Gao Wu Da Qin: You don't want your secret to be known, do you?

Chapter 98 A scholar's stealing isn't stealing, it's burglary.

After another day of travel, they arrived at the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, where a royal proclamation was displayed, containing the following declaration.

"Qin, deeply moved by Master Meng's travels throughout the world, sweeping away all evil, hereby issues this official letter, declaring that three days from now, when the nine stars align, a gathering will be held across the solar system, together with the rulers of the six states, to bid farewell to Master Meng!"

"Zhao Yougan, moved by Master Meng's journey throughout the land... held a farewell banquet for him!"

"Swallow...farewell!"

"Farewell Ceremony..."

"..."

It is extremely rare for seven countries to be listed together.

These seven kingdoms, who were usually at odds with each other and had many grudges, have now surprisingly come together to do the same thing. This is astonishing, not only to young people like Qin Feng, but also to many old men who have lived for hundreds of years.

"The last time there was a joint ranking by seven nations was twelve hundred years ago!"

"On that day, Zhuangzi attained enlightenment, and the Kunpeng soared through the starry sky, visible throughout the seven kingdoms!"

"Seven nations jointly announce the ascension of the Daoist master Zhuangzi to immortality!"

"It's unbelievable that 1,200 years have passed in the blink of an eye! Another joint ranking by seven nations! Truly a rare sight!"

Snowflakes drifted down onto the Wangtai Pavilion. Uncle Wang stood with his hands behind his back before the water platform. He wore an old white robe that had been washed until it was white and tattered, with even the cuffs and hems being badly torn.

Wang Bo watched as snowflakes drifted into the clear spring pool, his old eyes filled with a sense of loneliness and aging. "My old friends are like these snowflakes, scattering away one by one. After today, it's time for me to retire as well."

From behind, a middle-aged man in a gray robe strode over. "Elder, it's almost time."

Uncle Wang turned to the middle-aged man and said, "Ying An, you'll move in here starting tomorrow!"

The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, but quickly bowed respectfully, performing a deep salute, "Thank you for your kindness, Elder!"

Uncle Wang's footsteps echoed through the snowflakes, his clear, stuttering voice resonating, "This was your place all along, there's no question of 'giving way' or 'not giving way'."

"With such a vast royal family, all those good-for-nothings combined might not be a match for you alone. Even if I pass the throne to someone else, you can still overthrow them!"

"Instead of going through all this trouble and wasting the royal family's own resources, it's better to just give it to you directly!"

"Although you have no great ambitions, you are quite cunning and scheming. At the very least, you can keep the royal family in check here."

"Now, in the era of the King of Qin, the elders of the royal family are no longer wise men, but followers. You don't need to have your own grand ideas; you just need to follow in the footsteps of the King and not fall behind, and that's enough."

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully to Uncle Wang, "Thank you for your guidance, Elder. Ying An will remember it forever!"

Snow fell on the west gate of the old city of Xianyang, the snowflakes spread out flat, making the whole old city look as if it were in its heyday three thousand years ago.

At that time, there was no technology. The capital of Qin was mostly inhabited by martial arts practitioners, and people from all over the country were ancient visitors.

In the blink of an eye, three thousand years have passed, and the old city of Xianyang remains the same. Apart from the occasional wandering of one or two martial arts heroes who venture into this place and observe from the city walls, Qin nobles rarely appear here anymore.

Snowflakes fell like goose feathers, and on the road leading outward from the west gate, two figures walked side by side.

These two men, one with long, slender arms and a great waist, possessed excellent proportions and stood over 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a stylish long windbreaker. 👍☺ 69ĤuЖ.𝓒Øм 🌷★

The other one was over 1.7 meters tall, honest and sturdy, with a dark reddish-brown complexion, rough skin, and rugged features. He was carrying a bamboo fishing rod.

"Uncle! The King didn't summon me. Isn't it a bit too abrupt for us to come so readily?"

"Impromptu? What's so impolite about it! You're not a Confucian scholar, why are you so concerned with formalities! Besides, how could Ying Zheng possibly ask you to do this? Would he send someone to tell you, 'Qin Feng, you're about to travel the world, my ancestors left me a treasure, come, I'll give it to you!' If that got out, wouldn't Ying Zheng lose face? How would the royal family explain it? Giving away one's own treasure is shameful! History will record it! So, the real process of giving it away wasn't Ying Zheng giving it to you, but you stealing Ying Zheng's treasure! Ying Zheng turned a blind eye! That way, Ying Zheng could say to the outside world, 'The strategists are shameless, they stole my treasure,' and history would say the strategists stole the treasure, and it wouldn't have anything to do with Ying Zheng!"

"Wow, how come I didn't think of all the shady dealings involved! Uncle, you're really thoughtful."

"What good is being so thoughtful! Let me tell you, Ying Zheng will definitely be lying in wait for you on your way to steal the treasure! He'll definitely have something to test you on, so think it through before you answer him!"

"Uncle, may I ask, who's more powerful, you or the King?"

"You're always bringing up the most sensitive topics! Why do you ask everyone you meet if they're good or not? Whether someone is good or not depends on the place and the situation. It depends on the right time, the right place, and the right people. If any one of these factors changes, the outcome of the battle becomes completely different!"

The boy and the fisherman reached the city gate. The fisherman gazed up at the massive gate of the old city of Xianyang and remarked, "Tsk tsk, Qin Zu was quite a figure!"

At that moment, an elderly man emerged from inside the city gate, dressed in an ancient white robe. He bowed and smiled, "Lord Ziming, how have you been?"

Qin Feng glanced at the old man. "Qin Feng greets the Grand Elder!"

The elder clan leader seemed not to see Qin Feng at all, staring intently at the fisherman.

The fisherman looked at the elder in front of him and muttered, "When we last met, you were still unmarried. Now that we meet again, you have a house full of children and grandchildren."

Uncle Wang chuckled and said, "This old man cannot compare to Lord Ziming. After all these years, you are still so dashing and spirited, and you have even followed the Master's carriage on your journey across the land!"

The fisherman said, "I'm already fifty years old and should have died of old age, but the Master doesn't mind my old bones being in the way and is letting me suffer this fate as well. I have no choice but to shamelessly hitch a ride on the Master's carriage!"

"Haha!" Uncle Wang laughed, "I once heard of Lord Ziming's father, one of the two righteous men of the Spring and Autumn Period, who performed acts of righteousness that benefited six kingdoms. I admired him immensely..."

As the two were talking, the fisherman gestured behind the boy, "Hurry up and go steal it! If you don't steal it now, when will you?"

Seeing this, Qin Feng hurriedly and cautiously pressed himself against the wall, rushing towards the inner city while Wang Bo's murderous gaze lingered in the corner of his eye.

Within the inner city, Qin Feng didn't need to look for road signs at all.

There was nothing special about it; on the snow, there was a line of footprints, beckoning straight ahead.

Qin Feng followed the footprints, silently recalling his uncle's instructions when he came.

"Nephew, why not take advantage of Ying Zheng's situation? It's a waste not to!"

"Especially this Mountain and Sea Whip! It's extremely important! Don't take my words lightly!"

"Do you think you possess the [Divine Forging Blueprint]? Do you think you'll be able to forge divine weapons as numerous as you want, even those from the primordial universe?"

"Let me tell you, thinking is one thing, doing is another. The later you go in forging, the higher the quality (above Heavenly Rank) becomes, the more luck plays a role. It's not like having the right technique guarantees you'll have the materials to forge such divine weapons! The truly good materials for divine weapons were already used up by the predecessors in sword forging before you. If you think you can forge those treasures through skill alone, you'd better give up on that idea." 9̴̮̦͖̥͈̳̭̭̋̏͝ŝ̸̢̜̳̱͈̹͓̀̆̔͋͛͜͠ḩ̷̻̩͍̱̗͔̺̏̓͊̀͂̀ͅṵ̵̙̻͉̦͙̗̥̉̓̓͊̑̂̑x̸͍̘̳͂͊̂̊̀͊̕͘.̷̹̦̆̆c̶͙͈͚̽̄̈̎̒͜ó̶̧̧̝̳̠͇͕̺̲̹̔̈́̃͝͝m̷̗͓̽̂̌̋̃̌」

"The Mountain and Sea Whip is one of the few treasures that the Qin clan has kept hidden away! It's a treasure that records great destiny and great secrets. Don't refuse it, or you'll regret it to the core..."

Qin Feng walked swiftly, passing through a series of ancient gates, and arrived at the central palace of the old city of Xianyang.

The entire central royal palace presents the image of a black bird soaring into the sky. Standing in front and looking forward, one can see a black bird lying on the ground, spreading its wings and flying high.

Before the royal palace today, two people stood to the left and right. One was the handsome young master Fusu, and the other was an unfamiliar young man. His appearance was not as dashing as his elder brother Fusu, but he was honest, sturdy, and had a great presence.

The two stood on either side of the palace entrance.

Qin Feng stood at the palace gate, looking at the two young masters. For a moment, he wondered how they were going to get through. Should they climb over the wall?

Just then, Fusu suddenly attacked, angrily shouting at the young master beside him, "What did you say?!"

The young man beside him was taken aback. "I didn't say anything!"

"You said it!" Fusu suddenly drew his sword. "You dared to insult me ​​in your heart! Take this!"

Caught off guard by Fusu's attack, the young master hastily drew his sword to retaliate!

In an instant, the two princes of Qin clashed. Amidst the snowflakes, swords danced wildly, and Fusu and Ying Gao fought to a standstill.

As Qin Feng watched the two fight, he thought to himself, "Is this Ying Gao Ying Zheng's second son? Rumor has it that he is very low-key. In his previous life, he even died for the First Emperor, so he can be considered a person who is both loyal and filial."

Just as the two were locked in fierce combat, Qin Feng had already walked through the palace gate.

Snowflakes fell, and Prince Fusu suddenly struck his sword, sending Prince Gao staggering back several steps. He cried out, "Brother, that's enough! They're already inside!"

Fusu then sheathed his sword and muttered, "We've already started fighting, and this kid still hasn't gone in. He's been watching us fight from outside for a while before finally going in! What does that mean?"

Gongzi Gao muttered, "I saw that kid raise his left middle finger and gesture at you as he passed by behind you. Was he praising your swordsmanship, brother?"

Fusu said proudly, "Of course! My swordsmanship is unmatched in Xianyang! You, stop reading those dead books all day, learn more about human relationships and swordsmanship from your elder brother!"

Young Master Gao sighed, "Forget it, brother! If Father hadn't insisted I be the doorman, I really wouldn't want to guard the door on a snowy day. Snowy weather is the perfect time for studying, not for fighting and killing..."

The old palace of Xianyang was not very large. After passing through several palaces, a huge royal temple came into view.

The square, nine-foot-high temple platform and the round temple roof embody the concept of a round heaven and a square earth!

Snowflakes drifted around the temple, and Qin Feng looked around but couldn't see Zheng Ge anywhere!

That's strange. My uncle said that Brother Zheng would definitely hide here and make things difficult for me! Could it be that Brother Zheng has given up?

Probably not!

Qin Feng looked towards the temple. With the snow falling so heavily, didn't Brother Zheng have any pride? He must be waiting for me inside the temple!

The temple is nine feet above the ground, with eighteen steps leading up to it.

The ancient gate of the temple was half-closed, just enough for a thief to pass through.

Qin Feng carefully entered the Imperial Ancestral Temple through the gap that his brother Zheng had specially left for him.

As soon as he entered the Imperial Ancestral Temple, a majestic and awe-inspiring aura swept over him, almost making Qin Feng's soul fly away and his mind buzz.

Fortunately, the aura quickly dissipated, followed by a warm glow, like the sun, that shone gently from the lights and candles surrounding the temple, illuminating Qin Feng.

Before Qin Feng, in the middle of the temple, stood a small hill of memorial tablets as tall as a mountain.

Beneath the memorial tablets of the great kings of the Qin Dynasty, a figure knelt solemnly. Clad in black robes, he faced away from Qin Feng, exuding an indescribable aura of majesty and solemnity, as if the world were vast and desolate.

Brother Zheng!

It's Brother Zheng!

Qin Feng looked at his idol, his heart filled with excitement.

Zheng Ge didn't turn around, but instead recited to himself, "Some time ago, Shao Siming came to the palace and told me a prophecy. Do you want to know it?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng felt a strong sense of resistance!

The prophecy of the Lesser Master of Fate is definitely an ominous sign!

Since I started out, this girl has never said a kind word!

Now that I'm about to set off, if someone suddenly runs to the king to complain about me, it certainly won't be a good thing!

But Ying Zheng had already said it aloud, and what he meant was, whether you like it or not, I have to say it.

Qin Feng could only bite the bullet and say, "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Zheng Ge said, "Shao Siming said, 'Three days later, the Qian hexagram will appear in the fifth position, with a flying dragon in the sky. It is an auspicious day. Master, you should travel. However, the person driving your carriage is an unlucky person. This person is cursed by an evil star, and disasters will be endless. In time, he will surely have blood on his hands and a million corpses!'"

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng mentally marked Shao Siming with ten thousand tally marks!

I knew it! This woman was up to no good! She just launched into a tirade against me!

Zheng Ge continued, "I asked Shao Siming, since the driver is the Demon Lord of Calamity, why does Master still employ him? Shao Siming said, 'The evil in the world cannot be resolved by good. Laozi practiced non-action, and Master practiced benevolence and righteousness, but neither achieved anything! Now, Master Meng has learned from this lesson and adopted Xunzi's words, dividing the world into good and evil. Good is what Master does, evil is what the Demon Lord does. Evil is driving the good carriage, which is in the true category of good. Only evil gods can subdue the evil people in the world!'"

Qin Feng couldn't hold back any longer, "Your Majesty, this is only Shao Siming's one-sided account; it cannot be trusted!"

Zheng Ge laughed and took something out of his robes. "If I hadn't seen this, I wouldn't have believed Shao Siming's words. But having witnessed your wickedness in poisoning the world, I think Shao Siming's words were too lenient. She has no idea that someone like you, once in power, would want to wipe out all the evil in the world. After all, you disdain petty evils like murder and arson; you only enjoy the great evils of national ruin and the destruction of the land!"

Qin Feng looked at what Ying Zheng was holding. "Is this my humanities file?"

Zheng Ge placed the scroll on the altar, saying, "This thing poisons the world and exhausts the evil in people's hearts."

Seeing how formal Zheng Ge was, Qin Feng was too embarrassed to argue with himself anymore. The evils of the world in his previous life, the crystallization of countless criminal predecessors, had gathered in him, which really fulfilled Shao Siming's prophecy.

Qin Feng no longer denied it, and said confidently, "Though I am guilty, my heart is set on the light! As the Book of Songs says, 'I dwell in the secluded bamboo grove, never seeing the sky; the road is treacherous, yet I alone come late!'"

"What a wonderful saying, 'I dwell in the secluded bamboo grove, never seeing the sky; what a perilous road, yet I alone come late!'" Zheng Ge said with a smile. "Since that's the case, I have a question for you, sir. Please answer it carefully."

Qin Feng said, "Please!"

Zheng Ge said, "Master's journey across the world foreshadows the final end of the martial arts era. I wonder how many saints and eleventh realms he will become during this long journey. Given time, if the seven kingdoms go to war and the saints help the six kingdoms to suppress our Great Qin, what will you do, Master?"

This question is about faction.

That's a very pointed question.

Qin Feng said, "The various schools of thought often say that scholarship knows no borders, but scholars do have national boundaries. Within the Seven Kingdoms, the various schools of thought have established themselves in various ethnic groups. On the surface, they appear open and fair, but in reality, each has its own focus. Even Confucius, who once proclaimed that the world belongs to all and that teaching should be for all, had his own preferences. If one day I return after completing my studies, and the Seven Kingdoms are at war, and the sages oppress my Great Qin, I, Qin Feng, will use my abilities as a warrior of Great Qin to break with the sages for the sake of Great Qin!"

Zheng Ge's voice was loud and clear: "I believe what you say, sir!"

"Although I have only met you twice, I can clearly feel your unwavering belief that the Great Qin will surely win and that the Great Qin will inevitably unify the world."

"The conviction in your heart is not something you acquired later in life, but something you were born with! It's a mark of faith that transcends thought and theory, and it absolutely cannot be changed or altered in any way!"

"Since you possess such conviction, such words, and such a destiny, you are welcome to take the treasures of the Great Qin!"

These words shook the temple!

Behind Ying Zheng and in front of Qin Feng, the floor tiles began to crack and sink. Then, floating golden pillars of light shot out from the ground and shot straight to the top of the royal temple.

Within these beams of light, Qin Feng saw legendary treasures of the Qin Kingdom.

These treasures include beads, a four-legged royal tripod, a royal chariot, and swords.

In the very center of the pillars of light, surrounded by stars, stood a magnificent eight-sided bronze whip!

This whip is three feet nine inches long, with a deep blue light all over and a shiny black handle. Mountains, rivers, heaven and earth, sun, moon and stars are engraved on the eight sides of the whip.

Qin Feng's eyes gleamed, and he unleashed the Mountain and Sea Whip!

This is the Mountain and Sea Whip that my uncle told me about!

However, just as Qin Feng was about to take the Mountain and Sea Whip, a bead not far away caught his attention.

This is a jade bead with a scarlet eyeball. At first glance, the bead gave Qin Feng a chill down his spine, as if a demon was staring at him. But upon closer inspection, he found that this bead, shaped like a demon's eye, was incredibly beautiful and filled with an indescribable sense of intimacy and familiarity.

Ying Zheng clearly noticed Qin Feng's actions and said calmly, "This pearl is called the Muchen Pearl! Legend has it that during the Shang Dynasty, King Wu Ding of Shang opened up mountains and pulled rivers to benefit all living beings. When he passed a large river, the valley split open and this pearl flew out."

"According to the sacrificial rites of the Shang Dynasty, this item was created when the Yellow Emperor, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, ascended to heaven. A phoenix circled around and cried out. The phoenix's true essence was mixed with its blood and forged. If one could wear it, one could be reborn and ascend to heaven."

"Later, this item went through many twists and turns, and was successively acquired by the states of Lu and Yue. A few years ago, when I conquered the state of Han, Han was defeated and offered this item as compensation. This item then came to my Great Qin."

"Are you interested in this Muchen Pearl?"

(End of this chapter)