“Who are you, and why were you in Ying Zheng’s carriage?”
Zhang Liang’s brow was tightly knit. He knew that someone like Qingnu, who could catch up to him so quickly, was no ordinary person. He feared that today, there would be no escape.
Qingnu grinned, revealing her sharp fangs. “Qingnu! Shaodian Qingnu.”
She took quite a bit of pride in her name.
“Shaodian...”
Upon hearing her name, Zhang Liang’s frown deepened.
Seeing his expression, Qingnu’s eyes widened, and she ground her teeth. “What? Is there something wrong with my name?”
By the Yellow Emperor's grandfather! In thousands of years, no one had dared to suggest her name didn't sound good!
Zhang Liang grew even more puzzled as he saw the anger on her face.
However, Qingnu didn't waste much time on small talk. She said directly, “Come with me to see Ying Zheng!”
Zhang Liang was stunned that she addressed Ying Zheng so casually by name; no one in the Qin palace would dare to do so. He looked her up and down, then questioned her with a scowl, “You are clearly no ordinary woman, so why do you assist that tyrannical Qin? Why not come with me, Zhang Liang, and save the world?”
Hearing this, Qingnu waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, please. The only thing you want to save is your State of Han.”
Zhang Liang, also known as Zhang Zifang. His father and grandfather had both been prime ministers of the State of Han. His family had been prominent for generations; at this moment, all he cared about was saving his homeland.
The world?
Give her a break.
Zhang Liang’s expression darkened at her words.
Qingnu stared at him and added, “I admire your talent. Why not come with me and serve as an official in Qin? Ying Zheng respects people of talent. I’ll put in a good word for you, and we can just let this whole assassination attempt slide. Everyone wins!”
Ying Zheng? A young lad?
Zhang Liang stared at Qingnu as if he were seeing a ghost. He seemed to realize just how extraordinary she was.
But go with her? That was impossible.
Zhang Liang cupped his hands in a cold refusal. “I will never assist tyrannical Qin. Since my attempt failed today and I have been captured by you, I accept my fate. Do it quickly.”
“Hey, you—”
Qingnu frowned and started to step forward, but her face suddenly turned deathly pale. She let out a violent cough, and spots of blood stained her green robes.
Hongluan, still held in her hand, cried out in alarm, “You stupid snake! I told you not to use your power! Why are you always so impulsive!”
Zhang Liang was even more shocked.
A bird... that spoke?
Qingnu’s face was white as she stumbled and collapsed to the ground. She clutched her chest and said to Hongluan with a tragic air, “Birdy sister, I don't think this snake is going to make it. Remember to collect my body. Bury me by the Wei River. When you visit my grave next year, bring plenty of beef. And remember, no fruit... it doesn't taste good...”
With that, Qingnu’s eyes closed and she fell unconscious.
“Stupid snake! How can you think about food at a time like this!”
Hongluan was both angry and anxious. Flapping its wings, it screamed at the top of its lungs, “Guards! Someone, come quickly—!!”
Zhang Liang took the opportunity to escape, and Hongluan had no time to worry about him.
Following Hongluan's cries, the Qin soldiers rushed over and carried Qingnu back.
When Qingnu finally woke up, she found Hongluan perched on her chest. Her clothes had been changed, and nearby, Ying Zheng was scolding a large group of imperial physicians kneeling before the bed.
Aha! Good! She wasn't dead.
Truly, this snake was blessed with great fortune; thousands of years of good deeds hadn't gone to waste!
Qingnu glanced at the fuming Ying Zheng and said softly, “So noisy... can you please shut up?”
The moment she spoke, the tent went silent.
Hongluan was the first to cry out, burying its tiny head in Qingnu’s chest as its body trembled. “Waaaaah! You stupid snake, you’re finally awake! You scared me to death!”
“Teacher, how do you feel?”
Ying Zheng stepped quickly to the bedside, asking with deep concern.
Qingnu lay there, her voice weak. “I feel like my waist is sore, my back hurts, and my legs are cramping. But mostly... I’m hungry. I feel like I could eat two—no, three cows! This snake’s life is so bitter!”
Hearing her babble, Ying Zheng let out a sigh of relief. If she could talk like that, she was likely out of danger.
Ying Zheng dismissed the physicians before speaking to her again. “Teacher, as for that madman, I have already sent men to capture him. Please rest easy.”
Qingnu turned to look at him. After a moment of silence, she said, “You won't catch him.”
After a long pause, Ying Zheng sighed.
“Rest for now, Teacher.”
Once Ying Zheng had left, Qingnu asked, “Hongluan, where are my clothes?”
Hongluan replied, “Ying Zheng had the palace maids change you. He said they were stained with blood, so he threw them away. I couldn't stop him.”
“Sigh... my precious Azure Scale Rippling Dress!”
Qingnu let out a long sigh, stretched, rolled over on the bed, and tucked the blanket around herself. She didn't have the energy to worry about clothes right now.
Hongluan hopped over to her head. “That Zhang Liang... is he part of history too?”
Qingnu nodded. “Yes.”
“Can we... stop interfering with these things?” Hongluan asked quietly after a pause. “I’m worried about you...”
“Sigh! Who knew changing a single destiny would be this hard? If I’d known, I wouldn't have made that promise to Ying Zhu. But this snake keeps her word; otherwise, do you think I want to die? Besides... if I really do die, at least I have you to bury me!”
Qingnu was someone who took her promises seriously. Since she had agreed, she would find a way to see it through.
But who could have guessed it would be this difficult?
It was going to be the death of this snake!
“Stupid snake, don't talk about dying!”
“Alright, alright, I won't say it. I won't die, and you won't die either. We'll both live long lives!”
Qingnu stroked Hongluan's head and murmured, “I’m just... a little unwilling. If I could do nothing, that would be one thing. But I killed Zhao Gao and made Fusu the Crown Prince, yet the result is still...”
Hongluan pressed a wing against Qingnu’s forehead. “Stupid snake, don't think so much. Rest!”
Outside the tent, Ying Zheng stood in silence for a long time. It was only when someone approached from the side that he finally turned and walked away.
The Qin army and the Black Ice Platform searched the Han lands for over a month, but even after turning over every stone, they found no trace of Zhang Liang.
It was as if he had vanished into thin air.
With the search proving fruitless, Ying Zheng followed his ministers' advice and ordered the return to Xianyang.
Only after passing through Hangu Pass did Li Si and the others finally feel the weight lift from their hearts.
Upon returning to the palace, Qingnu went back to the Jade Maiden Shrine to recover.
However, a rumor began to spread from nowhere.
It was said that there was a demon in the Qin palace.
The Emperor’s gathering of fangshi to refine elixirs and his pursuit of the Dao were all because he had been bewitched by a monster. The rumors were incredibly detailed, even claiming the demon was a snake spirit. In the palace, the maids and eunuchs began to look at Qingnu with strange eyes.
After all, Qingnu had been in the palace for over twenty years—longer than many of them had been alive.
However, Afang quickly punished everyone involved in the rumors!
Ying Zheng ordered a thorough investigation, and it didn't take long to lead straight to the Yin Yang School.
“Hundreds of years have passed, and they still haven't changed their ways!”
Qingnu ground her teeth, cursing fiercely. “The Yin Yang School? Bah! More like the ‘Snake-Slandering’ School! I should have thrown them all into Mt. Xiao to feed the wolves!”
She punched a pillar as if it were a member of the school, then rubbed her hand.
Looking at the fuming Qingnu, Ying Zheng made a mark on a bamboo scroll and then looked up at her.
“Teacher, why don't you leave Xianyang?”
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