Chapter 223 All nightmares seem like yesterday, the past days are full of suffering
When Tianze heard Yan Lingji's words, he knew in his heart that Yan Lingji was coming to force his death, and he could no longer find a way out with words.

In that case, let’s fight!
Yan Lingji did not give Tianze any chance to react. With a wave of her hand, an endless sea of ​​fire surged out like a tide and swept towards Tianze.

The flames burned in the void, making crackling sounds, as if responding to Yan Lingji's anger.

At this time, neither the Wushuang Ghost, the Corpse-driving Demon, nor the King of Hundred Poisons had time to support Tianze.

Seeing this, Tianze moved and disappeared from the spot.

He dodged and moved swiftly, but no matter how he dodged, the sea of ​​fire always followed him like a shadow, chasing him relentlessly.

Tianze knew that he couldn't just be swallowed by the flames, he had to find an opportunity to fight back.

After a dodge, Tianze appeared in front of Yan Lingji.

The six snake skull chains behind him suddenly jumped up and turned into unmatched sharp blades, attacking towards Yan Lingji.

These snake skull chains are one of his most relied-upon weapons, and are also the medium through which Tianze performs his extraordinary skills.

At this moment they were flying in the air, exuding a cold murderous aura.

However, Yan Lingji was not afraid at all. She just waved her hand, and a stream of blazing flames burst out from her palm, instantly enveloping the snake skull chains.

The flames jumped and spread on the chains, as if to melt them.

And Tianze's true energy also came along the chains, trying to suppress Yan Lingji's flames.

However, Yan Lingji's flames were extraordinary. Not only were they not suppressed by the true qi, but they burned even more violently.

The flames seemed to have life. They spread upwards along the snake skull chains and soon wrapped Tianze's body in them.

Tianze felt a burning pain coming from his body, and his true energy gradually dissipated under the burning flames.

Tianze's expression changed drastically, and he retreated frantically, trying to break free from the restraint of the flames.

However, the flames followed him like a shadow, and no matter how he tried to avoid them, he could not get rid of them.

Tianze's heart was filled with despair and fear, he knew that he was in a desperate situation.

At this moment, Yan Lingji's voice rang in his ears: "Tianze, do you think you can escape? The crime you committed has turned my hometown into ashes. Do you think you can easily evade responsibility?"

Yan Lingji's words were filled with anger and dissatisfaction, and her flames became more intense.

Tianze's heart trembled when he heard Yan Lingji's words. He knew that he had nowhere to escape.

He could only try his best to resist the burning of the flames, but the flames seemed endless and he could not put them out no matter how he resisted.

At this time, Wushuang Gui came forward to rescue. He threw a punch, and the powerful force brought about unparalleled wind pressure, temporarily curbing the spread of the flames.

When Tianze saw that the spread of the fire was curbed, he retreated frantically.

It was not until this moment that Tianze noticed the gleaming rune mark on Yan Lingji's forehead.

This reminded Tianze of a legend he had heard before. Legend has it that once a great witch is recognized by the gods, a special mark will appear between her eyebrows.

"Impossible! How can you be recognized by God?"

Logically speaking, Tianze is also a shaman, but his faith is not sincere enough.

Zhurong, Ju Mang...this group of great gods have a distinctive feature - two snakes entangled in their bodies.

Therefore, Tianze's snake skull chain has some intention of fraud.

"Heh." Yan Lingji sneered, and then controlled the flames to form a wall of fire to trap Wushuang Gui in it. "Tianze, if your faith is not single-minded, how can the gods have mercy on you?"

At this time, the corpse-driving demon had completed the pre-swing of the witchcraft. He knocked the ground with his staff, and the next moment the ground trembled and countless zombies broke out of the ground.

The group of snakes controlled by the King of Hundred Poisons, along with the zombies, pounced towards Yan Lingji.

Both of them knew that the snakes and zombies were afraid of fire and could not hurt Yan Lingji at all.

Their purpose was only to consume Yan Lingji's power and create opportunities for Tianze.

Among the three of them, only Tianze's strength has recovered to the level of a grandmaster. Apart from Tianze, no one else is qualified to fight against Yan Lingji.

Yan Lingji did not show any panic when faced with the sudden appearance of poisonous snakes and zombies.

She smiled lightly, with a hint of disdain in her eyes.

She waved her hand lightly, and a stream of blazing flames burst out from her palm, quickly enveloping the zombies and poisonous snakes.

Before long, the zombies and poisonous snakes were turned into charcoal by the flames.

The stench of decay on their bodies also dissipated, leaving only charred remains on the ground.

When the King of Hundred Poisons and the Corpse-Driving Demon saw this, a trace of fear flashed in their eyes. They knew that their attacks were like an ant trying to shake a tree to Yan Lingji.

However, Tianze took this opportunity to get a chance to catch his breath.

He quickly left the battlefield and retreated to a safe place.

He took a deep breath and began to regulate his internal breath to restore his true energy.

He knew that he had to recover his strength as soon as possible, otherwise he would not be able to escape this disaster today.

As time passed, Tianze's breathing gradually became steady and deep.

His true energy was also constantly recovering, and a powerful aura emanated from him.

Finally, Tianze completed the accumulation of power.

He suddenly opened his eyes and raised his hands. The six snake skull chains behind him suddenly merged into one, turning into a giant steel python of considerable size.

The giant steel python opened its bloody mouth, revealing its sharp fangs, and pounced straight towards Yan Lingji.

When Yan Lingji saw this, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

However, she did not panic, but became calmer and more composed.

She clasped her hands together and grasped the chained python accurately.

The next moment, she drove the flames to spread along the chain, wrapping the entire chain in flames. The chain began to melt under the high temperature, and drops of molten iron dripped onto the ground, making a hissing sound.

The high temperature and flames quickly rushed towards Tianze. Tianze had never expected that his full-strength attack would be so vulnerable.

After he was hit by the flames, he felt a sharp pain coming from his body, as if something was burning his internal organs.

He let out a shrill wail and his body quickly shrank under the burning flames.

The flames raged on Tianze's body, and his figure gradually became blurred in the flames.

Finally, he turned into a ball of charcoal, fell from mid-air, and hit the ground.

The entire battlefield fell into deathly silence, with only the flames burning in the night sky, making crackling sounds.

The King of Hundred Poisons and the Corpse-Driving Demon stared at the scene blankly, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

They knew that their lord had been defeated, so completely that there was no room for recovery.

Especially the Corpse-Driving Demon, he knew that the fact that he had modified Yan Lingji's cognition had been discovered by Yan Lingji. The Hundred Poison King and the Wushuang Ghost could escape unscathed, but he could not.

"Wushuang Ghost." Yan Lingji waved her hand to remove the wall of fire surrounding Wushuang Ghost, "You can go now."

Wushuang Gui looked at the dead Tianze and Yan Lingji. He did not choose to leave, but stayed and stood there.

Yan Lingji smiled helplessly, then she looked at Gongsun Ce, seeking his advice.

"Let him stay, but he must work."

After listening to Gongsun Ce's words, Yan Lingji felt warm in her heart, and then her eyes towards the Corpse-Driving Demon and the King of Poisons became increasingly dangerous.

"Corpse Exorcist, what is the truth of that year? King of Hundred Poisons, were you involved in what happened back then?"

"It has nothing to do with me." The Hundred Poison King waved his hands frantically, "I hadn't yet surrendered to Tianze at that time."

"If I tell the truth, can you let me live?" the corpse-driving demon said slowly.

"If you didn't participate in the massacre of the villagers, I'll let you go."

"Okay." The corpse-driving demon said as he took out a jade bottle from his arms. He then crushed the jade bottle with force, and the poisonous insect inside the jade bottle died. "I will return your memory."

At the moment when the poisonous insect was crushed to death by the corpse-driving demon, Yan Lingji's sealed memories gradually returned.

It was a harmonious and peaceful afternoon.

The afternoon sun shines on every inch of the village, and the breeze brings a hint of coolness.

However, this peaceful afternoon was broken by an ominous atmosphere.

Tianze, a strong man who came with evil purposes, led his subordinates, the corpse-driving demons and a group of soldiers, and quietly broke into the village where Yan Lingji was.

Tianze's purpose is clear and cruel - he wants to gain Yan Lingji's loyalty and stimulate the amazing potential hidden in her body.

In order to achieve this goal, he chose the most cruel way - slaughtering Yan Lingji's fellow villagers in order to stimulate her spirit.

With Tianze's order, the killing began.

His subordinates, armed with swords, rushed towards the innocent villagers like mad beasts.

The blade flashed with cold light, and every swing was accompanied by screams and splattering of blood.

The young Yan Lingji witnessed all this, her eyes filled with fear and anger.

She watched those familiar faces fall one by one, and her heart was filled with powerlessness.

However, at this moment, the fire witchcraft in her body was pushed to an unprecedented height.

Her hands began to glow with flames, the anger and hatred burning deep in her heart.

In a flash, Yan Lingji transformed into a messenger of fire.

She waved her hands, releasing a raging flame. Tianze's subordinates fell one after another under the burning flames, and their screams and wails echoed over the village.

The entire village seemed to have turned into a sea of ​​fire, with the flames devouring everything, including the corpses of the dead villagers.

Tianze stood aside and watched all this happen. There was no expression on his face, as if all this was within his expectations.

However, when he saw the blazing flames of Yan Lingji, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

He knew that he had successfully stimulated Yan Lingji's potential, and her power was strong enough to become his right-hand man. Just as Yan Lingji was about to attack Tianze, he suddenly moved.

His figure flashed in front of Yan Lingji like a ghost, and one hand tightly grasped her wrist.

Yan Lingji struggled to break free, but Tianze's strength held her tightly like an iron clamp.

"You have demonstrated your strength, Yan Lingji." Tianze's voice was cold and ruthless, "Now, it's time to submit to me."

Yan Lingji gritted her teeth, with an unyielding light flashing in her eyes.

However, in the face of Tianze's absolute power, she was ultimately defeated.

She was subdued by Tianze and fell to the ground powerlessly.

Seeing this, the corpse-driving demon immediately stepped forward. In his hand was a poisonous insect, which was his secret weapon to control people.

He aimed the insect at Yan Lingji's forehead and tapped it lightly.

Suddenly, the poisonous insect pierced Yan Lingji's forehead.

Yan Lingji only felt a sharp pain coming from her head, and her consciousness began to become blurred.

When she regained consciousness, she discovered that she had lost her memory of the past.

There were only some chaotic fragments in her mind - the villagers who were burned to death by her own hands, her arms waving wildly in the flames...

These memories made Yan Lingji feel scared and confused.

She didn't know why she did such a thing.

Under the influence of the insect, she only knew that she should be loyal to Tianze.

So Yan Lingji forgot the truth about the villagers' death and the unpleasant first meeting with Tianze.

Yan Lingji opened her eyes, filled with confusion. The culprit was already dead, and she didn't know whether she should vent her anger on the corpse-driving demon.

Then Yan Lingji waved her hands at the Corpse Exorcist and the Hundred Poison Kings, and said weakly, "Go away, and don't let me see you again."

After the Corpse-Driving Demon and the King of Poisons managed to save their lives, they quickly left the scene.

After the two men left, Yan Lingji fell backwards weakly, and Gongsun Ce happened to support the fallen Yan Lingji.

"Just let me lie there for a while, thinking nothing and doing nothing..."

Not long after, Yan Lingji fell asleep in Gongsun Ce's arms.

Gongsun Ce picked up Yan Lingji and slowly left the place. When he passed Wushuang Gui, he said loudly: "Let's go, Wushuang Gui, I'll give you some extra food when I get back. I'll make sure you have meat every meal."

Wushuang Gui followed Gongsun Ce silently. Although he was huge in size, his footsteps were very light, as if he was afraid of waking up Yan Lingji.

Even though Wushuang Gui's intelligence is only equivalent to that of a three or four-year-old child, he knows who will be good to him.

After returning to Xianyang, Gongsun Ce stopped the military demon and immediately returned to the Taiwei Mansion.

Gongsun Ce, who had just returned to the Taiwei Mansion, immediately received good news.

Alfalfa, garlic and grape seeds have been brought back and attempts to plant them are already underway.

The small lawn in the backyard of the Taiwei Mansion had been flattened, and Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were working hard on the land under the command of Madam Mingzhu.

These two strong men with blue-gray skin were cultivating the land with plows on their backs.

"These two are as powerful as grandmasters. Are we going to let them plow the fields here?"

"What else? Let those delicate girls come to plow the fields? Are you willing to do that?"

Madam Mingzhu glanced at Gongsun Ce with a smile in her eyes, her tone full of teasing.

Gongsun Ce felt the same was true, so he could only briefly tell Madam Mingzhu about the planting of the three items.

"Grapes need to be built on high trellises to facilitate their vines to grow after germination... Garlic needs to be watered... As for alfalfa, this thing has a lot of problems."

"Oh?" Mrs. Mingzhu was curious, "Is alfalfa difficult to grow?"

“No.” Gongsun Ce shook his head, “These crops all need bees to pollinate the male and female stamens, but the female flowers of alfalfa are very special.

Once the bees start collecting nectar, the stamens of the alfalfa will hit the bees, leaving them covered in pollen, so alfalfa needs to be planted separately.

There can’t be other flowers around alfalfa, otherwise after the bees are hit, they will gradually stay away from alfalfa, making it difficult to grow alfalfa.”

Madam Mingzhu wrote down the matters needing attention one by one, and then she took out the account book and handed it to Gongsun Ce.

"This is the income from this trip to the Western Regions. Do you want to take a look?"

"No." Gongsun Ce pushed the account book back to Madam Mingzhu, "Just take a look. How far have we explored the Western Regions? Has Ba Qing loaned anyone over?"

"Hands-off shopkeeper." Madam Mingzhu put away the account book. "The Western Region is vast, and there are many places that are called restricted areas. They are still being explored step by step. As for Ba Qing, she came by herself."

"Hmm?" Gongsun Ce tilted his head. "Why is she here? She seems to be over fifty years old. Why did she come all the way from Bashu?"

"She values ​​the interests of merchants in the Western Regions very much, so she came to see us and planned to do business together. In addition, you are a big shot in the Qin State, so she naturally wants to have a good relationship with you."

"The intelligence from Luowang shows that Ba Qing has soldiers under her command, and they are fully armed. Moreover, she is the richest person in the Seven Kingdoms. She has no need to please me. Let's go and meet her together."

Gongsun Ce was very surprised by Ba Qing's arrival. Logically speaking, it was just a loan of personnel, or a simple partnership to conduct business in the Western Regions. There was no reason for Ba Qing to make the trip alone.

At this time, Ba Qing was observing in the warehouse. The merchants in the Western Regions were making huge profits from the price difference.

Since the appearance of celadon during the Shang Dynasty, Western Hu merchants have come to the Central Plains through hardships and dangers just to obtain porcelain and then sell it at a high price.

The caravans sent by Gongsun Ce also had the same purpose. They came to various countries in the Western Regions, bringing porcelain, silk, and glass products that Gongsun Ce occasionally made.

These things would be snatched up by the countries in the Western Regions, but the trading method adopted by the caravans was barter, which was to exchange goods such as spices, special crops or camels.

However, spices were in short supply in the Central Plains, with their value far exceeding that of porcelain and silk. Moreover, Gongsun Ce had the unscrupulous intention of raising the selling price of spices.

This led to an increasing shortage of spices within the seven countries. Ba Qing also had ideas about these spices, so she could only cooperate with Gongsun Ce.

She provided silk and silk products, and Gongsun Ce exchanged spices for her. She then sold the spices at a high price in Bashu.

It seems that Ba Qing came here just for business, but Gongsun Ce feels that Ba Qing's purpose must be more than that.

Ba Qing looked at the mountains of spices in the warehouse and suddenly felt a strong sense of disappointment.

She grabbed a handful of pepper and sniffed it. The strong, pungent smell made her feel refreshed.

"This thing is called pepper, it has the effects of warming the middle and relieving pain, relieving gas and eliminating phlegm, and stimulating appetite.

It is mainly used to treat stomach cold, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, epilepsy, toothache caused by wind and insects, centipede bites, etc.

In addition, there is little water in the Western Regions, so many people use spices including pepper to cover the parts of their bodies. It can be said that it has many uses, and I believe that the rich and powerful merchants in the Central Plains will definitely like it. "

Ba Qing turned her head to look at Gongsun Ce, and she bowed to him.

"Ba Qing meets General Gongsun."

"No need to be polite. You are older. If we judge based on age, I am afraid I should do the formality." Gongsun Ce made a gesture of invitation to Ba Qing and said, "Let's go to the reception room and have a chat."

In the living room, tea was quickly served and Gongsun Ce looked at Ba Qing carefully.

Ba Qing, who is in her fifties, has a well-maintained face, making people think she is probably closer to forty.

However, considering that people are overworked nowadays, which leads to premature aging, she has really put a lot of effort into maintaining her looks.

In addition, her figure has not changed. She is wearing a black dress and has black hair with only a few white hairs, which makes her temperament somewhat dignified.

"I wonder why Ba Qing is here?"

"If I say I'm here for business, the general won't believe me. So I'll tell you the truth. I hope to become his retainer and receive his protection."

Ba Qing saw things clearly. She knew very well that it was only a matter of time before Qin unified the six kingdoms, and that Qin's policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce had become the norm.

Ba Qing needs to make plans for herself early. Even if she has a team of armored guards under her command, her future cannot be guaranteed.

This is indeed the case. In the future, Ying Zheng gathered wealthy businessmen from all over the country to Xianyang for custody, including Ba Qing, and Ba Qing died in Xianyang.

Ying Zheng's Legalist thought led him to make the same judgment as Shang Yang: merchants are the root of evil. Once merchants gain power, no one will be willing to be a farmer.

Moreover, once one has money, one will inevitably want power. Once one has a little power, one will want more power, which will lead to chaos.

"What do I need to pay? What can I get?"

"All my property is at the disposal of General Gongsun. I only ask that General Gongsun protect me and help me through future disasters."

"You see things clearly. Ah Zheng does have the idea of ​​focusing on the wealthy businessmen, but he won't attack them directly."

"The King of Qin won't, but won't his subordinates?"

Ba Qing knew clearly that once Ying Zheng gathered wealthy businessmen in Xianyang in the future, there would always be people who would secretly attack these wealthy businessmen under the pretext of trying to figure out the emperor's intentions.

Even if Ying Zheng knew who did it, he probably wouldn't punish the other party severely.

"Okay, you are indeed worthy of being the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms. I agree to your request. However, I also have an additional request for you."

"Please give your orders."

Gongsun Ce was a little surprised when he saw Ba Qing getting into the role so quickly. He thought she had adapted too quickly.

"Deploy manpower in Bashu to search for mineral veins, especially copper and iron ores."

"promise."

Ba Qing came quickly and left quickly. After learning about Gongsun Ce's attitude, she decisively handed over the people she brought to Gongsun Ce.

These accountants in the Warring States period are all women, poor people taken in by Ba Qing. They have experienced failed marriages or are born with disabilities.

They just wanted to get a job that would allow them to survive, so Ba Qing took them in and discovered their talent for accounting.

From today on, Zi Nu, Madam Ming Zhu and Xue Ji's burdens were lighter. They no longer had to stay up late as someone had taken over their accounting work.

At this time, Gongsun Ce had already quietly entered the Xianyang Palace. If Gongsun Ce had entered the Xianyang Palace with great fanfare, how could Changping Jun continue to perform his drama?

Since Changping Jun wanted an opportunity to assassinate Ying Zheng, Gongsun Ce gave him this opportunity.

(End of this chapter)