Favors Repaid, Old Ties Stir the Palace; Iron Dragon's First Appearance Stuns the King's Eyes

Ying Zheng strode forward across the blue bricks of Zhao State's royal palace, every step steady and powerful.

It was as though even the heart of Zhao State—a heart that had stood for a century and once barred Great Qin's path eastward—was trembling faintly beneath his feet.

The wind stirred up along the way brushed over the carvings on the corridor pillars.

Those carvings depicted the warhorses from King Wuling of Zhao's "Hu attire and mounted archery," once symbols of Zhao State at the height of its glory. Now, they were like faded old paintings, no longer able to hide the traces of decay.

He walked faster and faster. The old grievances and heavy gloom that had lain buried in his heart for years gradually dispersed along with the wails behind him, while the complexity in his eyes slowly sharpened into fiercer ambition.

Zhao Cheng silently followed at his side. "Your Majesty, there are still some people you should want to meet."

Ying Zheng's steps paused slightly as he looked at Zhao Cheng.

There was little expression on Zhao Cheng's face. He merely raised a hand and waved.

Then Zhao Cheng waved his hand.

A moment later, the Blood-Clad Army led another group of people out from a side hall.

Unlike the disheveled, wailing nobles from before, every one of these people was neatly dressed and ruddy-faced.

As they walked, there was not the slightest trace of panic between their brows. Instead, they chatted and laughed, some even murmuring among themselves.

"That down-and-out young master from back then is now the King of Qin..."

"I wonder whether His Majesty still remembers us..."

The moment Ying Zheng's gaze fell upon the elderly woman at the front, his expression softened of its own accord.

The old woman's surname was Xu. Back then,