The secret passage that hadn’t been opened for over two thousand years had a particularly unbearable smell.

Although the doctor was accustomed to various pungent chemical medical agents, when this millennia-old mixture of decay and mold hit him in the face, thinking about what caused this odor made him want to turn around and leave.

But he only thought about it – having come this far, how could he retreat over such a thing? However, when the Boss handed him something from the darkness, he was stunned.

“Gas mask – wearing it will help,” the Boss had already put on his gas mask, his voice muffled. “This type protects against mercury vapor, and we’ll need it more as we go deeper.”

The doctor quickly put on the mask, and the foul smell lessened somewhat. He couldn’t help feeling somewhat ashamed – he had prepared a whole pile of modern equipment, yet none of it was useful. In the end, he still had to rely on the Boss.

This couldn’t entirely be blamed on the doctor – he was an outsider and naturally didn’t know what was needed. The instruments the curator had prepared for him were mostly for exploration. Even the curator, who had high expectations for the Boss, wouldn’t have imagined they could actually enter Emperor Qin Shihuang’s underground palace – at most, they’d survey the perimeter.

Seeing the doctor’s complexion was still poor, the Boss took several oxygen bags from his backpack and handed them over. “Carry these. The underground palace has been sealed for years and has heavy stagnant air. If you really can’t stand it, use these.”

Only then did the doctor understand why the Boss’s backpack was so heavy. He quickly put the oxygen bags in his pack, keeping one ready in hand. These were portable oxygen bags that he’d seen often at the hospital and naturally knew how to use. Seeing the Boss showed no signs of needing oxygen, he privately speculated that this level of air quality probably wouldn’t cause the Boss any difficulty.

He always felt the Boss was like Superman, with bodily functions different from ordinary people. When they returned this time, he’d definitely remember to get some of the Boss’s hair and blood for analysis.

Thinking about other things as a distraction, the doctor found crawling through the narrow passage less unbearable. This passage had been hastily dug by craftsmen back then and was naturally crude, only allowing one person through, sloping steeply downward. In the pitch-black darkness, the doctor followed the Boss crawling down for a while, finding it very difficult. Fortunately, after breathing some oxygen to refresh himself, he soon heard the sound of mechanisms ahead.

Unable to see anything in the darkness, the doctor crawled a few more steps and found the Boss had jumped down – there was a deep pit ahead. He immediately jumped down after him.

“The passage we just crawled through was hastily dug by craftsmen for escape, so naturally there are no traps. But the path ahead leads to the underground palace – you must follow my steps closely.” The Boss’s clear voice came from the darkness, with an echo that revealed they had reached the entrance to the underground palace.

Since this area was somewhat more spacious than the previous passage, the doctor finally had a chance to take out his flashlight and turn it on.

The beam of strong light illuminated the deep, long tomb passage, giving one the feeling of traveling through a time tunnel.

The Boss said with apparent amusement, “Finally brought something useful.”

Praised by the Boss, the doctor was naturally very pleased. Now that there was light before his eyes and he could see things, he finally felt a sense of reality – he was truly inside Emperor Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum. Excitement and exhilaration arose spontaneously as the doctor carefully followed the Boss’s footsteps, stepping on the blue bricks one by one.

Though the tomb passage was built over two thousand years ago, it was smooth and flat without any wear, showing the extraordinary effort the craftsmen had put into its construction. Moreover, having seen no daylight and no foot traffic for over two thousand years, it maintained the same appearance as when first sealed. If not for the murky air in the passage, the doctor would almost think this was some newly built film studio.

The tomb passage sloped downward, though not as steeply as the secret passage they’d crawled through. The doctor concentrated on following the Boss’s steps forward. Initially, he found it thrilling and exciting, but after a while, it became extremely boring. Fearing he might step wrong due to drowsiness, he started conversation, asking about the underground palace.

The Boss told him that Emperor Qin Shihuang’s underground palace was enormous. Besides the main tomb passage opened when Emperor Qin Shihuang was buried, there were several other secondary passages like this one. Since Emperor Qin Shihuang followed the principle of “serving death as serving life,” the underground palace was built almost as large as his imperial city, with underground city walls and ten underground palace gates. All buildings within the underground palace were constructed according to the layout of the imperial city during his lifetime. Besides the central area where his coffin was placed, there were many subsidiary halls for deceased consorts and other burial companions. Since those qualified for burial died at uncertain times, the main passage and main hall were closed after Emperor Qin Shihuang’s death and burial, but other passages remained unsealed, giving Hu Hai the opportunity to covet the First Emperor’s mausoleum.

The doctor had long been mentally prepared for the underground palace’s enormous size. Many burial pits had already been excavated around the palace perimeter, including the famous Terracotta Army pits, bronze chariot pits, large stone armor pits, variety show figurine pits, civil official figurine pits, rare bird and beast pits, stable pits, and burial tombs – over six hundred sites. If the perimeter burials were so numerous, the underground palace itself must be even more terrifying. But after walking for over an hour, the doctor noticed the tomb passage remained exactly as it had been when they arrived, unchanged in the slightest. He began growing restless, and if not certain the Boss was leading him in one direction, he’d almost think they were walking in circles.

The Boss sensed his impatience and stopped, saying flatly, “I’m taking you on a shortcut to the palace center. The path we’ve walked has many hidden passages leading to various tomb chambers, but they’re all much the same – nothing worth seeing.” As he spoke, he slapped a spot on the passage wall. Amid thunderous noise, the wall collapsed inward, and after the dust settled, it revealed a dark tomb chamber.

The doctor quickly shone his flashlight inside, finding only a stone sarcophagus and some burial goods scattered on the floor. The doctor had little interest in antiques anyway, and though he knew these artifacts had experienced over two thousand years and were each invaluable, they looked like garbage to him. This was the difference in interests – if the curator were here, he’d be howling and pouncing on them, while the doctor would rather study the Boss’s cellular genes.

The Boss restored the opened tomb chamber to its original state, and the doctor also adjusted his mood. He wasn’t here for sightseeing but to accompany the Boss on this journey. Actually, besides wanting to see this magnificent underground palace, the doctor insisted on coming mainly because he feared the Boss had no will to live and might choose to sleep eternally underground with Fu Su.

At least with him along, the Boss would need to bring him back safely.

After continuing forward for a long while, the doctor noticed the tomb passage gradually becoming wider, the blue bricks underfoot beginning to show carved patterns, and the walls featuring inlaid murals. At the end of the passage stood a heavy stone tomb gate that had been closed for over two thousand years and naturally couldn’t be reopened. The Boss led the doctor around through a side tomb chamber, and when they returned to the passage on the central axis, the doctor found the blue bricks beneath his feet had carved flowers and inlaid gold and jade, identical to those he’d seen in the Qin palace during the misty visions. He knew they had reached the innermost palace city of the underground palace.

Just as he was about to step forward following the Boss’s footprints, the doctor was startled by a flash of light from ahead, as if someone were staring at him from the shadows.

The doctor quickly shone his flashlight over and discovered a tall terracotta warrior standing opposite them.

This terracotta warrior was different from those the doctor had seen countless times on television – it had vivid painted colors. Its attire also differed from those of the underground army excavated around the palace perimeter; clearly, this warrior belonged to the imperial guard. This guard figurine was slightly taller than the doctor, wearing a long crown with a calm, resolute expression. It wore short garments inside and light, majestic armor outside, presenting a heroic, dignified bearing. The sword at its waist wasn’t made of clay but was a real bronze sword. Its eyes, inlaid with obsidian pupils containing natural rainbow eyes, looked like real eyeballs, even reflecting the flashlight beam faintly, appearing lifelike at first glance.

This wasn’t the only such lifelike terracotta warrior. Along both sides of this broad tomb passage wide enough for three carriages, similar terracotta warriors stood every five steps. They had remained motionless for over two thousand years, silently guarding the underground palace. Though their clothing was identical, their facial features were completely different, as if made from real people. If the doctor didn’t know these were genuine clay figurines like those excavated around the palace perimeter, he might think real people had been subjected to some evil spell and transformed into human figurines…

The more he thought this way, the more the doctor felt chilled throughout his body. Though he forced himself not to look to either side, he still felt watched, thoroughly uncomfortable.

After entering the true underground palace and reaching the square before the front hall, the doctor actually felt somewhat familiar. This underground palace city was truly built in imitation of the Qin palace of that time, with not the slightest detail changed. Fu Su had grown up in the Qin palace almost from birth. In the previous misty visions, the doctor had quickly browsed through Fu Su’s life and was very familiar with the Qin palace. Besides needing to follow the Boss’s steps due to trap concerns, the doctor could clearly recognize the front hall and side halls before them. Dark tiles and red columns, straight ridges, towering gate towers… Even the plants and trees in the square were made of painted clay – palace maids picking flowers here, guards patrolling there, ministers queuing to enter the study for discussions… It was truly identical to the Qin palace the doctor had seen, but here there was no light, no living people – it was an underground city of the dead.

Like a once-vibrant scene that someone had paused, frozen forever in this moment…

“Isn’t it said that Emperor Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum has ever-burning lamps made from mermaid oil that burn for a thousand years?” The doctor could no longer bear the oppressive atmosphere. His flashlight had just run out of power, so he stopped to change batteries while asking.

“There are such lamps, but I didn’t believe that mermaid oil could truly burn for a thousand years, so before leaving, I extinguished them all one by one,” the Boss’s voice came faintly from the darkness.

The doctor fumbled through his backpack and accidentally dropped spare batteries on the ground. He cursed silently but dared not pick them up. This place was full of traps and mechanisms – a single careless step meant death. Just as he was wondering whether to use his phone for lighting, a dim yellow glow suddenly appeared from the Boss’s direction.

Looking closely, the doctor saw it was a candle with a cover. The Boss removed the cover from the candle, and what normally wouldn’t seem bright now appeared exceptionally brilliant. After adjusting for a moment, the doctor recognized this candle with a missing corner at the base that looked very familiar: “Isn’t this that mermaid candle?”

The Boss nodded. “Yes, this mermaid candle was refined from mermaid oil in the underground palace for convenient lighting. After my last exit from the tomb, I casually extinguished and placed it. Later, it fell into others’ hands, was melted into an ordinary incense candle, and ended up in a temple. After listening to countless years of sutras, this mermaid candle gained a spirit. I’ve told you the rest of the story before.”

The doctor recalled – this candle named Zhu had performed a tale of undying love with a young monk. Wait, this situation should be called undying human-demon love, with Zhu Yuanzhang’s involvement, until the Boss finally brought the mermaid candle to the Mute House… But hey, this wasn’t the point! The point was that this candle couldn’t be extinguished, right? How did the Boss manage to bring this burning thing onto the plane? He’d been risking arrest by the police to travel with the Boss!

The doctor’s face was extremely contorted, but he dared not ask a single question, fearing an answer he couldn’t accept. He could only skip this topic. “I remember this mermaid candle’s original wish was to return to Emperor Qin Shihuang’s tomb and destroy this place. How dare you bring her here?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his voice still echoing in the spacious front hall square, in the bright candlelight, the curling candle smoke slowly formed a semi-transparent woman of stunning beauty. Her magnificent dress and silk-like hair seemed alive, floating around her. However, her left sleeve appeared to have been bitten off halfway, looking very conspicuous.

The Boss said calmly, “What’s there to fear about bringing her? What can she do?”

The doctor was astonished, now noticing Zhu had deep, charming eyes, but her beautiful face was filled with surging fury. She truly couldn’t do anything – at most make the candle flame flicker faster or use her smoke-formed body to wrap around the Boss, but she couldn’t stop him from moving forward.

Watching Zhu’s beautiful eyes blazing with fire, the doctor could only silently pity her. He’d experienced the Boss’s methods – no one could match him. Moreover, he had to admit the mermaid candle’s light was much better than a flashlight. Instead of a vertical beam showing only limited areas, it radiated from the Boss’s mermaid candle as the center, spreading light in all directions, revealing much more than before.

The doctor followed the Boss to the front hall’s main gate, but saw the Boss make no movement, just standing motionless before the heavy stone door.

“Does this require some mechanism?” the doctor asked curiously. At this point, Zhu couldn’t wait any longer and her ethereal body drifted through the door crack, leaving only a wisp of clothing corner before finally just a thread of blue smoke from the candlelight continued floating.

After a moment of silence, the Boss said quietly, “No, I’ve already disabled the mechanisms here and even removed the black iron lock, just so when he awakens, he won’t need to exert himself to come out…”

The doctor initially didn’t think much of this, but when it sank in, he felt his hair stand on end. The Boss still harbored thoughts that Fu Su might revive? As Fu Su’s reincarnation, he felt tremendous pressure…

The Boss didn’t hesitate long. He handed the mermaid candle to the doctor, then gently pushed the stone door with both hands. Amid flying dust and a tremendous crash, the two heavy stone doors easily opened to both sides. The doctor knew there might be stone ball mechanisms beneath these doors and that it wasn’t the Boss having supernatural strength. But he had no time to investigate because he saw a vast dark night overhead – a full moon hanging at the horizon, stars dotting the sky, and the Milky Way gracefully spanning the firmament.

For an instant, the doctor almost thought he’d exited Emperor Qin Shihuang’s tomb, but feeling no fresh air, he grew suspicious. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he discovered this full moon and those stars were all luminous pearls of various sizes. These luminous pearls were arranged according to the night sky’s pattern, and at first glance, they truly resembled a nocturnal scene.

The doctor couldn’t help gasping inwardly – if the underground palace’s dome could create the illusion of night sky, it meant this space was unimaginably vast!

Feeling the Boss stepping forward, the doctor hurried to follow. But after just a step or two, a drop of hot wax fell on his hand, burning him so that his hand shook and he nearly dropped the mermaid candle.

The doctor quickly bent to rescue it, successfully catching the mermaid candle before it hit the ground. Just as he congratulated himself on his quick reflexes, the next second he widened his eyes, watching a spark fall to the ground and suddenly expand several times, blazing up. His feet stood on a hidden channel filled with oil-like substances, instantly ignited by this candle spark.

The oil was between solid and liquid states, so the fire didn’t spread rapidly but slowly crept along the hidden channels. This vast underground palace seemed to activate some switch, gradually revealing itself before them.

Mountains made of piled gold representing the three mountains and five peaks, rivers and lakes formed by mercury – this was actually a topographical map of the Central Plains made to real scale!

Looking closely, one could see the mercury representing rivers actually flowing slowly, silver waves and golden light reflecting each other in magnificent splendor that was almost blinding.

The doctor was utterly shocked, finally understanding that historical records about Emperor Qin Shihuang’s tomb were true.

“With mercury as the hundred rivers, great rivers, and seas, with mechanisms for circulation, above displaying celestial patterns, below showing geographical features, with mermaid oil as candles, calculated to burn for a long time…” As the doctor murmured these words, fire lines burned along the surrounding channels, finally converging in a semi-transparent round vessel above the dome, which burst into a huge fireball, completely illuminating this golden mountain and silver river.

The doctor knew this should represent the sun, and when this fireball ignited, the light of the luminous pearl moon and stars was completely overshadowed, just like a real sky.

With the underground palace fully revealed, the doctor could see clearly that there were no other rare treasures here.

But the doctor could completely understand Emperor Qin Shihuang’s intention. Sitting above this vast territory with an army of a hundred thousand terracotta warriors guarding him – what need did he have for other treasures?

This was the most precious treasure.

Then the doctor saw that in the center of this golden mountain and silver river, there was vaguely an artificial structure.

Before the doctor could look closely, the Boss beside him had already set off. Unwilling to be left behind, the doctor hurried to follow. Stepping foot by foot on mountains made of gold, the doctor’s heart was screaming – he’d never been so extravagant in his life. “Rolling around on a golden mountain” – that phrase wasn’t just casually said!

Just as he reached the peak of the golden mountain, he found the Boss had already reached a platform several steps ahead of him, built at the position of Xianyang on the map – exactly where they were actually located on Earth.

From the doctor’s angle, he could clearly see an exquisitely beautiful sarcophagus on the platform. The sarcophagus lid wasn’t closed, and a person lay quietly inside.

That person’s face was as gentle and elegant as in life, as if merely sleeping and could open his eyes at any moment.

The doctor stood there stunned, unable to take a single step.

Because he had seen that person’s appearance many times in the mist – it was the Crown Prince of the Great Qin Empire, Fu Su.

Though the doctor had long known that lying in this Emperor Qin Shihuang underground palace wasn’t Emperor Qin Shihuang but Fu Su, he never imagined that Fu Su, dead for over two thousand years, showed no decay at all, appearing exactly as he had in the misty visions with jade-like features.

The doctor understood why the Boss still harbored thoughts that Fu Su might awaken someday – seeing Fu Su like this, anyone would think he was merely sleeping.

After standing dazed for a while, the doctor found the Boss standing motionless beside the sarcophagus, gazing at Fu Su. He quickly took several steps at once, jumping over the Yellow River where mercury flowed, and reached the platform. Up close, the doctor found it even stranger. As a doctor, he was naturally accustomed to seeing corpses, but which dead person didn’t have pale, bloodless skin? None could be like Fu Su with such rosy complexion – if not for Fu Su’s chest truly showing no movement, the doctor would almost believe he was still alive.

Harboring doubts, the doctor stood on the other side of the sarcophagus, looking down carefully at Fu Su, only then noticing something strange about his clothing. That black fabric looked familiar.

Looking at the Boss’s red dragon robe across from him, the doctor was certain these were the same material. The Boss had also said this black gold and black jade threaded burial suit was an ancient divine artifact for preserving corpses from decay. If the Boss wanted to live, he would have to give up his red dragon robe and replace it with the one Fu Su wore.

The predictable result of doing so would be Fu Su’s complete disappearance from this world.

No wonder the Boss had been so hesitant.

The doctor knew the Boss had extraordinary attachment to Fu Su. He even worried that the Boss’s original intention in coming to Emperor Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum was to sleep eternally here with Fu Su. Now it seemed his worry might not be excessive.

“If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I will,” the doctor said, reaching toward Fu Su. But just halfway there, cold fingers without body temperature clamped around his wrist like an iron ring. The doctor shivered, almost thinking Fu Su had reanimated, before seeing the Boss had reached across to grab his wrist.

“Wait a little longer…” the Boss whispered softly.

The doctor clearly saw the red dragon on the Boss had begun moving, its massive body coiling around the Boss, as if nourished by the rich spiritual energy here and gaining three-dimensional form, seeming ready to devour the Boss entirely at any moment. The doctor’s heart raced as he struggled to break free from the Boss’s restraint. “How long can we wait? He’s been sleeping here for over two thousand years. Are you certain it’s the longevity lock binding his soul? Maybe it’s because his physical body is imperishable that his soul doesn’t disperse!”

The Boss was stunned by his words and forgot to apply force, while the doctor took the opportunity to break free forcefully, causing his hand to suddenly touch Fu Su’s face.

As if some magic had suddenly lost its effect, they both watched as Fu Su’s body instantly turned to ash, and the black threaded burial suit that had been on Fu Su simply lay light as a feather at the bottom of the sarcophagus.

For a moment, both the doctor and Boss seemed to have lost the ability to speak, standing there woodenly. The doctor even maintained the posture of having just pulled back his arm.

“This… I didn’t mean to…” After a long while, the doctor straightened up, looking at his hand in disbelief. His fingertips had clearly felt the sensation of human skin – how had Fu Su turned to ash the next second?

The Boss sighed deeply. “After all, it’s been over two thousand years. The golden threaded jade burial suit might preserve his body from decay, and mercury vapor might keep his face from decomposing, but he was still dead…”

The doctor could see the Boss was in a very poor mood and didn’t say much more. He reached out to take the black golden threaded jade burial suit from the sarcophagus, walked around to the Boss’s side, and gently draped this ancient robe over the Boss’s shoulders. “Put it on – he’s in this garment too.”

He was right. Fu Su had turned to ash, some bone dust lying quietly in the sarcophagus while other parts had merged with this golden threaded jade burial suit, inseparable forever.

The Boss had to admit the doctor’s consoling skills were remarkably powerful. He lowered his head and obediently put on this robe. This black golden threaded jade burial suit was made in Qin Dynasty style – dark black wide robes with large sleeves and cinched cuffs, with red-gold cloud borders. Dark robes and skirts – only the most noble people in the Qin Dynasty could wear such ceremonial garments. The Qin Dynasty’s ceremonial academy had spent decades creating it, thousands of times more precious than the ordinary version he had originally stolen from the treasury.

The doctor could feel the Boss’s complex emotions, but he could also see that the moment the Boss put on the ancient robe, his complexion instantly improved. Knowing the Boss was truly saved, his mood lightened, and he couldn’t help joking: “If you grew your hair longer, it would look best with this outfit.”

Actually, it was already quite stunning now. The doctor looked on admiringly. He vaguely remembered that in the misty visions, the Boss had worn ancient clothing. Standing before him now like this, there wasn’t the slightest sense of incongruity, as if he were naturally suited to such garments. Unfortunately, this outfit had been tailored for Emperor Qin Shihuang, and compared to the tall, imposing Emperor Qin Shihuang, the Boss appeared extremely thin – this golden threaded jade burial suit didn’t fit well.

The Boss looked at the sarcophagus with complex emotions. “Let’s close the lid.”

The doctor nodded, knowing the Boss hadn’t closed the coffin lid before, probably worried that if Fu Su revived, he wouldn’t be able to push open the heavy coffin lid himself. Now that Fu Su’s body had turned to ash, he naturally wouldn’t have such thoughts anymore.

The two struggled to lift the exquisite coffin lid and slowly closed it. At the last moment before closing, the doctor took two objects from his pocket and solemnly placed them inside.

The Boss saw clearly that what the doctor had placed inside was the longevity lock broken in two pieces. He didn’t stop him – this was the doctor’s own farewell to Fu Su.

They had no relationship. Though the doctor was Fu Su’s reincarnation, they were two completely different people.

Thinking of Fu Su who had just turned to ash, though the Boss felt reluctant, he knew Fu Su was truly liberated.

The heavy coffin lid merged with the sarcophagus with a muffled sound.

The doctor wiped fine sweat from his forehead with relief, but when he looked up again, his expression changed dramatically as he pointed at the Boss’s left shoulder in panic: “Boss… your clothes…”

Following his gaze, the Boss immediately saw a red claw that had suddenly appeared on his shoulder. Then, like a movie in slow motion, a red dragon body slowly revealed itself, its scales even reflecting blinding light.

Damn! How had he forgotten? If that red dragon could move on the original zhongshan suit, then it could also move on this ancient robe made of the same material.

The doctor rushed over to help the Boss remove the zhongshan suit underneath, but after they loosened the outer robe, they found the two garments had been entangled by fine, dense threads and were completely inseparable.

The Boss smiled bitterly. “I miscalculated. It seems I can’t escape this red dragon.”

The doctor tried cutting those threads with his Swiss Army knife, but it was like cutting steel wire. When he applied force, he faintly heard a dragon’s roar by his ear. The doctor gritted his teeth and was about to continue cutting when the Boss stopped him: “Don’t waste your effort – ordinary blades can’t cut through it.”

By now, the red dragon’s head had completely appeared on the robe’s surface, stretching its claws menacingly and glaring at the doctor with bell-like eyes as if in warning.

Just as the doctor was about to try other methods, the entire underground palace suddenly darkened. The burning sun instantly extinguished, the fire in the channels turned to smoke, leaving only the mermaid candle in the doctor’s hand still burning quietly.

“No way! Wasn’t it supposed to burn for a thousand years? Don’t tell me Emperor Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum also used counterfeit products?” the doctor complained habitually.

Zhu, who had been elsewhere, floated back to them and snorted lightly: “It’s not that! I just saw someone use a blade to touch the fire channel, and all the flames were absorbed into the blade.” Zhu’s voice was as ethereal and light as her appearance, but her words struck like heavy hammers on the Boss and doctor’s hearts.

“You mean… there’s someone else here?” The doctor looked around in disbelief, seeing only darkness. Now the luminous pearls on the underground palace dome blazed forth – stars and moon filling the sky, incredibly enchanting – but the doctor was in no mood to appreciate it.

“Naturally, there are no living people in the underground palace, but there are still people who could follow us in.” The Boss narrowed his eyes. “Familiar with all the underground palace’s mechanisms, plus carrying the Minghong Blade that can absorb flames – it could only be Hu Hai.”

“Minghong Blade?” The doctor thought he saw light flickering in the distance but wasn’t certain.

“Legend says when the Yellow Emperor forged the Xuanyuan Sword, surplus materials remained. Due to the high temperature in the furnace, the still-molten casting materials flowed to the furnace bottom and naturally formed a blade shape when cooled. It sounds without wind, called the Minghong Blade. The Yellow Emperor thought the blade’s intent was too strong, enough to backfire on its wielder. Fearing this blade would fall into human hands, he tried to destroy it with the Xuanyuan Sword, but unexpectedly, the blade transformed into a red cloud sparrow and escaped.” Before the Boss finished speaking, a clear bird cry approached from far to near, rapidly closing in on their platform.

Holding the mermaid candle, the doctor could see clearly – a cloud sparrow the size of an eagle was attacking. A human figure grasped the sparrow’s claws, and when it reached the platform, the sparrow instantly became a three-foot-long blade. The person gripped the handle and mercilessly struck toward them.

The blade reflected the mermaid candle’s light, illuminating the attacker’s face – a terrifyingly pale visage. The doctor had indeed seen this face in the misty visions – it was Second Emperor Hu Hai.

His appearance was exactly the same as two thousand years ago, unchanged. Only his hair had somehow turned silver-white, the color only those past sixty would have, which paired with his handsome features created an indescribable harmony. His narrow phoenix eyes held light red pupils, and his deathly pale complexion and dark deep red lips both carried a decadent beauty.

In this split second, the doctor understood why Hu Hai had followed them.

It must be for the garment the Boss wore!

He didn’t know how Hu Hai had endured over two thousand years without the golden threaded jade burial suit, but he absolutely couldn’t let Hu Hai succeed!

Seeing the Boss still in a daze, the doctor quickly grabbed him and pulled him backward.

But the opponent’s blade was faster. The Boss’s robe hadn’t been properly fastened, and with this pulling and tugging, the elaborate robe flew up, directly meeting the horizontally striking Minghong Blade.

“Riiip—”

The Minghong Blade was naturally no ordinary weapon – one strike cut the robe in half.

The doctor jumped off the platform with the Boss in his arms. The Boss’s complexion looked extremely poor in the mermaid candle’s flickering light. As the doctor debated whether to rush back and fight Hu Hai desperately, the Boss said in a low voice: “Let’s go first.”

The doctor followed the Boss over mountains and rivers without hearing pursuit from behind. When they neared the underground palace entrance, the doctor couldn’t help looking back. In the darkness, Hu Hai stood on the platform, staring blankly down at the sarcophagus before him. The red cloud sparrow had become palm-sized, perched on his shoulder preening its feathers with its sharp beak.

It seemed… things weren’t as he’d imagined… Could Hu Hai still harbor the desire to sleep eternally here?

The doctor’s head was full of questions, but he couldn’t possibly rush back to ask that evil star. When he followed the Boss through the long tomb passage and returned to the secret tunnel the craftsmen had dug, the Boss, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly said: “Go up by yourself. The remaining path has no mechanisms – you shouldn’t be in danger.”

The doctor was shocked and reflexively tried to grab the Boss’s sleeve, but the wide robe hem slipped through his fingers. The red dragon flashed once and completely melted into the darkness.

The doctor regretted deeply – he should have seen that the Boss would never allow Hu Hai to remain alone in this underground mausoleum. But Hu Hai had that blade that could transform into a cloud sparrow while the Boss was empty-handed – wouldn’t he be at anyone’s mercy?

The doctor gritted his teeth, listening to the Boss’s footsteps gradually fade, knowing that if he let the Boss go far, they might never see each other again in this lifetime. He took a deep breath and stepped forward recklessly. The blue brick under his foot was unstable – hearing a mechanism activate, the doctor quickly dodged the sharp arrows shooting from wall cracks. Watching those sharp arrowheads embed in the brick cracks, their tails still vibrating, showed their tremendous force. If one struck his body, it would surely pierce right through.

“What are you doing?” The Boss’s angry voice came from the darkness. Knowing he had returned, the doctor was overjoyed.

“You’d better escort me out.” Seeing the Boss approach, the doctor gripped his wrist tightly, refusing to let go.

The Boss looked into his eyes and immediately understood his intention, his expression complex, his heart filled with countless emotions.

The doctor licked his dry lips and said with difficulty: “Though this garment was cut in half, the upper part remains – you can still continue living. Forget the past – it’s been over two thousand years.”

The Boss’s eyes flickered without answering the doctor’s words.

Could he really forget the past and start living anew?

He was actually just a ghost wandering the world for over two thousand years – no one really cared whether he lived or died…

The mermaid candle’s flame flickered, its dim yellow glow enveloping them both. Smoke drifted as Zhu floated overhead, looking at this scene in confusion, as if returning to hundreds of years ago when she and the young monk were together.

How long is a human life…

Life… is between you and me…

The Boss felt the burning temperature of the doctor’s palm, that warmth spreading up his arm, ironing all the way to his heart.

The Boss moved his lips, about to say something, when he felt the ground shake violently. They could barely stand, leaning against the tomb passage wall. After the trembling passed, the doctor said in horror: “Was that an earthquake?”

“Probably Hu Hai triggered some mechanism.” The Boss’s expression was grave, then he smiled bitterly. “Now we can’t get out.”

The doctor followed his gaze and saw that while their tomb passage was solidly built and withstood the shaking, the secret tunnel the craftsmen had hastily dug couldn’t resist – loose sand and stones had fallen, completely blocking the tunnel.

“Lucky you were worried about him and didn’t leave immediately, or you’d have been buried alive inside.” Zhu floated in the air, her tone calm. “Buddha said: plant such causes, reap such effects – all is created by the mind. Truly so…”

The doctor knew Zhu probably picked up Buddhist sayings from staying with the young monk so long, but what she said was true – if he had just crawled into the tunnel… Looking at the now-sealed passage, the doctor was terrified, his scalp tingling.

“How do we get out?” The doctor looked to the Boss for help.

The Boss smiled bitterly. “Emperor Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum is surrounded by a thick layer of sand – the legendary sand sea. This sand sea is the underground palace’s first line of defense, preventing tomb robbers from tunneling into burial chambers. This tunnel was built by craftsmen using secret methods, but this tremor has destroyed it completely, refilling it with sand.”

So they couldn’t get out?

Before the doctor could fully grasp their trapped situation, thunderous footsteps echoed from the tomb passage depths. “What’s that?”

“Should be activated terracotta warriors.” The Boss couldn’t even manage a bitter smile anymore. “The terracotta warriors on both sides of the passage we just walked through are actually mechanism-controlled clay figures. Once intruders are confirmed, they automatically attack with swords.”

The doctor was speechless – no wonder the terracotta warriors he’d seen all carried real swords…

The deafening footsteps approached one by one like death knells. When the doctor saw panic and guilt in the Boss’s eyes for the first time, his nervousness reached its peak, but he suddenly calmed down and smiled carelessly: “Don’t feel sorry. I was probably destined not to live long anyway. How many people in this world can die as spectacularly as me? Hey Boss, if someone excavates Emperor Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum years from now and finds our bones, do you think they’ll speculate about our identities? Oh, should I burn my ID from my wallet…”

The Boss was completely speechless.

The doctor chattered and complained, not at all like someone in mortal danger. But when the first terracotta warrior appeared in their sight, the doctor still couldn’t help gasping and pulling the Boss back a step.

They had reached the tomb passage’s very end, with sealing stones behind them too thick for even explosives to break.

The doctor didn’t feel particularly desperate but stepped in front of the Boss, managing a smile: “Last time you stood in front of me – this time it’s my turn to protect you.”

The Boss knew he referred to the white snake umbrella incident. But at this point, who stood where made no difference – just dying a second earlier or later. The Boss knew the doctor was forcing himself to stand protectively in front, watching his still-trembling shoulders. He smiled, suddenly feeling these two thousand years hadn’t been lived in vain.

Zhu floated in the tomb passage mid-air, expressionless. To her, it didn’t matter – who lived, who died, it really didn’t matter…

Neither the doctor nor Boss spoke as the terracotta army slowly approached. Just when they seemed about to meet their doom, a white glowing ring suddenly appeared on their right tomb passage wall, from which came a beautiful bird call.

“Isn’t that San Qing’s call? Ah, worthy of being raised by me – it sounds so much better than that cloud sparrow.” The doctor nodded proudly, only realizing something was wrong a beat later. “Eh? How can we hear San Qing’s call here?” San Qing was the three-legged bird unsealed from the Classic of Mountains and Seas that the doctor had been keeping in the Mute House – how could they hear it here?

Looking toward the bright white ring, the doctor saw light spreading in all directions. In the ring’s center appeared the Mute House interior – even the takeout boxes he hadn’t cleaned up before leaving were still on the counter. The three-legged bird was flying around the Mute House, constantly calling. The doctor knew it was probably trying to say something, but he couldn’t understand bird language!

“You’d better come over quickly – Xiao Bai’s space-cutting ability won’t last that long.” A mighty husky poked its head out from the Mute House’s reclining chair and yawned lazily. “San Qing is so noisy – otherwise we wouldn’t have come.”

“Meow! Don’t call me Xiao Bai!” A palm-sized white kitten angrily jumped onto the counter, fur standing on end.

Now the doctor understood. Without caring whether the Boss agreed, he urgently dragged him through the ring. When his feet touched the Mute House’s wooden floor, the doctor finally felt reality. Just as he relaxed for an instant, cold wind struck from behind, followed by a great force pushing him away.

Sitting dazedly on the ground, nearly dropping the mermaid candle, the doctor quickly set it down safely before looking up. He saw the tomb passage scene on the wall gradually disappearing, while behind the Boss stood a terracotta warrior holding a bronze sword, its tip firmly clamped in the Boss’s hand. This terracotta warrior had apparently followed them through to the Mute House.

“Looks like we need to clear out a room specifically for this distinguished guest.” The Boss frowned, pressing a spot on the terracotta warrior’s chest, instantly making the struggling warrior stand motionless, returning to its guarding clay state.

“Hehe, actually we could put it at the entrance for security…” Having escaped death, the doctor’s mood relaxed completely. Without strength to stand, he simply lay on the floor laughing heartily. San Qing landed beside his face, affectionately nuzzling his cheek.

Meanwhile, Huan Gou and Qiong Qi fought as usual. The Boss’s brow gradually relaxed, his tight mouth corners lifting uncontrollably.

Going on like this was actually quite nice…

Later, the Master tailored the Boss’s half-section of black golden threaded jade burial suit into a shirt. The red dragon still prominently sprawled on the shirt, though this time it moved much more slowly, as if hibernating.

San Qing continued being well-fed and cared for in the Mute House. Qiong Qi and Huan Gou returned as usual to live at Fang Qiu’s house. In the unknowing Fang Qiu’s eyes, they weren’t ancient divine beasts but just a cute kitty and handsome husky.

The doctor made another trip to Xi’an, packed and shipped back the equipment from the hotel to return to the curator. Facing the curator’s questions, he naturally said nothing about actually entering the underground palace. The tremor that occurred in Xi’an’s suburbs that night spread wildly online – some said earthquake, but the seismological bureau made no official report. Others claimed tomb robbers had triggered underground palace mechanisms, but there was no evidence. Only the curator found things strange, but seeing the doctor and Boss perfectly fine, he had to dismiss his suspicions.

The doctor didn’t tell the Boss that he’d later returned to the secret tunnel entrance where they’d descended, but saw no signs of anyone emerging.

Was Hu Hai truly trapped in the underground palace? Remembering those light red pupils, the doctor thought it unlikely.

But this was as far as he could be involved.

After his leave ended, he returned to the hospital as before – treating illness, saving people.

His life continued, and the Mute House remained open.

Whenever he entered, someone would have brewed excellent Longjing tea, waiting to hear his daily complaints and grumbling, then showing an understanding smile amid the ethereal tea fragrance.

The doctor often thought that perhaps the Boss was also an antique in this Mute House. Every antique in the Mute House had its own story, carrying many years with no one to listen.

Because they couldn’t speak…