Cao Qiudao is the pinnacle of martial prowess in the A Step into the Past World.
This person is extremely self-centered, arrogant, and ruthless. Since his debut, he has won over a hundred battles, big and small, without ever being defeated. His enemies are basically either dead or crippled.
Cao Qiudao didn't take Ling Yi's betrayal too seriously, but Ling Yi repeatedly crossed his bottom line, killing more than a dozen of his painstakingly trained assassins. Naturally, the arrogant Cao Qiudao couldn't tolerate it.
In Ling Yi abducted Shan Rou, causing Shan Rou to betray him as well.
Cao Qiudao trained more than thirty assassins, but only four could truly be called his disciples, and Shan Rou was one of them.
This shows how much Cao Qiudao valued Shan Rou.
In addition, Ling Yi publicly revealed at the Martial Practitioner Arts Hall that Cao Qiudao was the leader of an assassin organization, which greatly damaged Cao Qiudao's reputation.
"Kill me? Haha, very well, I'll see how you, Ling Yi, kill me today."
Cao Qiudao laughed in fury and immediately attacked.
He propelled himself forward with his legs, leaping several meters into the air with the force of Mount Tai, and unleashed a powerful sword slash at Ling Yi.
Ling Yi, on the other hand, turned sideways with an extremely elegant gesture, flicking his long sword upwards at an extremely tricky angle towards Cao Qiudao's wrist holding the sword.
If this sword strikes, Cao Qiudao will be injured and lose his sword immediately.
However, Cao Qiudao lived up to his Cao Qiudao. At the crucial moment, he forcefully spun his body in mid-air, not only dodging Ling Yi's sword but also thrusting his sword straight at Ling Yi's face during the moment of his body's inversion.
This change of tactics was absolutely brilliant; an ordinary person would likely have been killed on the spot.
Faced with such a hasty move, Ling Yi remained calm and composed. This time, Ling Yi neither dodged nor evaded. His longsword, in an incredible way, closely followed the blade of Cao Qiudao's longsword, then with a twist and a flick, instantly deflected Cao Qiudao's almost certain strike.
Cao Qiudao was also affected by this seemingly effortless move, losing his balance and falling sideways.
Cao Qiudao could only forcibly control his body, curling up and rolling, yet he was still able to maintain his balance.
But after landing, he couldn't help but take a few steps back, looking somewhat disheveled.
In a brief moment, after two exchanges, Cao Qiudao realized Ling Yi's strength.
At this moment, the longsword in his hand was still trembling slightly, emitting a faint hum, due to Ling Yi's strange flick just now.
"What kind of swordsmanship is this? Why have I never seen it before?" Cao Qiudao asked with a solemn expression.
"Slaying Sword Technique!" Ling Yi brandished his longsword and walked step by step toward Cao Qiudao.
Seeing Ling Yi approaching, Cao Qiudao was actually intimidated by Ling Yi's aura and took half a step back. But for Cao Qiudao, this half step was a great humiliation.
He's used to being high and mighty, and his mentality has become unbalanced.
Passive defense has never been his style, so he took the initiative again.
Cao Qiudao's sword was fast and powerful. The long sword in his hand turned into Daodao afterimages, accompanied by the sound of Air Breaking, and his aura was terrifying.
But no matter what moves he made, each one was fraught with danger. Ling Yi's moves were completely unpredictable, and each one was incredibly strange.
If it weren't for his rich Combat experience and strong reflexes, coupled with the fact that Ling Yi genuinely didn't want to kill him, he would probably be dead already.
After another dozen or so moves, Cao Qiudao finally realized that he was no match for Ling Yi, and that Ling Yi really didn't want to kill him. Several times, Ling Yi had the opportunity to seriously injure or kill him, but he stopped halfway through.
After casually swinging his sword, Cao Qiudao took a few steps back and asked, puzzled, "Why didn't you kill me?"
"I told you, you still have some use."
Do you think I would obey you?
"It's cooperation, not subordination!"
"How do we cooperate?" Cao Qiudao asked curiously, sheathing his longsword.
"You will stay in Wu Family Fort for now. In less than Half Moon, there will be a change in events, and we will need your help. In return, I will teach you a martial arts technique."
"I want to see the cultivation technique first," Cao Qiudao said, his eyes lighting up.
Ling Yi shook his head. "I don't trust you. After the matter is settled, I will naturally help you improve your strength. If you don't believe me, you can leave now."
Cao Qiudao wasn't angry at Ling Yi's words. Given their strength, he had nothing to say. After a long silence, he nodded and said, "I'll make the arrangements and come tomorrow."
"Good!"
Cao Qiudao turned and left, but before he left, he glanced in a certain direction.
After Cao Qiudao left, Ling Yi smiled and said, " Yuan Zong, now that you've arrived, why don't you come out and greet us? This isn't like you."
Yuan Zong leaped down from a tree, saying incredulously, "You actually managed to crush Sword Saint Cao Qiudao with ease. If this gets out, the whole world will be shocked."
" Yuan Zong, I need the help of the Mohist School Guild!" Ling Yi said bluntly.
"You should know that the Mohist School Guild cannot be acted upon arbitrarily; you must give me a reason."
"I want to end these conflicts between nations, I want to unify this world, I want everyone to have food to eat and books to read, I want this world, wherever the sun shines, to be the territory of my Han people."
Ling Yi used to find it troublesome and didn't want to follow the power struggle storyline in this world, but now, the Protagonist Zhao Pan's actions have clearly made Ling Yi dissatisfied.
Zhao Pan wouldn't become that Ying Zheng, since the real Ying Zheng had already died in Niu Family Village, so... he would become this Ying Zheng.
And if he was going to do it, he would do it in a way that would be unprecedented throughout history. He wanted to ensure that future generations of this world would never have to face any disasters again, and that there would never be any invasions from other countries. He wanted to make the great China stand at the pinnacle of the world, with all nations paying homage to it.
"Will people die?" Yuan Zong asked.
Yes, and many will die.
" Yuan Zong, you have traveled the world and seen much; you should know that Confucian School cannot enlighten the people; they will only be controlled by clans and powerful families. Legalist School does not extend its power to all people; it only respects the Wang Quan. Mohist School's concept of universal love and non-aggression is too the Ethereal..."
"There is only one way to change all of this: destruction precedes construction."
Yuan Zong remained silent for a long while before asking again, "Do you know that if you fail, there will only be widespread suffering? Are you confident you can succeed?"
"Yes, and only I can do it," Ling Yi said proudly.
"Although I know what you're saying is wishful thinking, since you have such ambition, I will certainly lend you a hand, but..."
Yuan Zong stared intently at Ling Yi and slowly said, "However, if I discover that your actions violate the Heavenly Dao, I, Yuan Zong, will surely command tens of thousands of Mohist School disciples across the land to Self-Sacrifice to kill you."
"Good!"
Yuan Zong was influenced by Ling Yi's emotions, but that doesn't mean Yuan Zong would completely trust Ling Yi.
Unlike Cao Qiudao, Cao Qiudao prioritizes profit, Yuan Zong's heart is filled with faith.
Yuan Zong then left as well, heading to gather the Mohist School disciples in Handan to lend Ling Yi a helping hand.
Ling Yi made an appointment with them to meet at the manor tomorrow night to discuss the next steps.
Afterwards, Ling Yi went to Wu Yingyuan's residence.
At the same time, Wu Yingyuan and Tao Fang were also discussing Ling Yi.
"Master, according to our investigation, Ling Yi is indeed an assassin, and this assassin organization is a force secretly cultivated by Cao Qiudao, the Sword Saint of Jixia Academy," Tao Fang said with an incredulous expression.
" Ling Yi betrayed the organization because he was dissatisfied with Cao Qiudao's indiscriminate killing of innocent people. Afterwards, Cao Qiudao issued Kill Order on him, and he went on the run."
Two days ago, he, along with Shan Rou, a fellow assassin from the same sect, and Xiang Shaolong of unknown origin, appeared at the Martial Practitioner Hall. He killed six assassins with a single sword strike and happened to encounter Yuan Zong, the leader of the Mohist School, with whom he had a pleasant conversation.
That night, Ling Yi single-handedly stormed into Yan Ping's residence, killing dozens of Mohist School swordsmen. Yan Ping had nowhere to escape, and Shan Rou seized the opportunity to stab him to death with a single sword Thrusting.
The three then appeared at Camel Hump Mountain.
" Ling Yi's origins are impossible to verify; it's likely that only Cao Qiudao knows the true backgrounds of these assassins."
"As for Xiang Shaolong, his identity is even more mysterious than Ling Yi's; it's as if he appeared out of nowhere."
Wu Yingyuan stroked his chin, and after a long while, he slowly said, "Did you notice the Changes in Xiang Shaolong's expression when the King bestowed instant noodles upon us?"
"Yes, Xiang Shaolong's expression at the time seemed extremely incredulous, as if he had discovered something unbelievable."
Wu Yingyuan nodded and said, "Perhaps he knows some of the secrets of Marquis Taiping, Zhao Pan. You can try to find out more later."
"Although Xiang Shaolong is unconventional, he is ultimately not a cunning person, unlike Ling Yi..."
" Ling Yi's swordsmanship is superb, and he exudes an air of arrogance. His words are incredibly persuasive, which is unbelievable. I suspect his identity is far more than just an assassin."
Tao Fang said, "Yes, when facing Ling Yi, I always unconsciously follow his orders, I don't know why."
Just then, a servant announced that Ling Yi had come to visit.
The two exchanged a glance, then walked out together to personally greet Ling Yi.
Regardless of Ling Yi and his companions' identities, the fact remains that they saved Wu Family Fort twice in a row, and Wu Yingyuan naturally had to give them sufficient respect.
"Lord Wu, Brother Tao Fang, please forgive me for disturbing you," Ling Yi Fist Dao to the two men.
"Brother Ling Yi, what are you saying? You have done my Wu Family Fort a great favor. Please don't mention disturbing me again," Wu Yingyuan said with a smile.
"Lord Wu, I have come regarding the hostage." Ling Yi got straight to the point.
These words sent a chill down Wu Yingyuan and Tao Fang's spines. They exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.
"Brother Ling Yi, you jest. The matter of the hostage is entirely up to His Majesty to decide..."
Ling Yi waved his hand to interrupt Wu Yingyuan, and said calmly, "I will rescue Zhu Ji soon, but there's no need to rescue Zhao Zheng."
Wu Yingyuan remained silent, his brows furrowed, waiting for Ling Yi to continue.
" The Zhao Zheng in Zhao Mu's mansion is a fake; he's just a child that Zhu Ji picked up by the roadside a long time ago. The real Zhao Zheng was left by Zhu Ji in Niujia Niu Family Village, southwest of Handan City, and renamed Niu Zheng. It's just a pity..."
"What's a pity?" Wu Yingyuan asked instinctively, a bad premonition rising in his heart.
"Unfortunately, a Plague struck Niu Family Village many years ago, and Zhao Zheng did not survive; he died in Niu Family Village."
"Boom!" Wu Yingyuan and Tao Fang felt a thunderous roar in their brains; the news was like a bolt from the Qingtian for them.
If Zhao Zheng is dead, what's the point of rescuing Zhu Ji? Lü Buwei repeatedly urged them to rescue Zhao Zheng, and they all knew why.
If Zhao Zheng dies, they will inevitably suffer Lü Buwei's wrath, and their hope of returning to their homeland of State of Qin will be completely extinguished.
Not only that, but Lü Buwei will probably never let Wu Family Fort go...