Xiang Liang’s first victory against Zhang Han was, without a doubt, a brilliant frontal engagement with the Qin forces, which significantly boosted the morale of the entire army. The Western Chu forces’ westward advance thus became unobstructed, a clear path forward. Meanwhile, rumors swept across the land that Chen Sheng had been betrayed by a confidant and met his end in Xiache County. Xiang Liang appointed Fan Zeng as his strategist and adopted his counsel, enthroning Xiong Xin, the grandson of King Huai of Chu, who was proclaimed King Huai once more. In return, King Huai bestowed upon Xiang Liang the title of Lord Wuxin. In truth, the entire grand enterprise of overthrowing Qin was now fully commanded by the uncle-nephew duo of Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu.

As for Ye Xiu, he continued his days drifting between the farmhouse and the encampment, remaining nothing more than a low-ranking drill soldier due to his lack of notable achievements. However, the Western Chu army had now crossed the Wu River, meaning his opportunities to meet with Ji Jiang had become noticeably scarcer.

“Ji Jiang, I have been in the camp for quite some time now, yet I still haven't managed to find any trace of that fellow Han Xin.” Ye Xiu felt a mix of shame and surprise. He knew for a fact that Han Xin was destined to take up arms and join Xiang Liang’s ranks, yet despite all his inquiries, he had found absolutely no news. He understood that the major outcome of history would not change, only the details of the journey.

Ji Jiang certainly understood Ye Xiu’s concern. As for herself, life was quite comfortable. Thanks to the meat and grain Ye Xiu often smuggled back, she and the children were living quite well.

“Oh, right, Ji Jiang, did you look through that Mohist mechanism blueprint I gave you last time?” Ye Xiu suddenly remembered that mysterious classic text. “I thought the things drawn in there looked quite peculiar. I wonder if you could make sense of them.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Jiang giggled as she looked at Ye Xiu: “Hee hee, Elder Brother Ye, don’t scoff. I understand everything in that book, and I even know many ways to set up complex traps.”

“Oh, that impressive!” Ye Xiu was pleasantly surprised.

Ji Jiang stretched out her hand and pointed toward the farmhouse. “Elder Brother Ye, if you don't believe me, you can test it yourself. I’ve already arranged a series of traps around this courtyard based on the diagrams. Feel free to try and breach them if you’re interested.”

Ye Xiu glanced casually. The area surrounding the three small houses looked completely ordinary. Then, a thought struck him: Mohist mechanism arts could actually be used for setting up formations, complementing the mysteries of the Ghost Valley school perfectly.

“Well? Are you scared?” Ji Jiang shook her hand triumphantly. “Go on, go on.”

Ye Xiu was certainly intrigued and walked towards the three houses with cool composure. The houses were arranged in a character-shaped formation (), giving off no hint of any hidden mechanism.

The moment Ye Xiu placed one foot under the eaves of the house forming the crossbar of the character, he suddenly felt a surge of power erupting from beneath his sole, as if he had stepped into an entirely different realm.

The sensation felt familiar. Ye Xiu remained rooted to the spot, tilting his head back to observe his surroundings carefully. It turned out that the character shape was subtly enhanced by the surrounding trees. If the surrounding trees were also interwoven in a crisscrossing pattern to form a different figure, then this entire formation was actually…

At this realization, Ye Xiu couldn’t help but be astonished. He swiftly turned and darted towards one of the tall trees nearby, using the branches to spring onto the treetop. When he looked down upon the entire area surrounding the houses, a cold sweat broke out on his brow. It turned out the layout was far more complex than a simple character shape. When viewing the three houses integrated within the surrounding environment, it clearly formed the ‘Li’ (Fire) gate of the Eight Palaces formation. It seemed Mohist mechanism arts were, in fact, a derivation of Qimen (Mystical Arts).

With this thought, Ye Xiu grew intensely curious about the derived formations of the Eight Palaces. He immediately dropped down and charged back into the array.

The Li position was situated at the nine o’clock direction of the Eight Palaces. Li governs softness, illusion, severance, and heartbreak. The moment Ye Xiu entered, he felt a desolate chill envelop his entire body. He began to calm himself, preparing to enter the first house. Before he could even reach the doorway, he felt a sensation akin to seismic activity—sand and stones shifting violently. Next, everything began to tremble ceaselessly. Ye Xiu took a deep breath and stabilized his footing, but to his shock, everything before his eyes began to collapse. This is… Ye Xiu backed away, scanning his surroundings. The house remained intact, yet at a glance, it appeared to be suspended in mid-air! Ye Xiu was momentarily stunned speechless.

The ground where Ye Xiu stood had completely caved in. He felt as if he had plunged underground. He tried to leap out of this isolated, collapsing patch of ground but somehow couldn't generate any force. Ye Xiu closed his eyes, centered his breath, and knew these were merely illusions created by the Li position of the Eight Palaces. However, even if he ignored the collapse, it might actually be a deep pit trap; falling in would mean capture just the same.

In a moment of desperate wit, Ye Xiu threw himself flat and dodged the irregular area with an extremely clumsy roll. Thinking he might escape the formation, he was instead met with an unexpected complication: the ground where he had just rolled flared with a dazzling light. He couldn’t see anything clearly. With sudden, strange whoosh sounds, objects zipped past. Fortunately, his martial arts proficiency was decent, and his ability to discern location by sound was adequate; he assumed two arrows were flying toward him. He prepared to jump up and evade, but when he jumped and looked down, there were no arrows—only two shoehorns. Ye Xiu immediately felt thoroughly teased by Ji Jiang. That wasn't even the worst of it. Suddenly, a massive net descended from above, covering everything. Ye Xiu couldn't dodge in time and was crushed to the ground by the net.

“Ouch!” Ye Xiu cried out as he crashed, rolling ignominiously. Then, he heard a surging sound coming from the ground again. Ye Xiu’s heart jumped, and a cold sweat beaded on his forehead—were there more traps? With a shh-shh-shh, a series of blades instantly erupted from the ground. “Damn it!” Ye Xiu cursed, rolling backward again. That single roll, precisely calculated, returned him directly to the patch of ground that had previously collapsed.

“Augh, sister’s curse!” Ye Xiu shrieked and swore, nearly passing out.

“Hahaha, Elder Brother Ye, are you alright?” Ji Jiang was almost dying of laughter. From her perspective, Ye Xiu had successfully plunged into the pit she had designed and was writhing in pain. “How was that, Elder Brother Ye? That was just the first house. Do you want to try the others?”

Ye Xiu’s rear end was throbbing painfully. He waved his hand in surrender. “Fine, little sister, you win. Hurry up and pull me out. With this formation here, I am at ease. Anyone who comes here will likely be finished off by you.”

“Haha, you finally surrender,” Ji Jiang was naturally delighted. Learning a skill and then playing a prank on the ever-so-smug Elder Brother Ye was truly one of life’s great pleasures.

The Western Chu army advanced westwards to the sound of constant victory drums. Although Ye Xiu had no military achievements, he committed no errors during his daily patrol duties. Over the time he had been in the army, he had been promoted slightly to a squad leader, which afforded him even greater freedom of movement.

Coincidentally, the Western Chu army’s route brought them close to Wuzhong, where rumors circulated that a certain pavilion housed a beautiful singing courtesan, and even the uncle-nephew duo of Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu had already gone there.

Ye Xiu had not forgotten his promise to Wang Long. Although his immediate goal was finding Han Xin, he hadn't forgotten about Wan’er; it was his duty to try his best, even in this vast sea of people. However, he didn't want to attract undue attention, lest Xiang Yu discover him and immediately task him with eliminating the tyrannical Qin and repaying the common people. Thus, he changed into the plain dark garb of a wandering martial artist, strapped on his sword, and headed out.

The area of Wuzhong was peaceful and joyful at this time. Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu enjoyed high prestige there already, and the recent string of victories for the Western Chu army only fueled the revelry. Ye Xiu followed Xiang Yu and Ying Bu from a distance into an opulently decorated pavilion. While the exterior possessed an air of refined elegance, a closer look revealed it to be little different from any ordinary brothel.

Only after Xiang Yu and Ying Bu had been inside for a while did Ye Xiu sneak in, head lowered. As he entered, he was immediately struck by the noise level inside the pavilion—it was as if a high-end sound system had been turned on, filled with singing and dancing.

“Blast! This scale!” The sheer spectacle nearly blinded Ye Xiu’s twenty-four karat hardened gold eyes. He hadn't expected that the center of the building featured a massive stage, and all the guests were seated on the second and third floors. Good heavens, even in the Qin and Han dynasties, China already had such advanced opera houses—incredible.

Ye Xiu finally steadied himself and carefully surveyed the surroundings. Xiang Yu and Ying Bu were seated directly in the central viewing box on the second floor, while Ye Xiu managed to conceal himself among the crowd on the third floor. Just then, some melodious music began to play, and the curtain on the stage slowly drew apart, revealing a graceful figure that seemed like silk and a dream before the audience.

“It’s…” Ye Xiu could hardly believe his eyes. The figure on stage, under the gaze of thousands—that soft, undulating form, those spiritually moving eyes, that face capable of overturning nations, and those slender, alluring arms—it was Wan’er! Ye Xiu cautiously peered out, eyes wide, staring intently. This dancer was clearly Wan’er, truly Wan’er! The music drifted on, and her dance remained exquisitely beautiful. Ye Xiu clenched his fists, coldly glancing toward Ying Bu, seated centrally on the second floor. To his surprise, Ying Bu at this moment also wore a troubled expression, his eyes never leaving the dancer on stage. Looking at Xiang Yu next to Ying Bu, his eyes were also fixed unblinkingly upon Wan’er’s form.

The crowd was already cheering wildly. Wan’er danced with increasing passion on stage—sometimes floating as if dusting motes, sometimes displaying a balance of rigidity and softness, sometimes soaring, sometimes plunging. Before the audience could fully sate their desire, the seductive dance concluded.

“This…” Xiang Yu was clearly not satisfied. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “Ending the dance just as I’m getting into it. Let’s go! Ying Bu, come with me to the back chambers to see that dancer.”

Ying Bu’s face was somewhat grim. He was a little afraid to face Wan’er, though he still harbored affection for her in his heart.

Ye Xiu was also intently focused on Wan’er and followed them to the back chambers, though he kept his distance, not wanting to alert Xiang Yu and Ying Bu.

“Haha, this lady dances with great allure. May I ask your esteemed name, young lady?” Xiang Yu was originally a crude warrior, focused only on fighting and killing, yet surprisingly, he was now paying attention to beautiful women. “I am Xiang Yu of Western Chu. A pleasure to meet you, young lady.”

Wan’er, who had been busy removing her makeup and preparing to leave, was startled by Xiang Yu’s rough voice and turned her head to look. Her expression upon seeing him was extremely subtle. Xiang Yu was renowned in Wuzhong, and the women here usually felt instant adoration for him. Unexpectedly, Wan’er showed a flicker of fear.