People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 213, The Beast Unleashed, the Shadow Sword Appears

Inside the General's mansion, Zhang Liang held an imperial edict and loudly proclaimed Ji Wuye's achievements.

"In recognition of your three great achievements, General, the King has specially rewarded you with a thousand pieces of gold. Why don't you quickly express your gratitude, General?" Zhang Liang said, holding up the imperial edict.

Ji Wuye held the gold coin that Han Fei had specially asked Wei Zhuang to leave in his hand, his eyes blazing with fury that seemed ready to materialize at any moment, his gaze filled with murderous intent.

"Well done, Ninth Young Master Han Fei. Young Master Zhang, please thank him properly for me."

Ji Wuye gritted his teeth and accepted the imperial edict, his anger causing the gold coins in his hand to crack as he squeezed them.

"I will convey the General's words. Please get some rest."

After bowing, Zhang Liang turned and left.

After Zhang Liang left, Ji Wuye could no longer suppress his anger and threw the imperial edict on the ground.

He had never been so humiliated before. Even when Liu Yi betrayed him and sided with Han Yu, it was nothing compared to the humiliation Han Fei had inflicted on him tonight.

Emerald Tiger, who had been hiding behind the curtain, also emerged from behind it, looking at Ji Wuye with a nervous expression. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but he didn't know how.

"After crippling Han Yu, another Han Fei has appeared. And that old bastard Han Wang An has joined them in humiliating this general. They seem to have forgotten who protected the state of Han, and who allowed them to enjoy the prosperity of Xinzheng in peace!"

Ji Wuye shouted angrily, drawing his eight-foot sword and cleaving the table in front of him in two.

Just as Ji Wuye was enraged, a chilling aura gradually spread throughout the hall, the hanging curtains fluttered in the wind, and an inexplicable, profound atmosphere swirled in the hall.

Emerald Tiger recognized the familiar aura, and several glints of light flashed in its eyes, mixed with a trace of fear.

Enraged, Ji Wuye suddenly swung his eight-foot sword, sending a burst of sword energy slashing towards the window of the main hall.

The sword energy cleaved through the fluttering curtain, only to be blocked by a thorny frost formed from internal force. The thorny frost beneath the sword energy exploded, turning into countless ice shards that fell to the ground.

"Why is the general so angry? He's just Han Fei."

A cold voice rang out, and the surrounding icy thorns receded, revealing a man in a blood-red robe, with a full head of white hair and a deathly pale, yet alluring appearance.

The visitor was none other than Marquis Xueyi, Bai Yifei, who was returning to Xinzheng to report on his duties.

"My lord, you've arrived." Emerald Tiger greeted Bai Yifei obsequiously.

The Nightfall faction was led by Ji Wuye, but the undisputed number two was Bai Yifei, the Blood-Clad Marquis who controlled the army.

Even the other members of the Four Fiends knew one thing: Bai Yifei was no less than Ji Wuye, and in some cases, his orders were even more effective than Ji Wuye's.

"You don't need to act all mysterious every time," Ji Wuye said coldly, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

He didn't just casually unleash a sword strike; rather, he noticed Bai Yifei and deliberately slashed at him to test his strength.

Bai Yifei harbored ambitions and was only superficially loyal to him; how could Ji Wuye not see this? However, Han lacked capable generals, and he was simply unable to cultivate someone to replace Bai Yifei, so he could only pretend he knew nothing.

However, Ji Wuye did not let down his guard against Bai Yifei. The fact that Bai Yifei had easily blocked his probing earlier showed that the other party's strength had improved again.

"Hehehe, it's good that the Marquis is back. Now that the four fierce generals have gathered in Xinzheng and are under the leadership of the Grand General, no matter how capable Han Fei is, he won't be able to cause trouble for long."

Jade Tiger smiled and eased the tension between the two to prevent them from accidentally injuring him in a fight.

"Is it the Ninth Prince Han Fei? What did he do to make the General so angry?" Bai Yifei stepped out from behind the curtain and asked Ji Wuye.

Ji Wuye's face darkened, and he gripped the Eight-Foot Silence tightly in his hand, his anger, which had just subsided, surged up again.

Emerald Tiger stood awkwardly to the side, not daring to mention the humiliation Ji Wuye had suffered, and could only remain silent.

“He humiliated me, and he also stole all 100,000 taels of military pay. No one in Korea has ever dared to humiliate me like this. I will kill him sooner or later.”

Ji Wuye coldly recounted the general events, but the anger in his eyes could not be quelled.

“Even if he is not favored, he is still royalty. Killing him is easy. The difficult part is how to kill him without leaving any evidence,” Bai Yifei said.

Ji Wuye looked at Bai Yifei, his eyes darting around, and suddenly a ferocious smile appeared on his face. He said in a deep voice...
“Who said we need our own people to kill him? There just happens to be a mad dog who is perfect for this task, and he would be more than happy to do it.”

"General, who are you talking about?" Emerald Tiger asked curiously.

Ji Wuye has many capable subordinates, but neither the Hundred Birds nor the Four Fiends seem to have a single candidate who could kill Han Fei without any connection to them.

A hint of surprise flashed in Bai Yifei's cold eyes. He naturally knew who Ji Wuye was referring to: the Baiyue Crown Prince, Chi Mei Long She Tianze, whom he had defeated and imprisoned.

"This is a mad dog. His hatred is like this fine wine. Years of imprisonment have only made his hatred more intense. Releasing him rashly may backfire and harm us."

Bai Yifei said, swirling the wine glass in his hand.

Bai Yifei naturally understood Ji Wuye's purpose. Besides using Tianze to deal with Han Fei, he probably also hoped to use Tianze to restrain him, thereby creating a suppressive effect.

Bai Yifei was naturally unafraid of Tianze; he had a way to control this mad dog.

However, the current situation in Xinzheng is exactly what he wanted to see, and he returned to Xinzheng this time to seek treatment from Xu Qing, and did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Tianze, that mad dog, is his trump card, and he doesn't want to release him so easily.

“A mad dog is good. I’m not afraid of him being mad, I’m afraid of him not being mad. The mader he is, the more he can awaken the fear in these people’s hearts.”

Ji Wuye glared menacingly at Bai Yifei, his eyes flashing with cold light.

He knew Bai Yifei had seen through his intentions, but so what? He was the Grand General of Korea. Although Bai Yifei made him wary, he still had ways to get rid of Bai Yifei.

Bai Yifei met Ji Wuye's gaze and saw the threat in the other's eyes. He couldn't afford to turn against Ji Wuye yet, so although he was unwilling, he had no choice but to do as the other party asked.

"Then let's reawaken the fear in their hearts."

"From this day forward, South Korea will be ruled by fear, and we will bestow fear upon them, and they will kneel and beg!"

Bai Yifei revealed a sinister smile as he rose from his seat, the dim candlelight casting a long shadow of him.

Ji Wuye laughed maniacally. Although Emerald Tiger didn't know what was about to happen, judging from Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei's condition, he felt that Xinzheng would be even more dangerous in the future.

The night passed in the blink of an eye. The next day, after having breakfast, Xu Qing told Zi Nu that he was going to search for treasure and then left Zi Lan Xuan.

After changing into ordinary clothes, Xu Qing rode out of Xinzheng and headed towards the place Han Fei had given him.

Half an hour later, Xu Qing arrived at a deep mountain outside Xinzheng City.

Xu Qing, mounted on his horse, took out a piece of cloth from his robes bearing the inscription of Liezi's secluded dwelling place. Looking at the writing on the cloth, Xu Qing glanced around. "East of Xinzheng City, on the mountainside behind Broken Soul Valley, lies Liezi's secluded cave. This should be the place; as for the cave itself, we'll have to go up the mountain to find it."

Xu Qing put away the cloth and rode his horse towards the mountainside.

Because of the frequent rumors of ghosts in Broken Soul Valley, no one usually goes up the mountain. The original mountain path has long been overgrown with weeds, so Xu Qing can only lead his horse along the rugged mountain path.

After expending considerable effort, Xu Qing finally arrived at the back mountainside of Broken Soul Valley.

After taking the water bag off the white horse, Xu Qing sat down on a rock to rest, occasionally glancing at the surrounding scenery.

The white horse beside it obediently lowered its head and ate wild grass, occasionally shaking its head or pawing the ground with its hooves.

"Putting aside the rumors of the haunted Broken Soul Valley, this place is actually quite nice," Xu Qing remarked softly.

Looking around from this hillside, one can see the surrounding mountains of Xinzheng, with the undulating mountain range resembling a long dragon encircling the city.

Looking at these mountains, Xu Qing couldn't help but think of some rumors about them.

When Shen Buhai implemented his reforms, in order to conceal his training of the new army, he specifically trained the troops in the deep mountains and sent people to hollow out many hills to smelt weapons and armor.

Later, to prevent the state of Han from becoming stronger, the state of Wei launched a major offensive against Han, using the Wei elite infantry as its vanguard.

Ultimately, the Wei army besieged Xinzheng, and the newly trained soldiers of Han were annihilated in one battle. Han's national strength accumulated over the years was exhausted, and it became the weakest of the seven states.

However, Shen Buhai's reforms also brought benefits to the state of Korea. For example, the world-renowned powerful bows and crossbows, as well as metallurgical technology, were all promoted by Shen Buhai's reforms.

Most of these caves used for forging weapons and armor were eventually abandoned, while many were converted into secret prisons.

"Han Fei is being too presumptuous in his desire to reform and change Korea," Xu Qing said, shaking his head helplessly.

South Korea lacked the foundation for reform because Shen Buhai's reforms had a profound impact on the country, not to mention the various hidden dangers that the policy of rule by law had sown in South Korea.

When Wei attacked Han, nine out of ten houses in Han were empty and the land was desolate. All of this was because of the reforms, so Han naturally feared the reforms.

"Never mind, these are things Han Fei should consider."

Xu Qing sighed softly, then got up from the rock, took out a piece of cloth, and began to search for Liezi's cave.

Weaving through the weeds, Xu Qing kept searching for the cave left by Liezi.

As the sun began to set, noon arrived in the blink of an eye, and Xu Qing finally found the traces of Liezi's secluded cave.

After clearing away all the weeds, a cave about two people high appeared before Xu Qing. Looking at the inscription on the cloth, he was certain that this was the place he was looking for.

"It should be right here."

Xu Qing took out a tinderbox from his pocket, lit the torch he had brought, and then walked into the cave with the torch in his hand.

The stone walls around the cave have obvious signs of carving, and weeds grow in many cracks in the mottled walls. As Xu Qing walked into the cave, traces of human life came into view.

There are stone tables, stone beds, stoves, and some pots, pans, and bowls that have long been broken. The most eye-catching thing is the bookshelf carved out of the stone wall. However, most of the bamboo slips on the bookshelf have disappeared, leaving only one or two scrolls of weathered and scattered bamboo slips.

Xu Qing quickly stepped forward and carefully took down the bamboo slips. Having mastered the Changqing Gong technique, he had a great interest in bamboo slips related to Liezi.

Even if there are no extraordinary martial arts techniques involved, the principles contained within are enough for Xu Qing to study.

The basic techniques of all schools of martial arts are the same. Martial arts are just the surface. In the end, any technique or martial arts can guide people to understand the school's philosophy and thus cultivate themselves. This is especially true of the Taoist Tianzong school.

Xu Qing placed the bamboo slips on the stone table and began to examine their contents. Although most of the writing was damaged, Xu Qing was still able to decipher the remaining parts.

"It turns out they were just some personal diaries; no wonder they were forgotten."

Xu Qing looked at the bamboo slips and shook his head helplessly. There was no useful information in the bamboo slips; they were mostly just daily trivial matters.

Finding no clues in the bamboo slips, Xu Qing had no choice but to explore the cave alone, hoping to find the whereabouts of the Cheng Ying Sword.

Half an hour later, Xu Qing sat on the stone bed, looking sullen. He searched the entire cave several times, but he couldn't find the Cheng Ying Sword, let alone its scabbard.

"Could Han Fei be lying to me? But the fortune slip says there's a second-grade opportunity here, so it shouldn't be wrong."

Xu Qing recalled the fortune slip from back then and felt a headache coming on. The fortune slip in his mind was all good, but it was all in a fog, and he had to figure it out himself.

"If all else fails, I'll dig through the entire cave, inside and out. I refuse to believe I can't find the Cheng Ying Sword," Xu Qing said through gritted teeth.

Just as Xu Qing was at his wit's end, the sun sank in the west, dusk fell on the horizon, and a faint light flashed in the cave.

Xu Qing suddenly sat up from the stone bed and looked around the cave. He was certain that what had flashed by just now was something like a sword light.

"The dragon splits its shadow, the wild goose falls, forgetting to return." Xu Qing suddenly thought of the legend of the Cheng Ying Sword.
Legend has it that the Cheng Ying Sword only reveals its shadow at the moment when the sky changes from day to night; at other times, whether it is day or night, only the hilt exists.

"Among the Eight Swords of Guixu, the sixth sword, Cangsong Luoyan, corresponds exactly to the legend of Chengying Sword."

Xu Qing suddenly drew his Lingxu Sword and began to perform the "Pine Tree and Wild Geese" technique in the cave. As Xu Qing's sword moves, a sword aura suddenly slashed out, directly cutting a gap in the cave's stone wall.

Just then, the last rays of the setting sun shone into the cave, and a dazzling sword light flashed out. Xu Qing quickly shielded his eyes with his hand and glanced at the opening out of the corner of his eye.

A sword shadow, resembling a dragon, flashed across the east wall. As the last glimpse faded, the sword shadow also vanished, and the sword light gradually dimmed.

Ignoring the glare that stung his eyes, Xu Qing strode to the gap in the wall, where an ancient bronze sword hilt was displayed, with a bamboo scroll hanging behind it.

"Is this the Cheng Ying Sword?"

Xu Qing carefully reached out and took the Cheng Ying sword and bamboo slips from the wall.

Holding the ancient hilt, Xu Qing couldn't help but reach out to touch the invisible blade. However, as soon as his fingers touched the blade, he felt a stinging pain as the sharp blade cut his fingers.

Blood dripped down the invisible blade, and Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with joy.

"The Cheng Ying Sword truly lives up to its reputation."

Xu Qing happily brandished the Cheng Ying sword in his hand, then glanced at the Ling Xu sword at his waist.

He didn't recognize the Lingxu Sword and wasn't very familiar with it.

"It's getting late. Let's take the Cheng Ying Sword back first, and then slowly read through the bamboo slips when we get back."

As Xu Qing spoke, he held up the torch and walked outside. The ball of light in his mind lit up again, and three fortune slips appeared in his mind.

(End of this chapter)