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

Chapter 499, Scarlet Smoke: I'll help you kill Ji Dan

Xu Qing looked at Fei Yan with amusement. Now that Qin had Gongyang Ru and the group of scholars he had brought in, the shortage of manpower in Ying Zheng's hands had been alleviated.

The Yin-Yang School originally intended to enter Qin, but Xinghun's identity was exposed, leading Lü Buwei to target them, thus cutting off their path to Qin. Now, the Yin-Yang School is offering to enter Qin as a condition, as a way of expressing their sincerity.

Isn't this trying to have your cake and eat it too? There's no such thing as a free lunch.

"It's not what you think. Although my Yin Yang School is being targeted by Lü Buwei, it doesn't mean that my Yin Yang School can't enter Qin. It's just that we don't want to escalate the conflict with him. Now that you are cooperating with the Yin Yang School, and I am mobilizing Yin Yang School disciples to enter Qin, it's equivalent to officially starting a war with Lü Buwei."

"At that time, the Yin-Yang School will naturally restrain the forces under Lü Buwei's control, such as the Net and his retainers, making him too busy to attend to the court."

Feiyan showed no guilt whatsoever and remained calm as she spoke.

Xu Qing didn't respond to Fei Yan's words, but just gave her a speechless look. She really thought he was a fool.

Although Fei Yan was shrewd, she was still inexperienced and easily embarrassed. She felt a little uneasy under Xu Qing's gaze. She clenched her hands tightly in front of her lower abdomen and glanced out the window, not daring to look Xu Qing in the eye.

"What are your conditions?" Fei Yan asked softly.

"My conditions?"

Xu Qing looked at Fei Yan, his smile growing wider, and said in a somewhat lighthearted tone.
"My conditions are very simple. As long as Miss Feiyan marries me, I guarantee that the Yin-Yang School can enter Qin right now. As for Lü Buwei? He can't stop him either. I said it."

Fei Yan's breathing quickened instantly. She never expected Xu Qing to make such an unreasonable request. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she said in a deep voice...
"Lord Zhaoming, we are discussing cooperation, don't make fun of me."

Xu Qing's smile faded, her gaze deepened, her expression became serious, and she spoke earnestly.
"How could I be trying to have fun? You might not believe it, but I fell in love with you the moment I saw you."

"Love at first sight sounds like lust, but the first time I saw you, it was as if I saw the river of time, the future, the two of us strolling hand in hand enjoying leisure, and the two of us growing old together."

"I'm not saying this to say anything specific, I just want to tell you that from the first moment I saw you, I planned out the rest of my life with you."

Fei Yan stood there stunned, her eyes widening as she stared at Xu Qing in astonishment. Her slender fingers intertwined, and she twisted them with a slight force, causing her fair skin to turn slightly pale.

Such sweet words were commonplace for Xu Qing, but for Fei Yan, who was clueless about romantic relationships, it was like a major earthquake.

At this moment, Fei Yan's mind was blank. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
"you you."

Fei Yan looked at Xu Qing with complicated emotions. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't know how to say it.

“I know this is abrupt and might scare you if I say it out loud, but I can’t help but feel this way every time I see you. You are cooperating with me on behalf of the Yin Yang School, and I don’t know when you might leave.”

"I was afraid that one day you would suddenly leave Xianyang and I would never be able to find you again, so I took advantage of the alcohol to say what was on my mind."

"Relationships between men and women truly depend on fate and destiny. Meeting the right person at the right time can lead to a lifetime together at first sight."

Xu Qing continued outputting her message without giving Fei Yan any time to think it through.

Today's conversation with Feiyan about cooperation was just an excuse to meet with her privately. Lü Buwei is one of his own, so why would he help the Yin Yang School against him? His real purpose was to flirt with girls.

Now that the Moon Goddess is not in Xianyang, how can he flirt with Feiyan if he waits for her to return?
He estimated that as soon as he got close to Feiyan, the Moon Goddess would come with a forty-meter-long cleaver to kill him. Therefore, he had to take advantage of the Moon Goddess's absence. Even if he didn't capture Feiyan first, he had to at least disturb Feiyan's mind and leave a deep enough impression on her.

It's not that he's a scumbag. Ji Dan has already arrived in Xianyang. In order to prevent such a good girl as Fei Yan from being deceived by this scumbag Ji Dan, he has no choice but to take the risk and get involved to protect Fei Yan.

Fei Yan's fingers were clasped tightly together, her body stiffening with nervousness. Facing Xu Qing's deep and sincere gaze, a mix of emotions welled up inside her, and her pretty face flushed slightly.

This was the first time she had ever been confessed to, and so directly at that.

Although she felt a little embarrassed, this novel feeling stirred up a different emotion in Fei Yan's heart.

Seeing Fei Yan's hesitation and lack of response, Xu Qing's expression turned somewhat downcast, and he sighed softly.

"I know this is a bit sudden, and I didn't expect you to accept my feelings. I just couldn't suppress my emotions. I hope I haven't caused you any trouble. I'm sorry."

Once you've achieved your goal, retreat decisively. When flirting with a girl, you need to be careful with your words. If you push her too hard, she might just slap you and walk away.

Of course, given his current status and position, Fei Yan wouldn't dare to beat him up, and besides, she couldn't defeat him.

Feiyan glanced at the dejected Xu Qing, then turned her head slightly to look out the window. Her face flushed slightly, and she said in a somewhat awkward tone...
"You don't need to say these things to cover up your own situation."

Just as Xu Qing was about to exert his strength again, he saw a glint of light flash in Fei Yan's eyes, and her expression became somewhat solemn.

"What's going on?" Curious, Xu Qing followed Fei Yan's gaze to the window. Across the street was Tianxiang Tower, a famous brothel in Xianyang.

Upon seeing the person standing at the entrance of Tianxiang Tower, a glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, and his expression became solemn.

The person standing at the entrance of Tianxiang Tower was none other than Prince Ji Dan of Yan.

"That's Prince Ji Dan of Yan. Does Miss Feiyan know him?"

Xu Qing turned her gaze back to Fei Yan and asked, feigning confusion.

"I've heard that besides the Nine Palaces Divine Capital Mountain in the State of Chu, the Yin-Yang School also has its headquarters at the Jieshi Palace in the State of Yan. So the sect is also aware of news from the State of Yan."

"Although the Crown Prince of Yan is not as good as you, he is still a prominent figure in Yan, and I have heard of him."

Feiyan didn't think much of it and explained in a calm and unhurried tone.

Xu Qing knew that Fei Yan's purpose in coming to Xianyang was to extract information about the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon from Ji Dan, but he was unsure of the extent of their contact, so he continued to probe.

"This Crown Prince of Yan is indeed a prominent figure in Yan, and I have heard of his reputation for virtue there. However, he seems to dislike Qin and advocates that Yan unite with other states to fight against Qin. Since he arrived in Xianyang, many ministers have secretly petitioned Your Majesty to get rid of him."

"So what's your attitude?" Fei Yan asked thoughtfully.

Xu Qing was taken aback, somewhat puzzled as to why Fei Yan would say that. After pondering for a moment, he nodded slightly and said...

“This person has some ability and means. If he is allowed to return to the Yan Kingdom, he will indeed be a formidable opponent in time.”

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Fei Yan's eyes, and she loosened her clenched fingers, saying...

"You won't state your conditions, but to prove the Yin-Yang School's sincerity, how about I help you kill him?"

"what!?"

Xu Qing looked astonished and sized up Fei Yan, his eyes full of doubt and confusion.

He had thought that Feiyan might say something good about Ji Dan, but he never expected that Feiyan would actually kill Ji Dan directly.

Wasn't Fei Yan's goal to get close to Ji Dan and extract clues about the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations? Why is she now directly plotting to kill him?

What exactly happened during the time he was away from Xianyang?
Seeing Xu Qing's surprised and doubtful expression, Fei Yan assumed that Xu Qing was questioning her abilities and continued...

“I know that the State of Yan is extremely important to the State of Qin’s strategy of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones. If the State of Yan kills the Crown Prince of Yan, who is a hostage, in Xianyang, the State of Yan will surely sever diplomatic relations with Qin and may even join forces with other states to attack Qin.”

“But you are also aware of the methods of the Yin-Yang School. You only need to get the king to let him leave Qin, and I will have a way to make him die suddenly after returning to Yan.”

Feiyan's tone remained calm as always, even carrying a hint of ease, as if killing Ji Dan was no different from crushing an ant on the roadside.

She was worried that if she directly interrogated Ji Dan using spells, and failed to obtain any clues about the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations, she would have to kill him for her own safety, which would result in punishment from the Yin Yang Clan.

But now that Xu Qing considers Ji Dan an enemy, she can use Xu Qing as an excuse, and even if she returns empty-handed, no one within the Yin Yang School will say anything.

As long as Xu Qing agrees, she guarantees that Ji Dan's death will have absolutely nothing to do with the Qin state.

Isn't it easier to interrogate Ji Dan directly with spells than to approach him and obtain the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations?
Rather than wasting that time, it would be better to deal with Ji Dan sooner, so that she can properly plan her approach to Xu Qing and compete with the Moon Goddess.

This way, I can learn Xu Qing's secrets, defeat the Moon Goddess, and even see her cry. It couldn't be better.

Xu Qing gave Fei Yan a deep look, considering her suggestion.

Feiyan's claim that she would kill Ji Dan to prove her sincerity sounds quite absurd, since the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions are of great importance to the Yin-Yang School. However, if Ji Dan dies, someone else in the Yan Kingdom will inherit the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions.

However, if the Yin-Yang School misses the opportunity to enter Qin, the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations of Qin and other countries will no longer be relevant to the Yin-Yang School, and Fei Yan's expression does not seem like she is joking.

If Ji Dan is killed using the methods of the Yin-Yang School, even if someone contacts the Qin State, it can be said that Ji Dan was killed by the Yin-Yang School because they were too close to the Mohist School, and that the Yin-Yang School acted solely out of their long-standing feud with the Mohist School.

Why not do something that allows you to get closer to Fei Yan and get rid of Ji Dan without anyone noticing?
After making up her mind, Xu Qing glanced at Tianxiang Tower across the window. Just as she was about to agree, a figure appeared in her line of sight.

Seeing the figure stepping down from the carriage, Xu Qing was slightly taken aback, his brow furrowed, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say in agreement.

(End of this chapter)