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

Chapter 518, Getting to Know Xu Qing (Bonus Chapter, I'm Late)

The kettle placed on the stove was brought to a boil, and scalding steam billowed out of the spout. The rolling hot water pushed the lid up, making a banging sound.

"I've also heard of Lao Ai, the Marquis of Changxin of Qin. He's even worse than Guo Kai. Although he has a lot of people around him, do you really think he can work with you from the inside out?"

Pang Nuan looked at the stunned Li Mu, took the kettle off the stove, and poured Li Mu another cup of hot tea.

Li Mu silently looked at Pang Nuan. Since he had chosen to cooperate with Lao Ai, he had naturally found out Lao Ai's background and understood that the other party was just a male concubine with no talent. The success rate of cooperating with him to plan something big was very low.

However, it is not impossible, after all, according to the various intelligence he obtained, Lao Ai still holds the upper hand in Qin.

"No matter what, I have to give it a try. Judging from the situation, Lao Ai has the upper hand. Putting aside everything else, even if the Imperial Guards under the command of the Xianyang Commandant were to rebel, it would be enough to disrupt the Qin state," Li Mu said in a deep voice.

“It seems that Lao Ai has the upper hand in the situation in Qin, but you have overlooked one person,” Pang Nuan said.

"Who?"

"Xu Qing, the new Grand Chancellor of Qin."

Upon hearing Pang Nuan's words, Li Mu frowned slightly. He had naturally heard of Xu Qing and knew about Xu Qing's abilities.

He just didn't understand why Pang Nuan would mention Xu Qing. Pang Nuan wasn't the kind of person to admit defeat before the battle even started. Since the other party had decided to help him appease King Zhao Yan and Guo Kai, he certainly wouldn't try to persuade him to give up attacking Qin.

But the other party said these things for no reason, which really puzzled Li Mu.

"It seems you know him. How much do you know about him?"

Pang Nuan smiled and continued to ask.

Li Mu stared blankly at Pang Nuan, completely bewildered by the man's rambling questions. Although he didn't understand what Pang Nuan was talking about, he still nodded and said...
"I've heard that he was once the Imperial Physician of the State of Han. Later, due to the exclusion by the General Ji Wuye of Han, he was forced to go to the State of Qin. He also has a complicated identity among the Hundred Schools of Thought. Although he is a disciple of the Daoist Tianzong School, he has very deep connections with the medical school, the Mohist school, and the Gongyang School of Confucianism."

"He first defeated Xiaoyaozi of the Human Sect at Mount Taiyi and seized Xueji, and was called by some well-meaning people as the next leader of the Taoist Heavenly Sect. Later, he went to Nanyang alone and persuaded Bai Yifei to surrender to Qin by some unknown means, so that Qin could take Nanyang without lifting a finger."

"He has now been appointed as Lord Zhaoming by the King of Qin. He is a new nobleman in Qin, holding a high position and great power, and enjoys great prestige among scholars."

"He is my junior brother and also the successor of my teacher."

Pang Nuan's casual words startled Li Mu. He hadn't expected that Xu Qing had such a relationship with Pang Nuan, and he was even more confused about what Pang Nuan was trying to say.

"When I parted ways with my teacher, he said that if I were to become a military strategist, his teachings would have no successor. But now I have gained a junior brother, who is not only a polymath like my teacher and me, but is also regarded by my teacher as his heir."

Ignoring Li Mu's surprise, Pang Nuan continued speaking to himself.
"After the covenant between heaven and man at Mount Taiyi ended, my teacher came to the State of Zhao and met with me. I asked my teacher at that time, 'You said before that if I entered the military strategist school, you would have no successor. Why is it that now you have a junior brother to inherit your mantle?'"

"How did Master He Guanzi answer?" Li Mu asked.

Pang Nuan suddenly became serious, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Li Mu, and said in a deep voice...
"The teacher said that the junior brother's existence was unusual. Wherever he went, things became unpredictable, disrupting the established trends and making them impossible to predict. He was like a newborn tiger calf, rampaging through the mountains and forests, disturbing everyone's peace."

"A variable? In Taoist terms, is this Lord Zhaoming an anomaly?" Li Mu said thoughtfully. "I don't know either. That's all my teacher told me. I mentioned him to you so you would pay more attention to him, but don't be too fixated on him and get blinded by a single leaf."

"If we find that things are not going well, we should withdraw our troops decisively. We, as military strategists and generals, have already let down the men of Zhao. We cannot let them lose their lives in vain."

Just as Li Mu was about to agree, Pang Nuan waved his hand and continued...
"Besides that, I suggest that no matter what the outcome of this alliance against Qin is, whether you win or lose, I hope you can get to know him if you have the chance."

"Shall I get to know Xu Qing?"

Li Mu frowned, looking at Pang Nuan with even greater confusion. He simply couldn't fathom the meaning behind Pang Nuan's words.

Seeing Li Mu's puzzled expression, Pang Nuan didn't explain further. Instead, he picked up his teacup and slowly drank. He had some ulterior motives in introducing Li Mu and Xu Qing to each other.

If Li Mu succeeds, with this statement in mind, when Li Mu invades Qin and his army tramples Xianyang, he will spare Xu Qing's life out of respect for Li Mu.

Of course, Pang Nuan thought it was almost impossible for Li Mu to break through Hangu Pass, but Li Mu was also a general capable of creating miracles, so he dared not speak too definitively.

If Li Mu fails, Pang Nuan believes Guo Kai will definitely take advantage of Li Mu's misfortune. While King Yan of Zhao won't do anything to Li Mu, things could change after King Yan's death.

He studied under He Guanzi for decades, and besides his academic knowledge, he also learned a rudimentary skill in astrology. Last night, he observed the stars and sensed that King Yan of Zhao was nearing the end of his life. After King Yan's death, the new King of Zhao will undoubtedly be Crown Prince Qian.

Guo Kai was the tutor of Crown Prince Qian, and the prince listened to his advice without question. Once the prince became the King of Zhao, Li Mu would be in danger.

He wanted to introduce Li Mu to Xu Qing, hoping to leverage Xu Qing's extraordinary influence to see if he could protect Li Mu and change the fate of Zhao's great generals who never met a good end.

"The snow is getting heavy. If we stay any longer, the mountain path will become difficult to traverse. Let's go back," Pang Nuan said.

Li Mu looked at Pang Nuan with a puzzled expression. The other party's inexplicable words left him completely baffled, but he didn't think too much about it. After all, Pang Nuan was a member of the Taoist Heavenly Sect, and it was normal for Taoists to say things that were hard to understand.

He might understand when the time is right.

"General, I'll leave Handan to you then."

Li Mu rose, bowed to Pang Nuan, and then left.

Pang Nuan watched Li Mu's departing figure with a somewhat sentimental expression, and sighed softly as he looked at the falling snowflakes.

The next day, the heavy snow that had fallen for a day and a night finally stopped.

As the heavy snow stopped, news spread from Xianyang Palace that Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, and Empress Dowager Zhao Ji had returned to Yongcheng ahead of schedule, citing preparations for the King's coming-of-age ceremony.

This news caused a stir throughout Xianyang.

(End of this chapter)