Chapter 9

In the bustling long street, two people dressed as farmers walked among the crowd.

They occasionally conversed with street vendors, purchasing items such as straw ropes and seeds needed for farming.

On the surface, their behavior and manners were entirely consistent with those of farmers, showing no signs of abnormality.

Only when they exchanged messages almost in whispers, with great caution, did their true identities become apparent.

"This Qin Crown Prince has been a hostage in Zhao for several years, always in a semi-imprisoned state. Now that he has returned to Qin, he can't resist going out. Indeed, our previous judgment was correct."

The speaker was of medium build, wearing a brown patched robe.

On his head was an old conical hat, casting his face into shadow, revealing only a jaw covered with short, dark stubble.

The other person was dressed similarly but without the hat, revealing a face in his forties, tanned by the sun, with a hazy gaze.

Most of the people in Xianyang dressed like this, being farmers from the outskirts who occasionally came to the city to buy and sell necessities.

As they moved forward, they occasionally glanced at Zhao Huizhong, who was several dozen steps ahead, then quickly averted their gaze.

Sometimes they would move to nearby streets, not always following Zhao Huizhong, showing great caution.

It was this caution that made them confident they wouldn't be discovered by Zhao Huizhong and his entourage.

At this moment, they were far behind, watching Zhao Huizhong and his group enter a narrow alley, leaving the noisy main street.

The two were in perfect sync, immediately stopping their pursuit and continuing on the main street until the next intersection, where they turned to follow the same direction as Zhao Huizhong and his group.

Using their familiarity with Xianyang, they continued to track while ensuring their own safety, without fear of exposure.

"If we were assassins and suddenly fired arrows, the personal guards of this Qin Crown Prince might not be able to guarantee his safety," the man with the hat whispered.

"He has dozens of skilled people with him when he leaves the Qin Palace, and the protection is already very tight."

The other man surveyed the surroundings, seeing a wall on one side of the road and low buildings on the other, with no one around, gradually becoming more secluded, and felt reassured enough to converse with his companion.

The farmer with the hat suddenly showed a sinister smile: "Do you think if we were to attempt an assassination, how likely would it be to kill the Qin Crown Prince?"

The farmer without the hat was surprised by his companion's idea: "Even if we succeed, we can't escape.

This is Xianyang, with the Qin Palace, the Night Guard Bureau, and the Grand Marshal's residence nearby. Do you want to die?"

He added: "The higher-ups only require us to track the target. If any action is to be taken, it won't be our job."

The farmer with the hat licked his lips: "Are you afraid?

If we hide in the dark and act suddenly, using long-range weapons like bows and crossbows, we have at least a fifty percent chance of killing him."

"The Qin people are brutal, attacking everywhere. In the Battle of Changping, they slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Zhao people. I wish I could drown this Qin Crown Prince with my own hands, offering a sacrifice to the tens of thousands of souls of Zhao."

"But you should keep this Qin Crown Prince alive. He was a hostage in our great Zhao during his youth and has become a waste. If he becomes the ruler of Qin in the future, he will be a foolish and incompetent ruler, a king who will lead to the downfall of his country, which would be beneficial to our great Zhao.

If you act, the Qin army's sharp edge is not to be trifled with.

Moreover, the city's regulations are very strict. You can't bring bows and crossbows in here."

"Turns out you two are from Zhao..."

Just as the two were arguing in low voices, a voice suddenly sounded nearby.

The two were startled and looked up to see a woman squatting on the high wall by the street, her clothes fluttering in the wind.

The woman looked down at them from above, her cold, triangular eyes full of mockery and killing intent.

In the next moment, the woman leaped down, like an eagle hunting a rabbit, her feet kicking out in a flurry while still in the air.

Each kick was like a heavy hammer, the sound piercing the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two farmers reacted quickly, both reaching out to defend themselves.

However, as their attention was drawn to the woman leaping down, the brick wall beside them suddenly exploded, and a pair of fists emerged from behind, hammering them with devastating force.

Crack!

With a crisp sound of bone breaking, the two spat blood, their bodies thrown several meters away by the force.

The woman in mid-air had not yet landed, and she shouted, "Hit!"

Two threads of golden light sprouted from her fingertips, piercing the two men's abdomens, delivering the final blow.

When the two landed, their mouths were full of blood, their faces pale.

They still didn't know where they had slipped up, suddenly being beaten and becoming prisoners.

"Ujia, the Crown Prince wants them alive to question their background. Your attack almost killed them. How will you explain this to the Crown Prince?"

The woman who had landed from the air was Jiang Si.

Her face was full of anger as she stared at the broken wall.

A tall, stern-faced man emerged from behind the wall, sneering: "I know my limits. These two have cultivation and won't be killed by a single blow.

I injured them to prevent them from disturbing the Crown Prince."

The man was tall and broad, his long robe torn from the force of his punch, revealing the black metal armor worn only by Qin military leaders.

As they spoke, someone nearby had already captured the two trackers and dragged them over.

Zhao Huizhong then appeared, surrounded by his guards.

"Although these two are severely injured, the Crown Prince should still keep his distance to avoid being startled by their dying struggles," Ujia said.

He was the leader of the group that had escorted Zhao Huizhong back from Handan and had naturally become the head of Zhao Huizhong's personal guards upon their return.

"Question them and find out who ordered them to follow me," Zhao Huizhong said.

"Understood."

Ujia nodded and instructed a subordinate: "You are skilled in the纵横法言 (Zongheng Fayan) technique. You will interrogate them."

The subordinate took the order and began questioning.

As soon as he spoke, the two severely injured men were hypnotized, their minds muddled, answering almost anything asked.

Zhao Huizhong watched in amazement; the Fayan technique was truly powerful, making their mouths like they had been blessed.

As described in the ancient texts, the Zongheng technique was indeed the king of verbal skills, capable of deceiving and blinding the mind, making it impossible to lie in front of it.

Around the Crown Prince of a nation, there were all kinds of elite and extraordinary people.

The soldier soon returned to report: "Crown Prince, these two are Zhao spies planted in Xianyang. They only receive orders and do not know the identity or location of the person giving the orders."

"Where did they receive their orders?"

"They check a fixed location at regular intervals to see if there are any orders. The location is a small alley in the northern part of the city. If there is a task, there will be a mark in the alley.

They also leave messages by leaving marks in the alley," the soldier said.

Ujia requested: "I have skilled trackers among my subordinates who can uncover the people behind this."

"This is the expertise of the Night Guard Bureau. We are heading there now, so let them take over the investigation."

Zhao Huizhong felt a hidden excitement; he had never encountered such a situation before his穿越 (穿越, time travel). It was both fresh and thrilling.

While Zhao Huizhong had the two spies beaten, in a high-rise building in the distance, Xia Si, Shan Kui, and a middle-aged man who looked like a merchant stood.

Xia Si concealed her aura and gazed at the direction of Zhao Huizhong and his group through the window.

They soon saw Zhao Huizhong and his group set off again.

Not long after, they arrived at the grand entrance of a magnificent building, the Night Guard Bureau, a powerful department of the Qin Empire.

At this moment, Xia Si and her companions also changed their position, appearing above a wooden residence, still hidden at a great distance.

Shan Kui released a cold, mist-like aura around them, making their figures blurry and difficult to detect even in broad daylight.

They didn't wait long before seeing a gathering of people and horses at the entrance of the Night Guard Bureau.

Zhao Huizhong was in the center, surrounded by hundreds of Night Guard Bureau personnel, heading in a certain direction within the city, with a fierce and intimidating presence.

"What is the Qin Crown Prince doing? Mobilizing the Night Guard Bureau and causing such a commotion," the middle-aged merchant frowned.

"Let's follow and see," Xia Si said.