Chapter 6

From the day the First Emperor's entourage left the Sand Hill City, it started to rain heavily. The torrential rain continued for three days, and on the third night, it reached its peak, accompanied by lightning. The rain seemed to pour down as if a hole had been torn in the sky, spilling the waters of the Milky Way.

Outside Sand Hill City, a newly built mound of earth was washed away by the heavy rain, and amidst the thunder, a naked corpse was exposed. As the corpse was revealed, the lightning in the sky began to concentrate on this spot.

A loud "Crack!" echoed as the first bolt of lightning struck the naked corpse. The corpse trembled violently, and then the second bolt struck, causing the corpse to suddenly open its eyes.

The corpse slowly stood up in the rain, looking around in confusion, and took a few steps forward. At this moment, the third bolt of lightning struck the person, causing them to stumble and fall into the rain. Another bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, momentarily turning the dark, rainy night as bright as daylight.

By the light of the lightning, the person saw their reflection in a puddle. The face that appeared was that of a young man with white hair. In that instant, the person remembered everything. They touched their white hair and muttered to themselves, "It's not bad that my hair has turned white."

The young man with white hair stood up again, determined the direction in the dark, rainy night, and started walking northeast. After only a few steps, a thunderclap echoed in the sky, and another bolt of lightning struck him. He staggered and steadied himself against a nearby tree to avoid falling. Before he could regain his balance, another bolt of lightning struck his back.

Then, lightning continued to strike from the sky, all hitting the young man with white hair. Soon, the seed that had been planted in his chest began to melt, spreading through his bloodstream to his entire body.

The lightning continued to strike the young man with white hair. The electricity conducted from his body to the tree, causing the already rain-soaked tree to emit thick smoke. A moment later, with a "Whoosh!" the tree burst into flames in the torrential rain, though the flames were quickly extinguished by the rain. The tree trunk could no longer withstand the torment and snapped in two with a "Boom!"

Finally, the young man with white hair grew impatient with the lightning. "Enough!" he shouted, and with a sudden movement, he punched the spot where the lightning had struck. Just as a bolt of lightning struck his fist, a burst of electricity flared, but it quickly dimmed. The lightning was shattered by the young man's punch, turning into countless white sparks that scattered in the air.

The young man with white hair, surprised by the result, stared at his fist, which showed no sign of being burned.

At the same moment the lightning was shattered, the torrential rain that had been pouring down suddenly stopped. The thick clouds in the sky slowly dispersed, revealing a starry night sky.

After a while, the young man with white hair regained his composure. He looked back at the direction of Sand Hill City and muttered, "Is this the beginning...?"

More than a month later, a strange young man appeared in a market at the foot of the Yan Mountains in Liaodong. He was in his early twenties but had a head of white hair. His light clothing made him stand out in the harsh winter environment. It was already deep winter, and the entire Liaodong region was covered in snow. The locals had already changed into thick winter clothes, and seeing this young man in light clothing without any sign of feeling the cold, they were amazed.

The young man with white hair first inquired about the path up the mountain, then bought a dozen coarse grain cakes and prepared to head up the mountain. The local patrol officer saw him and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. The patrol officer, who was in his forties and still had black hair, hesitated for a moment before saying, "Young man, you can't go up the mountain now. The snow has already blocked the path, not to mention there are tigers on the Yan Mountains. They've been hungry and have come down to harm the people here. You seem capable, but to be frank, if you go up now, you'll either freeze to death or be eaten by the tigers. If you want to go up, wait two months until spring, when the snow melts. Then we can organize a group to go up the mountain to hunt and gather herbs. You can join us, and you won't regret it."

This young man with white hair was none other than Wu Mian, who had come back to life outside Sand Hill City. That night, he had not walked far when he encountered a few blind bandits trying to rob him. The Wu Mian of now was no longer the servant who could be beaten by the alchemist's chief. He had been harboring a grudge and found an outlet. In a single encounter, the bandits were killed on the spot. Wu Mian, having looted the bandits' silver, was able to continue his journey to Liaodong without being naked.

Wu Mian continued walking up the mountain as if he hadn't heard the patrol officer. However, he gave the old patrol officer some face and said, "It sounds like you haven't died before..."

Only Wu Mian understood what he meant, but the old patrol officer, hearing his sarcastic tone, thought he was being unreasonable. As Wu Mian walked away, the old patrol officer said to the onlookers, "See, good advice can't persuade a doomed man. You all can be my witnesses. I tried to persuade him for a long time. If he dies on the mountain, don't blame the patrol officer for not warning him..."

With his current hearing, Wu Mian heard every word the old patrol officer said, but he pretended not to hear. He continued walking, relying on his memory of the map. The deeper he went into the mountain, the thicker the snow became. By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, the snow was already up to his knees. Fortunately, Wu Mian didn't feel the cold, so although he walked slowly, he was getting closer to the location on the map.

He walked from morning until evening. Although Wu Mian's body no longer needed food for energy, he still felt the hunger in his stomach. After eating a few coarse grain cakes with snow water, he continued walking without resting. He didn't encounter the tigers the old patrol officer had mentioned, but he did see a few mountain chickens and wild rabbits, which ran away as soon as they saw him. He continued walking and finally, on the afternoon of the third day, found the location marked on the map.

The location on the map was at the base of a cliff. The area was barren, covered only by thick snow. It seemed that no one had been there for a long time. Wu Mian circled the area several times but couldn't find the entrance to the cave marked on the map.

Had he remembered incorrectly? Just as Wu Mian was about to give up and explore the surrounding area, he glanced at the cliff edge and noticed that the shadow cast by the sunlight on the rocks seemed to distort and change direction.

Wu Mian walked up to the rocks and reached out his hand, which passed through the rock without any resistance. It was an illusion! Wu Mian instantly understood, but he couldn't believe that he, who could see through Xu Fu's illusions, had to touch the rock to realize it.

This must be the entrance! Without hesitation, Wu Mian stepped into the rock. The world went dark, and he found himself inside the cliff.

Inside, it was pitch black, but Wu Mian's vision was unaffected, and he could see everything clearly. The place seemed to be a cave, with over a hundred wooden chests lined up against the wall. Wu Mian opened one of the chests and found it filled with gold ingots. He picked up one and weighed it; it was about fifty to sixty taels.

Although the gold was dazzling, Wu Mian's interest was not in it. He opened several more chests, but they all contained only gold ingots.

Wu Mian continued to search the cave but found nothing. He began to wonder: Could the Great Alchemist have known he was destitute and had to rob bandits to survive, so he left him this cave of gold?

However, Wu Mian didn't believe Xu Fu would be so considerate. With nothing else to search, he focused on the wall where the chests of gold ingots were placed.

He decided to act immediately. Wu Mian overturned the chests, scattering thousands of gold ingots on the ground. Behind the chests, he finally found what he was looking for. The area previously covered by the chests revealed a section of writing on the wall.

The writing was by Xu Fu, and it roughly said that this place was originally the hiding place of the last king of Yan, King Xi. After the failed assassination attempt by Jing Ke on the First Emperor of Qin, the Qin general Wang Jian captured the Yan capital. King Xi had already moved the gold from the palace to this place, hoping to use it to restore the kingdom. Unfortunately, he died soon after, and the gold became unclaimed treasure.

A few years later, Xu Fu discovered this place by chance. He had intended to leave it for future generations, so he set up an illusion at the entrance to deter intruders. Besides the gold, he left something that truly interested Wu Mian.

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**End of Chapter**