"The Great Qin Dynasty?"
Sun Wukong's gaze sharpened. A glint of golden light flashed in his eyes and vanished.
The old king nodded gently. His eyes were deep as he raised a hand and pointed east. His fingers trembled, yet a trace of yearning remained in his gaze.
"Travel east from here, crossing countless mountains and rivers, and you will come upon a magnificent capital, with towering walls and imposing gates. It is called—Xianyang!"
He paused. His gaze seemed to pass through the dust of countless years, and his voice carried a note of pride and reverence.
"It is the most prosperous place in the mortal world. Its palaces and towers gleam with gold and jade, and royal majesty soars into the heavens. There are the grandest palaces, the mightiest soldiers, the most imposing ruler, and the strictest laws."
At his words, Sun Wukong's eyes shone. His previously casual, languid posture straightened at once, and a fierce, domineering aura seemed to radiate from him, as if he looked down upon the world.
A cold smile tugged at his lips. He clasped his hands in salute and declared, "Thank you for your guidance, old king! I'll go to Xianyang City and see for myself what the most exalted ruler in the mortal world is capable of!"
With that, he swept his sleeve, as if about to ride the wind away.
But just then, Princess Aozi, who had been quietly standing to one side, suddenly stepped forward.
She clutched the hem of her clothes. Her lips trembled, and tears glimmered in her eyes, but she stubbornly held her back straight, refusing to let them fall.
"Great King, wait!"
Her voice shook as she called out softly.
Sun Wukong paused and turned to look at her, a trace of puzzlement in his eyes.
Ao Zi took a deep breath and raised her head, meeting his eyes, deep as the night sky. In a hoarse voice, she asked, "I... I still don't know your name, Great King..."
Seeing how solemn she was, Sun Wukong suddenly grinned, revealing two rows of sharp white teeth. He said slowly, "My name is Sun Wukong!"
He tilted his head to gaze at the unreachable blue heavens, his brows lifting. He seemed to be talking to himself, yet his words appeared to carry a deeper meaning. He chuckled softly, "Soon, this name will resound throughout Heaven, Earth, and the Netherworld—the four great continents, the seas in every direction, and countless kingdoms! Whoever hears it will know just how formidable I am!"
Princess Aozi stared at him blankly. Her lips trembled, and an indescribable ache welled up inside her. The words that had risen to her throat simply wouldn't come out.
As Sun Wukong was about to soar away on the clouds, she suddenly called out, her eyes red, "Sun Wukong! Will we... ever meet again?"
At her words, the Monkey King smiled faintly. He did not look back. His figure stood tall, his robes snapping in the wind.
His calm voice carried a hint of chill and the loneliness of one who stood apart from the world.
"Mortals live no more than a hundred years, like mayflies between Heaven and Earth, born at dawn and dead by dusk... I fear you and I will never meet again in this life."
He paused, then suddenly added softly, as if offering a blessing—or bidding her farewell, "Princess, take care!"
"I'm off!"
As his words fell, auspicious clouds rolled beneath Sun Wukong's feet. A clear cry split the sky, and in an instant he had soared past the clouds, becoming a streak of golden light that shot into the highest heavens.
Princess Aozi tilted her head back, staring blankly at the clouds as they gradually dispersed. Nothing remained before her but empty sky.
The wind stirred her hair and the hem of her dress, but it could not dispel the desolate ache in her heart. It was as if her heart had followed the clouds on the horizon, quietly leaving with Sun Wukong.
She reached out, trying to grasp something, but it was all in vain.
Tears brimmed in her eyes. One slipped down her cheek, its warmth searing her heart.
Seeing his daughter's expression, the old king sighed deeply. He stepped forward and raised a hand to wipe away her tears, but in the end he lowered it. He said softly, "Zi'er, the Monkey King is gone!"
Tears in her eyes, Ao Zi asked, "Father, will I really never see him again?"
"He is a Demon Immortal, an unparalleled Demon Immortal. He is beyond the reach of mortals like you and me!"
Ao Zi finally sighed wistfully and turned to look at her father. Her tear-blurred voice was so faint it seemed likely to disappear in the wind.
"Father, if there is a next life, I would gladly become a cloud glowing on the horizon, so I could stay by his side forever..."
The old king could only sigh. He had no words of comfort.
After Sun Wukong left, Princess Aozi burned incense and prayed every day in the vast, empty palace, asking only that the Monkey King find peace and fulfill the ideals in his heart.
Not long afterward, the old king abdicated and passed the throne to Ao Zi, who became queen. By royal decree, she had dozens of temples built across the kingdom to honor the divine monkey. Their incense burned brightly, and the people flocked to worship him.
Deep within the resplendent palace, Princess Aozi's hair gradually turned white, yet she still held an incense burner in her hands each day and prayed without end before the statue of the divine monkey.
In the end, she never married. She lived to the age of one hundred and twenty-one, and even as she lay dying, she still murmured the name that had illuminated the rest of her life—Sun Wukong.
But in this life, she and he never met again.
Of course, that is a story for later. Let us set it aside for now.
Xianyang City, Qin Imperial Palace.
Xianyang City stood magnificent and imposing, and the halls of the Qin Imperial Palace stretched out in orderly rows, one after another.
Inside the grand hall, the First Emperor, Ying Zheng, sat upon his throne. He wore a black-and-gold imperial robe embroidered with dragons, and a crown with twelve hanging strands that fell to his shoulders. His black hair was bound beneath the golden crown.
His sword-like brows and hawklike eyes were sharp and cold, his expression so imposing that none dared to offend him.
The assembled officials stood with their heads bowed in the hall.
"Where is Xu Fu?"
Ying Zheng spoke slowly, his voice cold and imposing as his gaze swept over the assembled officials like a blade.
"Have none of you received word from Xu Fu?"
Silence filled the hall.
At length, the Chancellor, Li Si, stepped forward. His dark-green robe looked like ink. He bowed, his voice hoarse but clear.
"Your Majesty, I heard from fishermen who work the sea that they once saw Xu Fu lead three thousand boys and girls to a long, narrow island in the depths of the Eastern Sea. He has been living there for many years..."
Li Si paused and glanced up at the First Emperor. In the end, he continued in a low voice.
"Moreover, I heard from those fishermen that Xu Fu has proclaimed himself emperor on the island, taking the title 'Divine Martial Heavenly Emperor.' He also said he would begin a project to create a new people on the island and establish an entirely new nation! He will never return to Great Qin!"
"What?!"
At those words, Ying Zheng sprang to his feet. His hawklike eyes instantly grew bloodshot as he stared at Li Si, as though they might spill blood.
"Useless! You're all useless!!"
Ying Zheng swept up his hand, flipping the jade table in an instant. Its heavy crash echoed through the hall, and the officials' faces turned deathly pale.
"I sent him across the sea to seek the elixir of immortality for me, and he dares to deceive his sovereign and betray me?!"
Ying Zheng's furious roar shook the hall. Even the painted screen beside his throne trembled.
"Raise an army!!!"
He ground his teeth, his voice as cold as a chilling wind from hell.
"Carry out my command: launch an expedition across the sea, conquer the lands beyond it, and exterminate Xu Fu's entire clan! Kill the three thousand rebels on his island—leave not a blade of grass standing!!"
The officials stood as silent as cicadas in winter, not one daring to speak.
Qin Shi Huang was incensed. He had unified the six kingdoms and established the powerful Qin Dynasty, brought the Nine Provinces together under his rule, and won the hearts of the realm. He had unified the written script and measurements, built highways and the Great Wall, and believed his virtue surpassed that of the Three Sovereigns and his achievements exceeded those of the Five Emperors. He had created the title "Emperor" and called himself the First Emperor.
Yet ever since the last Human Emperor, Di Xin, had fallen and Ji Fa had proclaimed himself king, calling himself the Son of Heaven, there had been no Human Emperor in the mortal world.
From then on, the human way had fallen, utterly suppressed by the Heavenly Dao!
Henceforth, rulers of the mortal world could only call themselves Sons of Heaven. They could neither attain immortality nor become immortals!
Qin Shi Huang's gaze was as cold as a piercing winter wind. He raised his eyes to the heavens.
"If I am to rule, then I will be the First Emperor. I will never be the Son of Heaven!"
"If Heaven won't let me cultivate immortality, then I'll do it anyway!"
"If Heaven won't let me live forever, then I'll defy Heaven!"
[PS: This is mythology, so some things may differ from historical fact. Please don't take it as a direct reference to history!]
Before you continue