The sunlight was blinding, and a gentle breeze swept over the treetops, bringing with it long-lost vitality.
Yet the "Xia" jade pendant with coiled chi patterns lying silently in the grass was like a red-hot iron, searing Cheng Xi's eyes. Empress Dowager Xia! Ying Zheng's nominal grandmother, Zhao Ji's greatest backer, and the Zhao State Faction's spokesperson within the Qin Court!
This jade pendant was by no means an ordinary ornament. Its jade was warm and lustrous, with treasure light hidden within. The coiled chi patterns were exquisitely detailed and ancient in style, and it faintly emitted an extremely weak spiritual energy fluctuation carrying a protective aura. This was very likely a token Empress Dowager Xia had bestowed upon Ying Zheng, perhaps even... some kind of protective talisman or communication medium!
Why had Ying Zheng carried Empress Dowager Xia's token close to his body when he came to visit him in sickness? Was it a coincidence? Or had he always possessed some unknown connection to Empress Dowager Xia and the Zhao State Faction?
Thinking of the historical course of the Yongcheng Incident, of Zhao Ji and Lao Ai's scandal, of Ying Zheng's experience as a hostage in Zhao before returning to Qin... countless thoughts coiled around Cheng Xi's heart like venomous snakes in an instant!
How many faces did this future ancestor dragon conceal beneath thoughts as deep as an abyss?
"Hmm?" Ying Zheng seemed to have only just noticed that the jade pendant had fallen. He frowned deeply, bent down, and picked it up. His long fingers brushed over the exquisite coiled chi patterns on the jade, his movements natural and smooth, as though he had merely picked up some insignificant trinket.
"Just an old piece of jade. I've made my royal brother laugh." Ying Zheng's voice was calm and without ripples. He casually tucked the pendant back into the hidden pocket within his robes, then swept his gaze over the still-shaken Yan Lingji and pale-faced Cheng Xi. "This is no place to stay long. Return to camp at once."
He was far too calm, calm to the point of seeming deliberate. Cheng Xi suppressed the stormy waves in his heart without revealing a trace on his face, merely nodding silently. Yan Lingji also struggled to her feet, tightly gripping the Green Jade Sword Sheath with its restrained glow as she warily observed their surroundings.
The three walked silently toward the temporary camp. The atmosphere was as oppressive as the dead stillness before a storm. The terrifying shadow of the corpse horde in the secluded valley had yet to fade, and now this "Xia" jade pendant had cast an even deeper layer of suspicion over everything.
When they returned to camp, the elite warriors visibly relaxed upon seeing Ying Zheng return safely. Yet when they saw the unfamiliar woman in red behind him—Yan Lingji—and the black grease and bone powder staining his black robes, unlike ordinary mountain soil, a trace of alarm still flashed through the commander's eyes.
"Great King!" The elite warrior commander stepped forward and bowed, his gaze sweeping over Yan Lingji.
"It is nothing." Ying Zheng raised a hand to stop his questions. "Pack the equipment and break camp for the return immediately. She"—he pointed at Yan Lingji—"comes with us." His tone allowed no objection.
"Yes!" The commander did not dare ask further and immediately carried out the order.
The carriages and horses were soon ready. They still traveled in that carriage, Ying Zheng still rode on horseback, and the elite warriors guarded them closely. Yan Lingji was arranged to share a carriage with Cheng Xi.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was stifling. Yan Lingji held the Green Jade Sword Sheath and curled up in a corner. Exhaustion and pain soon sent her into a deep sleep, though she frowned deeply, as if even her dreams offered no peace.
Cheng Xi, meanwhile, closed his eyes and feigned sleep, allowing his consciousness to sink into his sea of awareness.
[System Energy: 13% (secluded valley consumption)... Passive Scan: Empress Dowager Xia's jade pendant (weak spiritual energy fluctuation/Guardian Rune/Remote Sensing Imprint detected)... Connection Assessment: Zhao Faction power token...]
Remote Sensing Imprint! Cheng Xi's heart jolted. As expected! This pendant was not merely a token; it was also a medium for tracking and communication! Ying Zheng's every move in Zhongnan Mountain was likely under the "watch" of this jade pendant! Empress Dowager Xia... or rather, the Zhao State Faction behind her, had exerted such deep control and surveillance over Ying Zheng?
Then what about Ying Zheng himself? Was he willing to be a puppet? Or was he... playing along with the scheme?
Recalling Ying Zheng's sharp words in Zhangtai Palace—"Once a fierce tiger leaves its cage, how can it remain confined to a single gate?"—Cheng Xi leaned more toward the latter. This future First Emperor could never be willing to remain under another's control! Carrying Empress Dowager Xia's jade pendant was likely one of his methods for numbing his opponents and gathering intelligence!
But the appearance of this jade pendant had undoubtedly drawn Cheng Xi himself into an even deeper whirlpool. If Empress Dowager Xia and the Zhao State Faction learned that Ying Zheng had gained a royal brother with unusual abilities by his side...
"Royal brother." Ying Zheng's voice came from outside the carriage, interrupting Cheng Xi's thoughts.
The carriage curtain was lifted at one corner, revealing Ying Zheng's cold, stern profile. He did not look at the carriage interior. His gaze remained fixed on the winding mountain road ahead, and his voice was low. "What happened in the secluded valley stays in your stomach. This woman"—he paused—"since you brought her back, you will watch over her. Do not cause trouble."
"Your younger brother understands." Cheng Xi answered in a low voice. Ying Zheng was issuing a warning, but he was also drawing a boundary. What had happened in the secluded valley was too bizarre, involving a Spatial Anomaly and the Ancient Battlefield. Once exposed, it would inevitably cause an enormous uproar. Leaving Yan Lingji in his care was both shifting responsibility and a concealed form of trust—or rather, exploitation.
Ying Zheng lowered the curtain and said nothing more. The convoy accelerated, racing toward Xianyang.
Several days later, Xianyang's towering city walls came into view.
Before entering the city, Ying Zheng reined in his warhorse and turned to give the carriage holding Cheng Xi a long, deep look. His gaze was complex and unreadable. In the end, he said nothing. Surrounded by the elite warriors, his black-clad figure entered the city first and headed straight for Zhangtai Palace to report.
Cheng Xi brought the still-weak Yan Lingji back to his own oppressive yet familiar palace residence. The palace servants and eunuchs were all startled and uncertain when they saw Lord Chang'an bring back an unfamiliar woman in red, but beneath Cheng Xi's icy gaze, none dared ask questions.
After settling Yan Lingji in a side hall to recover and strictly ordering the palace servants not to approach or disturb her, Cheng Xi returned to his own vast, desolate main hall.
His nerves, taut for so long, could finally relax a little, but the haze in his heart had not diminished in the slightest. Wearily, he leaned against a cold bronze lamp pillar and took from his robes the Witch Script Wood Fragment that had triggered the spatial transfer, now covered with cracks, along with the life-saving Jianmu Fragment and the Xirang Crystal deeply concealed within it.
The corpse horde in the secluded valley, the Bronze Giant Skeleton Altar, Empress Dowager Xia's jade pendant, Mars Guarding the Heart, the Sky-Piercing Sword Mark... and that section of the Qingping Sword Sheath pointing toward Golden Ao Island... countless images and fragments of information churned through his mind.
He needed to sort this out! He needed strength!
[System charging mode activated! Guiding Xirang Origin... Energy conversion efficiency: 1.5% per hour... Estimated full charging time: 67 hours...]
Within his sea of awareness, the System's light screen lit up. The vast source power of the Xirang Crystal was slowly converted by the Jianmu Fragment, flowing like a trickling stream into the dried-up System Core.
Just then!
"Creak—"
The hall doors were gently pushed open a crack.
A thin, small figure slipped inside like a startled rabbit, swiftly turning around to shut the doors. It was a young eunuch no more than eleven or twelve years old, sallow and emaciated, dressed in old palace clothes washed white with wear. His eyes darted about, filled with deep fear.
Cheng Xi recognized him. He was A Mao, the mute servant responsible for sweeping the corridors outside the hall, born unable to speak and usually as inconspicuous as a shadow.
When A Mao saw Cheng Xi, he dropped to his knees with a thud, pressing his forehead to the ground as his whole body trembled. He did not dare raise his head. Instead, he shakily pulled a small cloth bundle tightly wrapped in oilcloth from his arms and held it high over his head.
Cheng Xi frowned. "What is it?"
A Mao could not speak. He merely shook his head desperately, pushed the bundle farther forward, anxiously pointed toward outside the hall, then made a gesture for silence.
Something stirred in his heart. Cheng Xi stepped forward and took the bundle. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, carrying A Mao's body heat.
He waved A Mao away. As though granted a pardon, A Mao scrambled up and vanished behind the hall doors.
Cheng Xi walked beneath the lamp and untied the oilcloth wrapping.
Inside were not gold, silver, or jewels, but a yellowed, worn Silk Manuscript with frayed edges, as well as a palm-sized object that was completely black, icy cold, and heavy in his hand... a token?
The token was neither gold nor jade. Its front bore an intaglio carving of an immortal mountain wreathed in clouds and mist, with what seemed to be palace halls faintly visible atop its peak. On its back was an ancient seal character, wild and flowing, its strokes sharp as swords—"Mohist"!
A Mohist Token?!
Cheng Xi's pupils contracted sharply! He immediately unfolded the old Silk Manuscript.
The handwriting on the Silk Manuscript was messy and urgent, clearly written in haste:
"Lord Chang'an, please examine this: Yongcheng has changed; the Hen Crowing at Dawn! Poisonous Gu has entered the palace, and disaster lies close at hand! Prime Minister Lu is using the Demonic Person's hand to commit great treason! His nest lies in the Shady Ravine of Mount Li, where he uses Imperial Tomb Earth Qi to feed and breed wicked creatures! The Mohist Followers who investigated suffered ten deaths and no survivors! I now entrust this message to the mute servant and hope that my lord will investigate swiftly! The Grand Master... final words."
Yongcheng had changed! Hen Crowing at Dawn—referring to Zhao Ji! Poisonous Gu had entered the palace—Lao Ai! Lu Buwei was using the Demonic Person's hand! The nest was in the Shady Ravine of Mount Li, where Imperial Tomb Earth Qi was being used to breed wicked creatures!
The Mohist Grand Master... final words?!
Boom!
It was as though a thunderclap had exploded within Cheng Xi's mind!
The wheels of history, wrapped in monstrous black mist, were rolling toward Yongcheng with a thunderous force at a speed far beyond what he had anticipated!
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