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

Chapter 543, A Cloud of Suspicion (Bonus Chapter!)
“It’s absolutely certain. Our men witnessed the entire fight between Elder Gongyangdi and the man in black. The sword in the man’s hand is indeed unique to the Iron Eagle Warriors, and it’s currently in Elder Gongyangdi’s possession,” Zhengang said.

The Luo Wang organization has a diverse membership, and while they may not claim to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all martial arts techniques, they are certain that they will never be mistaken about the most famous swords in the world.

"This is getting interesting," Xu Qing said thoughtfully.

Although it's uncertain where these Iron Eagle Warriors came from, they are most likely related to Lao Ai and Xiong Qi, since they are the only people in Xianyang who could help Ji Dan escape.

The prime suspect is Xiong Qi.

However, the fact that the Iron Eagle Warriors then assassinated Queen Mi is puzzling. Could it be that Xiong Qi was trying to cover up his crimes and clear himself of suspicion in this way?

As for Lao Ai, it's not that Xu Qing looks down on him, but given Lao Ai's character, if he possessed such a powerful weapon, he would never have used it to help Ji Dan.

Just as Xu Qing was pondering, the carriage arrived outside Xu Qing's residence.

"First, send people to thoroughly investigate who these suddenly appearing Iron Eagle Warriors are, why they are helping Ji Dan, and why they are trying to assassinate Queen Mi. As for Ji Dan, continue to send people to investigate his whereabouts; we cannot let him leave Qin easily," Xu Qing said.

"promise."

Xu Qing composed himself, got off the carriage, and slowly walked towards the mansion.

Seeing that it was still early, Xu Qing didn't go directly to his honey pot. He needed to give Xiong Qi some time to react and contact Tian Mi.

After changing direction, Xu Qing didn't walk far before arriving at Yan Lingji's courtyard.

Without saying a word, Xu Qing went straight into Yan Lingji's room. Yan Lingji was sitting at the table, propping her head up with one hand and flipping through bamboo slips with the other, her icy blue eyes fixed on the slips.

The white fox fur coat she wore trailed on the ground, completely concealing her graceful and perfect figure.

As Yan Lingji focused on her book, she lost some of her usual liveliness and charm, gaining instead a touch of composure and maturity. Coupled with her exquisitely beautiful face, she looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
"You're back? Is the banquet at the palace over?"

Yan Lingji turned her head to look at Xu Qing, yawned, and asked softly.

"It's over. This banquet was supposed to be a victory celebration, but I doubt many people were really celebrating. Everyone had their own ulterior motives."

Xu Qing walked over and sat down beside Yan Lingji, leaning over to look at the bamboo scroll in her hand and asking...
"Are you reading 'The Treatise on the Equality of Things'? How come you have the mind to read Zhuangzi's books?"

"I've recently hit a bottleneck in my fire control technique. If I want to reach the Celestial Master realm, I can only study."

Yan Lingji put down the book in her hand, looked at Xu Qing with her beautiful eyes, blinked slightly, stuck out her tongue, and said helplessly.

She switched from the witchcraft of Baiyue to the fire control techniques of Taoism. If she wanted to break through to the Celestial Master realm, she also had to follow the path of the Hundred Schools of Thought, learning the techniques first and then the Tao.

"I thought you were just bored, so I brought you a toy."

As Xu Qing spoke, he took out the black box he had obtained from Yan Junchu's memorial tablet and placed it in front of Yan Lingji.

"What is this?"

Yan Lingji also became interested in the black square box on the table. She poked it with her slender finger, then picked it up and examined it carefully.

"I don't know, this thing is mine."

Xu Qing recounted his encounter with Hei Bai Xuan Jian and how he obtained the box.

"Ying Ji? The famous strategist of Qin in history? The things he left in his memorial tablet must be treasures."

Yan Lingji's eyes gleamed as she played with the box in her hand, speaking with some excitement.

She was naturally lively and playful, possessing a boundless curiosity about new and interesting things, like a vibrant little kitten, especially since it was something left behind by the legendary Yan Junji. "It should be a treasure, but I don't know how to open it, or even if it can be opened at all. If you're interested, take it and play with it; it doesn't matter if you break it," Xu Qing said with a shrug.

Yan Lingji nodded slightly, touched the black box, her brow furrowed, and a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes before she spoke.

"I feel like I've seen this material somewhere before; it has a familiar feel to it."

"Ok?"

Xu Qing looked at Yan Lingji with a puzzled expression, and then asked...
"Have you seen it before? Where?"

“I’ve forgotten, but I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before, it was a long time ago, back in Baiyue. I remember there was a record of it in the royal collection of the Baiyue royal family.”

"It's just that it's been too long, and I can't remember it right now."

Yan Lingji weighed the box in her hand, placed it on the table, and said with some regret.

"The royal library of the Baiyue Kingdom? You wait and I'll find a way to get it out of the Han royal palace," Xu Qing said.

After the fall of Baiyue, all of the royal library of Baiyue was taken away by the state of Han. Bai Yifei hid the books related to martial arts and Gu techniques, and the rest were sent to the library of the Han royal palace.

If it were a royal palace in another country, it would be very difficult for Xu Qing to steal the books, but if it were in South Korea, it would be a piece of cake.

“Hmm, I’ll think about it myself,” Yan Lingji said.

Just as Yan Lingji finished speaking, there was a knock on the door, and a maid's voice came from outside.

"Your Majesty, Miss Tian Mi requests your presence. She says she has something important to discuss with you," the maid said into the room.

"Looks like the fish has taken the bait," Xu Qing said with a light laugh.

"Then you go ahead, I'll examine this little box first. What could be inside?"

Yan Lingji's attention was completely drawn to the little black box, and she didn't ask Xu Qingyu what it meant to take the bait.

"Research is research, but don't hurt yourself."

"it is good."

After leaving a message, Xu Qing left Yan Lingji's room and headed towards Tian Mi's courtyard with his maid.

Meanwhile, in the northern prefecture of the Qin state.

A caravan of several dozen people walked along the wide road, their flags fluttering in the cold wind.

The wind howled, whipping up the snow, and pedestrians on the road felt as if they were being struck by icy blades, their faces stinging.

"Why must we go through Beidi Commandery? We can return to Yan by crossing the Yellow River and passing through Puguan Pass, and going through Taiyuan Commandery."

Having escaped from Xianyang, Ji Dan wrapped his clothes tighter around himself and covered his face with a bamboo hat to shield himself from the cold wind.

“Mr. Yan, we don’t know either; this is the young master’s intention.”

The guard dressed in black with a sword at his waist spoke in a cold voice.

(End of this chapter)