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

Chapter 354, The Invitation of Yan Ri

Jing Ni's pretty face remained cold and stern, and although her bright yellow eyes were as indifferent as ever, her gaze towards Xu Qing softened somewhat with a touch of awkwardness.

She wasn't looking at the bamboo slips to pass the time; in accepting herself and pursuing the meaning of life, Taoism was the most advanced of all schools of thought.

Moreover, Xu Qing is also a disciple of the Taoist Tianzong sect. She reads some related books, so she will have some topics to talk about with Xu Qing in the future, and she won't be cold and boring to Xu Qing anymore.

Sensing the change in Jing Ni's eyes, Xu Qing's smile deepened, but the rare gentleness in her eyes was already a significant change for a weapon like Jing Ni.

However, the other person is still processing their emotions and trying to become a normal person, so it's normal for their eyes to look a little strange.

"If you like the books of the Heavenly Sect, I can have some sent over. The Qin Kingdom's library has many books from various schools of thought."

Xu Qing walked over and sat down next to Jing Ni, then turned to look at her and said...

"I'll tell you once I've finished reading all the books in the manor. What did you gain from your trip to the Marquis of Wenxin's residence?"

Jingni looked at Xu Qing sitting next to her and asked, without distancing herself from him, but calmly looking at him.

Smelling the faint fragrance in the air, Xu Qing recounted how the Marquis of Wenxin's mansion and Lao Ai had injured Lord Weiyang. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the bracelet on Jing Ni's wrist, the one he had given her.

"Lü Buwei's loyalty to Qin is surprising, so it's normal that Lao Ai dared to injure Lord Weiyang," Jing Ni said with a slight nod.

It is truly surprising that a powerful minister like Lü Buwei could maintain his original aspirations, remain loyal to the Qin state, and support Ying Zheng as always.

Whether in terms of merit or prestige, Lü Buwei was capable of taking that step. Moreover, the last powerful minister among the seven states was Tian Qi, whose son was Qi Hou Tian He, who drove out Guo Jun and declared himself the ruler.

"There were many conflicts between Lao Ai and Lord Weiyang. Even though I didn't pay attention to the Qin court before, I had heard about them through the Luo Wang (a secret network of intelligence agencies)."

Jingni looked at Xu Qing and continued to recount what she had heard, preparing Xu Qing for his mission to persuade Lord Weiyang the next day.

Her identity can't help Xu Qing much, but she won't let Xu Qing do everything alone. Within her power, she will do her best to help Xu Qing.

"In other words, since Lao Ai gained the Empress Dowager's favor and gradually acquired power and fiefdoms, and was eventually enfeoffed as a marquis and given a fiefdom, Lord Weiyang has been opposing him. This is indeed good intelligence."

"In private, he even summoned members of the royal family more than once to discuss how to get rid of Lao Ai."

Xu Qing looked thoughtful. The information Jing Ni gave him was very useful, at least it let him know Wei Yang Jun's attitude towards Lao Ai, which would help him persuade Wei Yang Jun to support his plan.

“That’s true, but I’ve only heard about many of these things from other people by chance, so I don’t know if they’re true or not. However, it’s true that Lord Weiyang really dislikes Lao Ai,” Jing Ni said in a deep voice.

"As long as he and Lao Ai don't get along, that's enough. Besides, he was injured by Lao Ai this time, so the two of them are bound to fight to the death. Tomorrow's persuasion shouldn't be too difficult," Xu Qing nodded and said.

Jing Ni hummed in agreement and then took out a small wooden plaque, handing it to Xu Qing.

"What is this?" Xu Qing asked, looking at the wooden plaque in his hand.

The wooden sign is square with only the character "女" (woman) on it. The material is simple wood, but Xu Qing couldn't tell what kind of tree it was.

“This is what I found during my patrol around the mansion today. The sword marks on it were left by the Sun-Covering Sword. As for this piece of wood, it is a tall tree that only grows on the westernmost side of Shanglin Garden,” Jingni explained.

"Yanri? Shanglin Garden?"

Xu Qing looked at the wooden plaque in his hand, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. Clearly, this was an invitation from Yan Ri.

"It seems he wants to see me. The wooden plaque of Changlin Tree, the character 'woman' carved on the Sun-Covering Sword, the Wood Maiden Lou Constellation, and we'll meet in the Changlin Tree forest of Shanglin Garden at the second quarter of the Yin hour in the far west?" Xu Qing played with the wooden plaque in his hand, revealing a playful smile.

“I’ll go with you. Yan Ri isn’t someone you can get along with. It might be dangerous for you to go alone.” Jing Ni said softly, noticing a hint of worry in Xu Qing’s beautiful eyes.

Seeing Jingni's concern, Xu Qing took her hand from the railing and placed the bamboo slip in her hand.

“He invited me alone. Shanglin Garden is close to the palace, and the commotion caused by Yanri Sword is too great. Unless our negotiations break down, he won’t dare to make a move.”

"As for you, you should just stay home and study."

Xu Qing held Jing Ni's hand and looked into her eyes as he spoke.

He swore he would never intentionally take advantage of her; he simply wanted to put the bamboo slip back into Jingni's hands.

Jingni felt her face flush for no reason as Xu Qing stared at her. She quickly looked away, took the bamboo slip, jumped down from the fence, and walked towards another courtyard.

"it is good."

After leaving behind a single sentence, Jingni left Xu Qing with only her graceful back view.

The black high heels clicked crisply on the bluestone floor, her long, beautiful legs were partially visible, Jing Ni's slender waist swayed slightly, and her full, pert buttocks pushed up the hem of her purple combat uniform slightly.

Xu Qing felt a surge of desire at the sight of her graceful figure, and couldn't help but think of the beautiful Hu Meiren far away on Mount Taiyi.

He missed Hu Meiren and wanted to have a heated debate with her, but he couldn't leave for the time being and could only wait until the matter with Lao Ai was temporarily settled before heading to Taiyi Mountain.

"If you have time, practice your swordplay with me," Xu Qing said, watching Jing Ni's retreating figure.

"it is good."

Jing Ni didn't turn her head and said this, nor did she ask Xu Qing why he suddenly wanted to practice swordsmanship.

After Jing Ni left, a seductive, mature female voice rang out behind Xu Qing.

"The person is already gone, but did they steal your soul too?"

Xu Qing turned around and saw Yan Lingji leap into the pavilion, one hand supporting herself on the railing. Her fiery red skirt fluttered slightly, revealing her stunningly beautiful legs that could drive anyone crazy.

Her jet-black hair swayed slightly, her icy blue eyes blinked gently at Xu Qing, and a charming smile appeared on her lips.

The crispy ball, wrapped in a black and red coat, reacted to the other's movements, but instead stirred up ripples.

With her black and red boots on the ground, Yan Lingji sat on the railing and tilted her head slightly to look at Xu Qing.

"I'm thinking about the covenant between heaven and man at the Guanyin Terrace on Mount Taiyi. I'll be heading to Mount Taiyi soon, so I need to intensify my martial arts training. If I'm easily defeated by Xiaoyaozi, I'll lose face big time."

Xu Qing said helplessly, "I'm not afraid of discussing the Dao with Xiaoyaozi, but I don't know who changed the Heavenly Man Agreement, which should have been a discussion of the Dao, into a martial arts contest."

During the exchange of blows, both sides discussed the Dao, and while fighting, they also used techniques to demonstrate their understanding of the Dao.

Is this because neither the Heavenly Sect nor the Human Sect could tolerate the other, so they found a suitable reason to take action?
(End of this chapter)