Ever since encountering that mysterious alchemist, Xiang Liang had returned to Wu in a state of restless agitation, unable to eat or sleep, his mind endlessly replaying the alchemist's words.
At first, he had been only half-convinced by the alchemist's claims, not taking them entirely seriously. But shortly after returning to Wu, just as he had begun to forget the alchemist's words and resumed secretly training his troops, news of the First Emperor's death reached him through an old Chu general—a spy he had planted in Xianyang.
It was said that the First Emperor had died suddenly on his way back to Xianyang from an inspection tour. Some in the palace claimed he had succumbed to a sudden illness, while others whispered of assassination. But regardless of the speculation, one fact was undeniable—Qin Shi Huang was truly dead!
At that moment, Xiang Liang once again recalled the alchemist's words—'The Ancestral Dragon will die this year'—and his mention of his 'lifelong wish.' Finally, he made up his mind to travel to the Qin dynasty's capital, Xianyang, to see for himself the so-called hidden place and meet the extraordinary person the alchemist had spoken of.
In this era, the household registration system was strict, and without high-speed trains, the journey from Wuzhong to Guanzhong was truly arduous. Xiang Liang gathered several dozen of his most trusted and closest followers from Jiangdong, disguised themselves, and set off for Xianyang. With the help of officials in Xianyang who had ties to the Chu state, they dispersed and blended into the city.
What followed left Xiang Liang utterly astonished and overjoyed.
After the death of the First Emperor, Hu Hai and Zhao Gao secretly concealed the news of his passing. They forged a false imperial decree to execute Crown Prince Fusu, removing the greatest obstacle to Hu Hai's ascension to the throne. With Zhao Gao's assistance, Hu Hai then became emperor, known as the Second Emperor of Qin.
Unlike the First Emperor, who, despite his harsh and cruel methods, employed them solely to strengthen his rule, Hu Hai was a true tyrant and a foolish ruler. As soon as he took the throne, he began slaughtering his own siblings, framing over twenty of them with false charges and executing them all. Collaborating with Zhao Gao, he plunged the Qin Empire into chaos.
The First Emperor's brutal measures to consolidate his rule had already stirred widespread discontent among the people, but his overwhelming authority had deterred any rebellion. Now, with the First Emperor gone and the Second Emperor's reign growing even more oppressive, the situation worsened. This usurper, who had seized power through deceit, lacked his father's imperial might to suppress the realm. Gradually, the empire lost its moral foundation, and signs of turmoil emerged across the land.
"The world is in chaos—this is the opportunity for our Xiang clan!" Xiang Liang sighed in amazement. When Hu Hai killed Fusu, he was overjoyed.
Fusu had been a gentle and temperate man. Though he lacked the First Emperor's decisiveness in war, in this era of a unified empire, what the second ruler needed most was a stabilizing force—a ruler who could maintain peace. Fusu would have been such a ruler. Had he ascended the throne and ruled for decades, the remnants of the six conquered states would have gradually forgotten their origins and come to see themselves as subjects of Qin. The First Emperor's dream of an eternal dynasty might have truly begun.
But now, with the people of the six states still yearning for their lost kingdoms and the Second Emperor proving both incompetent and tyrannical, it seemed like a heaven-sent opportunity.
During his time in hiding in Xianyang, Xiang Liang had also investigated the location mentioned by the alchemist. Indeed, he discovered a mysterious underground complex in the city. However, he acted cautiously, remembering the alchemist's warning about timing, and had his men keep a close watch on Daze Village.
Just as Xiang Liang was growing restless after months in Xianyang and considering a return to Wuzhong, news arrived of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's uprising in Daze Village. This signaled to Xiang Liang that the time had come to explore the underground palace.
"That alchemist is practically a celestial being on earth! Not only did he predict the future with such precision, but he even knew about the hidden place built by the First Emperor. He must have been one of the First Emperor's trusted alchemists."
With this thought, a name quickly surfaced in Xiang Liang's mind—Xu Fu!
"But wasn't that alchemist sent by the First Emperor to search for the elixir of immortality? Could it be that he never went and instead secretly returned?"
Xiang Liang was somewhat puzzled, but without much thought, he led his dozens of elite guards and stormed into the underground palace of Xianyang.
...
Though mysterious, the underground palace had few guards. Xiang Liang's elite soldiers were all rigorously trained death warriors, fierce in combat and fearless in the face of death. Inside the palace, they killed anyone they encountered, swiftly clearing the place almost entirely.
Xiang Liang did not see the so-called "extraordinary person" mentioned by the alchemist, but from the records in the architecture, he learned that this was where Qin Shi Huang had refined elixirs of immortality and collected mystical artifacts.
"Hmph! That tyrant actually dreamed of eternal life and establishing an everlasting dynasty. What a joke!"
Xiang Liang snorted coldly, throwing the bamboo scroll in his hand to the ground as he cursed vehemently.
He now understood why there were so few guards—they had likely all been withdrawn by Hu Hai.
Hu Hai, just over twenty years old, was in the prime of his youth and had no interest in immortality. He placed little value on the First Emperor's research into eternal life, especially since the emperor's death had proven its futility. Otherwise, how could he have died?
Thus, this place, once the First Emperor's most treasured site, was abandoned by Hu Hai, who left only a token force behind while he indulged in decadent pleasures within Xianyang Palace, reveling in his newfound power. This negligence gave Xiang Liang the opportunity to infiltrate the underground palace.
"My lord, there is still a main hall we have not entered," a soldier reported, clasping his fists and bowing before Xiang Liang. Blood dripped from his bronze sword, his face twisted in ferocity.
"Good. Let us go together!"
Xiang Liang snapped out of his thoughts and, under the protection of his elite guards, approached the main hall. Yet, he couldn't shake his confusion—the alchemist's earlier predictions had all come true, so why had he not encountered the so-called "extraordinary person" here?
Could it be that his soldiers had already killed this person? If so, how could they be called "extraordinary"?
As Xiang Liang's mind wandered, his soldiers forcefully pushed open the doors of the main hall. Inside, the vast space was filled with neatly arranged bamboo scrolls, and at the center stood a massive alchemical furnace.
Before the furnace, a strangely dressed man stood with his back to them, seemingly engrossed in studying the device.
Hearing the commotion behind him, the man slowly turned around, eyeing the Chu soldiers with keen interest.
BOOM—————
The moment they saw the man, both Xiang Liang and his soldiers were struck with overwhelming terror, a primal fear surging from the depths of their hearts and nearly driving them to madness.
The man's attire was bizarre, made of some unknown fabric. His hair was an unusually rare color—though strange, it wasn't entirely shocking, for while most people in China had black hair and dark eyes, the world's mysteries occasionally gave rise to peculiar hues.
By the standards of the Qin dynasty, the man was exceptionally tall. His face was indistinct—at first glance, he appeared male, then female, then saintly, and in moments of terror, almost like a prisoner. A thousand visages and countless possibilities seemed to dwell within him.
But for some reason, standing there alone, he resembled more of a primordial beast that made all gods bow before him. Though his features bore no relation to "repulsiveness," a mere glance from his eyes was enough to shatter one's courage.
"Who are you?!"
These Chu soldiers, trained for years by Xiang Liang, proved themselves elite indeed. Even trembling with fear on the verge of wetting themselves, they gritted their teeth and shouted, raising their bronze weapons as they charged forward.
Xiang Liang froze momentarily. At the sight of this man before him, he was utterly terrified. Beyond the overwhelming sense of facing a tyrannical deity, the man's pupils were eerily unnatural.
'Double pupils—the mark of a sage!'
Names flashed through Xiang Liang's mind: Cangjie, Yu Shun, Chong'er—legendary figures like the creator of Chinese characters, the sage emperors, and Duke Wen of Jin.
Just as he concluded that this man must be the extraordinary person he sought, his soldiers had already swung their bronze weapons at close range.
"Halt!"
The command left his lips too late. In the blink of an eye, his elite warriors were all sprawled on the ground, moaning in pain.
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