The lively atmosphere of the small courtyard suddenly fell silent.
Shaodian Qingnu stopped chewing her meat. She looked up at the black-armored Qin soldiers at the gate, remained silent for a moment, then set down her chopsticks and walked over.
Seeing her approach, the Qin soldier opened his mouth to speak, but she grabbed his armor and dragged him outside.
No matter how much he struggled, he could not break free.
"Hey... Brother Qingnu!"
Liu Ji looked on with an expression of astonishment.
Those were Qin soldiers!
"Get on with your wedding. Don't worry about it."
With those words, Shaodian Qingnu left the courtyard, leaving a silent crowd staring at each other in confusion.
Only Liu Ji reacted quickly. With a broad wave of his hand, he called out, "Eat up, drink up! I won't lie to you—my Brother Qingnu is an Immortal Maiden with great abilities! Relax, she's handling it. No need to worry."
Despite his reassuring words, he followed her out after calming the guests.
He saw Shaodian Qingnu holding the Qin soldier under a tree. She told him, "If you dare disturb this family again, I will make you like this tree!"
With that, she smashed the tree with a single punch, snapping it in half.
This was a massive tree that would have required two men to reach around, yet she had broken it with one blow.
Watching from the gate, Liu Ji took a deep breath and retreated into the courtyard.
Mother of mercy!
It was a good thing he hadn't offended her too much in the past.
"Hey, Liu Ji, didn't you go out to see what was happening?"
Inside the courtyard, Xiao He saw Liu Ji return and looked toward the gate with confusion. "Those are Qin soldiers. Can that person really handle them? Should I go check?"
As the head official of Peixian, he felt it was his responsibility to step in.
Liu Ji pushed Xiao He back, saying, "Oh, Master Xiao, don't worry. With my Brother Qingnu there, everything is fine."
"You're something else..."
Seeing Liu Ji's grinning face, Xiao He looked helpless. He couldn't win against Liu Ji's persistence, so he stayed.
Outside, the Qin soldier had been thoroughly convinced by the 'sincerity' of Shaodian Qingnu's punch.
After sending him away, Shaodian Qingnu stood still for a long time, speechless. In the courtyard, the sounds of celebration gradually rose again. She looked up at the setting sun; in the distance, flocks of birds gathered and dispersed.
Kun and peng—kun represented the multitude of fish, while peng represented the abundance of feathers! The birds flying together under the sunset converged like a massive peng.
Once the Qin soldiers left, Shaodian Qingnu vanished.
Later, Liu Ji could not find her no matter where he looked. Although he believed she was an Immortal Maiden and would come to no harm, she had stood up for him, and he couldn't just ignore it.
Thus, Liu Ji mobilized everyone he knew to gather information.
On the imperial road leading to Xianyang, a woman moved with light steps, covering a thousand li in a single day. Within a few days, she passed through Hangu Pass and arrived at the city of Xianyang.
Inside Xianyang, the entire city was draped in mourning white.
Shaodian Qingnu entered the Qin Palace with practiced ease. She walked into the hall, but the person kneeling at the seat belonging to the emperor was no longer Ying Zheng. It was Fusu, whose heroic face could not hide his deep sorrow.
"He is dead?" Shaodian Qingnu asked.
Fusu’s gaze turned cold as he looked up. When he saw it was Shaodian Qingnu, he froze.
"Teacher..."
Shaodian Qingnu saw Fusu's appearance clearly now. He looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot.
She repeated her question. "Is he truly dead?"
With a grief-stricken expression, Fusu took a deep breath and nodded slightly. "I dare not deceive you, Teacher. My Father, the Emperor, has indeed passed. In a few days, his casket will be moved to the imperial tomb at Li Mountain."
"How is that possible..."
A look of confusion appeared in Shaodian Qingnu's eyes. She took several steps forward, staring intently at Fusu. "He wasn't taking those medicines, and his body was robust! I have only been gone from Xianyang for two years. How could he be dead? How could he die!"
"Fusu, what exactly happened?"
Fusu answered her truthfully.
After she left, Ying Zheng's health suddenly collapsed. Even the imperial physicians could not find the cause. He held on for two years until neither medicine nor stone could save him.
After hearing this, Shaodian Qingnu remained silent for a long time.
The procession escorting the casket departed from the palace for the First Emperor's Tomb at Li Mountain. The black-armored army of Great Qin maintained a strict and solemn formation, their long banners snapping in the wind.
The line of soldiers stretched for over ten li, like a giant black snake.
Shaodian Qingnu gently raised her right hand, her fingers twitching slightly.
In the sky, Hongluan spread its wings and soared, its clear cry echoing between heaven and earth.
Upon the Xianyang plains, at the First Emperor's Tomb on Li Mountain.
A magnificent array of funerary clay warriors and horses stretched beyond the horizon. The black and red paint on the Qin armor gave these inanimate objects a crushing aura, as if they were alive.
Qin swords, crossbow beds, polearms, and chariots!
The equipment held by the terracotta army to be buried here was enough to arm a fearsome military force!
"Wind! Wind! Wind!"
"Great Wind!!"
The living Qin soldiers launched one final charge for their deceased monarch! The troops mobilized from the Lantian Camp were the elite of the elite. Tens of thousands of Qin soldiers raised their weapons, their banners fluttering fiercely!
Dong—!!
Dong—!!
Dong—!!
The bells and drums resounded.
It was a ceremony even grander than the one held when he first took the title of emperor.
Watching the Qin soldiers escort Ying Zheng's coffin into the tomb, Afang approached Shaodian Qingnu’s side holding a silk scroll. She knelt on both knees and offered the scroll up.
"Teacher! This is what His Majesty left for you."
Shaodian Qingnu paused, then took the silk scroll from Afang’s hands.
On the scroll were words left by Ying Zheng. They were few, only one sentence.
'Teacher, Teacher, live well.'
Shaodian Qingnu was stunned. She turned to look at the casket being escorted into the tomb and suddenly tore the silk scroll to shreds. She looked up at the sky, her slit pupils fierce as she gritted her teeth. "It was you!"
Cursed heaven!
Ying Zheng's body had been healthy, yet it had taken a turn for the worse immediately after she left. He died in a mere two years—even Ji Fa hadn't gone that quickly!
Only heaven could do such a thing!
What kind of fate was this? This was cheating!
From the moment the underground palace was sealed until they returned to the palace, Shaodian Qingnu remained silent, not uttering a single word. Afang had thoroughly purged the people of the Qin Palace, so no one knew of Shaodian Qingnu.
Inside the hall, Shaodian Qingnu gave Fusu a warning.
"Fusu, remember! Do not conscript labor from across the land for the continued construction of the imperial tomb. Tell Li Si to change the Qin laws—lighten the punishments, grant a general amnesty, and start anew with the people. Do you understand?"
If fate were truly unchangeable, she would have accepted it.
But she had clearly plucked the strings of fate, yet the will of heaven had forcibly dragged things back to the predetermined conclusion!
Damned heaven! She would insist on defying it!
Shaodian Qingnu refused to submit to this heaven!
It was the first time Fusu had ever seen her look so cold and grim.
"Teacher... I... understand!"
Shaodian Qingnu narrowed her eyes, watching him for a long time before she waved her hand. "Hongluan, we're leaving!"
Hongluan beat its wings and landed on her shoulder.
The snake and the bird left the Qin Palace and rushed back toward Peixian.
But when she arrived back in Peixian, she found Liu Ji and Xiao He counting the laborers of the district, preparing to set out for Li Mountain to build the imperial tomb.
"Stop!" Shaodian Qingnu roared.
"Brother Qingnu, you're... back?"
Upon seeing her, Liu Ji ran toward her, but his pace slowed as he saw her furious expression. He gave a sheepish smile and asked, "Why are you so angry? Tell your brother who crossed you, and I'll go give them a beating!"
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