Chapter Twenty-Eight: Entering the Palace

Regarding the incident that had occurred in the forbidden grounds of the Shaolin Zen Sect in the northern district of Z Province, the people who had hurried there immediately sent reports through the proper channels to their sect. No one had been seen alive, nor had any corpses been found. The experts of the Shaolin Zen Sect had vanished as though they had evaporated from the mortal world. Before long, the news spread throughout Z Province.

Combined with the five-colored pillar of light that had shot into the sky from the forbidden grounds that day, countless people began making wild guesses. Every conceivable possibility was passed around, growing more and more bizarre with each retelling.

Zhang Xiao sat in a teahouse, savoring the fragrant tea in his mouth. There was only a single tea leaf floating in the cup, yet the flavor was light and delicate, smooth as it entered the mouth. It even seemed to temper his spiritual sense ever so slightly, which made Zhang Xiao rather fond of it.

The tea itself was excellent, but its price was far from modest. One jade coin bought only half an ounce, and even that was subject to a strict limit. Its high price was not because the leaves were some kind of immortal tea; they were still merely ordinary spirit tea.

The reason lay in the person who prepared them. He was a master of tea-making, and his foundational skill had already reached the advanced level. It was said that he might break through to the master level at any time. Once that happened, the price of this tea would likely increase at least tenfold.

Zhang Xiao savored the tea in his hand, yet no sound or conversation in the teahouse escaped his notice. He was not deliberately eavesdropping. It was simply that, after his attributes had reached their peak, his senses had far surpassed those of ordinary people. Even messages transmitted through spiritual sense could be heard by him with perfect clarity.

“I say, those people from the Shaolin Zen Sect must have traveled through time. Maybe they went all the way back to the Primordial Wilderness.”

“What nonsense. I say the people of the Shaolin Zen Sect have already ascended and become immortals. Didn’t you see that enormous spatial rift torn across the sky after the five-colored pillar disappeared?”

Listening to the discussions around him, Zhang Xiao could not help letting a smile curl faintly at the corners of his mouth. Modern people truly had extraordinary imaginations. Some of their ideas were so wildly fanciful that even Zhang Xiao found them amusing.

Ignoring the chatter in the teahouse, Zhang Xiao continued tasting his tea while turning matters over in his mind. Obtaining the Soul-Splitting Fruit had certainly been an unexpected delight, but his primary purpose in returning to the country had been to determine whether he had truly become an enemy of the entire Buddhist Realm because of the Buddha’s Golden Wheel.

Now that he understood the reason, what should he do next?

Refine the Soul-Splitting Fruit and cultivate a second primordial spirit?

No. There was no need to hurry. At least until he completed the third transformation of the Sevenfold Profound Heaven Technique, Zhang Xiao had no intention of beginning the cultivation of a second primordial spirit.

The reason the Integration Stage was called the Integration Stage was that one’s essence, energy, and spirit had to be fused into a single whole, reaching the state of unity between mind and spirit.

If he waited until he broke through to the Integration Stage and then used the heavenly tribulation to cultivate his second primordial spirit, the results would be far better.

Just as Zhang Xiao was considering whether to stir up trouble in the Peacock Buddha Kingdom, a girl in close-fitting armor strode up to him.

“You illegal flyer,” she shouted, “I, Zhou Qiuyan, acting in the name of the constables of Z Province, demand that you come back to the office with me. You have the right to remain silent, but everything you say may be used as evidence in court.”

As she spoke, Zhou Qiuyan produced a pair of handcuffs. Arrays flashed across their surface. They were actually a sixth-grade magical treasure.

Only then did Zhang Xiao raise his head and look at her. The girl had a pair of bright, limpid eyes and an oval face. Her short hair made her appear fresh, capable, and energetic.

“What? Zhou Qiuyan?”

The faces of the surrounding tea drinkers changed at once. They hurriedly settled their bills and left.

Zhou Qiuyan’s strength was not particularly high, but the power behind her was terrifying. The eldest of the Seven Heroes of Shu Mountain, the eccentric hero Zhou Fang, was her own elder brother.

Zhou Fang’s cultivation was not exceptional, but with the technological equipment in his possession, he had slain experts of the Spirit Refining Stage and firmly established himself as the leader of the Seven Heroes of Shu Mountain. He was a mysterious figure who appeared and disappeared without a trace.

Who would dare offend his younger sister? That would be nothing short of courting death. Throughout all of Z Province, even high-ranking officials of the imperial court could only give this young woman a wide berth.

Fortunately, Zhou Qiuyan merely enjoyed meddling in minor affairs. Whether someone spat on the street or threw rubbish wherever they pleased, as long as she caught them in the act, she would immediately haul them back to the office, fine them a few jade coins, and confine them for several days.

Thus, whenever people in Z Province saw Zhou Qiuyan, they all wisely avoided her.

Zhang Xiao swept his spiritual sense over the girl and discovered that her cultivation was actually quite impressive. She had reached the late Nascent Soul Stage.

Although he had to admit that the girl before him was very charming, Zhang Xiao had no desire to play along with her childish game. His body trembled slightly, and he vanished from his seat in an instant.

By the time the female constable recovered from her surprise and turned around, Zhang Xiao had already paid the bill and walked out the door.

Zhou Qiuyan’s expression changed. She shouted, “You dare resist arrest? Stop right there!”

Unfortunately, Zhang Xiao did not care in the slightest what kind of background Zhou Qiuyan possessed. He took a single step forward, and a spatial rift instantly enveloped him.

Seeing this, Zhou Qiuyan’s eyes widened. When she realized that Zhang Xiao had escaped so effortlessly in full view of everyone, her eyes reddened. She stamped her foot and said, “Hmph! I’m going to tell my brother!”

At once, additional plates of iron armor sprouted across her close-fitting battle suit. In the blink of an eye, Zhou Qiuyan had transformed into something resembling the Iron Man from the movies. The difference was that arrays flickered across this armor, and strange runes interlinked across its surface, making it appear even more formidable and divine.

Zhou Qiuyan stamped her foot. Two streams of particle-like flame burst from the armored boots, and with a piercing roar, she shot toward the direction of Shu Mountain.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiao was standing atop a mountain peak. In his hand was a jade tablet shaped much like a mobile phone—the thousand-mile communication device Shangguan Tianheng had given him.

Shangguan Tianheng’s voice came from within it.

“Protector of the Nation, the First Emperor wishes to see you at the palace. If you are no longer occupied, go to the nearest Qin military camp. There is a teleportation array there leading to the palace. Simply display your token, and they will know what to do.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiao’s brows drew together. Why was Qin Shi Huang looking for him at a time like this?

Although he was puzzled, Zhang Xiao still decided to meet the First Emperor. After all, while Qin Shi Huang had made use of him, he had never been stingy with his assistance.

The so-called Qin military camps had been established by the veteran Qin soldiers who had revived alongside Qin Shi Huang after the Great Change. From the highest commander to the lowest-ranking soldier, every person within them was a fanatical loyalist of Qin Shi Huang.

Zhang Xiao naturally had no reason to worry about spies from the Nine Great Sects being among them. Once he displayed his identity as Protector of the Nation, the camp’s commanding officer immediately welcomed him inside.

Everything proceeded smoothly. After confirming Zhang Xiao’s identity, the commander hurriedly sent a secret report to the palace. Only after receiving confirmation that Qin Shi Huang had agreed did he activate the teleportation array leading to the imperial court.

Zhang Xiao was not surprised. Although he held the title of Protector of the Nation, he was still far from being able to enter and leave the palace at will.

The moment he stepped into the teleportation array, his figure reappeared before a set of towering vermilion walls. Rows of guards stood all around him, each holding a magical treasure. Every one of them was in the late Nascent Soul Stage.

As soon as Zhang Xiao emerged from the array, he sensed the deep vigilance in their eyes. He dared say that if he made even the slightest suspicious move, these guards would immediately charge forward without regard for their lives and fight him to the death.

“Are you Lord Protector of the Nation?”

At that moment, a man in blue robes with wide sleeves and a black hat stepped forward and addressed Zhang Xiao.

The man’s delicate, refined voice raised gooseflesh across Zhang Xiao’s entire body. Nevertheless, Zhang Xiao forced himself to endure it and held up his token.

“That is correct. And you are?”

After confirming the token, the man raised his head. Only then did Zhang Xiao clearly see his face: pale, clean, and entirely without a beard.

Could this be the legendary eunuch?

When the man noticed Zhang Xiao staring at him, a blush appeared on his face. He took a handkerchief from his robes and dabbed at his cheeks with an utterly feminine gesture, then said coyly, “Oh my, this humble servant is Zhao Gao. This servant pays his respects to Lord Protector of the Nation. His Majesty the First Emperor ordered this servant to await your arrival here.”

At the sight of this, Zhang Xiao’s face went pale. Even with his remarkable self-control, he nearly vomited.

Suppressing his nausea, he hurriedly said, “Then please lead the way, Eunuch Zhao.”

A tremor suddenly ran through Zhang Xiao’s heart.

Wait. Zhao Gao?

How could it be Zhao Gao? Did Qin Shi Huang not know that Zhao Gao had been responsible for ruining his empire?

Zhang Xiao could not contain his astonishment. He found Qin Shi Huang’s actions utterly incomprehensible. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself and followed Zhao Gao toward the inner palace.

It was not yet time for the morning court, so Qin Shi Huang naturally was not in the front hall. He was instead in the imperial study within the rear palace.

Zhao Gao led Zhang Xiao to the study. Before he could announce their arrival, a deep, powerful voice came from within.

“Zhao Gao, you may leave. I have no need of your attendance here.”

There was no doubt that the voice belonged to Qin Shi Huang.

Zhao Gao immediately knelt, bowed, and pressed his forehead to the ground.

“Yes.”

After speaking, Zhao Gao gave Zhang Xiao a coy smile, turned around, and left.

The corner of Zhang Xiao’s mouth twitched repeatedly. He had already begun to suspect that Qin Shi Huang had deliberately sent that wretched eunuch Zhao Gao to disgust him.

At that moment, the doors of the imperial study opened quietly.

Qin Shi Huang sat upon a sofa upholstered in demon-hide. In one hand he held a glass of red wine, while in the other he gazed at a laptop computer before him. He looked the very picture of comfort.

There was nothing about him that resembled an emperor who had ruled throughout the ages. He looked more like a wealthy business owner enjoying a leisurely evening.

When Qin Shi Huang saw Zhang Xiao, he smiled and pointed toward the wine beside him.

“Come, have a taste. This is tribute wine. You cannot enjoy it anywhere else.”

Zhang Xiao was not polite. He dropped onto the sofa, poured himself a glass, and laughed.

“If you changed that dragon robe for a suit, you would look exactly like a wealthy executive rather than an emperor remembered throughout history.”

Qin Shi Huang smiled faintly.

“And what, in your opinion, should an emperor remembered throughout history look like?”

The question left Zhang Xiao at a loss for words. When he saw that Zhang Xiao remained silent, Qin Shi Huang reached over and patted him on the shoulder.

“To tell the truth, I used to care a great deal about my appearance as well. But later, I met that bastard Liu Bang down below. After spending some time causing trouble with him in the underworld, I stopped caring about such things.

“And then there was that fool Zhu Yuanzhang. Every time he ate chicken, he would seize it with his bare hands, as though someone else might snatch it away from him. Hahaha! How could anyone still care about appearances after that?”

As Qin Shi Huang spoke, a trace of remembrance emerged in his eyes. Even the wrinkles at their corners seemed to deepen by two lines.

Zhang Xiao stared at him in surprise.

A feeling of profound age and weariness surged from Qin Shi Huang. The world had changed beyond recognition over more than two thousand years. As the first emperor throughout the ages, Qin Shi Huang remained an enigma whose thoughts Zhang Xiao could never fully fathom.