"Qingnu, Shaodian Qingnu!"
Qingnu stated her name, but that surname made Bai Qi’s pupils shrink.
The Shaodian clan!
Bai Qi asked in a low voice, "Are you an immortal?"
"If you think I am, then I am. Just don't block the way."
Qingnu’s expression remained weary as she waved her hand at Bai Qi. "Don't stop me anymore, or I might just beat you up too."
With that, she looked up and called out, "Hongluan!"
A cerulean bird plummeted from the sky, circling above Bai Qi before returning to Qingnu’s shoulder. It spoke, "You human are so unreasonable! We clearly didn't provoke you, yet you block our path. Are you looking for death?"
"A bird... that speaks?"
Bai Qi looked at Qingnu in astonishment.
He had lived for so long, yet he had never seen such a thing!
Was she truly an immortal?
After reconsidering, Bai Qi did not continue to block her. He waved his hand and said to those around him, "Everyone, move aside!"
"Yes, General..."
Several men nodded and cleared the path.
In truth, even if Bai Qi hadn't given the order, they wouldn't have dared to stop Qingnu any longer!
The sight of that pebble piercing through a man's shoulder was still vivid in their minds. They knew they couldn't withstand such an attack. At the end of the day, it was just a corpse; it didn't matter if she took it!
It wasn't as if she could bring him back to life, right?
Right?
Seeing Bai Qi order his men to step aside, Qingnu was satisfied. As she passed by Bai Qi, she looked up at him sitting on his horse and said, "Bai Qi, I have a word of advice for you. Do you want to hear it? I don't give advice to just anyone."
Looking at Qingnu's smile, Bai Qi was dazed for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he cupped his hands toward her. "Please, speak!"
"To kill those who have surrendered is ill-omened."
Qingnu left him with those eight words and continued forward.
Bai Qi sat on his horse, watching as Qingnu dragged Zhao Kuo's body away.
He remained silent, constantly reflecting on the meaning of the words she had left behind, until a messenger arrived on horseback, panting heavily.
He said to Bai Qi, "General, the King wishes to see you!"
The King?
He had come to Changping?
Hearing this news, Bai Qi finally led his men back.
Inside the great tent, Ying Ji looked at Bai Qi as he hurried back from outside. His aged eyes were full of scrutiny. He asked, "Lord Wu'an, where have you been? Why were you not in the great tent? As the commanding general, this is a dereliction of duty!"
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Bai Qi did not argue; he knelt on one knee to ask for forgiveness.
Ying Ji waved his hand and said with a smile, "Rise! You are a great hero of our Qin!"
Bai Qi stood up. Ying Ji looked around and said, "All of you, leave. This King wishes to speak with Lord Wu'an alone!"
"Yes!"
The people on both sides quickly retreated.
Only Bai Qi and Ying Ji remained in the tent. Ying Ji stood up and walked to Bai Qi’s side. He paced around him once and suddenly asked, "Lord Wu'an, do you know how many Zhao prisoners our Great Qin captured in this battle?"
"Approximately four hundred thousand."
Bai Qi was well aware of the figures.
Ying Ji nodded and asked again, "Then do you know that our Great Qin has no surplus grain to feed these four hundred thousand mouths?"
When he said this, Bai Qi fell silent.
"I... know."
After a long while, Bai Qi finally nodded, indicating his awareness.
Seeing him nod, Ying Ji said no more. He gently patted Bai Qi on the shoulder and said, "It is good that Lord Wu'an knows! This King shall say no more; I trust Lord Wu'an will satisfy me."
After saying this, he prepared to leave.
Bai Qi suddenly turned around and called out to him, "Your Majesty, wait! I... have one more thing to say!"
"Oh? What is it?"
Ying Ji turned back to look at Bai Qi.
Bai Qi mentioned the matter of Qingnu. It was impossible to hide the sudden appearance of a green-clad immortal on the battlefield from the King of Qin; so many Qin soldiers had seen her!
When Ying Ji heard about Qingnu, his expression suddenly crumpled, becoming incredibly grave.
"You say she was an immortal clad in green?"
Bai Qi nodded. "Yes! At the very least, I am no match for her. She would only need one move to kill me."
Ying Ji gave a hum of acknowledgment and said, "I understand. Leave the matters here to yourself; I shall return to Xianyang!"
Bai Qi spoke again, "I have one more thing!"
"Lord Wu'an, why are you so talkative today? If there is something, can you not just say it?"
Ying Ji frowned, looking at Bai Qi with displeasure in his eyes. "What is it? Speak!"
Bai Qi bowed to Ying Ji and said, "I request Your Majesty to order a continued pursuit to strike Handan directly! With this one battle, if we take Handan, Great Qin will have no more rivals! Zhao will be reduced to a mere border state."
After he said this, Ying Ji fell silent and shook his head. "Lord Wu'an, Great Qin can fight no more."
Leaving behind those words, Ying Ji turned and departed.
Watching him leave quickly, Bai Qi sighed helplessly.
By the time Qingnu returned to Handan with Zhao Kuo's body, news from Changping had also arrived. Bai Qi had ordered the burial alive of four hundred thousand Zhao soldiers!
Upon hearing this news, Qingnu looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. "Hongluan, do you see?"
"Mm..."
Hongluan nodded its little head.
"I see it. This history you spoke of is truly terrifying."
"Indeed!"
Qingnu lamented.
"Indeed! History is truly terrifying. Whether it was Zhao Kuo leading the army or these four hundred thousand being buried alive, nothing could be stopped. Even if the King of Zhao or the King of Qin were killed, the two states of Qin and Zhao would still have ended up like this."
As long as the battle of Changping began, the fate of those four hundred thousand was sealed.
The battle of Changping was the crushing weight of the world's momentum. The land of Shangdang had been cast out by the State of Han; Qin and Zhao had no choice but to seize it. Could she have made the people of Shangdang remain neutral?
It was impossible.
Force the State of Han to keep the land of Shangdang?
It wasn't that she hadn't tried.
Qingnu patted her cheeks and let Hongluan fly high into the sky to find a place with good feng shui outside Handan to bury Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo had lost the battle, and now Handan was full of people who wished to skin him alive.
It was better to bury him outside the city where no one would know.
After burying Zhao Kuo, Qingnu finally returned to her residence.
From day until late at night, soldiers outside were constantly moving about. The King of Zhao had ordered the conscription of all males in the city to form a new army!
The loss of four hundred thousand young men was undoubtedly a blow that struck at the very foundations of the State of Zhao!
Inside Handan, every household was draped in white mourning silk, and the sound of weeping was endless.
Countless people cursed Bai Qi.
The title of Human Butcher gradually spread at this time, becoming synonymous with Bai Qi!
Just as countless people cursed him, those curses were fulfilled. Bai Qi was dismissed by Ying Ji on charges of defying royal orders and being arrogant, stripped of all rank! Not long after, he was ordered to commit suicide.
After his death, Handan cheered incessantly.
It seemed as if with Bai Qi dead, Qin would no longer be a threat.
But the Great Demon King of the Warring States period would use facts to tell them that even without Bai Qi, Qin’s overwhelming dominance over the world remained!
However, Qingnu didn't care about any of that now. She was a guest in a certain household.
The master of the house was named Ying Yiren, and he had a wife named Zhao Ji.
At this very moment, Zhao Ji had carried her child for ten months and was about to give birth!
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