Chapter 43 The King's Presence

Even Wei Yuan felt his heart pound heavily at this sight.

On the still-deep and silent main hall, with the eternal lamps burning on both sides, sat the king who should have died more than two thousand two hundred years ago. He rested one hand on the Tai'a sword, which was placed back in its scabbard, calmly opened his eyes, and looked down at Wei Yuan standing beneath the throne.

He still maintained the appearance of his most majestic period in his thirties, his eyes serene.

The hall had eternally burning lamps, yet it seemed dim under the gaze of those eyes.

Wei Yuan's pupils constricted slightly: "Your Majesty..."

"Yuan."

"It's you."

The king's voice was calm. He leaned back slightly, looking at the halberd-wielding warrior clad in armor below. His tone was gentle and casual: "...What era is it now?"

His tone was the same as in the past, when he had just woken from a dream and asked what time it was, or how long it would take to reach the next city on the eastern巡 (xún) inspection tour. Wei Yuan subconsciously replied:

"Two thousand two hundred years have passed in the human world."

Wei Yuan came back to his senses.

His inner rationality was frantically warning him that the First Emperor had died because of the divine instability of the land, had been dead for more than two thousand years, and could not possibly still be alive. The most rational course of action would be to draw his sword instantly and unleash his divine power, but he could not bring himself to draw his sword.

It wasn't just the bond between ruler and subject from that lifetime, but also the First Emperor, Yu, his teacher, A-Liang.

These people all held extremely important significance for him, like stars illuminating the long night of his life. The First Emperor sighed: "More than two thousand years... that's a long time."

He glanced at Wei Yuan and smiled, "Yuan, if you have something to say, say it."

Wei Yuan was wearing armor, so he did not need to perform a grand salute even when facing the emperor. He was silent for a moment, then said:

"As far as I know, Your Majesty, you have already..."

He did not continue, because the First Emperor raised his hand. In that instant, Wei Yuan, who also possessed divinity, suddenly constricted his pupils. He saw the First Emperor's body as if being pulled by rays of light, the power representing divinity.

These divinities, possessing their own desires and judgments, frantically tried to break free from the king's side, but they could not, only emitting low roars, gradually extinguished and suppressed by the king's cold eyes.

Because of the influence of his own divinity, Wei Yuan only felt his heart pounding heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

But he finally understood.

The First Emperor had used himself to suppress the part of the divinity that had rioted at the time. In the end, his spirit was also forced to become entangled with these divinities. The divinities were unwilling to perish with the First Emperor's ego, so they had to maintain the First Emperor's existence, allowing him to survive until now.

This was originally the principle behind Xu Shi's elixir of immortality.

Allowing one's true spirit to transform from human to god.

It was just that the First Emperor's method was more domineering. He directly reigned above these divinities. Of course, this method was definitely not the First Emperor's original intention, but an accident. The First Emperor suppressed those rioting divinities, a trace of fatigue appearing between his eyebrows, and said calmly:

"Listening to these evil gods ranting every day, I can't even remember when I last rested."

"However, what you see now is just a phantom dream."

He smiled slightly and said:

"In front of his subjects, a king must at least maintain his due dignity."

"Two thousand two hundred years..."

"Tell me, how is this era?"

After awakening, Ying Zheng was still most interested in the appearance of this era. Wei Yuan hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the Great Qin is no more..."

The First Emperor nodded calmly and said, "Yes, I know."

"So... Hmm?!"

Wei Yuan was about to continue speaking, but his voice faltered when he heard this, and he looked at the First Emperor.

The First Emperor's lips curled into a smile, whether it was mocking his past claims of second, third, or even ten thousand generations, or ridiculing the emperors of past history, he said calmly, "I guessed as much."

"Fusu was not bad, but his character was too weak to cultivate a king with edge. I sent him to guard the border with Meng Tian, hoping that he could understand in the midst of slaughter that the emperor of the land should face conquest with iron and blood."

"Benevolence can be used to govern the country, but it cannot expel the Xiongnu and other foreign tribes."

"The border of a country is dyed with blood."

"I hoped he would understand this principle, but I didn't have much hope. Throughout history, how many descendants of overlords have been insignificant. Fusu is already like this, so what about his children... Will there come a time when the king completely doesn't understand conquest and swords..."

"Such an era cannot last forever."

"In the end, there is no eternal dynasty."

Wei Yuan steadied himself and decided to reveal the matter of Hu Hai. He said slowly: "The Great Qin has naturally long ceased to exist, but the Yan Han, the Three Kingdoms, and the Wei and Jin dynasties that followed have all ended one by one. Finally, in this era, there are no more emperors."

"And the foundation for maintaining the country is still the law..."

Wei Yuan spoke slowly, briefly introducing this era to the First Emperor.

The First Emperor listened attentively.

Although he would occasionally frown in displeasure, he did not become angry because of it.

Sometimes his brows would relax.

"Using laws as the guide, directing the people's direction."

"A prosperous era..."

Ying Zheng was thoughtful. Wei Yuan was silent for a moment, then placed his helmet and weapons aside, sat upright on the ground, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report." After the emperor nodded, Wei Yuan said, "I originally thought that Your Majesty's pride would not allow you to revive in this way."

If it were anyone else, they would definitely not dare to ask this.

But Wei Yuan knew that the king before him had once suppressed all the gods of the land.

To let him live in this state, restrained by chaotic divinity, was almost an insult to him.

The First Emperor said, "Pride?"

He laughed and said, "Well said. In your opinion, with my character and pride, I certainly wouldn't be restrained by these evil gods, but you're wrong on one point."

The emperor stood up, held the Tai'a sword, and slowly walked down from the throne, saying, "People without pride cannot achieve great things, but they will also be coerced by pride. Heroes and generals cannot lack this spirit, but emperors must rise above pride."

He said, "Those who are held hostage by so-called arrogance will eventually die from such arrogance."

"Lord Wu'an was like that, and King Fuchai of Wu was like that."

The king's tone was calm and indifferent.

"And I, I stand above all."

When Ying Yiren fled Zhao Xiaocheng's kingdom in a panic like a homeless dog.

Among the people of Handan who were angry that officials had accepted bribes and let Ying Yiren go, no one would have thought that this Prince of Qin, who grew up as a hostage, had a quiet and even weak personality, and died at the age of thirty-five, would give birth to a son like Zheng.

In that era, 《Warring States Policy》 recorded: The people of the Qin Kingdom did not even know whether the Qin Kingdom belonged to Lao Ai or Lu Buwei. Everyone mockingly watched the Qin Kingdom, watching this country gradually collapse in absurdity.

In the ninth year of King Zheng of Qin, in April.

The young king personally took power, stepped out of the ancestral temple, and held a long sword, proving that he was qualified to be the king in power. And when this young emperor, who had just reached adulthood, easily suppressed the rebellious Lao Ai, expelled Lu Buwei, the prime minister of the Qin Kingdom, and coldly expelled his mother, whom he had been with in Handan when he was young.

Everyone was shocked to realize the sudden rise of such a young emperor, and the nine years of dormancy.

At this time, there were still eleven years before he unified the world.

King Zheng of Qin's eyes had already passed over those people and looked at the vast territory, opening the history of conquering the six kingdoms.

And Marquis Lao Ai, who was torn apart by chariots, Zhao Ji, who had caused chaos in the harem, and Lu Buwei, who had once led his army to conquer the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, were exiled, and finally committed suicide under a letter from Ying Zheng. These were just insignificant ripples in this magnificent era.

When later historians described the tyranny of the Qin Kingdom, they were unwilling to violate their conscience and lie, but they were unwilling to mention the majesty of the King of Qin, so they could only write here, 'Lu Buwei was worried about being killed by Ying Zheng, so he took poison and died early'.

History is so mercilessly mocking everyone.

Wei Yuan looked at the emperor who said those words as a matter of course. The First Emperor had already passed him and stood at the gate of the palace, saying:

"For me, there are only things that should be done, and there is nothing that I disdain to do."

Wei Yuan said, "What Your Majesty should do is..."

The First Emperor turned his eyes to look at his halberd-wielding warrior, "I am very interested in the era you spoke of."

"But rest assured, I am now just a sleeping body from the past. If this era is truly as you say, and makes me feel that it is worthy of the land, then of course I will do nothing. But if this era is not like this."

His eyes were dark and calm, saying:

"The battle flag of the Great Qin will once again appear on the land."

"This is what I thought at the beginning."

"Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, if I wake up when the land is in chaos, then I will reunify this chaotic world."

"This is the reason why I am willing to reawaken, even though I disdain this method of existence."

The First Emperor paused, looked at Wei Yuan, and asked with emotion:

"I just don't know, will you still be in the Qin army at that time, Yuan?"

Wei Yuan simply replied, "This era will not disappoint you, Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng smiled, "Is that so?"

……………………

In the area between the outer and inner cities of the imperial mausoleum, the dark and oppressive Qin army was silent, but gave people an undeniable and terrifying pressure. Dong Yuefeng laid the young man possessed by Zhang Han flat on the ground, watching the majestic Qin army from afar, feeling that his heart was still trembling.

All along, the seemingly ordinary museum curator with a gentle tone was actually a general of the Great Qin, and still a general from the First Emperor's time.

Moreover, he had just defeated Xiang Yu, the overlord.

Dong Yuefeng felt that if he hadn't been running around when he was young and had a healthy body, he would definitely have had a heart attack now. But even so, he felt that his heart was close to its limit. No matter what, no matter who it was, today's stimulation was too much for an old man.

While he was thinking wildly, he suddenly discovered that the Qin army, who had been silent like statues, suddenly moved. They suddenly stood up, and under the sway of the Great Qin's black battle flag, they knelt on one knee, performing the most respectful salute. This was far more solemn and grand than their previous response to Wei Yuan.

With a creak, the gate of the Great Qin Palace behind them slowly opened.

Dong Yuefeng's brain buzzed, a blank space. His knowledge and historical literacy made his palms tremble slightly, and he turned his head stiffly to see Wei Yuan, clad in armor, walking out, and in front of him, a man in black robes and a solemn expression standing with his hand on his sword.

!!!

Dong Yuefeng staggered back, unable to stand, and fell to the ground.

He stroked his heart, sighed, and muttered:

"The King of Qin sweeps the six kingdoms, how heroic is his tiger gaze, he waves his sword to cut through the clouds, and the lords all come west."

"This life has no regrets, this life has no regrets..."

"Hahaha, this life has no regrets!"

Even he, who had always been calm, couldn't help but lose control of his emotions.

Suddenly, a ray of light swept across the entire world.

Then, the researchers who were equally ecstatic and excited, and even ignored their fear, all fell asleep softly on the ground, even the Daoist who had been granted the Five Thunder Talismans were no exception. Wei Yuan reached out to support Dong Yuefeng, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he found that Dong Yuefeng was just asleep.

The First Emperor said calmly, "I have sealed their memories of today."

Wei Yuan reacted.

No matter what the final decision was, the First Emperor definitely did not like being disturbed endlessly.

Ying Zheng looked at the entrance and said, "In such an era, being able to tour the land again is a magnificent sight for me."

"Even if it's just a fleeting phantom body, it's still moving."

Wei Yuan said, "This era will not disappoint you, Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng laughed and said, "Is that so?"

"Then, halberd-wielding warrior."

"Why don't you lead the way?"

ps: Today's first update... three thousand six hundred words