Lu Li was completely panicked. He didn't know why he had become like this, but he dared not tell anyone anymore.
Such a miraculous thing happened to him; if this happened in later generations, he would definitely be used as a guinea pig for research.
After all, this kind of thing is too amazing. Not to mention Qingshan, even Lu Li himself is very curious.
However, no matter what, Lu Li would never allow Qingshan to study him. After staying in Yunmeng Mountain for seven days, the old man Qingshan found that he could not find any opportunity to study Lu Li, so he left Yunmeng Mountain in a fit of anger.
Lu Li wanted Cangwu and Xiaolu'er to escort Old Man Qingshan back, but Guiguzi waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, not many people can hurt this old guy!"
Judging from Guiguzi's tone, Lu Li instantly became curious.
"Master, could it be that Senior Qingshan is a minor grandmaster?"
Guiguzi rolled his eyes at Lu Li and slowly said, "It seems you already know about the martial artist realms?"
Lu Li nodded and replied, "My senior brother told me everything. He also said that you used to be a minor grandmaster, but you were seriously injured later..."
At this point, Guiguzi's expression changed, and his emotions clearly fluctuated.
Lu Li immediately guessed that his master must have a story, so he pressed on, "Master, who hurt you?"
But Guiguzi waved his hand and said, "This matter has nothing to do with you."
Seeing that Guiguzi wouldn't say anything, Lu Li didn't press the matter further. He knew his master's personality too well; if he didn't want to talk about it, no amount of questioning would change anything.
He'll have to investigate this himself.
Time flies, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.
In five years, Lu Li's Black Ice Team has been basically established. Including Lu Fusheng, all twelve children have now infiltrated various countries.
Over the past five years, Lu Li has adopted nearly three hundred children and recruited over a thousand people from slums, all of whom are distributed across various countries to gather intelligence.
Of course, this also required Ying Zheng's support. Over the course of five years, as Ying Zheng grew older, the conflict between him and Lü Buwei intensified.
This indirectly accelerated the establishment of the Black Ice Guard, because for Ying Zheng, he urgently needed to strengthen his own power and create a force that could rival Lü Buwei.
Lü Buwei was also very capable; he not only stabilized the internal situation of Qin, but also managed to subdue the Qin royal family and nobles.
Furthermore, it is rumored that outsiders only know Prime Minister Lü Buwei, but not the King of Qin.
"Sir, the Black Ice Guard has now spread throughout the six kingdoms, and Meng Tian and Wang Jian have sworn allegiance to me. I have already fulfilled everything you asked of me back then!"
Inside the courtyard of Yunmeng Mountain, Ying Zheng, dressed in a black robe, sat opposite Lu Li and spoke with a joyful expression.
Five years ago, when Lu Li first met Ying Zheng, he told him to lie low and secretly cultivate his own power.
"Lu Buwei has now become too powerful to control, and we need another opportunity."
Upon hearing Lu Li's words, Ying Zheng's expression immediately turned somewhat dejected.
Now that he is eighteen years old, his desire to rule in his own right is growing stronger, but Lü Buwei's power in Qin is now too great.
More than half of the civil and military officials in the imperial court came from his residence and were his retainers.
Moreover, there was also Empress Dowager Zhao Ji, who, in alliance with Lü Buwei, had completely seized control of the entire Qin state.
"Opportunity? What more opportunity do we need? If things continue like this, the Qin state will have to change its surname to Lü!" Ying Zheng said somewhat agitatedly.
Lu Li gave a wry smile. After all, he was still a child. Although eighteen years old was already an adult in later generations, Ying Zheng was getting impatient.
However, Lu Li could understand. After all, as the king of Qin, he was constantly hampered, and anyone in his position would lose their temper.
"Your Majesty, King Zhaoxiang of Qin faced a similar situation back then, but he didn't truly assume absolute power until he was 59 years old!"
King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Ying Ji, ascended the throne at the age of nineteen. In the early years, he relied on his mother, Queen Dowager Xuan, and his uncle, Wei Ran, to stabilize the Qin state. It was not until he was 59 years old that he truly took sole power!
He appointed Bai Qi as commander-in-chief, and in the Battle of Yique, Bai Qi led a coalition of forces from the states of Han, Wei, and Qi to capture the land of Yique.
In the Battle of Yan and Ying, Qin captured Qianzhong Commandery of Chu in one fell swoop. Chu was forced to cede Shangyong and Hanbei to Qin.
In the Battle of Huayang, Bai Qi once again demonstrated his outstanding military talent, successfully defeating the allied forces of Zhao and Wei and capturing a large number of Zhao soldiers. This war further consolidated Qin's position.
The Battle of Changping was one of Bai Qi's most famous battles and the most glorious victory of his life. In this battle, Bai Qi employed ingenious tactics to successfully defeat Zhao Kuo, a renowned general of the Zhao state, and capture hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers. This battle severely weakened the Zhao state and laid the foundation for Qin's eventual unification of China.
Later generations have also commented that Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng was able to unify the world because Qin Zhaoxiang King Ying Ji laid the foundation for him.
There are always people who can't distinguish the relationship between Ying Ji and Ying Zheng.
Ying Ji was Ying Zheng's great-grandfather. Ying Ji begat Ying Zhu, Ying Zhu begat Ying Zichu, and Ying Zichu begat Ying Zheng.
"Sir, must I wait until I'm fifty-six to truly have the final say?" Ying Zheng asked unwillingly.
Lu Li rolled his eyes inwardly. The reason why Ying Ji only fully consolidated power at the age of fifty-nine was because Empress Dowager Xuan had died.
Ying Ji was a filial son. Even though he was dissatisfied with Empress Dowager Xuan, he never did anything excessive.
However, in history, Zhao Ji's licentious behavior in the harem and Lao Ai's rebellion completely touched Ying Zheng's sore spot. In the end, Ying Zheng killed Lao Ai, dismissed Lü Buwei, and placed Zhao Ji under house arrest, which was the only time he truly took control of the Qin state.
But Lu Li couldn't very well tell him now, "Wait a little longer, wait for your mother to have an affair in the harem, wait for Lao Ai to rebel."
"Your Majesty, please calm down. You are only eighteen years old. Your Majesty will certainly help you to seize power as soon as possible!"
Lu Li is now Ying Zheng's greatest support!
Moreover, this is also where Lu Li's wisdom lies. The reason why he did not choose to be a strategist, a commander, or a prime minister is because he understands a principle: once the birds are gone, the bow is put away!
Although there is no historical record of Qin Shi Huang killing any meritorious officials after unifying the world, the lack of record does not mean that he did not kill any; he had to leave himself a way out.
The Black Ice Guard was extremely useful during wartime. Even after unification, it could still be used to monitor officials. Moreover, it had no military power, did not participate in court affairs, and was completely loyal to Ying Zheng. Even after Lu Li left, they would still obey Ying Zheng's orders.
This is where Lu Li's wisdom lies: no matter what, he will not leave himself with no way out.
Ying Zheng looked at Lu Li with a sincere expression and slowly said, "Mr. Lu, my Qin state was originally weak. It was the result of the hard work of my predecessors and the blood and sweat of my people that made it strong."
"I ascended the throne at the age of nine, and at that time I made a vow that I would definitely accomplish the great task of unifying the world!"
Ying Zheng's words stirred something within Lu Li. At that moment, he seemed to see the First Emperor of Qin, who swept across the six kingdoms and whose power shook the world!
This feeling gave Lu Li an urge to kneel in submission, but he managed to suppress his emotions.
"Your Majesty, that day will come soon!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com