socalfunplaces Chapter 218 The Top of the Great Weapons
Chapter 218 The Top of the Great Weapons
Bai Yifei stood below the steps, a slight smile playing on his lips, and chimed in, "Prime Minister Lü is right. If the Grand Preceptor had truly done it, he would naturally deny it now; if he hadn't, I have no evidence and can hardly testify."
Lü Buwei tilted his head back and sneered, his tone slow and cold: "The Grand Preceptor is a reclusive master. A true man acts without pretense. To deny it is to be guilty; and a guilty man is unfit to wield the power of education in my Great Qin!"
His words were like nails, he wanted Lin Tian to personally smash the iron seal of "unfit to be a teacher" into the ears of the ministers, allowing no room for maneuver.
Bai Yifei, fanning the flames from the sidelines, had already calculated this in his mind—a peerless master like Lin Tian, with his unyielding integrity, would rather break than bend, despise sophistry, and utterly disdain denying anything. He had seen too many ruthless characters like this: the Crimson-Eyebrowed Dragon Serpent Tianze back then was just like that.
As expected, Lin Tian flicked his sleeves, his voice like metal striking the ground: "I did it, so what?!"
"Insolence!!" An official sprang from his seat, fell to his knees with a thud, veins bulging on his forehead, and roared angrily, "If this was your doing, how dare you sit in the position of Imperial Advisor, receiving the incense offerings and reverence of the people?!"
"Oh?" Lin Tian glanced sideways, his expression indifferent as frost, yet his gaze sharp as a blade. "Isn't this the magistrate of Xianyang? Where is Gai Nie? — I beg Heaven to question the sword! I will tell him in front of the entire court—why I am worthy of this position as Imperial Preceptor!"
No matter how high that person jumped, he was still within Lin Tian's pre-arranged trap. The secret report that Xuan Jian sent last night even described exactly when this person spoke and where he stood.
Lin Tian had already laid a trap—a move that Ying Zheng was unaware of.
Ying Zheng, sitting on the dragon throne, narrowed his eyes as he watched Gai Nie slowly enter through the palace gate, his hands steadily holding the ebony sword box. Doubts churned in his heart.
No sooner had Xuan Jian left than Lin Tian dispatched Wei Zhuang to travel overnight and secretly transferred Gai Nie to the side hall of the ancestral temple. The Heavenly Question Sword, which had been dormant for a hundred years, was easily taken out by Lin Tian and presented to the court in a grand manner.
"Tianwen?...The Tianwen Sword used by successive Qin kings?"
Ying Zheng's heart skipped a beat. How could Lin Tian know the location of this sword's hidden location? And how dare he touch it? But then he thought, from the "National Humiliation" monument to today, which of the Qin Dynasty's secrets that Lin Tian had uncovered wasn't chilling? He was already used to it.
What truly held his breath was—what exactly did Lin Tian intend to do with this sword?
Every move Lin Tian made was beyond Ying Zheng's expectations; every strategy he devised was a stroke of genius. This man's mind was unfathomable, and his methods were almost otherworldly.
Although Ying Zheng remained outwardly calm, his heart was pounding with barely suppressed rage. He trusted Lin Tian not out of momentary favor, but because he had personally witnessed Lin Tian dispel the fog of delusion and personally carve the four words "unification of the world" from an illusion into the land before his eyes.
Lin Tian's gaze swept over the bowing officials in the hall, and he slowly raised his hand, gesturing for Gai Nie to step forward: "The Heavenly Question Sword—you old Qin people, you should be familiar with it, right? Please present it. Today, it should be unsheathed."
Among the military generals, Wang Jian and Meng Tian both looked up, their gazes fixed intently on the ancient sword box in Gai Nie's hand.
Heavenly Questions?!
That was the Qin Dynasty's most prized weapon, the emperor's sword, which had been enshrined deep within the ancestral temple for centuries, never lightly touched. And now it's been taken out of its sheath as an exception?!
The two men exchanged a glance, their Adam's apples bobbing slightly, their hearts beating faster silently—they suddenly felt that the next sword strike would not only sever the rumors, but also the old rules of the entire court.
From the beginning, Meng Tian stood on Lin Tian's side.
Wang Jian was completely stunned by Lin Tian's resounding words, his ruthlessness, and especially his resolute posture of carrying a coffin to demonstrate his resolve.
Just now, seeing Lü Buwei's faction desperately joining forces with the Blood-Clad Marquis to smear Lin Tian, the two remained outwardly calm, but inwardly they were on edge—both worried and hopeful, waiting for Lin Tian to draw his sword.
Meng Tian thought to himself: This kid is definitely not as simple as he seems on the surface.
Wang Jian, a seasoned veteran, was as shrewd as an eagle. He glanced at Lin Tian, especially noticing the deep and unyielding sharpness between his brows, and his heart skipped a beat: This man was no ordinary person.
At that moment, the two realized almost simultaneously that Lin Tian was about to get serious.
On Lü Buwei's side, as soon as they heard the words "Heavenly Questions," a chill ran down their spines, their pupils contracted sharply, and their palms became damp.
The legend of the Heavenly Question Sword was known to all the senior officials in the court, who knew it was no ordinary weapon but a national treasure bestowed by the late king and sealed away for many years. Now, it was presented by Gai Nie, the sword saint personally appointed by the king, and the entire hall was silent, even breathing was kept extremely low, waiting for the thunder to strike.
Lu Buwei's heart sank the moment his gaze fell on the ambiguous smile on Lin Tian's lips—here we go again.
This inexplicable chill had been creeping over him lately, and it always proved true: in every confrontation, he was the one who ultimately yielded. He was starting to feel a little afraid.
The envoys from the six kingdoms, including Bai Yifei, had all heard of Tianwen's name. At this moment, they all stared intently at Gai Nie's figure approaching with a sword.
Gai Nie lowered his head and lowered his eyes, holding the black sandalwood sword box in both hands. He stood steadily in front of Lin Tian, his voice clear and respectful: "Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, the Heavenly Question Sword has arrived."
"Have you been waiting outside for a long time? Hehe... The Heavenly Question Sword, the foremost of the Ten Famous Weapons." This was the first time Lin Tian had ever seen it in person.
He slowly opened the sword case—in an instant, a clear and melodious dragon's roar burst forth from the case, like the breath of an ancient dragon; specks of frost light splashed out, and even before the sword was drawn, the sharp sword intent overflowed like a tide, and wisps of sword energy wandered and swirled in the air.
Lin Tian was shocked: "What a fine sword! In terms of quality alone, it's even a cut above Yuanhong."
Yuanhong was a purple-tier divine weapon, while the one before him was a gold-tier renowned sword. A thought flashed through his mind, and greed arose—if he could take this sword with him when he left this world, Yuanhong and Tianwen would be a perfect combination, dominating the world.
The moment the thought arose, it made one's heart burn.
As the sword case was opened, a fleeting afterimage of a dragon swept across the sword's spine. The cold, gleaming blade lay quietly on the brocade, ancient and weighty, as vast as history, yet exuding an aura of dominance and supreme authority, as if it were born to be the blade of a king commanding all soldiers.
Lin Tian reached for his sword, gripped the hilt in his palm, flicked his wrist, and unleashed a burst of cold, silver light, proclaiming loudly, "The Sword of the Ancestral Dragon, bestowed by Heaven's Mandate!"
Before he finished speaking, he turned and bowed deeply to Ying Zheng on the throne, his voice like the clash of metal and stone: "Your Majesty! May I wield this sword—to slay the treacherous and punish the rebellious?!"
Ying Zheng's gaze was sharp as lightning, his expression resolute: "Since the Sword of the First Emperor has received the Mandate of Heaven, it should naturally fall into the hands of an immortal like the Grand Preceptor, to carry out righteous deeds. I grant it."
Lin Tian stood with his sword in hand, his expression suddenly turning stern and frosty as he turned to face the kneeling officials in the hall. His brows were sharp as blades, his eyes burned with fire, and an overwhelming aura of arrogance swept over them.
He shouted, causing the dust on the beams to tremble: "Where are the Magistrate of Xianyang! The Grand Chancellor?!"
That noisy magistrate from Xianyang who just jumped out—
His accomplice beside him froze on the spot, looking up blankly with a face full of astonishment.
Lin Tian's lips curled into a sneer, the coldness not yet reaching his eyes, before he raised his voice and ordered, "Gai Nie, search the entire body of the Grand Master! Also, present the evidence sent last night!"
"Yes, Your Excellency!" Gai Nie responded and moved.
"Gai Nie! How dare you?! I am the Grand Master of Ceremonies! Your Majesty—!" Before the Grand Master of Ceremonies could finish his scream, Gai Nie had already grabbed his shoulder with one hand, while the other hand swiftly reached into his robes, pulled out a yellowed sheepskin scroll, and with a flick of his wrist, slammed the man to the ground. He then turned back to his ranks, presenting the scroll with both hands: "Grand Preceptor, as expected—a secret letter from Qi is here!"
The moment the silk scroll appeared, the Grand Master of Ceremonies went limp and collapsed to the ground, his face ashen and his eyes unfocused, as if he had encountered a death knell.
Lin Tian remained silent, slowly unfolding the silk scroll and scanning it with his gaze.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Qi envoy's forehead was beaded with sweat and his fingers trembled slightly—he understood immediately: just as he suspected.