Chapter 31: A Volley of Arrows—Even the Daoist Patriarch Must Die!

Time flowed on, and another year passed. It had been two years since Lu Ge first arrived in this world.

The State of Qin had launched an invasion, but the State of Zhao formed a vertical alliance, and with the aid of one hundred thousand troops each from the states of Chu and Wei, the Qin army was ultimately defeated and forced to retreat. The siege of Handan was lifted.

"Who are you all?"
"What is your business here?"

Lu Ge was in his room teaching little Zhao Zheng how to read when he heard the voice of Shen Dao outside. He looked up toward the courtyard. Standing in a neat line at the gate were members of the palace guard, led by a eunuch.

"By the Emperor's decree, the hostage family from the State of Qin is summoned to the palace," the eunuch announced loudly.

Zichu and Lu Buwei hurried into the room.

"Grandmaster..." Lu Buwei said, his face full of panic.

Throughout the past year, they had lived in constant fear that the King of Zhao would kill them to vent his anger. However, because the Qin army was encircling the city and the King of Zhao remained wary of Lu Ge, no action had been taken. Now that the war had ended, the King of Zhao finally had the leisure to deal with them. Their only hope for survival was Lu Ge.

Lu Ge gently raised a hand. "Do not panic."

With that, he picked up little Zhao Zheng and stepped outside. Shen Dao was still blocking the doorway, preventing the eunuch and the guards from entering. Seeing Lu Ge approach, Shen Dao looked worried. "Grandmaster, they do not seem to have come with good intentions."

Lu Ge did not reply, instead looking at the lead eunuch. "The King of Zhao summons Zichu’s family to the palace. Is it because he resents the State of Qin’s attack on Zhao and wishes to kill them to vent his spleen?"

Lu Ge was not one for pleasantries; he cut straight to the point. The eunuch, seeing Lu Ge, dared not be impolite. "Master Lu speaks too severely. His Majesty merely feels pity that the hostage family has been away from their homeland for so long, and wishes to summon them to the palace to offer comfort."

Lu Ge shook his head. "Nonsense. If you want to kill someone to vent your anger, just say so. There is no need for such roundabout tricks. Zichu and his family are staying here today; they are going nowhere. Go back and ask the King of Zhao if he finds the weather too clear and wishes for rain again?"

He waved his large sleeve, and a fierce gale rose from the flat ground, swirling toward the eunuch and the guards. The intensity of the wind was like a small-scale natural disaster. The guards, clad in heavy armor, were merely knocked backward, unable to rise, but the eunuch, who was frail, was swept into the air and crashed down heavily, grimacing in pain.

For a moment, everyone stared at Lu Ge in shock. With just a wave of his sleeve, he had rendered hundreds of guards helpless. If he truly intended to kill, could he not withstand an entire army alone?

Once the wind finally died down, the guards, not daring to speak, picked up the eunuch and retreated toward the palace. Zichu and Lu Buwei finally dared to come out.

"Thank you, Grandmaster, for saving our lives," Zichu said, trembling with lingering fear as he bowed repeatedly.

"This only forces them to retreat temporarily," Lu Ge remarked. "The King of Zhao will not let this go. The siege of Handan is a national grievance, and my use of a rainstorm to suppress his palace was a personal one. Now that the Qin army has retreated, the King of Zhao has caught his breath, and I suspect he is constantly thinking of ways to kill us."

Lu Buwei spoke up, "Grandmaster, I have made arrangements throughout this past year, and the situation in Qin is prepared as well. Now that Qin has failed to conquer Zhao, it is at a low point. If the young prince returns to his home country now, it will strike a blow to Zhao’s morale and bolster the prestige of Qin. With the assistance of Lady Huayang to build momentum for the prince, he will surely become a focal point and catch the eye of the monarch upon his return."

With Lu Ge present, they could have returned to Qin long ago, but the timing would have yielded different results. Returning when Qin was victorious would have been merely gilding the lily. But now, with Qin defeated and at a low ebb, Zichu’s return from Zhao would be a slap in the face to the State of Zhao. It might not be a great achievement, but it would provide a vent for Qin’s frustration, ensuring different treatment in the future.

"As long as you are prepared, it is fine," Lu Ge said indifferently. "I can leave whenever I wish. Go and pack your things; I will take you away tomorrow."

Lu Ge had no interest in these political maneuvers, leaving the work to Lu Buwei and Shen Dao. His goal was simple: protect little Zhao Zheng until he grew up and unified the world, achieving a 'Difficulty F' rating to pass. If the opportunity arose, he might even help him unify the globe. Otherwise, he would spend his time observing the heavens and earth and reading Taoist scriptures, striving to attain the immortal fruit of the Human Immortal. As for unifying the solar system or the galaxy, that was just a daydream. Even if this world had supernatural powers, such things were not achievable in the short term—unless one day, everyone in the Great Qin became an immortal. Unfortunately, Lu Ge himself was still only a fringe immortal.

As Lu Buwei, Zichu, and Shen Dao went to pack, Lu Ge returned to teaching little Zhao Zheng. At two years old, the boy was no longer just babbling; with guidance, he could say short words.

Lu Ge read a line from a scripture, and little Zhao Zheng repeated it. Though the boy's pronunciation was still unclear, Lu Ge found it acceptable. Over the past year, Lu Ge had not mastered any new supernatural abilities. While he could understand the classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought instantly, mastering the supernatural was difficult. The Taoist classics, aside from those of Zhuangzi and Liezi, were not profound enough to describe the Great Way in simple, clear terms.

Night fell, and the stars shone brightly. Lu Ge lay in the courtyard as usual, watching the vast expanse of stars. Among the constellations, the Big Dipper twinkled, seemingly responding to his gaze.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound cut through the night sky. Lu Ge’s eyes narrowed, and he activated his great supernatural power, "Heartless, Honorable, and Void," instantly entering a state of detachment. His body became ethereal, standing apart from the world.

The next moment, countless sharp arrows rained down from the sky, covering the entire courtyard. Had an ordinary person been there, they would have been turned into a hedgehog.

"Hahahaha! Master Lu, oh Master Lu," a voice rang out. "The King says that since you used a rainstorm to suppress the palace, he returns the favor with a rain of arrows today. No matter how well you can summon wind and rain, you will die here."

With a crash, the gate was kicked open. Hundreds of guards flooded in like a tide, surrounding a man who walked in—it was Lord Pingyuan.

Lord Pingyuan stepped inside and saw Lu Ge lying on his bamboo bed from afar. Dozens of arrows had passed through Lu Ge’s body and were pinned into the bed.

"So much for a Taoist Grandmaster, a 'Master Lu'," he sneered. "Summoning wind and rain is impressive, but if you are never given the chance to use it, what can you do? Under the cover of night, a single volley of arrows is enough to kill anyone."

Lord Pingyuan waved his hand. "Find Zichu’s family and execute them on the spot."

The guards moved silently like water in the dark, heading toward the rooms and the adjacent house Lu Buwei had purchased.

"Tsk."

At that moment, a strange sound emerged. Lord Pingyuan froze and looked toward the source. He saw Lu Ge, who had been struck by dozens of arrows, slowly sitting up, looking at him with a smile.

Lord Pingyuan felt a chill run through his entire body.