The Qin army had already entered Luoyi, surrounding the royal palace.
At this moment, the palace of the Zhou King had become the residence of Ying Ji. Both inside and outside the halls, the place was filled with Qin people. The Duke of Western Zhou and the Zhou King, Ji Yan, could only wait in the palace, trembling with fear day and night.
Qingnu flipped over the wall, moving with practiced ease.
Since the Son of Heaven of Zhou moved to Luoyi, the royal palace had lacked the funds for expansion. For hundreds of years, it was only repaired when broken.
As the prestige and power of the Zhou royal family dwindled, even the money for repairs vanished. Now, aside from a few core halls that looked presentable, the other pavilions and towers had long since fallen into ruin. Thinking back to the banks of the Wei River, how majestic and martial had Ji Fa been?
It was pitiable, lamentable.
Perhaps Di Xin's final, grand Jiao-sacrifice had truly succeeded.
Throughout the eight-hundred-year reign of Zhou, aside from the relatively stable two hundred years of the Western Zhou period, the royal house had been teetering in the wind for the following five hundred years, with constant strife across the land.
"What a pity, what a pity."
Qingnu shook her head and sighed, arriving at Ji Yan's sleeping quarters.
Inside the chamber, an old man dressed in royal robes sat quietly on the edge of the bed. Seeing Qingnu enter, he showed no sign of panic.
Upon seeing this, Qingnu twitched her nose, then quickly stepped back, turning to leave. But at that moment, large groups of Qin soldiers clad in sturdy armor and holding sharp weapons rushed from both sides of the chamber doors. They firmly blockaded the entrance, giving Qingnu no chance to escape.
"Immortal, why the hurry to leave? I still wish to converse with you."
The old man stood up and walked slowly toward Qingnu.
"It seems winter really isn't a good time for activity. My brain has grown quite dull; I didn't even realize this was a trap!"
Qingnu muttered to herself, rubbing her head. She glanced back at the Great Demon King of the Warring States walking toward her and asked, "Kid, let me ask you, where is Ji Yan?"
"The Son of Heaven is not here. After I have finished speaking with the immortal, I will naturally lead you to see him."
Ying Ji smiled, speaking softly to Qingnu.
Qingnu narrowed her eyes. She turned and grabbed the chamber doors, then with a yank, she ripped them straight off their hinges and fashioned them into a chair.
Sitting on the makeshift chair, she looked at Ying Ji and asked, "Tell me, how do you know about me?"
It felt very much as if Qingnu was the one interrogating Ying Ji.
Ying Ji was stunned for a moment, finding this sensation quite novel. He coughed once, signaling the Qin soldiers not to be nervous, before saying to Qingnu, "Naturally, I heard from Mister Zhang Yi that he had a beautiful teacher!"
"So it was that kid!"
Qingnu gritted her teeth, feeling a sudden urge to dig up Zhang Yi's grave.
She ground her teeth and asked, "What else? You could identify me and even be sure I’d come here based on just one sentence from him? Are you trying to trick a snake?"
"Naturally, it was more than that!"
Ying Ji nodded and continued, "After King Ping moved the capital east, my Qin ancestors were constantly fighting the Quanrong on the Zhou Plains! After the death of King Xie, Ji Yuchen, many of the Zongzhou records were scattered. My Qin state happened to obtain some of them! I learned of the existence of a Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens!"
"Those are legends passed down from the time of King Mu!"
"If I am not mistaken, that Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens should be you, immortal?"
Qingnu nodded and replied, "Yes, it's me."
Her straightforward answer surprised Ying Ji slightly, though he quickly understood. Being an immortal, she naturally wouldn't have the same pretenses of modesty as common mortals. Immortals came and went like the wind, free and unrestrained.
Seeing Ying Ji staring at her, Qingnu asked, "So, you sought me out just to chat? Aren't you bored?"
"Of course not!"
Ying Ji shook his head. He took a step forward, closing in on Qingnu.
With eyes burning with intensity, he watched her and said, "I wish to ask the immortal to bless my Great Qin! Whether you grant me longevity or grant Great Qin favorable weather and harvests! Either will suffice!"
"The way you say it, it's as if I should be grateful to give you a blessing?"
Qingnu gave him a strange look and waved her hand. "No, no. Stay away from me! Don't you know this is very impolite?"
Ying Ji froze, then gave a light cough. "I have been abrupt. Please do not take offense, immortal."
Qingnu rested her chin on her hand, looking at Ying Ji. "Ying Xiaomi, since you know of my existence from the Zongzhou records, you should understand the consequences of making a deal with me. Yet you still come rushing in?"
"Consequences?"
Ying Ji was stunned.
Seeing his blank expression, Qingnu was speechless.
"So you actually don't know?"
Ying Ji's expression turned slightly awkward. He spoke slowly, "The Zongzhou records were damaged by the Quanrong, after all; not much remained. I only confirmed your existence through various cross-references! These... consequences, what are they?"
"Come, lead me to Ji Yan, and you will see."
Qingnu waved her hand and commanded.
Ying Ji looked at Qingnu, seemingly trying to determine if she was using this as an excuse to trick him into taking her to Ji Yan.
After thinking for a long time, Ying Ji couldn't imagine what the consequences could be. He could only nod and lead her to another sleeping chamber—that place was Ji Yan's actual domain.
At this time, Ji Yan lay feebly on the bed, his days numbered.
"Oh! Good thing he hasn't died yet."
Qingnu clicked her tongue and shook her head. If he were dead, she would have had to dig the grave herself.
She looked back at Ying Ji and smiled slightly. "Ying Xiaomi, did you know? Yu the Great's flood control, Tang of Shang's overthrow of the Xia, and King Wu's campaign against Zhou—I was there for all of them! The sage kings of the three dynasties all received my help!"
Hearing this, Ying Ji's expression grew even more excited.
"You truly are an auspicious immortal!"
If they could obtain Qingnu's help, wouldn't that prove their Great Qin could unify the world?
"But as for the consequences..."
Qingnu's tone shifted suddenly as she drew the sword from the waist of a nearby Qin general.
The general tried to lunge forward to reclaim it, but Qingnu kicked him straight out of the chamber, his body smashing through the chamber doors.
This single kick left countless people shocked!
Qingnu said, "My apologies. I might have broken a few of his bones, but he shouldn't die."
The corners of Ying Ji's and the others' mouths twitched.
Qingnu held the sword and walked toward Ji Yan. Seeing her actions, Ying Ji frowned and asked, "Immortal, what are you doing?"
"Demonstrating the consequences to you!"
Qingnu replied, before raising the sword and plunging it into Ji Yan's heart!
His heart-blood dripped from the tip of the blade onto the floor. Qingnu quickly untied the gourd at her waist to catch it.
Ji Yan's face contorted in extreme pain. After a few breaths, he fell silent, dead.
"This... this is..."
Ying Ji stood frozen in place, utterly shocked.
Qingnu shook the gourd and clipped it back to her waist. She turned to look at Ying Ji and said slowly, "This is the consequence of a deal with me! It is also the price. Inside this gourd of mine is the heart-blood of Jie of Xia, Di Xin of Shang, and now Ji Yan—the last kings of the three dynasties!"
"Ying Ji, your Great Qin is next!"
Qingnu declared.
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