Chapter 56: The Relocation of the Chu Capital

Although the Qin Palace was beset with numerous disturbances and intertwined wars, for Zhou Qing, life remained relaxed and at ease. As the Right Protector of the Qin Palace and holder of the palace token, he could freely enter and exit the Qin grounds. With his spiritual perception expanded, everything within a radius of several thousand meters was gathered effortlessly into his mind.

Coupled with the presence of the two Yin-Yang School protectors by his side, within the Qin Palace, as long as no powerhouse of his master's caliber took action, nothing untoward would happen. Recently, hearing that the Qin general Meng Ao had died in battle did cause Zhou Qing some surprise.

However, considering Meng Ao's advanced age, even if he had not died on the battlefield, he would not have lived much longer. Having served through three reigns and achieved illustrious military merits, he was nearly seventy years old. Though he had passed away, the Meng clan rose to prominence as a result, which could be regarded as a blessing intertwined with misfortune.

"Junior Grand Uncle, Zongquan has arrived!"

Located in the outer perimeter of the Xianyang Palace, sharing a corner each with the two Yin-Yang School protectors, Zhou Qing resided in the Xuanqing Palace on the right side of Xianyang Palace. This was a special courtesy granted by King Zheng of Qin to his protector: an independent dwelling with a staff recruited freely at his own discretion.

In his leisure time, he meditated on the profound arts of the Daoist sages, and every day he received various intelligence reports transmitted from the various states. By now, the Realms of Heaven and Earth had already been established in the States of Chu and Wei. In another three years, it would not be difficult for them to spread across all major cities of the various states.

The same applied to the adjacent Hall of Books. Although many covetous petty individuals cast greedy eyes upon it, such threats were negligible against Daoist protective measures. Both the paper-making and block-printing facilities were located deep within Bashu.

Transporting goods to the various states took considerable time, but for the grand families that had been passed down for centuries or nearly a millennium, financial costs were of no concern. Merely the Hall of Books in the State of Chu, having operated for just a few months, had already yielded a million in gold, with silver and bronze coins past counting.

Although the wealth-accumulating capability of the Realms of Heaven and Earth temporarily lagged behind the Hall of Books, in the long run, it would be the primary source of revenue. Zhou Qing left Zongquan to manage it while allowing voluntary junior disciples from the sect to participate, personally instilling inner energy into them to elevate their cultivation levels.

Hearing Zongquan's words, Zhou Qing nodded immediately. Within the span of a few breaths, Zongquan appeared before him, looking travel-worn and dusty. Carrying a sword case, his entire aura was sharp and fierce, and even his face bore quite a few scars.

"Which faction made a move?"

Without preamble, Zhou Qing raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. A cyan profound radiance spread across his body as he gently placed a palm on Zongquan's shoulder, circulating his inner energy through the latter's body to heal his hidden injuries. Fortunately, there was no severe internal damage.

"It should be Qin's Luo Wang. Ever since I entered Qin, I have been targeted. Along the way, I encountered four ambushes in total. The final one was not far from Xianyang City, and involved an assassin at the Heavenly Awakening realm."

"However, bearing Junior Grand Uncle's Hawk Sword, that assassin was severely wounded by the inner energy you left sealed within the weapon. Unfortunately, the three junior martial brothers who traveled with me to Xianyang perished at the hands of Luo Wang!"

Feeling the rich and warm energy flowing from his Junior Grand Uncle's hand, Zongquan felt as if his entire body was bathing in gentle sunlight. Recalling the ambushes along the journey into Qin, a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

That Luo Wang organization was terribly persistent, clinging like maggots in the bones. They struck once, then struck again, yet kept coming relentlessly. Had it not been for the inner energy sealed by Junior Grand Uncle in the Hawk Sword, this trip would have ended in mortal peril.

"Luo Wang?"

"Lü Buwei! It seems that even though disaster is imminent for Lü Buwei, he still does not know how to restrain himself. With the Heaven-Slaying, Earth-Extinguishing, Ghouls, and Phantoms divisions, I wonder how many Heavenly-grade assassins are hidden within this city of Xianyang?"

Three Daoist disciples had been killed, and this matter could not simply be let go. Daoism revered the number three; thus, Luo Wang should pay the price of nine Heavenly-grade assassins.

Moreover, Lü Buwei was now gradually being suppressed by King Zheng of Qin, Lord Changping, and others. Even if Luo Wang suffered losses, it would not matter—after all, it was Lü Buwei's power that was being depleted.

Pondering this, Zhou Qing slowly withdrew his hand from Zongquan's shoulder, then flicked his empty hand in a slight gesture. Immediately, a melodious and lingering sword hum echoed through the air, and the sword case on Zongquan's back automatically shattered into dust.

A sword of archaic and peculiar design, glowing entirely with cyan profound radiance, fell into Zhou Qing's hand. He gently stroked the blade with one hand, murmuring softly. Feeling the martial intent and blood-stain aura on the surface of the Hawk Sword, he could well imagine the hardship of Zongquan's return journey.

"What is the current situation in the State of Wei?"

His spiritual perception surged into the sword blade, where a faint, soaring hawk will circulated, resonating and intertwining with the essence of *Roaming at Ease* between the void and heaven and earth. He then looked toward Zongquan, who had his eyes slightly closed.

On the other side, Zongchun slowly served two cups of fragrant hot tea and placed them on a side table. Seeing that the turbulent aura around Senior Brother Zongquan had grown calm, Zongchun smiled faintly.

"The State of Wei is currently plagued by endless chaos. Ever since the allied forces of the various states failed in their campaign to attack Qin, the last remaining essence of the Wei Wu Warriors was completely exhausted. Within the entire city of Daliang, the royal family is declining while powerful ministers run amok."

"Taxes and corvée labor have been changed three or four times over. Although the Realms of Heaven and Earth and the Hall of Books were established there, and the monthly expenses for greasing palms were considerable, they did indeed spare us a lot of trouble. In another few months, we can consider heading to Xinzheng in the State of Han!"

"Speaking of which, a major event recently occurred in the State of Chu!"

Turmoil plagued the various states and order no longer existed. Although merchants held low status in Daliang, wealth could open paths to the gods—a truth eternal throughout history. Moreover, following his Junior Grand Uncle's instructions, things had proceeded smoothly.

Speaking tactfully, Zongquan briefly described the internal affairs of Wei before turning the conversation to the southern State of Chu. Zhou Qing opened his slightly closed eyes, a trace of faint astonishment crossing his face.

"Remember one thing: at present, the various states are in chaos while Qin alone is strong. What is lost today can be reclaimed a thousand or ten thousand times over in the future, as long as people remain safe. All I need is a network spanning the various states; wealth is not the primary objective!"

"Oh, what has happened in the State of Chu?"

The allied forces of the various states had failed in their campaign against Qin, rushing to cede territory and bribe Qin to keep its armies at bay. The States of Wei, Han, Zhao, and Yan had all done the same. However, due to its complex relationship with Qin—though ties were worsening day by day—the State of Chu had made no such concessions.

Hearing the surprise in Zongquan's words, Zhou Qing considered various possibilities. Calculating the time, there were not many occurrences that could currently be deemed a major event in Chu.

"Because Lord Chunshen, Huang Xie, failed in the vertical alliance, Chu fears that Qin will dispatch troops to conquer them. Consequently, the King of Chu has moved the capital from Yingdu to Shouchun. Come to think of it, Yingdu has been relocated several times already!"

The capital of Chu had always been Yingdu, but its actual location shifted constantly. Moreover, every relocation was equivalent to a reshuffling of power, further destabilizing Chu's internal political situation. With such internal instability, how could they look outward?

"Qin and Chu have been tied by marriage for hundreds of years. Come to think of it, the external relatives from Chu currently hold considerable influence within the Qin Palace; it is simply overshadowed by the threat of Chancellor Lü Buwei. However, once Lü Buwei falls from power, those Chu external relatives will become a troublesome issue."

"Zongquan, stay in the Xuanqing Palace to recover from your injuries for the next two days. When you depart this time, I will have Zongchun accompany you back to the State of Wei!"