Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

The previously obscure and stagnant late-stage Grandmaster realm has now become completely stable, and he can feel that the power is still rising, only stopping when it reaches the peak of the Grandmaster realm.

Fifty years of hard work, and you rise to the top in one step.

He stood up, bowed deeply to Ying Xuan, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Your kindness, sir, will be forever remembered."

Ying Xuan looked him up and down, then nodded almost imperceptibly, seemingly satisfied with his progress.

"Get up."

Just as Zhang Han stood up, Ying Xuan called out to the empty corridor.

"Cao Zhengchun".

Before the words were finished, a figure silently emerged from the shadow cast by the pillar.

Cao Zhengchun was still wearing the purple robe with gold thread, his chin was clean-shaven, and his face wore his usual obsequious smile. He bowed to Ying Xuan with a light and gentle movement, like a silent raccoon.

"The old slave is here."

Zhang Han looked at the elusive Western Depot commander and his lips twitched slightly.

Although he had grown accustomed to Cao Zhengchun's elusive and unpredictable nature, his heart would still skip a beat every time he saw him suddenly emerge from the darkness.

Ying Xuan seemed quite used to it. He flipped his hand and took out another pill, also a pure gold Great Rejuvenation Pill, along with a few other pills that were slightly lighter in color and had a fainter medicinal fragrance, and tossed them to Cao Zhengchun.

"The Great Rejuvenation Pill is for you. Those few are Lesser Rejuvenation Pills, each of which can increase your power by twenty years. Take them back and distribute them to your subordinates who have made contributions."

Cao Zhengchun accepted the pills with both hands, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile. He carefully put the pills away and then began a series of compliments and expressions of gratitude.

He uttered a string of beautiful words, each one perfectly conveying his loyalty: "Your kindness is as heavy as a mountain, and I could never repay it even if I were to be shattered to pieces." He also said, "Following you is the blessing I have accumulated over eight lifetimes."

Ying Xuan listened for a few words, then smiled and waved his hand, interrupting his endless chatter.

"Alright, alright, let's save these things for later. There are more important things for you to handle later, and you'll be rewarded handsomely if you do them well."

Cao Zhengchun quickly stopped smiling and straightened his expression.

"Please give your orders, young master. This old servant will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Ying Xuan didn't immediately say what it was, but simply nodded slightly, the smile on his face slowly fading away.

He turned around, his gaze fixed on the deep darkness at the end of the palace path, his voice turning somewhat cold.

"Now, it's time to go see my eighteenth brother and that Lord of the Imperial Carriage Office."

When he said this, there was no anger or sarcasm in his tone; he was as calm as if he were talking about something completely ordinary. But it was precisely this calmness that sent a chill down the spines of both Zhang Han and Cao Zhengchun.

The two exchanged a glance, both unconsciously holding their breath, and carefully followed behind Ying Xuan.

The three walked along the palace path, passing through several heavily guarded palace gates, and finally arrived at a secluded corner. There stood a solitary stone building with a low door frame, no windows, and only a heavy iron door leading underground.

Two squads of armored guards stood at the entrance, each holding a long halberd, their faces expressionless, like rows of stone sculptures.

When the lead guard saw Ying Xuan arrive, he quickly stepped forward and saluted.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Open the door."

The captain of the guards responded, took a large bronze key from his waist, and inserted it into the rusty keyhole on the iron gate. With a muffled click, the lock springed open, and the heavy iron gate was slowly pushed open, revealing a downward stone staircase passage.

A damp, chilly aura rose from the depths of the dungeon, mixed with the smell of rust and the musty stench of years of stagnant water.

Ying Xuan didn't even frown before stepping inside.

The stone steps were long, and every ten steps along the walls on both sides, an oil lamp was lit. The flames flickered in the damp air, casting a faint green glow on the slippery moss on the stone walls.

Zhang Han and Cao Zhengchun followed silently behind, their footsteps echoing on the narrow stone steps, one after another, carrying far away.

Reaching the end of the stone steps, a spacious dungeon suddenly opened up before me. The surrounding stone walls were smooth and flat, and several thick iron chains hung from the ceiling, with rusty shackles hanging from the ends.

The air here became even more damp and cold, and the dry grass on the ground was already soaked with moisture, making a squelching sound when stepped on.

After Ying Xuan thwarted Zhao Gao's plot with swift and decisive action, the court officials immediately responded, dispatching troops to completely surround Hu Hai's residence. Hu Hai didn't even have time to react before the soldiers stormed in and captured him.

Because Hu Hai was ultimately a prince with the blood of the Ying clan, even if he committed the heinous crime of treason, no one had the right to punish him without authorization. Therefore, he was simply imprisoned in this dungeon and was not subjected to any torture.

As for Zhao Gao, after his limbs and martial arts were completely crippled by the Four Devils of Xiangxi, he was thrown into the same cell like a broken sack. The two powerful ministers who once wielded immense influence before the First Emperor were now brothers in misery in the dungeon.

Ying Xuan walked to the cell door and stopped.

The scene inside the prison cell could be clearly seen through the thick iron bars.

Hu Hai was huddled in a corner of the dungeon, his back against the damp, cold stone wall, shivering like a leaf. His once magnificent brocade robe was now crumpled and covered with bits of grass and stains.

His hair was mostly disheveled, hanging messily over his face, revealing a face contorted with fear. His eyes were wide open, fixed on the figure slumped on the ground opposite him, his lips trembling incessantly.

"Zhao Gao... Zhao Gao... didn't you say... didn't you say everything was under control...?"

His voice was choked with sobs, and when it came out from deep in his throat, it sounded like someone was choking him, hoarse and shrill.

"You told me...you said those ministers were on our side...you said that as long as we got the imperial seal, the whole of Xianyang would listen to us..."

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and his body trembled even more violently.

"Didn't you say that Father's health wouldn't last more than three days? Didn't you say that Ying Xuan was too far away in the northern frontier to make it back in time? You said so much... how did it all end up like this..."

His voice carried a hint of madness before his collapse, his fingers gripping the dry grass on the ground so tightly that his nails scraped against the stone slabs with a harsh sound.

Zhao Gao on the other side remained silent.

He lay sprawled on the ground, his limbs twisted in an extremely unnatural position, his completely broken joints swollen and gleaming with a bluish-purple luster in the dim light.

His once well-maintained face was now deathly pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and a few strands of wet hair clung tightly to his temples. His eyes were half-open, half-closed, their former sparkle long gone, replaced by emptiness and numbness.

Hu Hai continued rambling on. "You...you should say something...you must have some ideas...think of a solution...what should I do...father...will he kill me...?"

He lunged forward, grabbed Zhao Gao's clothes with both hands, and shook him violently.

"I don't want to die! Zhao Gao! I don't want to die! Please save me!"

"Shut your mouth, Your Highness!"

Zhao Gao suddenly roared, his voice sharp and shrill, like a rusty knife scraping across an iron plate.

Hu Hai was so startled by the shout that he let go of Zhao Gao's hand and collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at him.

A flicker of emotion finally appeared on Zhao Gao's face—an expression of extreme annoyance and disgust. He abruptly turned his head, the fierce glint in his eyes almost piercing Hu Hai's face.

"Don't you understand now?"

His voice was distorted by the excruciating pain, each word trembling, "Win and you'll be made a king, lose and you'll die. The struggle for power is always a matter of life and death, there's no middle ground! Since you've done this, don't even think about getting away unscathed! If you're afraid of those tortures, you might as well smash your head against the wall now and die a quick death!"

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Hu Hai's head.

Hu Hai collapsed to the ground, his body trembling even more violently than before. Large tears welled up in his eyes, his lips quivered, and he could barely speak.

"No...no...Father loves me the most..."

He shook his head, as if trying to convince himself.

“From childhood to adulthood, Father has always loved me the most… How could he kill me… He would never bear to kill me… No… Ninth Brother… Yes… There’s still Ninth Brother! Ninth Brother wouldn’t want me to die… He has always loved us younger brothers the most… You’re all lying to me… Things can’t be that bad…”

Hearing these ridiculous words, Zhao Gao felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, almost to the point of laughing in rage. Looking at the terrified, tearful good-for-nothing before him, his eyes brimmed with contempt.

He had long known that Hu Hai was a good-for-nothing, but he hadn't expected him to be this utterly useless. When faced with the inevitable, he showed absolutely no responsibility, not even the courage to accept his fate. He just cowered there like a dog, clinging to a sliver of hope. Did such a person deserve the surname Ying? Did he deserve to shed that man's blood?

The more Zhao Gao thought about it, the more ridiculous and ironic it seemed, until he finally couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"waste……"

His voice was hoarse and vicious, like a poisoned arrow.

“You are even more useless than your worthless brothers… The blood of the Ying clan has been diluted in you… No, diluting it is an understatement, you are nothing but mud… It is because of people like you that I have fallen to this state today…”

By the end of his tirade, his voice had become broken and intermittent, his chest heaving violently, and he was almost out of breath. His pale face flushed a sickly red with agitation.

After he finished cursing, he seemed to have all his strength drained away. He slumped back to the ground, turned to the other side, and didn't bother to look at Hu Hai again.

Hu Hai was rendered speechless by the insults. His lips trembled for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word. He could only shrink into the corner, trembling incessantly, his eyes filled with tears of despair.

Just then, footsteps sounded on the stone steps outside the cell.

The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, one after another, and sounded exceptionally clear in the silent dungeon.

Hu Hai's body trembled violently, and he curled up into a ball like a frightened rabbit, desperately squeezing into the corner. His eyes were fixed on the stone steps, his pupils shrinking to two black pinpoints.

Although Zhao Gao turned his head away, his body stiffened slightly. His numb eyes slowly narrowed, the corners of his eyes tightening, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.

The footsteps grew closer.

The heavy prison door was opened, and the flame of the oil lamp was violently shaken by the incoming airflow.

Two figures walked in one after the other.

Hu Hai and Zhao Gao both turned their gazes toward the doorway, their eyes wide as they strained to make out who it was. But the dungeon was too dimly lit, and they couldn't see the faces of the people entering. They could only make out two tall silhouettes standing in the doorway, backlit.

Then, the two silhouettes slowly approached.

The light from the oil lamp finally illuminated the face of the newcomer.

Ying Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless, while Zhang Han behind him, a long sword hanging at his waist, looked solemn.

The two strolled into the cell at a leisurely pace.

Hu Hai and Zhao Gao's pupils contracted violently at the same time.

panic.

A deep-seated panic was clearly written on their two completely different faces.

As Ying Xuan stepped into the dungeon, the oil lamps on both sides of the stone steps swayed violently a few times due to the wind from his robe, and the dim yellow light flickered precariously on the damp stone walls.

A strong odor, a mixture of rust, mold, and human filth, hit me, so intense it was almost blinding.

The moment Hu Hai heard the footsteps, he felt as if he had been whipped hard by something.

He sprang up from the corner and scrambled to the cell door, gripping the thick iron bars tightly with both hands. His once handsome face was now contorted beyond recognition.

"Ninth Brother! Ninth Brother!"

His voice was high-pitched and hoarse, as if it had been forced out of his throat by someone pinching his throat. Tears mixed with snot covered his face, dripping down his chin onto his clothes, staining his once magnificent brocade robe with dark patches.

He was shaking so badly he couldn't stop, and his teeth were chattering.

"Ninth Brother, listen to me...it wasn't me...it really wasn't me..."

Ying Xuan didn't stop walking, and didn't even glance in his direction.

Hu Hai became even more anxious. He loosened his grip on the iron bars and practically scrambled to Ying Xuan's feet. He braced his hands on the cold, wet ground, his fingers digging into the cracks in the stone bricks until his knuckles turned pale from the force.

"Ninth Brother... Zhao Gao did all those things... It was all him! He forced me to do it!"

His voice was choked with sobs, and large tears fell to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

“I didn’t want to do it from the beginning… He kept telling me… that Father Emperor was dying… that the court officials were all on our side… that as long as we got the Imperial Seal, the whole of Xianyang would be ours… He was the one who said it all!”

He raised his face, which was streaked with tears and snot, his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling as he spoke in rapid succession. (End of Chapter)