"This style of doing things is very Daoist—either they don't act at all, or when they do, they strike straight at the weak point." Zhang Liang sighed as well. Everything the Confucians had done had become shrouded in mystery because of the Daoists' intervention. When it came to manipulating people's hearts, the Daoists were true experts.
Han Fei cast a doubtful glance at Wei Zhuang. Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, aside from the Daoists, the Guiguzi school should be the most adept at controlling human hearts. After all, the core of Guiguzi teachings was precisely about grasping people's minds. Yet Wei Zhuang seemed a bit... underwhelming. He must be from the most incompetent generation of Guiguzi vertical-and-horizontal strategists that Han Fei knew of.
Wei Zhuang sensed the scrutiny in his gaze, and with a flick of his thumb, the Shark Teeth sword slid halfway out of its sheath.
Han Fei immediately averted his eyes, but deep down, he was even more convinced: indeed, this generation of vertical-and-horizontal masters was the most useless in history.
If you don't believe it, just look—Pang Juan emerged from the mountains and immediately became the supreme general of Wei, turning it into the hegemon of the Central Plains and nearly wiping out Qin. Then there's Sun Bin: upon leaving the mountains, he orchestrated the "besiege Wei to rescue Zhao" strategy, shattering Wei's ambitions to dominate the Central Plains, and became Qi's military advisor. Look at Zhang Yi and Su Qin: one promoted the "connect horizontally, ally far and attack near" policy, making Qin and Qi the eastern and western emperors; the other forged the "unite vertically" alliance, gathering the armies of the six states to force Qin off its imperial pedestal, preventing it from claiming the title.
But what had Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang accomplished after leaving the mountains? Gai Nie became the personal bodyguard of the King of Qin, while Wei Zhuang holed up in the pleasure quarters of Zi Lan Xuan. Their entrances onto the stage were on completely different levels. The previous Guiguzi disciples burst forth as prime ministers, military advisors, or supreme generals of various states. Yet our Guiguzi disciples ended up as a royal guard and a brothel enforcer.
"My senior brother and I studied swordsmanship and military strategy."
Wei Zhuang felt the need to explain. He had noticed that his and Gai Nie's paths after leaving the mountains didn't match the flair of their predecessors at all. Sun Bin's emergence, for instance, drew envoys from the Seven States to wait respectfully outside Guiguzi's gates. In contrast, Wei Zhuang had come to Han's Xin Zheng to become a underworld boss and brothel thug, while his senior brother Gai Nie served as the King of Qin's top bodyguard. Wei Zhuang realized the gap between them and their forebears was enormous.
The Daoists were amateurs at manipulating hearts; Guiguzi was the professional. Yet here he was, outmaneuvered by amateurs—it made him feel utterly useless.
Thinking of this, Wei Zhuang's mood soured completely. It was the Daoists again: first, getting beaten in a fight by a little girl. Now, when he wanted to use Tian Ze and the Baiyue people to counter Qin, the Daoists popped up to stir trouble. Were the Daoists cursed or something? Why were they always targeting him?
And what was with those looks from the others—doubting him? Especially Han Fei: if you're suspicious, fine, but do you have to show it? Learn from your sister—she only looks at me with admiration. Or at least emulate Zhang Liang and the others: see through it but don't say it, keeping it completely hidden. Does he think being my future brother-in-law means he can do whatever he wants? Does he assume the Shark Teeth isn't sharp?
"The last person who looked at me like that is now at the bottom of Xin Zheng's moat." Wei Zhuang decided it was time to remind Han Fei what a Shark Teeth haircut felt like.
Han Fei, Zhang Liang, and the others shuddered, nearly forgetting that this "budget version" of Guiguzi vertical-and-horizontal had what seemed to be the strongest cultivation among all generations of disciples. Thinking of it that way brought some comfort—at least they excelled in cultivation within the vertical-and-horizontal lineage, so they weren't entirely useless.
"If the Daoists said something to Tian Ze that caused his change, then what do the Daoists want? Can they solve this ethnic issue? It's impossible to make everyone in the world act like them and stop seeing themselves as human." Nong Yu asked.
This was the answer she wanted most: how could anyone possibly eliminate ethnic conflicts? Not everyone was a Daoist.
"So that's Daoism for you," Zi Nu answered on her behalf.
Daoist actions had this bizarre flair: they'd tell you the reason, and then... sorry, that's it. Figure it out yourself. So there was no "and then."
"..." Nong Yu, Wei Zhuang, and the others fell into stunned silence, utterly speechless in the face of such a powerful response. That's Daoism for you!
"What do you think about Yan Ling Ji and Wu Shuang Gui?" Zi Nu asked.
Though Tian Ze's group had disbanded, Yan Ling Ji and Wu Shuang Gui had stayed with them, so they still had allies. But these two were free agents now, unbound and uncontrolled.
"Wu Shuang Gui would absolutely be a one-man army in the military—a figure who could charge through ten thousand troops to claim an enemy general's head, just like Wei's Wei Wu Zu commander, Dian Qing," Wei Zhuang said. Compared to Yan Ling Ji, he preferred Wu Shuang Gui; the man was a natural-born fierce general.
"He only listens to Yan Ling Ji—you can't sweet-talk him over," Han Fei said, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact.
If not for your threats, I'd straight-up tell you how useless you are. Someone dismantled Tian Ze's group with just words, and even after the people were delivered to your room, you couldn't keep them.
Wei Zhuang felt an overwhelming urge to strike someone down, but the guy was his future brother-in-law—what to do? His hand itched, yearning to give someone a haircut.
"Without Tian Ze's restraint, Yan Ling Ji acts recklessly and is bound to cause trouble sooner or later," Zhang Liang reminded them.
It wasn't that they didn't recognize Yan Ling Ji as a valuable asset, but look at what she'd done under Tian Ze: assassinating King An of Han, setting fire to the Han palace, burning Xin Zheng—she was practically a serial arsonist. Now with Wu Shuang Gui as her bodyguard, it was the perfect combo for murder and mayhem. But who could rein them in?
Everyone turned to Han Fei. Yan Ling Ji had flirted with him more than once—maybe sacrificing a bit of his charm could actually work.
"You probably don't know this, but in Baiyue, some women's status is higher than men's, like their high priests and saintesses. Yan Ling Ji is the Flame Saintess in Baiyue. Do you think she's the type to follow the three obediences and four virtues?" Han Fei said with a bitter smile.
If looks could kill—well, glancing at Zi Nu, he still didn't dare. Were women these days all so fierce? One Zi Nu was already more than he could handle; adding someone who played with fire at the drop of a hat would destroy his Sikou residence.
Zi Nu noted his survival instinct and ignored him, then said, "I actually think she could serve as Princess Hong Lian's bodyguard."
Han Fei was stunned. Are you trying to make Xin Zheng even more chaotic? One lawless Hong Lian had already turned the city upside down; pairing her with a high-damage habitual arsonist... Heavens, he couldn't even imagine the duo together—how many houses in Xin Zheng would burn daily, how many cases would flood the Sikou office?
"I think it's feasible!" Wei Zhuang chimed in.
Hong Lian had no cultivation and would be at a disadvantage in this world. Yan Ling Ji was strong enough; even if she couldn't win, she could hold out until he arrived. Protecting Hong Lian would be well within her capabilities. As for what Han Fei was worried about—that had nothing to do with him, Wei Zhuang!
"I think we need to consider it carefully," Zhang Liang said. He understood Hong Lian's personality even better than Han Fei. Sending Yan Ling Ji over could spark an explosive reaction. The thought of those two teaming up made Zhang Liang want to flee Xin Zheng altogether.
"Even if we're willing, if she isn't, there's nothing we can do," Han Fei pointed out. She was a habitual arsonist, not one of us—what good was our agreement?
"Why not just ask her opinion?" Nong Yu suggested.
Han Fei and the others paused—right, why not ask what she wanted? No matter how much they speculated, if she disagreed, it was pointless.
"Then who should go talk to her?" Han Fei asked.
"I'll go," Zi Nu said. She knew Han Fei wasn't suited for this, or rather, no man was. Yan Ling Ji wielded fire charm arts from head to toe, exuding allure inside and out—few normal men could resist.
At that moment, Yan Ling Ji sat by the lake in the Sikou residence, lost in thought, twirling her spirit fire hairpin in her hand, her mind wandering who knows where. Wu Shuang Gui sat under a large tree, equally idle.
"Looking for me?" Yan Ling Ji asked, spotting the enchantingly purple-clad Zi Nu.
Zi Nu had been there for a while, unsure how to start.
"We want to know what you plan to do," Zi Nu asked calmly.
"I don't know. I want to find someone, but I don't remember what he looks like—only that he's a Daoist master," Yan Ling Ji replied.
She'd been only three or four when she met the Daoist master, so she couldn't recall his appearance. She just remembered he wanted to take her as a disciple, but she refused, and he gave her a scroll of Daoist heart method instead.
Zi Nu was puzzled—why was Yan Ling Ji seeking a Daoist master? Had the Daoists been plotting in Baiyue that long ago? But considering Daoist style, such scheming was more Confucian; Daoists lacked the inclination. Wouldn't they rather spend that time cultivating immortality?
"When I was very young, I met a Daoist master. He wanted to take me as a disciple, but I refused, so he gave me a scroll of Daoist heart method," Yan Ling Ji explained. Zi Nu was the intelligence hub for Liu Sha; maybe she'd know something.
"Daoist masters are like dragons—seen at the head but not the tail. To find him, you'd first need to know if he's from the Human Sect or the Heaven Sect. If Heaven Sect, he's likely still in Baiyue, since they like to stay put, often in one place for a lifetime. If Human Sect, it'll be hard—they wander like idle clouds and wild cranes, aimlessly, and by the time you hear of them and arrive, they're long gone," Zi Nu analyzed for her.
"Then how do I tell if he's Human Sect or Heaven Sect?" Yan Ling Ji pressed.
"The cultivation method. He gave you a Daoist heart method scroll, right? You can tell which branch it belongs to from that," Zi Nu said.
"But I don't know if this scroll is Heaven Sect or Human Sect," Yan Ling Ji admitted.
Zi Nu thought about it—fair enough. Yan Ling Ji hadn't had much contact with Daoists, so it was normal not to know, and outsiders couldn't distinguish between Heaven and Human Sect methods anyway. Everyone just knew it was Daoist; unless they announced it themselves, no one could tell.
"The Daoists have opened a hotpot restaurant in Xin Zheng. The manager is a Daoist outer disciple, and right now, a Daoist master is in the city. You could try contacting that master through the restaurant manager," Zi Nu suggested.
Mo had opened a hotpot shop, now a booming eatery in Xin Zheng. Zi Nu had investigated and learned that the manager, Mo, was a Daoist outer disciple, so going through Mo to reach Li Hai Mo was her advice for Yan Ling Ji.
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