Chapter 23: Black Ice Platform

  Zhilong bandaged the wound for Longfei and helped him sit against a big tree. Wangqian slowly began to tell his own story: "Do you know Heibingtai?"

  Speaking of Hei Bing Tai, it must start with the Iron Eagle Swordsmen of Qin Guo. The Iron Eagle Swordsmen is a title for the most excellent martial artists in Qin Guo. During the time of Qin Xiao Gong, the Iron Eagle Swordsmen had already made contributions to the country on the battlefield! The prestige of the Iron Eagle Swordsmen does not come from their honor, but from the strict standards that have been in place since their selection began!

  Those who participate in the Iron Eagle Swordsman must carry a hundred pounds, march dozens of miles, and then engage in close combat with spears and shields. Afterwards, they will undergo horse riding, archery, sword fighting, and other combat-related projects, all with extremely high standards! Those who pass the examination will undergo further testing and selection at the Xishan military camp, followed by intensive training. Those who pass through the rigorous tests become the crème de la crème of the Qin army - the Iron Eagle Swordsman!

  The Iron Eagle Swordsmen are not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also quick-witted and brave in battle! Some of the Iron Eagle Swordsmen went to Xianyang to serve as Imperial Guards or Palace Guards, while others were placed in the residences of high-ranking officials as their personal bodyguards. By doing so, Duke Xiao of Qin protected his subordinates' safety on one hand, and monitored his ministers on the other, achieving two goals at once.

  During Zhang Yi's tenure as the Prime Minister of Qin, a great general named Bai Shan organized an elite force known as the Iron Eagle Thousand Man Troop. This crack troop specialized in surprise attacks on enemy command centers and supply lines, engaging in swift battles with no intention to linger or take prisoners. This approach proved highly effective, earning the reputation for the state of Qin as having a "ghost army" among its enemies.

  The State of Qin, in order to break the alliance of the six states, specially sent people to sow discord among the six states. However, these people were mostly temporarily recruited and made mistakes one after another during their actions. Some were even killed by assassins in other countries, which was very unfavorable for the intelligence network spread across the six states by Qin.

  At a critical moment, Qin Xiao Gong's sister, Princess Huan Yu, took charge of establishing an agency specializing in espionage and plotting against the six states. Later, in order to prevent Qin's secrets from being leaked and to deal with some emergency situations in the six states, this vast and complex intelligence agency had a new team - the Secret Method Team!

  Composed of 300 Iron Eagle Swordsmen, they were always on high alert, carrying out assassinations and secret executions of key figures in the six states as well as Qin's defectors and leakers. This Secret Method Team and the agency established by Princess Huan Yu were collectively known within Qin as the "Black Ice Platform".

  Hei Bingtai laid a good foundation for the unification of the six states by Qin, and was also the most sharp pawn in the hands of King Qin. Until Ying Zheng unified the world, Hei Bingtai was his sharp tool. For those who were not good at determining guilt, Hei Bingtai was the best choice. In the late Qin period, after Ying Zheng's death, Zhao Gao and Li Si sent Hei Bingtai to Beidi, secretly executing Prince Fusu, and capturing General Meng Tian, ordering Hei Bingtai to deal with those opposing ministers in the court, thus openly supporting Hu Hai's succession to the throne.

  After the fall of the Qin dynasty, Liu Bang unified China and established the Han dynasty, and Hei Bingtai was preserved intact. During the Wenjing period, it was precisely because of the existence of Hei Bingtai that the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion was smoothly suppressed, allowing the Han Empire to continue. Wang Mang used Hei Bingtai to disrupt politics, but after Guangwu's restoration, Hei Bingtai was once considered a sign of a chaotic dynasty and was ordered to be disbanded by Emperor Guangwu.

  The Black Ice Palace was suddenly disbanded, and these people who had long been accustomed to killing were at a loss. They had no other means of survival except to cling to the leader's side and continue to do their murderous deeds. Now they killed only for money, and as long as they were paid, anyone in their eyes was just a corpse. Since then, the Black Ice Palace has existed secretly, and over the centuries it has transformed from a proud symbol of national service into an assassin organization that delights in killing and making money.

  "Alas……!" Wang Qian let out a long sigh: "My sister and I were also forced into this situation. After our parents passed away, we became homeless and Master saved us, giving us food to eat and teaching us martial arts. It was only natural that we joined him."

  "Is it you, sir, who was seen by me in the backyard last night?" Long Fei asked.

  Wang Qian nodded. Long Fei asked again: "Then he is the leader of Hei Bingtai? What's his name?"

  Wang Qian shook her head: "I don't know what to call him, he's never said anything about it. But he's not the leader of Hei Bing Tai. You don't understand Hei Bing Tai, their organization is very strict. Everyone only knows their own superior, and as for who is above that, I'm not clear!"

  "It's still a single line of contact!" Long Fei nodded: "Then how did you get in touch?"

  Wang Qian took out a thin piece of jade from her bosom and flashed it twice in front of Long Fei's eyes. The jade was not large, about the size of a thumb, with dragon patterns carved on it, the lines were clear, the workmanship was exquisite, making good use of the structure of the jade, a coiled dragon carving was vividly depicted. Long Fei took it in his hand: "Is this the thing you showed to the shopkeeper?"

  Wang Qian nodded: "All the inns, taverns and tea houses under the sky, as long as there is this decoration on the wall, we can eat, drink and live for free with it. It's a symbol of identity within the organization, and all the bosses only recognize it, not people!" After finishing speaking, Wang Qian put the jade piece back into her own bosom.

  Long Fei looked at Wang Qian's movements, shifted his body slightly, and gently swayed his injured chest: "Is there one more thing, was the name 'Qian Ji' your original name?"

  Wang Qian smiled slightly and shook her head: "Of course not, you and Master Hua have said so many bad things about my mother, how could I be called that name? My surname is Wang and my first name is Qian. Wang Qian is my real name, I haven't hidden this!"

  “Uh...” Long Fei hesitated, looking at Wang Qian, his heart racing with uncertainty. He didn't know whether he should ask this question or not, but if he didn't, it would continue to weigh on his mind. A man's greatest concern was a woman's chastity; no one wanted to pick up someone else's discarded shoe, nor did they want to wear a green hat before marriage.

  Wang Qian saw through Long Fei's thoughts and immediately lowered her head, her face turning red as she said in a mosquito-like voice: "I'm still a maiden!"

  The two returned almost at dawn. Everyone in the inn was anxiously waiting, and as soon as Wang Can supported Long Fei into the door, the crowd rushed up. Seeing Long Fei's injury, Hua Tuo hurriedly went to fetch his medicine box, while Zhao Yun frowned and asked questions. But no matter how they asked, Long Fei refused to speak. After Hua Tuo finished treating Long Fei's wound, he said calmly: "This is a sword wound, a short sword. I don't understand it, but with Brother Long's skills, there shouldn't be anyone who can leave such a deep wound on his chest. It seems that this time you've encountered an expert!"

  "Ah! Ah! Absolutely a master, I'll put my life in his hands!" As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Qian with a slanted eye, and the two exchanged a knowing smile. Long Fei looked around: "Where's the shopkeeper? Let him get me something to eat, I'm a bit hungry!"

  Wang Wei immediately got up to look for them, but after searching the entire inn, he couldn't find a single person. The shopkeeper and his apprentices suddenly disappeared without a trace. Although everyone felt strange, they didn't think there was anything wrong with it, maybe the shopkeeper took his apprentices to work somewhere unknown. Only Long Fei thought it wasn't that simple, when he entered, he clearly saw the shopkeeper, how could he disappear in such a short time?

  Long Fei and Wang Qian exchanged a glance. Long Fei said, "Hurry up and search, we still have to rush on the road today, don't delay!" Long Fei stood up from his chair, gave Wang Qian a signal with his eyes, and the two of them headed towards the backyard. Familiar with the place, they didn't need to spend much effort, and kicked open the door of the house on the left side of the backyard with one foot. The room was empty, with only one table and chair left.

  Long Fei grabbed a piece of paper from the table with a flourish. On it were written several lines of crooked and twisted characters. After staring at them for half a day, he couldn't recognize a single one. These characters twisted and turned like dragons flying and phoenixes dancing, although he knew they were in the small seal script, he just couldn't make out what they said. He handed it over to Wang Qian: "Take a look, what's written on this?"

  There were only a few words. Wang Qian glanced at it and almost finished reading: "It was left by the master, he said that the task in Luoyang must be completed, if not..."

  "What's wrong?" Long Fei could sense that Wang Qian was a bit afraid: "Otherwise what's wrong?"

  "Otherwise, even if I flee to the ends of the earth, I will be torn into a million pieces!" Wang Qiang said calmly, with a look of despair on his face.

  Long Fei swept Wang Qian into his arms: "Don't be afraid, I'm here! No one is allowed to bully you! By the way, what are you doing in Luoyang?"

  In Long Fei's arms, Wang Que was as gentle as a kitten: "It's a royal highness from the imperial court, offering us 10,000 taels of silver to assassinate someone."

  "Who was assassinated?"

  "It seems like he's also a high-ranking official in the imperial court, but we can only know for sure after meeting with Lord Wang!"

  "Lord Wang, Lord Wang!" Long Fei said twice, his heart already vaguely guessing something, but he hoped he was wrong. If it were true as he suspected, this trip to Luoyang would indeed be fraught with danger and little auspiciousness.

  They stayed in Jinyang for another day. Long Fei told everyone everything, including the Black Ice Platform and the assassin organization, as well as Wang Qian and Wang Wei's identities. Finally, he said: "Since I promised to marry Qian'er, this matter is settled. You are all outsiders, I, Long Fei, will not force you to stay. If anyone wants to leave, here is ten taels of gold, consider it a farewell gift!"

  "Big brother!" Zhao Yun immediately said: "How can you say such things, we are already brothers, big brother, sister-in-law's affairs are also my affairs, I will never part with big brother!"

  Taren's face was expressionless. Since following Long Fei into the pass, he had always been like this: "I have nowhere to go, Gong Sunzhan killed everyone in our tribe, Dragon Brother promised to avenge me, and I won't leave until my revenge is fulfilled."

  "Alas!" Hua Tuo sighed, shaking his head with a bitter smile: "This old man has spent his whole life rushing about, taking the treatment of illness and saving lives as his lifelong goal. Following you, this old man has food and drink, doesn't care where he goes, whether it's Luoyang or beyond the pass, wherever there are patients, this old man just considers it a trip, let alone Long brothers' superb medical skills, which this old man hasn't finished seeing yet, needs more time, haha, still needs more time."