You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

"What brings you here, Madam?"

"This humble servant has come to thank you, young master, for escorting Zhao Ji back to her country."

She smiled gently, replied with one sentence, and then asked, "What?"

"Young master, do you not wish to see me?"

Lu Zuo shook his head, pulled a chair from the table by the window, and then walked to the tatami mat and sat down.

"It was just a bit of a surprise."

In his view, the statement in the official letter about escorting Zhao Ji back to the country was merely a polite formality.

The Qin state simply didn't want to offend them because they saw that their military strength was too great.

These words are used to express that one doesn't hold grudges over past grievances...

Surprisingly, they actually came to thank us in person.

Zhao Ji glanced at the chair Lu Zuo had prepared for her, but only for a moment before shifting her gaze to the couch. She then moved gracefully to sit down next to him.

Ok?

What is this woman trying to do?

Lu Zuo looked at her with surprise, his expression quite unexpected.

"well….."

At this moment, Zhao Ji sighed softly, "My lord, I have come here for two reasons: first, to express my gratitude, and second, to ask for your assistance."

"What do you mean?" Lu Zuo asked, puzzled.

A sorrowful expression appeared on Zhao Ji's face, her eyes like misty spring water, revealing a touch of desolation, quite like the charm of a mournful person.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lu Zuo, her gaze gentle and soft, her voice low and soft:

"After returning to the country, I learned that the king had changed his mind and favored Cheng Qiao and his mother, neglecting Zheng'er and me."

"Now, the King desires for the prince to assist the Qin Dynasty and assume the position of Marquis of Changxin."

"If I can make this happen, then..."

"Then you will gain favor and honor."

As she spoke, she reached out her delicate hand, took Lu Zuo's hand in hers, and said in a pleading tone, "As long as you can help me, I am willing..."

"I'm willing to do anything for you, young master."

Are you sure you mean it?

Lu Zuo didn't quite believe Zhao Ji's words...

King Zhuangxiang of Qin has shown you the utmost favor and is deeply infatuated with you. How could he neglect you and instead favor Cheng Qiao's mother?

and also……

Whether in the original anime or in history, Ying Zheng was destined to become the future King of Qin.

Even if my arrival caused some kind of butterfly effect, it shouldn't be this outrageous, right?

"lady."

"I'm very busy, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."

He himself is in a terrible predicament, facing a life-threatening situation. How could he possibly have the energy to deal with the King of Qin and become the Marquis of Changxin?

If I were to control the Qin court and extract resources like the state of Han, that would be more like it...

However, Qin was different from Han. Firstly, it had a wealth of experts and a gathering of wise ministers and fierce generals.

Unlike Xinzheng, where only Zhang Kaidi could be considered a loyal subject, the rest were all scoundrels who could be seized by force.

Secondly, the Qin state was larger than the Han state, making it more difficult to control.

South Korea is called a country, but its actual territory only covers central Henan and southeastern Shanxi, which is equivalent to half of today's Henan Province.

"Does the young master not wish to assume the post of Marquis Changxin?"

Lu Zuo shook his head: "I don't want to."

"That……"

Zhao Ji hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Would the prince be willing to become an enemy of the Qin Dynasty?"

"As long as Qin doesn't infringe on my interests, it won't."

Lu Zuo focused his main efforts on the Chen Kingdom and never intended to interfere in the world affairs of this region.

"That's good……"

After thinking to herself, Zhao Ji sighed sadly, "Alas, if the prince is unwilling, how can I explain this to the king?"

"How about this..."

Her voice trailed off as she suddenly turned to the side, her sleeve brushing against Lu Zuo's hand as if by accident.

Her body went limp, and she softly whispered in Lu Zuo's ear, "If you, my lord, would agree to help the Qin Kingdom just once, I would still be willing to offer everything..."

"That includes myself as well."

Lu Zuo glanced at her: "Madam, you've really pissed me off."

.......

Two hours later...

"It's settled then. If the Qin state is ever in trouble, I will lend a helping hand three times."

"And the Qin state gave me Shangjun to govern itself."

After some discussion, the two sides reached an agreement: Lu Zuo would use his power three times in exchange for a territory he could govern himself from Zhao Ji.

The reason it was called Shangjun is because this place was later called Shenmu.

That's a treasure trove of coal!

"I must ask the King about this before I can give an answer to you, young master."

Lu Zuo nodded, hummed in agreement, then pushed open the door and left.

Inside the room, Zhao Ji leaned against the couch, her delicate body still damp with sweat, her skin glowing with a rosy hue.

Her long, black hair cascaded down her back in disarray. Her red lips were slightly parted, and her breath was sweet and fragrant, trembling slightly as she breathed. She looked quite tired.

However, a faint smile appeared on Zhao Ji's lips.

That smile... seemed to contain a hint of satisfaction.

After a long while, she slowly moved her body, her waist feeling so weak it seemed to melt away. She let out a soft "hmm" and slowly propped herself up.

Then, Zhao Ji hooked up the loose silk robe hanging on her arm and slowly and methodically tied it up.

She then stepped down from the wooden bed barefoot and went to the bronze mirror in the bedroom to fix her makeup.

"Oh……"

"What a silly man."

"I was tricked into giving him a few words..."

"However, what this beauty Hu said was indeed true, he really was..."

"Very strong!"

The king's neglect and favor towards Cheng Qiao and his mother were all lies she fabricated.

The King of Qin did indeed neglect him...

But that just meant he was unwell, and his condition was getting worse every day.

……

After the Yin-Yang School submitted to the Qin Dynasty, the Qin state built palaces for them as places of practice.

However, because they had only switched allegiance from the State of Chu to the State of Qin two months prior, the palace buildings were not yet completed.

Currently, the disciples of the Yin-Yang School all reside in Zhaixing Mountain outside the city.

This mountain is majestic and beautiful, reaching into the clouds. The forests are lush and verdant, and the peaks are shrouded in mist all year round, like a light veil gently enveloping the mountains.

It is said that Zhaixing Mountain was not originally called Zhaixing Mountain.

It was renamed because a Taoist sage spent another ten years in seclusion and created the Taoist martial art "Star-Picking Technique".

After leaving Xianyang, Lu Zuo traveled for more than ten miles before finally seeing the beautiful scenery of this mountain.

"Um?"

Just as he was about to continue walking, two slender figures suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

"It's you again?"

The two figures belonged to Fei Yan and Da Si Ming, whom they had met before.

"Oh……"

The High Priest chuckled lightly: "Such a series of encounters, quite a coincidence indeed. What's your name?"

"What business do you have at my Yin-Yang School?"

"My name is Lu Zuo. I have come to Zhaixing Mountain to seek instruction from the Yin-Yang School on the Yellow Emperor's Yin-Yang Classic."

That's incredibly persistent...

The High Priestess lightly flicked her wide sleeves and said calmly, "Go back."

"You've come at the wrong time."

"The Yin-Yang School of today has no time to teach you, and you shouldn't have come here."

After saying that, he ignored Lu Zuo and walked away into the distance.

Feiyan glanced at him and said with a hint of warning, "Go back. This is for your own good."