People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Han Cang said, "Firstly, what you are doing for the King now is to unravel the mystery of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions and help the King recover his health."

"However, sir, you have been researching for a month and should know that this route is almost impossible."

Cao Ze gently stroked the solid wood bookshelf and said, "Indeed. The Azure Dragon Seven Constellations are ethereal and mysterious. Some say that there is an elixir of immortality within them, which can grant one eternal life. Others say that there are divine martial arts manuals within them, which can make one a god or immortal..."

Han Cang scoffed, "It's all just people making things up."

Cao Ze asked Han Cang to kneel before the desk and said, "Please explain the second option, Lord Han."

Han Cang said with a serious expression, "Only by bringing down Guo Kai can you rise to prominence."

Cao Ze remained expressionless and said, "Lord Han should know that Guo Kai is now the prime minister of the country and has made many contributions to the Zhao state."

Han Cang dismissed it, saying, "What good are all the achievements? One wrong step is enough to ruin his reputation and leave him with no place to be buried."

Cao Ze was speechless. No wonder Guo Kai had become the prime minister, while Han Cang was still keeping Zhao Yan company.

"Please explain in detail, Lord Han."

Han Cang coughed lightly and said, "Sir, you should know about the Qin state's retaliation against the three states of Han, Chu, and Wei, right?"

Cao Ze nodded.

Han Cang continued, "Then it is not difficult to see that after Qin attacks Wei in the spring, it will definitely attack Zhao."

"As a descendant of a military strategist, you possess both literary and military talents. I will find a way to get Guo Kai involved in this battle and defeat him. Afterwards, I will let you replace Guo Kai and gain the credit."

“A promotion and a demotion are enough to make Guo Kai lose face in the court and disappoint the king.”

Cao Ze was truly speechless this time.

It seems Han Cang has lost his mind.

Do you really think war is child's play? Are you some kind of micromanagement master like Chiang Kai-shek?

He can lose just as easily as he loses, and win just as easily as he wins; he's even more awesome than the God of War, Guo Kai.

"Lord Han's strategy is excellent; I admire it."

Cao Ze endured the onset of his aversion to stupidity.

Han Cang was one of Zhao Yan's men. Most of these guys didn't have any real skills, but they were first-rate at scheming and being disgusting.

Han Cang felt a little smug after being praised by Cao Ze.

Who is Guo Kai? He only became prime minister because of Zhao Yan's favor.

He could do it too.

Thinking of the group of people from the former Crown Prince's residence who mostly revolved around Guo Kai, Han Cang felt a nameless anger rise within him.

"Then, sir, just wait patiently. Once the time is right, I will help you rise to the top in one step."

"Thank you, Lord Han."

"Well, I cannot stay any longer. I need to return to Longtai Palace to serve the King. Farewell."

"Please take care, Lord Han."

Feeling that his plan was thorough and effective, Han Cang left the storage room with light steps.

He was just waiting to bring down Guo Kai so he could win over the Queen and support Zhao Qian to ascend to the throne, becoming the most powerful official in the country.

After dealing with Han Cang, Cao Ze continued to peruse the classics about the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon.

If the bronze box containing the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions truly contained the method for refining the elixir of immortality, that would be incredibly awesome.

Unbeknownst to Cao Ze, at this very moment, inside the Luosheng Hall of the Baijia Palace in Xianyang, Donghuang Taiyi was pondering the philosophical question of life—whether to seek pleasure or to die—before a medicine cauldron.

After pondering for a long time, Donghuang Taiyi sighed softly.

He had ten years of his lifespan cut off by Lu Goujian, and shortly afterward, he was besieged and severely injured by the Mohists.

By the time he recovered from his injuries, his already limited lifespan was almost gone.

It is highly likely that he will die before Qin unifies the world.

Thinking of this, Donghuang Taiyi said in a deep voice, "Summon Elder Yunzhongjun, the Minister of Gold, to come here."

"Yes."

A short while later, a young man wearing wooden clogs and a white robe with cloud patterns walked in.

"Your Excellency Donghuang."

Donghuang Taiyi said, "I need to refine a batch of pills. You will assist me."

Xu Fu smiled slightly and replied, "Yes."

Among the Yin-Yang School, everyone said that he was the best at alchemy. In fact, he knew very well that the alchemy skills of the Eastern Emperor Sect Master were clearly a level higher than his.

Donghuang Taiyi felt a tearing sensation coming from his body.

When he broke through to the Grandmaster level and traveled the world, he once obtained an ancient medicine formula in the State of Chu, called the Elixir of Immortality.

Theoretically, taking it can extend one's lifespan by two hundred years.

The aftereffect is that the whole body will feel like it's being burned by flames, leaving it riddled with holes and no part of it intact, like a demon.

If one is not strong enough, one will die.

As a result, he has had to cover his face with a black robe for the past hundred years.

If he hadn't been nearing the end of his life, he would never have refined and taken this medicine.

Chapter 178 Zoo Director

Donghuang Taiyi slowly recalled the recipe for the elixir of immortality from his memory.

I couldn't help but recall my own youthful days, when I was full of vigor and became a grandmaster at a young age.

It was during that time that I was traveling in the Chu region when I met that person, and then by chance I obtained the recipe for the elixir of immortality.

He strongly suspected that this person possessed the complete formula for the elixir of immortality, rather than the formula he had, which had extremely severe side effects.

Xu Fu sat upright to the side, not daring to ask any questions when he saw that the leader remained silent.

Almost no one in the Yin-Yang School dared to disrespect their leader.

After a long while, Donghuang Taiyi returned from his spiritual journey.

He said to Xu Fu, "Go and fetch crane saliva, mercury, cinnabar, lead, saltpeter, terrestrial marrow, musk, toad venom, dragon's clothing, and litharge..."

When Xu Fu heard the leader list nearly twenty kinds of medicinal herbs, he was somewhat surprised, as many of them were poisons.

After Xu Fu left, Donghuang Taiyi took out the main ingredient of the elixir of immortality formula—the South China Sea shark pearl—and the medicinal guide—the dry tortoise—from his bosom.

The elixir of immortality is based on nourishing and strengthening medicinal materials, with lead, mercury, sulfur, and arsenic as its shell, and cinnabar and mercury as its form.

True lead transforms the Qi in the kidneys, true mercury strengthens the essence in the spleen, and refined cinnabar transforms into quicksilver. Passing through the lower, middle, and upper gates, this is death.

Mercury is used to transform cinnabar, which flows from the upper dantian, through the middle dantian, to the lower dantian, transforming and circulating throughout the body – this is life.

However, each medicine is potent and requires a substance that can solidify essence as a guide.

The medicinal ingredient is a land turtle that cannot be exposed to water.

Two hours later.

After Donghuang Taiyi guided Xu Fu to finish refining the medicine, he said, "You may leave now."

Xu Fu respectfully replied, "Yes."

As soon as he left the alchemy room, Xu Fu turned around and went straight to the library to look up ancient books.

Through the analysis of the medicinal properties of these drugs, he had a premonition that this prescription was very likely an ancient one.

This made him incredibly attractive.

The Zhao King's Palace, the Archives Room.

After Han Cang left, Cao Ze casually browsed through some classic texts.

He was at this moment engrossed in reading a book of anecdotes about Duke Zhuang of Zheng.

There is no mention of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions above.

It only mentioned vaguely that during the reign of Duke Zhuang of Zheng, he became the first hegemon among the feudal lords of the Spring and Autumn Period, making the State of Zheng powerful and its power overshadowing that of the Zhou emperor. The reason for this may be related to some kind of legendary power.

But Cao Ze had already read countless such unsubstantiated accounts and automatically ignored them.

But what followed forced Cao Ze to take it seriously.

He knew very well that the Azure Dragon scroll was currently in the Cold Palace in South Korea.

The book records that in the first month of the 43rd year of Duke Zhuang of Zheng (701 BC), after Duke Zhuang of Zheng, Duke Xi of Qi, Duke Xuan of Wei, and Duke Zhuang of Song formed an alliance in Ecao, they carried out a large-scale construction project to build a mausoleum in the mountains outside the capital.

Building mausoleums is a fairly common practice.

However, on May 7th of the same year, Duke Zhuang of Zheng suddenly passed away at the age of 57.

Such a coincidence is hard not to make people think.

Cao Ze's gaze was fixed on the mausoleum of Duke Zhuang of Zheng.

The text doesn't specify the location of the mausoleum, only that it's outside the present-day city of Xinzheng.

According to the description, the mountain range where the mausoleum is located is eerie and shrouded in blood mist.

Normally, no king or nobleman would build his mausoleum in such a place with extremely bad feng shui.

However, Duke Zhuang of Zheng not only built it, but seemed to be in a hurry to do so.

Cao Ze opened the last scroll and quickly flipped through it.

When Cao Ze saw the name of the person who wrote the final signature, his gaze sharpened.

Shen Leping?

Cao Ze never expected to see the names of dead men here.

This intelligence chief of Luo Wang seems to be more complex than he appears.

He summoned the Keeper of the Archives, held up the scrolls, and asked, "Where did you get these from?"

The young Keeper of Archives immediately found a booklet, flipped through several large slips of paper, and said, "It was seized by the city guards five months ago."