Yan Ling Ji did not leave—she was, after all, from Baiyue. No matter how beautiful or alluring she appeared, in the eyes of the Seven Kingdoms, she was still a barbarian seductress. This was a form of racial discrimination, a disdain from a higher civilization toward a lower one. Or rather, in the environment of that era, the Huaxia people fundamentally didn't regard other races as human.
Even Chu, in the eyes of the Confucians, was seen as barbaric, and few Confucians chose to serve as officials there. Chu was aware of its own dark history, so when Xun Zi gained fame as the leader of the Confucian school, they invited him to serve as an official in Chu, hoping to change how the other six kingdoms perceived them. Xun Zi did go, but he thoroughly criticized Chu's superstitions about ghosts and spirits, leaving Chu with more loss than gain. In the end, they let Xun Zi return to the Little Sage Village to teach and nurture talent.
Thus, Yan Ling Ji knew that even if she left Tian Ze, she had nowhere to go. Han Fei might not discriminate against them, but such prejudice would always linger. After Qin King unified the world, he renamed all races within Qin's expanded territory as Huaxia, eliminating the discrimination among the Seven Kingdoms. He might not have realized the profound impact of this act. His original intent was to erase divisions among the Seven Kingdoms, but the greatest effect was on Baiyue.
"We'll help you find a Daoist expert," Tian Ze said to Yan Ling Ji.
Tian Ze also understood the Seven Kingdoms' discrimination against Baiyue—it ran from top to bottom. Even in Horse Trough Village, during arguments, Koreans would point at Baiyue people and curse, "You Baiyue barbarian." It was a prejudice etched into the bones.
"This is the master gu for controlling people. From today onward, you're all free," Tian Ze said, digging out from his chest the master gu used by the Baiyue royal family to control subordinates. He didn't know why he was doing this, but it felt right. Revenge and restoration were his burdens; others had their own lives.
"Master!" The Corpse Driver watched Tian Ze anxiously, glancing at the master gu, unsure if this was a test or if Tian Ze truly meant to let them go.
"Go on," Tian Ze said, staunching the blood and leaving the master gu behind as he turned and entered the small earthen hut. His figure no longer seemed so towering and imposing—now it carried a hint of desolation and confusion.
The Corpse Driver looked at the master gu in his palm, which had controlled them all, feeling a mix of emotions: joy, reflection, and confusion. They were a group of people whose kingdom and homes had been destroyed. They were from Baiyue, but they had another name: refugees! Freed from the witchcraft, they too were lost on where to go.
"Entrust Wu Shuang Gui to her!" The Corpse Driver used the master gu to release everyone's control, then said to Yan Ling Ji.
"You're planning to leave?" Yan Ling Ji looked at him in surprise.
"I'm tired. I like corpses, but that's because I want to give them a dignified departure, not use them for killing or dig them up from the ground," the Corpse Driver replied.
In Tian Ze's group, the Corpse Driver spoke even less than Wu Shuang Gui, dealing with corpses all day, so others avoided him. Only the Hundred Poisons King had been close to him. No one knew his true inner thoughts.
"Wu Shuang Gui is naive and too simple-minded; he's not suited to follow me. You're clever, so I hope you'll take care of him," the Corpse Driver added.
They hadn't asked Wu Shuang Gui's opinion because he was too guileless—knowing nothing but eating. Though born with immense strength, he swung wildly; otherwise, with power surpassing Sheng Qi and skin like copper and bones like iron, Wei Zhuang couldn't have beaten him. Nor would he have tried to block Gai Nie's Hundred-Pace Flying Sword without dodging, ending up modified into a half-human, half-mechanical monster.
"Are you sure it's not because you can't afford to feed him?" Yan Ling Ji said, already feeling a headache over Wu Shuang Gui. His immense strength meant he could eat voraciously—though he could work, their combined earnings barely covered his meals.
But Wu Shuang Gui had a peculiar charm: everyone seemed to like using him as a mount. Yan Ling Ji enjoyed sitting on his shoulders, as did Chi Lian later, and then Tian Ming.
"I really can't afford him," the Corpse Driver admitted with a wave of his hand. He wasn't planning to follow Tian Ze anymore; he liked it here, where he was respected as a feng shui master.
He could even go to Chu and become a revered expert, but Wu Shuang Gui wasn't suited to accompany him—not because of the cost, but because he wanted to start his own life. Wu Shuang Gui's size made him too recognizable. In the Seven Kingdoms, only one person grew like that: Dian Qing from Wei's Armored Gate.
Wu Shuang Gui would fit perfectly in Wei's Armored Gate, but Tian Ze's group operated in Korea and was unaware of it; otherwise, sending him there would ensure heavy nurturing. As for food, Wei Wu Zu's military pay was famously high among the Seven Kingdoms, second only to Qin's elite warriors.
At that moment, Wu Shuang Gui was still plowing fields for the villagers. Oxen weren't yet common for plowing—mainly because no one had invented the nose ring for them—so it was done by human power. Wu Shuang Gui's strength outdid two people combined. Little did he know his future was being negotiated and essentially sold off by the Corpse Driver and Yan Ling Ji.
"Where do you plan to go, then?" Yan Ling Ji asked the Corpse Driver.
"Nowhere—it's good here. Where to go next is something you all need to think about," the Corpse Driver replied. He had lived here for years and needed no new destination; it was Tian Ze and Yan Ling Ji who had to consider their futures.
Yan Ling Ji sighed. If she knew where to go, she would have left long ago—why wait until now? Beauty was deadly, especially without strength or backing; even a county magistrate could crush her without effort from higher powers.
"The Daoist mountain gate is in Qin's Taiyi Mountain. With the Daoist heart method, they'll let you in," the Corpse Driver said.
But without identity tokens or travel permits, entering Qin and reaching Taiyi Mountain wasn't easy—especially with Korea still hunting them.
Han Fei and the others met Tian Ze again, but the ever-present Corpse Driver was missing—only Yan Ling Ji and Wu Shuang Gui remained. Tian Ze no longer carried his former arrogance; his eyes held only endless confusion.
"What happened to you all?" Han Fei asked, brimming with curiosity. An ally this lost seemed utterly unreliable.
Tian Ze looked at Han Fei. He acknowledged Han Fei's excellence and intelligence, along with Zhang Liang and the others—not like himself, pondering alone while others merely followed orders.
"Can Baiyue be restored?" Tian Ze hesitated before asking. He wanted Han Fei's and the others' genuine views and insights.
Han Fei, Zhang Liang, and the rest were taken aback—they hadn't expected Tian Ze to doubt this. Upon reflection, Tian Ze, as Baiyue's crown prince, had a real shot at restoration, though difficult. Moreover, a restored Baiyue with Duke Zhuang of Zheng's secrets could become a powerful ally for Korea against Qin.
But Han Fei and the others weren't just seeing the surface—Tian Ze wasn't incapable, so his questioning suggested someone had spoken to him. Was it a Qin lobbyist or his own realization?
"Have you met a Qin lobbyist?" Han Fei asked. Besides Qin, he couldn't think of anyone so concerned about Baiyue rising.
"No, it was the Daoists," Tian Ze replied, omitting that it was the two sect leaders—just saying "Daoists," since the school had sealed its mountain. He sought Han Fei's and the others' unbiased opinions, free from emotional bias.
"If standing from Korea's perspective, I'd say Baiyue can be restored—Korea needs allies like Baiyue to counter Qin now. From your standpoint, Baiyue should be restored; as crown prince, you have the duty and responsibility," Han Fei said earnestly.
"And if from the standpoint of Baiyue's people?" Tian Ze pressed.
"This..." Han Fei was startled. This was a perspective they had never considered—subconsciously, they hadn't factored in Baiyue's people, as they weren't of the same race.
"Baiyue needs a king and a kingdom," Zhang Liang said after a long silence.
"The world is already in chaos, with Qin showing signs of unification. Baiyue can no longer stay aloof as before. From the moment Korea and Chu joined to destroy Baiyue, it was drawn in," Han Fei said, grasping Zhang Liang's point. Baiyue truly needed a king and a kingdom; otherwise, its people would be soulless refugees, lacking a pillar and faith in their hearts.
"So no matter which kingdom unifies the world, Baiyue will be their next target," Han Fei continued.
"The only difference is whether Baiyue continues the war or chooses submission," Wei Zhuang said coldly from the window.
"You should ask the Daoists about this," Nong Yu interjected from the side.
Han Fei and the others came from noble backgrounds, so they had subconsciously overlooked a key issue: Baiyue and the Seven Kingdoms weren't the same race. What Tian Ze sought wasn't just whether to restore but how to better the lives of Baiyue's people. Nong Yu, having encountered all sorts, understood Baiyue's plight better. Racial issues were nonexistent only in Daoist eyes. Thus, Tian Ze should consult the Daoists.
Han Fei and the others instantly realized—this was a clash of two races, not two kingdoms. Tian Ze's confusion stemmed from glimpsing the future: a restored Baiyue would be seen as hostile by Qin, becoming cannon fodder for the other six kingdoms resisting Qin. Qin attacking Baiyue would leave the six kingdoms unable—or unwilling—to interfere openly, lest they lose public support and legitimacy. Baiyue alone couldn't withstand Qin's might but could weaken it, buying the six kingdoms breathing room.
They wanted to use Baiyue to balance Qin, viewing it as akin to Zhao or Wei. But they forgot: a strong Baiyue would be treated like the Xiongnu. Qin destroying Baiyue would bar the other six from meddling—or daring to.
"Only in Daoist eyes are there no racial distinctions, for to them, even they themselves are mere passersby in heaven and earth's time," Han Fei sighed.
Tian Ze left, but Yan Ling Ji stayed behind, along with Wu Shuang Gui. Han Fei and the others then learned Tian Ze had disbanded the Baiyue group.
"If asked what technique is the most terrifying, I'd say nothing tops the Daoists' art of persuasion. Without lifting a finger, they scattered Tian Ze's group," Han Fei said with a bitter smile. His hard-won ally had dissolved just like that.
Author's Note: Chu was superstitious about ghosts and spirits. Xun Zi, invited by Lord Chunshen, served as magistrate of Lanling County in Chu, where he proposed the separation of heaven and man, and the view that the heavenly Dao is natural. Moreover, after checking the sources, "heavenly Dao is natural" surprisingly doesn't come from the Dao De Jing but from Xun Zi's "Discourse on Heaven."
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