Ping's breathing and steps. Before his opponent struck, he can already predict accurately if it's a real or fake move by observing the slight change in his opponent's quickened breathing and lighter footsteps. He executed the most formidable move, 'Forgetting feelings' from the 3 killer strike's 'Attacking and defending concurrently', throwing himself at death's door, using only the earlier advantage he gained to compete with his opponent on their innate ability and gut reactions.
There was a cry as Yan Ping's sword dropped to the ground and he hurriedly retreated, the expression on his face as pale as a dead person. His left hand clasping his right arm as fresh blood oozed from between his fingers. Although this slash did not take his life, Yan Ping will not be able to fight for the time being and it's still an unknown whether his right hand will be crippled. Immediately some people rushed out with the intention of helping to hold this proud man.
Yan Ping stood up straight and shouted at those who came forward to go away. He stared at Xiang Shaolong and asked, "Why did you hold yourself back?" Xiang Shaolong put his sword back into the sheath on his back and said calmly, "Although Yuan Zong died because of you, but it's after all the internal fight of your Mohist sect and has nothing to do with me, so is there a need to fight to the death?"
Yan Ping asked quietly, "What swordplay were you using earlier?" Xiang Shaolong replied calmly, "It's a swordplay I created myself, what does Juzi think of it?" A deep hatred flashed from Yan Ping's eyes as he shouted, "Good!" and he walked towards the main door without even turning back, not even bothering to take his sword with him.
Book 5 Chap 3 – Mother of Emperor Qin
After Yan Ping left quietly after his defeat, Xiang Shaolong took the opportunity to take his leave.
Li Mu happily gave him a lift and his men gave up 3 horses for Teng Yi and the rest while Xiang Shaolong was invited up the carriage with him.
The entourage rode slowly down the hill of the Guo residence.
Li Mu was silent for a moment before he bared himself, "This time we can tolerate it no longer and decided to throw in the hatchet, using Lady Ni's incident to have a last confrontation with Zhao Mu." He put his hand on Xiang Shaolong's shoulder and said seriously, "The Premier and I have been keeping a close watch on you. Shaolong you are our Great Zhao's a rare talent of this generation, and you're still so young." He sighed before continuing, "If his Majesty still wants to protect Zhao Mu this time, Shaolong should leave Zhao immediately and go somewhere else to find your fame. Don't be like us and stay on blindly to protect a country with no hope."
Xiang Shaolong was surprised, "We've gotten the secret manual, why are you still so pessimistic. I think the people of Great Zhao are slowly getting prosperous and in another few years we'll regain our lost strength!"
Li Mu interrupted him, "Shaolong you're still not very familiar with affairs of the state. Even without the battle of Changping which greatly weakened us, we still have our disadvantages. They are they Xiong Nus who kept encroaching on our borders, and in order to deal with them, our resources will be depleted in the long run. That's why among the various states, only Great Zhao has the least population. Although we have many famous generals, but ever since the beginning of the empire, we can only defend our soil and does not have the ability to expand."
Xiang Shaolong sincerely felt a liking for this famous general who is on par with Lian Po and can't help but ask, "Since you can see this point so clearly, why are you still in Zhao and not leaving?"
Li Mu looked out the window, a look of extreme sadness flashed in his eyes as he sighed quietly and said, "Man is not without feelings, unlike plants and trees. I have been defending the northern border for so long, fighting the Xiong Nus, and have established a deep relationship with those living at the borders. If I abandon them and leave, who else can stop the vicious and merciless Xiong Nus, how can I bear to let them be murdered. Hai!"
There was helplessness in his words.
Xiang Shaolong was moved and asked, "Can you delay the submission of your document to his Majesty for 1 to 2 days."
A light flashed past Li Mu's eyes as he stared at him and asked, "You seem to be confident, what ingenious move do you have?"
Xiang Shaolong respects him from the bottom of his heart so without hiding a single thing, told him about the possibility that Zhao Mu is a spy sent by the Chus to create havoc.
Li Mu grabbed his shoulders tightly, a ray of hope shot from his eyes as he said, "Shaolong you're really something. We'll use this point, which has never been thought of to deal with Zhao Mu. I'll be staying in Handan for a few days, we'll keep in close contact and coordinate the timing to submit the document."
The 2 of them discussed a little more and soon they arrived at the Wu family stockade. Before he left the carriage, Li Mu held him back and said, "Shaolong you're still young and full of vigor and may find it difficult to resist temptations. You may know that wine and women can harm a person, even an iron man will not be able to withstand days and nights of merry making. Shaolong you must remember that."
Xiang Shaolong knows that his flirtatious escapades, especially his affair with Lady Ya, have spread far. That's why Li Mu had such an advice for him. He blushed and lowered his head to accept the lecture.
He had just stepped into the Wu residence when the guards immediately called him and Wu Zhuo to meet with Wu Yingyuan while Teng and Jing both returned to the back courtyard to rest.
Wu Yingyuan was accompanied by Tao Fang and received them in the secret room in his inner chamber. After listening to the report on this recent trip, he praised them before saying, "Tu Xian just sent someone to contact me, saying that Lu Buwei's situation now is not too good. His enemies in the Qin court is using the reason that he's not a Qin to carry rumors to King Zhuangxiang and wants him to be excluded. King Zhuangxiang is someone who is easily swayed and he may be convinced by them. Therefore the matter of moving Ying Zheng and his mother back to Xianyang cannot be delayed further. With she and her son next to King Zhuangxiang, Lu Buwei's status will be as stable as a mountain and he may even become the premier. Otherwise even our hopes will be dashed."
Xiang Shaolong was still moved by what Li Mu had said so he furrowed his brows, "Can we delay it for a few days, and see if there's hope to topple Zhao Mu first?"
Wu Yingyuan looked at him with concentration, "I know you can't wait to tear Zhao Mu to pieces, but this is after all a personal feud. You should take into account the bigger picture. Now the fate of the Wu family is on your shoulders, one mistake and everyone will perish."
Xiang Shaolong sighed quietly, "If Zhao Mu is toppled, is there still hope for Great Zhao?"
Wu Yingyuan was irritated and interrupted him, "That's just wishful thinking. Even if Zhao Mu is killed, with such a muddleheaded ruler like King Xiaocheng, the Zhao family will still be destined to die. The Crown Prince is nothing good as well. The only way out for the Wu family is to rely on Qin, that is the only hope."
Xiang Shaolong lowered his head speechlessly, and knows that after his conversation with Li Mu, he has been greatly moved by his great sacrifice.
Only Wu Yingyuan, this 100% businessman is more formidable. He doesn't talk about feelings, only about actual benefits, because history has long proven that what he said is indeed correct.
Wu Yingyuan dotes greatly on this son-in-law in his heart and knows that his words have been a little too stern, so his voice turned more gentle as he said, "I know that Shaolong is smarter than others, I wonder if you have any headway regarding the matter of sending Ying Zheng and his mother back?"
Xiang Shaolong braced himself up and said, "It's still too early now. After I rest for a while, I will look for Zhuji. Only if she can be convinced will the matter be able to succeed."
Wu Yingyuan and the rest were stunned.
It's already the 'Mou'* hour and he still said it's too early?
(*Mou – Time between 7pm to 9pm)
Does he want to wait until the middle of the night to sneak into Zhuji's bedchamber?
Xiang Shaolong soaked himself in the pool, his mind in a dilemma.
He is someone who places great emphasis on relationships. The first place he came to after traveling in the time machine is the state of Zhao and after spending these time with the Zhaos, and after how he and the Zhao army relied on each other when they went to Wei, he's already established close relations with them. Subconsciously he has regarded Zhao as his own country and hope to do something for her.
But he knows that even if he gets rid of Zhao Mu, the state of Zhao won't be any better. Such a torn feeling made him even more dejected.
Ting Fangshi who is next to him asked gently, "What is Shaolong thinking about?"
Wu Tingfang who is on the other side said with a little jealousy, "Of course he's thinking of Sister Ya and Princess Qian!"
Xiang Shaolong hugged the 2 naked beauties and remembered Li Mu's warning about not indulging in wine and women so he said with a bitter smile, "With you two beauties next to me, how can I think of other women. It's because I have a matter to attend to tonight and cannot accompany you, that's why I was feeling troubled."
Wu Tingfang said understandingly, "Master Tao has informed us, Xiang Lang just put your mind at ease and go. We will wait for your return obediently. Ai! I forgot to tell you, ever since you went to Daliang, Sister Ting has been sleeping with me every night, talking about our secrets. Tonight us sisters will wait for you on the bed."
Xiang Shaolong secretly thought, "Oh heavens!", if they want intimacy everytime, it'll be very difficult even if he wants to avoid wine and women.
Wu Tingfang continued excitedly, "I did not expect even Yan Ping is not your match and I really hope you can put that Zhao Ba down a peg or two as well."
Xiang Shaolong thought of Zhao Zhi and can't help but ask about her.
Wu Tingfang lowered her head with embarrassment as she replied, "I heard she's one of the lovers of that baddie Lian Jin. You killed Lian Jin so naturally she'll hate you to the core."
Xiang Shaolong was suddenly enlightened.
The reason why Zhao Ba is so full of hatred for him may be related to this, and not because he is in cahoots with Zhao Mu. But of course there may be other reasons as well.
Whether in this era or the 21st century, whoever have power will certainly have other people who will side him, this is a fact that will never change with time.
Xiang Shaolong saw that time is almost up and told Chunying who was adding hot water into the pool, "Help me get Masters Teng Yi and Jing Jun here."
The snow fell relentlessly on the ancient city of Handan.
Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi hid themselves in a dark corner, looking at the huge house with lanterns still lighted in it.
Xiang Shaolong whispered in Teng Yi's ears with a smile, "That rascal Jing Jun must be secretly cursing now because I dragged him out from a warm bed with a woman in it."
Teng Yi gave a cold snort, "Dare he? I've warned him, if he starts going overboard, I'll send him packing back home."
Xiang Shaolong secretly thought that with Teng Yi controlling Jing Jun, it'll not be easy for this lad to go overboard.
The wind howled and Jing Jun who is 10 times more nimble than the average person jumped down from the wall and came quickly to where they were hiding. He said quietly, "I didn't expect the inside to be so huge! I've found out where Zhuji lives."
Xiang Shaolong nodded his head, "Let us go then!"
The 3 of them dashed out from the dark place and came to the bottom of the high wall.
Xiang Shaolong looked at the snowing sky and thought that a dark and windy night like this is perfect for espionage. Everyone would be snuggling in their blankets in such cold weather and even the guards will be hiding in the rooms lighted with stoves.
In this quiet and lonely night, they seem to be in another unique world. Especially when Xiang Shaolong is thinking that he can see the beauty who gave birth to the first Emperor of China, he felt both excited and exhilarating.
Xiang Shaolong savored this strange feeling carefully as he followed Jing Jun and climbed over the wall swiftly, landing within the courtyard.
Inside the houses all joined one another, making it difficult for one to see everything at once. What is unexpected is that with Ying Zheng's status as a hostage, why is he able to use such a big place.
They landed in a rectangular opened air courtyard and facing the high wall is a row of houses, which looks like the residences of servants.
Jing Jun executed his skills and led the way in front with familiarity. They passed by numerous houses, came to a garden forest with a pond, a fake hill and pavilion.
Jing Jun pointed at a 2 storey building on the other side of the garden forest, which still has lamps burning in it and said, "I overheard the maids talking earlier, Zhuji should be staying there but I don't know which room?"
Teng Yi scrutinized the surroundings and said, "We'll keep a look out here for you, if the situation is not right, Jing Jun will give out a bird call to inform you."
Xiang Shaolong nodded his head in agreement and snuck towards the building. He chose a window with no lights and after checking that nothing is amiss, dashed inside.
This place looks like a small hall.
He quickly walked to the wooden door leading out and plastered his ear on it. On hearing that there's no one outside, he pushed the door open and went out.
Outside is a corridor with one end leading to the outer hall and the other end to a flight of stairs leading upstairs.
The house was quiet, it seems that the maids are already in dreamland.
He had not finish this thought when he heard footsteps from the top of the stairs.
Xiang Shaolong hurriedly hid back into the room and wondered why someone is still awake at a time like this.
The footsteps stopped in front of the door.
Xiang Shaolong was astounded, there's not enough time for him to leave by the window and he hurriedly went to a corner and squat down behind a small cabinet. Although it's not a good place to hide, it's better to come face to face with the person coming in.
Indeed someone pushed the door and entered, followed by the sounds of cups and plates knocking on one another.
Xiang Shaolong knows that the other party has no idea that someone is hiding in a corner so he boldly extended his head out for a look. It turned out to be 2 pretty maids.
One of the maids yawned and said, "He's the worst, every time he comes Madam would not be able to sleep, and we'll have to serve them at the side."
The other maid said, "Madam is usually a person of few words but when she sees him she seems to have endless things to say."
The maid who spoke first laughed, "It's better than serving that lecher. His body can't make it yet he wants to rely on hateful toys. Sister Xiang has only half a life left after being toyed with him for 3 nights in a row. Hai!"
Xiang Shaolong's heart dropped, needless to say this lecher must be Ying Zheng. Now that the maids are talking about it, it seems that Lady Ya's words are not wrong at all.
What is this all about? How can the heroic and smart Emperor Qin be someone like that, how is he going to exterminate Lu Buwei in future and consolidate the 6 states, building the largest foundation for China.
Amongst the chatter, the 2 maids prepared the tea and left.
Now that he knows that someone is still awake, Xiang Shaolong dare not go upstairs via the stairs so he left by the window and saw that there is a darkened window on the second floor. He was climbing halfway up when a group of patrol came with lanterns from the small path in the garden. Xiang Shaolong was startled, because if this is where Zhuji stays, the guards will certainly be extra alert and will not miss this person hanging in midair.
He gritted his teeth and increased his speed, in a moment he went through the window into the room.
It's a large bedroom for a lady, the floor was piled with thick and soft rugs while the bed is empty. Besides a few tables and mirrors, on the walls pretty paintings were hung. Xiang Shaolong was suspecting if this is Zhuji's bedroom when the familiar footsteps of the 2 maids sounded outside the door again.
Xiang Shaolong secretly lamented.
This is what they say, 'a wolf in front and a tiger below'. Luckily there is a large wardrobe at the corner of the room and left with no choice, he ran over and opened it for a look. There are 2 compartments inside, although there are clothes piled on the lowest compartment, but he can still squeeze in, if barely. He dare not hesitate any longer and immediately squeezed in and just as he closed the wardrobe door, the 2 maids pushed open then door and came in.
Followed by sounds of them arranging the blankets.
After a moment the 2 maids walked out but they did not close the door.
Xiang Shaolong was secretly lamenting, it seems that Zhuji and her lover will come in anytime, then won't he have to suffer in here and listen to Zhuji's moans.
Tonight seems to be a difficult time to get in touch with Zhuji. Spending the night under the blankets with Wu Tingfang and Ting Fangshi is naturally a hundred times better than being curled up in here.
Besides if Teng and Jing sees that he has not come out after so long, something may happen.
Just as he was feeling troubled, footsteps, one heavy and one light, could be heard coming closer, followed by the sound of the door closing.
Xiang Shaolong secretly cried out, 'Heavens!' and he closed his eyes and left everything to fate.
Outside he could hear the friction of the clothes moving, and the moaning made by a man and woman.
Since Xiang Shaolong was feeling bored, he started guessing who Zhuji's lover might be.
Reasonably it definitely cannot be Zhao Mu, since he knows that the military will soon be going to King Xiaocheng tomorrow to settle scores with him, so now he should be going to the King of Zhao and trying to poison his mind. Because after all, the King of Zhao does have some feelings for Zhao Ni and if he really finds out that the person who caused her demise is Zhao Mu, he may ignore all 'marital' feelings and order Zhao Mu's death. So there's no way Zhao Mu will take this flippantly.
But Zhuji and her son has always been under Zhao Mu's supervision, and anyone else who wants to go near will need his permission.
Who can this person be then?
An extremely gentle voice can be heard from outside the wardrobe, "The thing that I asked of you, how is it now?"
Xiang Shaolong was secretly complimenting her. Just by listening to her voice, he knows that this woman is very well versed in using her gift of beauty to ensnarl men. No wonder the newly crowned King Zhuangxiang could not forget about her.
Since Lu Buwei chose her to captivate King Zhuangxiang, naturally she is someone extraordinary.
That lover replied, "Now the situation is uncertain, it's still not the time to return to Qin."
Xiang Shaolong was shocked and he immediately recognized him as the effeminate philosopher Guo Kai.
He did not expect it to be him. No wonder he linked up with Zhuji, just that he wonders if Zhao Mu is aware of this matter.
Zhuji pouted, "What's so uncertain. Now that my husband has ascended the throne, as long as my son and I can return to Xianyang, Zheng'er will be the crown prince to ascend the throne. What's there to worry about!"
Sounds of kissing was heard again and Zhuji's moans became more intense. Obviously Guo Kai is trying all his means to pacify Zhuji.
Zhuji exclaimed breathlessly, "Don't!"
Guo Kai replied, "Every second of the night is worth a thousand gold, it's rare for us to have this chance. Come! Let's talk further within the bed!"
Zhuji replied a little angrily, "You're only interested in my body but not at all concerned about my troubles. Tell me! Why didn't you do what you promised me."
Guo Kai replied anxiously, "Don't you know that I've put a lot of work into it? It's just that King Zhuangxiang has just ascended the throne and all parties are now keeping a close eye on both of you. Besides, Lu Buwei's status is not that stable now as well and he's in danger of being overthrown at any moment. No matter how we see it, you should not be sneaking back into Xianyang at this moment."
Xiang Shaolong gradually understood, the reason Zhuji ensnarled this important person in Zhao Mu's gang is because she wants to make use of his power to escape Handan.
It's just that one wonders if Guo Kai is really planning to betray Zhao Mu or he just wants to cheat her of her body, and it seems more likely that it's the latter. One just have to think that Guo Kai now has power in his hands and he has a large extended family in Zhao, so no matter how selfish he is, once he is faced with a life and death decision, he'll certainly think of his own parents, brothers, wife and children first.
The most embarrassing thing is if Guo Kai were to go to Qin, he will certainly lose his life and Zhuji. Because Zhuji's 2 other men, regardless of whether it's Lu Buwei or King Zhangxiang, will certainly kill him because of jealousy.
For someone as smart as Guo Kai, how can he not consider about something so important?
Of course Zhuji understands this reasoning as well, but she's just too anxious to return to Qin and become the Empress so she couldn't care about anything else.
Indeed Zhuji remained silent.
Guo Kai said gently, "Come! The weather is so cold! What can be a more comfortable place than beneath a blanket?"
Sounds of clothes being removed followed.
Zhuji's voice said, "You get onto the bed first, I'll join you shortly after undressing."
Guo Kai is obviously very tired and he yawned and went up the bed.
Outside sounds of Zhuji removing her robes and accessories were heard.
A strange noise was heard, it turned out to be Guo Kai snoring.
Xiang Shaolong was affected as well and felt his eyelids getting heavy. Just as he was falling asleep. Footsteps came nearer.
Any drowsiness was immediately dissipated, and he secretly thought that it can't be that much of a coincidence that Zhuji is actually coming to the wardrobe to take her sexy lingerie.
He has not finished his thought when the wardrobe door was pulled open.
Xiang Shaolong had an idea out of impulse and jumped up, hugging her and throwing her down to the ground with one hand covering her tiny mouth, pressing her voluptuous and scantily clad alluring body beneath his. At the same time, he whispered close to her ear, "I am Xiang Shaolong, here to look for you on Lu Buwei's orders!"
He repeated it 3 times before Zhuji stopped her struggle and her delicate body softened.
On the bed, the rhythmic snoring of Guo Kai was heard.
Xiang Shaolong thanked heavens and raised himself up a little, and came face to face with Zhuji.
He can't help but feel his heart beat faster.
He saw the lady under him was extremely enticing, filled with the allure of a mature woman with eyes that could speak volumes, which are now sizing Xiang Shaolong up.
Suddenly Xiang Shaolong could feel her whole alluring body and a wave of lust coursed through him. He was so startled he hurriedly suppressed his lust in case the other party feels it.
He slowly removed his large hand that was covering her mouth and immediately saw Zhuji's pretty face.
She's certainly not a perfect and delicate beauty like Wu Tingfang, Lady Ya or Ji Yanran. Her face is a little too long, the bridge of her nose a little crooked and her lips a little too thick, but when matched with her pretty eyes, it formed a wild beauty and allure that can take one's soul away. Especially her lips which seems to be full of character, the corner lightly curved up, making men think that it's not an easy task to subdue her.
Heavens!
This is Emperor Qin's birth mother!
He has been looking for Emperor Qin all this time but never in his dreams did he think that he could take advantage of his mother like this.
Her body fragrance drifted into his nose.
Zhuji looked at him unblinkingly and said quietly, "I know who you are, because the person Zhao Mu most want to get rid of now is you."
Xiang Shaolong recollected his wandering thoughts and went close to her ear and said, "I hope you also know the relationship between the Wu family and Mister Lu. He sent Tu Xian to make contact with us to get you and your son back to Xianyang as soon as possible."
Xiang Shaolong tried to bear with the itch he felt in his ear and suppressed the urge to take advantage of her, but he can't help but lightly bit on her rounded earlobe and said, "Firstly I have to make contact with you to understand the situation before we can settle the details of escape. I…"
The sound of someone turning was heard on the bed.
The both of them were startled.
Zhuji said hurriedly, "Come again tomorrow night! I'll wait for you."
Xiang Shaolong hurriedly rolled aside.
Zhuji stood up nimbly and at this time Guo Kai called for her from the bed.
Zhuji blushed slightly as she lowered her head and stared at Xiang Shaolong for a moment.
Xiang Shaolong can't help but feel lust welling up as he reached out and grabbed her calf, pinched it before letting go.
That captivating feeling is even more touching than the actual act of copulation.
Zhuji rolled her eyes at him before walking towards the bed.
Only after she extinguished the lamp and went into the bed curtains did Xiang Shaolong regain his thoughts.
He secretly thought that this woman is indeed formidable before leaving hurriedly.
By this time even if he made any noise, Guo Kai would not find out.
Book 5 Chap 4 – No route for advance or retreat
After breakfast, Xiang Shaolong went to see Master Wu and his son but he did not see Wu Zhuo and Tao Fang.
He remembered the suspicious Chu who was in contact with Zhao Mu and knows that those two must be away because of this matter.
When he reported the situation last night when he saw Zhuji, Master Wu and his son turned somber.
Wu Yingyuan furrowed his brows and said, "This woman is extremely formidable, no man can escape her allure. But why is Guo Kai so bold, the servants there should all belong to Zhao Mu, so how can he hide his visits from Zhao Mu?"
Master Wu replied, "Zhao Mu allowd Guo Kai to handle a lot of matters for him, for all you know those people there are all placed by Guo Kai. That's why he can steal what he's supposed to protect without any fear at all."
He turned towards Xiang Shaolong and said, "The 2 new family warriors you recruited are rare talents. Treat them well, wealth and women, just give it to them."
Xiang Shaolong replied, "I understand!" but he secretly thought to himself that a relationship based on such material goods, how can it sustain?
Wu Yingyuan replied, "It seems that Shaolong can easily smuggle them out now, the question is how to leave Handan and avoid the pursuing soldiers along the way?" He paused and asked suspiciously, "Isn't this a little too easy!"
Xiang Shaolong was only worried about the other aspect, "Our Wu family has such an extended family, easily more than a thousand, how can we escape out of Zhao?"
Wu Yingyuan smiled, "I've arranged for this since 2 years ago. The Wu family has business all over the world, so all along there's always been people who were sent to other areas to take care of business and the farms. Recently, with the excuse of setting up a new farm, even Tingwei has been sent out, in case he lets slip of our plans when he's out merrymaking.
Xiang Shaolong was suddenly enlightened, no wonder he have not seen Wu Tingwei. He asked, "Since the King of Zhao is aware of father-in-law and Lu Buwei's being in correspondence, and now that we keep sending our family people out of Handan, how can he not be suspicious?"
Wu Yingyuan replied, "They can only suspect! They have never gathered any concrete proof. Besides, both the Guo family and us have connections with the various powerful people in other states and sometimes we even helped the King of Zhao in overseas secret missions. If not for Zhao Mu fanning the flames at the side, what's the big deal about having relations with Lu Buwei?"
Xiang Shaolong is even more perplexed, "Why is Zhao Mu so intent on getting rid of the Wu family?"
Master Wu slapped on the table and exclaimed angrily, "It's all because of that fellow Guo Zhong who caused all these. I don't know how he managed to find out that one of our family ancestors is a Qin, and investigated that the family name Wu is a major family name over at the Qin side, that's why the King of Zhao's suspicions of us grew day by day. Zhao Mu is just following the King of Zhao's wishes and taking the opportunity to trample us!"
Only now did Xiang Shaolong manage to find out what happened.
Wu Yingyuan returned to the earlier topic, "Since Guo Kai has secretly entangled himself with Zhuji, we have to think of a way to make use of this matter to affect the relationship between Guo Kai and Zhao Mu. Without Guo Kai around to give nasty ideas to Zhao Mu, it'll be easier to handle Zhao Mu."
The corners of Master Wu's lips revealed a slight mysterious smile as he said, "We'll talk about this later." He turned towards Xiang Shaolong and said, "You better think of a more concrete plan so that you can strengthen Zhuji's confidence when you see her tonight, then it'll be easier to cooperate in future."
At this time a servant came to report that there's a guest looking for Xiang Shaolong.
Xiang Shaolong was feeling perplexed, who could be looking for him?
By now Xiang Shaolong's status in the Wu family is even greater than before, and is obviously the most important person after Master Wu and Wu Yingyuan, so he received the guest in the main hall of the main mansion.
He went to the hall, and his visitors turned out to be the old family warriors of Prince Shaoyuan, Liu Cao and Pu Bu.
Xiang Shaolong came forward joyfully and helped the 2 of them up, asking with a mixture of surprise and joy, "I've been waiting for you to arrive everyday, and finally my wait is over."
The 2 of them saw how Xiang Shaolong holds them in such high regard and were so grateful that hot tears welled in their eyes.
Xiang Shaolong asked about the situation in Daliang.
It turns out that ever since Xiang Shaolong escaped out of Prince Xinling's residence, Prince Xinling has been livid. After he found out that besides the front section of the 'Lu Gong's Secret Manual', the rest has been swapped and stolen, he was so upset he almost committed suicide. He even suspected his sister Lady Pingyuan had leaked the news to Xiang Shaolong and started behaving coldly towards her and her son.
Because of this Prince Shaoyuan became very bad tempered and kept on scolding and beating his family warriors. Pu Bu and the rest took the opportunity to resign.
Without the support of Prince Xinling, Prince Shaoyuan faces the difficulty of supporting 200 odd family warriors so he might as well dismiss them. Therefore Pu Bu and 40 odd other men returned to Handan.
They are familiar with the surroundings here and after finding out that Xiang Shaolong is safe, came to find him immediately.
Xiang Shaolong suddenly has an idea and after summoning someone to borrow from Wu Yingyuan a large sum of money, he stuffed the money to the 2 of them and said, "Find a place to settle down but you must remember not to reveal your relations with me. Have fun and make merry all you can, when I need your help, I will look for you."
The 2 of them knew that he is now in a life and death fight with Xhao Mu and on hearing what he said, understood his meaning. They also saw that he is 10 times more generous than Prince Shaoyuan but his character is a 100 times better, so obviously they will want to follow him loyally.
Liu Cao said, "We're very popular in Handan, and now that we've officially left the Pingyuan Residence, why don't we pretend to throw in our lots with Zhao Mu's devious faction so we can become your eyes and ears."
Xiang Shaolong secretly thought that this is indeed a good idea, who would have thought that the family warriors of Pingyuan Residence who used to be his enemies would now belong to him. They discussed who they should align themselves with and decided on how to make contact before the 2 of them left happily.
Xiang Shaolong felt more relieved and went to look for Teng Yi. Seeing that he was training the warriors of the Wu family, he thought of the idea of the special task force and told him, "See if my suggestion is doable, among these 2000 warriors, choose about 100 of the best and name them 'Superior Troops'. Bring them to the farm and train them separately, let them learn the various different skills. If every one of them has half the skills of you and Jing Jun, it won't be an impossible task when the time comes to force our way into the hostage residence to save people."
At first Teng Yi furrowed his brows deeply when he heard that, secretly thinking how can a hundred people accomplish anything great, until Xiang Shaolong explained the method of keeping the strong and eliminating the weak as well as the strict training he underwent while in the special task force. This extremely experienced and ferocious warrior had to admit defeat and say, "This is the first time I've heard of such training methods, Shaolong you're absolutely an incomparable military genius. War in your hands has become a form of art."
Xiang Shaolong secretly laughed, if he can change the sabers, swords and arrows into guns and cannons, just this ancient special task force will be able to conquer the 6 states and unify the world. By then would he need to fear a mere Zhao Mu.
The 2 of them discussed in detail the methods of training and equipment needed before Xiang Shaolong led Jing Jun and that 10 personal bodyguards towards Lady Ya's residence.
While riding on the road, Xiang Shaolong thought of the missing Mei Canniang and had the urge to immediately turn his horse around and go to Mulberry Village to take a look for himself.
He then remembered Ji Yanran at faraway Daliang, and for a moment was helplessly filled with sadness.
Jing Jun who was riding alongside him was looking at his surroundings and looking at the pedestrians on the streets, he suddenly said earnestly, "Xiao Jun is very grateful towards Brother Xiang and Brother Teng. Without both of you who brought me to such an exciting and fun place, I don't know how I am going to spend my life?"
Xiang Shaolong cast aside his troubles and said with a laugh, "But it may also cause you to lose your life!"
Jing Jun grinned and said suavely, "Then I can only accept my fate! Precisely because of this danger that I may lose my life anytime, it makes fun time with beauties all the more interesting. That feeling is just like when I was 5 years old and the first time I helped my father hunt tigers."
Xiang Shaolong asked hoarsely, "A 5 year old kid can't even walk steadily, what help can you render?"
Jing Jun laughed as well, "That I forgot, I only remember when the ferocious tiger fell into the trap, the horrible roars were so frightening that I peed in my pants."
Xiang Shaolong can't help but chortle loudly, his sadness momentarily forgotten.
Behind them hoof beats were heard.
Everyone turned their heads back in unison on hearing it.
A horse came nearer, the rider's cloak covering the whole head and for a moment they can't see the face clearly. Only when it got near did they recognize the person.
Jing Jun's eyes brightened immediately.
Xiang Shaolong was slightly surprised as he called out, "Where is Miss Zhi going?"
Zhao Zhi slowed her horse down and went to Xiang Shaolong's other side, turned her face towards him and looked at him frostily, "Where is Commander going then?"
Jing Jun who was on the other side blinked at her and said, "Miss Zhi have yet to reply Brother Xiang's question?"
Zhao Zhi felt angry upon seeing Jing Jun, feeling that he's more irritating than anyone else and retorted with fury, "When adults are talking, it's not your place to interrupt!"
Xiang Shaolong laughed, "Miss is wrong, Xiao Jun is my good brother, his words are my words."
Jing Jun did not expect Xiang Shaolong to think so highly of him and he immediately became proud, puffing up his chest and deliberately heaved a sigh of pity as he said, "And I thought Miss Zhi is here to look for me!"
Zhao Zhi was so furious that her pretty face turned pale, "Who wants to look for you?"
Without knowing why, Jing Jun's words and actions always irritated and anger her.
Jing Jun chuckled, "Who are you looking for then!"
Xiang Shaolong can't help but feel that this lad is indeed quite good at making fun and flirting with women.
Zhao Zhi knows that she has fallen into Jing Jun's questioning trap. If she answers that she's here to look for Xiang Shaolong, it will mean that Jing Jun's earlier insinuation that she has taken a liking for Xiang Shaolong and is therefore here to look for him. But if her answer is no, naturally she's here to look for Jing Jun.
But the truth is Zhao Zhi doesn't even know herself why she is here to look for Xiang Shaolong.
Last night Xiang Shaolong had an outstanding victory over Yan Ping, who is a highly respected martial arts master in Handan, shocking everyone present.
Zhao Ba who has always thought highly of himself is now feeling afraid, especially since the military is now backing Xiang Shaolong up, Zhao Ba will not dare to embroil himself in the fight between the 2 big political and military powers. After the feast he immediately warned all his disciples, especially Zhao Zhi, not to antagonize Xiang Shaolong.
But Zhao Zhi is a proud person and after she went home, the more she thought about it, the more upset she became. After she woke up, she unconsciously went up her horse and came riding to the Wu residence and on the way there actually bumped into Xiang Shaolong, that's why she caught up with them.
Right now she is dumbfounded and her pretty face blushed.
Xiang Shaolong does not know the degree of closeness she has with Lian Jin, so he said with a quiet sigh, "At that time, being in a situation that one is forced to determine life and death in a duel, it's either Lian Jin will perish or I will die. Besides Lian Jin and Zhao Mu used underhanded tricks first while my fight with him was aboveboard, so who can blame me?"
Zhao Zhi was stunned, and lowered her pretty face.
The matter regarding Lian Jin and Zhao Mu using aphrodisiac to weaken Xiang Shaolong's energy has spread through the powerful in the imperial court long ago. Although Zhao Zhi has heard something about this, she forced herself to ignore it. But without knowing why, the way that Xiang Shaolong just talked about it like a passing matter, made her truly believe what has happened. Or maybe it's because last night Xiang Shaolong's conduct has shown that he is not one who is afraid of the powerful and that he is aboveboard in his attitude!
Her love for Lian Jin may be strong, but it's all superficial attraction to the opposite sex. Lian Jin had made use of her young blossoming heart and took the opportunity to steal her heart.
Such first love may be unforgettable for her, but it has not reached the stage where it has eaten into her soul. When Lian Jin's perfect image was destroyed, this love dissipated with the wind as well and for a moment her mind was in a blank, and she did not know what to do.
Xiang Shaolong seems to understand the change in her perfectly and asked with a smile, "Miss Zhi, will you let Jing Jun send you home?"
Zhao Zhi was startled, "I don't need anyone's escort!" She slapped her horse and went galloping into the side street on the left.
Xiang Shaolong gave Jing Jun an eye signal and Jing Jun was overjoyed as he slapped his own horse and went after her, ignoring the looks of others as he shouted, "Miss Zhi, wait for me!"
Xiang Shaolong was delighted.
That lass Zhao Zhi is really not too bad, and extremely compatible with Jing Jun both in terns of age and appearance. Most importantly he could tell that Jing Jun has fallen for her at first sight but it seems that if he wants to woo her successfully, he'll have to put in a lot of effort.
Suddenly Xiang Shaolong realized that he has changed a lot.
If it was in the past, women to him are the more the merrier and he will never reject any who approaches him. Maybe now he has too many beauties, or maybe the pain of having the women he love die horribly one after another has made his attitude towards women a lot more cooler and he doesn't really feel like stepping into the love arena now.
Everyone who is born will have to face the deaths of people around him, and the end will come with his own death.
For the past year, he has experienced the heart wrenching pain of such deaths.
He thought of what happened with Zhuji last night. At that time although he felt great lust, it has nothing to do with love or feelings at all, just the rash desire of pure basic attraction to the opposite sex.
But it's so difficult to control.
He'll have to be careful when he sees her tonight, or else if he were to have a physical relationship with her, things will become even more complicated.
He only hopes that she will not flirt with him, this woman truly understands how to lure men.
Lady Ya's residence came into view and Xiang Shaolong sighed before riding in.
The guards hastened their horses to follow him closely and 11 steeds swept into Lady Ya's residence like the wind.
Lady Ya has gone to the Palace and only Zhao Qian and Master Pan is in the residence.
Zhao Pan has matured in a short time, unlike in the past where he will slip out and have fun the whole day or make fun of the maids or forming up gangs to create trouble.
Zhao Qian pitied him because of the horrific experience he went through and accompanied him in his studies. As for Zhao Pan, in front of his beautiful cousin, changed his character and studied hard as well.
Xiang Shaolong's heart ached on seeing this and he took Zhao Pan to the garden where he conscientiously taught him the Mohist swordplay and ordered his men to spar with him.
While Zhao Pan was forgetting himself in his sword practice, Xiang Shaolong started chatting with Zhao Qian who was looking from the side, "I didn't expect this child to become so understanding."
Zhao Qian's eyes reddened as she replied, "The person he loves most is Aunt Ni. Now his heart is filled with hatred, not only does he hate Zhao Mu, he also hates Imperial Father. That's why he sees you as a role model and wants to become as smart and brave so that he can avenge Aunt Ni."
Xiang Shaolong looked at Zhao Pan, who has a face of darkened concentration and determination, which is clearly a mismatched expression for a person of his age at all and he felt iciness in his heart.
His intuition tells him that Zhao Pan will definitely not be an ordinary person in future but for now he cannot guess what great things will he accomplish.
Zhao Qian said quietly, "He accepted me partly because I belong to you, and also because like him, I hate Imperial Father and Zhao Mu greatly as well."
Xiang Shaolong suddenly felt terrible and he asked, "Doesn't your Imperial Father respect Lady Ni the most? Why would he just sit there and look at Zhao Mu commit murder? At least he should look into this matter thoroughly. Besides this matter has caused the military much unhappiness and this can become the greatest danger for Zhao since the battle of Changping."
Zhao Qian sighed sadly, "No one can understand Imperial Father, he wasn't like that in the past. But after the battle of Changping, he changed totally, becoming indecisive and kept on changing his mind about matters, to the extent that he's even a little afraid of facing his officials, especially the generals from the military. He allowed Zhao Mu to exercise sole power and cover everything up. Like this matter regarding Lady Ni, he should have given strict orders for a thorough investigation but after Zhao Mu's interference, he made this into a small matter very easily and thus settled it, making all in the palace disheartened with him."
From Zhao Qian's qords, Xiang Shaolong saw the other effect the battle of Changping has done to the state of Zhao.
The defeat of that battle is mainly because King Xiaocheng fell for the Qin's extremely juvenile trick of sowing discord and allowed Zhao Gua to replace Lian Po. It can also be considered a clash of power between a newly crowned leader and a powerful old general.
After this greatest defeat in the history of Zhao which totally weakened them, King Xiaocheng lost his confidence and became someone who runs away from reality, to the extent that he's even afraid of seeing the silent reproach in his ministers' eyes.
Therefore Zhao Mu took the opportunity to come in and fulfilled his mental and physical needs.
Maybe the King of Zhao became a homosexual because he has given up on himself, and was embarking on destroying himself out of guilt. Of course it is also possible that he is born like that but what is the true reason, maybe even King Xiaocheng does not know himself.
Zhao Qian said sadly, "I still miss the time when we were escaping from Daliang, hoping to have you hugging and loving me every night. Shaolong! When will we leave this hideous place, find a deserted place and let Qian'er cook for you while you hunt for our livelihood?"
Xiang Shaolong was laughing bitterly to himself, if he had stayed on at Mei Canniang's valley, maybe he would be able to spend the rest of his life like that. But now it's as if he is already riding on the tiger and finds it difficult to dismount, and he can't do it even if he wants to.
Even if he goes to Qin, what he will meet may be even more complicated fights for power. In this ancient warring states period, it seems that there is no paradise to live in. Or else Mei Canniang would not have been almost raped by bandits and Teng Yi's wife and children would not have been killed.
He sighed and told the story about paradise to Zhao Qian. When this pretty princess is totally engrossed in the story, as if her soul has flown to that human utopia, Zhao Ya came back with a somber expression.
Xiang Shaolong and her went into a quiet room for discussion.
Zhao Ya sighed, "On the battlefield Li Mu is an unmatched and fierce warrior, but when it comes to political intrigue he is really too impetuous and also underestimated Zhao Mu's influence over Imperial brother."
Xiang Shaolong was secretly alarmed and asked, "What happened?"
Zhao Ya did not reply him directly but said with a troubled look, "They do not understand that after the battle of Changping, what Imperial brother fears most is others telling him he has made a mistake. Now Li Mu is obviously trying to force Imperial brother to admit that he has slipped up in the matter of Sister Ni and blaming him for covering up for the suspected murderer, so how will he be willing to accept this."
Xiang Shaolong furrowed his brow, "What actually happened?"
Zhao Ya looked at him and said, "After the feast last night, Zhao Mu entered the Palace immediately to look for Imperial brother, but no one knows what he told him. Most likely he's blaming the military for using this opportunity to create chaos and to shake Imperial brother's hold on the throne; naturally he won't have anything good to say about you either."
Only now did Xiang Shaolong understand the term a muddleheaded ruler will bring downfall to the country. When power is concentrated in the hands of one person, this person will become the key to success or failure. Although the modern democratic system is full of cons, but it's a hundred times better than having a muddle headed ruler controlling the life and death of everyone.
Zhao Ya continued, "This morning Imperial brother summoned me and asked me in detail about you and forced me to reveal my real relationship with you, I almost could not handle the questionings."
Xiang Shaolong asked in shock, "How did you answer him?"
Zhao Ya started to look a little unnatural as she replied, "Of course I won't reveal the truth, but it seems that he still believes that I am not enamored of you, or maybe because my reputation in the past was just too bad!" After she spoke she lowered her pretty face, looking troubled.
Xiang Shaolong pinched her chin and lifted up her pretty face, saying, "Now I'm involved with the military and the Wu family, 2 important factions, your Imperial brother won't dare to do anything against me rashly!"
Zhao Ya exclaimed miserably, "I'm worried to death! You must not overestimate the power of the military and the Wu family. If Imperial brother ignores everything and execute you immediately, by then it'll be too late and no one will really come to a face to face confrontation with Imperial brother over you."
A fury welled up within Xiang Shaolong as he said with an icy laugh, "Want to kill me, I'm afraid King Xiaocheng will need to mobilize his army to do that, I will not let myself be caught so easily."
Zhao ya pouted, "Sometimes you're really like a person with all brawn and no brains. Just Imperial brother's personal guards alone total 20,000, there are about 30,000 soldiers guarding the city and the commander Le Cheng is Zhao Mu's man. If something happens, who can save you. If something were to happen to you, how can I continue living!" As she finished her sentence, hot tears flowed out, obviously she is extremely worried and frightened, but it seems that there's something else as well.
Xiang Shaolong gathered her into his arms and said with a smile, "Don't worry! Someone has once said that I am the new saint who will face many dangers, so I definitely won't die."
Zhao Ya was stunned, "Who said that? What is a new saint?"
She paused and continued without interest, "I am at a loss right now and feeling very troubled, Shaolong teach me quickly what I should do."
Xiang Shaolong was silent for a moment before replying, "Now there's not much choice left, only by escaping from Handan will we have a chance of survival. But before we leave I must tear that Zhao Mu into pieces before the hatred in my heart can be appeased."
Zhao Ya caressed his cheeks lovingly, "You must promise to bring Ya'er with you!"
Xiang Shaolong said with surety, "That is of course, not only will I bring you, Xiao Pan and Qian'er will come with us as well."
Zhao ya asked quietly, "Are we going to Qin. Hai! The Qins are even more frightening than the people from other states!"
Xiang Shaolong said with a laugh, "Don't forget I am the new saint." He stood up and continued, "I'm afraid I will only have time to accompany all of you after we reach Qin. King Xiaocheng's reaction is totally beyond my expectations, I have to look for Li Mu immediately to discuss this and try to mollify your Imperial brother's feelings."
Zhao Ya accompanied him out and said, "I will be in charge of keeping an eye of the situation in the palace. Luckily Empress Jing is on your side speaking up for you and Imperial brother is still wavering, so for the time being he would not dare to use such harsh methods to deal with you yet." As she finished her words she suddenly lowered her pretty face, a look of unfathomable confusion flashed past her pretty eyes.
Of course Xiang Shaolong did not see that, but he just felt troubled.
Zou Yan may really believe that he is some new saint, but he knows that there's no such thing at all.
If there is a new saint, it should be Ying Zheng.
But the Ying Zheng now, how can he be the new saint who unifies the world?
Xiang Shaolong greatly misses the high tech weapons he used in the 21st century.
In this era, even the most formidable swordsman can only deal with a dozen odd people but not a hundred odd people, much less thousands of well trained soldiers.
Therefore he can only use strategies and tactics so that he will have a chance to preserve his life and escape.
Suddenly, he felt as if he can't bear to leave Handan.
It's finally time to leave this great ancient city.