Martial Arts Master: The Lin Family Sword God, who swept through the Five Mountains and Four Sects

"How domineering." Her voice was as clear and cold as ice. "You were also the one who personally sent Ba Linglong to the Yellow Springs."

"After a night's rest, your strength should have returned. If you wish to avenge yourself, I'm ready anytime. But I don't believe you'll burn the rest of your life for those assassins." Lin Tian paused. "Pack your things; Zifang will come to pick you up later."

After saying this, he turned and left. Saving her was just a momentary thought; keeping her in the quicksand was the safest move—besides, she was the one who drew out the sharpest thread of Hei Bai Xuan Jian.

A state banquet is a grand ceremony personally hosted by the monarch of a country. It is never held lightly except on auspicious days of major events or when envoys from powerful nations are present.

Although the state of Han was the last of the Seven Warring States, barely surviving between Qin, Wei, and Chu, it was still one of the states. Even if an envoy from Qin came, King An of Han would never have held a state banquet for him unless the envoy was a high-ranking official.

But tonight, this banquet has unexpectedly arrived.

"Sir, is Zheng also going?"

"How could I miss out on such a good opportunity to eat and drink for free? You've already called me 'sir,' how could I let you sit on the sidelines with an empty stomach?" Lin Tian replied with a smile, but in his heart he added: Without you, the one who will establish the dynasty, King An of Han is afraid he will vent all his anger on Han Fei.

Lin Tian had already figured out the details of this banquet—and he also noticed that Han Fei's enthusiasm today seemed to be deliberately "too good."

Logically speaking, a martial arts force like Zilan Pavilion should not have set foot in the royal palace. However, Han Fei, in the name of a close friend, invited them in one by one.

On the surface, it seems sincere and meticulous... but the more respectable it is, the more abnormal it appears; the more thorough it is, the more suspicious it becomes.

An ill-timed banquet, a group of people who shouldn't have been there—from beginning to end, they were silently screaming two words: something fishy was going on.

The system granted him extraordinary abilities, not just to teach him how to kill. In terms of scheming and plotting, he was ten times faster and a hundred times more cunning than ordinary people.

Then, recalling the secret report that Yan Lingji had secretly delivered to Xueyi Hou, and repeatedly considering the abrupt state banquet and Han Fei's unusual attentiveness... a name had already surfaced in Lin Tian's mind—Hei Bai Xuan Jian.

I thought he had distanced himself from the matter, but who knew that King Han was still determined to take Ying Zheng's life!

But... would King An of Han really dare to attack Ying Zheng? If he truly had that kind of courage and skill, how could the state of Han have fallen at his hands?

Although Lin Tian had long foreseen many changes and had calculated everything perfectly, he ultimately did not expect that the one Hei Bai Xuan Jian truly wanted to kill was Han Wang An himself.

Zhang Liang summoned five ornate carriages, adorned with gold and jade, from the palace. Escorted by two columns of elite Han soldiers, they set off from Zilan Pavilion, carrying Lin Tian and his party directly to the royal palace.

Only Wushuang Gui, being too large to squeeze into the carriage, silently followed beside the carriages of Yan Lingji and the other women, walking on foot; the rest of them sat comfortably inside the carriages.

Lin Tian and Ying Zheng rode together in a red-wheeled carriage with brocade curtains, driven by Zhang Liang—who had volunteered to personally hold the reins.

The people of Xinzheng along the way stopped to watch, their eyes filled with admiration and speculation, assuming that this group of people were royalty from some country who had come to attend a banquet.

As dusk settled, the afterglow on the horizon shone like molten gold.

The carriage had just come to a stop in front of the palace gate when a loud, unified voice suddenly rang out from outside: "We, your humble servants, are here on the orders of King Han An to welcome King Qin to the banquet!"

Zhang Liang's voice then rang out from outside the curtain: "Sir, Young Master Ying, please alight from the carriage—we have arrived at the palace gates."

Ying Zheng turned his head to look at Lin Tian from inside the carriage, his eyes flashing slightly: "Sir, did you foresee this?"

Lin Tian's lips curled slightly, his smile calm and composed: "What wall in this world is truly impenetrable? Besides—aren't you afraid?"

Ying Zheng laughed loudly, straightened his clothes and hat, and stepped forward: "Haha! With you by my side, sir, what in the world could make me fear?"

Lin Tian gazed at his youthful yet budding talent, a thought stirring within him: "Does Ying Zheng truly regard me as his mentor now?"

A thought flashed through his mind, and he subconsciously raised his hand to rub the tip of his nose—he was merely using this boy as bait to lure out Hei Bai Xuan Jian.

This emperor, who would later unify the six kingdoms, currently possessed a youthful sincerity and naiveté.

As soon as Ying Zheng stepped off the carriage, all the ministers bowed and prostrated themselves, their voices echoing through the palace gates: "Welcome, King of Qin!"

Han Fei and Han Yu stood side by side at the head of all the officials, their robes magnificent and their demeanor dignified, their every move exuding the noble air of royalty.

Han Yu lowered his voice, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips: "Ninth Brother, you've got some impressive skills! You even managed to persuade the Prince of Qin to come. Father is valuing you even more these days."

Han Fei lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, his tone gentle yet distant: "It's not merely to fulfill my duty as a subject, how dare I claim credit? Everything is the will of Heaven."

"Hmph, fate? It won't always be on your side."

Before he finished speaking, Wei Zhuang and Gai Nie slowly stepped down from the carriage behind him and stood on either side of Ying Zheng, their expressions as cold and sharp as blades.

"The Twin Swords of Guiguzi?"

"He's actually a direct descendant of the Guigu School of Strategists!"

The courtiers were stunned and paled, instinctively mistaking the two men for Ying Zheng's personal guards, which made them realize that the Qin state's foundation was unfathomable.

However, in the next instant, everyone's pupils shrank—Ying Zheng, who was supposed to be the first to enter the palace, turned around and bowed deeply to Lin Tian, ​​clasping his hands high in a gesture of respect as if he were a teacher: "Please go first, sir, I will follow later."

The entire court was stunned! They had just assumed the young man was a close attendant, but who would have thought he was actually the teacher of the King of Qin?

"This man is barely twenty years old, yet he is the tutor of the King of Qin? Unheard of! From which branch of the philosophers does he belong?"

"Qin was founded on law, so this person must undoubtedly be a giant of Legalism!"

"But Li Si is still in Xianyang, and Shang Yang has been dead for a century... This person is definitely not one of them!"

Whispers rose like a tide, quietly surging before the steps, everyone staring at Lin Tian, ​​their eyes filled with astonishment and suspicion.

Han Yu's gaze suddenly darkened, locking onto Lin Tian: It was him? A Qin man? Or Ying Zheng's true mentor?

As the curtains of the last few carriages were lifted, Zi Nu, Nong Yu, Yan Ling Ji, and Li Wu stepped down gracefully—in an instant, the entire courtyard fell silent, even the wind seemed to freeze.

Han Yu's breath hitched, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets!

Zi Nu and Nong Yu lived deep within the Zi Lan Xuan, where ordinary people could hardly even step across the threshold, let alone meet them—without power, wealth, or close friendship, one could not even dream of seeing them.

The appearance of the two together caused a sensation throughout the city.

Yan Lingji, clad in fiery red, possessed a captivating allure and natural charm; Li Wu, in a pristine white robe, was coldly beautiful and alluring, yet refined and elegant. Their origins remained a mystery, yet both were breathtakingly beautiful.

The four beauties stood side by side, like cherry blossoms in spring, lotus in summer, osmanthus in autumn, and plum blossoms in winter blooming together in one courtyard. Even the armored soldiers holding halberds on the palace wall forgot to blink, staring intently, their Adam's apples bobbing up and down.

The most astonishing scene, one that nearly made your jaw drop, followed immediately—more dizzying than Ying Zheng performing the teacher's salute, and more mesmerizing than the appearance of the Ghost Valley Twin Swords.

Ying Zheng smiled and turned to the four women behind him, bowing respectfully. His voice was clear and melodious: "Ladies of the gentlemen, please accompany your masters to the palace; I will follow shortly."

Lin Tian stumbled and almost fell to the ground! He hurriedly grabbed the carriage shaft to steady himself, and when he looked up, he met Ying Zheng's amused expression—a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth, a raised eyebrow, and a sly smug look in his eyes.

You brat? You're deliberately sabotaging me! You're clearly resentful that I knew everything about you early on, but you pretended not to hear and deliberately kept it from you!