The next day, outside Xianyang City, flags were flying and crowds of people were gathered. Ying Yuan, wearing a dragon robe and a crown, stood on a high platform, holding the Heshi Bi in his hands, with a solemn expression.

"I, the Great Qin Emperor Ying Yuan, am holding a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the heavens today. I will offer the He Clan Jade to the heavens and pray that the heavens will protect our Great Qin for thousands of years!"

After saying that, Ying Yuan raised the He Shi Bi high up and threw it into the sky.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!
A black shadow suddenly jumped out from the crowd, snatched the He Shi Bi in the air, and then disappeared into the crowd at an astonishing speed.

It all happened so quickly that by the time everyone reacted, the black shadow had already disappeared.

Ying Yuan stood on the high platform, his face livid, his eyes full of anger. He never thought that someone would dare to snatch the Heshi Bi right under his nose!
"Someone come! Chase him for me! We must bring this man back!" Ying Yuan roared.

For a moment, there was chaos inside and outside the Xianyang city. Countless soldiers searched everywhere, but they could not find any trace of the black shadow.

Ying Yuan sat on the dragon throne, his face terribly gloomy. He felt like a clown who was being played a trick in public.

"Who is it? Who dares to be so bold?!" Ying Yuan said gritting his teeth.

At this time, a man in black appeared in front of him silently and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, I have important information to report."

"Your Majesty," the man in black lowered his head and spoke in a hoarse voice, "According to reliable information, the person who stole the Heshi Bi is... the great Mohist master, Yan Dan!"

“Yan Dan?!” Ying Yuan stood up suddenly, his eyes wide open, his anger almost igniting the air in the hall, “He is so bold! I destroyed his Yan State, and he actually dared to run to Xianyang and act wild!”

The man in black continued, "As far as I know, Yan Dan came to Xianyang this time not just to steal the Heshi Bi, but more importantly to assassinate Your Majesty!"

"Assassinate me?" Ying Yuan sneered, "Does he think he can kill me?"

"Your Majesty has unparalleled magical power, so naturally no one can defeat him," the man in black said hurriedly, "but Yan Dan is surrounded by many experts, and the most powerful among them are Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang. Both of them are masters of swordsmanship, and their strength should not be underestimated."

A cold light flashed in Ying Yuan's eyes: "Gai Nie? Wei Zhuang? I want to see how capable they are!"

He paced back and forth for a few steps, then suddenly stopped and said to the man in black, "Pass on my order. Immediately seal all the gates of Xianyang City and search every household. Make sure to arrest Yan Dan and others!"

"Yes, sir!" The man in black took the order and left.

In Xianyang, the atmosphere was tense to the extreme. Countless soldiers poured into the streets, searching every household, causing panic among the people.

At this time, Yan Dan and others were hiding in a dilapidated temple outside the city of Xianyang.

"Master, what should we do now?" Gai Nie looked at Yan Dan and asked worriedly.

Yan Dan looked solemn, and after a moment's silence, he said, "Xianyang City is heavily guarded now. It may not be easy for us to escape. For now, we can only find a place to hide first, and then make plans."

"But..." Wei Zhuang frowned, "We are unfamiliar with the place, where can we hide?"

Yan Dan looked around and his eyes fell on a pile of straw in the corner of the dilapidated temple. He said, "Let's hide in this pile of straw first and think of a solution after dark."

The three of them immediately hid in the straw pile, holding their breath and not daring to move.

Outside the ruined temple, soldiers passed by from time to time, but no trace of them was found.

Time passed by, and the sky gradually darkened.

Yan Dan and others crawled out from the straw pile and prepared to leave the dilapidated temple.

Just then, footsteps were heard, and then several soldiers broke into the ruined temple.

"There are people here!" a soldier pointed at Yan Dan and others and shouted.

Yan Dan and others' faces changed, knowing that they were exposed.

"Kill them!" Yan Dan drew his sword and shouted.

A fierce battle unfolded in the ruined temple. Yan Dan, Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang were all martial arts masters, and they were not afraid of fighting ten people at once.

However, the Qin soldiers were numerous and continued to pour into the ruined temple and surrounded them.

During the fierce battle, Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang were both injured, and only Yan Dan was still struggling to hold on.

He waved the sword in his hand, rushed left and right, trying to break out.

However, as the Qin soldiers gathered in greater and greater numbers, his physical strength gradually became exhausted.

Finally, he was stabbed in the chest by a Qin soldier's spear, and blood gushed out.

Yan Dan staggered back a few steps and finally fell to the ground.

"Master!" Seeing this, Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang were heartbroken and rushed towards Yan Dan.

However, they were also surrounded by Qin troops and could not get close to Yan Dan.

"Yan Dan, you lost after all!" Ying Yuan's voice suddenly sounded outside the ruined temple.

Immediately afterwards, Ying Yuan appeared at the entrance of the dilapidated temple, followed by a group of guards.

He walked slowly to Yan Dan, looked down at him with a mocking smile on his face.

"Where is the Heshi Bi?" Ying Yuan asked, "Hand it over, and I can give you a quick death."

Yan Dan raised his head with difficulty and looked at Ying Yuan, with a sneer on his face: "You are dreaming!"

"If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished!" Ying Yuan's face darkened and he kicked Yan Dan in the chest.

Yan Dan spat out a mouthful of blood and was dying.

"Tell me! Where is the He Shi Bi?" Ying Yuan asked again.

Yan Dan still did not answer, but stared at Ying Yuan with eyes full of hatred.

Ying Yuan laughed in anger: "Good! Very good! I want to see how long you can keep your stubbornness!"

He turned around and said to the guards behind him: "Take him back to Xianyang Palace, I want to interrogate him personally!"

"Yes, sir!" The guards lifted Yan Dan up and left the dilapidated temple.

Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang were escorted by Qin soldiers, following behind Ying Yuan in silence all the way.

After returning to the Xianyang Palace, Ying Yuan immediately ordered Yan Dan to be severely tortured and forced to tell him the whereabouts of the Heshi Bi.

However, no matter how cruel the torture was, Yan Dan refused to utter a word.

Ying Yuan looked at the dying Yan Dan, his heart full of doubts.

He really couldn't understand why Yan Dan would rather suffer torture than reveal the whereabouts of the Heshi Bi.

Could it be that the He Shi Bi is really more important to him than his life?

Or...the He Shi Bi is not in his possession at all?

Ying Yuan smiled contemptuously, as if Yan Dan's silence was a silent submission. "It seems that you won't cry until you see the coffin." He waved his hand, signaling the guards to drag Yan Dan away and continue to torture him.

Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang were imprisoned separately. They were speechless, but their hearts were in turmoil. They admired Yan Dan's tenacity, but it also made them more worried. Where is the Heshi Bi? If Yan Dan really didn't tell them, wouldn't their efforts over the years have gone to waste? (End of this chapter)