“I'm sorry, but I will,” Qingnu said, shaking her head as she looked at Ying Zhu.
Ying Zhu was not deterred by her answer. He asked, “Master, do you really have the heart to watch the descendant of this child, Zheng'er, die by your own hand? I heard from Zichu that you were there even before Zheng'er was born. You named him, and you taught him!”
“Master, you must surely care for him!”
Qingnu rested her chin on her hand, sitting atop the rockery as she looked down at Ying Zhu.
Say what you will about King Xiaowen’s lack of presence in history, but he certainly lived up to the title of a King of Qin. This old fellow was quite the smooth talker.
It was true that Ying Zheng was the first person she had watched grow up from birth. She had gone into hibernation because of Huangdi and the Youxiong tribe, and she had ceased her hibernation because of Ying Zheng.
Seeing the subtle change in Qingnu’s expression, Ying Zhu immediately cupped his hands to her and pleaded, “I ask you, Master, to assist Zheng'er!”
The imperial garden fell into a sudden silence.
“Great King, she...” The faces of the Yin Yang School members turned pale.
If Ying Zhu wanted Qingnu to assist, then why had he summoned them to the garden? Were they merely gifts meant to express his intentions to her?
Realizing the situation, the Yin Yang School members tried to retreat. However, on the outer perimeter, Ying Zhu had already stationed men who blocked their path.
In truth, Ying Zhu knew the members of the Yin Yang School were nothing but good-for-nothings. Their claims of successful cultivation and communicating with ghosts and gods were all lies. If they truly could commune with spirits, why were the former kings not still alive? Why were their own ancestors and sages not still walking the earth?
The supposedly enlightened members of the Yin Yang School would die, but Qingnu truly existed. She had lived for thousands of years. Ying Zhu knew exactly which side held more weight.
As for the possibility of Qingnu taking the heart-blood of the last King of Qin, Ying Zhu had heard of it from Ying Ji, but he didn't care much about it. Since the three dynasties of Xia, Shang, and Zhou, countless states had risen and fallen. No kingdom lasted forever—he understood this. Rather than worrying about whether a king in the distant future would be killed by Qingnu, Ying Zhu preferred to focus on the present. If he could secure her assistance, Qin's eastward expansion and the conquest of the world would be just around the corner.
He knew his own body; he didn't have much time to contemplate the far-off future.
Qingnu looked at Ying Zhu with interest and asked, “You intend to make Ying Zheng the King of Qin?”
Ying Zhu nodded, then gestured toward the Yin Yang School members. “Correct! From the first moment I saw that child, I decided it. And they are my gift to you, Master!”
“Whether they live or die is entirely up to you!”
Qingnu leaned forward on the rockery. “What if I order you to kill them and then refuse your request anyway?”
“I said they are a gift,” Ying Zhu replied firmly, his expression unchanged. “As a gift, I seek no return. I will respect whatever you decide to do with them. I will not interfere.”
These words struck a chord in Qingnu’s heart.
Such a king... no wonder his Great Qin would unite the world.
Watching Qingnu’s expression gradually shift, Hongluan whispered, ‘Are you really going to agree?’
Qingnu looked up at the sky. ‘Bao Si, Pang Juan, Sun Bin, even Zhao Kuo... I failed to change any of them. Let’s try one more time. What if, this time, things can be changed?’
Human nature is such that it always craves that sliver of hope. Snakes were no exception.
After all, she needed the heart-blood of a final king. The more prosperous the dynasty, the stronger the king’s heart-blood and fortune would be. She could afford to wait a few hundred more years.
Qingnu stood up, stepping onto a protruding stone of the rockery, and looked down at Ying Zhu below. Her lips parted slightly. “Ying Zhu! Remember your words. The future King of Qin is Ying Zheng! Now, kill them for me. Leave not a single one alive.”
Tianyuan Palace had existed for over six hundred years, and even after rebranding as the Yin Yang School, they still couldn't shake their obsession with hunting snakes. In that case, there was no need to keep them around. Kill them all first.
Ying Zhu smiled and waved his hand. The Qin soldiers guarding the perimeter lunged forward like hungry wolves, seizing the Yin Yang School members.
The practitioners pulled out various ritual tools, intending to cast spells, but the Qin soldiers were tigers and wolves. How could they be resisted? After being in power in Qin for only a few years, the Yin Yang School fell from grace once more.
Under the relentless hunt of the Qin army, the lineage of the Yin Yang School nearly vanished within the borders of Qin. The remaining survivors were forced to flee through the Hangu Pass toward the six states of the east, seeking refuge to preserve their heritage.
A month later, Ying Zhu issued a decree, enfeoffing Ying Zheng as the Royal Grandson. Once Ying Zichu ascended the throne, he would become the Crown Prince.
Originally, Ying Zhu wanted to grant Qingnu a title and establish an official residence for her to bring her into the Qin court, but she refused every offer. Qingnu had no interest in being an official; she only cared if there was meat to eat.
Ying Zhu then ordered the construction of the Temple of the Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens in Xianyang to worship Qingnu, decreeing that the people of Xianyang should offer regular sacrifices. All the sacrificial meat and grain belonged to Qingnu.
Gradually, bamboo slips recording the myths of Qingnu began to circulate. In them, the Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens was described as the Frost and Snow Goddess, a celestial deity in charge of bringing frost and snow. Qingnu could tell at a glance that this was Ying Zheng’s handiwork.
‘Tsk tsk... Frost and Snow Goddess, huh?’ Hongluan teased, looking at the exaggerated praise in the slips. ‘You aren't ashamed, but I am ashamed for you! Stupid snake, do you even have the ability to be a goddess?’
By this time, ice crystals and snowflakes were already falling from the sky like drifting willow catkins. Qingnu raised her palm, catching a snowflake on her fingertip. It settled there steadily without melting.
She leaned in to examine it closely and retorted, ‘Why can't I be a goddess?’
‘If you become a goddess, will you abandon me?’ Hongluan asked, tilting its head.
Qingnu chuckled and grabbed Hongluan. ‘Birdy sister, what's between us? Don't worry, if I become a goddess, you can eat all the ice and snow in the world. No one will fight you for it.’
‘Stupid snake, go die!’ Hongluan snapped.
Qingnu remained carefree despite the scolding. ‘What would happen if I actually died?’
‘You're not allowed!’ Hongluan cried out in alarm.
Startled, Qingnu hurriedly rubbed its head and soothed it. ‘Alright, alright, I won't die...’
However, while she wouldn't die, someone else was about to.
On the seventh day of the first snow, Ying Zhu fell critically ill. His health had always been poor, and while observing the mourning period this past year, it had steadily declined. He finally collapsed just three days after his formal coronation.
The Qin palace was thrown into chaos.
A royal command was issued, urgently summoning Qingnu, Ying Zheng, and the others to the palace. In his final moments, Ying Zhu did not even want Lady Huayang by his side; he waited desperately for Qingnu’s group to arrive.
Before his sickbed, he struggled to lift his hand. He grasped Qingnu’s sleeve and held Ying Zheng’s hand. Suddenly, he seemed to find a burst of strength, like a final flare of lucidity before death. He stared intently at Qingnu, murmuring, “Master... Master, protect my Qin!”
“Royal Grandfather!” Ying Zheng cried out.
Ying Zhu did not wait for Qingnu’s answer. He turned to Ying Zichu and said, “Son of Qin, never forget the eastward expansion!”
Ying Zichu knelt by the bed and kowtowed. “Zichu will remember!”
In the first year of King Xiaowen of Qin, on the Xinchou day of the tenth month, the King passed away.
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