Collection Hiromi

Chapitre 4

Suddenly, the white-haired old man opened his eyes. His blood-red eyes seemed to see right through Lin Xiang. When Lin Xiang saw those blood-red eyes, he trembled all over. Damn, this felt like a scene from a science fiction movie.

"This is..." Lin Xiang used words to cover up his fear. To be honest, if he wasn't afraid of someone like this, he wouldn't be human.

"He is my father, Li Xiaochao, the chairman of Space Technology Co., Ltd."

"How could your father be like this? We need to get him to the hospital right away." Lin Xiang was worried that the old man might not survive the night.

"Young man, your name is Lin Xiang, please sit down!" The white-haired old man moved his lips, and a series of aged voices came out, as if he had experienced thousands of years of vicissitudes.

Li Tianxiang moved a stool over for Lin Xiang to sit down. Lin Xiang asked in confusion, "I wonder what business you have with me?"

The white-haired old man stared at Li Tianxiang with bloodshot eyes. Li Tianxiang replied respectfully, "Tianxiang has not revealed a single word to him yet."

The white-haired old man shifted his gaze to Lin Xiang, then moved his lips and said, "When you see me like this, you must be very surprised, right, young man?"

Lin Xiang nodded in agreement.

The white-haired old man continued, "Young man, you must have heard of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, right?"

"The tomb of Qin Shi Huang?" Lin Xiang asked in surprise, thinking to himself: Of course I know about the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. Anyone who has been to school knows that. Isn't it in the textbooks? Why would you ask this? Damn! I guess the old man with white hair is getting old and has some mental issues, which is why he would ask such an idiotic question.

The white-haired old man seemed to know what Lin Xiang was thinking, and simply smiled. My God! The white-haired old man's smile made the bones and skin on his face twitch, more terrifying than a ghost movie, and suddenly a sense of unease arose.

"Young man, let me tell you a story. I wonder if you'd be interested?"

Lin Xiang nodded, knowing that the people outside were all from high society, and it wasn't really suitable for him to talk about or interact with them. It would be a good excuse to avoid them.

The white-haired old man continued, "Back then, I was just as young as you, only a few years older. At that time, I received a secret message about the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, and part of it had been excavated. This is the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang that you see in textbooks now. At that time, the country blocked everything, and we only obtained a piece of historical artifact with advanced technology."

"Historical artifacts with advanced technology? How is that possible? Hey, old man, if you're saying that, then wouldn't the Qin Dynasty have been more technologically advanced than we are now?" Lin Xiang protested.

The white-haired old man smiled, knowing that Lin Xiang was starting to take an interest in the story. Lin Xiang, however, couldn't bear to look at the old man's smile; it was too disgusting, and he quickly looked away.

The white-haired old man continued, "Do you know what I majored in at university when I was young? I majored in space physics. Later, after testing, it was determined that the super-tech historical artifact we obtained from the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang was the time-traveling imprint."

"A time-traveling disc?" Damn! It seems my uncle is quite ill, to the point that he's having delusional, technological fantasies. Lin Xiang wondered to himself.

"Yes, the time travel disc, so we invented the time machine and successfully sent a monkey back to ancient times and then back to the present."

"What can monkeys prove? Uncle, have you been watching too many science fiction movies?"

Ignoring Lin Xiang's argument, the white-haired old man continued, "So we began looking for suitable candidates to travel to ancient times via time travel machine to prove the existence of technological inventions."

"Has it been found?"

"Found him! It's Xiang Shaolong!"

"Xiang Shaolong?" Lin Xiang asked in surprise, "So what was the result?"

"No results!"

"No results?" Lin Xiang asked doubtfully.

"There was no result. I watched him disappear in the time machine with my own eyes. Due to a computer malfunction, we don't know which dynasty the time machine mistakenly sent Xiang Shaolong to. Many years have passed, and there has been no news of Xiang Shaolong."

"How is that possible? What dynasty did you send Xiang Shaolong back to? What did you send him to do?"

"We're just having Xiang Shaolong go back to the Qin Dynasty to film a historical account of Yin Zheng's ascension to the throne. If all goes well, it'll only take half an hour."

"How much time has that been?"

Forty years!

"Forty years?"

“Uncle, this is a very interesting historical story. Alright! It’s about time, I should go back!” Lin Xiang stood up and said goodbye to the white-haired old man in front of him. Li Tianxiang looked at his father in surprise, only to see his father smile without saying anything. Li Tianxiang then led Lin Xiang away from the door.

Lin Xiang kept estimating the time, thinking that by the time he left the house, the birthday party should be over...

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Volume 1: Life's Encounters, Chapter 10: Birthday Wish, Breaking into the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang

Chapter word count: 2449 Update time: 08-02-29 17:44

The echoes of footsteps in the corridor indicated that it was late at night. Lin Xiang, lost in thought, turned and asked, "President Li, how did your father end up like this?"

Li Tianxiang seemed surprised that Lin Xiang would suddenly ask such a question. His instinctive reaction was to mutter to himself, "To know the secrets of heaven, perhaps this is retribution..."

"Foreseeing the future? Retribution?" What does that mean? Lin Xiang looked at Li Tianxiang's strange expression and felt curious as well. However, he didn't hear what Li Tianxiang said next. Whatever it is, even if the sky falls, someone will hold it up. I don't need to worry about that. Lin Xiang calmed his nerves and took deep breaths. It seemed to be working.

"Lin Xiang... Lin Xiang... We've finally found you! Where have you been? Everyone's waiting for you!" A series of urgent voices came from behind. Lin Xiang looked up and exclaimed, "Huh? It's you! Isn't the birthday party over yet?"

The newcomer stood before her, momentarily startled, but quickly regained her composure and asked, "You...know each other?"

Li Tianxiang snapped out of his daze, stretched out his hand in a way that seemed quite unexpected, and smiled, "We know each other, of course we know each other. We've known each other for two years, Lin Xiang, don't you agree?"

Lin Xiang nodded and said, "We met once two years ago, so this is our second meeting! What's wrong, Lu Xiangxiang? Is something wrong?" Lin Xiang spoke so frankly just to prove that he was not a sycophant and would not follow someone just because they were powerful.

Lu Xiangxiang rolled her eyes, grabbed Lin Xiang's hand and left without saying a word. Lin Xiang felt strange. Lu Xiangxiang was born into a family with a high level of cultural refinement. Her parents were both highly respected scientists. Logically speaking, they should be very well-mannered. Why was she being so unreasonable? After thinking for a while, he guessed that Lu Xiangxiang and Li Tianxiang didn't have a good relationship.

Lin Xiang turned to look at Li Tianxiang, about to say something to cover up Lu Xiangxiang's earlier rudeness, but Li Tianxiang was still smiling. Then Lu Xiangxiang pulled Lin Xiang forcefully into the corner, leaving Li Tianxiang standing there dumbfounded.

Lin Xiang disappeared from sight, and Li Tianxiang still wore a smile. But just now, seeing Lin Xiang suddenly vanish around the corner, his head instinctively jutted forward. With a "crack," his head snapped off at the neck and fell to the ground, rolling slightly without spitting blood. The headless man took two steps forward, bent down, picked up the head, placed it on his neck, twisted his neck, and then groaned, "Uh… much better!" His smile remained...

Pulled along by Lu Xiangxiang, Lin Xiang arrived at a doorway, pushed it open, and went inside. It was pitch black inside, and the door slammed shut with a "bang." At that moment, Lin Xiang felt a chill run down his spine. What if something terrifying appeared again? Thinking of this, Lin Xiang couldn't help but blink. It was so dark that he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. If this continued, it would scare him to death.

A scream rang out.

Lin Xiang felt goosebumps rise all over his body. Suddenly, amidst the screams, candlelight blazed before his eyes, revealing familiar faces and echoing, "Happy birthday! Happy birthday! Happy birthday!..."

Damn! That's terrifying! Lin Xiang kept patting his chest, walked forward, grabbed Huang Hua and pinched his thigh hard, making Huang Hua howl in pain. This kind of weird idea must have come from this kid. No one but him could come up with such a prank.

The others chuckled to themselves. Yang Yingying had already left her seat and sat down next to Lin Xiang, asking with concern, "Brother Xiang, where did you go? Why did you talk for so long? Everyone's been waiting for you."

As soon as the lights came on, Lin Xiang looked around and saw that all the students in the class were there. Teacher Zhang stepped forward and said, "Xiangxiang, quickly make a wish, blow out the candle, and your wish will come true."

Lu Xiangxiang, her face filled with emotion and surprise, approached the cake, closed her eyes briefly, then opened them and said, "My wish is that one day I will be the first person to enter Qin Shi Huang's main tomb." She then blew out the candles, eliciting cheers from her classmates…

Fang Yetong, the all-knowing scholar of the martial arts world, joked, "Xiangxiang, it's still the same wish? You've made it nineteen times already, and you're making it again?"

Huang Hua sat lazily, picked up a glass of deep red wine, took a small sip, and replied, "Fang Yetong, you say you're a know-it-all in the martial arts world. The beautiful Xiangxiang is persistent, which shows that she will definitely be a girl who is devoted to love in the future. Besides, the key to fulfilling a wish lies in boldly and persistently pursuing it. How can it be achieved if you don't pursue it? Don't you all agree?"

Teacher Zhang stepped forward and said, "Alright! Alright! You two, all you do is bicker, like you owe each other from a past life. Today is the birthday of Xiangxiang, the most beautiful girl in our class. Come on, Xiangxiang, cut the cake."

With Teacher Zhang's help, Xiangxiang finally cut a huge five-tiered cake into more than forty pieces. Everyone held a piece of cake. Before Lin Xiang could answer Yang Yingying's question, he turned around and got a smear of cake on his face. "Haha..." Everyone burst into laughter. The small hall was big enough that the cake was flying everywhere, affecting innocent bystanders. It was quite a lively scene.

Teacher Zhang seemed to have returned to her childhood, her playful heart thriving as she played happily with her students.

After the climax, everyone had washed their faces; their clothes? They seemed to be the victims of the night. When Lin Xiang calmed down and chatted with Yang Yingying, he learned that the birthday party in the courtyard outside had long ended, all the guests had left, and only his classmates were left, having a small gathering to celebrate.

Everyone returned to their seats. Fang Yetong, the all-knowing scholar of the martial arts world, deliberately coughed a few times to attract the students' attention. Then he walked to the center of the room, sat down at the table, picked up a bunch of grapes, tore off a few and tossed them into his mouth, and said mysteriously, "Speaking of Qin Shi Huang's tomb, do you know what's the most valuable? What's the most mysterious?"

Lin Xiang knew he was going to tell another story. Actually, you know what, the students really enjoyed his storytelling. He told them so convincingly and realistically.

Lu Xiangxiang was the first to answer: "The Emperor's Imperial Seal!"

Fang Yetong shook her head and smiled smugly: "That's not right!"

Teacher Zhang said with interest, "There must be many rare treasures in Qin Shi Huang's tomb. As for the most valuable and mysterious things, no one can guess. We must go in for archaeological research to find out the real answer. But I'd like to hear Fang Yetong's answer."

"Haha... Our beautiful teacher is so smart. She never says anything she's not sure of, and I admire that!" Fang Yetong praised the female teacher, making Teacher Zhang very happy. You see, her student Fang Yetong has always been very ambitious, and his knowledge of Qimen Dunjia is incredibly comprehensive. It's not easy to get such praise from him!

The students looked at each other, unable to answer for a moment. Suddenly, Yang Yingying said, "The crown worn by Qin Shi Huang is the most valuable!"

Upon hearing this, the students began to discuss it amongst themselves. Yang Yingying shook Lin Xiang, who smiled, knowing that the answer wouldn't be so simple.

Sure enough, Fang Yetong answered directly, "No!" After a pause, she continued, "Let me tell you! Actually, the most valuable and mysterious thing in Qin Shi Huang's tomb is..."

"What is it?... " Everyone asked in unison, and for a moment the small hall was as quiet as if a sound could be heard, except for Fang Yetong's sinister "heh heh" chuckle...

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Volume One: Life's Encounters, Chapter Eleven: Xu Fu, the Elixir of Immortality

Chapter word count: 2038 Update time: 08-02-29 17:44

"It's the Record of Searching for the Supernatural!"

The Records of Searching for the Supernatural? ...

The students and Teacher Zhang were quite surprised, having never heard of it before. They had thought it might be some strange bottle, plate, or statue, carriage, or even the emperor's clothes and jewelry. Upon hearing "The Search for the Gods," they all started making a fuss.

"What's going on? The Search for the Gods, it sounds like a book. Is a tattered book really that valuable and mysterious?" Liu Qingfang stood up to protest, and her classmates cheered her on. Fang Yetong smiled but remained silent. Teacher Zhang was also deep in thought, but unlike her classmates, she didn't speak her mind directly.

"The Search for the Gods? How come there's a 'god' in it? From ancient times to the present, there's no science that can prove the existence of gods. Fang Yetong, where did you hear this news from?" Lu Xiangxiang began to interrogate her.

Lin Xiang also began to get a little curious. Stories always have some twists and turns, and there might even be beautiful women and money involved along the way. That would be quite exciting. Whether you believe it or not is fine, but there's no harm in listening.

Yang Yingying, also curious, couldn't wait and interrupted, "Fang Yetong, hurry up and continue..."

Ignoring her classmates' anxious expressions, Fang Yetong leisurely ate grapes, finding it quite amusing. She then slowly began, "As you all know, Qin Shi Huang was a tyrant. Although history doesn't speak well of him, in Qin Shi Huang's own mind, he was a great and self-important man who unified the six kingdoms, established the first imperial dynasty, and built the Great Wall..."

“We already know all that! Please, Fang Yetong, get to the point!” Liu Qingfang interrupted Fang Yetong. For Lu Xiangxiang, she wanted to know anything interesting about history, especially since they were discussing her favorite historical event: Qin Shi Huang.

Fang Yetong wasn't surprised that Liu Qingfang suddenly interrupted the topic. It seemed that Fang Yetong was very confident that he could get the students to finish the story. Fang Yetong asked, "I believe that the students must know that Qin Shi Huang wanted to live forever?"

The students all nodded, mentioning that Qin Shi Huang's desire for immortality was mentioned in modern textbooks.

Fang Yetong continued, "Back then, Qin Shi Huang wanted to achieve immortality, so he personally went on tours, each time to the seaside, because he believed that immortals lived by the sea. However, he returned disappointed each time. But Qin Shi Huang was not discouraged. Upon returning to the capital Xianyang, he immediately dispatched many alchemists to search for elixirs and miraculous medicines among the people. Xu Fu, one of the more famous ones, is a very representative example."

Fang Yetong deliberately paused, glanced sideways, and secretly chuckled as she saw the students' focused expressions. Then she continued, "Xu Fu, like Qin Shi Huang, believed that immortals appeared by the sea, unlike other sorcerers who thought they were in deep mountains and cliffs. So Xu Fu personally led 30,000 sailors out to sea, even crossing eastward to Japan. It can be said that Xu Fu traveled all over the four seas in search of the elixir of immortality."

Fang Yetong poured herself a glass of red wine, took a slow sip, and kept praising it, "Good wine! Good wine!"

The small hall was quiet as everyone listened intently to Fang Yetong's story, something they had never heard before. It seemed that Fang Yetong's stories were quite captivating.

Fang Yetong continued, "That night, a sudden storm arose at sea, with thunder and lightning. Xu Fu's fleet encountered a violent storm, and overnight, Xu Fu's 30,000 sailors almost perished. When Xu Fu awoke, he was on the shore of an unknown island, a hazy yet enchanting fairyland. Xu Fu was overjoyed and exclaimed, 'A fairyland on earth! A fairyland on earth!'"

"Xu Fu reorganized his troops, and only two thousand soldiers survived being washed ashore on the island. So Xu Fu ordered his men to search the island for immortals under the cover of mist, but instead of immortals, they encountered a fire phoenix."

"A fire phoenix?" the students exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes! A fire phoenix, a giant phoenix as big as two people could hug, that could breathe fire, flying in five colors, a beautiful sight. Xu Fu thought he had found a divine creature, so he ordered his soldiers to capture it. After three days and three nights of fierce fighting, the fire phoenix finally collapsed from exhaustion, and half of Xu Fu's soldiers were killed or wounded. Xu Fu decided to take a little of the fire phoenix's blood to offer to Qin Shi Huang, so he released the fire phoenix. Xu Fu ordered his soldiers to return to the shore to find tools to cut wood and build ships on the island, while Xu Fu wrote the Record of Searching for the Gods on the island."

"Then what about coming back?" Lu Xiangxiang asked eagerly.

"Later? Later, Xu Fu led the remaining soldiers back to their homeland, but ironically, Qin Shi Huang was already dead! What happened to Xu Fu? Knowing that he would be implicated and his entire family would be punished for failing to return in time to save the emperor, Xu Fu drank the blood of the fire phoenix on the night of his arrest. As a result, Xu Fu and all the remaining soldiers who returned were buried alive with Qin Shi Huang, which is what you see now as part of the Terracotta Army, as well as the Search for the Gods Record that was found during the search. As for Xu Fu's whereabouts after that, he became a mystery in history."

"That means that as long as you find the Record of Searching for Gods, you can find the Fire Phoenix, and as long as you find the Fire Phoenix, you can live forever," Yang Yingying speculated from the side.

Fang Yetong smiled and said, "Smart!"

Huang Hua stood up and said nonchalantly, "Damn! Fang Yetong, where did you hear this story from? I don't know anything about it!"

"Huang Hua, you call yourself the number one expert on the internet? Have you even read the most popular novel on the internet right now, 'How Many Levels of Hell?' It describes everything clearly in there! Damn it!" Fang Yetong said dismissively.

"Alright! Fang Yetong's story is quite interesting. It's getting late, so I think we should call it a day for today's birthday party! The students have classes tomorrow, so don't be late!" Teacher Zhang checked the time and stepped in to smooth things over, genuinely worried that the two might go on and on.

Lu Xiangxiang was very grateful to her classmates and teachers for coming to her birthday party. She personally escorted them to the entrance of the wealthy neighborhood and said goodbye. Her classmates turned around and waved, saying, "See you tomorrow!"

At this moment, the night was hazy and the stars were dim.