The chaos arrived swiftly and unexpectedly. It began as a distant cry of "Assassin!" but in moments, it escalated to "Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect His Majesty!" with the voices drawing rapidly nearer.

Ye Wen immediately discerned that the assassin possessed formidable strength, completely ignoring the posted guards, which accounted for the speed at which they approached their target.

It was obvious that the only person truly worth assassinating in the vicinity was the Emperor of a Thousand Ages, Qin Shi Huang, His Majesty Ying Zheng!

The assembly had only recently dispersed from the banquet; it hadn't been long, and since this was Ying Zheng's temporary palace, Ye Wen knew that as the sounds drew closer, the attacker was closing in on Ying Zheng.

"Should we intervene and offer assistance?" Artemis tilted her head, listening intently for a moment, then turned to look at Ye Wen, who remained utterly calm in his seat.

"For Ying Zheng to become the Emperor of a Thousand Ages, and to have forged such a dynasty in this world, he won't be harmed by some common assassin, especially one charging in so bluntly without finesse?" Ye Wen held little hope for the assassin's maneuver. Unless this person’s power was heaven-defyingly immense, but if they had reached such a level, assassination would be unnecessary; a straightforward duel with Qin Shi Huang would suffice to crush him.

"Setting aside Wang Jian, whose strength is unknown, even Bai Qi wouldn't allow such an assassin to succeed!" Ye Wen supported his chin with his hand, his mouth discussing the assassin, yet his eyes were fixed blankly on an empty stretch of wall, clearly lost in thought about something else. "Besides, Ying Zheng’s own strength is not insignificant!" Hearing Ye Wen say this, Artemis said no more, sitting by the window and propping her chin on her hand as well. The two of them simply sat in the room in a daze. After an indeterminate time, the sounds outside gradually subsided.

Ye Wen tilted his head, a sudden intuition striking him: "Strange, I don't know why, but I feel no anxiety whatsoever for Xiaoyao!"

Artemis glanced back at him but offered no reply. She knew Ye Wen must have more to say. Moreover, she didn't know how to follow up on the question, having met Li Xiaoyao only a few times. Now that Ye Wen spoke of his disciple, she could only sit quietly, perhaps offering a brief platitude: "I hear your disciple is quite capable; nothing serious should have happened!"

Previously, Ye Wen had shared the scenes he witnessed through the ladle with the others, naturally including the segments where he engaged in combat. Artemis had initially suspected Ye Wen's disciple was in trouble, but now, with Ye Wen speaking this way, the situation seemed less dire. Of course, even if the situation were terrible, she would still need to say something to soothe Ye Wen.

It was a good thing Ye Wen wasn't agitated now, so Artemis naturally continued along the thread of his conversation: "After all, you should have confidence in your own strength!" Ye Wen smiled, reaching out to hold the soft hand stroking his face. "Since my strength has grown greater, these pupils seem to manifest even more wondrous divine abilities. I have a nagging feeling that even if I don't seek out the boy, he will deliver himself to my doorstep!"

In the past, Ye Wen himself would never have believed in such mystical occurrences, but as his power grew more formidable, the Glazed Pupils became easier to command and revealed more bizarre capabilities. Take this moment, perhaps due to constantly pondering his disciple, he felt a strange sense—an indistinct assurance that his disciple was safe and perhaps even thriving.

Simultaneously, another odd sensation told him that the day of reunion with his disciple was drawing near!

He had been somewhat uncertain before, but in the last two days, this feeling had intensified, especially in that brief moment just now—he could almost faintly sense the bearing of his disciple!

Just as he marveled at the growing mystery of his pupils, his heart gave a sudden jolt. A profound feeling rose from the depths of his core. Sensing this, Ye Wen turned his head, channeling his Gong into his eyes. The pair of pupils instantly shifted to a seven-colored, glazed form. The usual brilliant radiance displayed when using these eyes was completely withdrawn, contained within the pupils themselves, not released outwardly. Only someone standing directly before Ye Wen would notice the light emanating from his eyes.

Upon looking closely, he was astonished to find Li Xiaoyao, the very subject of his conversation with Artemis, appearing in his vision. At that moment, Li Xiaoyao was clad in a long robe, white as the base with brown accents, his long black hair tied in a ponytail, suspended in mid-air. His hands were formed into sword gestures, commanding over a dozen flying swords circling him as he fought Bai Qi.

Simultaneously, Bai Qi and Li Xiaoyao seemed to be exchanging words. However, despite possessing divine eyes, Ye Wen lacked miraculous ears. Given the immense distance to where they stood, he could only see the images but not discern what they were saying.

Yet, he noticed that after a few exchanges, the ferocity in their attacks seemed to lessen compared to before!

Then, as several of Li Xiaoyao's flying swords jointly shattered a halberd, formed of Bai Qi’s vital energy, into smoke and dust, Bai Qi actually took a significant step backward, leaping away. He then stood poised at a distance, confronting Li Xiaoyao, while Li Xiaoyao simultaneously recalled his flying swords to hover beside him, ceasing the fight.

Only then did Ye Wen notice that Li Xiaoyao was protecting someone behind him. The two were speaking about something, and the person protected seemed dissatisfied with Li Xiaoyao halting the fight?

Frowning, Ye Wen found the situation confusing, particularly the inability to hear the sounds despite seeing the scene—it was quite vexing. Ye Wen decided to go see for himself; it wasn't far.

Furthermore, he had come to this world specifically because he was worried about Li Xiaoyao. Now that he knew his disciple's location, there was no reason for him to hide and watch the spectacle unfold.

After greeting Artemis, Ye Wen didn't wait; he strode straight out of the room, set his direction, and stepped forward in a single bound.

Since the distance was not great, Ye Wen couldn't even be bothered to use sword light. This distance fell entirely within the range covered by his Profound Universe cultivation. Within this range, he could travel freely, completely disregarding the spatial distance between the two points. This ability was akin to teleportation, incredibly convenient.

Of course, this applied only when he wasn't actively engaged in combat. If he were fighting, this range would shrink by several times.

With one stride, when Ye Wen reappeared, he was already standing between Li Xiaoyao and Bai Qi. He chose this location to manifest as a declaration of intent: No one makes a move!

Because both sides recognized him, his mere presence would force even those inclined to fight to hold back temporarily.

"Master?" Li Xiaoyao was both shocked and delighted by Ye Wen's appearance. He was shocked that he could see his Master here; did this mean the man named Bai Qi hadn't lied earlier? He was delighted because seeing his Master brought joy. Although he hadn't followed Ye Wen since childhood, he deeply respected the Master who taught him so many arts. Upon seeing Ye Wen, he immediately bowed deeply, then grinned and moved closer: "Why are you here?"

"It's because of you!" Ye Wen shot him a look, then retrieved the ladle from his storage ring. "Seeing you even lost your ladle, I thought something untoward had happened to you!"

Seeing the ladle, Li Xiaoyao's smile widened: "Oh dear! I thought I would never find it again. I never expected Master to pick it up! Truly, heaven has been kind!"

He happily took the ladle back, retrieved a rag, and meticulously wiped it clean, even whispering affectionately, "Don't be angry, okay? I'll never let you leave me again!" The words sent a chill through everyone present, especially Ye Wen, whose expression toward Li Xiaoyao was a mix of speechless exasperation and amusement.

Watching Li Xiaoyao solemnly take out a long cloth to wrap the ladle (which, once wrapped, truly resembled a weapon), then carefully tuck it onto his back, he finally let out a breath, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his chest: "I felt uneasy these past few days. Now I'm much better!"

"..."

After finishing all this, Li Xiaoyao asked again, "Right, Master, why did you say you came here?"

"..."

Helplessly repeating his reason, Ye Wen pressed further: "Who did you fight?" He wanted to clarify whose battle he had witnessed through the ladle and what the cause was.

Li Xiaoyao gave a bitter smile: "That... it was a misunderstanding, and it's mostly resolved now! But..." Li Xiaoyao glanced at Ye Wen, then at Bai Qi opposite them. By this time, Artemis and the others had also arrived and were standing by Bai Qi's side. Li Xiaoyao, being intelligent, realized immediately that his Master was allied with the opposing general, meaning whatever he intended to do today was likely impossible.

Seeing Li Xiaoyao's wry expression, and noticing him glance back at the person standing nearby, Ye Wen instantly understood that his disciple either owed someone a favor or had made a promise, most likely agreeing to help that person assassinate Ying Zheng. But with Ye Wen present here, the assassination attempt was naturally off the table.

He looked up at the person in question and noticed that the opposing figure was a woman. She appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen, with short, neat hair, wearing fitted combat gear, reinforced with armor at vital points, and covered in various miscellaneous items that completely obscured her slender frame. At a quick glance, she looked quite robust, like a sturdy man.

However, upon closer inspection, Ye Wen could see that the bulkiness was purely due to her attire; removing it would reveal a quite slim figure.

What Ye Wen focused on, however, was not her appearance. After observing for a moment, he suddenly turned back to Li Xiaoyao and said, "It seems I really have to stand up for Claire this time and let her take charge..." The moment Ye Wen said this, Li Xiaoyao almost choked himself to death. He had been floating steadily beside Ye Wen, but upon hearing those words, he stumbled, nearly falling out of the air.

"No, it's not like that!"

Seeing his disciple scrambling to explain, Ye Wen simply patted his shoulder: "No need to explain; your Master isn't blaming you! But you still need to make things clear with that young lady, lest further complications arise!" He followed this with an expression conveying, I understand, Master comprehends you, which left Li Xiaoyao increasingly speechless.

While the two were engaged in this strange exchange, Ying Zheng himself arrived on the scene, accompanied by numerous generals. Except for Wang Jian, many figures Ye Wen hadn't seen before were present. These figures exhibited bizarre appearances of all sorts—some, like Chong Lou, differed only slightly from humans, while others were instantly recognizable as non-human.

At the same time, Ye Wen noticed that Huang Quan and a few others had changed their clothes. Although the style differed, the overall aesthetic and the black base color immediately indicated that these individuals had pledged allegiance to Ying Zheng.

These commanders led many soldiers, who surrounded Ye Wen, Li Xiaoyao, and the others in tight ranks. Ye Wen saw the expression of the woman nearby growing increasingly grim, and the way she looked at Li Xiaoyao became more complicated, even tinged with the sorrow of betrayal. Could this girl possibly think Li Xiaoyao had deliberately led her into this trap?

In reality, neither Ye Wen nor Li Xiaoyao took these encircling soldiers seriously. Ye Wen believed Ying Zheng would never order an attack while he was present. Even if Ying Zheng were ruthless enough to order the "assassin" executed to display his authority, Ye Wen was confident he could leave with his group unharmed.

Li Xiaoyao felt no concern entirely because Ye Wen was by his side; he had absolute faith in his Master's strength. Even if the soldiers surrounding them were several times more numerous, he believed it wouldn't trouble his Master. Moreover, if it were just these soldiers, Li Xiaoyao himself wasn't overly fearful. His Shu Mountain Sect's Myriad Sword Art was perfect for group fighting, and among the entire sect, Ye Wen executed the Myriad Sword Art best, followed by him; even Ning Ruxue was inferior to Li Xiaoyao in this aspect.

Furthermore, due to the elemental fruit Li Xiaoyao consumed years ago, which was aligned with Metal, the power and killing intent of the swords Li Xiaoyao conjured far surpassed Ye Wen's Zixiao Sword. If one discounts the difference in overall cultivation, the flying swords materialized by Li Xiaoyao were even more potent than Ye Wen's Zixiao Sword.

Possessing such a unique skill, he naturally did not fear these mere underlings!

With ample confidence, the two spoke as if no one else were present. After conversing for a while longer, countless soldiers, led by several high-ranking generals, encircled the area in three layers. In the center of this large formation were the two individuals talking endlessly, and a young woman standing between them, looking guarded, sweating profusely, and unsure of what to do.

Several Qin army generals in the surrounding ranks, seeing the situation seemingly settled, showed slight smugness. However, Ye Wen and Li Xiaoyao showed no fear and continued their conversation unperturbed, which caused them some displeasure. These men didn't know Ye Wen; if Ying Zheng hadn't been present, they would have already ordered them shot into porcupines with crossbow bolts.

Fortunately, they were restrained by consideration for Ying Zheng's presence and dared not issue an unauthorized command; otherwise, Ye Wen would not have cared if they were Ying Zheng's subordinates and would have wiped them out completely.

After speaking with Li Xiaoyao for a few minutes and getting a general idea of the situation, Ye Wen roughly understood that Li Xiaoyao's arrival in this world was indeed a series of unforeseen accidents, fundamentally caused by that girl. This plot involving assassinating Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng was part of her own hidden agenda. In short, to summarize in a few sentences: After descending the mountain, Li Xiaoyao triggered plot points in a traditional P*OS (Plot Over Status Quo) style, and assassinating Qin Emperor Ying Zheng was one segment of it. However, Ye Wen intercepted him midway, sending this narrative arc toward a "failed conclusion."

"Does that girl hold an irreconcilable, life-and-death feud with Ying Zheng?"

Li Xiaoyao shook his head: "Not exactly. She came to assassinate Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng for other reasons!"

Ye Wen gave an "Oh," understanding that assassinating Ying Zheng was merely a part of the overarching plot, likely intended to achieve some specific objective.

"So, what was the ultimate goal?"

Li Xiaoyao had been with Ye Wen long enough to understand what his Master was asking. He answered straightforwardly: "Actually, it was to gain the trust of a certain person, then infiltrate their inner circle, and wait for the opportunity to..."

"...take down that 'Shan'—" Li Xiaoyao blinked. "I originally meant to say 'control him,' but that's about the same thing!"

"Control?" Ye Wen pondered for a moment, then looked at the girl with surprise. "I didn't expect this girl to have such great ambition?" Generally, anyone ambitious enough to send an agent to assassinate Ying Zheng would surely be a peer, a supreme overlord. Did this girl intend to control an overlord? Was she perhaps also vying for supremacy over the world?

Sensing the general direction of his Master's speculation from his expression, Li Xiaoyao sighed bitterly: "This girl's aspirations are even grander than anticipated!" Touching upon this subject always left Li Xiaoyao somewhat speechless: "She even expects this disciple to serve her for a lifetime!"

"Having some ambition isn't a major issue," Ye Wen didn't find anything wrong with it. Who decreed that only men could rule the world? It was perfectly normal for a woman to be ambitious!

Seeing Li Xiaoyao's distressed look, he explained that because of his upbringing, he found it psychologically difficult to accept such things. He didn't realize that the reality was quite different.

Shaking his head helplessly, Li Xiaoyao leaned in and whispered to Ye Wen: "The problem is that her strength doesn't match her ambition. These past few days with her, this disciple has suffered a great deal!"

Ye Wen finally understood the source of Li Xiaoyao's distress—so that was the issue!

Grasping the key point, Ye Wen turned his gaze toward the girl with a hint of curiosity, wondering what kind of person she was to earn such an evaluation from his disciple.

"Alas! Speaking of it fills me with tears!" Li Xiaoyao even pulled out a handkerchief from his robe to wipe his eyes, then blew his nose. "If I had known this girl was so unreliable, thinking whatever came to mind and saying whatever she pleased, I never would have let her trick me into coming here. Now she's stuck to me, and I can't shake her off!" Just as Ye Wen was about to say something, Artemis walked over and interjected, "If you must talk, perhaps you should move somewhere else. If you two keep talking, these soldiers will likely set up camp right here!"