But by the Qin Sword

Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief and added, "Your disciple truly trusts Master!"

"Heh heh, you trust too early."

Verdant Green Maiden snorted twice, scaring Zhang Yi again. He asked, "Master, don't joke with me. Where exactly are we going?"

"Qin."

Verdant Green Maiden said, pointing ahead, "That's Hangu Pass."

"Hangu Pass?"

Zhang Yi froze, stood up to look into the distance, and saw a mighty fortress standing among the mountains! Above the fortress, a black-backed, white-character Qin flag fluttered, and beneath the flag, black-armored soldiers stood in strict formation!

Hangu Pass—this truly was Hangu Pass!

Zhang Yi exclaimed, "Master, what are we doing at Hangu Pass?"

"Of course, I'm sending you to see the Boss!"

Verdant Green Maiden turned back to Zhang Yi with a smile on her face. She said, "How about it? I'm a good Master, aren't I? I've even prepared your future employment for you—no need to thank me!"

"But... Your disciple hasn't learned anything yet!" Zhang Yi was a bit panicked.

If Verdant Green Maiden just threw him into Qin like this, would he be going to display his talents or to die?

Zhang Yi felt the latter was more likely.

"Fool! Who said I'm the kind of Master who sends disciples to their deaths?"

Verdant Green Maiden looked at the flustered Zhang Yi, tossed him a book, and said, "Take it. A little perk for you."

"Zongheng Ce..."

Zhang Yi stared at the book she threw, paused, and suddenly recalled something. He said, "I've heard of a man named Su Qin who traveled to the Six Kingdoms, advocating for a Vertical Alliance against Qin. He called himself a Zongheng strategist. Is it because of this Zongheng Ce?"

Verdant Green Maiden nodded and said, "That's right. He's even your Senior Disciple!"

Zhang Yi hugged Zongheng Ce tightly and wanted to bow in thanks to Verdant Green Maiden, but asked again, "Master, could we wait a few years before coming to Qin?"

"No can do. Ghost Valley doesn't keep idle people now."

"You came too late."

Verdant Green Maiden shook her head with a smile and packed Zhang Yi and Zongheng Ce off to Qin.

Zhang Yi looked miserable but could only hug Zongheng Ce and go.

After sending Zhang Yi off, Hong Luan tilted her head and said, "You sent him to Qin, and Su Qin's over with the Six Kingdoms. Won't they end up fighting each other later?"

"Yes."

Verdant Green Maiden nodded.

Hong Luan complained, "What's so strange about you? Why do your disciples always end up with Senior Disciple fighting Junior Disciple?"

Hearing this, Verdant Green Maiden shook her head and said, "How would I know what's strange about me? Perhaps, once the name Ghost Valley spread, this grand trend wouldn't allow a snake like me to change it! I've tried to change things before."

"Xia Yu, Shang Tang, Ji Fa—in those eras, I tried!"

"I also advised Bao Si, advised Sun Boling."

"But what was the result? None of them listened to me; they all walked toward their own historical fates. In all of this, I was just a passerby!"

Verdant Green Maiden said, grabbing a piece of sacrificial meat from the side and biting into it, then spitting it out. "Pfft! Disgusting."

"Boiled in plain water, of course it's disgusting!"

Hong Luan watched Verdant Green Maiden bite into the sacrificial meat without even seasoning it and knew in her heart that her mood had been stirred by her own words. So she said, "Let's not think about this. Cheer up! At least... they made their own choices."

"Yes! So I thought, since I can't change it, then I won't try."

Verdant Green Maiden nodded and said, "From now on, we're not going back to Ghost Valley!"

"Not going back to Ghost Valley? Then where?"

Hong Luan tilted her head, looking at Verdant Green Maiden in confusion.

They finally had a home, and now they weren't going back? Still, over these centuries, Verdant Green Maiden had rarely settled in one place for so long. With her unchanging appearance and endless longevity, staying in one place too long would easily draw suspicion.

Hong Luan knew Verdant Green Maiden would move, but where to?

In hundreds of years, they'd nearly lived everywhere under heaven.

Verdant Green Maiden calculated the time and said, "Let's travel! The world is vast—why must we live in one place? In a few decades, we'll think about where to settle!"

"That works... I suppose."

Hong Luan agreed with Verdant Green Maiden's decision.

In truth, Hong Luan rarely opposed Verdant Green Maiden. If she wanted to stay, they stayed; if she wanted to leave, she followed along!

The Snake Girl's life was lonely enough as it was. Without her company, who knew what she might become?

The first two thousand years passed without her, but the next three thousand—she would be there!

So, she absolutely could not let the Snake Girl be lonely again.

What a kind-hearted bird she was!

The Verdant Green Maiden had gone south, setting foot on Qiongzhou, which had yet to be developed at the time. The wild game there was truly abundant! She feasted heartily for many years, and when she finally returned, Zhang Yi—the man she had once kicked off to Qin—had already become the renowned Qin Prime Minister.

He truly was a genius!

With nothing but a copy of Zongheng Ce in hand, he had managed to become Prime Minister of Qin and realize his ambitions.

Qin was like tigers and wolves; the major trend of its eastward expansion was gradually taking shape.

Su Qin was no more.

Within Zongheng Ce, both Vertical Alliance and Horizontal Alliance were recorded. Su Qin chose Vertical Alliance, while Zhang Yi took Horizontal Alliance!

Both had chosen what they believed in.

But Vertical Alliance, uniting the weak to resist a strong enemy, was destined to suffer greater internal friction. Six states were not six individuals—even six people could turn against each other, let alone six states?

In his later years, Su Qin, who once bore the Seal of Six Kingdoms' Prime Minister, vanished without a trace. No one knew he had returned to Ghost Valley.

But here, he found no trace of the Verdant Green Maiden.

Watching Su Qin search for days without success, only to leave in disappointment, Hong Luan muttered softly, "You're not even going to see him?"

"If I see him, what would I say? That the one who defeated you was actually your junior disciple?"

The Verdant Green Maiden shook her head. "No need to meet."

After Su Qin left Ghost Valley, he disappeared completely without a trace.

Then, years later, Zhang Yi became a Prominent Figure. He became the most brilliant representative of the School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances, using the Power of Eloquence to clear the path for Qin! He and King Ying Si of Qin enjoyed a harmonious relationship as Ruler and Subjects for over twenty years, until Great Qin fell into mourning—Ying Si died.

Crown Prince Dang ascended the throne as king!

He dismissed Zhang Yi from his position as Prime Minister and even declared boldly that Great Qin's diplomacy would not rely on eloquence, but on the Qin Sword alone!

Zhang Yi rode in a carriage, once again passing through Hangu Pass. This time, he would not return.

Outside Hangu Pass, he encountered the Verdant Green Maiden.

It had been so many years since he last saw her that Zhang Yi was dazed, hardly daring to recognize the woman in verdant green before him. It was only when the red bird Hong Luan on her shoulder flapped its wings and asked, "Have you gone stupid?" that he snapped back to reality.

He stepped down from the carriage and clasped his hands toward the Verdant Green Maiden.

"Disciple... greets Master."

A light snow began to fall from the sky.

The Verdant Green Maiden looked up at the heavens. A snowflake landed on her brow, its icy chill making Snake Girl shiver. She muttered to herself, "Time to hibernate..."

"Can you focus for once?" Hong Luan shot a glance at the Verdant Green Maiden, utterly exasperated.

The Verdant Green Maiden cleared her throat, turned her gaze to Zhang Yi, and gave a slight smile. "Lad, do you think you've lived this life well enough?"