Chapter 3 Masked Man, Man in White, Man in Black

An ordinary person's wedding is a mixture of joy and busyness.

The marriage of a king is full of exchanges of interests.

King Ying Zheng of Qin got what he wanted at the moment, and as for other matters, he left it to the Queen Mother Huayang and Lord Changping to do what they wanted.

The Chu people began to reach an exchange of interests with other factions, and Lu Buwei was also taking action. In this matter, he had two allies.

One is Queen Mother Zhao Ji, and the other is Queen Mother Xia Ji of the Korean family.

Although they were only temporary allies in this matter, Lu Buwei wanted to make the Chu faction give up more interests through the short-term alliance.

Queen Mother Xia Ji quickly joined the interest division in this matter as a grandmother. As for Queen Mother Zhao Ji, her political wisdom allowed her to only express her dissatisfaction with her son Ying Zheng's words.

Ying Zheng knew the ability of his mother, Queen Zhao Ji, so he did not explain too much. Although this incident caused some rift between the mother and son, due to the affection of family, Zhao Ji chose to watch again and returned to the palace where she lived to entertain herself.

The various forces in Xianyang City were coming and going, and it was difficult to understand for a while.

King Ying Zheng of Qin sits in the Qin Palace. The Shadow Secret Guard and the Black Ice Platform's intelligence network give him enough intelligence to judge the deals and tacit understandings behind some things.

He is watching and learning. Such movements are very intuitive and complex. For him, being able to understand and gain something is growth.

……

Ying Zifei didn't pay attention to the turmoil in Xianyang City. To him, Xianyang City at this time was not his home ground.

Self-knowledge is the best analysis of one's own abilities.

He, Ying Zifei, is very good at this!
A wooden sword hung on the left side of his waist, and a wine gourd hung on the right side of his waist.

Wearing plain clothes and a bamboo hat, he rode quickly on horseback towards the northern border.

As the sun set in the west, Ying Zifei stopped his horse, found a sheltered place, tied the reins to the trunk of a small tree, and the horse lowered its head to eat the grass and snorted.

As night fell, a bonfire flickered here, and the aroma of barbecue made Ying Zifei sniff.

After sprinkling the prepared seasoning powders on the meat, the meat became more fragrant. He took a sip of wine and ate the meat and drank the wine in big mouthfuls.

When it comes to food and drink, he never compromises himself.

After eating and drinking, I went to the stream to wash my hands, returned to the campfire, sat cross-legged and closed my eyes to rest.

That night, no wild beasts appeared to disturb him, and the slight smell of blood had dissipated with the wind.

After a night's rest, the next day, Ying Zifei, who had regained his energy, got on his horse and continued towards his destination.

Walking from sunrise to sunset, and resting from sunset to sunrise, after walking for a while, Ying Zifei finally arrived at the mysterious land of Loulan.

If he didn't have an accurate map in hand, it would be difficult for him to find this place.

"It actually has the rhythm of blood power. As expected, anyone who is related to our ancestor Chi You is not simple."

Ying Zifei sensed the power of the formation engraved on the city wall, opened his eyes slightly, then led the horse and left in one direction.

He didn't want to go into the city.

It would be troublesome, that was his instinct.

There was never a lack of trouble around him, but he never sought trouble for himself.

On the city wall, a figure stood quietly, watching a man and a horse leave outside the city silently.

Another figure landed next to this one, and the two stood side by side, in white and black, a direct and contrasting sight. All I could see was the backs of the man and the horse.

"It seems that your seduction plan has failed." The man in black spoke frivolously, provoking the man in white.

The man in white did not show any anger when he heard this. Instead, he said with interest in his eyes: "There is only a fine line between caution and timidity."

“This kid is very interesting.”

The man in black curled his lips, seeming somewhat dissatisfied that his verbal stimulation did not achieve the expected effect.

"Let's go. This place shouldn't be destroyed at this time."

As the man in white spoke, he quickly formed seals with his hands, circulated his internal energy, and a strange seal surged out, quickly sealing the ancient formation engraving on the city wall.

The city wall is still a city wall, but it lacks the rhythm of blood power.

The two men flew one after the other and landed at the foot of the city. Then they left the city and disappeared in a few breaths.

……

Under the mottled moonlight, the ruined palace and attic seemed to be somewhat eerie. The wind blew through the cracks everywhere, creating all kinds of sounds.

It's as if this place is crying!
After passing this place, Ying Zifei paused slightly, looked in one direction, and continued walking forward.

When we arrived at the destination, someone was already waiting there.

The man was wearing a conical hat and a black robe, and the mask covered his entire face, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

"You are very cautious!"

The masked man saw that Ying Zifei's hand had already fallen on the hilt of the wooden sword, and it was unclear whether his words were praise or ridicule.

"I cherish my life. Being cautious can make me live longer." Ying Zifei spoke the truth. He didn't think there was anything wrong with cherishing life. Life is something that everyone should cherish.

The masked man found this interesting and said leisurely, "The Black Ice Terrace of Qin was built during the reign of Duke Mu of Qin."

"Duke Mu fought for supremacy in the Central Plains, using the Black Ice Platform as a blade in his hand, and he became famous for his murderous acts."

"The rulers of the Black Ice Platform throughout the ages have been feared by all factions within the Qin State, and have also been a thorn in the eyes of all forces outside the Qin State. They want to be killed as soon as possible."

"When the Qin State was in chaos, the ruler of the Black Ice Platform had already stepped into the abyss."

"Since Shang Yang's reforms strengthened Qin, Qin went eastward and fought wars with the six states in Shandong, swallowing up land and seizing people. The "sharp blade" of the Black Ice Terrace made the people of the six states hate it even more."

"Although the Black Ice Platform is famous, the rulers throughout the ages have all been short-lived."

At this point, under the mask, with a half-smile on his face, he turned to teasing, "You will probably be the longest-lived person among all the rulers of the Black Ice Platform."

"I thought that was a compliment." Ying Zifei chuckled, narrowed his eyes, and said slowly, "Many people say that in this era, too many people have their own destiny."

"I don't believe in fate. I would rather call the 'fate' that people talk about a moral choice and a compromise of faith."

The masked man was slightly stunned when he heard this. After coming to his senses, he looked at Ying Zifei deeply, and said with a little more emotion: "Too many people are confused, but you seem to have seen your way forward clearly?"

A moral choice, a compromise of beliefs!
In this chaotic era, aren’t we constantly making decisions and making compromises?
There are many people who cannot see the road ahead clearly. The result of confusion is that they can only go with the flow.

The tide of the times has swept away too many people who just go with the flow.

This road is paved with too many corpses, and too many people, until their death, could not see clearly what they really wanted.

It is not only the confusion about the fateful choices, but also the helplessness of not being able to control one's own destiny.

"Is there anything strange about this?" Ying Zifei smiled and said calmly, "Faith is something that everyone pursues, from small things like filling one's stomach and protecting one's family to big things like protecting the country and its people."

The masked man twitched his lips, and couldn't help but snorted coldly: "Not everyone has the ability to practice their beliefs. If you can't walk the road, the result will be the collapse of your beliefs."

Ying Zifei smiled again and said leisurely: "So, in this era, someone needs to create a path and stage for more people to practice their beliefs."

The masked man was stunned again. At this moment, he seemed to know what Ying Zifei saw clearly ahead.

“No wonder your power and intentions are filled with tyranny and dominance.”

No matter how many obstacles there are ahead, he will use his sword to clear them one by one.

"You seem very contradictory like this."

Ying Zifei cherishes his life very much, he has already confirmed this, but now he sees the path Ying Zifei is going to take, which is full of too many thorns and obstacles.

It is difficult to move forward unless you live in the face of death and have an unyielding will.

"You don't seem to understand what I mean." Ying Zifei looked at him leisurely and said calmly, "Cherishing life is not being afraid of death. My understanding of cherishing life has always been to not put myself in a situation full of dangers."

The masked man laughed when he heard this. So that's what it is.

"That's really enviable, kid!"

He raised his head slightly, and under the mottled moonlight, his face beneath the mask showed a complex emotion of sighing.

In such a chaotic era, there are too few people who know what they want and how to move forward step by step.

The wind got stronger, blowing down the autumn leaves. The masked man collected his thoughts and said to Ying Zifei: "Come with me. According to the deal I made with your mother, I am only responsible for opening the mechanism."

"Whether you can get the Chiyou Sword or not, or whether you will die here or not, it has nothing to do with me."

There was a hint of solemnity in his tone. He looked even more mysterious in the cold hat, black robe and mask.

Ying Zifei was about ten steps behind, but he followed step by step. Under the mask, he sensed the unchanging distance between the two people's steps, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

This kid is too cautious!

The two of them wandered around and soon arrived at the sealed place.

Dark clouds blocked the moonlight, and the masked man and Ying Zifei stopped at the same time.

Dark clouds drifted past in the sky, the moonlight fell on the earth again, and the noisy wind blew up more autumn leaves.

The masked man looked at the two people in front of him, one in white and the other in black, and chuckled, "I am only responsible for opening the door. Do you want to take care of your own business first?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the masked man leaped, landed to one side, and distanced himself.

The two of them ignored his actions and only focused their eyes on Ying Zifei.

Ying Zifei also looked at the two men with a calm expression. The man in white smiled and said to Ying Zifei: "You inherited your mother's eyes. Such a pair of eyes is unforgettable."

The memories in his mind tumbled, and the woman's face became clearer and clearer. Ying Zifei narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "You and her are similar in some ways."

"So, what should I call you two?"

A cold look flashed across the black-clothed man's eyes, and he narrowed his eyes and snorted, "Although you are her bloodline, your existence is not recognized by us."

"So, there is no need to call it that."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zifei's emotions remained unchanged. In his eyes, the condescending attitude of the man in black was no different from a monkey show.

(End of this chapter)