Chapter 212: One less kiss, one more kiss

At this moment, Lu Buwei thought that those well-mannered children and their families all had something to ask of him.

It seems that those children were just warned in advance, and he was treated differently based on his personality. It's not that he has little experience, but that no one has let him see this pure childish evil.

He was used to the intrigues between adults and young men, and now he thought that it was just a filter for children.

The two talked for a long time, and before leaving, Gongsun Ce handed a book of medical skills to Lu Buwei.

"This is the latest book, using the latest technology. When technology develops further, Prime Minister Lu's Lüshi Chunqiu will also be republished based on this."

Lu Buwei flipped through the yellowed bamboo paper book, and the expression on his face became more subtle.

Gongsun Ce didn't say much, but Lu Buwei could guess that the material of this book was cheaper than bamboo slips, and the production method was also simple.

Lu Buwei had to admit that he was behind the times. He could already imagine what kind of storm these books would cause to the world.

The cost of studying is extremely high now and for a long time to come.

If you want to study, you either have to have a wealthy family now or your family once had a wealthy family.

The passing down of poetry and books from generation to generation does not only refer to the passing down of knowledge and cultivation, but it literally means that a volume of books is enough to be passed down as a family heirloom.

It was too early to have an imperial examination, and it was too early to spread culture.

The key now is to prevent ordinary people from starving to death before thinking about other things. Otherwise, no one will take money and use it to exchange for books instead of food when they are about to starve to death.

The routes to the countries in the Western Regions are still being explored, but will be completed soon, and then we will start trading and searching for crop seeds.

Once alfalfa is found, cattle and sheep breeding can be put on the agenda.

Gongsun Ce bid farewell to Lu Buwei and continued to head for the State of Chu, while Fusu went to the Qin-Wei border to wait for the war to attack Wei to begin.

Seven days later, Gongsun Ce entered the State of Chu.

Gongsun Ce looked at Xiaolu not far away and raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking it was interesting.

Gongsun Ce took out a short whistle from his arms and blew it.

"Shh~"

As the whistle sounded, three Earth-level Luowang killers gathered in front of Gongsun Ce.

"Meet the Grand Commandant."*3
Gongsun Ce glanced at the three Luowang assassins and asked, "Why are you here? But there are traces of the Black Jade Qilin ahead?"

Yi Ren, one of the three Earth-level assassins, immediately replied to Gongsun Ce: "Reporting to the commander, there is a black jade unicorn ahead, and there are also members of the Xiang clan among them.

According to our latest intelligence, Xiang Yan sent people here to contact the Black Jade Qilin, but the specific purpose is unknown."

"Very good, you are still useful. Go back and each of you will receive 100 merit points."

"Thank you, Commander."*3
Gongsun Ce raised his eyebrows slightly. All the letters between Changping Jun's subordinates and Xiang Yan fell into Gongsun Ce's hands, but Gongsun Ce did not know that Xiang Yan was going to send someone to contact the Black Jade Qilin.

The Black Jade Qilin is a rare master of disguise in the world. Even if he cannot compare to the mountain ghost's ability to transform into various forms, he is not far behind.

The place where the Black Jade Qilin cannot compare to the Mountain Ghost is in aura. The Mountain Ghost can even simulate some of the true qi of others, but the Black Jade Qilin cannot.

But as long as the true appearance of the Black Jade Qilin is not exposed, no one else will be able to catch him.

In other words, if Xiang Yan sent someone to contact the Black Jade Qilin, it was most likely to let the Black Jade Qilin gather intelligence on the Qin army.

However, what puzzled Gongsun Ce was that Changping Jun, the secret agent, was not enough to gain Xiang Yan's trust?
After thinking for a moment, Gongsun Ce decided that Xiang Yan did not completely trust Changping Jun at this moment. He sent people to contact Mo Yu Qilin in order to verify Changping Jun's intelligence in order to determine whether Changping Jun was completely biased towards the State of Chu.

Haven’t you seen that Han Fei, the ninth prince of the Han Dynasty, has become the acting governor of Yingchuan County?

What's more, Changping Jun was born and raised in Qin, and he also settled down in Qin and held a high position.

Xiang Yan judged others by himself. If he were Changping Jun, he would probably not favor the State of Chu. After all, the State of Qin gave too much.

However, Xiang Yan's analysis lacked a variable, which was the weight of the Chu royal bloodline.

Xiang Yan was a ruthless man. He was hailed as one of the candidates for one of the four great generals of the Warring States Period, which was enough to show that he was quite capable.

Therefore, the person who came could not be anyone else, but a key member of the Xiang family, maybe even Xiang Yu's father, which would be great fun.

Xiang Yu was born in 232 BC, and this year is 234 BC. In other words, if the person who came was Xiang Yu's father, then Xiang Yu would be dead.

Gongsun Ce then ordered Yi Ren to remain dormant and wait for his orders.

"Blade, lie dormant for a while and wait for my order."

"Yes!"

Gongsun Ce knocked on the shaft of the bronze chariot, and Dian Qing, the Lord of Arms and the former Grand Sima pulled the bronze chariot towards the small hut in front.

After the bronze carriage stopped, Gongsun Ce stepped into the small hut. Each step he took seemed steady and powerful, revealing an aura of majesty without even being angry.

Inside the small cottage, the sunlight shines through the half-open window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Xiang Liang was sitting alone at a bamboo tea table, holding an exquisite teacup in his hand, savoring the fragrant tea in the cup.

The moment he saw Gongsun Ce, his eyes suddenly became sharp, as if an indescribable fear and uneasiness was spreading in his heart.

Xiang Liang knew Gongsun Ce's character well. He was a ruthless man who would kill an entire family and leave no pets behind. He was also the leader of Luowang, with ruthless methods and meticulous thinking.

He had seen Gongsun Ce's appearance in a portrait before. The look in his eyes, which was calm but with a hint of playfulness, was something he could never forget.

He knew very well that once Gongsun Ce recognized him, his life would be in danger.

However, Xiang Liang had no choice but to sit where he was.

The purpose of his trip to Xiaolu was to get in touch with the black jade Qilin.

He knew that he couldn't leave at this time, otherwise not only would the mission fail, but it might also bring him even greater trouble.

So Xiang Liang sat there as if sitting on pins and needles, his body tense, as if he was ready to deal with Gongsun Ce's fatal blow at any time. He was ready to die.

He glanced at Gongsun Ce from time to time, his eyes full of vigilance and worry.

His palms were slightly sweaty, and even the teacup in his hands was trembling slightly.

At the same time, the black jade Qilin, who was disguised as a servant, also felt unprecedented pressure.

He hid in the shadow of the corner, watching Gongsun Ce's every move with vigilant eyes.

He knew that Luowang had been searching for him, and if Gongsun Ce, as the leader of Luowang, recognized him, he would probably be doomed.

The black jade Qilin's heart was filled with a dilemma.

He knew that he could not get close to Xiang Liang, otherwise, once he was discovered by Gongsun Ce, he would be in an irretrievable situation.

However, he also did not dare to leave. Gongsun Ce's presence here meant that he was surrounded by Luowang's assassins. If he ran away, he would definitely not be able to escape Luowang's pursuit.

This contradictory mentality made Mo Yu Qilin feel extremely depressed and painful.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and his breathing became rapid.

He tightly grasped the dagger at his waist, as if looking for a little comfort and strength.

The Black Jade Qilin’s disguise skills are only unparalleled in the world, which does not mean that his martial arts are also unparalleled in the world.

However, Gongsun Ce did not seem to notice anything unusual about the two.

He looked around, scanning the small hut.

His eyes were somewhat inquiring, and then his gaze fell on a table filled with various snacks.

Gongsun Ce turned his eyes and found that the person sitting behind the table was Xiang Liang.

He had seen Xiang Liang's portrait. His face was heroic yet wise. He was considered a hero of the Xiang family and could be called a Confucian general.

"Xiao Liang, even though we've reached the border of Chu State, you're still so particular about your food."

Gongsun Ce walked to Xiang Liang's table and hooked his right hand. A piece of the Chuyi flower cake in the pottery plate in front of Xiang Liang flew out. Then the Chuyi flower cake was rolled up and fell into Gongsun Ce's mouth, savoring its delicious taste.

Chuyi Huagao is actually fish cake, a dish unique to the State of Chu. However, Gongsun Ce did not expect Xiang Liang to eat this while drinking tea.

And as Gongsun Ce tasted it, he discovered something very interesting. It seemed to be a pre-prepared dish, which was placed in a ceramic pot after it was cooked and poured out and heated when eaten.

Considering the weather at that time, even if this dish was left outside without any preservation measures, it would be difficult for it to go bad.

This scene made Xiang Liang's back shiver. He pretended to be calm and said, "Does this gentleman recognize me? But I have never seen you before."

At this time, Mo Yu Qilin felt a little surprised. He did not expect that Gongsun Ce would ignore Xiang Liang's identity so nonchalantly and only care about tasting the food.

According to Gongsun Ce's words, Mo Yu Qilin can easily guess that Gongsun Ce has recognized Xiang Liang's identity, but Gongsun Ce did not kill Xiang Liang immediately, which is very strange.

Gongsun Ce's disregard made Mo Yu Qilin and Xiang Liang even more nervous and frightened, because they didn't know when Gongsun Ce would suddenly attack.

Gongsun Ce swallowed the fish cake in his mouth and looked at Xiang Liang calmly.

"Xiao Liang, I am the true boss of Luowang, so I have seen portraits of important figures from various countries. In addition to the portrait of your father Xiang Yan, I have also seen your portrait.

I have to say that Luo Wang's painter's painting skills are pretty good, but they lack a bit of verve. At least your demeanor is not reflected in the painting."

Xiang Liang was no longer nervous after his identity was exposed. He looked at Gongsun Ce and asked, "How can the commander kill me? Can you leave me with an intact body?"

Gongsun Ce asked in return: "Am I cruel?"

Xiang Liang replied honestly: "It is more than brutal. It is simply cruel. The number of people killed by General Gongsun must have exceeded 100,000.

In the past, the God of Killing Bai Qi killed too many people, but he did not kill people with his own hands. However, it is different for General Gongsun. You kill people with your own hands, one by one."

"Hehehe..."

Gongsun Ce sneered a few times and released his murderous aura without reservation. The terrifying murderous intent immediately enveloped Xiang Liang and the uneasy black jade unicorn beside him.

"Plop!"*2
Xiang Liang's body uncontrollably prostrated himself before Gongsun Ce.

The black jade Qilin beside him knelt down and supported himself with his hands. He forced himself not to lie on the ground. This was his last bit of dignity.

At this moment, Xiang Liang and Mo Yu Qilin were both facing Gongsun Ce's unreasonable murderous aura.

Soon the two of them began to feel a little overwhelmed, especially Xiang Liang, whose eyes had begun to turn white.

Gongsun Ce walked up to Xiang Liang, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Xiang Liang heaved a sigh of relief, but he also felt that Gongsun Ce must have ulterior motives. Then he heard Gongsun Ce's subsequent words.

"But you will kill your nephews and your father with your own hands. Don't worry, you won't feel pain or struggle when you kill them. And they won't feel pain either, because you will act quickly, accurately and ruthlessly, and kill them with one strike, leaving them no chance of survival."

Xiang Liang's face turned pale immediately. His father was Xiang Yan, but he had many sons and nephews. According to Gongsun Ce's words, he might be stained with the blood of many of his relatives.

This was tantamount to death by slow slicing for Xiang Liang, so he began to struggle.

"Don't even think about it. Even if I die, I will never be stained with the blood of my relatives!"

Gongsun Ce lifted Xiang Liang's chin with his foot, and Xiang Liang looked at Gongsun Ce unexpectedly.

Word Spirit Hypnosis

The next moment, Xiang Liang's eyes lost their luster and became lifeless.

"Xiang Liang, listen carefully. You are a chess piece that Gongsun Ce has left in the Xiang family. You will obey me completely."

"I...I am...am...a chess piece, and I obey...I obey...Gongsun Ce."

Gongsun Ce nodded and began the follow-up hypnosis.

"Your mission is to pass on intelligence about the Chu army to Luo Wang, and at the same time wait for an opportunity to kill your father Xiang Yan and your soon-to-be-born nephew Xiang Yu."

"Pass...pass...pass the information, kill...the father, kill...the nephew."

Gongsun Ce snapped his fingers, and Xiang Liang suddenly regained consciousness. He then saluted Gongsun Ce solemnly.

"Xiang Liang pays respect to the Lord."

"Very good, go back and tell them that the Black Jade Qilin was captured by Luowang and his whereabouts are unknown."

"Yes!"

Xiang Liang staggered out of the hut, and a group of Luowang killers were sent outside the hut to escort him.

At this time, the black jade Qilin was watching Gongsun Ce's every move nervously, fearing that Gongsun Ce would turn him into Xiang Liang.

But Gongsun Ce just stared at him for a moment, then stepped forward and hit the black jade Qilin between the eyebrows.

The grandmaster's intention was released, and the disguise of the black jade Qilin was immediately washed away.

The disguise of the black jade Qilin disappeared, and Gongsun Ce looked up and down at the true appearance of the black jade Qilin.

It was discovered that the Black Jade Qilin was indeed somewhat similar to Yan Lingji, except that the Black Jade Qilin's facial features were a bit tougher.

There are also some special runes on the face of the black jade Qilin.

Gongsun Ce raised his hand and rubbed it on the face of the black jade unicorn, and got a special ink on his hand. Gongsun Ce could be sure that the runes on the face were written with ink and not tattoos.

It's not like the mountain ghost's permanent runes covering the entire body.

"What is your original name?"

"My name is Mo Yu Qilin."

"Then I'm still called Cangyu Shenlong. Where is your hometown? Or the place where you were born."

"do not know."

The black jade Qilin tried his best to maintain his final dignity, with his arms firmly supported on the ground to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

Gongsun Ce put away his murderous aura, and the black jade Qilin suddenly relaxed and fell to the ground.

Gongsun Ce clapped his hands, and the Blade immediately appeared. Gongsun Ce immediately ordered: "Clean him up and send him back to Xianyang. First, report to Luowang headquarters and have someone tell him his secret disguise technique. I will deal with him separately when I return to Xianyang."

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, Yi Ren picked up the black jade Qilin with one hand and left the hut.

After Gongsun Ce finished eating Xiang Liang’s fish cake, he turned around and left, riding a bronze carriage out of the Chu border and heading for Jinghu Medical Village.

The Chu State was located in the south. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Chu State was not very powerful. Not only was its fiefdom small, but it also had to steal cattle for sacrifices from neighboring countries in the middle of the night.

The situation did not turn around until the Zhou royal family became weak and the Chu State began to expand its territory.

In later generations, there has always been a view that among the seven major powers in the Warring States Period, the only two that had the potential to unify the six kingdoms were Qin and Chu.

Gongsun Ce's bronze chariot moved along the border of the State of Chu until it entered a deep forest. After moving forward for a while, it saw a lake in front of it.

This place is Jinghu Lake, and Jinghu Medical Village is located on a small island in the center of the lake.

Gongsun Ce stopped the bronze carriage, took out the snake gallbladder of the basset and Nian Duan's medical book from the carriage, then took off into the air and flew all the way to Jinghu Medical Village.

"Da da da……"

At this time, Duanmu Rong was pounding medicine absent-mindedly. Nian Duan looked at Duanmu Rong with eyes full of love and helplessness.

"Rong'er, the medicine bowl is about to be worn through."

"Ah?" Duanmu Rong hurriedly stopped grinding the herbs, but found that the herbs in the medicine bowl had not been ground into powder yet, "Master~"

The girl's slightly complaining and coquettish tone made Nian Duan couldn't help but chuckle.

Ever since the Six-Fingered Black Knight moved away, Nian Duan no longer had to treat Mohist disciples.

At the same time, because of the geographical location of Jinghu Medical Village and Nian Duan's rules, Nian Duan is considered to have some free time, so at this moment Nian Duan looks much more energetic than before.

It’s just that some things are worn out excessively, which will cause permanent damage, and Nian Duan’s body was left with fatigue injuries.

If Nian Duan is overworked again, I'm afraid there will be no cure.

This is why a doctor cannot treat himself.

Doctors are kind-hearted, they travel around to work hard, risk their lives without regard for their own safety, and often become ill from overwork.

This was roughly the process, but at this moment Nian Duan had some concerns about Gongsun Ce in his mind.

Ever since Gongsun Ce promised Nian Duan to print medical books, Gongsun Ce has not taken any action. Even though Nian Duan believes in Gongsun Ce's character, he is still a little dissatisfied at this moment.

"Rong'er, a philandering man is not worth your thoughts."

"I'm not thinking about men."

Nian Duan shook his head helplessly and said, "Okay, okay, Rong'er didn't think about men. Then what was Rong'er thinking about just now? Tell Master."

Duanmu Rong rolled her eyes and replied, "Of course, what to eat at noon."

"Of course it's porridge and side dishes. Rong'er, do you want to eat meat? We doctors must know how to be pure in mind and desire..."

"Master Nian Duan is wrong. People need to eat a lot every day. Meat, vegetarian food, staple food, and fruit are all necessary.

This is the only way to ensure good health. However, for ordinary people, being able to eat enough every day is a luxury, which makes my statement seem a bit false and empty. "

A giant snake gall was suspended behind Gongsun Ce, floating towards him from a distance without any hurry.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Gongsun, no, it should be General Gongsun."

Gongsun Ce landed on the island in the middle of the lake, and Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong walked out to greet the guests.

Gongsun Ce waved his hand and said, "Mr. Gongsun is more suitable. Master Nian Duan, Rong'er, it's been a long time. This is a gift."

After saying that, Gongsun Ce pointed to the snake gall behind him, and then handed the medical book to Nian Duan.

Nian Duan flipped through the medical book and couldn't help but sigh: "Mr. Gongsun really keeps his word. The book has been printed, but I don't know when it will be published?"

"It will be published soon. The scope of publication is within the territory of Qin State, so Master Nian Duan may not be able to see it. So I will send a sample copy to Master Nian Duan first."

Nian Duan handed the medical book to Duanmurong, then she quickly walked forward to the snake gall. She had never thought that one day she would see a snake gall that was more than two people tall.

"Is this the gallbladder of an ancient giant snake?" Nian Duan stared at the gallbladder for a moment, "Let me guess, this should be the gallbladder of a python."

"Master Nian Duan guessed right. This is indeed the gallbladder of the Bashe. I killed her on Mount Shu. I have uses for her scales, bones, and blood, but I don't know how to make full use of her gallbladder."

"Let me think about it." Nian Duan pondered for a moment, then ran back to the medical village. After finding a bamboo slip, she trotted back again, "Found it, this is the record of the Basai snake during the reign of Emperor Xuanyuan Huangdi.

It says that the gallbladder of the Basque snake can be used as medicine, and the prescription is... The medicinal effects are to improve eyesight, strengthen yang, and condense true qi. "

Gongsun Ce heard a certain point, looked at Nian Duan seriously, and said: "Please prepare one or two for me, so that I can test whether the ancient book is true."

Nian Duan was silent for a moment, then glanced at Gongsun Ce's waist meaningfully.

"General Gongsun really needs this?"

"Not really, but I want to try. Even the strongest man can't help wanting to try. Men's damn curiosity is so interesting."

Looking at Gongsun Ce who spoke with certainty, Nian Duan spread his hands and asked Gongsun Ce for medicinal herbs.

"As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice. I don't have some medicinal herbs here. Please, Mr. Gongsun, bring them to my door."

"Of course. However, in order to test the efficacy of the medicine as soon as possible, I have to stay for a few days until the medicine is ready."

Gongsun Ce then stayed temporarily at Jinghu Medical Village. Nian Duan did not refuse, she just glanced at Duanmu Rong meaningfully.

Duanmu Rong kept her face down. She didn't look directly at Gongsun Ce and naturally didn't notice Nian Duan's eye hint.

From that day on, Luowang killers began transporting medicinal materials into Jinghu Medical Village every day.

The reason why Gongsun Ce did not choose to leave was not entirely for the medicine made from snake gall, he had other purposes.

The incident of Lady of the West sounded a severe alarm for Gongsun Ce.

The Half-Step Unity of Man and Nature was no match for Gongsun Ce, but Gongsun Ce had never truly faced a strong man at the Unity of Man and Nature realm.

Even if the incarnation of Lady of the West temporarily raised her strength to the state of unity between man and nature in Loulan, that was only power in the form of an experience card, and could not be considered the true state of unity between man and nature.

The most crucial thing is that most of these beings who have reached the state of unity between man and nature have not been proven dead.

In other words, they may still exist, just not in a place that ordinary people can reach.

For example, Loulan is under the yellow sand, but when you are in Loulan you can see the sun and clouds, which shows that Loulan may be a small cave.

The verification method is also very simple, that is, whether Loulan can be found again. If Loulan can be found again, it means that Gongsun Ce’s guess was wrong.

If Loulan cannot be found, or even if only ruins are found, it would mean that Gongsun Ce's guess is true.

(End of this chapter)