Yan Shouyi, whose spirits had been somewhat low, became overjoyed upon receiving the bone chain.
He had traveled thousands of miles, facing all sorts of dangers, and come to this imperial tomb precisely for this bone chain!
For this bone chain, he had confronted the Ghost King family head-on in Qiantang, outsmarted Shi Jing in the Ghost Market, and in the imperial tomb, he had battled four masters from folk sects and fought Huo Ban from two thousand years ago!
When he saw Empress Afang engulfed in flames, Yan Shouyi had thought it would take a long time to find the bone chain again.
Instead, it turned out to be a case of seeking far and wide, only to find it right under his nose!
The bone chain was in Empress Afang's hand!
"You little brat! Look!"
Yan Shouyi held up the bone chain, grinning at Lin Zitong, as happy as a child.
"I see it! You silly goose..."
Lin Zitong replied, her body swaying slightly. Fortunately, the Red God Umbrella supported her, otherwise, she too would have lost her balance.
Although she had been comforting Yan Shouyi, as a woman about to become a mother, how could she not fear death?
She simply didn't want to put pressure on Yan Shouyi, so she bore it silently.
Now, seeing the bone chain, Lin Zitong felt a great burden lifted, and the moment of relief even made her feel dizzy.
Hu Hai hesitated, as if wanting to take back the bone chain.
Yan Shouyi glared at him, "This doesn't belong to Empress Afang. It's a relic of my wife's past life."
The bone chain was now Yan Shouyi's lifeline. If Hu Hai tried to snatch it, he might just cleave Hu Hai in two.
Hu Hai, bullied once again by the "tyrant," cowered back, looking towards Qin Shi Huang as if for help.
Qin Shi Huang shook his head helplessly, likely lamenting how he could have such a son.
"This item indeed does not belong to her. Let Yan Shouyi take it," Qin Shi Huang said.
Hu Hai felt a little better.
Yan Shouyi clutched the bone chain, afraid of losing it.
This small bone chain carried so much – his wife Lin Zitong's life, the soul of Princess Yu Shu, and General Qing Jiang's thousand-year wait...
"General, do you see?" Yan Shouyi excitedly shared his joy in his heart. "I've got the bone chain!"
"I see it," General Qing Jiang's voice was steady, but Yan Shouyi could still hear a tremor in it.
After waiting for a thousand years, even General Qing Jiang couldn't remain calm, could he?
General Qing Jiang said, "This place is not suitable for lingering. You should leave the imperial tomb first. Once things are stable, you can wake me up and reunite me with the Princess!"
As if not wanting to waste a single wisp of soul, General Qing Jiang immediately fell into slumber after speaking.
Yan Shouyi blinked, then smiled knowingly.
General Qing Jiang was afraid that any wasted second would mean less time for his reunion with Princess Yu Shu.
However, he was also curious how General Qing Jiang could fall asleep in an instant.
Did he not feel excited, so excited he couldn't sleep?
With such questions in his mind, Yan Shouyi carefully tucked the bone chain close to his body—he didn't put it in his satchel, but held it in his most secure embrace.
...
The ashes of Empress Afang and Lü Huai had all been scattered into the mercury river by Hu Hai.
Qin Shi Huang stood on the riverbank, hands clasped behind his back, his heart filled with emotion.
Hu Hai coughed a few times, "Your Majesty, when shall we set off?"
Qin Shi Huang turned around and asked, "Have you given all the necessary instructions?"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, your son has made all the arrangements."
This incident was largely thanks to Yan Shouyi and the others.
In return, or perhaps as a legacy, Qin Shi Huang was willing to answer all the questions Yan Shouyi and the others had.
And Hu Hai, who had overseen the construction of the imperial tomb, also knew many secrets. Qin Shi Huang had instructed him to impart these secrets to Yan Shouyi.
Qin Shi Huang did not wish for the legacy of the Great Qin to vanish. Therefore, both his answers and Hu Hai's revelations would bring immense help to Yan Shouyi and Liang Yinqiu and their companions.
These answers might even influence the current era.
This was, in a way, the last offering from the Great Qin.
Qin Shi Huang answered numerous questions from Liang Yinqiu and other experts and professors. Many of his answers made Liang Yinqiu ecstatic, likely resolving many historical mysteries.
Yan Shouyi and his group also gained a lot of information from Hu Hai.
According to Hu Hai, the souls of the four masters of the inner city were sealed by Huo Ban beneath a certain peculiar stone in the imperial city.
However, after so many years, the masters' souls should be nearly dissipated.
If Yan Shouyi and his group could find the souls of the four masters, they might be able to inherit their legacies.
This was the most helpful piece of information for Yan Shouyi and his companions!
The four masters of the inner city – the Gu Master, the Corpse Herder, the Illusionist, and the Paper Effigy Master – were all formidable. Their skills and the knowledge of present-day folk sects differed greatly.
Setting aside the Gu Master, Luo Ning, He Xiping, and Agong could entirely inherit the legacies of the four masters!
Therefore, upon receiving the news, Yan Shouyi kept it in mind, planning to try their luck later.
If the three of them could indeed gain these legacies and improve their strength, it would be another joyous occasion!
With all the post-mortem arrangements complete, Qin Shi Huang and Hu Hai fell into silence.
Yan Shouyi said softly, "It's time to set off."
Qin Shi Huang nodded slightly, "Indeed."
He looked around, gazing at his imperial tomb, as if yearning for the empire of Qin, as if imprinting it onto his soul, not wanting to forget it even in reincarnation.
But when he turned, he was exceptionally decisive, showing no attachment to the past.
"This is a reincarnation token," Lin Zitong had written a reincarnation token to give to Qin Shi Huang and Hu Hai.
Hu Hai scoffed, "Who in the underworld doesn't know my father? Why would he need this reincarnation token?"
"I know, which is why I only wrote one reincarnation token, and this one is for you," Lin Zitong explained.
Hu Hai: "..."
The Second Emperor of Qin suddenly felt as if he had been shot in the knee.
Qin Shi Huang, on the other hand, laughed heartily, accepted the reincarnation token on Hu Hai's behalf, and even said thank you.
He nodded one last time at Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong, and then his soul began to dissipate.
The emperor of all ages was finally going to report to the underworld.
Yan Shouyi was not worried. Given Qin Shi Huang's magnificent achievements, his killing karma would likely be offset, and he would probably be assigned an official position in the underworld, much like the Grand Celestial Master Zhang Yin, and likely a high-ranking one at that.
Seeing his father about to depart, Hu Hai's eyes also welled up with tears. Finally, his soul slowly left Li Yang's body, following in Qin Shi Huang's footsteps.
Qin Shi Huang vanished.
Hu Hai also departed.
Only Li Yang lay powerlessly on the ground, his face sallow and his body extremely weak, like a young man who had indulged too much.
Yan Shouyi bowed in the direction where Qin Shi Huang had disappeared.
He slowly recited a poem.
"Qin Emperor swept the Six States, how mighty his gaze.
With sword he cut the floating clouds, the feudal lords all came westward.
His judgment clear, divinely inspired, his grand strategy surpassed all talents.
He collected troops and cast golden statues, the pass of Hangu opened to the east.
He inscribed merit at Mount Kuaiji, his gaze swept over Mount Langya.
Seven hundred thousand convicts, piled earth at Mount Li.
Still seeking the elixir of immortality, with vacant hearts of sorrow.
His repeating crossbows shot sea fish, the great whales stood towering.
His forehead and nose resembled the Five Peaks, spraying waves and spitting clouds and thunder.
His curly mane hid the blue sky, how could one see the Penglai Isles.
Xu Fu carried Qin maidens, when will the tower ships return.
Only to see beneath the three springs, a golden coffin buried in cold ashes."