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

Chapter 276, Night Battle

In a grove of trees outside Xinzheng City.

Dozens of white-armored cavalrymen, each wielding a long, icy spear, stood in the woods. Their eyes were sharp, and they gripped their spears tightly, ready to throw them into the distance at any moment.

Not far away, Han Fei, Wei Zhuang, and Bai Yifei were confronting Tian Ze and his group.

Although it was four against two, Tianze and his group still dared not be careless, their faces full of caution.

"I'll leave this place to you, Lord Marquis," Han Fei said, bowing slightly to Bai Yifei.

Bai Yifei glanced at Han Fei, then looked at Tian Ze, the Corpse-Driving Demon, the Hundred Poison King, and Yan Lingji, his scarlet eyes flashing with cold light.

"Young Master, please go ahead and do what you want to do. I'll leave this to you."

Bai Yifei placed his hands on the hilts of the red and white swords at his waist, mobilizing his icy true energy. The chilling aura spread outwards, freezing the weeds on the ground.

Wei Zhuang glanced at Bai Yifei, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

Although he had never fought Bai Yifei before, this was the second time he had seen Bai Yifei fight. Compared to the last time, Bai Yifei seemed to be stronger this time.

"In that case, I will go and rescue the Crown Prince."

Han Fei smiled slightly at Bai Yifei, then turned and headed towards the place where Crown Prince Han was imprisoned.

His plan tonight was a great success. With a single move, he managed to get Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei to investigate Tianze's whereabouts. For the sake of the Crown Prince's safety, Bai Yifei even personally led the White Armor Army.

Although he and Nightfall were enemies, they shared the same goal in rescuing the prince.

Wei Zhuang retrieved the Shark Tooth and left with Han Fei.

After Han Fei and Wei Zhuang left, Bai Yifei stared coldly at Tian Ze, a mocking smile on her face.

"Indeed, fear is the best way to instill awe. It's not too late for you to surrender now," Bai Yifei said coldly.

The fact that Tianze kidnapped Prince Han and made a deal with Han Fei made Bai Yifei increasingly aware of Tianze's rebellious nature, but he didn't care.

He led his army to destroy the Baiyue region, imprisoned Tianze and controlled him with Gu poison for a long time, and the others were also his prisoners. For Tianze and the others, Bai Yifei was a nightmare.

"Is that so? Then let me see if you are worthy of respect, and see if the flames of revenge of Baiyue can melt your ice."

Tianze sneered and, in front of Bai Yifei, took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and swallowed the antidote for the withered gu.

As the icy blue antidote slid down his throat, Tianze instantly felt the withering Gu on his chest disappear. The restraints within his body were released at that moment, and blood-red and black internal energy swirled around him. The snake-head chains behind him attacked Bai Yifei.

In the past, Tianze would have been wary of Bai Yifei, but now that he has broken free from the control of the Huaku Gu, he is no longer afraid.

He even went so far as to seek out Bai Yifei to avenge the torment he had suffered over the years.

After Bai Yifei noticed that the Hua Ku Gu in Tian Ze's body had disappeared, his already charming face became clouded with gloom, and the killing intent in his eyes could no longer be concealed. At the same time, he wondered how Tian Ze had obtained the antidote.
Only he and the Tide Demoness knew how to make the antidote for the Withering Gu, and since the Tide Demoness lived deep within the palace, she would never give the antidote to Tianze.

Could it be Han Fei? But he had been watching Han Fei and Tian Ze's conversation the whole time, so it shouldn't be Han Fei.

Despite his doubts, Bai Yifei knew that he should deal with Tianze, the mad dog who had broken free of control, first. Using his lightness skill, Bai Yifei leaped up and dodged Tianze's attacking snake head.

"You think you can get rid of your fear once you get the antidote? It seems I need to make you relive those days and feel that fear again!"

Bai Yifei stepped onto the snake bone chains, drew his two swords from his waist, and looked at Tianze coldly.

He was able to catch Tianze when the flaws in his cultivation technique flared up, and now, thanks to the pills Xu Qing gave him, he has initially resolved the flaws in his cultivation technique. The yang energy and cold energy in his body have reached a balance, and his strength has improved further. Naturally, he is no longer afraid of Tianze.

"Let's attack together!" Tianze also noticed Bai Yifei's change and shouted sharply.

The snake heads behind him stirred again, and five snake heads attacked Bai Yifei from different places.

Upon hearing this, the flames in Yan Lingji's hands also ignited, and the Corpse-Driving Demon continuously formed hand seals. Some zombies crawled out from the ground and attacked Bai Yifei, while the Hundred Poison King released some Gu worms to wait for an opportunity to strike.

Bai Yifei deflected the attacking snake head with his red sword and leaped backward to dodge the oncoming Yan Lingji.

Seeing the overwhelming swarm of Gu worms and zombies, Bai Yifei was surrounded by a chilling aura that froze the moisture in the air. He swung his white sword, and his icy inner force instantly froze the zombies and Gu worms.

"Is this your confidence? You haven't improved at all over the years. A dog should act like a dog!"

Bai Yifei dodged the attacking snake heads, his figure nimbly avoiding the Gu worms and flames, his eyes still full of disdain as he looked at Tianze.

The moment the words fell, a chilling aura emanated from Bai Yifei, and thorny ice spread behind him, forming a huge thorny vine. Two thorny ice thorns shot towards Tianze.

Wherever the Frost Thorns went, the Flame Spirit Princess's flames, the Poison King's Gu worms, and the Corpse-Driving Demon's zombies were all frozen.

Tianze's scarlet eyes were filled with violence and killing intent, and his body was surrounded by black and red evil energy. He leaped away from the icy thorns.

Under the control of the evil energy, the snake-head chains relentlessly attacked Bai Yifei. Bai Yifei wielded his twin swords to resist Tianze's onslaught, and sparks flew as the snake-head chains clashed with the sword blades.

Tianze's snake-head chains slammed into the icy thorns, causing shards of ice to fall and freeze the ground. After Bai Yifei repelled Yan Lingji, he stepped on the spreading icy thorns and charged towards Tianze.

Far away in the woods, the white-armored cavalrymen watched the icy thorns rise into the air and aimed their icy spears in the direction of Bai Yifei.

"Throw!" shouted the lead cavalryman.

At a command, dozens of cavalrymen threw their spears and headed toward the battlefield.

Dozens of spears fell from mid-air, and Tianze, Yanlingji and the others dodged in the face of this, while Bai Yifei took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack on Tianze.

The spear exploded the moment it hit the ground, freezing the ground with a large amount of cold air. Connecting with the cold air released by Bai Yifei, an ice cage rose up from the ground, attempting to surround Tianze, Yan Lingji, Bai Duwang, and the Corpse-Driving Demon.

Seeing the rising ice cages around them, the Hundred Poison King and the Corpse-Driving Demon did not hesitate at all and quickly retreated to the rear.

Their strength is the lowest among the two. Once trapped in the icy cage, they will have no chance to fight back. Retreating in time is the best option.

Seeing this, Yan Lingji's flames blazed, dispelling the chilling aura attacking her. Holding the fiery red hairpin in her hand, she stepped on the rising icy thorns and charged towards Bai Yifei in mid-air.

Bai Yifei blocked the hairpin with his red sword, and a thorn repelled Yan Lingji before charging towards Tianze.

At that moment, the white-armored cavalry also threw out their second volley of icy spears.

Already at a disadvantage, Tianze was simultaneously dealing with the attacks of the icy thorns, resisting Bai Yifei's sword, and dodging the incoming icy spears, which increased the pressure on him. "It seems you still can't escape the cage of fear."

Bai Yifei forced Tianze back with a single sword strike, and the icy thorns behind him then attacked the opponent.

Just as Yan Lingji, who had been repelled, was about to attack Bai Yifei again, she was accidentally hit by a spear and spat out a mouthful of blood. The bamboo scroll in her arms fell out and landed beside her.

Seeing that he was no match for Bai Yifei, Tianze's eyes flashed with resentment.

He understood that once the icy cage was fully formed, he would be captured by Bai Yifei again.

As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. Moreover, he has already broken free from the control of the withering gu. As long as he fully recovers his strength and obtains the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations hidden in the cold palace of the Han King, it will not be too late to seek revenge on Bai Yifei.

Tianze then glanced coldly at Yan Lingji, who had lost the ability to move. After the snake-headed chains shattered the icy thorns and formed a white mist that obscured the view, he sped away into the distance.

Watching Tianze leave decisively, Yan Lingji's eyes dimmed slightly. She reached out to retrieve the bamboo slip she had dropped, but it was stepped on by Bai Yifei who was falling down.

Upon seeing this, Yan Lingji's eyes flashed with tension. Without the slightest hesitation, she mobilized all the internal energy within her body, transforming it into flames that burned towards the bamboo slips.

The bamboo slips bore the mark of the Hidden Dragon Hall. She had intended to return the books to Xu Qing, but she never expected such a thing to happen tonight.

To avoid implicating Xu Qing, she was determined to destroy the bamboo slips, even at the cost of her life.

Bai Yifei watched the approaching flames and used his cold energy to block them. Little did he know that a flame suddenly burst forth from the ice beneath his feet, igniting the bamboo slips.

As she watched the Qianlong Hall's emblem on the bamboo slip being burned away, Yan Lingji's lips curled up slightly. Unable to suppress her injuries any longer, she spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale.

The cold air extinguished the flames on the bamboo slips. Bai Yifei picked up the bamboo slips and said to Yan Lingji...
"It seems you value this thing highly, willing to be seriously injured to destroy it. What are you hiding?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the white-armored soldiers surrounded her, their icy spears aimed at Yan Lingji.

"Heh~ I never expected that the dignified Blood-Clad Marquis would ask such an idiotic question?" Yan Lingji said mockingly to Bai Yifei.

"Take her away."

Bai Yifei ignored Yan Lingji's taunts and gave orders to the soldiers around him.

He wouldn't kill Yan Lingji; he had promised to give her to Xu Qing as a gift, and he wouldn't break his promise.

"Yes!"

A dozen soldiers chained Yan Lingji, loaded her onto a prison cart, and followed Bai Yifei toward Xinzheng.

Yan Lingji glanced forlornly in the direction of Qianlong Hall, her icy blue eyes losing their former brilliance, her thoughts lost on something unknown.

At dusk, inside the Han King's palace.

Xu Qing glanced at the sunset on the horizon, stretched, and said to Hong Lian...
"That's all for today. Tonight, I'll review the outline and the first five chapters of the Yellow Emperor's work."

Honglian's face was full of black lines as she held a calligraphy brush in her hand, looking pitifully at Xu Qing.

Although the book Liezi is mostly prose and fables, which are easy to read aloud, its contents are very profound. Not everyone can become self-taught like Xu Qing.

Clearly, the little girl Honglian was completely stumped by the Yellow Emperor chapter.

"Imperial Physician, what exactly do these things mean: the Yellow Emperor's dream of visiting the land of Huaxu, Liegu shooting the gods, and Liezi learning from Lao Shang? Did Liezi really encounter these things?" Honglian asked with a pained expression.

“One cannot judge things by their appearance alone. Liezi revealed the truth that the ultimate truth cannot be sought through emotions, through the profound enlightenment he gained from the Yellow Emperor’s dream journey.”

"To please the eyes and ears, to satisfy the nose and mouth, to exhaust one's intelligence, and to advance one's wisdom, one can only become confused and deluded by the five senses, and cannot grasp the ultimate truth."

Only by cultivating virtue and character in a way that is "unable to appreciate life or fear death," "unable to be close to oneself or distant from others," and "unable to rebel or follow the right path," can one "understand the creation of all things" and reach the "ultimate way."

"It aims to emphasize that one should follow nature and accept the leniency of heaven, and that utmost sincerity and faith can move all things."

Seeing Honglian's puzzled expression, Xu Qing slowly explained.

"What about eyes, ears, mouth, and nose? What does that have to do with following nature?"

Honglian was completely dumbfounded. She recognized each word Xu Qing said, but why couldn't she understand it when they were put together?

Xu Qing shook his head slightly. It would be strange if Honglian could understand it. The Yellow Emperor chapter is the most difficult part of the book Liezi to understand. It can be said that this part is the essence of the Guixu school.

If Honglian could understand it after hearing it only once, he would actively beg her to learn the Guixu Eight Swords without her having to ask him, treating her as the Holy Maiden of the Guixu School.

"That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself. It's getting late, and I should leave the palace."

Xu Qing revealed a calm smile and said in a deliberately mysterious tone.

He never intended to teach the Crimson Lotus Sword Technique, after all, his own swordsmanship wasn't that great, and he valued inner strength more than technique.

Moreover, the "Ten Thousand Rivers Autumn Water, Heart Like Still Water" and other such techniques are secrets not passed down by the Taoist Heavenly Sect, and he cannot teach them to Honglian without permission.

With only a few days left before Ying Zheng entered Qin, he couldn't teach Honglian much in the next few days, so he could only forcibly instill the essence of the Guixu School.

Before he left, he left the other party with a part of the mental techniques for riding the wind and the acupuncture techniques he had learned. With the knowledge he had imparted, it was enough for the other party to use riding the wind and the acupuncture techniques as a means of survival.

This can be considered a testament to the teacher-student relationship.

" Figure it out yourself?"

Honglian stared wide-eyed at Xu Qing, her pink lips slightly parted, her face full of disbelief.

“That’s right, that’s how I got here, and I believe you can too,” Xu Qing said with a smile.

Hearing this, Honglian could only remain silent, but a fighting spirit flashed in her amber eyes. If Xu Qing thought she could do it, then she definitely could.

Perhaps this is a test Xu Qing has given her? Just like she's heard.

"Okay, I will definitely understand."

Xu Qing repeated what he had said, and after Honglian wrote it down, he left Honglian's palace and headed out of the Han King's palace.

(End of this chapter)