The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang

Chapter 22

The music finally stopped. I stared at the three piles of snow for a while, forgetting the cold. Suddenly, I looked up, braced myself with my hands, and an indescribable rage surged up from my heart.

Princess Jenny shouted after this series of actions, "Tenglong, are you out of your mind? Come back here!"

I turned around to say something, but what I saw next made me stop. "Lucy, what's wrong?" I rushed over and helped Lucy up from the ground. Her face was pale, without any color in her skin, and even her lips had turned white. The blood had frozen into ice.

"I...I...I'm so cold!" Lucy's mouth kept trembling, her whole body shaking so much that she had no strength left. I held Lucy tightly and kept saying, "It's okay! I'm here."

At this moment, Lucy's body was already ice-cold, indicating that she had been possessed by evil energy. Holding Lucy was like holding an ice sculpture, with cold air emanating from her body temperature, and I couldn't help but clench my teeth.

Seeing everything Lucy had done for us and the suffering she had endured, my heart ached, and I couldn't help but shed tears. I tried to hide it by saying, "Lucy, it's okay, hang in there. No one can hurt us. Just rest well and leave the rest to us. Be good, listen to me." I spoke softly, like I was coaxing a child.

Lucy looked up at me, her eyes slightly unfocused, a smile on her face, and leaned against me. "Tenglong, you're like a snowman in winter, so handsome."

I knew what Lucy was talking about. My hair was completely white, and my eyebrows were white too. I could see myself reflected in her eyes. I forced a smile and said, "Yes! Snowman. If you like, I'll tell you snowman stories every day from now on."

Lucy smiled, a peaceful smile, and then gently closed her eyes. I held Lucy tightly, hoping to give her more warmth. Looking at her serene, icy beauty, she was so beautiful! So beautiful!

"Tenglong, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and come help, or you'll be collecting our corpses!"

I looked up and saw the muscular man shouting at me in a low voice. I yelled, "Hey muscular man, why are you saying such unlucky things? You might get struck by lightning!"

I helped Lucy up and laid her on the scorched zither. I saw that eleven of the zither's strings were broken. "Lucy, sleep well! When we wake up, we'll leave this hellhole and never come back."

I raised my gun and looked at Princess Jenny. Now, the only ones left who could fight were me, Meng Nan, Bai Shi Tong, and Shan Ji. None of the four of us knew magic or any fighting skills. Facing such a demonic black vein, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock. Our lives were in our hands. Even if we died, we would fight to the last moment.

I shouted, "Brothers, I'm here!"

The Black Vein was enormous, stretching across the sky. A mere yawn could have sent a raging wind tearing us apart. The four of us split up to distract it, relentlessly attacking with firepower. Though the Black Vein was large, it was covered in black armor and dark scales, making it impossible to harm it in the slightest. Meanwhile, we were in grave danger amidst the accumulated snow. I felt that our failure to immediately report to the gates of hell was entirely due to the Black Vein, that demonic serpent, toying with us.

Damn it! They're not even treating us like opponents. I ramped up my firepower, no longer caring about conserving bullets. Even if I die, I'll use up all the ammo in my gear bag. In an instant, four long tongues of fire spewed out, the gunfire was deafening, and spent cartridges flew everywhere. Suddenly, a black vein hovered in the sky and flew towards Baishitong. I shouted, "Baishitong, run!"

Before I could finish my call, Know-It-All was already lying on the snow. "Know-It-All..." I was stunned. I saw a sharp, needle-like icicle piercing through Know-It-All's stomach, blood gushing out. Know-It-All was clutching the icicle stuck in his abdomen with both hands, his brows contorted as he grinned at us, "Brothers... I... I'm going now!"

"Know-it-all!!!" I shouted wildly and rushed forward without regard for anything else.

The icicle, as thick as a fist, was stuck in my abdomen. My hands were trembling. Looking at the pain in Baishitong's eyes, I... I really wanted to pull the icicle out. "Baishitong, don't be afraid, I'll pull the icicle out for you. Soon! Soon the pain will be over," I cried.

The muscular man and the pheasant also rushed over, repeatedly pressing down on Bai Shitong's hands. Their blood was gushing out, and Bai Shitong's face gradually paled. He gasped for breath, saying, "Brothers, promise me! You must survive!" He paused, then added with difficulty, "The...the beauties of the manor...I'm...I'm leaving them to you!"

After saying that, I gently closed my eyes. "No! No! No!" I screamed hoarsely, shaking the icicle incessantly. I gripped the icicle with both hands, trying to pull it out. Two sharp "crack" sounds rang out, sending up countless snowflakes. A tremendous force pushed me over. I turned my head and saw... My mind went blank. I kept shouting:

"Pheasant?"

"A hunk?"

"Don't scare me, wake up!"

I lunged at the pheasant's body. The pheasant's hoarse voice cried out, "Teng...Tenglong, hurry...run! Don't worry about us, escaping is the priority."

The muscular man kept waving at me and shouting, "Tenglong, run! When you have the strength in the future, you must avenge us!"

My mind was in chaos. I saw that both the pheasant and the strongman had fist-sized ice pillars stuck in their bellies, and blood, blood, crimson blood was flowing out. I... looked at the blood on my hands, and I went mad. I was furious. I clenched my fists tightly and stared angrily at the demonic black vein floating in the air. It was laughing wildly, its ferocious eyes staring at my helplessness, watching me suffer, and letting me die a heart-wrenching death.

I could no longer bear it. My dearest people, my most beloved people, they… they were all about to leave me right before my eyes. I screamed, a surge of scorching heat coursing through my body, steam rising from my skin. My eyes reflected a blood-red world, my teeth clenched. I didn't care about anything else anymore:

I need power!!!

I need power!!!

I kept shouting in my heart, the power surging like ocean waves, washing over my entire body. I felt an overwhelming surge of power, and my fingers extended sharp claws. A torrent of energy burst forth, and I roared at the demonic serpent, Black Vein, towards the sky:

Aww—

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Side Story): The Dragon's Treasure, Chapter Thirty-One: The Seventh Form of the Eight Sounds of the Heavenly Vein, the Heavenly Sound Illusion Emperor

Chapter word count: 2195 Last updated: 08-03-19 17:49

A roar ripped through the sky, startling the black veins of the demonic serpent. The air was filled with a violent killing intent.

Suddenly, a piano melody arose, like a gentle spring breeze melting the winter snow, bringing life back to the earth. The beautiful melody conveyed the sentiment of love, penetrating the depths of the heart and gradually calming the restless passion within.

Me? What's wrong with me?

His vision gradually cleared, and the violent aura within his body vanished without a trace. He seemed to have lost all memory of the changes that had just occurred, and was completely unaware of them.

Looking around, I realized I was sprawled on all fours in the snow like an animal. How ungraceful! This was a battle. I could already see the demonic black veins rushing towards me like a meteor. Without hesitation, I rolled and leaped in one fluid motion. I heard a muffled "crack," and I knew it must be an ice pillar. When I turned around, I thought to myself: It really was an ice pillar. If I had been a step slower, I probably would have ended up like the pheasant, the tough guy, and the know-it-all, with that damned ice pillar piercing my abdomen and pinning me to the snow, unable to move.

Thinking of them, I couldn't help but turn to look at them, wondering how they were doing. They were so badly injured; it seemed that even if the legendary physician Hua Tuo were alive, he would be helpless. A wave of sadness washed over me. Brothers of many years are closer than blood brothers. For us orphans, what could be more important than sharing life and death?

I picked up my gun. Faced with such a monstrous black serpent, even if I wanted to escape, there was no way I could get away alive. Since that was the case, I might as well go all out and fight to the end. That way, I could die cleanly and gloriously, and then we could share the hardships in the underworld.

Just as I was about to pull the trigger, a massive meteor shower rained down from the sky, white and bright, all heading straight for me. I knew that the meteor shower was all ice pillars; the Black Serpent Demon must have thought I would try to escape, which was why it unleashed so many ice pillars, covering the sky like a downpour. The scene before me was spectacular, but it was filled with murderous intent. I laughed, "Hahaha... Black Serpent Demon, come on! I'm not afraid of you!"

A burst of fire, the fury of the flames, couldn't stop the meteor shower. The weapon was too small, completely useless. The meteor shower was already upon them, so many that they would surely be impaled in a very unsightly way. They never imagined that even in their dying moments, they would see themselves pinned upright to the snow by golden needles...

The piano music flowed continuously, like rippling blue waves. I exclaimed in surprise, "Lucy! Has she woken up?" I wanted to turn around and take one last look at her, but the final moment had arrived. In those 0.02 seconds, the music shattered like icy rain, turning into a large snowflake that danced and fell on my face. The feeling was gentle and moist—it was Lucy's piano music, no doubt about it! I couldn't help but turn my head away.

Lucy's long hair had fallen down, obscuring her face, making it impossible to see clearly. She sat upright, her fingers caressing the violin, the melody exquisite. Gone was the intense fury from before. The scorched violin, with only ten strings remaining, played softly between her fingers, not becoming chaotic despite the missing strings. The melody slowed, the world seeming to stagnate. At that moment, Lucy softly sang:

Jiao Qin asked the setting sun, "Blood echoes and responds, dotting heaven and earth."

Ten fingers, connected to the heart, play a mournful tune in the night; pity permeates the past and the future, spanning ancient and modern times.

...

"Hahaha..." The demonic serpent Black Vein burst into laughter; it actually spoke.

"Poor humans! In the face of darkness, you are so pathetic and miserable. You mere mortals, prepare to die!" With that, the demonic serpent Black Vein brandished its body, and streams of black energy formed a huge black vortex in the air.

What...what is that? I was surprised. Princess Jenny, the eldest, Lian, Xin and Sally all saw it. The eldest moved his mouth and said weakly, "That is the power of the dark ley lines, the vortex formed by the earth's energy. If we don't stop it immediately, it may trigger the appearance of the Moon Soul. At that time, the prophecy in the Holy Scripture may come true ahead of schedule."

"The prophecy of the Holy Scripture?" Princess Jenny was greatly surprised. She vaguely seemed to have heard it somewhere before. Although she couldn't remember what the prophecy of the Holy Scripture was, the Holy Scripture was the only force that the Demon Scripture could oppose. It was said that the Demon Scripture descended upon the world and ruled the dark world. Later, God created the world and left behind the Holy Scripture. Since then, the forces of darkness and light have been fighting endlessly.

Lian, Xin, and Sally knew nothing about the Holy Scriptures and the Magic Scriptures. Hearing Instructor Henry and Princess Jenny's conversation, they were filled with curiosity, knowing that the story behind it must be quite complicated.

Not only were Lian, Xin, and Sally unaware, but Lucy was also unaware. When the eldest brother discovered this, he wanted to shout it out, but his voice was very weak. He hadn't expected the recovery to be so slow. After hearing Lucy's piano music through Princess Jenny, the eldest brother knew that there was no need to say anything more.

Because Lucy had already begun to use the weapon of the Contract Name, although Lucy had not yet reached the ultimate level, at such an age and with such cultivation, she was already a string-based master who was rare in a hundred years. The boss smiled with satisfaction.

Princess Jenny also knew that the gentleness of the zither's sound was the highest point of the string system, capable of killing people and things in the moonlight. The moonlight was like water, the wind swept across the world, nature transformed, and all things came together by fate.

Princess Jenny remained silent, simply watching the unfolding events before her. It was a battle that would shake the heavens and earth, a battle that would move even the gods to tears. Lian's eyes shone with an extraordinary light as she stared intently at the impending, unprecedented battle. With Princess Jenny's support, Lian sat up. Before her, the ice and snow had melted, and water veins flowed freely.

At the Magic and Martial Arts Academy, after countless trials and selections, Lian and Lucy finally became Princess Jenny's personal swordsman and harpist. Under the empire's ideological rule, men were always superior warriors, and only war could demonstrate a man's value, while women were merely appendages under men's rule. Although Lucy was also a member of the empire and a student at the Magic and Martial Arts Academy, Lian looked down on Lucy because of the deep-rooted ideological shackles and religious worship of men.

In the world of love, apart from the ordinary sword saints and the empire's lords who stand high above, looking down on everything with cold expressions, making them difficult to get along with, after this time spent together and sharing life and death, Love seems to have begun to doubt the cold arrogance in her heart. What exactly does she expect in her heart? A complex and confused expression makes Love struggle in the depths of her soul, and that faint and thin intention is elusive.

Just as Lian was completely baffled, Lucy paused in her short song and read aloud:

"Sleeping Nocturne, the covenant between you and me, fulfill your duty, grant me the power to summon you from your slumber, Qin Emperor."

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Side Story): The Dragon's Treasure - Chapter Thirty-Two: The Qin Emperor VS. The Black Vein of the Demon Serpent

Chapter word count: 2379 Last updated: 08-03-19 17:49

As soon as the music started, the world was filled with light, and the sky was no longer dark.

What kind of scene is this? The dim view in front of me suddenly became bright, and being in it felt like a beautiful dream of paradise.

The Black Serpent was also greatly surprised, never expecting that humans would possess such power. With its eerie green eyes and an expectant expression, it laughed, "Hahaha... A miracle! A miracle! I've been asleep for many years, and I never imagined that humans could reach such a powerful level. I'd like to see just how far human power can go."

After saying that, the snake's body spun rapidly around the black vortex, generating a force that could suck everything in its path. The speed increased, and the vortex grew larger and larger. Looking up at the sky, it resembled a bottomless black hole swirling around.

Lucy stopped playing the piano and collapsed to the ground as if in a daze. I panicked and called out, "Lucy, what's wrong?"

Before I could run over, I saw a wisp of white shadow slowly float out of Jiao Qin. What... what was that? I stared in disbelief. Could it be a monster? I looked at my boss with a terrified expression. He shook his head. Upon closer inspection, the white shadow depicted an elderly man over a hundred years old, with a smiling face that gave off a kind feeling. Him? How could he be a monster?

Could he be a deity? The old man was dressed in ancient white robes, with his white hair coiled up and his eyebrows also completely white. He was a little long, and his face was ruddy, making him look nothing like a dead person. The white figure was so lifelike that it depicted a person. He was holding a zither in his hands, exactly the same as Lucy's zither. Even the number and position of the broken strings were exactly the same. This was too amazing.

Not only that, but the old man stretched out his right hand to stroke his long white beard, smiled at us, and then floated up. He looked up at the black serpent demon in the sky, held the zither with one hand, and played the zither with the other. The mysterious melody echoed between heaven and earth for a moment. The melody could calm people's hearts and warm them as before, just like the feeling we had just had.

These past few days, the things and people I've encountered have been too much to bear. I rubbed my eyes; it all felt so real. I rushed over and helped Lucy up, but she wasn't breathing. I panicked and quickly called for help from the boss and Princess Jenny, but everyone was helpless. It seemed we could only leave it to fate.

The leader said, "Lucy is on the verge of death. The Qin Emperor she summoned at the end was her masterpiece. If we can leave this place, Xin may still be saved."

Leaving this place is easier said than done. Putting aside whether Lucy is really dead, Chicken, Manly Man, and Know-It-All are still pinned to the snow by icicles. Even if we were to leave, we would have to take their bodies out and bury them in a quiet place. We can't just leave them to rot in the wilderness.

No one objected to my opinion. The leader just sighed, saying that he hadn't even found the treasure yet when he encountered such a terrifying monster. He was really unlucky and that the heavens were going to kill him.

Lian didn't speak, staring intently at the sky. The black vortex of the demonic serpent's black veins had been formed, hanging in the sky, making people shudder. Suddenly, it shot out a huge black light, which turned into a veiny claw, rushing towards us. The claw was so big that it made people dizzy, like the Five Finger Mountain of the Buddha, while we were as small as Sun Wukong. To escape its palm would be harder than climbing to heaven with our strength.

The white-robed old man played the zither with one hand, the melody drifting through the heavens and earth, creating a protective halo filled with musical notes above us, deep blue like the sea, with transparent light. I couldn't help but ask, "Boss, what exactly is that old man?"

What is it? Princess Jenny, of course, was not used to my question and frowned.

The eldest brother's eyes never left the sky as he softly said, "That ethereal white-haired old man is the legendary Qin Emperor, Jiao Qin Destiny, who signed a contract with Lucy."

Jiao Qin's destiny? I really don't understand, but the battle has already begun, and I have no mind to ask anything else.

The black claw was blocked by the protective aura, and the impact instantly created huge ripples. The earth-shaking vibration made us lose our balance. Then, the light of the blade shot out from Qin Di's five fingers, cutting the huge black claw into powder.

The Black Serpent let out a soft exclamation. It thought it could win in one move, but it didn't expect to meet its match. Excited, the Black Serpent launched a series of attacks, spraying out countless black raindrops from its black vortex. The black raindrops had a powerful corrosive effect; anyone who touched it would immediately turn into nothingness.

The corrosive sound was a loud "whoosh" as the Qin Emperor lightly stroked his five fingers, playing a series of notes that rose and fell like waves. Large areas of ice and snow on the ground were seen flying up into the sky at an increasingly faster speed, heading straight for the black rain. The white snow and black rain collided in an instant, generating intense heat. A dazzling red light flashed out, and the Qin Emperor plucked the strings with his five fingers, shooting out five light blades that slashed straight at the black vortex in the sky.

With a deafening roar, the black vortex was shattered, and beams of light shot out from the other side. That...that was moonlight? I was surprised. Had it already gotten to night? The leader saw it too, and Princess Jenny said joyfully, "Everyone, get ready. Listen to my command. If there are any flaws or gaps, we'll escape as soon as possible."

Upon hearing Princess Jenny's words, I became excited and was about to act when the boss reached out and pressed me down. Huh? Wasn't the boss supposed to be out of strength? How could he still...? The boss was giving me a meaningful look, and I understood immediately. Although I didn't know why the boss had recovered so quickly, I knew that the boss was telling me not to be too impulsive, lest I attract the attention of the Black Serpent, and then, I probably wouldn't have a chance to escape.

Princess Jenny, her face grave, kept looking for an opportunity. She said from the side, "Although the Qin Emperor is powerful, I don't think he can hold out for long. If it weren't for the fact that the Black Serpent had been trapped underground for too long and had aroused its playful nature, we would probably all be reporting to the gates of hell by now."

That's when I realized that even the Qin Emperor was no match for it. Who else could restrain it now? I had always thought the Qin Emperor had the upper hand, but it turned out that it was just playing me for fools. I cursed inwardly: Damn it! If it weren't for Princess Jenny's reminder, I would have almost fallen for it too.

Just then, the Qin Emperor's music grew increasingly intense, possessing a fierce, life-or-death momentum. Weeds began to scatter, transforming into sharp blades. Wait, what? Grass? Where's the snow? I exclaimed softly. Everyone turned to look, and there was no snow left; everything had returned to normal. But weren't those weeds shattered by Lucy's music? How could they reappear?

"The Qin Emperor's realm, besides possessing the power of destruction, is the power of regeneration," the eldest brother muttered to himself.

"The power of regeneration?"

"Yes! The power of regeneration can heal the injured."

I was overjoyed. If they could be reborn, that meant that Know-It-All, Chicken, Macho, and Lucy were all alright.

Everyone seemed to realize something, and at the same time turned their gazes to Know-It-All, Chicken, and Macho Man. The ice pillars inserted into their abdomens had disappeared, and their fingers were moving. Everyone was overjoyed, but suddenly Princess Jenny whispered, "Oh no! If they move, the Black Vein of the Demon Serpent will definitely notice."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces turned pale.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Extra Chapter): The Dragon's Treasure - Chapter Thirty-Three: The Demonic Serpent

Chapter word count: 2315 Update time: 08-03-19 17:50

At this very moment, the pheasant, the tough guy, and the know-it-all are already moving.

With every movement they made, our hearts tightened even more. Since we were lying in different directions, we couldn't shout aloud or use hand gestures to send coded messages. If this continued, the Black Serpent would eventually discover its extremely abnormal power, a power that was maddening and impossible to deal with.

Princess Jenny, watching the duel between the Qin Emperor and the Black Serpent in the sky, which seemed to be nearing its end, said to us, "While the Qin Emperor can still buy us some time, let's get ready. In a moment, I'll use a summoning spell to summon the Patterned Leopard, and everyone pounce on it. It will keep leading us in a safe direction."

There was no time to leave now, and I sensed the urgency of the situation. Princess Jenny assigned tasks to everyone, then formed hand seals and uttered a spell: