Chapter 5: Six Months Later, Meeting Again
However, for now,
the only general leading the troops was Du Yunfei. It would be even more ideal if there were another person with outstanding intelligence and strategy to assist him.
For instance, a strategist like Zhuge Kongming, who assisted Liu Bei in the past.
"Hmm, the other check-in rewards haven't reached the half-month time limit yet, so the amplification cannot be triggered for the time being."
Ying Xuan calculated silently in his heart, filled with anticipation for the potential enhancements he might obtain next.
Jizhou City,
was currently controlled by the 'Herald of Knowledge', Wang Bo.
Anyone wishing to enter the city had to undergo inspection.
However,
Ying Xuan had a refined temperament, and Huang Rong possessed peerless beauty. Seeing this, the city gate guards did not block them and let them pass directly.
"Ding! Detected that the Host has entered Jizhou City. The check-in mechanism has been triggered. Would you like to check in immediately?"
Just as Ying Xuan stepped through the city gate, the System's prompt arrived as expected.
"Check in!"
With a thought, Ying Xuan quickly confirmed.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the check-in. Successfully obtained the personal sword of the First Emperor of Qin—the tianwen sword!"
As the prompt faded, Ying Xuan immediately discovered an ancient-looking longsword added to the System inventory.
The blade was silver-white, its surface covered in net-like patterns, emitting an overbearing imperial pressure.
"I didn't expect that this check-in would actually grant me the tianwen sword of my father, Qin Shi Huang?"
Ying Xuan's eyes widened, his face filled with surprise and excitement.
One must know,
in the "Sword Manual" written by the famous Chu sword master Feng Huzi, the tianwen sword ranked at the very top!
Only the Child of Destiny could gain its recognition as its master.
Famous swords choose their masters; it has been so since ancient times, and the tianwen sword was no exception.
Zhuangzi once wrote the essay "On Swords," in which he divided swords into three grades:
First is the sword of the commoner, used for violence and aggression;
Second is the sword of the feudal lords, with bravery as its edge and virtuous talent as its spine;
Third is the sword of the Son of Heaven, with mountains and rivers as its blade and the Five Elements as its law, governing all under heaven.
The tianwen sword was precisely that legendary sword of the Son of Heaven.
"I wonder what kind of divine weapon this sword will evolve into if it undergoes amplification?"
Ying Xuan's gaze was deep, full of anticipation.
The tianwen sword has appeared in Jizhou City,
so what about Yangzhou?
After all, that was where the Sui Emperor Yang Guang built his temporary palace.
On the other side,
in the Great Qin capital, Capital of Qin.
Inside the Xianyang Palace, in the residence of the Eighteenth Prince, Hu Hai.
"Teacher, I truly didn't expect that Ninth Brother would actually possess hidden martial arts skills and slay the spy planted by Third Brother with a single sword strike!"
"He actually kept everyone in the dark; he hid himself so deeply!"
Hu Hai looked at Zhao Gao before him, his tone carrying a hint of shock.
"For over ten years, the Ninth Young Master has always performed mediocrely, and no one noticed his true capabilities. But now that he's been forced into the Jianghu, I fear even the Second and Third Young Masters may find it hard to protect themselves."
Zhao Gao leaned close to Hu Hai's ear and spoke in a low voice.
"Teacher, I understand. What do you think we should do next?"
Hu Hai's pupils constricted slightly as he asked.
"Young Master, if the Ninth Young Master were to meet with an accident in the Jianghu, who would be the most likely suspect?"
Zhao Gao glanced out the window to confirm no one was there, then approached Hu Hai and whispered into his ear.
"Teacher is absolutely right!"
"Then, I'll leave this matter for Teacher to handle!"
Hu Hai's spirits were instantly lifted, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
The Emperor is in seclusion, and the position of Crown Prince has not yet been determined.
Second Brother and Third Brother used the excuse of sending Ninth Brother to the border to keep him away from the imperial capital and strip him of any chance of succession.
Next, it would likely be his turn.
If something happened to Ninth Brother, then Second Brother and Third Brother would definitely fall into trouble.
After all, Ninth Brother is also of the Great Qin imperial Bloodline!
In this way, not only would a potential threat be removed, but the influence of Second Brother and Third Brother would also be weakened—killing two birds with one stone.
"As you command, Young Master!"
Zhao Gao bowed with hands clasped and turned to leave.
Half a month later.
Inside Suizhou City.
Atop the city tower.
"General Meng, that mysterious cavalry is called the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry?"
"They have already slain Touman, the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, used the heads of the Xiongnu cavalry to offer sacrifices to heaven at Mount Langjuxu, and even established the Xueyu Divine Dynasty?"
Young Master Fusu, dressed in white, looked at Meng Tian before him, unable to hide the shock in his eyes.
"Exactly so, Young Master!"
Meng Tian replied with hands clasped. "The commander of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry is named Du Yunfei. There is also a top-tier expert in the army named Martial Venerable Bi Xuan. It is said his strength has reached the Half-step Land Immortal Realm!"
"What?"
"The Great Snow Dragon Cavalry wiped out the Xiongnu, offered sacrifices at Mount Langjuxu, and established the Xueyu Divine Dynasty?"
Fusu's face was full of disbelief, his expression shaken.
Would such a powerful force become the next Xiongnu?
If they swung their troops south to attack Great Qin, could the thirty thousand border troops hold them off?
"Indeed!"
"According to the intelligence, there was once a Late Stage Grandmaster of Celestial Phenomena expert guarding the depths of the Xiongnu grasslands, yet he was slain by Martial Venerable Bi Xuan within three moves!"
Meng Tian's tone was heavy, and his expression remained unsettled.
"General Meng, does the capital know the news that the Xiongnu were wiped out and Du Yunfei established the Xueyu Divine Dynasty?"
Fusu asked with a worried expression.
"Young Master, this is no small matter. As soon as I received the news, I immediately sent someone to rush back to the capital at full speed!"
Meng Tian replied with hands clasped.
"Good."
"Keep a close watch on every move of the Xueyu Divine Dynasty."
Fusu nodded and gave the instruction with a solemn tone.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Meng Tian responded.
...
At the same time.
Inside the Great Qin Xianyang Palace.
Before the Tianwen Hall.
This hall was specifically built to house the tianwen sword, constructed by the personal order of the First Emperor of Qin.
When not in court, the tianwen sword would be sent to this hall to be guarded by specialized Eunuchs.
This sword was the Emperor's personal sidearm, symbolizing the power of the Realm, and its significance was extraordinary.
Every day, Eunuchs would come to wipe it; the blade was as clean as new, without a speck of dust.
Li Lianyin had been guarding the sword for over ten years.
Today, he came to clean the hall as usual.
"Heavens!"
"How did the tianwen sword disappear?"
Li Lianyin looked at the weapon rack under the hall's eaves and found it completely empty. His vision suddenly went dark, and he could barely stand.
A moment later.
He forced himself up from the ground and stumbled toward the main court hall.
"What? The tianwen sword is gone?"
"That is the symbol of the Son of Heaven! How could it be lost? This is terrifying!"
"Investigate immediately! Even if you have to flip over the entire Capital of Qin, you must find the tianwen sword!"
The civil and military officials were all shocked and turned pale upon hearing this. At this time, the First Emperor was in seclusion to Cultivate; if not for that, this incident alone would have likely caused countless heads to roll!
Countless soldiers and guards were quickly mobilized to search everywhere for the whereabouts of the tianwen sword.
Capital of Qin.
Deep within the underground palace.
"Puff!"
On the stone platform, a middle-aged man who was not particularly tall but emitted a majestic imperial aura suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood!
"Your Majesty, you... should stop your seclusion!"
A blurred, elderly figure appeared in the air.
"My mind is uneasy. Could it be... that something major has happened?"
Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, frowned and whispered.
"Just now, your Qi flowed in reverse during your seclusion, which has already damaged your Foundation. It is not suitable to continue. Please reconsider, Your Majesty."
"If you cannot step into the Land Immortal Realm, I fear Great Qin can only seek another Enshrined Guardian."
The Old Ancestor of Great Qin spoke with a heavy tone.
"Enshrined Guardian..."
Ying Zheng sighed in his heart, slowly stood up, and said, "I will weigh this matter."
Although Great Qin had unified the six kingdoms, the remnants of those kingdoms were still waiting for an opportunity.
Inviting an Enshrined Guardian would provide help, but it also carried hidden risks, so he was unwilling to do so easily.
And the Old Ancestor had less than six years of life remaining.
He had hoped to use this seclusion to achieve a Breakthrough to the Land Immortal Realm. However, after many years of seclusion, he still failed to break through.
This Realm was truly too difficult.
Xianyang Palace.
In front of the Golden Throne Hall.
"What? The tianwen sword is gone?"
"Who exactly dared to infiltrate the palace and steal my sword?"
"You bunch of useless fools, you couldn't even keep watch over a single sword!"
"Someone, take everyone responsible for the guard and drag them out to be executed! Executed!"
The First Emperor of Qin appeared in the Golden Throne Hall, furious upon hearing the news, his killing intent filling the entire hall.
No wonder his mind was uneasy just now!
It turned out his sword, which symbolized his identity as the Son of Heaven, had been stolen!
The loss of this sword could very likely trigger unrest and shake the national destiny!
"Your Majesty, I believe we can temporarily refrain from executing the relevant people. Let us first find clues and recover the tianwen sword as quickly as possible!" Chancellor Li Si stepped forward and advised with hands clasped.
"I give you two days. If the sword is not found, all related personnel and their entire families will be executed!"
Ying Zheng was burning with rage.
Jizhou City.
Inside a manor.
Ying Xuan sat in the main seat.
"Young Master, please give your orders."
An old man with a peculiar face, wearing a grey robe, walked into the hall and bowed.
This person was the world's number one craftsman—Lu Miaozi!
"You are the foremost master of mechanism arts. Immediately arrange for people to set up strict mechanisms in this manor to hide this sword!" Ying Xuan instructed calmly.
Ying Xuan spoke in a low voice with a solemn expression, handing a long box beside him to Lu Miaozi.
Ying Xuan himself hadn't expected it.
What the System gave this time was the tianwen sword exclusive to the First Emperor of Qin. This sword is an instrument of the Son of Heaven, symbolizing supreme authority!
Once it was lost, the First Emperor would surely be beyond furious.
Because of this,
he did not dare to carry this sword with him. He had to hide it elsewhere,
making it impossible for the First Emperor of Qin to track it.
In the future, when the tianwen sword evolves within the System and its appearance changes completely, it naturally won't be recognized.
He had also considered
storing the sword in the System inventory. However, the System prompted that if items obtained from check-ins were placed inside, they could not receive further strengthening.
Therefore,
he could only find a hiding place locally.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Lu Miaozi took the box and turned to leave.
"Young Master, you bought this manor just to store a sword?"
Huang Rong stood to the side, her eyes wide with confusion.
Wouldn't it be more convenient to carry it with you?
Why buy a manor specifically to store it?
"I have my arrangements."
Ying Xuan smiled slightly.
"Young Master, then where are we going to play today?"
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Huang Rong blinked and changed the subject.
"How about going to Jiangdu City?"
Ying Xuan said.
"That is the temporary palace of the Sui Emperor Yang Guang. I imagine the scenery must be extraordinary."
Upon hearing this, Huang Rong's face lit up with joy:
"Great, great!"
...
Jizhou, by the riverbank.
Ying Xuan and Huang Rong walked along the river, enjoying the view.
"Young Master, look!"
Huang Rong suddenly pointed to a wide stone platform by the river.
Ten knights in armor with powerful auras were talking with a masked woman in white.
"Shi Feixuan?"
Ying Xuan was slightly startled when he saw her.
With his cultivation,
he could hear the conversation between Shi Feixuan and the others clearly.
"King Herald, the heavenly chosen object, the 'jade seal of the realm,' has appeared, foretelling the future man of destiny. This person is the true Son of Heaven!"
"My Cihang Jingzhai follows the mandate of heaven and will announce the candidate at Siming Mountain in six months. I hope the King Herald will come to witness it then."
Shi Feixuan's tone was gentle yet firm as the wind.
Wang Bo frowned after listening and did not answer.
"Man of destiny! True Son of Heaven!"
"Excellent! My lord, the Herald of Knowledge Wang Bo, cares for the world and seeks the welfare of the people; he is precisely the heavenly choice! Please return, Fairy Shi, we will definitely attend."
The strategist beside him, Meng Rang, interjected.
"That is for the best."
"I still need to go to the King of Jinan, Tang Bi's place. I shall take my leave now."
Shi Feixuan bid farewell with hands clasped and turned to leave.
"Young Master!"
It has been a while!
After walking just a few dozen steps, she saw Ying Xuan, smiled, and bowed.
In the distance, Wang Bo and the others glanced at Ying Xuan and Huang Rong, said nothing, mounted their horses, and galloped away.
"Miss Shi, I heard that Cihang Jingzhai is about to hold a grand assembly, gathering eighteen powerful factions and sixty-four rebel armies at Siming Mountain, preparing to use the jade seal of the realm to choose the true Son of Heaven?"
Ying Xuan spoke slowly with a smile on his face.
He knew very well in his heart.
The so-called jade seal of the realm choosing a master on behalf of heaven was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated fraud.
Behind it was a collaboration of interests between Cihang Jingzhai and the Li Clan.
That jade seal of the realm could briefly retain a person's image.
As long as they projected the image of their chosen person into it and then activated it with Internal Energy, it would appear, thereby deceiving the masses.
"Indeed, if the Young Master is free, you are also welcome to come and watch!"
Shi Feixuan smiled faintly and replied.
"Then I will certainly go!"
Ying Xuan answered, but he already had a new plan in mind.
"Young Master, I keep your great kindness in my heart and won't say more. We shall meet again in six months!