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

Chapter 258, The Bet

Xinzheng, South Korea.

Under the bright moonlight, a black aura soared into the sky, condensing into six red-eyed black snakes in mid-air. Their violent and bloody aura rushed towards the direction of the Han King's Palace.

Meanwhile, in a grove of trees on the outskirts of Xinzheng, Xu Qing leaned against a large tree, looking at the malevolent aura emanating from the direction of the Han King's Palace, and then looked up at Yan Lingji.

Yan Lingji sat on the tree trunk, her hands supporting her on the branches, her legs crossed, her long, slender legs, encased in flame-patterned stockings, swaying back and forth, her posture alluring yet elegant.

The black boots that were originally on her feet were placed under the tree, facing Xu Qing's small, fair and smooth feet. Her toes, painted with red nail polish, looked like juicy red grapes under the moonlight, swaying slightly, making one's mouth water.

In the dim light, Xu Qing seemed to see a layer of black gauze.

The black veil peeked out from under Yan Lingji's high-slit black dress, revealing glimpses of a pinkish hue.

“That’s the direction from the Crown Prince’s residence to the Han King’s palace. It seems Tianze and the others have run into trouble,” Xu Qing said, looking up at Yan Lingji.

Since nightfall, the two of them had sneaked out of the city from Xu Qing's house and come here to wait for Tianze.

The agreed time has passed, and it's clear that Tianze has been held up by Han Fei in the Cold Palace.

Yan Lingji glanced at the black malevolent energy in mid-air, showing no concern whatsoever. She tossed her hair and deliberately leaned forward halfway to look at Xu Qing.

"Then how come you don't know this is a new trap? Everyone's attention is on the Crown Prince's residence right now. Even if someone is blocking the master over there, who can take him down?" Yan Lingji said with a light laugh.

As she leaned forward, Yan Lingji's already low-cut, fiery red strapless top went even lower, her smooth, white breasts pressing against it, her deep abyss facing Xu Qing.

Her fair and delicate little feet twitched slightly, her tiny toes curling up as if extending some kind of invitation to Xu Qing.

"Heh~ Confidence is a good thing, but don't be overconfident. Do you believe that Tianze will definitely fail?" Xu Qing said with a light laugh.

Tianze and his group wanted to use Crown Prince Han to draw away the top combat forces of Xinzheng, so as to launch a surprise attack on the Han Palace and search for the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations in the cold palace. It seemed that there was nothing wrong with this plan.

But despite their meticulous planning, they overlooked one thing: Han Fei.

Although Han Fei is not skilled in martial arts, the sword Reverse Scale in his hand possesses a sword spirit no less powerful than that of a Grandmaster in the Celestial Realm. In fact, due to the special nature of the Reverse Scale sword, it would be impossible for an ordinary Celestial Realm expert to easily defeat him.

In this respect, Han Fei truly inherited the wisdom of his teacher Xunzi.

"I don't believe it," Yan Lingji snorted.

For this plan, they had considered all possibilities. Tianze and the others would only go to the Cold Palace after all the powerful people in Xinzheng had gathered at the Crown Prince's residence.

"How about we make a bet?" Xu Qing said.

Yan Lingji glanced at Xu Qing warily. In her eyes, Xu Qing was like a cunning fox, waiting for her to fall into a trap step by step.

However, considering their foolproof plan, coupled with Tianze's formidable strength and the assistance of the Corpse-Driving Demon, Wei Zhuang, Mo Ya, and the others were all left at the Crown Prince's residence, while Ji Wuye, Bai Yifei, and the others were hesitant to act rashly.

Yan Lingji no longer hesitated and spoke.

"What do you want to bet on?"

"Let's bet on whether Tianze will fail and return empty-handed," Xu Qing said.

"Alright, if I win, you must help me rescue Wushuang," Yan Lingji said in a deep voice.

“No problem, if I win, you can kiss me, okay?” Xu Qing said, raising an eyebrow.

Hearing Xu Qing's request, Yan Lingji rolled her eyes speechlessly. She knew this jerk was just lusting after her body.

However, she was determined to win this bet, and she had complete confidence in Tianze and the Corpse-Driving Demon.

"You little pervert, but I'll take this bet anyway," Yan Lingji said with a snort.

After chuckling twice, Xu Qing leaned against a big tree and waited silently for Tianze and the others to return. He was determined to win this bet.

Yan Lingji looked at the silent Xu Qing, then looked up at the bright night sky, a faint smile on her face as she admired the moonlight, feeling a sense of ease and peace in her heart.

She couldn't remember the last time she had peacefully admired the night sky like this, her legs swinging back and forth, her little feet sometimes spreading apart and sometimes drooping down.

Meanwhile, the great battle in the cold palace of the King of Han had ended.

Beneath a realm so vast it seemed to have lost its color, the spirit of the Reverse Scale Sword stood guard before Han Fei, its eyes, hidden behind an eyepatch, coldly fixed on Tian Ze. The shattered Reverse Scale Sword was pieced together by an invisible force, radiating a chilling light.

The zombies summoned by the Corpse-Driving Demon had all fallen and were no longer able to fight.

Tianze stared at Han Fei and Ni Lin with his scarlet eyes. He no longer had the confidence he had before, and his eyes were full of fear.

"The Reverse Scale? This sword is actually in your hands." Tianze slowly straightened up and said coldly.

He had just fought the Reverse Scale Sword Spirit, but due to the withering gu within his body, he narrowly lost by one move and was grazed in the abdomen by a fragment of the Reverse Scale.

But that wasn't a big deal. However, he knew that if the fighting continued, he might perish here when Han Fei's reinforcements arrived.

Han Fei was somewhat surprised that Tianze recognized Ni Lin, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he said in a deep voice...
"You attacked the Crown Prince's residence, tying up most of Xinzheng's forces, and now you want to attack the Han King's palace. What exactly is your purpose?"

Although Tianze is powerful and has the assistance of the Corpse-Driving Demon, it is far too arrogant for two people to attempt to assassinate the king.

Clearly, they had other motives.

As Han Fei finished speaking, the Reverse Scale Sword, sensing Wei Zhuang's imminent arrival, gradually vanished. The black and white domain disappeared, and the restricted area returned to normal. "Purpose? If you hadn't saved me with your life, your incompetent father would have been baptized by the flames of Baiyue tonight, paying the price for his blood debt," Tian Ze said coldly.

The Corpse Demon regained his senses, looked at the injured Tianze, then at Han Fei who was only protected by four soldiers, and secretly twitched his fingers.

The two zombies that had fallen behind Han Fei immediately came back to life and attacked him.

"Ninth Young Master, be careful!"

The soldiers, entangled by zombies, shouted loudly.

As Han Fei watched the approaching zombies, he instinctively raised his hand to defend himself. Two sword beams flashed, instantly killing the two zombies. Wei Zhuang's figure also appeared beside Han Fei.

"It seems you haven't resolved the matter here, and are you waiting for me to do it?" Wei Zhuang said, glancing at Han Fei.

Han Fei gave a wry smile. He did want to capture Tianze, but the opponent was too strong, and his soldiers were no match for him.

He originally wanted to ask Xu Qing for help, but Xu Qing was neither at home nor at Zilan Pavilion.

Zi Nu was also secretly assisting Zhang Liang in protecting Crown Prince Han. Although Ni Lin was powerful, his abilities were limited. Unless he paid a huge price, he could not defeat Tian Ze.

Tianze sensed the onset of the Gu poison within his body, and seeing Wei Zhuang's steady breathing, he turned and walked away.

"You guys were lucky this time, but you won't be so lucky next time," Tianze said coldly.

Despite being clearly outmatched, they spoke as if they had let Han Fei and the others go.

It can only be said that Tianze is a person who cares about face.

Upon hearing this, the Corpse-Driving Demon summoned zombies to form a barrier and followed Tianze towards the rear.

Just as Wei Zhuang was about to make a move, a clear voice rang out.

"elder brother!"

Holding a lantern, Honglian looked at Han Fei and happily ran towards him.

She was practicing martial arts in the palace and was about to return to her chambers to rest when she saw the malevolent energy forming above the Cold Palace.

Out of curiosity, I secretly came here, but I didn't expect to see Han Fei.

"red lotus!?"

Han Fei stared in astonishment at the suddenly appearing red lotus and cried out in panic.

Tianze's scarlet eyes turned to Honglian beside him, and the snake bone chains behind him instantly shot towards Honglian.

He was worried about how to get rid of Han Fei, Wei Zhuang and others' pursuit, but he didn't expect that a very important hostage would arrive at the critical moment, a hostage that would make Han Fei and others dare not act rashly.

Upon seeing this, Wei Zhuang immediately drew his sword to rescue the people, but more than a dozen zombies rushed straight towards Wei Zhuang, blocking his path.

What is this?

Honglian cried out in terror as the snake bone chains came hurtling towards her, but before she could finish speaking, the chains knocked her unconscious, bound her, and dragged her to Tianze's side.

Han Fei looked nervously at Tian Ze, instinctively wanting to step forward and snatch Hong Lian back, but seeing the snake bone chains surrounding Hong Lian, he could only helplessly clench his fists.

Wei Zhuang killed the last zombie and coldly stared at Tian Ze, holding the Shark Tooth weapon.

Tianze glanced disdainfully at Han Fei and Wei Zhuang, then left peacefully with Honglian.

With a hostage in hand, he was not worried at all that Han Fei and Wei Zhuang would pursue them.

Wei Zhuang looked at Han Fei. If Han Fei could disregard Hong Lian's safety, he could try to stop him.

However, Han Fei simply shook his head silently. He dared not gamble Honglian's safety on Wei Zhuang's speed, and could only let Tianze and the others leave.

After leaving the Cold Palace, Tianze handed the unconscious Honglian over to the Corpse-Driving Demon.

"Notify the King of Poisons to take Prince Han and retreat. Lock her in the dungeon, and remember not to hurt her," Tianze said coldly.

“She is our master, but she seems to be a burden to us,” the Corpse-Driving Demon said, looking at Honglian.

"You can never put all your eggs in one basket; you have to avoid risks," Tianze said coldly.

Although Xu Qing could help him get rid of the Gu poison, he didn't completely trust her, so he had to leave himself a way out.

Just in case, Honglian would be his bargaining chip in a deal with Han Fei. A Crown Prince Han plus his most favored princess would be enough to make Han Fei risk his life.

The Corpse-Driving Demon clearly didn't understand Tianze's meaning, but he still obediently did as he was told, sending a zombie to deliver a message to Baidu, while he took Honglian to the stronghold outside the city.

Tianze glanced in the direction of the Han Palace, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He had failed to obtain the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations this time, but he was certain he would be able to obtain this secret treasure next time.

"You won't be so lucky next time."

After leaving behind a harsh remark, Tianze headed towards the agreed-upon location outside the city to meet Xu Qing.

Let's see if this renowned physician, famous throughout the Central Plains, will bring him any surprises.

(End of this chapter)