In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

"Ji Chao! Do you know what nonsense you're spouting!"

His voice trembled, and as he pointed at the words, his tone became fierce.

"Do you know that this is a crime of deceiving the emperor?! I can exterminate your entire family!"

But the words continued to speak.

"My lord, you must be quite distraught right now. Although Ji Chao is dead, he saw your distraught state long ago through his divination magic. You are now the ruler of the world, so you must not be easily angered. Please calm down."

"Calm down... How can you expect me to calm down? Ji Chao, you—you—"

The First Emperor gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with sorrow and anger, and pointed fiercely at Zhi Xiang: "You..."

He didn't know what to say.

"How could you die...?"

The First Emperor's eyes turned red, tears welled in his dragon eyes, and his whole body trembled.

"How could you... how could you die..." he said in anguish.

"Humans are destined to die, aren't they? Chao simply chose a way of dying that suited him." The words seemed to be communicating with the First Emperor. "Chao has completed his mission, and the Central Plains are now at peace."

The First Emperor sat back down on his dragon bed, dejected and forlorn: "If you die, I will lose the last person I could call a friend. Your death—what will become of me...what will become of me...?"

The text stopped appearing, as if giving the First Emperor time to adjust his emotions.

The First Emperor silently wiped away his tears with his sleeve and asked, "...Where did you die? How did you die?"

"Died in the southwest, died in battle." The inscription knew what the First Emperor wanted to ask; this was a dialogue that transcended time.

"Died in battle..." The First Emperor's eyes darkened.

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Chapter 788 The Father and Son in the Next House

"There is no need to worry. Even if I die, it will be after I have lived my life to the fullest, and only then will I face death with equanimity."

"If someone else has to grieve for my life, then my life is truly pathetic."

"...You..." The First Emperor patted his knee as if he were very tired.

I wanted to be sad, but my friend said I didn't need to.

"How can I not be saddened by your actions..."

"You are the only person in this world who has the right to make me grieve. If you don't make me grieve, then why can't I grieve too..."

"You are the ruler of a nation, the only emperor; you have no time for sorrow." The words continued to appear.

The First Emperor glanced at it and sighed: "...Fine, I can't argue with you. I couldn't argue with you before, and now that you're dead, I still can't argue with you."

He stared at the words, his lips trembling slightly: "You...are you leaving?"

"Yes."

After a long period of silence, a word reappeared in the air.

"The two salvation machines have been properly placed. You may see them again in the future. If that happens, please do not recognize them, Lord. This is my last request."

"My lord... this sinful subject Ji Chao—"

Farewell.

The word vanished, and Zhi Xiang completely lost its power, falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

The First Emperor pressed his hands firmly against the edge of the dragon bed.

He stared blankly at the wren that had fallen to the ground, his beak slightly open, then he closed his eyes in pain.

"what......"

"You don't hurt me, but I—"

How could I possibly bear this sorrow...?

He slowly stood up, bent down and picked up Zhixiang, his tears falling to the ground, splashing everywhere.

"Chao Di..."

"Ji Chao..."

He lamented and lamented, as if he had lost his soul.

......

Xiang Yu and Xiang An were already familiar with the Xiang residence and the surrounding area.

"Young masters, this is your bedroom," Wu Ju said solicitously, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Xiang An glanced at him and said strangely, "You're not one of our retainers, so why are you trying to curry favor with us?"

“This…” Wu Ju was slightly embarrassed.

"If there's nothing else, you can go back and report. My brother and I will just wander around by ourselves," Xiang Yu said to Wu Ju, looking somewhat indifferent.

"Ah, ah, okay..." Wu Ju could only nod and leave.

"Brother, we'll be living here from now on..." Xiang An said with a sigh as he walked into the room Xiang Liang had arranged for him.

"My uncle treats us very well," Xiang Yu said sincerely, touching the door frame and looking around at the furnishings in the room.

"I see there's another courtyard next door. Is that where the Xiang family also lives?" Xiang An scratched his head, walked out of the room, and looked towards the next house.

“It’s another branch of the Xiang family, the descendants of our grandfather Xiang Yan’s brother.” Xiang Yu glanced at Xiang An. “I’m telling you, you weren’t even listening to what Wu Ju was saying, were you?”

"Ah...hehe, it's okay, you'll know everything after staying for a couple of days." Xiang An's face stiffened, and he waved his hand with an awkward laugh.

"Should we go take a look now?" Xiang Yu smiled nonchalantly.

"to make."

Peng!

Xiang An pounded his chest, making a deep, muffled sound: "If it's an elder, we should at least pay our respects, otherwise wouldn't that be impolite?"

The two brothers went out of the yard and knocked on the door of another house.

"Coming, coming." A childish voice came from inside the house. A boy who looked to be about ten years old ran over to open the door, looked up at the two tall brothers, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Who are you?"

The child was rather thin, and what was striking was a prominent scar on his right eye, clearly indicating that he was blind in that eye.

"My name is Xiang Ji, and this is my younger brother, Xiang Nuo. We have come to pay our respects to our uncle, Xiang Liang, who lives here." Xiang Yu said calmly and respectfully, "Are you a child of this family?"

"You call him Second Uncle...?" The little boy thought for a moment, then turned and called into the house, "Dad, someone's here!"

Xiang Yu and Xiang An followed the little boy inside, and soon a shirtless man strode out.

"Jing'er, who are these two?" The burly man must have just been training, he was covered in sweat, and his strong muscles bore many scars. He looked at the Xiang brothers, Xiang Yu and Xiang An, and his gaze lingered on Xiang An for a fleeting moment.

“Uncle, I am Xiang Ji, son of Xiang Chao, courtesy name Yu. I will be living here from now on, so I have come to pay my respects to my elders.” Although Xiang Yu was bowing, his face remained expressionless.

Xiang An also cupped his hands and said, "I am Xiang Nuo, my name is An. Hello, Uncle."

"Is he your uncle's child...?" The man smiled and nodded. "I am Xiang Lu, courtesy name Lan. You can call me cousin. Don't be so formal. We'll be living under the same roof from now on, so please take good care of Jing'er."

He patted the little boy standing next to him on the back: "This is Jing'er, Xiang Jing, courtesy name Baixing, my son, Jing'er, quickly call him brother."

"Brother Xiang Yu, Brother Xiang An." Xiang Jing looked sneaky and called out to the two of them "brother" in a flustered manner.

Xiang An, seeing an opportunity, was delighted. He roughly patted Xiang Jing's head, making a mess of Xiang Jing's hair: "Hehe, good little brother!"

Xiang Jing was startled by Xiang An, so he circled around and hid behind Xiang Lu's legs, sticking out his tongue at Xiang An.

"Sigh!" Xiang An looked disappointed.

"Haha, it seems you two get along very well." Xiang Lu laughed loudly, took Xiang Jing's hand, and said, "Let's go, it's almost lunchtime. If you have anything to say, let's talk while we eat!"

"Was lunch eaten together?" Xiang Yu asked Xiang Lu with a puzzled look.

“We don’t usually eat together, but since you two are back today, we’ll definitely eat together!” Xiang Lu was a very forthright man. He got dressed and walked in front. “This morning, one of my second brother’s guests came to tell me that you had arrived. I suppose the banquet has already started.”

"Huh? A banquet?" Xiang An blinked. "You mean the kind where everyone eats together, a really lavish one?"

"Hmm!" Xiang Lu turned to look at Xiang An. "You've been wandering around for so many years, it's... time to eat something good."

"Welcome back, Xiang Yu, Xiang An."

He said this while looking at Xiang An, his eyes carrying something that Xiang An couldn't understand.

"Huh...?" Xiang An was taken aback.

That look...

"Alright, let's go quickly." Xiang Yu patted the absent-minded Xiang An.

"Oh, oh..." Xiang An nodded quickly, and when he realized that Xiang Lu had already led Xiang Jing far away, he quickly chased after them.

He looked at Xiang Lu's back and pursed his lips.

Why... do I have this strangely familiar feeling?

------------

Chapter 789 Xiang Liang's Imagination

"Today, my two nephews, Xiang Liang, have returned home! Let us feast and gather together for a meal!" Xiang Liang, seated at the head of the table, raised his wine cup and addressed the guests seated in the courtyard.

The diners had various expressions: some were indifferent, some showed interest, and some rolled their eyes in disdain. But their actions were all the same: they all raised their glasses to congratulate Xiang Liang on finding two good nephews.

"You two, eat more!" Xiang Bo sat at the head of the table above Xiang Yu and below Xiang Liang, raising both hands. Although he hadn't drunk much, he already seemed drunk, urging his two brothers to drink and eat.

Xiang Yu remained calm and somewhat indifferent, while Xiang An was quite excited. He sat second to the right of Xiang Liang, below Xiang Lu.

Xiang Lu's eyes held a hint of admiration: "These two young men are quite robust."

He was younger than Xiang Bo, the youngest of Xiang Yan's three children. After the older generation died in battle, he took his son and went to join Xiang Liang.

After the fall of the Chu state, Xiang Liang came to Kuaiji in the Wu region. Relying on the resources he had accumulated in Chu, Xiang Liang successfully built up his power in Kuaiji and became very famous. Even the governor of Kuaiji would occasionally visit him.

Xiang Liang was kind and righteous enough to take them in and even provide them with a courtyard to live in. He also entrusted some of the Xiang family's properties to Xiang Lu so that he could settle down and make a living in Wuzhong.

"Hmm." Xiang Liang looked at the two brothers, recalling the last words his elder brother had left him, and sighed deeply. He then said to Xiang Yu, "After the banquet, tell me about your father."