Chapter 151 My Charming Ancestor 25
Inside the villa, there was a deathly silence.
After shouting those words, the confidant collapsed to the ground, as if all the bones in his body had been removed, leaving only violent trembling.
"My lord! Let's go! Let's go quickly!"
"Let's go through the secret passage in the back mountain! The horses are ready! If we don't leave now... we really won't be able to leave!"
The remaining retainers and assassins instantly snapped out of their daze and scrambled to surround Zhang Liang, their faces drained of color and their voices trembling with sobs.
run!
That was the only thought in their minds.
Faced with such godlike power, all schemes, martial prowess, and ambushes are nothing but a joke!
"All of you... shut up!"
A hoarse growl came from Zhang Liang's mouth.
He braced himself against the table and shakily straightened up. The tearing pain in his chest and the metallic taste in his throat were reminders of his earlier loss of composure.
But at this moment, after the extreme horror faded from his pale face, only an eerie calm, or rather... numbness, remained.
He waved his hand, a simple gesture that seemed to drain all his strength and silence all the voices in the room.
The noisy crying and pleading abruptly stopped.
Everyone was looking at him as if he were their last straw.
"Leave?" Zhang Liang uttered the word softly, with a hint of self-deprecating laughter.
"Which way?"
"The ends of the earth? Or the corners of the sea?"
He looked around at the loyal and brave men who followed him, their hearts filled with thoughts of revenge. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"If she is truly an immortal, where in this vast world could she possibly hide?"
"If she... isn't an immortal..."
He paused, took a deep breath, and then reached out to meticulously straighten his disheveled clothes, which had been rumpled due to vomiting blood.
"Then why should I, Zhang Zifang, run away?"
He was a nobleman of the state of Han, whose family had served as prime minister for five generations! He was Zhang Liang! Not a stray dog hiding and being slaughtered at will!
The assassinations and tests along the way had already told him the outcome; if he tried to run again, he would truly be a joke.
“But my lord…” one of the confidants wanted to say something more.
"No need to say anything more!" Zhang Liang interrupted his confidant.
He frowned slightly as he looked at the glaring pool of blood on the ground.
"Someone, clean this place up!"
"yes……"
"Bring me my moon-white robe, I need to change!"
"yes……"
"Let me take out my treasured 'Yangxian Snow Bud' tea and brew a pot of tea with spring water from the top of the hill behind the mountain!"
Everyone was stunned. With a formidable enemy at hand and their lives hanging by a thread, had their lord... gone mad?
Changing clothes? Making tea?
What's going on here? Are they preparing a warm welcome, inviting that she-devil for tea?!
"My lord!" someone could no longer hold back and cried out in grief.
"Go do it!" Zhang Liang's low roar carried an unyielding resolve.
Looking at the desperate and bewildered expressions on everyone's faces, he sighed deeply. So be it, South Korea is gone.
Everything he fought for might have been a dream from the very beginning.
Now, it's time to wake up from the dream.
Even if he dies, Zhang Zifang will die sitting down, or standing up! He will die with dignity!
...
Zhou Jue walked very slowly, as if he were strolling leisurely in the mountains.
The drone hovered high in the sky, clearly seeing every corner of the mountain resort.
She saw the people inside in complete chaos, then eerily quiet down under the direction of the man in plain clothes.
Someone is mopping the floor.
Someone carrying clothes hurriedly ran into the inner room.
Some people actually went to the mountain spring, fetched a bucket of water, started a fire, and brewed tea.
"Hey, this is interesting," Zhou Jue's lips curled up slightly.
She had expected to see a chaotic escape or a final, fearless charge.
Unexpectedly, the other party acted as if they wanted to have afternoon tea with her.
This Zhang Liang, compared to the strategist in historical records, seemed to possess an even stronger sense of unyielding pride.
When she reached the entrance of the villa, the wooden door was ajar, as if waiting for her to enter. She reached out and gently pushed it open.
"Squeak—"
Inside the courtyard, the stone tables and benches are spotless.
A man dressed in a moon-white robe sat there quietly.
His long hair was tied up with a simple wooden hairpin. His face was thin, and although his complexion still had a sickly pallor, his posture was like that of a tall and straight pine tree.
On the stone table in front of him, an exquisite tea set was steaming, the aroma of tea mingling with the morning mist of the mountains, creating a unique ambiance.
Zhou Jue paused for a moment.
Zhang Liang raised his head. He finally saw the appearance of the "immortal".
He was much younger than he had imagined, and... much more ordinary.
She lacked the solemnity of a deity or Buddha, and the haughty air of looking down upon all living beings. She simply walked in casually, dressed in a smart and capable outfit I'd never seen before, like a girl next door going for a spring outing.
But this seemingly harmless woman can turn a massive boulder weighing tens of thousands of pounds into ashes with just a single finger!
Zhang Liang's heart sank completely the moment he heard the news.
But now, when fear and despair reach their extreme, all that remains is a numb calm.
He slowly rose, bowed slightly to Zhou Jue with neither arrogance nor servility, and performed a gesture of respect befitting an equal: "I am sorry for not welcoming you properly, sir."
His voice was clear and steady, without a trace of tremor.
"Zifang has prepared some simple tea. May I ask if the immortal would do me the honor of dining here?"
Zhou Jue laughed. This completely shut down all the "persuasive words" she had prepared.
Without any hesitation, she walked straight to the opposite side of the stone table and sat down calmly: "You are Zhang Liang?"
"Exactly."
Zhang Liang then sat down, picked up the teapot, warmed the cups, rinsed the tea, and brewed it. His movements were fluid and graceful, as if he were facing not an immortal who could instantly decide the fate of his entire family, but a long-lost friend.
"Exactly."
He poured the first cup of tea, but instead of handing it to Zhou Jue, he raised his hand and poured the scalding tea onto the ground in front of him.
"This cup is offered to my homeland of Korea, and to my seven generations of ancestors."
Zhou Jue raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and just looked at him quietly.
He poured a second cup and, without hesitation, poured it onto the ground.
"This cup is to honor my ancestors for their five generations of service as prime ministers of Han."
After doing all this, he poured a cup for Zhou Jue and himself again, and pushed the teacup in front of Zhou Jue with both hands.
"Immortal, please."
Zhou Jue picked up the teacup, but didn't drink it; he simply held it to his nose and sniffed it.
"Good tea."
She put down her teacup and looked at Zhang Liang: "Aren't you afraid of me?"
Zhang Liang picked up his teacup and took a small sip. The scalding tea warmed his icy limbs, bringing a slight, albeit insignificant, warmth.
He raised his head and met Zhou Jue's gaze without flinching.
"Afraid."
His answer was completely frank.
"But what's the use of being afraid?"
"If an immortal wants to kill me, it's as easy as taking something out of a bag. Even if Zhang Liang escapes to the underworld, it's still up to the immortal's whim."
"Since death is inevitable anyway, why bother making a fool of yourself like a stray dog and inviting the immortals to laugh?"
Zhou Jue nodded. He was a smart man, but also a madman who was proud to the core.
“I’m not here to kill you,” Zhou Jue said bluntly.
Zhang Liang paused slightly as he served the tea.
They weren't here to kill him?
His mind raced, and an even more humiliating thought surged into his head.
So... did they come to humiliate him? Or to offer him amnesty on behalf of Ying Zheng?
Zhou Jue seemed to see through his thoughts, and his smile deepened: "I'm not here to humiliate you. I just want to give you a choice."
"Choose?" Zhang Liang frowned. Sure enough, it was an attempt to recruit him.
But with national and personal grievances looming, he would rather die than be recruited!
"Yes, an option."
Zhou Jue leaned forward slightly, tapping one finger lightly on the stone table, making a "tap, tap" sound. Each tap seemed to strike Zhang Liang's heart.
"South Korea is gone. This is a fact that no one can change."
"You squandered your fortune, risked your lives, and had your entire family of loyal martyrs die for you, all for a vague and uncertain 'revenge'?"
Zhou Jue's voice suddenly turned cold!
"Do you think that killing Ying Zheng will bring back the fragmented state of Han? Do you think the world will return to what it was before?"
"I'm telling you, no way!"
"Killing Ying Zheng will only plunge the world into chaos, and allow countless ambitious men even more ruthless than Ying Zheng to climb onto that throne, dragging your so-called 'homeland,' along with everyone on this land, into an endless hell!"
"What you call national and personal vendettas are nothing but your own obsession! A self-righteous tragedy!"
Every word Zhou Jue uttered was like a red-hot knife, viciously stabbing Zhang Liang's heart! It dissected his proud beliefs, rendering them utterly worthless!
Zhang Liang's breathing instantly became heavy. His hand, gripping the teacup, was so clenched that his knuckles turned white, and the veins bulged!
"Shut up!" He practically spat out the words through clenched teeth.
"The Qin Dynasty has harsh laws, its people suffer greatly, and its taxes are high year after year. Immortal, tell me, what makes such a dynasty exist?"
"Even if it weren't for my homeland, but for the sake of countless people, I am determined to overthrow the Qin Dynasty!"
Zhang Liang's voice was filled with grief and indignation: Why can't the immortals see the suffering of the common people! What wrong have I done to overthrow the country?!
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