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

"...Is it really that obvious?"

"Nonsense." Yu Meiren pouted.

"Sigh... Lord Yu, aren't you an elf? How can you be so insightful about people's hearts?" Xu Fu lay down on the chair in despair.

"It's not that I can read people's minds; my understanding of people is very limited. It's just that you, Xu Fu, are too easy to understand." Yu Meiren smiled and shook her head. "So? Would you mind telling me what's on your mind?"

"Um... Lord Yu, I... I just wanted to ask you..." Xu Fu put two fingers together, his face slightly flushed, and he didn't dare to look at Yu Meiren. He said awkwardly, "What exactly are your feelings for that machine?"

“…” Upon hearing this, Yu Meiren involuntarily shrank back.

"After all, in your description, Lord Yu, your encounter with that machine wasn't very pleasant... Why would you develop such feelings after such an unpleasant encounter? I'm just curious about that..."

Yu Meiren looked at Xu Fu's earnest gaze, her eyes slightly lowered.

"You're usually busy drawing talismans, researching magic, and fulfilling the tasks assigned to you by the First Emperor. Although I've told you about my encounter with that machine, I don't think I've given you the specific details." Yu Meiren smiled, resting her chin on her slender hand, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Huh? Ah..."

"Xu Fu, I ask you, what am I?" Yu Meiren's eyes sharpened as she looked into Xu Fu's eyes, making Xu Fu involuntarily feel a little scared.

"...The Earth's interior, located at the end of the surface, is inhabited by fleshly spirits." Xu Fu lowered his head.

"Is it a person?" Yu Meiren continued to ask.

"...No." Xu Fu gripped his robe tightly, his voice trembling slightly as he answered.

"Then, what if it wasn't someone like you who understands the mysterious, but someone else who met me on the beach and found out I wasn't human?" Yu Meiren sighed.

"......I have no idea."

"Anyway, it won't be like this, where we can sit here and chat happily." Yu Meiren smiled indifferently. "Humans are creatures that seek 'identity.' Identifying with others and excluding those who are different is an undeniable fact, no matter how you look at it. Even within people themselves, this kind of atmosphere prevails."

"Well, even so, I, who have inherited some of the characteristics of others, cannot escape this law."

"Xu Fu, you saved me. I don't have any special feelings for humans, but you are special." Yu Meiren grabbed Xu Fu's hand, holding his small hands in both of hers, with a warm smile on her face.

Xu Fu froze, his head steaming like a kettle, but Yu Meiren didn't notice any of this. She just looked at the back of her hand and continued speaking slowly.

“But you are, after all, one of the few. I can’t possibly blend into the crowd, and I won’t try to.” Yu Meiren’s fingernails gently scratched Xu Fu’s palm. “Even if it’s wishful thinking, I just want to be around the people I want to be around. You’ll understand me, won’t you, Xu Fu?”

Xu Fu's brain is practically fried; now, no matter what Yu Meiren says, her response will likely be just "Mmm, mmm."

"Like you, that machine and that person are also special to me."

"My long and boring life, before I met him, was dull and gloomy."

“Until he wiped away my tears and asked me, ‘Where is my home?’ my world suddenly brightened up.”

"He is also non-human, yet he has his own destiny, and he pointed out what I should seek for me, who was like a rootless duckweed. Even though he defeated me as an opponent, it was a result that I, as the challenger, should accept."

She released Xu Fu's hand, placed it on her chest, and revealed a dazzling smile that left Xu Fu completely stunned.

"Actually, what I was looking for had already appeared before my eyes at that time. It was something I would pursue even at the cost of everything—my destiny!"

The Cycle of Reincarnation

Xu Fu looked at the poppy, which he had never seen so beautiful, swallowed hard, and then... nodded heavily.

"If... this is what Lord Yu is pursuing, then Xu Fu will definitely help Lord Yu achieve it!" Xu Fu grasped Yu Meiren's hand, his eyes gleaming. "Whatever the wish, as long as it is for Lord Yu, Xu Fu will absolutely do his utmost!"

"Thank you, Xu Fu!" Yu Meiren tightened her grip on Xu Fu.

Xu Fu uttered a sound of happiness but also of being overwhelmed.

......

Meanwhile, in Kuaiji, Xiang Yu, who was talking with a villager, couldn't help but feel something and looked in a certain direction.

"What's wrong, brother?" Xiang An noticed that Xiang Yu had shifted his attention and couldn't help but ask.

“…It’s nothing.” Xiang Yu turned his head back and looked at the hunched old man. “Well then, Ding Lizheng, we will need to trouble you all with the matter of the Huai River granary.”

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

Chapter 834 Preparations for the Fifth World Tour

"Ahem, um..." The First Emperor held a memorial in his hand, frowning.

Stroking his beard, after a moment's thought, the First Emperor picked up his pen and made a mark on the memorial.

"That concludes today's work... Next, we should focus on the Epang Palace." Putting his pen aside, the First Emperor waved for the palace maid holding the lanterns to leave and stretched.

He stood up and walked towards the back of the Qin Palace.

Based on the mysterious remnants, the Epang Palace was expected to be fully completed in about three years.

Because of the incident of burying scholars alive, he killed a large number of Confucian scholars and alchemists who had swindled him out of his money. Although he felt relieved, the manpower for building the Epang Palace was correspondingly reduced.

The Epang Palace was an encirclement of the Central Plains, a crystallization of mystery. Ordinary people certainly could not build it; only the philosophers of the Hundred Schools of Thought who knew the mystery and magic had the means to build it.

"Sigh, take it slow, there's no need to rush."

Shaking his head, the First Emperor continued walking towards the rear.

That said, Xu Fu of Langya should be preparing for his second voyage. Correspondingly, his fifth voyage across the world should also be about to begin. He found many mysterious remnants hidden in various corners during his previous four voyages, and this time should be no exception.

When he first toured the world, his direction was northwest, which was the homeland of Qin. After unifying the world, it was a necessary procedure to pay tribute to his ancestors, and he also found a lot of information in the leased territory of Qin.

The second route was eastward, passing through Mount Tai, reaching the far east, then turning southwest, then turning northwest from Mount Heng, and returning to Xianyang.

The third time was simply a journey from east to west, without any special discoveries. The fourth time, he set off in the northeast, reaching Jieshi before turning back west and returning to Xianyang along the Great Wall.

This fifth time... we'll head northwest, then turn around at Nanjun, head towards Kuaiji, then land westward by sea, passing through Shaqiu along the way until we return to Xianyang.

And then there's the matter of the crown prince... Lately, his ministers have been urging him to quickly establish a crown prince, and he's getting really annoyed with it.

Currently, among his sons, Prince Fusu, Prince Gao, Prince Jianglu, and Prince Huhai all have their own supporters, but Fusu and Huhai still have the highest supporters.

Although Fusu is a virtuous boy, he is too honest. He has been sent to the Great Wall in the north, hoping that the bloody military life will temper his character. As for Huhai... let's not mention him.

In short, there are too many things that require his personal attention now, and he is too busy to handle them all.

When will this fifth trip take place...? Let's wait and see, no rush, there's no need to rush.

......

Xu Fu and Yu Meiren have already reached the river.

"This calm river is so beautiful. It's different from the river. It feels so much more peaceful." Xu Fu leaned on the side of the boat, his slender hand reaching into the river water. He splashed the waves, creating bursts of white foam.

"Yes, it is indeed beautiful. Although they are both magnificent rivers, the feeling that river water gives people is completely different." Yu Meiren did not do anything as childish as Xu Fu, but just smiled.

"Where are you two young ladies headed? You've even been to the river, you're quite knowledgeable." The boatman wiped the sweat from his brow, a faint smile on his face.

"The destination is Taihu Lake, Kuaiji," Yu Meiren said casually, her gaze fixed on the rippling river.

"It's so far..." The boatman seemed surprised that these two elegant young ladies would answer him, and instead felt somewhat embarrassed.

"You'd better hurry up and row the boat. You can't waste Lord Yu's time," Xu Fu said, squinting, revealing a hint of danger.

"Ah—yes!" The boatman quickly sped up the rowing, thinking to himself that this young lady was really hard to please.

Yu Meiren glanced at Xu Fu silently, smiled without a word, and didn't seem to care.

She has always had this attitude towards ordinary people.

For her, among all the people, perhaps only Xu Fu has earned her attention and acceptance.

She was, after all, not human; she was a flesh spirit, an alien being unlike any other.

The fate of an outcast can only be that of an outcast.

Before they knew it, they had crossed the river. For the rest of the journey, Xu Fu and Yu Meiren would have to walk until they reached the next town where they could buy horses or carriages.

The saying goes, "The Huai River is easy to cross, but the Yangtze River is difficult." The Yangtze River is much wider than the Huai River. Even the most skilled boatmen wouldn't dare say they could cross the river with a horse-drawn carriage, and building a bridge is even more difficult.

Xiaoshuting app

Once ashore, Xu Fu casually tossed some coins to the boatman, and then, with Yu Meiren, left two lines of footprints on the riverbank.

“Let’s go, Lord Yu.” Xu Fu fiddled with his talisman. “My clones have already investigated the area around Kuaiji and found information about those two inhuman machines.”

"Oh? Tell me about it quickly!" Yu Meiren immediately became interested.

"Before the Qin Dynasty, and even earlier, Kuaiji and the surrounding areas were the territory of the State of Wu. Therefore, the surrounding area was called Wuzhong, not Kuaiji." Xu Fu said, flipping through the talisman without looking up. "Although Kuaiji Commandery had its own governor, unfortunately, the governor did not have much power. The real person in charge of the Wuzhong region was Xiang Liang."

"Xiang Liang?" Yu Meiren blinked. "Who is that?"

"...I knew you wouldn't know." Xu Fu's lips twitched.

“You should know about the State of Chu, right? The military strength of the State of Chu is formidable, and it could even be said that it is the biggest obstacle to His Majesty the First Emperor’s unification of the world. Moreover, its resilience is second to none among the six states.” Xu Fu’s attention returned to the talisman, and he scratched his face. “Now that the six states have perished, the last remaining strength of the State of Chu in the Qin Dynasty is lurking in Kuaiji in Wuzhong.”

"Their leader is Xiang Liang, the second son of Xiang Yan, a general of Chu, who is now the head of the Xiang family."

"Sounds like a very dangerous person... What does this have to do with my master?" Yu Meiren exclaimed in surprise, then regained her stunned expression.

Xu Fu wiped the sweat from his face, speechless: "Please continue listening to me. This Xiang Liang adopted two of his elder brother's sons a few years ago."

"These two sons were tall and strong, and their martial arts skills were outstanding. They were quite powerful in the Wuzhong area. It was said that if you saw the two of them, they were sure to be wielding knives and spears. Their reputation was not very good."

Their names are Xiang Ji, courtesy name Yu, and Xiang Nuo, courtesy name An.

"And it's quite obvious that the person you're looking for is the elder of the two, Xiang Liang's nephew, Xiang Yu."

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

Chapter 835 Xu Fu's Clever Idea

"You mean those two machines... are now living as humans in the Central Plains? And they even have their own families!?" Yu Meiren was shocked.

Oh my god! I'm still frantically trying to find you guys, and you're already living a comfortable life!

"Hmm." Xu Fu did not notice the change in Yu Meiren's expression, and continued to speak to himself, "They were adopted by Xiang Liang as human beings, and judging from the attitude of Xiang Liang and the other family members, they do not know about the massacre of foreign tribes by Xiang Yu and Xiang An outside the pass. Xiang Yu and Xiang An also seem to have no memory of what happened outside the pass."

"What about his other family members? Does he have a family?!" Yu Meiren suddenly grabbed Xu Fu's shoulder and asked loudly with tears in her eyes.

"Huh? No?" Xu Fu was startled. "According to my investigation, Xiang Yu and Xiang An's family consists of three uncles and two younger brothers and sisters. Neither brother is married yet..."

Yu Meiren released Xu Fu and patted her chest with great satisfaction.

"Thank goodness, I almost thought I'd lost before I even got on the track..." Her face showed a lingering sense of unease.

"..."