Baozi pointed ahead and shouted, "Hurry, open it!"
I was too nervous, and I started the car as soon as I heard her say it. When we got there, I was furious – someone had set fire to a pile of garbage.
Before long, the specially made passage for us finally opened. Since it was being used by our own people on a small scale this time, there were no passwords. Baozi shouted excitedly like a child riding a train for the first time, as if he had never walked through a city gate before...
Sure enough, she quickly lost interest and asked boredly, "When will we get there?" After a while, Baozi suddenly said somewhat hesitantly, "Qiangzi, what if we don't make it back this time?"
I glanced at her and said, "No, the old charlatan will keep watch."
"So... does that mean we'll never be able to go again after we come back?"
I let out a long sigh. I'd been thinking about this problem all along the way, but I hadn't gotten anywhere with it. The strange changes in the Heavenly Dao that allowed us to travel back and reunite were already a great blessing, and now that it was closing this special passage again, there was nothing to say. At least I knew that my clients were still alive and well—but separation by death was still heartbreaking enough.
I said, "When we meet later, everyone can just have fun. Don't say anything yet."
Baozi nodded thoughtfully...
This is my first time traversing such a long military route, but I feel it probably won't be too far. Although it works similarly to the timeline principle, using the distance between eras to unitize distance, it's ultimately designed for human movement, not for dealing with machines capable of exceeding the speed of light. Last time, when they besieged Jin Wuzhu from the Qin to the Song dynasties, the infantry only took a little over three days.
After driving at a steady pace for less than three hours, a light suddenly appeared ahead of us. Baozi asked in surprise, "We're here already?" I was also a little surprised; this saved us more than three times the time compared to before.
As soon as the carriage reached the light, it was indeed Liu Bang's temporary palace. A patrol of Han soldiers, seeing their king arrive again in that strange, constantly burping and farting vehicle, weren't too surprised and bowed to me. Baozi also stuck his hand out the window and greeted me, "Hello, I'm your Grand Commander..."
"Shh! That's the Qin Dynasty." Poor Baozi only has the empty title of Grand Marshal, and he even mixed up the dynasties. He went to the Han Dynasty to serve as an official of the Qin Dynasty. Isn't that just asking for his family's extermination?
I said to the Han army captain, "We have limited time, so we won't go in. Go and invite His Majesty out."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Bang came running out like the wind, carrying a small bag on his shoulder: "Here I am!" The Han soldiers were all startled and hurriedly bowed. Liu Bang instructed: "You continue to proceed to Chang'an as planned. I will be back in a few days." As he spoke, he smiled and looked into the carriage. Seeing that Baozi wanted to get out of the carriage to meet him, he said repeatedly: "Don't move, don't move, be careful of my godson."
Liu Bang got into the carriage and leaned against the back of my seat, saying, "I've been waiting for you all. After this battle, there's been a whole bunch of messy things that have given me a headache. I need to go to Fatty's place for a couple of days to have some peace and quiet."
I said, "If you don't take care of it, who will?"
"I have my wife, she loves doing this kind of thing."
I laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid that if you're not there, she'll usurp your power?"
Liu Bang glared and said, "Dare! I'll divorce her. Let's see which man in the Han Dynasty would dare to remarry her?"
Baozi laughed and said, "You're still so mean?"
This was the first time Liu Bang and Baozi had reunited since the group of five parted ways. Liu Bang rested his head on his hands, looked Baozi up and down, and clicked his tongue, saying, "Baozi is still so lovable. Just let me know when you're getting a divorce from Xiaoqiang!" Baozi laughed and slapped him across the face.
I laughed and cursed, "You son of a bitch, you never say anything nice. Do you believe I can get a dozen emperors to wipe you out?"
Liu Bang shrank back and said, "By the way, Xiao Qiang is indeed more powerful than me now. It seems that if Baozi divorces you, no one will dare to marry her again from ancient times to the present, unless she marries someone from abroad."
I laughed heartily, "So what if you marry someone from abroad? Aren't you afraid Zhang Xiaohua will rewrite Western fantasy?"
The transition from the Han to the Qin dynasties was practically a matter of stepping on the gas. Li Shishi and Jin Shaoyan had been staying at the Xiao mansion since they arrived, and Jing Ke was with them. When we arrived at the gate, the Xiao family's gatekeepers were completely unfazed. After welcoming us out, one of the servants even asked me, "King Qi, would you like your carriage cleaned?"
This was definitely a new service, and I instinctively asked, "Is it free?"
Chapter 188 Let's Not Talk Politics
I helped Baozi off the bus and was about to go inside when Liu Bang suddenly asked nervously, "Is Big Guy inside?"
I asked, "What's wrong?"
Liu Bang said, "Do you think he won't beat me up?"
I chuckled and said, "Why didn't you do this sooner?"
Li Shishi and Ersha rushed out of the house, excitedly asking, "Is it my cousin and his wife?"
Baozi waved to her: "Shishi."
Li Shishi hurriedly ran down the steps to help her inside, and said happily, "The little one is coming out soon, isn't he?" After talking for a while, she saw Liu Bang and giggled, "Brother Liu, it's been a long time."
Liu Bang rolled his eyes at her and said, "You just noticed me?"
Ersha stared intently at Liu Bang and shouted, "You've arrived?"
Liu Bang said with satisfaction, "Ke Zi is really a good friend." He then walked forward, reaching out his hand to Er Sha from a distance. Of the five, he was closest to Er Sha, having slept in bunk beds for half a year. Er Sha chuckled and reached out his hand in return… walking directly up to me, taking my hand, and saying, "How have you been lately?"
Liu Bang stood frozen, one hand outstretched, then fell to the ground in anger. Everyone laughed as they watched the cunning Emperor Gaozu of Han fall into the hands of a fool. I told him, "It's alright, you'll get used to it. Don't be so proactive next time." I've had a similar painful experience once, and the fool probably didn't do it on purpose—his eyes were just too effective at misdirection.
I asked Li Shishi, "Why are there only the two of you? Where are Ying-ge and Shao Yan?"
Li Shishi said, "Brother Ying still has official business to attend to. Shao Yan went out to gather material; he said that if we're going to make a movie about the Qin Dynasty in the future, we won't need to set up outdoor locations."
I scoffed and said, "See, that's men for you. Once the novelty wears off, they're off to other things."
Liu Bang said, "As long as it's not about picking flowers, it's fine." Li Shishi pinched him.
Amidst the laughter and conversation, a resounding shout of respect was suddenly heard from outside: "Your Majesty!"
We looked outside and saw Qin Shi Huang holding the young Hu Hai's hand, with people kneeling on both sides. The fat Qin Shi Huang casually waved and strode in, full of self-satisfaction. Baozi said, "Hey, Fatty's off work."
Liu Bang was peering out the window through the paper windowpane. I tapped him on the shoulder, and Liu Bang jumped, asking, "What's wrong?"
I said, "You're only worried about the big guy coming after you, but aren't you afraid the fat guy will fight you to the death?" I pointed at Hu Hai and said, "What you're fighting for is that kid's empire."
Liu Bang hurriedly ran out and hugged the little Hu Hai, saying, "Come, let Uncle hold you."
Qin Shi Huang asked in surprise, "Oh, what brings you here?"