Li Si knew very well that as an outsider, to seek wealth and glory in Qin, choosing the right temple and worshipping the right god was crucial.
But even so, truly rising from humble origins required incredibly arduous effort.
Everything he yearned for was something his senior brother Han Fei could obtain effortlessly, yet he had to stake his life to achieve it.
This diplomatic mission to Han was, in Li Si's mind, the best stepping stone to board Ying Zheng's ship. If Ying An were to die during this mission, all his dreams would likely come to naught.
This was also why Li Si was so furious at this moment.
Upon hearing the command, numerous Great Qin guards, clad in armor and wielding weapons, charged towards the Black and White Shao Siming.
"Mister Li Si, please leave them alive! I want to know who is trying to kill me!"
Ying An's voice came from inside the carriage.
Li Si paused for a moment, then gritted his teeth unwillingly. Although he wished he could dismember the Black and White Shao Siming into a thousand pieces, as the deputy envoy of the mission, he had no choice but to obey Ying An's command.
"Capture them alive!"
Perhaps the surrounding Great Qin soldiers put immense pressure on the Black and White Shao Siming, or perhaps Jing Ni felt that not taking down the Black and White Shao Siming quickly would make Ying An look down on her.
Before the Qin soldiers could act, Jing Ni took a risky move, enduring a hit from the Little Si Ming in black's Ten Thousand Leaves Flying Flower Stream, and swiftly, with a flick of her longsword, a pink sword qi swept forth, instantly gravely wounding the Little Si Ming in white.
At that instant, even if the Little Si Ming in black wanted to rescue her sister, it was already too late.
The Black and White Sisters, when cooperating, could briefly contend with Jing Ni, but when Jing Ni instantly broke their coordination and severely wounded the Little Si Ming in white, leaving only the Little Si Ming in black.
In less than a breath's time, the jing ni sword, shimmering with pink sword qi, was already at the Little Si Ming in black's neck.
At this moment, the surrounding Great Qin soldiers finally used their long halberds and great spears to firmly control the Black and White Sisters, bringing them before Ying An's carriage.
Li Si glared resentfully at the Black and White Sisters, then turned and bowed to the carriage, saying, "Gongzi, they have been captured!"
Only a moment after his voice fell, Ying An, dressed in a deep black robe and wearing a high crown typically worn by feudal lords, appeared before everyone.
His gaze briefly swept over the scene, where the carriage was surrounded so tightly that not even a fly could escape.
Li Si's heart stirred. He waved his hand and commanded, "Disperse, and guard the surroundings!"
Ying An now looked at Li Si with some admiration. This man, who came from humble origins and eventually became the Great Qin Xiangguo (Prime Minister), if not for his excessive lust for power which ultimately led to the extermination of his clan, his ability to read expressions alone would have been enough to keep him standing firm.
It was merely a casual glance from Ying An, yet Li Si was able to fathom Ying An's thoughts, guessing that he did not wish for the interrogation of the assassins to be witnessed by so many people.
Once the many soldiers dispersed, leaving only Ying An, Jing Ni, the Black and White Sisters, and Li Si present.
Ying An then walked leisurely to stand before the Black and White Sisters.
"Yinyang Family's Little Si Ming?" Ying An identified the Black and White Sisters' identities in one go and asked curiously, "If I'm not mistaken, there should be no irreconcilable conflict between me and the Yinyang Family that requires assassination. You assaulted the envoy's party, but when you struck, you showed no killing intent. Can you tell me what you are trying to do? Is this the Yinyang Family's intention, or was this your own initiative?"
The Black and White Sisters were surprised. They looked up at Ying An, then exchanged glances, communicating through their eyes.
The Little Si Ming in white lowered her head and said, "Yinyang Family's Little Si Ming greets Gongzi An!"
Ying An nodded faintly but quietly awaited the sisters' answer.
Li Si, standing beside them, was genuinely surprised. One must know that not long ago, the marriage between Ying An and the Yinyang Family's Dong Jun had indeed attracted considerable attention in Xianyang Palace.
After all, although Ying An was a Gongzi of Great Qin before this, he had always been plagued by illness. Within Qin, his reputation was not prominent.
If it weren't for the marriage, many people might not even have known that there was this second Gongzi in Xianyang Palace, whose age was similar to Fusu's.
But no matter what, since Ying An had already married the Yinyang Family's Dong Jun, then logically speaking, even if they weren't unbreakable allies, it was impossible for them to send someone to assassinate Ying An so quickly, right?
Li Si's gaze first fell on Ying An, then quickly moved to the Black and White Sisters.
"Gongzi, please listen!" The Little Si Ming in white mustered her courage, looked up at Ying An, and pleaded, "We beg Gongzi to save our sisters' lives!"
"Wait a moment!" Ying An waved his hand, interrupting the Little Si Ming in white, who had clearly prepared a long speech. His tone was indescribably playful: "You two sisters just tried to assassinate me. Now you actually hope I save your lives?"
"Gongzi, our sisters this time were merely acting on Eastern Emperor Taiyi's orders to test Gongzi! We never intended to harm Gongzi's life!" The Little Si Ming in black quickly explained.
"Test me?" Ying An understood in an instant. If he wasn't mistaken, Eastern Emperor Taiyi wanted to confirm whether he had truly, by merely reading the writings of previous Yinyang Family sages, self-taught and comprehended the Soul Returns Dragon Soaring, a secret art of the Yinyang Family!
He nodded, indicating that he accepted the Black and White Shao Siming's explanation. Ying An then continued, "Tell me. How do you expect me to save your lives?"
The Black and White Sisters were instantly overjoyed.
Since Ying An was willing to give them a chance to speak, it meant that they could truly break free from the Little Si Ming's fate.
"Does Gongzi know about the Yinyang Family's position of Little Si Ming?" The Little Si Ming in white explained, "The Little Si Ming is the Wood Department Elder of the Yinyang Family. It seems like a high and powerful position, but in reality, it is a position that rushes towards Death from the very beginning! Because the Ten Thousand Leaves Flying Flower Stream cultivated by successive Little Si Ming is a technique of exchanging soul for qi, and when the soul dissipates, life ends! The stronger one becomes, the closer one is to Death!"
Pausing slightly, the Little Si Ming in black continued, "Our sisters' aptitudes are not good; it takes both of us to be qualified for the position of Little Si Ming. As of today, our sisters have reached the point where we will be replaced by new people."
Li Si, upon hearing this, was astonished and said, "Isn't that good? Since you just said that the Little Si Ming needs to exchange life for power, then when the new person replaces you, you can naturally step down."
The Black and White Sisters smiled bitterly in unison.
"Sir, you do not know. Every generation of Little Si Ming, before ascending to the position, must undergo an assessment. That is to personally kill their predecessor!"
"How can there be such a cruel rule!" Li Si said incredulously.
"Our sisters' souls are about to scatter, and our lives are short. But we do not wish to die so tragically. We humbly beg Gongzi to save us!" The Black and White Sisters, as if by agreement, simultaneously bowed deeply to Ying An.