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

Chapter 459, The Deal with Tianze

"My condition is to help you restore your country, and in return, you must obey my orders and do one thing for me."

Xu Qing looked at Tian Ze, smiled slightly, and said calmly.

Upon hearing the conditions offered by Xu Qing, Tianze's breathing became noticeably more rapid, and his scarlet, icy eyes showed a hint of emotion.

Revenge and restoration of the kingdom are the only remaining obsessions in Tianze's heart since he escaped his predicament. If he had to prioritize one over the other, then restoration of the kingdom would undoubtedly be his most persistent goal, and the ultimate purpose of revenge would also be to restore the kingdom.

Although Xu Qing's offer touched upon his deepest desires, Tianze was no longer the impetuous prince of Baiyue he once was.

"Restore the kingdom? Ha~ I admit your offer is very tempting, but what makes you think I can believe you can help me restore the kingdom?" Tianze asked coldly.

Tianze's doubts were within Xu Qing's expectations, but he was not entirely unprepared.

"Why should I? I know it's hard to convince you that I can help you restore your country just by talking, so I've prepared two options for you to choose from," Xu Qing said, looking at Tianze.

"Which two options?" Tianze asked.

"First, I will use the power of Qin to help you restore your country. I am no longer the timid and hesitant Imperial Physician of Han. What does the title of Grand Master of the State of Qin mean? I think you should understand it after your time in the Central Plains."

"If you agree to my deal, I can persuade the King of Qin to help you restore your kingdom in Baiyue with the help of Qin's power."

"As for the second option, I can help you obtain the secret of Duke Zhuang of Zheng's rise to power and dominance, which is the Azure Dragon Seven hidden in the Han King's Palace. As for the Fire Rain Manor treasure that Liu Yi has secretly hidden, I can also tell you its whereabouts."

"You can choose whichever option you want as a condition of the transaction."

Xu Qing's lips curled up slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips, and he spoke slowly.

Upon hearing the two paths Xu Qing offered, Tianze looked at Xu Qing with deep eyes, his hands, bound by chains, clenched involuntarily, as he began to consider whether or not to make a deal with Xu Qing.

Seeing that Tianze was deep in thought, Xu Qing did not rush to ask for an answer. She looked at him with a smile and waited silently.

"Can you guarantee I'll get the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions from the Han King's palace?"

After thinking for a long time, Tianze finally asked.

"Of course, but as your partner, I must remind you that the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations are not so easy to obtain. If I were you, I would choose the first path," Xu Qing kindly reminded him.

Tianze glanced at Xu Qing and said in a heavy, hoarse voice.

"What do you want me to do?"

Seeing that Tianze rejected his well-intentioned reminder, Xu Qing smiled helplessly. He had expected Tianze to ignore his reminder. After all, Tianze was not stupid. He had learned his lesson once.

King Han An and Ji Wuye instigated the Baiyue rebellion and used it as an opportunity to join forces with the State of Chu to send troops to Baiyue in order to help them quell the rebellion.

Trusting the states of Han and Chu, the King of Baiyue agreed to allow the allied forces of Han and Chu to enter Baiyue territory. As a result, the internal strife was indeed quelled, but the Baiyue royal family was also destroyed.

It is foolish to entrust the rise and fall of one's own country to another country, since there is only ever interest between nations.

However, the choice of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, though seemingly safe, is far more dangerous than having the Qin state help it restore its kingdom. After all, the Yin-Yang School will not allow anyone else to obtain or decipher its secrets.

However, Tianze rejected his suggestion, so he naturally didn't say anything more.

"You'll know what I need you to do once you look at the contents above."

Xu Qing took out a piece of cloth from his pocket and tossed it to Tian Ze.

Tianze reached out and took the cloth. After glancing at Xu Qing, he opened the cloth and began to read it. Upon seeing the contents, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"You want me to join the farm family?" Tianze asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing Tianze's words, the Corpse-Driving Demon, Yan Lingji, and Zhen Gang all looked at Xu Qing and Tianze with puzzled expressions.

“As you can see,” Xu Qing nodded and said.

"Although the Farmer's School is the least concerned about one's background among the Hundred Schools, I am a Baiyue person, and I cannot join the Farmer's School just because I want to."

Tianze tossed the cloth in his hand to Xu Qing and said in a deep voice.

Although Tianze felt that as a descendant of the Baiyue royal family, he should be on equal footing with the royal families of the Central Plains countries, he also knew very well that this was just wishful thinking on his part.

The royal families of the Central Plains would not recognize his identity, and even the Hundred Schools, which considered themselves noble, looked down on the State of Chu, let alone him, the former deposed crown prince of Baiyue, who is now a wanted criminal in the State of Han.

Even though there are all sorts of people in the farmhouse and there are no barriers to joining, they won't easily allow others to join.

"You don't need to worry about that. The old farmers might not have done that, but the farmers now will. You just need to go back to Xinzheng and find Situ Wanli of Qianlong Hall, and he will arrange everything for you," Xu Qing said calmly.

Tianze frowned slightly, looking at Xu Qing with some wariness.

Although the cloth hadn't explicitly stated what to do, Tianze knew very well that joining the Farmer's Clan was just the beginning. Xu Qing wouldn't be so kind as to find him a member of any of the Hundred Schools of Thought as a backer. He believed that once he took this step, he would be drawn into an inescapable vortex of conspiracy, but now he had no other choice.

Restoring his kingdom was his only goal for the rest of his life, something he could never achieve on his own, so he had to rely on the help of others.

After thinking it through, Tianze nodded slightly and said...
“I can do as you say, but if the farmer refuses me, it won’t be because I’m not keeping my promise, and you will still need to help me obtain the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon.”

"It's natural."

Xu Qing's palm surged with true energy, tearing the cloth into tiny fragments, which vanished into the world with a gentle breeze.

"Can we leave now?" Tianze said in a deep voice.

“Okay, once you join the farm, send someone to let me know, and I’ll tell you what to do next,” Xu Qing said.

Tianze nodded, glanced at Zhengang, and then walked out of the cave.

Seeing this, the Corpse-Driving Demon lowered his hood and quickly followed.

After the two left, Yan Lingji looked at Xu Qing beside her, her rosy lips twitching slightly as she asked the question that had been bothering her.

"You want them to join the Farmers' Clan so that they can burn the grain that Han Fei borrowed in the name of the Farmers' Clan and frame the Farmers' Clan? That's not a very clever idea," Yan Lingji asked doubtfully.

"You underestimate me. How could such a clumsy scheme possibly succeed?" Xu Qing said calmly, ruffling Yan Lingji's dark hair.

"So what exactly do you want to do?"

Yan Lingji's pretty face was full of doubt, and she looked at Xu Qing with her icy blue eyes, pressing for an answer.

"What am I going to do? Naturally, it's to burn the grain that Han Fei borrowed. But what I'm going to do isn't to frame someone, but to be a good person and uncover a conspiracy," Xu Qing said.

Listening to Xu Qing's cryptic words, Yan Lingji felt her head was spinning. She puffed out her cheeks in anger and grabbed Xu Qing's collar, saying...

"Stop playing games and tell me what you want to do!"

Zhen Gang watched Xu Qing and Yan Lingji flirting and silently turned his back. Although he was a cold-blooded sword, he was not ignorant of avoiding suspicion and rules.

"Alright, it's not convenient to tell you now. I'll tell you what to do after we have the results in the next couple of days," Xu Qing said, holding Yan Lingji's small hand.

Seeing that Xu Qing insisted on speaking in riddles, Yan Lingji had no choice but to let go of Xu Qing, and said angrily.
"I hate people like you the most."

After saying that, Yan Lingji stormed out of the cave, clearly unhappy.

Seeing this, Xu Qing could only smile helplessly, a solemn look in his eyes. The reason he didn't tell Yan Lingji wasn't to be mysterious, but because he wasn't sure if his plan had succeeded.

Although the fortune told him that his wishes would come true in Nanyang, he was not sure whether his plan had actually succeeded.

"Zhen Gang, where are Han Fei and the others?" Xu Qing asked.

“The Net created an accident on Han Fei’s inevitable route. They are currently still in Qifeng and are expected to return to Nanyang in two days,” Zhen Gang said.

After recalling the location of the seal, Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief; there was still time.

"Keep a close eye on Han Fei's movements, while also sending people to monitor Tian Guang and Tian Ze. Then send someone to Xinzheng to inform Situ Wanli that the plan can proceed to the next step and ask him to help Tian Ze get into Tian Guang's sights."

Xu Qing looked at Yan Lingji, who was waiting for him at the cave entrance, and said as he walked.

"Yes, sir," Zhen Gang said, cupping his hands in greeting.

When Yan Lingji saw Xu Qing walking towards her, she turned around and continued walking forward, acting like a child sulking with Xu Qing and not giving him a chance to catch up.

Seeing this, Xu Qing could only use his Wind Riding ability to quickly catch up with the other party, and it took him some effort to coax Yan Lingji back to her senses.

The two then led the assassins from the Luo Wang organization towards Luyang City.

After leaving the cave, Tianze and the Corpse-Driving Demon headed towards Xinzheng. They stopped to rest after leaving the territory of Luyang.

The Corpse Demon looked at Tianze, who was resting in the shadows, and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.

"What do you want to say?"

Tianze noticed the strange behavior of the Corpse-Driving Demon and asked him a question.

“Master, I don’t understand why you want to cooperate with Xu Qing. We have already found some clues about the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations hidden in the Han King’s Palace. It will only take a little more time to find them. Why do you have to cooperate with Xu Qing?”

The Corpse-Driving Demon asked, puzzled.

(End of this chapter)