Xia Wuqie

Verdant Green Maiden earnestly explained this so-called cultivation to Fusu.

Fusu listened, utterly bewildered, but the trust in Verdant Green Maiden he had built up over the years made him almost blindly accept everything she said. In short, whatever his teacher said had to be right!

That was what he and Ying Zheng both thought, though Ying Zheng no longer asked Verdant Green Maiden to make decisions for him.

But surely his teacher wouldn't harm them, right?

"Teacher, Fusu understands!"

Fusu bowed to Verdant Green Maiden. She looked pleased, as if he were a promising pupil. She had meant to ruffle his hair, but then realized the boy was fifteen now and that was no longer possible, so she patted his shoulder instead.

"Good. You're much more obedient than your father was at your age!"

A well-behaved child raised on courtly etiquette was nothing like one who had grown up running wild in Handan.

On the day Jing Ke arrived, Verdant Green Maiden had deliberately chosen a good spot. It was almost too good: she had taken the place where Prime Minister Changping Jun used to stand. Changping Jun had retreated to the side. As Mi Hua's father and Great Qin's Prime Minister, he knew just how extraordinary Verdant Green Maiden was.

Seeing this, Great Qin's civil and military officials all stayed silent.

Qin Wu Yang was a coward. The towering Qin Palace had frightened him out of his wits, and he stood clutching the Lacquer box containing Fan Yu Qi's head, too afraid to step forward.

With no other choice, Jing Ke went into the hall alone.

When he saw a Green Clothed Girl standing among the officials at Qin's Imperial Court, his composed expression flickered with surprise. But he had nerves of steel; with just one breath, he steadied himself and respectfully knelt in the Grand Hall.

"Yan Envoy Jing Ke pays his respects to the Great King!"

He presented Ying Zheng with Fan Yu Qi's head and a map of Du Kang.

At the end of the map lay a poisoned dagger. Jing Ke snatched it up, seized Ying Zheng by the sleeve, and thrust at him!

Ying Zheng's expression changed in alarm. He dodged the blow, slipped out of his royal robe to free himself from Jing Ke's grasp, and instinctively ran toward Verdant Green Maiden, reaching for his sword as he went!

But the King of Qin's sword was long, and he struggled to draw it.

He saw Verdant Green Maiden standing ahead and wanted to call out to her, but gritted his teeth and turned to run the other way instead. He dodged around a pillar in the hall as Jing Ke pursued him. Outside, the Qin Army killed Qin Wu Yang, but none dared enter the hall.

Jing Ke was about to strike Ying Zheng, and Xia Wuqie was nowhere to be seen.

Verdant Green Maiden furrowed her brows and drew Changping Jun's sword. "Mi Qi, lend me your sword!"

She hurled it straight at Jing Ke, knocking the dagger from his hand.

Jing Ke was a hero, a man of valor, but how could Verdant Green Maiden stand by and watch him kill Ying Zheng? Yet, as soon as she threw the sword, a moment of disorientation and sudden understanding swept over her.

Could she be the Xia Wuqie from history?

At that instant, Changping Jun cried out, "Great King, hold your sword behind you!"

Hearing him, Ying Zheng reached behind himself and drew his sword, slicing through Jing Ke's left leg. Jing Ke stumbled to the ground, but hurled his dagger once more. It struck a bronze pillar, sparks flying.

Ying Zheng's expression turned almost frenzied. He was about to strike Jing Ke again, but Verdant Green Maiden stopped him.

"Teacher?"

Ying Zheng froze, and some of the clarity returned to his eyes.

Verdant Green Maiden asked, "Why didn't you run to me? You knew I could save you."

"I didn't dare trouble you, Teacher..." Ying Zheng said gravely.

Verdant Green Maiden looked at him in surprise. Was this his rebellious phase? But... wasn't he a little old for that? She didn't understand.

She clicked her tongue and crouched in front of Jing Ke.

Jing Ke's face was deathly pale. He coughed several times, then fixed his eyes on Verdant Green Maiden. "If you hadn't stopped me, I would have killed the King of Qin!"

"And then what? Put a younger King of Qin on the throne, one who hated Yan even more?"

Verdant Green Maiden shot back.

Even if Jing Ke had succeeded, the new King of Qin would have needed to secure his throne and appease the Imperial Clan and his ministers. He would inevitably have gone to war against Yan. In other words, whether the assassination succeeded or not, it couldn't change the fate of Yan: Qin would still destroy it.

Jing Ke fell silent for a moment. He looked at Verdant Green Maiden and weakly clenched his hand.

"If not for you... how could Violent Qin have become so powerful? You're the King of Qin's teacher. You taught him to be a tiger and a wolf!"

"You've betrayed the people of the world!"

Ying Zheng furrowed his brows and said coldly, "You will not disrespect my teacher!"

Verdant Green Maiden waved a hand to show she didn't care about such things, then asked Jing Ke, "Of the people of the world you speak of, are the people of Qin included?"

At that, Jing Ke fell silent.

His voice faded away, and he collapsed helplessly into a pool of blood.

Ying Zheng returned to his throne, his expression cold and stern, and looked down at the ministers below. When they met his gaze, they all shrank back. While Jing Ke had chased him, not one of them had dared step forward to stop him!

Hah...

"Wang Jian!"

Ying Zheng's low voice echoed through the solemn hall of the Qin Palace.

Wang Jian stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Your subject is here!"

"Destroy Yan!"

"Yes, Great King!"

When news of the assassination attempt reached the rear palace, Mi Hua's heart clenched. She hurriedly brought Fusu to check on Ying Zheng.

Only after seeing that Ying Zheng looked unharmed did Mi Hua breathe a sigh of relief.

Verdant Green Maiden asked, "You're really all right? Maybe we should call Xia Wuqie to examine you, just in case. Don't let us be careless."

"Xia Wuqie?"

Ying Zheng and Mi Hua both froze.

Ying Zheng looked at Verdant Green Maiden and asked in confusion, "Teacher, who is Xia Wuqie?"

"Isn't Xia Wuqie..."

Verdant Green Maiden stopped short.

She thought back to what had happened in the Grand Hall and fell silent. After a long while, she began to laugh. So she was Xia Wuqie! Across the endless span of two thousand years, she had never felt anything like this—not even when she had been Ghost Valley.

Only now did Verdant Green Maiden realize that she had become part of history.

"Teacher... what's wrong?"

Fusu saw Verdant Green Maiden laughing to herself and asked with concern.

Verdant Green Maiden waved a hand and turned to leave. "I'm going back to rest."

Ying Zheng took a few steps forward and watched her retreating figure.

He wanted to say something, but fell silent. A thoughtful glint passed through his eyes as he murmured, "Teacher seems... to care a great deal about the name Xia Wuqie?"

Fusu looked bewildered. "Is Xia Wuqie Teacher's name?"

As soon as he said that, Ying Zheng's eyes lit up. He turned to look at Fusu, then nodded as if he had suddenly understood.

"I see. Now I understand!"

Before long, the Qin Army crossed the Yi River and charged straight for Ji City! In just over a month, they had captured the Yan Capital.

King Xi of Yan fled to Liaodong Commandery with the Crown Prince, the royal household, and the guards.

Qin also captured Chenying in Chu, then sent Changping Jun Mi Qi to pacify the people.

Yet just as Ying Zheng planned to appoint young generals and foster a new class of military nobles—after the veteran generals at court had done nothing during the assassination attempt—Changping Jun rebelled!

Mi Hua's father, the future King of Qin's maternal grandfather, had turned against Qin!

After King Fu Chu of Chu died, Changping Jun was made King of Chu.

His rebellion completely ruined Ying Zheng's plans to destroy Chu and promote new nobles. With no choice, Ying Zheng had to swallow his pride and once again invite the veteran general Wang Jian to take command, entrusting him with six hundred thousand Qin troops! They were every soldier in Qin fit for battle.