One of the two men was thin and delicate, exuding a feminine aura. His face was heavily made up and as pale as paper—not the paleness of illness, but a natural hue that gave him an eerie, sinister look.
The other was tall and imposing, with a steady aura and sharp eyes that seemed to see through everything. Though only twenty years old, a few strands of white hair had already appeared on his head.
The delicate man was none other than Zhao Gao, summoned by the System. The tall man, radiating an indescribable presence, was Zhang Han.
Upon seeing Ying Ji, both knelt down immediately, their faces filled with reverence, and shouted in unison.
"Your servants Zhao Gao and Zhang Han pay homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! We are guilty of failing to protect Your Highness and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, forcing you to suffer in Yan!"
Ying Ji straightened his rough linen robe, looked at Zhao Gao and Zhang Han, and spoke calmly yet authoritatively: "Rise. You traveled thousands of miles from Xianyang to this cold, barren land of Yan to find me and my mother—your loyalty is undeniable. I forgive you both of all crimes."
...
Zhao Gao and Zhang Han exchanged a speechless glance. Both had been trusted ministers by Emperor Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng's side, yet in the blink of an eye, they had become subordinates of the future King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Ying Ji.
They knew well that Ying Ji would one day become a great ruler—leading Qin to defeat the combined armies of the nine states, nearly a million strong. It was this victory that allowed Qin to expand eastward, contend for dominance under heaven, and lay the foundation for the unification of the six states.
It was no exaggeration to say that Qin Shi Huang had built the Great Qin on a smooth path; all obstacles had already been cleared by his ancestors. If King Zhaoxiang had not died prematurely, no one could say who would have truly unified the world!
Of course, the most awkward part was that Ying Ji, King Zhaoxiang, was Qin Shi Huang's own grandfather.
She had thought the men were the Yan thugs who guarded them, but instead, they were two strangers—strangers who treated her son with immense respect.
Ying Ji took Mi Yue's hands and explained gently: "It's alright, Mother. They are part of a secret force under my command. They've come to rescue us and take us back to Qin."
"What? Ji, they're your subordinates? How is that possible? I've watched you every step of the way—I know everything you do. I never knew you had two such men under you, and they even call themselves 'your servants'! If they truly served you, how could they let you suffer in this cold, miserable Yan?"
"Mother, in Qin, we have no support from veteran ministers or loyal generals. Every step we take is like walking on thin ice. Even if I secretly raised a group of subordinates, how could I dare expose them to my elder brothers' eyes?"
Ying Ji smiled as he explained—this was a lie he had crafted overnight.
"What? Ji, you mean you've secretly cultivated your own forces?" Mi Yue exclaimed with joy. After all, in these turbulent times, strength in one's own hands was the most important thing.
"Of course, Mother. In fact, coming to Yan was mainly to escape my elder brothers' scrutiny. Father has already named me his heir, but each of my brothers craves the throne. If I don't leave the capital to bide my time, gather my strength, and bide my time, the best I can hope for is to be a puppet King of Qin!"
Mi Yue was lost for words. Ying Ji smiled, satisfied that he had shocked her. He had thought of many ways to reassure his mother, and the best way was to show confidence—like a strategist who could plan victories from thousands of miles away.
Next, Ying Ji turned his attention to Zhao Gao and Zhang Han's personal attributes, wondering if they were from a historical or martial arts plane.
If they were from a historical plane, Zhao Gao's scheming and Zhang Han's military leadership would be of great help to him in the future.
If they were from a martial arts plane, he would have struck gold. After all, there was only one plane where both Zhao Gao and Zhang Han existed, serving under Ying Zheng...
Name: Zhao Gao
Physical State: Healthy
Age: 20
Loyalty: 90
Cultivation: Peak Bone Tempering Grandmaster
Talent: Spirit Rank
Origin: Qin Shi Ming Yue (The Legend of Qin) World
Evaluation: Ruthless and scheming, with a deep mind. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Without the System's loyalty boost, he has the power to plunge the world into chaos and slaughter the common people. However, his abilities are extremely high—he can be trained as a core minister!
Cultivation Manual: Luo Wang Jing (Net of Luo Scripture)
Note: Configured by the System. Exclusive cultivation manual of the Luo Wang Assassin Group, with extremely fast advancement. Evolved from the Tian Luo Di Wang Jue (Heavenly Net and Earthly Web Secret Art), practiced by the Thirty-Six Divine Generals of the Heavenly Court in myth. When cultivated to a high level, thirty-six practitioners can form a "Heavenly Net and Earthly Web." This manual has enormous potential!
System Introduction: Zhao Gao, from the Qin Shi Ming Yue world, is one of the top experts in that realm. He has served Emperor Ying Zheng since he was the emperor's carriage driver, earning his deep trust. Later, he rose to the position of Director of the Imperial Carriage House. He commands the Luo Wang Assassin Group, a fearsome imperial weapon responsible for monitoring and investigating martial artists, the Hundred Schools of Thought, gathering intelligence, and carrying out assassinations—six roles in one. He is Ying Zheng's loyal lackey. Upon summoning, he brings fifty members of the Luo Wang Assassin Group with him.
The Luo Wang Assassin Group is composed of escaped death row inmates and wandering swordsmen, trained rigorously. Assassins are divided into eight ranks: Tian (Heaven), Sha (Kill), Di (Earth), Jue (Extreme), Chi (Demon), Mei (Ghost), Wang (Evil), Liang (Wicked). Among them are Tian-rank assassins Jing Niao (Osprey), Yan Ri (Covering Sun), Xuan Jian (Black Scissors), and the strongest assassin team—the Six Swordsmen. The total number of members is one thousand.
Except for the fifty ordinary Luo Wang members Zhao Gao brings with him, the rest must be exchanged by the host using Merit Points.
Note: The Luo Wang led by Zhao Gao and the Shadow Secret Guards led by Zhang Han are rivals. Please use them wisely, Host!
...
Name: Zhang Han
Physical State: Healthy
Loyalty: 90
Cultivation: Mid Bone Tempering Grandmaster
Talent: Spirit Rank
Origin: Qin Shi Ming Yue (The Legend of Qin) World
Evaluation: Loyal and straightforward, with great popularity. He is free-spirited and not obsessed with power—he can be trained as a core minister!
Cultivation Manual: Tian Ying Jue (Heavenly Shadow Secret Art)
Note: Configured by the System. Exclusive cultivation manual of the Shadow Secret Guards, with extremely fast advancement. One of the top cultivation manuals in the Main God's Temple, a powerful organization across endless time and space. When cultivated to a high level, it can create an boundless shadow world, allowing the practitioner to hide within and form a domain that even laws cannot detect. This manual has enormous potential!
System Introduction: Zhang Han, from the Qin Shi Ming Yue world, is one of the top experts in that realm. He was discovered by Emperor Ying Zheng and taken into his service. When Ying Zheng had not yet seized full power and the court was controlled by the powerful chancellor Lü Buwei, Zhang Han secretly recruited and trained dead soldiers—totaling one thousand men. Upon summoning, he brings fifty ordinary Shadow Secret Guards with him.
After training, they became an indispensable force in overthrowing Chancellor Lü Buwei. Ying Zheng made them his personal guard unit, led by the famous general Zhang Han and including the future Military Immortal Han Xin.
The Shadow Secret Guards are also responsible for gathering intelligence and arresting lawbreakers. They were named "Shadow Secret Guards"—meaning "like maggots on bones, like shadows following form." Except for the fifty ordinary Shadow Secret Guards Zhang Han brings with him, the rest must be exchanged by the host using Merit Points!
Note: The Shadow Secret Guards led by Zhang Han and the Luo Wang led by Zhao Gao are rivals. Please use them wisely, Host.
After reading their profiles, Ying Ji had two thoughts. First, he had struck luck—the Cosmic Empire System was incredible! It could even obtain cultivation manuals from the Heavenly Court and the Main God's Temple of the Reincarnation Space. Is there anything this System couldn't do?
Second, he remembered the evaluations of the Shadow Secret Guards and Luo Wang from online novel authors in his past life: the Bloodthirsty Luo Wang, the Shadowless Secret Guards!
It seemed the common belief that the Luo Wang completely suppressed the Shadow Secret Guards was not unfounded. For one thing, the Shadow Secret Guards only had Zhang Han and Han Xin as their leaders; the other members were evenly matched in strength—no weaklings, but no powerhouses either. Their only admirable traits were their flawless coordination and brotherly camaraderie.
Even without Zhao Gao, the Luo Wang had three Tian-rank assassins and the Six Swordsmen, plus many other powerful members.
With Zhao Gao, they were even more terrifying. Zhao Gao was a Peak Bone Tempering Grandmaster—only one step away from condensing true qi into zhenyuan, releasing zhenyuan as gang qi, having blood energy as heavy as a mountain, possessing ten thousand jin of strength, and being able to fly! A being like that could only be surrounded and killed by thousands of elite soldiers armed with powerful bows and crossbows. He was truly terrifying.
Of course, Zhang Han's strength was only enough to face one Tian-rank Luo Wang assassin. Once, the two Tian-rank assassins Jing Niao and Yan Ri ganged up on Zhang Han, and he couldn't even resist. If Han Xin hadn't saved him, he would have died in the Luo Wang's scheme long ago.
This didn't mean the Shadow Secret Guards were weaker than the Luo Wang, though. They just lacked high-end combat power. Without Han Xin, Zhang Han was their only visible leader. In fact, the mid-tier strength of the Shadow Secret Guards surpassed that of the Luo Wang—with the same number of men, they could even defeat the Luo Wang's Di-rank assassins.
"Zhao Gao, Zhang Han—do you recognize me?" Ying Ji asked with a smile, knowing they retained their memories.
"By the way, Zhao Gao—where is your Luo Wang? And Zhang Han, your Shadow Secret Guards? I have long admired these two great weapons of the empire."
Ying Ji spoke truthfully—he really wanted to see the glory of the Shadow Secret Guards and the Luo Wang.
"This...!" Zhao Gao and Zhang Han hesitated, looking embarrassed. It wasn't that they didn't want to show them off, but the men they had brought were just ordinary members, not elites. They were ashamed to present such a shabby group to Ying Ji.
If they had brought their elites, they would have been eager to show them off to their future great ruler, to earn his full attention!
"It's alright, no need to be embarrassed. I am in dire need of men right now. As long as they are loyal, I won't mind."
Ying Ji could roughly guess their thoughts. He also wanted to see the quality of the "ordinary" members in their eyes!
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The two saluted, then sent out the unique signals of their organizations to summon the Shadow Secret Guards and Luo Wang assassins.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A rustling of footsteps followed. Centered on the small hut where Ying Ji and Mi Yue lived, people surged in from all directions. In an instant, the courtyard and the roofs of the surrounding houses were filled with figures.
One group wore purple soft armor, with specially made helmets whose brims covered their eyes, hiding their faces. They wore short blades forged from hundred-refined steel at their waists and carried iron chains.
The other group wore black tight-fitting suits, bamboo hats, and black face scarves, holding fine iron long swords in their hands.
Counting carefully, there were fifty men in purple soft armor and fifty in black face scarves—one hundred men in total.
All one hundred knelt on one knee before Ying Ji, shouting in unison: "Your servants pay homage to Your Highness!"
Their voices were deafening, as if they would pierce the sky—leaving Mi Yue even more shocked.