For Meng Yi and his men, Lin Tian's arrival meant their savior had come.
Lin Tian's combat power relieved them all.
However, while Meng Yi and his men breathed a sigh of relief, the swordsmen were plunged into extreme terror.
They had initially believed their men could stop or at least delay Lin Tian, allowing them to complete the assassination of Ying Zheng.
But once they actually engaged, they realized their people were no match for Lin Tian.
Not only that, but even their most skilled experts were utterly helpless against him, unable to retaliate.
They died just by getting close to Lin Tian.
In Lin Tian's eyes, these masters were no different from ordinary swordsmen.
Their charge towards Lin Tian had essentially sealed their fate.
Within mere breaths, more than half of their elite swordsmen were dead.
The remaining masters, realizing their mistake too late, understood that confronting Lin Tian was a grave miscalculation.
They should have ignored him and gone straight for Ying Zheng's life.
Perhaps then, they might have succeeded.
Now, they finally understood their target was mistaken.
But this realization came too late.
"We can't escape, we can't escape!"
"Damn it, why is this Lin Tian so powerful? Is he truly a sword immortal descended to the mortal realm?"
"We can't attack Lin Tian anymore. We'll all die by his hand without even scratching him. Let's go kill Ying Zheng!"
Lin Tian's strength was unanimously acknowledged by everyone.
However, this acknowledgment was a harbinger of despair for the swordsmen.
Henceforth, they ignored Lin Tian, allowing him to slaughter as he pleased, and charged directly towards Ying Zheng.
Their eyes burned with killing intent, as if they were determined to kill Ying Zheng.
As they charged, they did so without hesitation, disregarding their lives.
Behind them, Lin Tian pursued relentlessly.
His pursuit was incredibly swift, so much so that before the last man could reach Ying Zheng, he found himself dead.
His final vision was of Lin Tian standing with his sword.
His sword was still dripping blood.
And that blood was his own.
Only when everyone was dead did Meng Yi finally breathe a true sigh of relief.
He then approached Lin Tian.
"Greetings, General Lin Tian. Thank you, General Lin Tian, for saving our lives!"
"I am also here to protect the King. Lang Zhong Ling need not be so formal!"
"Regardless, if General Lin Tian had not intervened, it would have been a grave dereliction of our duty. We shall always remember General Lin Tian's kindness!"
Lin Tian could sense the goodwill emanating from Meng Yi, and hearing his words, he said no more.
Instead, he approached Ying Zheng.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Well done. You have once again rendered a great service!"
"And you've grown taller!"
Lin Tian was still a youth, his height and strength still developing.
Ying Zheng felt that after not seeing Lin Tian for a while, his physique had changed considerably.
He had grown taller, his build more slender.
This also meant Lin Tian was more mature.
Thus, Ying Zheng couldn't help but utter these words.
However, to Meng Yi, these words carried a different weight.
The remark about growing taller wasn't made lightly.
Usually, only elders would say something like "you've grown taller" to their juniors.
Based on what Meng Yi knew, Lin Tian had not grown up in the palace. His current status was entirely due to his own efforts and luck.
Therefore, he and Ying Zheng should have no particular relationship.
Yet, Ying Zheng was speaking to Lin Tian with such familiarity, which made Meng Yi ponder deeply.
He was not a fool. On the contrary, as someone close to Ying Zheng, he was well aware of palace affairs.
He understood clearly that Ying Zheng's demeanor indicated an extremely close relationship with Lin Tian.
Thus, a speculation began to form in his mind.
"Could it be that General Lin Tian is His Majesty's son?"
"Hiss!"
As this thought entered Meng Yi's mind, he found it increasingly plausible.
He also recalled that there was a woman in the palace named Lin Dong'er, who had a very close relationship with Ying Zheng.
There were even rumors that this Lin Dong'er was carrying the King's offspring.
However, Lin Dong'er later vanished from the palace.
And Lin Tian might very well be the offspring of Lin Dong'er and the King.
If this were true, then the heir to the throne might not be Prince Fusu, as everyone assumed.
Given General Lin Tian's military achievements and wisdom, if he were His Majesty's son, his ascension to the throne of Great Qin would be a certainty.
This would also mean that many plans would come to naught.
After all, Lin Tian's identity had not yet been revealed, and besides a select few, no one would have invested in him.
Thinking this, Meng Yi felt it necessary to write a letter to his elder brother, Meng Tian, to inform him of the advantages and disadvantages.
Although their Meng family did not participate in royal power struggles, they had a duty to support the eldest prince of Great Qin.
If Lin Tian's identity were revealed, he would be the eldest prince of Great Qin.
Therefore, the Meng family aligning with Lin Tian would be the correct course of action.
However, he did not act immediately. He still needed to verify the truth of this matter.
He followed Ying Zheng, traveling with him and Lin Tian towards Handan, the former capital of Zhao.
Along the way, Ying Zheng no longer rode in a sedan chair. Instead, he mounted a warhorse, donned armor, and carried his sword.
Ying Zheng exuded an aura of vigor and bravery.
Although he had been king for a long time, he had not neglected his equestrian or swordsmanship skills.
On the contrary, with age, his skills had become even more formidable.
For within Ying Zheng's heart, he was also a warrior.
It was precisely this warrior's spirit that had allowed him to rise from being a hostage to a supreme ruler who had conquered two states.
Moreover, he was returning to the very place where he had once been held hostage.
This was truly a triumphant return, a homecoming of glory.
Therefore, Ying Zheng enjoyed the journey immensely, and his conversations with Lin Tian grew increasingly cheerful.
Such moments were rare.
After traveling for a few days, Ying Zheng and Lin Tian finally arrived at Handan city.
Upon their arrival, a large contingent of soldiers and officials came to greet them.
Among them were the King of Zhao, other Zhao royalty and nobles.
Ying Zheng's arrival evoked a flood of emotions.
...