Heirs of the Seven Swords of the Qin Dynasty

"As long as we arrange for someone to keep an eye on the port for twelve hours non-stop during that period, we shouldn't miss it."

Tianming talked freely, "The only proper entrance and exit to the Mirage is the gangway. Yun Zhongjun probably took this route to transport Shi Lan's brother."

"If not, I guess we'll just have to rely on the boat. As long as we make sure someone is watching us at all times, it should be pretty conspicuous."

"At worst, tell Qian Long in advance and ask her to help keep an eye on it during that time. That should be safe."

Shao Yu stroked his chin and pondered for a long time before saying, "If we intercept them before they are sent back to the ship, that would be fine. But if they are sent back to the ship, would it be convenient for us to get on board and rescue them?"

When the Mirage is about to set sail, who knows how the situation on the ship will change?
Even if we don't consider the increased difficulty of rescuing people, what if we accidentally delay time and the boat leaves?
Tianming also knew Shaoyu's concerns, and his answer was:

"If you can't, just swim back."

"No matter how troublesome it is, saving a person won't take too long. At worst, we can just jump off the boat and swim back. Besides, we can still use the Mechanical Suzaku."

Shao Yu also agreed with this. Although the method was a bit stupid and tiring, it was at least a feasible one.

But… there is another risk.

"Tianming, you have ignored the possibility of failure." Shao Yu reminded.

"Once the boat is launched, it goes without saying that we can rescue the people. Even if we are drowned, we can always find a way to get them back."

"But if we fail to rescue people and are forced to retreat, we won't be able to go up again!"

"Uh..." Tianming grinned, and finally spread his hands and said, "There's nothing I can do about this."

He had considered this problem before, but there was really no solution.

No one could do anything about the ship as it sailed away, and the Mechanical Suzaku could not go deep into the sea - the weather at sea changed too drastically, and the Mechanical Suzaku would have to be sent away if there was a little wind and rain.

It was Shi Lan who interrupted and stopped the topic, "We'll talk about these issues later."

Everything is speculation now, and the specific situation is still unclear. There is no need to cling to any one possibility.

No matter how many plans you have now, it will be in vain if the situation is not right when the time comes.

No matter what we say, we still have to act according to circumstances.

As Shi Lan wished, Tianming put aside these possible follow-up arrangements for the time being and began to finalize the first step:
"In short, let's start preparing in all aspects."

"You two should contact the manpower and do whatever you can."

"I'll wait for an opportunity to go aboard and ask Qian Long about Yun Zhongjun's situation to see if there's a suitable time to take action."

"If possible, it would be safer to attack Yun Zhongjun. If that doesn't work, then consider waiting for Mirage to set sail."

After saying that, Tianming took a sip of tea and moistened his throat.

Shao Yu and Shi Lan had no objection to this arrangement, but the former still asked:
"We won't be able to go up to Mirage until tomorrow. Let's go find someone. What are you doing in the meantime?"

Tianming sat there with a smile on his face, "I'll take a break first, to conserve my energy. I'm the main player!"

Shao Yu rolled his eyes at him, shushed him, and then assigned Tian Ming an extra task:
"Then why don't you cook while you're resting? Didn't you learn from Pao Ding?"

"Are there any ingredients here?" Shao Yu asked Shi Lan.

Shi Lan nodded, "Probably, but not too much."

Tianming quickly interrupted and corrected Shaoyu, "What I learned from Pao Ding was knife skills, not cooking!"

"Almost. I heard you name the dishes very skillfully, didn't you?"

Shao Yu waved his hand nonchalantly, and without waiting for Tian Ming to respond, he left with Shi Lan.

Tianming gritted his teeth, but still got up and went to take a look in the kitchen.

Although he did not learn cooking skills from Pao Ding, he had no problem cooking a simple meal.

After taking a look and confirming that there were enough ingredients, Tianming did not start cooking, but left the house.

Obviously, he did not intend to really lie down and rest as he had said before. He also had his own things to do, but he just didn't want to tell Shao Yu and Shi Lan.

Under the shadow of the sun, Tianming walked cautiously through the empty Sanghai City, approaching Guxun's residence.

Although he had never taken the initiative to look for Gu Xun since coming to Sanghai, he had already found out where Gu Xun lived.

And this time, he planned to meet his Uncle Gu.

Of course, it is possible that no one will be seen, after all, Gu Xun may not stay where he lives in broad daylight.

Tianming is just trying. If he can’t see it... he will find another opportunity.

Tianming moved carefully along various hidden corners, and it took more than an incense stick of time before he finally found the place.

Looking at the inconspicuous single-family courtyard in front of him, Tianming felt that this place was not suitable for Uncle Gu's identity as the national teacher, but at the same time he felt that it was quite suitable for Uncle Gu's temperament.

Most of the time, Gu Xun gave him the feeling of an old man in his twilight years. It was so appropriate for such a person to live alone in a remote and inconspicuous courtyard...

After thinking about it for a while, Tianming confirmed that there was no one around, so he quickly flipped over the wall and climbed into the yard.

As soon as he entered the yard, he heard the familiar, lifeless, lazy voice:

"There must be something wrong with the feng shui of this place. The door is fine but few people use it."

When Tianming landed and turned around, he saw that it was indeed Gu Xun, lying on a recliner with his eyes closed as if he was asleep.

Of course, it only looks like that. If he fell asleep, there would be no previous teasing.

Tianming smiled awkwardly, patted the dust off his hands, leaned closer to Guxun, and whispered:
"Uncle Gu, Uncle Gu!"

Gu Xun didn't even blink, and replied lazily, "Just tell me if you have something to say."

"You are a rare visitor here. I don't think you would come here for no reason."

“Hehe…” Tianming’s face blushed when he heard this. It was really embarrassing to visit someone only when there was something going on.

But Tianming had no choice. Due to his stance, he couldn't just come and ask for hello. He only came reluctantly now because he had no choice but to ask for advice.

I haven’t told Shao Yu and the others yet.

"Uncle Gu, I have something to ask you." Tianming kept his voice low and stated the purpose of his visit.

Gu Xun snorted and replied calmly, "Shi Lan's brother?"

"Hehe, you really do know." Tianming nodded and smiled, "We want to save people, but it seems we are too late."

"So what are you going to do?" Gu Xun asked Tianming first.

Tianming did not hide anything and replied frankly, "My initial plan is to capture Yun Zhongjun directly and use his life to exchange for Brother Shi Lan."

"It is a solution that goes right to the essence." Gu Xun approved of his idea, but then he changed the subject and denied it, "But the actual feasibility is zero."

"Do you think we can't do it?" Tianming, who was rejected, was not in a hurry and asked for advice honestly.

Gu Xun explained calmly, "Yun Zhongjun is easy to deal with. He is the weakest among the five elders, but he is the captain of the Mirage and one of the people the emperor cares about the most."

"No one in the empire would allow him to get into trouble at this critical juncture."

"Does it also include...Uncle Gu?" Tianming's face darkened and he asked this question in a rather stagnant tone. Gu Xun answered truthfully, "It also includes me."

Then he made everything clear, "But even if you don't tell me about this and I don't intervene, you won't be able to succeed."

"The fact that you can now come and go in the Mirage without restraint is the result of everyone's deliberate indulgence. The Yin-Yang Family and the Shadow Secret Guards are not unaware of this."

"If your behavior crosses the line, they will naturally take action to stop it."

"Can you three youngsters defeat Yun Zhongjun, and can you defeat Xinghun Yueshen and the elders of Yin Yang Family?"

These words immediately broke Tianming's defense.

He had a look of disbelief on his face, and gestured with his hands unconsciously, "Impossible! Impossible..."

"Why...why are they doing this?"

Gu Xun finally opened his eyes at this time, and his calm gaze calmed Tianming's emotions.

"Why do you think they indulge you, or rather... indulge you?"

Countless thoughts flashed through Tianming's mind, and he quickly grasped the most direct one:
"They... need me to board the Mirage?"

"It's a bustling place with lots of people and lots of profit." Gu Xun nodded, "They indulge you because they need you."

"You are very important to the Yin-Yang family and to the emperor."

"You are also very important to the Mirage's voyage."

Tianming's expression changed in a complex way, and he couldn't help but sigh. His usually lively face showed a rare look of genuine dejection:

"Uncle Gu, what's so special about me? Why am I so important to so many people?"

"What on earth do they want from me?"

"Why... this is complicated to explain." Gu Xun also sighed and replied, "If we talk about the fundamental reason, it is because of the ridiculous and sad fantasy of a certain emperor, and the boring and meaningless paranoia of a certain madman."

"If you want to give the direct reason... it's because of your parents."

"My parents..." Tianming was stunned, and then he became excited, "My parents!"

Tianming's mood instantly changed from depressed to aggressive and irritable, "It's related to my parents...but why don't I know anything?!"

"You all know about them, but I don't!"

"You won't tell me either!"

"Why!?"

"What is it that you can know but I can't?"

Seeing Tianming's emotions getting out of control, Gu Xun did not rush to speak. He waited until Tianming calmed down before calmly replying:
"You will know about your parents."

"But what I want to tell you now is what you are facing now."

"I must first state that there is no such thing as fate in this world, nor is there a predetermined destiny."

"But Tianming, I must also remind you that if you don't distance yourself from Mirage, if nothing unexpected happens, you will definitely go overseas with Mirage."

Tianming's mood obviously had not fully recovered, and he asked in a somewhat stiff tone, "So what? At worst, I can just go out to sea with you. Anyway, I don't believe that old man Yun Zhongjun can really find the immortal mountain."

"I can't tell you for sure whether there is a fairy mountain or not, and I can't tell you for sure what you will encounter." Gu Xun explained lightly, "I said this not to emphasize that you will definitely encounter danger or pay a price, but to tell you that going out to sea with a ship is a completely unknown journey."

"You could be fine, or you could be dead overseas."

"So, you have to think about it."

Tianming's face fell into a dead silence. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Where are Shaoyu and Shilan? And Qianlong, is she also on the boat?"

"They... Shao Yu Shi Lan is different from you."

"It's much more dangerous for them to go out to sea with the mirage."

"You are just traveling with an uncertain future, while they are indeed on a dead end with a high probability of death or even no chance of survival."

"As for Qian Long... her mother should know the situation well, so you don't have to worry too much."

After hearing this, Tianming's face became uncertain again, and then he asked:

"What about Shi Lan's brother?"

"Him?" Gu Xun replied nonchalantly, "If it wasn't for hooking you, he wouldn't matter at all."

"If you want to save him, wait for the opportunity when he is sent back to the Mirage."

"But let me warn you first, that opportunity might be very dangerous."

"I understand." Tianming nodded, not caring about the danger that Gu Xun mentioned.

No one would think that rescuing people from the Yin-Yang family and from the mirage is an easy matter. The issue of danger has been fully considered since he decided to help Shi Lan rescue people.

Now, there is no need to worry anymore.

"Oh, right, there's also the big boss..."

Tianming's words were interrupted by Gu Xun, "Forget about them. They are more important than Yun Zhongjun. The Mo family will never take them away from the Mirage."

"When you go back, you can speak directly to the Mohists and persuade them to give up and stop struggling."

Tianming was not stubborn and nodded honestly, "I understand."

After asking all the questions he needed to ask, Tianming wanted to say goodbye and leave. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but ask another question:
"Uncle Gu, why...why are you willing to tell me everything this time?"

Gu Xun always spoke to him halfway before. Although he would remind him when necessary, he would only let him know the facts and rarely let him know the reasons.

This time, contrary to her usual practice, she told him in such detail.

Gu Xun tapped the armrest of the recliner with his fingers. After a moment of silence, he said slowly:
"After this separation, you probably won't see me again for a while, so I think it's time to tell you something."

"That also includes your parents' matters."

Tianming's face suddenly froze, and then he stared at Gu Xun, his eyes full of expectation, but he didn't dare to speak.

Gu Xun ignored his gaze and said to himself, "You should already know your father's identity, but you just didn't know he was your father."

"Who is he?" Tianming finally couldn't help but speak.

"The former leader of the Mohist school, the hero who assassinated the King of Qin - Jing Ke."

This answer was like a thunderbolt, which made Tianming completely frozen. The expectation in his eyes instantly turned into disbelief.

Jing Ke, he had heard this name more than once.

Whenever people around him talked about the plan to assassinate Qin ten years ago, they would mention him. Everyone said that he was a brave hero, and Shao Yu also regarded him as an idol.

Tianming also respected him, but not as emotionally as Gao Jianli and the others.

To Gao Jianli and his friends, Jing Ke was once a brother who had known each other for a long time. To Tianming, he was just a hero who fought against the Qin Dynasty and was worthy of respect. That was all. (End of this chapter)