It is said that Qin Shihuang was controlled by a daughter

That night, the temporary camp in Lingcheng was brightly lit.

The lacquered table was covered with heavy bamboo scrolls... A masked person quickly stepped inside to deliver a message.

—A divine stone descended from the heavens, brimming with light, but unfortunately covered in darkness. Once it is completely removed, it will be respectfully presented to Your Majesty.

Meng Yi, standing beside the desk, slightly furrowed his brow. What Ying Hehua had said before going to Lishan had truly happened! A star had indeed fallen to earth!

Xu Fu spoke eloquently about his views on the matter, while the emperor remained behind a black curtain, making no further moves. After a long while, Ying Zheng finally spoke.

Xu Fu was overjoyed to receive the permission he had expected and happily walked out of the tent.

The sky was dark, and the stars above seemed to shimmer and dazzle, making Xu Fu feel incredibly happy. So much so that he swaggered off to meet someone—his prized disciple whom he had recently taken on.

His apprentice was a man from the state of Yan, who claimed to have a grudge against Qin and brought him back the "Book of Records" from the sea. The prophecy recorded in this book, "The one who will destroy Qin is Hu," is no less powerful than the "Book of Prophecy" by Mo Qi back then.

Ying Zheng firmly believed this, not only speculating on the celestial phenomena surrounding Ying Hehua's birth but also ordering Meng Tian to lead troops to garrison Beijun. Xu Fu believed that Ying Zheng's decisions were inextricably linked to these prophecies. Of course, this was all thanks to his prized disciple.

However, to Xu Fu's regret, his apprentice's face was tattooed by Qin Xing and he always covered his face with an iron helmet, so even Xu Fu had never seen his face.

Although he was an apprentice, Xu Fu felt an instant connection with him, especially when the man from Yan showed great interest in magic arts—Xu Fu gladly accepted him as his apprentice.

He called him "Lu Sheng".

Besides being a Taoist priest, Lu Sheng was also a first-rate master.

Tonight, in the dim candlelight, 'Lu Sheng' met a man in a secluded farmhouse in Lingcheng.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his sharp features appearing much softer than usual under the moonlight.

When Lu Heng heard Li Xian's last order, he showed unprecedented bewilderment.

He was the eldest disciple of Hongzhizi of Ailao Valley, and the senior brother of Jing Ke and Yan Yue.

But nobody knows about something that happened twenty years ago.

The royal family of Yan launched an internal strife, and he was seriously injured. As a defeated nobleman, he was held hostage by his enemies and forced to travel through Zhao and Han. They eventually arrived at a cave in the desolate suburbs of Xianyang, intending to bring him before Lü Buwei.

This was a place full of medicinal herbs. A rustling sound came from the cave. He saw a young herb-gathering boy peeking out of the cave. However, the boy's clothes were covered in mud. Not far away, there were flattened grass and branches on the cliff.

Lu Heng thought the boy had accidentally rolled off the cliff.

The boy asked him, "What did you hear?"

The boy's expression was unusually somber.

But Lu Heng really didn't hear anything.

His enemies came knocking, "Lu Heng, you still want to run away?"

The boy's beautiful, fox-like eyes curved into a smile. Then, blood gushed from the man's throat, and he whimpered, unable to utter a single word.

During the Warring States period, battles between two people often took the form of duels. The young man killed him with a single, unorthodox strike, without any regard for technique, and he didn't seem to realize he had done anything truly terrible.

“Life and death are determined by fate… why bother?” Lu Heng said.

The boy threw down the blood-stained sickle in his hand. "You should feel fortunate that you are someone I met after I started learning medicine." He looked down at Lu Heng and got straight to the point. "The imperial court is recruiting secret experts, and they are in dire need of someone like you. Rather than being held hostage by the Yan people to see the Prime Minister of Qin, you should find a safe haven for yourself so that you can repay my life-saving grace."

"Heh, I was seriously injured and then saved by you, how can you say I'm a master?"

The boy stared at him, a disdainful smile on his face. "Knives may dull, swords may be dulled, but soldiers are an endless supply. Even the most skilled swordsman cannot withstand the royal family's pursuit. Besides, the Prince of Yan is newly enthroned and will not allow anyone to cause him trouble."

"...Are you a Qin person?"

"It wasn't like that a long time ago. But it will be soon, not long ago, and not long from now."

Lu Heng didn't understand.

"Go and see Prime Minister Lü first," the boy said.

After Lu Heng joined the Secret Pavilion, he discovered that Li Xian possessed a maturity far beyond his years.

Lu Heng also visited the elegantly decorated prison that Ying Hehua visited that year.

Those skilled in persuasion believe they have their own methods.

However, for Lu Heng, whether the world belonged to the Ying or someone else made no difference to him. He had always been detached, and essentially, he always carried the same kind of critical eye that his teacher Fan Zeng had—observing the changes in the world from a detached perspective.

Therefore, whether it was Li Xian's assassins or Ying Hehua's secret guards, it made no difference to him.

"So, my lord understands the meaning behind the princess's request for me to become Lu Sheng... But has everything my lord has been laying the groundwork for since eighteen years ago come to an end today?"

Actually, it didn't start today. In Kuaiji County of Chu, the moment he willingly let Xu Zhi coax him into writing down his confession, many things had already ended there.

Before going to Mount Li, Ying Hehua had ordered Lu Heng to investigate immediately. Whatever was written on the meteorite, it could only be the sentence she had given him.

Not long ago, Li Xian had also inquired about the same thing.

No matter how things change, isn't this a case of different paths leading to the same destination?

Therefore, Lu Heng asked the question quite calmly.

A gentle night breeze blew, but one person was far from at peace.

Uncle Chen, standing to the side, was somewhat dumbfounded.

Upon hearing Li Xian's order, Uncle Chen felt that his master was going to repeat the mistake of running away with the princess back then!

And this time it's even worse!

How could Li Xian possibly entertain the idea of ​​abandoning Xianyang?!

The emperor established an empress, but did not establish a crown prince for a long time. Whichever side the Li family stood on would have a greater chance of winning.

It doesn't matter that Princess Yong'an has fallen from grace; there's still the eldest son, Prince Gao, and even the emperor's youngest son, Huhai, has been quite prominent lately.

If the person who becomes the next emperor does so with Li Xian's help, it can be considered a great achievement, and his future treatment will be no worse than that of his father who assisted the First Emperor! Chen Bo thought... no matter which of Yong'an's brothers ascends the throne, Li Xian, as the chief minister, can set the conditions and he will surely be able to marry Yong'an.

Li Xian called for a halt at this moment.

"grown ups?!"

Li Xian didn't say anything more, seemingly unwilling to waste time on such matters. He glanced at Uncle Chen, easily seeing through him, with that air of nonchalant arrogance.

"Since you have been entrusted with this task, why not save your life to see him? Wouldn't that be better?"

Chen Bo watched Lu Heng and Li Xian disappear among the pine trees, then lowered his head and stood with his sword at the ready.

When Li Xian selected people to serve as spies in the State of Zhao, he wasn't the only one. He was lucky; he was the only one among them who survived to the end.

Chen Bo's journey to gain Guo Kai's trust was far from easy. On one occasion, he made a mistake, and Guo Kai was about to kill him. He was saved by a man from Chu who had come to Zhao; that man was from Lingcheng.

At that time, Chen Bo, using the name Mu Ge, said to him: 'You are a good man, and you are quite knowledgeable in the teachings of Huang-Lao. Ge is a boorish person. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely invite you to Yuanyang so that my younger brother can have a proper discussion with you.'

Chen Bo was very proud when he mentioned his younger brother Chen Ping, but it was a pity that he was not fortunate enough to meet the future Prime Minister Chen who was highly praised... He died in the war between Qin and Zhao, leaving his wife and children alone in the world.

The night was as dark as gauze. He took out the carving knife he always carried. On it was a single character carved by the child's father himself. "When he turns ten, Brother Chen, please give it to him for me," Yan said.

Yan named his son 'Sheng'.

The plot involving Lu Heng serving as the princess's secret guard is discussed in chapter 290+, under the heading "Separated by Fire."