Chapter 24.1: You look like my old friend.

Chapter 24 Part 1

The punch failed. Xi Jia firmly watched Ziying, face to face for a long time. In the end, he retracted his fist and didn’t attempt again.

The first time he saw Qin San Shi, Xi Jia actually couldn’t help but look at him a few extra times. In a place like the movie city, everyone came and went in a hurry, wishing they could split one person into three people to employ. Only this person had calmly walked in the crowd, neither hurried nor impatient. When someone had berated him in a stern voice to get out of the way, his face flashed with a trace of shock, then he quietly stepped aside and apologized.

A modern person lived freely, but also lived very tiredly. Busy work piled up like a giant mountain, pressing down on everyone’s shoulders; plentiful leisure activities like a kaleidoscope, never-ending. The majority of modern people didn’t have time to rest and enjoy a moment of tranquility. Even on a rare break, they would be endlessly swiping on their phones.

Therefore when this kind of person who was only merely walking suddenly appeared in the movie city, he was incompatible with the world, and Xi Jia was able to see through with a single glance.

Then, the two of them faced each other, stared, nodded their heads, and parted ways.

When they met again, Xi Jia had already sensed that something was wrong, and knew that this person’s identity stood out from the masses.

Before Ye Jingzhi left the hotel, he had laid down three layers of barriers. Even like this, they unexpectedly also couldn’t prevent Qin San Shi from intruding. He came without anyone knowing. The purple aura of a real dragon concealed his yin energy too well. If he didn’t talk, Xi Jia wouldn’t have noticed either.

In recent years, this was Xi Jia’s first time encountering this kind of opponent. Though he wasn’t scared to the point of shivering when facing such a great enemy, he felt a trace of nervousness that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

However, Xi Jia didn’t know how to describe this kind of feeling. He always felt that this Qin San Shi didn’t seem like a bad person……bad ghost, at least not an evil spirit that killed people like cutting grass.

After thinking for a long time, Xi Jia raised his head to look at Ziying and calmly asked, “How did you come in?”

Ziying saw that Xi Jia had withdrawn his fist and was no longer on guard in that manner. He softly smiled, “Tai’e Sword can cut apart the enchantments that the Celestial Master had laid down.”

It was actually this simple!

Xi Jia memorized this main point down in his heart and was also certain that this sword really was the Tai’e Sword. He asked without batting an eyelid, “Although I have fate of meeting with you twice, Qin San…..Your Majesty, the King of Qin, I am only an ordinary person, not a State Preceptor that you know. I said before that in our country right now, there are no State Preceptors and also no Emperors. You’ve come to find me for what?”

Ziying didn’t reply.

His gentle face carried a trace of a soft smiling expression as he calmly looking at Xi Jia.

He watched Xi Jia, Xi Jia also watched him, without the slightest fear and letting the other size him up. After a long time, Ziying went to the hotel’s windows, lifted his right hand, and pulled the curtains. He pulled the curtains at the sides, and strangely, these curtains didn’t move at all.

Xi Jia suddenly understood Ziying’s way of thinking, “Wait, these curtains need to be……”

Ziying wrinkled his brows and immediately waved his hand. The hotel’s thick blackout curtains were torn to the floor.

Xi Jia, “……!!!”

How could Ziying know that the 5-star hotel that Ye Jingzhi had booked was quite high-grade. When Xi Jia had just entered the room a few days ago, he wanted to pull the curtains when it was night time. Who knew that the curtains couldn’t be pulled at all. He pondered for a good while, only then did he notice two buttons at the head of the bed: one of them to pull open the curtains, the other to automatically close them.

This thing was too advanced. Xi Jia as a modern man didn’t figure it out for a while, let alone Ziying.

Looking at the curtain rags on the floor, Xi Jia held his hand against forehead in worry. Ziying turned around to look at him. With face revealing tiredness, he could only shake his head, “No…nothing, you can continue, continue.”

With the curtains opened wide, the city of Chang’an underneath the darkness of the night came into view.

This 5-star hotel was located at the center of Chang’an. The pale yellow lights were installed on the thirteen kilometer Chang’an ancient city walls that surround the ancient city district like a protective barrier. Looking down from the height of the twenty-fourth floor, the lights joined into a line to form a large dense cluster of stars, portraying the splendid night scenery of Chang’an.

In S City that Xi Jia lived in, because there were several lakes within the city, the lights at night couldn’t be connected together. It was hard to see a large piece of a city’s nightscape. This time looking down at Chang’an from a high-rise building, Xi Jia also felt some novelty. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window alongside Ziying, looking at this piece of beautiful scenery.

“Your country possesses this kind of view.”

Xi Jia turned to look over.

The bright and beautiful lights were reflected in Ziying’s eyes. He quietly said, “Father Emperor once said, ‘We order the vast oceans to rise and the mountains to fall. We want harmony far and wide, and celebrate peace with song and dance.’ This is perhaps the ‘harmony far and wide, and celebrate peace with song and dance’ that Father Emperor said. Your country’s capital is flourishing more than Xianyang.”

Xi Jia didn’t know how he should explain. Chang’an City was a pretty good provincial capital in Huaxia, but it wasn’t the country’s capital.

Ziying said, “Just now, I had walked for a very long time in this vast city.”

Xi Jia froze, “No one saw you wearing these clothes in Chang’an’s inner city?”

Ziying blinked at him, “They cannot see me.” Pausing for a bit, he continued, “It seems you have yet to ask me just who Father Emperor wishes to see.”

Xi Jia recalled the sentence Ziying had said before.

『The one Father Emperor wishes to see has never been me.』

“Who is it?”

“It is Fusu.”

Xi Jia naturally had heard of Prince Fusu’s name. Of the entire Qin Dynasty, he had heard of the First Emperor, Fusu, Huhai, and Li Si……Even Zhao Gao was also impressively famous in history. Contrarily, not one letter of Ziying’s name was written in the history books. Most people also didn’t know the existence of Qin San Shi who had been enthroned for 46 days.

Ziying distantly looked over Xianyang. It was as if his line of sight passed through numerous kilometers and saw the thousand year old ancient capital covered up by Chang’an’s splendid aura.

Xi Jia asked, “Then, what about you?”

Ziying replied, “I am only one son amongst Father Emperor’s several tens of sons.

As an only child, Xi Jia couldn’t understand this problem. But Ziying began to smile, “Today, after I had parted with you in the city, I turned around to find you. This…….brother, have you thought about why?”

Xi Jia knew that the city Ziying was referring to was the movie city. He said, “Are you looking for me because you saw that my yin energy is heavy and thought that I’m also a ghost? I’m Xi Jia, you don’t need to call me brother.”

Ziying lightly nodded, “Then, you may also call me Ziying. Indeed, I had mistakenly thought you were a ghost, but that is not the only reason. In that city, there are many ghosts wandering.”

The movie city was a place where people come and go. The flow of people was huge, and there would definitely be lonely souls and wild ghosts. Xi Jia had seen a few small ghosts, so he nodded, agreeing with Ziying’s statement.

“I came back to find you because you and someone who I used to know……are somewhat similar.”

Xi Jia was stunned, “Someone who you used to know? Who do I look like?”

Ziying kept the suspense, “I will say it to you later. It is because you look similar to that old friend. After I had finished walking through the city, I wanted to find you and say a few words to you.”

“You have something you need to say to me?”

Ziying first shook his head, then nodded, “I just cannot think of who I can speak these words to.”

Next, Xi Jia quietly listened to Ziying speak.

221 BC, the King of Qin swept through everything under the sun and established a shocking era of great cause when he was only 38 years old. The First Emperor was young, at the prime of his life. He integrated a measurement system and constructed the Great Wall. He had great talent, power, and ambition. However, he began to think of longevity after 40 years old.

“Father Emperor is not afraid of death. He only wishes to see my Da Qin throughout the ages, prosperous for many generations, see for himself the golden age of my Da Qin.”

Ziying briefly said a few things of when Qin Shi Huang was alive. He quickly skipped through the First Emperor’s period and brought up Huhai seizing the throne and Fusu’s suicide.

Xi Jia knew about this matter when he searched up Ziying on the encyclopedia. The first time he saw the name “Ziying,” it was about Huhai seizing the throne. According to history books, Huhai falsely spread a secret imperial edict, saying that Qin Shi Huang had ordered Fusu to commit suicide. At that time, Fusu had different political views than Qin Shi Huang and was assigned to defend the border. After receiving the secret imperial edict, he thought his Father Emperor extremely loathed him. Despite the obstruction of Meng Tian and his brother, he still drew his sword and committed suicide.

After Fusu’s death had been concluded, Huhai still wanted to kill the Meng brothers.

At this time, Ziying appeared in the history books. He strongly advised against Huhai, requesting him to spare the lives of the Meng siblings.

An insignificant Ying Ziying was simply unable to sway Huhai’s opinion. Thus, the Meng siblings still died and Huhai ascended to the throne. Not many years later, Zhao Gao, who urged him to seize the throne, wanted to become the Emperor himself. He secretly murdered Huhai. At this time, Ziying was enthroned.

Ziying was on the throne for merely 46 days. Within these 46 days, he had killed Zhao Gao and purged the imperial court. He tried his best to save Da Qin from its decline, but it was impossible to succeed.

Ziying carried through these matters in one stroke. He talked to Xi Jia the most about the First Emperor’s ambitions, Fusu’s visions of the future, and the end of Da Qin that he himself saw.

In Ziying’s eyes, the most difficult thing to forget in his life wasn’t getting pierced in the heart by Xiang Yu’s arrow. It wasn’t watching Xianyang’s massive fire or Xiang Yu massacring everyone in the city. Instead, it was the day Liu Bang had broke into Xianyang. He brought along the females and young children of the imperial harem. In place of the innocent commoners of Xianyang, he kneeled and offered Da Qin’s jade imperial seal with both hands.

Since that day, Da Qin was dead.

Died in his hands.

“Father Emperor not seeing me is not without reason. Father Emperor has great magical power. With the mausoleum designed by Xu Fu and Li Si, I also do not know how powerful Father Emperor’s strength is right now. Perhaps he already knows the fact that Da Qin has already perished. Da Qin died in my hands. Father Emperor has not sent my soul scattering. It is already lenient.”

Xi Jia disagreed very much, “The Qin Dynasty didn’t die in your hands. It died in Huhai’s and Zhao Gao’s hands.”

Ziying didn’t refute, he suddenly asked, “Do you know who you look like?”

Xi Jia was slightly startled, “……like who?”

Ziying lightly smiled, “You look a lot like my……”

Bang!

A loud sound came from behind Ziying.

The little exquisite bronze die passed through the thick glass of the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows, suddenly ramming towards Ziying. Wu Xiang Qing Li’s appearance was too sudden, and Ziying didn’t have enough time to react. He reluctantly took a half-step back. Wu Xiang Qing Li had brushed against his neck, splitting his skin. A large amount of black yin energy flowed out.

Ye Jingzhi suddenly appeared behind Xi Jia and wrapped around his waist, pulling him behind him and carefully protecting him.

Ziying violently coughed twice. The wound on his throat hadn’t healed, and the yin energy endlessly spread outward. A trace of blood colored aura rushed out from the dragon jade pendant at his waist, gently stroking his wound. Eventually, the wound gradually showed signs of healing.

Ye Jingzhi turned to look at Xi Jia, “I am late, are you alright?”

Xi Jia also exclaimed in alarm at the same time, “You came so fast?”

Ziying coughed for a long time. The wound on his neck was finally restored by the jade pendant. He raised his head to look at Xi Jia and Ye Jingzhi, puzzled, “I did not see you use a magic technique to send a message to this Celestial Master, how come this Celestial Master returned? The Tai’e Sword is the world’s thinnest and sharpest sword. It can cut enchantments without the master noticing.”

Xi Jia fished out his phone from his pajamas pocket, “I didn’t use a magic technique to notify Master Ye. However immediately after you appeared, in your presence, I used this thing to send a WeChat to Master Ye.”

Ziying perplexedly looked at the phone in Xi Jia’s hand.

Xi Jia felt somewhat ashamed, feeling like he’s bullying a person from the ancient times.

Ye Jingzhi saw that Xi Jia wasn’t hurt, and he let go of his breath at long last. And the murderous aura emanating from his entire body also dissipated a little. He flipped his palm to take out Wu Xiang Qing Li, looking at Ziying with an ice-cold expression. Right when he planned on sending the die over again, Xi Jia grabbed his hand and said, “Master Ye, I think Qin San Shi doesn’t seem to have any ill intent. How about we first listen to him, what do you think?”

Ye Jingzhi was suddenly stunned silly.

Xi Jia thought that he didn’t believe him and spoke again, “Just now, I chatted with Ziying for a while. He’s very good and never hurt me.” Of course, he also couldn’t possibly hurt me……This thought flashed through his mind, and Xi Jia continued to say, “Ziying said that after he died, he was carried into the Mausoleum by a trusted eunuch. He hasn’t harmed anyone. He just came out a few days ago, and everyone in your Xuanxue world all rushed over. So many days have passed, and you guys also said that there’s no such incidents of malicious ghost harming people near Chang’an.”

Ye Jingzhi was still foolishly looking at Xi Jia, not talking.

Xi Jia saw his look and mistakenly thought he was thinking of another thing, “Ziying indeed broke a crew’s ceiling twice in the movie city, but he also didn’t hurt anyone. I believe that normally, people will definitely get hurt if a ceiling fell down. If no one got hurt, this means that Ziying had intentionally controlled it. Isn’t that right, Master Ye?”

Ye Jingzhi was still seriously staring at Xi Jia.

Xi Jia, “……Master Ye?”

Ye Jingzhi, “……”

Xi Jia, “……?”

Ye Jingzhi, “……”

Xi Jia looked down and saw himself tightly grasping Ye Jingzhi’s hand. He suddenly realized that he was overly friendly, making Master Ye feel uncomfortable. Thus, he hurriedly let go.

Ye Jingzhi suddenly felt a sense of loss.

Xi Jia said, “Master Ye, I think we should listen to Ziying talk first. Why did he come out this time and what he plans on doing. Then, we’ll plan after, okay?”

Ye Jingzhi’s voice was low, “Alright.”

Translator’s Addition:
Me: *adds another tally to the number of times Mirror is late saving his wife*

Mirror: *stares at their hands foolishly*
C+: *continues to misunderstand*
(Dai Dai is back lol)

Translator’s Notes: This chapter portion is mostly filled with historical figures so I opted for just linking the wiki page (got lazy). I forgot to do a note on Xu Fu in a previous chapter (The State Preceptor dude the First Emperor asked to go to the Eastern Seas to find the elixir of life.)