12dz Chapter 87: Backlash
Chapter 87: Backlash
"Creak!"
The door was pushed open.
"A Grand Master?!"
Upon seeing who it was, Feng Zhixue, who was guarding the door, exclaimed with delight. Zheng Ze, who had been holding a long sword and looking as if facing a formidable enemy, also visibly relaxed and quietly put the sword down.
Feng Zhixue looked into the hall and asked eagerly.
"Zhao Gao, he..."
"He's dead."
Zou Yun nodded slightly, his voice calm.
"Great! This is truly eliminating a traitor for the country!!"
Unable to contain his excitement, Feng Zhixue walked straight past Zou Yun into the main hall.
The hall was dimly lit, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.
Zhao Gao's lonely head was resting on the floor tiles at an extremely strange angle, his eyes fixed on the imperial desk.
No one knows what the last thought of this power-wielding man was before he died.
But for an ambitious person, dying at the center of power might be the best end.
"Then we may proceed with the next step of our plan."
Zheng Ze stepped forward and said in a deep voice.
Zou Yun did not respond immediately; his gaze went beyond the eaves and toward the direction of the Immortal Temple.
"How are Wei Shuqing and Shi Gong settled in?"
"As per your orders, the people of the Immortal Temple have been relocated to Shu."
Feng Zhixue quickly came to his senses and said excitedly, "We'll also take all the books from the Epang Palace with us."
"very good."
Zou Yun nodded again, a hint of satisfaction flashing across his face.
"Next, all I need to do is order the city to surrender to Liu Bang, and then I can help him end the chaos as soon as possible."
"Grand Master, do you believe that Liu Bang is capable of conquering the world?"
Zheng Ze frowned slightly and offered a different perspective.
"But I have heard it said that even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin. Xiang Yu was the bravest in the army, and his troops were invincible wherever they went. Shouldn't he be the more likely one to win the world?"
A glint flashed in Feng Zhixue's eyes, and he tacitly agreed with his words, which actually represented the general understanding of many people at the time.
"Oh!"
Zou Yun chuckled lightly and said calmly.
"Xiang Yu was unstoppable, but wherever he went, he either slaughtered or killed, and the world feared him but did not love him."
"Liu Bang may seem ordinary, but he was able to win people over; many of the most talented people in the land gathered under his command."
"You will rise to power by this, and you will also perish by this!"
"Those who gain power will eventually lose it, while those who win the hearts of the people will eventually win the world."
A slight smile played on Zou Yun's lips as he looked at Zheng Ze. "What does Mr. Zheng think?"
"It seems that this Duke Pei indeed has qualities that ordinary people cannot match."
After a moment of silence, Zheng Ze sighed, and Feng Zhixue nodded in agreement.
"Alright."
Zou Yun withdrew his gaze, his tone returning to its usual calm, "I'm going to write a surrender edict. You all wait here for a moment."
After saying this, he turned and entered Zhangtai Palace.
As Feng Zhixue watched Zou Yun's retreating figure, the tension that had been building in his heart finally eased completely.
To be honest, the situation has never been better since he followed the Grand Master.
Now, Ying Zheng, who forced them to refine the elixir of immortality, is dead, and Zhao Gao, who plotted to kill Fusu and Meng Tian, has also been killed by the Grand Master.
At this moment, the power in the world is in its most chaotic state, and no one cares about these outsiders.
For a moment, Feng Zhixue felt an unprecedented sense of ease, and even his breathing became much easier.
Next, once the Grand Master finishes writing the edict, they can flee to Shu.
If they advance, they can assist Liu Bang as the Grand Master advised; if they retreat, they can remain in a safe place and observe the situation.
If things continue like this, the days to come will simply be...
"Snap—"
A crisp sound broke Feng Zhixue's endless reverie.
Just as Zou Yun had reached the door, the bamboo slip in his hand suddenly slipped from his grasp.
"Master, you are too careless."
Feng Zhixue quickly stepped forward and picked up the imperial edict that had fallen to the ground.
When he looked up, about to hand the bamboo slip to the Grand Master, the smile on his face froze instantly.
"Grand...Grand Master...?"
Feng Zhixue's voice was hoarse.
He saw a pair of completely unfamiliar eyes.
"certain......"
Zou Yun's eyes were cloudy and had lost their former luster.
He looked around blankly, his gaze first falling on Zhao Gao's corpse, and then on Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze.
suddenly!
A distorted light burst forth from those murky eyes.
Zou Yun suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Zhao Gao's corpse, shouting to Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze with an excitement that didn't belong to "Zou Yun".
"look!!"
"This traitor has finally died at the hands of my son and me."
"Zhixue, Ze, we...we've finally avenged our dead Ying clan members!!!"
He seemed to have fallen into some kind of delusional madness, regarding Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze as his own bloodline offspring.
Then, Zou Yun suddenly raised his head and roared at the empty hall.
"Do you see that? My ancestors, I, Ziying, have not lost this bloodline of the Ying clan! Hahahaha..."
He laughed uncontrollably.
The sound pierced straight into Feng Zhixue's ears!
At that moment, Feng Zhixue felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had fallen into an ice cave!
A mournful laugh echoed in front of the empty hall, and he could only watch helplessly as if another soul were present.
It slowly and menacingly emerged from the Grand Master's body.
Afterwards, under the watchful eyes of Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze.
"Ziying" seemed to have completely taken over this body.
The blankness on his face was quickly replaced by coldness. Ziying began to dispose of Zhao Gao's body and quickly summoned the former officials and generals who had been suppressed by Zhao Gao.
Feng Zhixue remained silent, watching as the radiance that once belonged to Zou Yun gradually faded from that familiar face.
Looking at the Grand Master, he was like a true member of the Qin royal family, wielding the sword of power and ruthlessly purging Zhao Gao's cronies.
Seeing that the Grand Master was beginning to act like a true emperor, reducing taxes, redressing wrongful convictions, and restoring the military merit system.
Looking at the Grand Master, he tried to salvage the mess that was Qin Dynasty with his own strength.
"Let's go."
A hand landed on Feng Zhixue's shoulder.
It was Zheng Ze, who was driving his carriage away into the distance.
Feng Zhixue shuddered violently, as if he had been awakened from a long nightmare. He subconsciously looked at the sword that once belonged to the Grand Master.
The cold touch did nothing to make him feel at ease.
Then, Feng Zhixue glanced at the inconspicuous pouch in Zheng Ze's arms.
Silence, like lead, permeated the space between the two.
After a long silence, Feng Zhixue sighed softly.
"Great Master... will he be able to wake up?"
"have no idea."
Zheng Ze's answer was crisp and heavy.
He shook his head, his gaze complex as he looked at the palace gate.
"but!!!"
Zheng Ze changed the subject, his tone becoming unusually firm, "The Grand Master is an immortal, he can't be wrong."
"Therefore, all we need to do is protect what the Great Master entrusted to us."
He pressed hard on the pouch in his pocket, his gaze fixed intently on Feng Zhixue.
"Yeah......"
Feng Zhixue murmured softly.
At this moment of parting, he couldn't help but turn back and look at Xianyang City one last time.
The tall and majestic city appeared exceptionally magnificent in the morning mist.
Feng Zhixue's gaze swept across the city gate, seemingly overcoming numerous obstacles, and finally saw the tiny figure standing in front of Zhangtai Palace.
In front of Zhangtai Palace, Zou Yun stood leaning against the railing.
"Is this your backlash? Making me fulfill Ziying's destiny in his place..."
His expression was calm, his gaze fixed on the increasingly noisy city in the distance.
In Zou Yun's deep eyes, the cultivation points he had accumulated over the past ten days were burning with a faint light at a speed visible to the naked eye.
With each passing moment the light dimmed, the existence of 'Zou Yun' became increasingly blurred.
When faced with his question, Tianming did not respond, but instead clung to Zou Yun relentlessly.
"Oh!"
Zou Yun scoffed.
He turned around calmly and walked into the deep Zhangtai Palace.
The moment he crossed the threshold, Grand Master Zou Yun logged off again.
Instead, King Ziying of Qin, destined to fight against the tides of history, will continue to save the Qin Dynasty from collapse.