With Ope Ope no Mi in Hunter x Hunter

"Ying Ge," Bai Feng muttered with a helpless smile, his expression turning slightly bitter as Ying Ge pinched his cheeks. If anyone else dared to do this to him, he would have retaliated immediately, but when it came to Ying Ge, he could only let it happen.

"How are things on your end?" Ying Ge asked, turning to Mo Ya after letting go of Bai Feng.

"Still the same, nothing can officially start for a while," Mo Ya replied with a wry smile. Establishing the Six Gates Division was proving to be a daunting task. Despite Daniel's ideas and guidance, implementing them required time and effort.

Recruiting personnel, training them, and coordinating with other departments—all of these processes took time, even with Ying Zheng's orders. The work was currently limited to Xianyang and its surrounding areas, serving as a pilot program before broader implementation.

Mo Ya had been incredibly busy lately, but it was a welcome change from his past life. Under Ji Wuye, he had been constantly on the move, killing or preparing to kill. Now, his responsibilities had shifted to building something new.

"These are minor matters. Now that you're here, let's go see them," Mo Ya said. He and Ying Ge led Bai Feng down to a courtyard at the foot of the mountain.

The Moon and Sun Manor was expansive. Initially, Daniel had wanted to house the children in the manor itself, but Mo Ya refused. While Daniel didn't care about social distinctions, Mo Ya couldn't ignore them, so Daniel had to adapt to the norms of this world.

Even someone as powerful as Daniel couldn't single-handedly overthrow the deeply entrenched customs of society.

"It seems the turmoil is over." The chaos in Xianyang was winding down. The Dragon and Tiger Cavalry had arrived, and the Web's battle with the Miscellaneous School had concluded. The Miscellaneous School's experts were wiped out, and although the Web had lost some top-tier assassins, the remainder had finished off the opposition.

In battles between assassins, there was no room for chivalry or single combat. The reason most top experts fought alone was that their skills and speed made it impossible for ordinary people to keep up.

But with the arrival of the Dragon and Tiger Cavalry, the Web's assassins also began to retreat. When the regular army surrounded the Wenxin Marquis's residence, the outcome was inevitable—the biggest winner was Ying Zheng.

As the Web retreated, the Yin-Yang School also withdrew. Xinghun nodded to Daniel and left with the Great Commander.

After some thought, Daniel decided not to go to Xianyang Palace to see Ying Zheng but instead returned to the Moon and Sun Manor.

Meanwhile, in a hunting palace about a hundred miles from Xianyang, screams echoed through the night. Thousands of Qin soldiers in black armor surrounded the palace, accompanied by various siege beasts, Burrowing Beasts, and mechanical serpents.

Figures rushing out of the palace fell under a hail of crossbow bolts from the Qin soldiers. Those with enough strength to break through the rain of arrows found themselves facing prepared shield formations and siege beasts.

"Ying Zheng, you wretch! Get out here! Let's see how you kill me, Lao Ai!" A handsome young man in luxurious clothing stood on the palace steps, brandishing a decorated sword and shouting curses at Ying Zheng.

As he cursed, he skillfully deflected the arrows aimed at him with his sword, demonstrating impressive martial prowess.

"The King has ordered that no one is to be spared," a commanding voice rang out from among the soldiers. Another volley of arrows was unleashed, this time mixed with heavy crossbow bolts.

Although Lao Ai tried to deflect the arrows again, this time, the heavy crossbow bolts shattered his sword, piercing his body and pinning him to the palace wall. More arrows followed, turning him into a human pincushion, his body riddled with holes.

"Leave no one alive." With Lao Ai dead, the general led the Qin soldiers into the palace, where they slaughtered all the eunuchs and maids they encountered.

The general then charged into the innermost chambers of the palace, where a group of terrified eunuchs and maids surrounded a richly dressed woman.

"The Empress Dowager must have been frightened," the general said, kneeling respectfully before the woman.

"How dare you! Who gave you the authority to do this?" the Empress Dowager snapped, glaring at the general.

"Protect the Empress Dowager and escort her to safety!" the general ordered, ignoring her outburst. His soldiers moved to shield the Empress Dowager, leading her away. Once she was safe, they turned their weapons on the remaining eunuchs and maids.

A blazing fire consumed the palace, reducing it to ashes. Hundreds of people perished, with the Empress Dowager being the only survivor.

If there was anyone Ying Zheng hated more than Lu Buwei, it was Lao Ai, the false eunuch. Ying Zheng didn't care how many lovers his mother, Empress Dowager Zhao Ji, had, but Lao Ai had overstepped by arrogantly considering himself Ying Zheng's father. Even Lu Buwei wouldn't have dared to make such a claim. Lao Ai's audacity was his downfall.

Still, Lao Ai had some talent. He had enough charm to make Zhao Ji fall deeply in love with him. He wasn't just a handsome face—he was skilled in martial arts and well-educated. In any era, being a successful gigolo required more than just good looks.

His martial arts prowess had significantly improved after he became Zhao Ji's favorite. As the Empress Dowager of Qin, Zhao Ji had immense power, and the resources she lavished on Lao Ai had elevated him to a top-tier martial artist.

Ying Zheng had tolerated Lao Ai for a long time, but now, with his power secure, he no longer had to. Ying Zheng had been patient, not for Lao Ai's sake but for Zhao Ji's, his mother.

The Empress Dowager of Qin always held great power because most Qin kings ascended to the throne at a very young age, leading to the tradition of the Empress Dowager ruling from behind the scenes.

However, Zhao Ji was the least distinguished Empress Dowager in Qin's history. Due to her background, she lacked the wisdom and experience of her predecessors.

Lao Ai's death was discreetly handled—a mere fire in the palace would be the official explanation. Those who knew the truth would remain silent, and those who didn't would never need to know.

The next morning, Qin soldiers fanned out across Xianyang, targeting the residences of Lu Buwei's associates. With Lu Buwei's failure, his faction was doomed. Just as Wang Yi had been purged, Lu Buwei's followers faced a similar fate.

The streets of Xianyang were almost deserted. Restoring the city's former prosperity would take time.

A new round of political reshuffling began at court. Several of the Nine Ministers were replaced, though Ying Zheng didn't deal with Lu Buwei as harshly as he had with Wang Yi. Had he done so, the consequences would have been too severe for Qin to handle.

Lu Buwei had been a representative of the foreign faction in Qin. A purge on that scale would have drastically weakened the foreign faction, tipping the balance of power in favor of the native Qin aristocracy.

For a ruler, maintaining balance was crucial. Sometimes, favoring the foreign faction to keep the native one in check was a common strategy.

Foreigners, no matter how powerful, still relied on the king's favor to maintain their position. But if the native faction grew too powerful, they might develop ambitions beyond their station.

"Zhao Gao will survive for now," Daniel decided after considering the court's developments, particularly Zhao Gao's situation. As long as Ying Zheng lived, Zhao Gao wouldn't be able to stir up too much trouble. Moreover, eliminating Zhao Gao now would leave the Web leaderless. Daniel had already promised not to involve Mo Ya and his group in assassination work, and he wasn't sure about anyone else.

The Web played a significant role in Qin's eventual conquest of the Six Kingdoms. For example, Ji Wuye—had he survived, he might have surrendered to Qin during their invasion of Han to save his own skin.

The same could be said for other states. Schemes and intrigues, though often unseen, were vital. It was the Web that had helped prevent the Six Kingdoms from uniting against Qin, among other things.

Mo Ya, once Ji Wuye's top lieutenant, was well aware of the connections between the Nightfall organization and the Web. Ji Wuye wasn't the only figure in the Six Kingdoms with ties to the Web.

Sometimes, wars are won not just on the battlefield but through what happens behind the scenes. Take the Battle of Changping, for instance. Zhao Kuo's defeat was as much a failure of Zhao's leadership as it was a failure on the battlefield.

At that time, both Qin and Zhao were struggling. While Zhao was on the brink of collapse, Qin was also exhausted from its prolonged campaign far from home. If Zhao Kuo had continued his scorched-earth strategy, the outcome of Changping might have been different.

Zhao Kuo, often criticized as a mere "paper general," wasn't as incompetent as history painted him.

"Is Lao Ai dead?" Daniel also received news of Lao Ai's death, his body left exposed in the ruins of the palace.

Daniel didn't spare much thought for Lao Ai, a man who had taken the art of being a gigolo to its extreme. He was nothing more than a delusional clown who had no understanding of the true power dynamics at play. His followers were sycophants who offered no real support.

"Bai Feng, I didn't expect him to join

 Liusha in the end." Daniel was surprised to learn that Bai Feng had joined Liusha.

Daniel had previously asked Mo Ya about Bai Feng's situation. Mo Ya had released Bai Feng, feeling that the constraints of Baichao had been a burden on him. Mo Ya didn't want to impose the same restrictions on Bai Feng that had been imposed on him.

At the time, Daniel regretted not recruiting Bai Feng, but he hadn't expected Bai Feng to join Liusha. Without the same circumstances that existed in the original timeline—no fall into the Sparrow Pavilion, no Heartstrings—Daniel didn't see how it was possible. But he was wrong.

However, Daniel quickly dismissed his surprise. If Bai Feng had joined Liusha, so be it. He was more curious about whom Bai Feng would eventually fall for. In *Qin's Moon*, Bai Feng was attracted to Chilian, but in *Mountain Birds and Plum Blossoms*, Bai Feng had a good relationship with Nongyu.

In fact, Daniel noticed that Huamei seemed to have feelings for Bai Feng.

"Is that how things stand now?" Hidden within the Qin State's hostage pavilion, Liusha listened to Han Fei's assessment of the current situation in Qin, their expressions growing grim.

Daniel's reforms had already begun to show their effects. The advent of paper books had attracted many talents who were overlooked by the Six Kingdoms. Though these individuals might not be as brilliant as the likes of Shang Yang, they were capable enough to govern a region.

Under Daniel's guidance, Ying Zheng had already started preparing for the eventual conquest of the Six Kingdoms by training officials. One of the key reasons for Qin's collapse after only two generations was the speed of its conquest. There simply weren't enough qualified officials to govern the newly conquered territories, so Qin had to rely on local elites to maintain control.

These local elites had no loyalty to Qin and turned against the empire as soon as it showed signs of weakness.

But by starting now, Qin could train a new generation of loyal officials who could be deployed when the time came.

And that was just the impact of the books. The improvements in agriculture and other areas would also have significant effects over time, particularly the advancements in steel production, which would give Qin a decisive advantage in weapons and armor.

As Daniel had anticipated, despite hearing everything, Han Fei couldn't ignore his loyalty to Han. He couldn't stand by and do nothing as his homeland fell.

"The only way to break this deadlock is through another coalition."

"It's a nice idea, but it's not realistic."

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