During the Qin Dynasty, he was in charge of the net.

In the days that followed, Ahe seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Li Ji.

Li Ji didn't care; on the contrary, he felt relaxed.

It's not that Ahe isn't pretty; Ahe is very beautiful, a true beauty with an ethereal charm that makes one forget the mundane world.

Li Ji's identity simply meant that the two had no future together, nothing more.

Li Ji thought that this kind of life might continue for a long time, at least another month or two.

But that evening, Lian Po approached him and casually said that he could take action.

Li Ji was puzzled and asked Lian Po what he meant.

Lian Po jokingly said that he was not so old that he had forgotten why he had come here.

Upon hearing this, Li Ji looked at Lian Po with a complicated expression.

It had only been half a month since the two men arrived in this small village. Lian Po had built a thatched hut and sown wheat seeds. His pastoral life had just gotten on track, yet he was willing to die for it.

Li Ji felt that this date could be a month or two later, but it shouldn't be today.

"After I die, you can cut off my head and take it to report back. As for my body, I see a large banyan tree on the mountain not far away. It is growing very well and is very lush. I like that place very much, so bury me under that tree."

Lian Po's words seemed to suggest that he had long anticipated and made arrangements for the fate of his corpse.

"Why?" Li Ji stared intently at Lian Po, as if trying to discern something from that aged yet indifferent face.

Why didn't Lian Po want to live longer? Why was Lian Po so calm before his death?

Lian Po smiled calmly at Li Ji's question, willing to answer the young man before him one last time.

"What surprises you is that Zhao general, not Lian Po."

If Lian Po were still the great general of Zhao, he would naturally want to live and hope that Zhao would become even stronger.

But now he is just a farmer, no longer needing to worry about the state of Zhao or important matters of the court.

But then Li Ji remembered what Lian Po had said in that tavern, so he asked:

"You once said you wanted to experience rural life, but you haven't fully experienced it yet. Are you content with that?"

"Before a criminal is taken to the execution ground to be beheaded, it doesn't matter whether the journey is long or short, or whether it rains along the way."

"I've had enough of this brief period. If I let these good days go on for too long, I'm afraid I'll be letting down my fallen comrades."

Li Ji fell silent. What could he say to an old man who was willing to die?

In his many years as an assassin for the Luo Wang organization, Lian Po was definitely one of the targets he least wanted to kill.

The reason the two are at odds is determined by their inherent positions. If we disregard their identities, they might actually become close friends despite their age difference.

Nevertheless, Li Ji was still willing to give the old general a final act of respect.

Li Ji took off his long sword and handed it to Lian Po.

Lian Po understood the meaning behind Li Ji's actions at a glance.

The fact that Li Ji handed over the sword instead of taking it meant that he was unwilling to fight, and that Lian Po could have committed suicide to preserve his dignity.

Lian Po took the long sword and said, "I will not leave any belongings after I die, except for two things that I wish to give to others."

The item is a bamboo sword that my wife gave me many years ago. I gave it to Ahe yesterday. That girl has fallen in love with you, but she doesn't know that she has no choice in the matter.

The other item is a rare ginseng that I obtained by chance in my youth, which is quite effective in healing injuries. After years of military campaigns, nine-tenths of it has been lost, leaving only the last ginseng root. It is of no use to me now, so I am giving it to you as a way of putting it to good use.”

Lian Po took out the oilcloth wrapped around the ginseng roots and placed it on the table. Then, with a relieved smile, he drew his sword and committed suicide.

Lian Po is dead.

A once-renowned general died in this humble thatched hut, a tragic and poignant end.

Li Ji picked up the long sword from the ground and beheaded Lian Po.

Then, a wooden box that had been prepared beforehand was taken out, the head was placed inside, and some powder was poured in to prevent it from decaying.

With this matter settled, the first task given to him by the leader of the Net was completed, and it was time for him to return.

"who!"

Li Ji suddenly noticed the movement behind him and turned around to look.

Ah He covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.

In her eyes, Li Ji personally killed the old general and cut off his head.

The bloody scene almost made Ahe faint on the spot. She couldn't believe that the old general had died like that, at the hands of the person he had mentioned, the person she loved.

"You saw everything?" Li Ji asked Ahe expressionlessly.

Ahe nodded, and smiled sadly:

"Are you going to kill me too?"

The atmosphere suddenly became cold and unfamiliar; Ahe, who had once insisted on mending Li Ji's clothes, was gone forever.

The girl's loving gaze had vanished, replaced by a completely unfamiliar look.

Li Ji didn't like that look in his eyes; it gave him the feeling that he shouldn't be like that.

But how much does she really know about him? And why should he care about this misunderstanding that doesn't need explaining?

Thinking of this, the coldness in Li Ji's eyes deepened, and he said:

"He could have lived a few more years; I killed him."

If you tell anyone about this, I will kill you, including your mother.

When Ahe heard Li Ji's admission, his extremely cold tone, and his words devoid of any affection, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled out.

In an instant, Ah He felt as if all her strength had been drained away. She collapsed to the ground and burst into tears.

Li Ji ignored Ahe and buried Lian Po's body under the banyan tree as promised, without erecting a tombstone.

He had no right to erect a monument, and at the same time, he felt that Lian Po had entrusted his funeral arrangements to him, an assassin from the Luo Wang organization, so he didn't want to erect a monument.

Whether or not the people of Zhao erected a monument in later generations was their business.

During this time, Ahe only glanced at Li Ji burying Lian Po from afar and did not show herself.

As long as Ah-He is smart enough not to spread the word, the two should never cross paths again in this lifetime.

That's fine too; assassins from the Luo Wang network don't need too much emotion.

Li Ji is gone.

He came with Lian Po, and he left alone. Lian Po's body was left here, but his head would be taken back to Luo Wang.

After traveling for two days and two nights, he returned to the State of Qin.

Even with his current physical condition, the fatigue between his brows was hard to hide after the long march, but Li Ji quickly concealed it.

When he passed through the Qin border and entered Qin, he was questioned by Qin soldiers guarding the city gates.

The wooden box tightly bound to his back seemed to arouse the suspicion of the Qin soldier. The Qin soldier was very perceptive and perhaps smelled a trace of blood.

The Qin soldier could never have imagined that the wooden box contained the head of Lian Po, a famous general of the Zhao state.

Li Ji didn't want to cause trouble, so after he showed a token, the Qin soldiers immediately stopped asking questions.

That token was a disguise for the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) agents outside the capital; it was an exclusive token for the Qin Kingdom's Shadow Guards.

As for why Luo Wang had the Shadow Guard's token, Li Ji didn't know either.

The secrets of the snare are more numerous than others can imagine.

Li Ji passed through the cities of Qin, went through a village, and arrived at a desolate mountain.

He carried the wooden box that was on his back in his hand, and soon arrived at a graveyard.

No one would have imagined that the entrance to the Qin state's underground palace was right here in this graveyard.

Li Ji arrived at an unmarked tombstone and tapped it several times in a specific rhythm. After a moment, a stone door that blended perfectly with the surrounding environment slid open.

What is revealed is a series of downward-facing stone steps, and at the end of the steps, a dark passageway.

As soon as Li Ji stepped onto the stone steps, the stone door closed, plunging the interior into absolute darkness.

Below are dozens of stone steps, a dark and silent journey.

After climbing the stone steps, you enter the vast and complex underground palace.

It was still the intricate bronze passageway, with sword-shaped lamps emitting a faint light, and the air filled with the scent of herbs and rust.

After a complicated and deadly journey, Li Ji met the leader of the Luo Wang organization again.

"Reporting to the leader, with the second-class sword of the Killer rank, I report back."

"The head of Lian Po of Zhao is here; please examine it."

The shadow on the platform gently raised its hand, and the wooden box in Li Ji's hand was instantly sucked away.

Then silence fell over the secret room, except for the sound of the wooden box being opened.

"Very well, Lian Po's head... is confirmed. The pillar of the Zhao state has finally turned to dust."

"Next, your second task in becoming a top-tier individual will begin..."