Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 189

"Winning is a good thing. In this world, ordinary people should indeed have more sword skills."

The father approached his daughter, gently stroked her hair, paused for only a moment, then turned and walked into the house.

"I have official business tomorrow and may be busy for several days before I can come back. You should stay home and take care of yourself for the next few days."

My father's figure was half in the shadow of the eaves and half in the glow of the setting sun. For some reason, seeing this scene gave me a strange, unsettling feeling...

My father was just a minor official and wasn't usually very busy, which gave him free time to study Taoist classics. What kind of work would require him to be busy for several days in a row?

The next morning, when Zhen got up to practice his sword, he found that his father had already left. There was a package left on the table in the courtyard. When he opened it, he found some loose gold and silver coins.

This must be the living expenses her father gave her while he was away these past few days, but it's a bit too much: it's almost all of the family's savings.

Sitting at the table, chin in hand, staring at the vast wealth, Zhen's heart pounded even harder.

Her mother passed away early, and a few years ago the maids in the house were also dismissed, leaving only 'Zhen' and her father to depend on each other for survival.

She doesn't have a strong impression of money: it has always been enough, but it cannot be abused.

Unable to go out, 'Zhen' could only practice swordsmanship for a while, but soon had to retreat back indoors due to a sudden downpour, leaving him with nothing to do.

Just as he had said, my father didn't come home all day.

The next day, the rain continued, and Zhen found a few Taoist classics that he had skimmed before and, out of boredom, flipped through them again.

As evening approached, another day was almost over, but Father still hadn't returned.

Zhen was suddenly overwhelmed with panic, but there was nothing she could do. She could only try to immerse herself completely in Zhuangzi to distract herself.

The rain seems to be getting heavier; the water has flooded the house...

"Water..." Sitting in the room, 'Shin' was only awakened from his book when his shoes were soaked.

She stared in shock at the yellowish-brown water that was flooding into her house and rising rapidly. She hurriedly waded through the water and ran out of the house, where the water flowed even faster in the yard!

Overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, she climbed onto her own roof, and with a heavy heart, found herself surrounded by floodwaters and the panicked cries of her neighbors...

"What...what's going on..." the little girl murmured to herself...she had finally experienced firsthand what war was like...

The floodwaters did not recede for several days, and Father still had not returned. After eating the remaining food that had not yet been ruined by the water, he had no choice but to carry his wooden sword, take his bag of valuables, and join the crowd as they pushed their way into the city to higher ground.

At this moment, she was nothing like the heroic female warrior she had imagined: she was covered in dirt, her hair was wet and draped over her shoulders, and because of the cold, she needed to wrap herself up as tightly as possible in thick clothes.

The entire city of Daliang was in chaos. The people affected by the flood were a mixed bag, and the little girl knew that she had been temporarily separated from her father.

Fortunately, her father was an official, so he shouldn't encounter any accidents. She only needed to protect herself and survive until the Wei army defeated the Qin army and the floodwaters receded, then she could go home.

Following the crowd, Zhen recalled the Taoist classics he had memorized, which helped him to calm his mind. Even now, when he sees water, he can still recall a line from Zhuangzi:

Of all the waters under heaven, none is greater than the sea. All rivers flow into it, and it never overflows.

"Is Daliang City now considered part of the sea?"

An optimistic mindset can last for a while, but if you extend it to three months, anyone exposed to humid air for that long will eventually become listless...

Moreover, as the weather warms and temperatures rise, various diseases inevitably spread throughout the city along with the vast floodwaters...

In this situation, the King of Wei feigned leniency by opening up the high ground of the palace for commoners to avoid the flood, and also provided the city's food supplies to the people as much as possible.

But it is only natural, even reasonable, that the lower the level of grain distribution, the less quantity and the worse the quality...

'True' is the worst level.

Hunger and cold alone made this little girl, who had never witnessed war before, understand for the first time that words were far from sufficient to depict the true tragedy...

At this moment, she had nothing but the clothes on her body and the wooden sword; all her valuables had been spent on extra food.

During this time, some disaster victims tried to rob the "real" food, and the father's wooden sword came in handy during the crisis.

"How much longer must we endure this...?"

Sitting on the tiled roof, hugging her knees, the once carefree little girl's eyes reddened, and she just wanted to cry without restraint.

But it seemed that heaven had suddenly heard her heart and responded: such days would not last long, because the Qin army outside the city had already broken in along the rotten city walls!

------

Run, run as fast as you can.

'Zhen' removed the thick, water-swollen clothes, leaving only the innermost layer of the flowing dress she had worn when she strolled and fought swords in Daliang City.

The Qin army stormed into the city, and the people of Daliang, who were already suffering from the flood, were thrown into complete chaos.

Despite their panic, Zhen still followed the main force and miraculously escaped Daliang. The Qin army paid little attention to these refugees; their greater military achievements lay in the inner palace!

Knowing that the situation was hopeless, King Wei surrendered before the Qin army could forcefully breach the inner city.

The State of Wei has fallen.

Of course, she knew nothing about any of this. Her mind was blank as she followed the crowd eastward, eventually entering a small town that had not yet been affected by the war.

The townspeople kindly set aside a rest area for them: although there was no food, it was always much warmer to squeeze together in the house.

As night fell, even warmer flames appeared... These were fire arrows fired by the Qin army as they scattered and continued their conquest of other regions after capturing the Wei capital...

Exhausted, hungry, and mostly afflicted with disease, the refugees no longer had the strength to flee. Dying, they stared at the burning wooden huts, feeling the last warmth after three months of dampness, and a relieved smile appeared on their faces...

At least I won't die in that cold, dirty sewage.

'Zhen' held the wooden sword in his arms, barely opening his eyelids, and once again thought of Zhuangzi:

"Is there ultimate joy in the world? Is there anything that can sustain life? What should we do now? What should we rely on? What should we avoid? What should we find? What should we go to? What should we enjoy? What should we hate?"

"I can't die! I want to live! I don't want to be this weak! I want to join Taoism and become stronger!" Driven by a tenacious will to survive, the little girl crawled to the corner of the wall, barely managing to catch her breath, but before she could catch her breath, a deafening crash echoed as the house collapsed completely...

But the truth is no longer in the fallen ruins.

A gentle stream of internal energy slowly flowed into her slightly feverish body. This spring-like warmth restored some of the girl's strength. When she opened her eyes again, she saw herself being held in the arms of a man in brocade robes.

The surrounding environment... Am I flying right now?

The man also saw the awakened 'Zhen'. As their eyes met, 'Zhen' suddenly felt everything go black and fainted again.

When she woke up again, it was daytime.

Upon closer inspection, the surrounding environment was a small grove of trees. The gentle breeze here was unlike the uncomfortable feeling of being submerged in water in Daliang City; instead, it was refreshingly cool and comfortable.

With a thud, a water pouch and a large flatbread were thrown next to 'Zhen'. Looking in the direction from which they were thrown, one could see the stranger who had saved him from the collapsed house. He was only wearing a close-fitting outfit, with an outer robe draped over his shoulders.

"Thank you."

Clutching her blue robe in both hands, she stared intently at the large flatbread, swallowing nervously due to hunger, but still managed to politely thank the man first.

The man didn't react, but she could tell at a glance that the sword at his waist was no ordinary weapon.

"This sword is called Devouring the Sea, and your sword is here."

The man noticed the little girl's gaze, took off the sword from his waist and showed it to her in detail. At the same time, he picked up a wooden sword from the ground and tossed it to 'Zhen'.

'Zhen' first gripped his sword, then picked up the large pancake and ate it in small bites...

Having filled her empty stomach, she regained some strength and was about to stand up to thank him again when she saw the man take out a set of girls' clothes from behind his back and throw them to her from a distance.

Clutching the moon-white silk robe, feeling lost, she opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"There's a stream over there, go change into some clean clothes."

Only after the man finished speaking did she notice how filthy she was: she had been soaked in the water for three months in Daliang City without a chance to bathe, and the combination of being soaked in dirty water and being wrapped in thick clothes for so long made her smell unimaginable...

When she was with the other refugees, everyone looked the same, so no one noticed. But now, compared to this handsome and refined savior, the little girl's appearance as a beggar was...

"Yes, I'll go right away!" Her face flushed with shame, 'Zhen' lifted the clean fabric away from her dirty dress and ran off in the direction the man had pointed.

After a long while, 'Zhen' returned, having changed into clean clothes.

She had her hands behind her back, looking quite embarrassed.

The man ignored all that. He was holding a package and tossed it to 'Zhen' again: "While you were unconscious, you kept shouting that you wanted to join the Taoist sect."

"There is some money and food here. From here, follow the stream you just used upstream, and you will enter the territory of Qin. There, you can ask for the location of the Taoist temple, Mount Taiyi."

"Um...I..." 'Shin' had been receiving a lot of information since being rescued, and her physical weakness didn't allow her to think about anything else. But at this moment, 'Shin' still wanted to ask the man's name: "I will definitely repay this life-saving kindness in the future, may I...?"

But before she could finish speaking, the man shook his head, took a step back, and vanished without a word...

This scene instantly shocked the little girl; she opened her mouth wide and shook her head from side to side.

After confirming that she was not dreaming, and feeling the weight of the luggage in her arms, 'Zhen' pursed her lips, picked up her wooden sword, and thoughtfully walked alone in the direction the man had indicated.

"I know his sword is called the Sea-Swallowing Sword. There will be a chance to see it in the future."

Muttering to herself, she inexplicably raised her sleeve and sniffed again, making sure she didn't smell bad anymore...

It was incredibly difficult for a young girl to travel alone to Mount Taiyi to become an apprentice, but after those three months in Daliang City, she was confident that she could endure any hardship now!

...

Three months later, the leaders of the various schools of thought learned of a piece of news: Bei Mingzi, who had not accepted any disciples for fifty years, suddenly accepted a little girl as his last disciple.

The girl's pseudonym: Xiaomeng!

Chapter 212 Two Hundred Thousand to Break Through Chu

The "hidden in plain sight" tactic worked very well; at least the leader, carrying a little girl, was able to escape the Qin army's encirclement without any hindrance.

Zhang Han, the leader of the Shadow Guard accompanying the army, seemed to have sensed something was amiss, but ultimately could not detect any murderous intent or the whereabouts of the Hall Master.

The Shadow Guards' participation in this expedition is also aimed at expansion, much like the Net. Lu Wei's presence here stems from Mount Daze.

After the incident involving Nakata in Mount Oze was resolved, the Six Hall Master's covert investigation eventually led to the discovery of the corpses of the Luo Wang assassins in the forest outside the Six Sages' Tomb. However, after that, everything went awry again.

The good news is that Tian Guang's body was not found, and so is the bad news.

Situ Wanli of Siyue Hall did not stay long. After concocting a reason to go to Wei Kingdom to find clues about the leader of the chivalrous knight, he hurriedly left Daze Mountain.

Lu Wei followed closely behind, knowing that given the current situation in Daze Mountain, no hall master would contact him privately.

He received a letter from Mei San Niang about Pi Jia Men, so he also went to Wei. However, his first destination was not Daliang City, which had been besieged by the Qin army and had been flooded, but the stronghold of Chun Gu Town.

Mei San Niang is here; she has information about Dian Qing, the leader of the Armored Sect.

After the outbreak of the Qin-Wei War, the Wei Wu soldiers, represented by the Pijiamen, immediately threw themselves into the most dangerous border battlefield, fighting bloody battles against the invading enemy until they died.

Despite being a heroic act of fighting to the death for the country, the significance of this heroic act appears extremely foolish under the Qin army's strategy.

Fighting for a city or territory with Wei was not the result Qin wanted at all. They only used a feigned attack to attract Wei's most elite main force, then used a detachment to block Wei's retreat, while Wang Ben led his troops to bypass and directly attack Daliang!