During the Qin Dynasty, he brought chaos to the seven kingdoms.

Chapter 33 A Pretense Becomes Real

The night was deep, but the cicadas' chirping continued.

Li Wu returned to the courtyard with Qian Sha's instructions.

She looked at Jingni, who was quietly cultivating in the courtyard, her large, watery eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Who did you go to see?"

Jingni didn't open her eyes, but her pink and alluring thin lips moved slightly.

Li Wu said softly, "Let's talk about it when Cao Yuan comes back."

Jingni opened her clear, beautiful eyes, a look of surprise on her face. She hadn't expected Li Wuhui to answer her like that.

"Have you already decided...?"

Jing Ni looked at Li Wu, her words leaving no room for doubt, but the meaning behind them was clear: Are you sure you want to betray Luo Wang now?

Li Wu gave a wry smile, shook her head, and said nothing.

Jing Ni was even more puzzled. Judging from Li Wu's appearance, she didn't seem to intend to confront Cao Yuan or defect from Luo Wang.

But she didn't ask any more questions; she could find out when Cao Yuan returned.

After an incense stick had burned, Cao Yuan, holding Meng Jiang's little hand, returned to the courtyard in a very good mood.

He had already planned it out: he would create an opportunity for Jingni and Liwu to infiltrate the nameless mansion, allowing the two girls to take the box and leave.

As for him, he wouldn't be foolish enough to fall into a trap; he'd rather just part ways with the situation.

"Meng Jiang, you go back inside first."

Cao Yuan glanced at the beautiful assassin sitting on the stone bench with a cold and stern expression, and told Meng Jiang to leave first.

Even though Xiao Mengjiang was very curious and felt like she was being scratched by a cat, she still obediently went back to her room.

Cao Yuan smiled and walked over to the two women, sat down, and said casually, "Ladies, are you enjoying the cool air?"

Li Wu did not answer, but said to herself, "The Eight Linglongs have arrived in Linzi."

Jing Ni narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, quietly looking at Li Wu. "Is that all?"

Cao Yuan asked, somewhat surprised, "What are they doing here?"

According to what he occasionally gleaned from Li Wu, Ba Linglong usually carried out missions in the territories of Han, Zhao, Wei, and Jin, and rarely came to Yan and Qi.

Li Wu and Jing Ni looked at each other, and Li Wu said, word by word, "Cripple Jing Ni and hand her over to Hou Sheng."

The courtyard fell silent instantly, eerily so. Even the cicadas seemed to sense the chilling atmosphere and fell silent as well.

"this……"

Cao Yuan couldn't help but speak first, "Has Yan Ri gone mad? Jing Ni is a top-tier hero, how can she be crippled so easily?"

Jing Ni remained expressionless, as if the Jing Ni mentioned by Li Wu had nothing to do with her.

Li Wu's beautiful face displayed a very complex expression.

"Later, Sheng threatened Lü Buwei by saying that Qi would not join the alliance, demanding that he remove the assassins from Lü Buwei's side and cripple Jing Ni, handing her over to Lü Buwei for disposal, otherwise..."

Cao Yuan laughed angrily, "It's impossible for the State of Qi to join the alliance, even if Hou Sheng wanted to make it happen."

The State of Qi did not join the alliance of states, not only because of its national policy of "serving Qin cautiously and keeping good faith with the other states," but also for various historical reasons.

Leaving aside the fact that the people of Qi are now complacent and King Jian of Qi has no ambition, just consider the grudges and grievances of the past hundred years. Qi was on the verge of destruction several times because of the other states. With such old grudges, it would be a miracle if Qi joined the alliance.

Li Wu sighed, "You're right. But do you think Lü Buwei would take even the slightest risk for a mere assassin who only knows how to kill?"

Cao Yuan was speechless. Considering Lü Buwei's business interests, he really wouldn't take any risks on this, unless Jing Ni had something special about her, but clearly, Jing Ni didn't.

Li Wu stared intently at the still silent Jing Ni and whispered, "Lady Jing Ni, stay with me. You have no other choice this time."

Cao Yuan then realized that something was wrong.

Li Wu is one of the Eight Linglong!

Jing Ni's pretty face was cold and aloof as she looked solemnly at Cao Yuan.

Would you take us in?

She had long been inclined to break free from the trap; this was merely a matter of making her decide, and she wasn't panicked at all.

Cao Yuan stared blankly at Jing Ni, completely baffled as to what this meant; the turn was a bit too fast.

Li Wu smiled charmingly, "My husband, you wouldn't want to see your wife deposed and your concubine killed, would you?"

Cao Yuan, both amused and exasperated, said, "Miss Li Wu, between us, wasn't it all just a charade?"

Jingni's clear, beautiful eyes shimmered with a faint light, reflecting on the rippling water.

"It's not impossible for something to turn from fiction to reality..."

Cao Yuan and Li Wu both turned to look at Jing Ni, neither of them expecting her to say such a thing.

Li Wu asked excitedly, "Lady Jingni, have you finally come to your senses?"

Jingni said silently, "Liwu, you're right. Sometimes, opportunities are fleeting. I wasn't decisive enough. The net is ultimately not our final destination."

Cao Yuan subconsciously raised his hand. "Um, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Li Wu sneered, "You think you can stay out of this? Don't be naive."

"Why was Jing Ni abandoned by the Luo Wang organization? Do you think Hou Sheng will let you go?"

"Another mission for Ba Linglong is to kill you. From now on, you will be a target on the Luo Wang assassination list. You should know the rules of Luo Wang: a fight to the death!"

Cao Yuan was taken aback, then chuckled awkwardly and said, "Alright, you're right."

Well, this time we're really going to get mixed up. I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse.

Li Wu smiled faintly.

She lied; Ba Linglong did not have the mission to kill Cao Yuan.

But if you want to drag Cao Yuan into this mess, and make him acknowledge her as his concubine and Jing Ni as his wife, you can't let Cao Yuan stay out of it.

Yes, Cao Yuan taught her this unintentionally.

"In that case, let's take out the Eight Linglongs first!"

Cao Yuan accepted reality very quickly, and there was no way he could not. In this era, if you're not careful, you can really die.

"I had this idea for a long time."

Li Wu's gaze was cold and sharp; she had long been fed up with Qian Sha's look at her as if she were already dead.

"They'll make their move in the middle of the night."

Cao Yuan pondered for a moment and asked, "How many people from the Eight Linglong Sect came?"

"There are three people in total: Kan Rat, Gen Master, and Qian Killer. As for Xun Bee and Kun Granny, they are remnant souls controlled by Qian Killer. We need to be careful about that."

"Also, apart from Kan Shu being a second-rate expert, Gen Shi and Qian Sha are both first-rate experts. I'll leave the two of them to Lord Jing Ni and deal with Kan Shu myself."

After briefly explaining the situation and making the arrangements, Li Wu instructed Cao Yuan, "You have no strength, so stay inside and don't show your face."

She and Lady Jingni still need Cao Yuan to avoid trouble. For example, when they go to Xiaoshengxianzhuang, they naturally can't let Cao Yuan get into trouble.

Cao Yuan shrugged. "Alright then."

He was happy to be free. Xuan Jian was able to wipe out the Eight Linglong, even if there was an element of a sneak attack. But if Jing Ni took action, given Li Wu's betrayal, it shouldn't be difficult for her to deal with the Eight Linglong.

Jing Ni remained silent, picked up her Jing Ni sword, and slowly stood up.

She looked at the crescent moon peeking out from the horizon; her slender figure appeared frail, but her eyes were resolute and powerful.

There is nothing more worthwhile than living for yourself, even if it costs you your life.

The words Cao Yuan had casually said to her echoed in Jing Ni's mind, causing her to lose herself in thought and her heart to race.

It's so good to have a man who understands her.