Xue Nu stepped off the stage, signaling the end of tonight's dance. If anyone wanted to see it again, they'd have to wait ten days—dancing once every ten days kept things flowing steadily. Otherwise, no one could afford to toss heaps of gold coins every day; that would truly make them fools throwing away money.
"Let's go." Li Haimo helped her drape on her cloak. The two settled the bill—not too expensive, just over 500 gold coins. Yeah, right.
"We seem to be running out of money again," Li Haimo said with a smile as they left the Feixue Pavilion, glancing at Xiao Meng. It had happened so fast; in just one day, they'd spent most of their ten thousand gold.
"Should we borrow some more from Yan Chun Jun's mansion?" Xiao Meng suggested.
"Junior Sister, you're turning bad." Li Haimo truly felt guilty about this. What a fine girl she was, gazing at you with those pure, innocent eyes, yet speaking of burglary and plunder. It seems I've led her astray, pointed her skill tree in the wrong direction. I wonder if Uncle Beimingzi will kill me when we return to the mountain.
The next day, Yan Chun Jun's mansion was robbed again—for the second day in a row, and both times it was Yan Chun Jun's place. This time, the amount was even larger, leaving even the Qianlong Hall struggling to handle it.
The entire Jiyang City was turned upside down in the search, but the two culprits strolled through the city streets as if nothing had happened. Mainly because no one suspected them. How could someone who threw around thousands of gold at the Feixue Pavilion be a common thief like Kong Kong'er? Their demeanor just didn't fit the profile of habitual criminals.
Yan Chun Jun's mansion was in utter chaos, but fortunately, Yan Chun Jun himself was away leading the allied forces against Qin, giving them time to cover it up.
"Any leads on who it is?" The Mohist leader, Six-Fingered Black Hero, asked Master Ban.
"Absolutely no clues. We've checked all the wandering knights and experts who entered Jiyang City recently—none of them." Master Ban replied. The worst part was that Yan Chun Jun's household didn't even know how many intruders there were or what they looked like. And Qianlong Hall only handled fencing goods; they never leaked client information.
With Qianlong Hall's help, Li Haimo and Xiao Meng successfully bought a small estate outside Jiyang City for three thousand gold. It came with hot springs, farmland, and a small lake.
"Senior Brother, the farmers have Qianlong Hall to make money—how does our Daoist sect earn its keep?" Xiao Meng had never paid attention to such things before, but after spending so much this time, she finally thought to ask.
Li Haimo looked at her. Are you sure you're the head of the Tianzong? You've never looked into this?
"Funerals, weddings, auspicious and inauspicious divinations, fortune-telling, and character analysis—these are the ways Daoist disciples make a living when they're out in the world. Then, our Daoist sect has fiefdoms in various vassal states, and there's the calendar. Every year, the states send vast sums for the calendar, more than enough to support all Daoist disciples." Li Haimo explained.
The fiefdoms were tax-free and substantial; for instance, the area around Taiyi Mountain spanned a hundred li, including two nearby counties, so the income was considerable.
The most profitable venture was astronomy and calendrics. Each state had its own observatory—though named differently—and the positions of Chief Astronomer were held by Daoist elders, bringing in generous salaries. The calendars themselves fetched even higher prices: tens of thousands of gold per state per year. But this "gold" wasn't actual gold; it was high-quality yellow copper, suitable for minting coins.
Thus, the Daoist sect's assets were immense. Plus, Daoists mostly secluded themselves on Taiyi Mountain for personal cultivation, with few places to spend money, so wealth accumulated. Unlike the farmers, who supported hundreds of thousands of disciples and resorted to various schemes to scrape by—without state backing, no less. Qianlong Hall might bring in money, but with such vast numbers, they were always in the red.
The two settled into their small estate outside Jiyang City. Aside from the tenant farmers, the courtyard had no stewards or servants. The Daoist sect didn't preach frugality, but self-sufficiency was the norm—no need for others to wait on them. That's why Taiyi Mountain lacked hordes of attendants.
Their days were spent in cultivation, wandering and playing around, seeing no outsiders. Occasionally, they'd check the fields to observe the growth of plants and crops. After all, calendars weren't made just by observing the heavens; one had to study the seasonal changes in agriculture as well. This was a required practice for Daoist disciples: emulating heaven, earth, and nature.
Sometimes they'd go into the city for rice, oil, salt, and other essentials, or visit the Feixue Pavilion to watch Xue Nu dance. But Xiao Meng didn't dare splash thousands of gold anymore—one theft was enough, two was pushing it, three... well, they'd see when they ran out. Who could resist such a fat sheep right there? As for getting caught—heh, Daoist Dream Butterfly Escape and Blending with Light and Dust are essential for getaway. Add Riding the Void on the Wind, and spotting us would be their loss.
During this time, the two learned that Jing Ke and Gao Jianli had gone to Wuguan to rescue Kuang Xiu. They failed to save him and were nearly killed by the Wang family's Hundred Battles Piercing Armor soldiers. If not for Jing Ke's final burst, carrying Gao Jianli through the encirclement, they'd have died at Wuguan. Wang Jian, pained by losses to his Hundred Battles troops, didn't pursue too far. Besides, he hadn't intended to escalate; it was just a show to warn the jianghu folk.
Even so, Jing Ke and Gao Jianli's chivalrous reputation spread among the wandering knights. Most remarkably, they encountered Ying Zheng—who'd heeded Li Haimo's advice to personally tour the common folk—and Gai Nie, becoming friends. Of course, that was Jing Ke; Gao Jianli didn't dare linger in Qin, so he fled back to Yan.
Fate twisted oddly—the original timeline had Jing Ke meeting Ying Zheng and Gai Nie after the Kuang Xiu incident. Everything had returned to its initial track.
But the real big event was the Six Kingdoms' united vertical alliance attacking Qin. Pang Yuan led an isolated force deep in, encountering Wang Jian's Hundred Battles Piercing Armor—Jing Ke and the others just happened to be there. Originally, Wang Jian guarded Wuguan, but it was replaced by someone else: Liao, a famed figure in military history.
Few might know of Liao, but he later became the Imperial Lieutenant under the First Emperor, essentially the supreme military commander. Renowned military texts include Wu Qi's Art of War, Sunzi's Art of War, Sun Bin's Art of War, Bai Qi's Art of War—and after retiring, Liao authored Wei Liaozi.
With Liao guarding Hangu Pass, the military school's giant entered the fray. Then the Yin-Yang school's left and right protectors and Dong Jun appeared, followed by the Mohist leader. It was a clash of the Hundred Schools. In the end, the Mohists lost two major commanders; the Yin-Yang school's Xing Hun was gravely injured, and the Greater and Lesser Siming suffered one death and one wound. Wei's Iron Armor Gate led the Wei Wuzu into battle, only to be slaughtered or crippled by Qin's Golden Eagle Sharpshooters.
Pang Yuan and Wang Jian clashed fiercely in the Wei River Valley. Midway through, the Six Kingdoms' allied forces retreated, ambushed by Liao's arriving troops. Pang Yuan committed suicide, and his hundred thousand elite troops were buried in the Wei River Valley. The Six Kingdoms' final vertical alliance failed.
Yan Chun Jun returned with his army—bizarrely, he'd left with sixty thousand troops and returned with sixty thousand, unscathed.
Yet this alliance led to the complete disappearance of Wei's Wei Wuzu. Korea lost vast territories, its defenses retreating to Nanyang City—just seven or eight days from the capital, Xinzheng. Zhao's Hu Cavalry Archers suffered heavy casualties. Chu, as the surprise force entering Wuguan toward Xianyang, lost a hundred thousand outright.
So, the heaviest losses fell on Chu, Zhao, and Wei. Qi and Yan oddly had similar records: zero casualties on return. Poor Wei, without its Wei Wuzu, could no longer withstand Qin's edge.
But Qin fared poorly too—mobilizing two hundred thousand, losing over half. They couldn't advance east anytime soon. This aligned with the Six Kingdoms' initial vertical goal, explaining the later collapse. Wei couldn't afford more damage; Zhao needed its Hu Cavalry Archers against the northern Xiongnu. Korea had scant forces to begin with, and with Qi and Yan slacking, unity dissolved.
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