"The fifth Tian Ren Dao Token isn't for you alone to shoulder, Young Master Shang—you couldn't anyway. But Great Qin? It can."
Ying Zheng nodded. Without this talk, he'd have sworn he could forge that eternal legacy solo—a glory for the ages. But no: he was a father now. He had to leave deeds for his sons and grandsons, glories letting the masses recall the Ying clan's grace, not hoard it all for himself.
"What brings Young Master Shang to Xin Zheng this time?" Li Hai Mo asked.
"Do you know of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye?" Ying Zheng countered.
"The swords of utter devotion—fourth in the sword manual rankings?" Li Hai Mo replied.
"Yes. Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, forged by Master Gan Jiang of Chu. But Gan Jiang never claimed Chu blood."
Interest sparked in Li Hai Mo and the others. Fourth-ranked famed blade in the world? No mere iron.
"King Zhuang of Chu once probed the Nine Cauldrons' weight, shaking Zhou's heavenly mandate. Then Zhou rallied four states against Zheng—crushed, fleeing home. That sowed the chaos: heroes vying in the fray. But mighty Chu, unstoppable then, assailed a petty lordling smaller than a single commandery—three battles, three defeats. They razed it in the end, but lost their shot at the throne. Zheng, though? Rose from the ashes. And that doomed realm's folk? Preferred beast-life in the wilds over bending knee to Chu." Ying Zheng recounted.
"You mean Sui?" Li Hai Mo recalled faintly.
"Yes—Sui, a vassal state history barely notes. I gleaned it from wild chronicles."
"Back when Chu crushed Sui, Sui's people, grateful to Zhou's Son of Heaven and Lord Sui's benevolence, rose unbidden against the foe. Then Zhou passed the palace's sword-forging secrets to Lord Sui for the fight. Lord Sui copied the arts onto a stone stele—open to all Sui folk in the ancestral hall. So the masses flooded in, learned, and the whole nation forged blades to defy Chu. Three routs for the invaders. Victory came bitter: Sui gone, Chu too spent to press further. Lord Sui smashed the stele, decreeing: any who'd mastered those secrets—be they of what realm—never forge for Chu, never serve a Chu man."
"Europe Zi, Gan Jiang—Sui's descendants. They shunned forging for Chu lifelong. The lone exception? Gan Jiang and Mo Ye—king-slayer blades, aimed square at Chu's throne," Ying Zheng added.
"Legend tells: Chu's king commissioned Gan Jiang's sword, fearing it'd arm foes. Blade done, he slew the smith. Gan Jiang's wife Mo Ye, foreseeing doom, had urged twin-forging: male Gan Jiang, female Mo Ye. He presented the female to the king, met his end. Their son Mei Cheng—wielding the male blade—struck for vengeance, failed, fled outlaw. A chivalrous soul met Cheng: 'Lend me your blade and head; I'll avenge you.' Cheng drew, severed his own neck—body stood unbowed. The knight reached for the corpse; it held fast. 'I won't fail you,' he vowed—then it toppled. Knight bore sword and head to the king. The tyrant beamed. 'This bold youth's skull—boil it in the grand cauldron.' Granted, the king watched ringside. The knight slashed the king's head into the brew. Inside, Cheng's young skull clashed the tyrant's—outmatched in might. So the knight hacked his own into the fray, joining Cheng against the foe. Chu's court couldn't part the trio; they entombed them with royal rites: the Three Kings' Tomb." Li Hai Mo retold the tale.
Ying Zheng inclined his head. The Gan Jiang and Mo Ye saga sang across the lands—but the smith's roots? Few knew.
"Two peerless relics claim the world: first, the He Shi Bi, Zhao's pride—'return intact' turned Qin's jest into Scribe Lin's legend. Second: Sui Hou Zhu. Sui fell; the pearl vanished."
"Sui Hou Zhu... Sui's swordcraft!" Li Hai Mo snapped to it. Brushed it online in idle scrolls once—modern takes call it a glass bauble. But crossing to Qin Moon? Glass trinket? Who'd swallow that?
"Yes. Tales say: Lord Sui crossed a massive serpent mid-dragon-turn—halved in the fray. Pitying its struggle, he stripped his robes to bind the wound. The beast, in gratitude, brought a luminous pearl by nightfall. Hence: Sui Hou Zhu."
"So Young Master Shang's here for the Sui Hou Zhu?" Li Hai Mo probed.
"Yes—and no!" Ying Zheng grinned.
Li Hai Mo half-grasped, half-fumbled. That pearl's no simple glow—deeper currents.
"The Sui Hou Zhu hides Zhou's sword-forging secrets?" he ventured.
Ying Zheng nodded. "Passed through famed smiths from Shang to Zhou, then to Lord Sui. Thence to Ou Ye Zi, Gan Jiang—down the line to Qin!"
Li Hai Mo blanked. In Qin already—and you trek to Xin Zheng for a head-on serve?
"Chu and Han hunt it fierce. The Shandong Six loathe it landing in Qin. King An of Han, prince then, led strikes on the Hundred Yue for it—same as his chase of Tian Ze now. So I come: complete the charade!"
Li Hai Mo's jaw worked soundlessly. Play that angle?
But it clicked: King An, youth bold enough to campaign the Yue—how couldn't he crush Ji Wuye? Nay: one call from the heights, and Ji's ranks would melt. Yet An lurked shadows, craving the pearl's forge-lore. Mimic Sui against Chu—arm Han to deter Qin's bite. Korea's sole salvation.
Han Fei and crew chased Azure Dragon secrets—but to the seven crowns? Old news. An knew the boxes' truth, yet it saved squat. So: the pearl. He figured Tian Ze held the thread—nurtured him for it. The world gulled: even sons Han Fei, Han Yu blind in the fog.
Ying Zheng's gamble? Stage a frantic grab—lure eyes to think the pearl rides with Tian Ze. Meanwhile, Qin wields its forge-secrets: craft arms, march east. Truly: seven kings, none simple. Without our mentor-ally bond, he'd never bare this to the Daoists—drag us into Korea's mire. Else I'd itch for Duke Zheng's enigma too.
Classic: crowns toy with the Hundred Schools. King An? Pulls in his own blood, his court besides.
Prime case: 'Look at dim King An—ripe for the plucking.' You bite? First floor. Ji Wuye crows: 'I've seized Korea!'—up a level. Han Fei and kin: 'Idiot Ji— for Korea, we rise!' Ji falls. They claim the second. Qin razes Han; An emerges: 'Son, I saw that layer ages back—useless for saving us, so I sat.' Third floor for An. Confucians, Chu stir: 'You think you spied the pearl solo? Bait I dangled—pity you fumbled the hunt.' Fourth: them. Now Ying Zheng strides in: 'Pardon—thanks for the tip on this pearl. I'll take it.' Qin claims the fifth.
That's the kings' game: masters spar, each stroke lethal. Even sages like Han Fei, Zhang Liang—legends unborn—spun dizzy in the web. Explains Han Fei knowing the Azure Dragon yet idle: saves no Korea! Only wait for Qin's own tumble—till Yan Dan fires the dragon scheme.
Ying Zheng's peril? Double-down the ruse: I'm desperate—can't let the pearl hit Han hands. Must oversee myself; Korea mustn't claim it from Tian Ze.
Thus Tian Ze: What pearl? Never seen it—clueless. What's that even? (Д`)彡┻━┻
King An: Tian Ze—days more to scamper. No pearl? Off to join Lord Sui.
Chu and Confucians: An, for heaven's—snag that pearl quick! Forge the blades, shove at Qin's front—hold the line!
Ying Zheng: Damn these knaves plotting my end—world's too wild. Back to Xianyang first. Leaving An clawing for a ghost-pearl.
"Were it not the Qin King himself unpacking this, even the Daoists would've waded in!" Li Hai Mo rubbed his nose. Too wild out here—craving Tai Yi Mountain's peace.
Ge Nie, first-time hearer, inwardly mourned Han Fei and his brother. Half a lifetime's toil—then learn it's castoffs from another's game. What a blow. But Qin's seal held his tongue—as guard, spilling meant a fast trip to meet Lord Sui, Daoists and Qin alike.
Xue Nu still reeled, lost. Sword secrets? Sui Hou? Why do Shizun and them look shell-shocked? Face etched with bafflement. What went down? Their tales hook me—yet strung together? Zero sense of the ties.
"Xue Nu, stick close to your Shizun from now on—else you'll get sold off none the wiser!" Xiao Meng eyed her, clocking the blank stare.
Ge Nie caught Xiao Meng's words, glancing Xue Nu-ward. Familiar vibe... but never crossed paths.Innocent to a fault—spelled out plain, still clueless. Daoists ain't all monsters after all. Balance restored in his heart.
"How far on the fifth token?" Li Hai Mo asked, shifting gears. Issuing it, he'd no bandwidth to track—so direct from the overseer, Ying Zheng.
"A good chunk. Daoist disciples north of Yan, and the Eastern Sea Three Isles' troops—unreturned yet," Ying Zheng reported.
Ge Nie and Xue Nu: fresh bafflement. Fifth token—second whisper. But what? Dying to know.
Li Hai Mo nodded. Jiangnan's folk-dotted—easier hunts. Hainan, Taiwan, Japan? No sea-tech now; pinning them? Rough. Botch it, and you'd birth a world tour—Ying Zheng waiting till his hair silvered.
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