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

Chapter 298, Destiny?
As dawn broke and the night sky had not yet completely dissipated, Xu Qing walked out of Yan Lingji's room with a dark expression.

"A real man should prioritize his career."

Yan Lingji's groggy voice echoed in the room, followed by Xu Qing's coat being thrown out and the door being closed.

Looking at the tightly closed door, Xu Qing held up his pants with one hand and grabbed his coat with the other, his face full of black lines.

For the first time, Xu Qing regretted not sleeping in properly so early in the morning. Thinking that Yan Lingji had just recovered from a serious illness and needed exercise, he decided to drag Yan Lingji out for a morning workout.

As a result, Yan Lingji, who had been tormented all night, could no longer bear it and kicked him off the bed and out of the house.

We didn't spoil him at all.

"How heartless! Where is my little wildcat from last night?"

Xu Qing sighed helplessly, fastened his belt to his trousers, put on his outer garment, and walked out of the Qianlong Hall.

Judging by the time, Han Fei and Ying Zheng should be meeting now, and he felt he couldn't miss such a historic meeting.

After tidying himself up, Xu Qing resumed his previous impeccably dressed appearance as the imperial physician.

At this moment, in the backyard of the Ninth Prince's residence.

Han Fei and Ying Zheng stood face to face, while Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang stood on the surrounding walls, keeping watch over their surroundings.

Ying Zheng looked at Han Fei with regret in his eyes. After the conversation, he understood Han Fei's thoughts and knew that it was impossible for Han Fei to come to Qin with him.

However, Ying Zheng only felt a little regretful, regretting that the great talent Han Fei would be trapped in the state of Han.

"Mr. Han Fei, Korea is ultimately not the stage for you to display your talents. The land of Korea is too small, too small to accommodate a person with lofty ambitions and extraordinary talent," Ying Zheng said regretfully.

"This is the path I've chosen, just like the one Brother Xu chose. No matter what choice I make, there will always be people who feel sorry for me, won't there?"

Han Fei chuckled softly, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes.

He had learned from Ying Zheng that Xu Qing had chosen to enter Qin. Although he doubted the truth of the matter, Ying Zheng, as the King of Qin, risked his life to come to Xinzheng to see him, so he would not deceive him with such a thing.

He had assumed that Xu Qing's refusal to join Quicksand stemmed from doubts about his abilities, and he had been working hard to win Xu Qing over.

Unfortunately, his affections were unrequited, and he ultimately couldn't keep Xu Qing.

"Why?" Ying Zheng asked in a deep voice.

He didn't quite understand why Han Fei insisted on choosing this path that was destined to fail. The state of Han could not tolerate Han Fei. From the King of Han to the common people, from the powerful clans within the state to the six other states outside, no one could allow Han Fei to change the state of Han.

Ying Zheng believed that Han Fei could also see this point, but he couldn't understand why Han Fei insisted on doing so even though he knew he was going to fail.

"In order to find an answer," Han Fei said, shaking his head slightly.

What kind of answer?

"I met a teacher and asked him, 'Is there really a force in the universe that controls destiny in the dark?'"

Han Fei said slowly.

How did your teacher answer?

The teacher's answer was, "Yes!"

Han Fei's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he said in a deep voice.

Ying Zheng looked at Han Fei, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly asked, "What kind of power is that?"

Instead of this question, let me answer a question you don't want to know the answer to first.

Han Fei smiled and didn't continue the question, instead changing the subject.

Ying Zheng looked at Han Fei, waiting for an answer.

"you will die!"

Han Fei's tone hardened, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"What did you say!"

Ying Zheng's tone suddenly turned cold, and he looked at Han Fei with sharp and serious eyes, speaking in a deep voice.

"The key questions are when and how one dies."

Han Fei's eyes were bleak. He paused, then continued...

"I have traveled through the river of time and witnessed my own death. Do you believe it?"

"I do not believe!"

Looking at Han Fei's serious expression, Ying Zheng slowly spoke.

Because what Han Fei said was too absurd.

Just as Han Fei was explaining his concept of time perception to Ying Zheng, Xu Qing also arrived at the Ninth Prince's residence. However, he did not have anyone announce his arrival but instead climbed over the wall and sneaked in.

Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang also spotted Xu Qing immediately.

The two men looked at Xu Qing, whose breathing was somewhat unsteady and whose hair was disheveled, and their expressions became serious.

Gai Nie descended from the wall and came to Xu Qing's side, asking in a deep voice...
"Mr. Xu, did you encounter an enemy?" "No, I just came in a bit of a hurry and didn't have time to tidy myself up," Xu Qing said, shaking his head slightly.

He didn't encounter an enemy, but a demon, and a ruthless female demon at that, otherwise he wouldn't be in such a sorry state.

"It's good that they're not enemies. Young Master Shang and Young Master Jiu are talking in the courtyard."

After pausing for a moment, Gai Nie looked at Xu Qing and continued speaking.
"The Ninth Prince already knows that you are going to the Qin Kingdom."

"It's alright, Brother Han Fei will find out sooner or later, and I never intended to hide it from him. He's an upright person and wouldn't do anything underhanded. Let me go see them first and see how their talks went."

Xu Qing said with a light laugh.

Gai Nie nodded slightly and stepped aside. After Xu Qing entered the courtyard, he returned to the wall and continued to keep watch with Wei Zhuang.

Wei Zhuang glanced at Xu Qing below and gripped the hilt of Shark Tooth sword.

"Xiao Zhuang." Gai Nie called out to Wei Zhuang with some nervousness.

Han Fei might not have murderous intent towards Xu Qing because of his entry into Qin, but his junior brother was a different story.

Although his junior brother is very kind, he will never hesitate to take action when the time comes.

"He still owes me a sword duel," Wei Zhuang said coldly, releasing his hand from the hilt of his sword.

Upon hearing this, Gai Nie glanced apologetically at Wei Zhuang. Wei Zhuang didn't say anything more, glanced at Xu Qing, and then continued to observe the surrounding situation.

As soon as Xu Qing entered the courtyard, she heard what Han Fei had said to her back then, and a look of helplessness flashed in her eyes.

"High mountains turn into deep valleys, oceans turn into mulberry fields, the withering and flourishing of summer and winter, the rise and fall of nations, and the life and death of people are truly mysterious and unpredictable. Ten years can prove the coming of spring and autumn, a hundred years can prove birth, aging, sickness and death, a thousand years can prove the change of dynasties, and ten thousand years can prove the shifting of stars."

If a mortal tries to perceive the vastness of the universe over millions of years with the limited perspective of a single day, wouldn't they be like a frog at the bottom of a well?

Han Fei looked up at the azure sky, his eyes filled with a sense of longing and sadness, and his voice was full of emotion.

"Brother Han Fei, you never change your words. It's always the same old thing and there's nothing new about it."

Xu Qing's teasing voice rang out, drawing the attention of Han Fei and Ying Zheng.

"Brother Xu, you still dare to come to my residence to see me? I treated you as a close friend, and this is how you treat me. It really hurts me." Han Fei clutched his chest and said sadly.

"Sir, you've arrived. Do you seem to be in some trouble?" Ying Zheng asked, looking at Xu Qing with some concern.

Han Fei also became serious, his gaze sweeping over Xu Qing. However, after noticing the hickeys left on Xu Qing's neck, his nervousness disappeared.

"Young Master Shang need not worry. Brother Xu was probably busy with something important last night, so he didn't have time to tidy up his clothes," Han Fei said with a light laugh.

"Brother Han Fei is right, we were a bit flustered last night," Xu Qing said.

"I see. Did you also tell Mr. Han Fei what he just said?" Ying Zheng asked curiously.

“He mentioned it to me once when he first returned to China, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. For us Taoists, the answer is better explained by another phrase: harmony between heaven, earth, and humanity, and the Tao follows the natural way.”

Xu Qing walked between Han Fei and Ying Zheng, forming a three-way standoff with them, and spoke.

"Harmony between Heaven, Earth, and Man, and the Way of Nature, the right time, the right place, and the right people, are essential to turning the tide."

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, both Han Fei and Ying Zheng were taken aback.

"Does the teacher support Mencius's saying that the right time is not as important as the right place, but the right people are more important?" Ying Zheng asked thoughtfully.

Mencius advocated valuing the common people, while Daoism emphasized following the natural order. It was surprising to Ying Zheng that Xu Qing, a member of the Daoist Tianzong sect, would side with Mencius.

"No, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching says: 'Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature.' In the universe, all things follow or conform to the laws of nature, which is what is called destiny."

"As people living within destiny, we are not merely to submit to it, but rather to explore and understand the natural laws, and use these laws to achieve our own goals."

"In essence, this is about following the right timing, utilizing the advantages of the location, and giving full play to human factors."

Xu Qing explained the meaning of his words to Ying Zheng. In fact, he wanted to use a sentence from his high school political class in his previous life: "Respect objective laws and give full play to subjective initiative."

Just like the fortune-telling system in his mind that helps him understand future trends, the final choice is still up to him.

"The course of Heaven is constant; it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie. Human will can overcome Heaven. Brother Xu's words are somewhat similar to my teacher's views. No wonder you two get along so well," Han Fei said with a sigh.

After hearing Han Fei and Xu Qing's words, Ying Zheng's gaze hardened, and he said in a deep voice.
"I don't believe in fate; I only believe that human effort can make things happen."

Han Fei looked into Ying Zheng's resolute gaze as if he were seeing himself in the same gaze.

It was precisely because he did not believe in fate that he returned to South Korea in an attempt to change its fate.

"got windy."

Ying Zheng looked at the gradually sweeping breeze and spoke slowly.

Upon hearing this, Han Fei also composed himself, looked at Ying Zheng, and asked softly.

"The wind leaves no trace, but it seems to have stirred up ripples in Your Majesty's heart."

His tone was slightly serious as he continued in a deep voice:

"The Qin state is not at peace, and Your Majesty's situation is not peaceful either. Now, entering Han has pushed you to the brink of disaster. If you are not careful, you will fall into an abyss."

(End of this chapter)