allendalepharm Chapter 183 Who is this person?
Chapter 183 Who is this person?
"I won't do that!" Lin Tian withdrew his hand swiftly. "If I were to truly intervene in the conflict between the seven kingdoms, and I drew my sword, the feudal lords of the world would probably not even dare to open their city gates. Wouldn't that be a rather meaningless way to win?"
Ying Zheng froze instantly, Zhang Liang and Han Fei were both stunned, only Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang had a sharp glint in their eyes - that was the instinctive respect of martial artists for true sharpness.
Lin Tian withdrew his hand, touched the tip of his nose sheepishly, and looked at Ying Zheng earnestly, saying, "Every word is true, believe me!"
The entire tent responded in unison, "We believe you!"
Lin Tian was taken aback—why did everyone nod so confidently as soon as he finished speaking? It was as if he had just revealed a big secret and hadn't even had time to wrap things up, yet everyone was already applauding.
"Ahem... Is there anything else?"
Everyone shook their heads, but Ying Zheng refused to give up and repeatedly invited him to Qin to take charge of the military and state affairs.
"Zheng, I humbly request that you take up your sword and assist me in unifying the six kingdoms."
"I really don't want to! — Go to sleep!"
"I don't mind."
"I mind, really!"
Ying Zheng forced his way into Lin Tian's tent, and the two engaged in a lively and witty exchange. Amidst the rhythm of noise and silence, everyone in the tent gradually drifted off to sleep.
In Xinzheng, Han territory, deep within the Han King's palace.
The night was deep, and the clapper had just struck past midnight when Bai Yifei kicked open the vermilion door of the palace and stormed in—even the guards holding halberds in the corridor shrank back and didn't dare to stop him. His brows were furrowed, his face was as cold as iron, and the veins on his forehead throbbed slightly. His anger hadn't subsided, but his murderous aura was already suffocating.
"Your Majesty! I have a matter of utmost urgency to report. Please forgive my rudeness!" He stood in the center of the hall, neither kneeling nor bowing, but shouting loudly into the inner chamber, his voice like a knife cleaving through the silence.
His mind was in turmoil, but his face remained completely calm. He knew that the game was not yet lost—the state of Han was still alive, and King An of Han was still alive; he was the key to turning the tide, his last fulcrum.
Han Wang An, his robes askew, rushed barefoot out of the inner chamber, grabbed a maid's cup of cold water and gulped it down, then looked up and stared intently at Bai Yifei, his voice trembling: "My dear minister, what has caused this disturbance?!"
Before he finished speaking, he waved for someone to come in and help him fasten his belt and adjust his crown.
"One hundred thousand South Korean soldiers were wiped out, their corpses littered the fields, all of them died for their country."
Han Fei spoke these words very casually, like brushing away a speck of dust, without a ripple, yet so heavy that they shattered the entire palace.
Han Wang An shoved the maid aside, rushed to Bai Yifei, grabbed his collar tightly with both hands, and bulged his eyes: "You—say that again?!"
Bai Yifei's lips curled into a cold smile, his gaze piercing the other party like an ice spike: "Of the 100,000 Han soldiers, not one survived; all died on the battlefield, sacrificing themselves for the King of Han..."
"Martyred for their country?...All...gone?"
He let go, staggered backward, his legs gave way, and he fell heavily to the ground, his whole body trembling like withered leaves in the autumn wind.
Bai Yifei glanced at the maids kneeling on the palace steps, his voice chillingly cold: "Aren't you going to get out of here?"
The women scrambled and crawled away, disappearing completely in the blink of an eye.
He turned and opened the door, summoning a guard. His tone was flat and without any inflection: "Those few from just now, leave none alive. Drag them to the dry well in the backyard and fill them in. Reason—poor service, disturbing the king's presence, an unforgivable crime."
The guard's face turned pale, but he dared not hesitate, bowed his head, and left to receive the order.
Bai Yifei closed the palace door behind him, looked up at the flickering candlelight behind the screen in the inner room, and his expression suddenly darkened: "Beauty Hu, it's late, please rest early."
A figure flashed behind the screen and disappeared silently.
He slowly walked to Han Wang An, who was slumped on the ground with a vacant look in his eyes, bent his knees, knelt down properly, and bowed his head with his hands clasped in front of him.
"Han Fei colluded with the Qin court, luring Qin troops into Han territory to ambush and slaughter 100,000 of our border soldiers. I urge Your Majesty to issue an edict to the world and immediately summon the envoys of Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, and Wei to the palace to present this heinous crime in court!"
"It really was the Qin army! The Qin people are going to trample my Han land! Help me! Help me!" King An of Han cried out, gripping Bai Yifei's wrist tightly, his nails almost digging into his flesh.
Bai Yifei lowered his eyes to conceal the fleeting contempt in them—Qin? At this moment in Xianyang, it was hardly Ying Zheng's place to issue orders!
The one who truly made a move was the man who even the mountain gods and river gods had to avoid, the man who single-handedly crushed an army of ten thousand!
The moment the Red-Eyebrowed Dragon Serpent died, his heart trembled, and he realized: the Wei army that vanished into thin air was also his doing!
Even the powers of ghosts and gods are nothing more than this, aren't they?
He sneered silently to himself: Ha, even if I can't eliminate you, I've already personally placed the seeds of Qin's ambition to swallow the six states into the palm of all the feudal lords. This battle, I, Bai Yifei, am destined to win—the 100,000 corpses are not only a dowry to send you to your deaths, but also a stepping stone for me to ascend the throne!
"Your Majesty, do not be afraid," he raised his eyes, his voice as firm as a rock, "This plan of mine is the only way to save Han from its decline."
"Very well! Very well! Very well! I will obey your every command! Immediately summon the envoys of the five nations—right now!"
"Wait!" Bai Yifei stopped Han Wang An, who was about to get up to summon someone, his voice as cold as a blade. "Your Majesty must inform your ministers—according to my secret agents, Qin has long known the secret of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, and the person who leaked the secret is none other than Lin Tian! This man personally went to Xianyang to offer his plan to Qin, plotting to annex the six states and unify the world."
"Very well! I will take care of it immediately, and everything will be as you decide, my dear minister!"
The night in Xianyang was as dark as ink. Candles flickered in Lü Buwei's mansion, and the wind rustled silently through the corridors.
"What?! The entire Eight Linglong Army has been wiped out? Xuan Jian—you also failed?!" Lü Buwei suddenly stood up, his brows furrowed, his voice like tearing silk.
"Reporting to Prime Minister Lü!" Black and White Xuanjian, kneeling before the steps, straightened his back and held up a white sword with a chilling gleam in his hands. "The black sword has been broken by the enemy. I used a secret technique to burn blood and escape, and rushed back day and night to report back."
Since parting ways with the others that day, he rode alone, day and night, heading straight for Xianyang. Along the way, he exhausted two fine horses, deliberately choosing to travel along desolate paths with steep cliffs and dangerous precipices; when he encountered bandits who blocked his way, he swept his sword across and cut them all down before his horse—all to fulfill Lin Tian's request: to lie in wait by Lü Xiang's side and observe the changing winds of events.
Lu Buwei wore a crimson brocade robe with cloud patterns, and a jade pendant hung at his waist. His middle-aged face was resolute and iron-like, but his eyes were like a hawk eyeing its prey, or a lone wolf spying on a weak tribe.
He stared at the lone white sword in Xuan Jian's hand, not seeing any trace of the black blade. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his expression became even more solemn.
"Who is the one who wields the broken sword?" Lü Buwei's gaze was like a nail, piercing straight into Xuan Jian's eyes, as if he wanted to cut open his skin and go straight to his heart.
Xuan Jian lowered his eyes and composed himself, replying calmly and slowly: "Blood-Clad Marquis, Bai is not it either."
Lu Buwei remained silent for a long while, then suddenly circled behind Xuan Jian, paced back and forth a few times, before suddenly shouting, "With the Eight Linglong joining forces to attack, do you have any chance of winning?"
"The eight men unleashed their killing moves simultaneously, and Xuan Jian died from exhaustion in no time."
"Then... what about Bai Yifei?"
"Within three hundred moves, I will surely take his head."
"Yes, that's true."
Before the words were finished, a cold glint flashed from his sleeve—a short sword, barely an inch long, was already pressed against Xuan Jian's crown chakra. The tip trembled slightly, reflecting a cold, eerie blue light in the candlelight. Lü Buwei lowered his voice, each word like an icicle: "Bai Yifei can slaughter my Eight Linglong? Black and White Xuan Jian, if you conceal even half a word of the truth, you are deliberately betraying me!"
"It's the Four Generals of Night, former subordinates of the Blood-Clad Marquis—Ji Wuye's forces! They've also joined forces with Baiyue Tianze and Chimei Longshe, leading Baiyue assassins in a coordinated attack!"