Bolangsha

Green Maiden had been gone for several days, and Ying Zheng was beside himself with worry.

He had thought Green Maiden had left because she was unhappy that he had sent Xu Fu overseas to seek immortality. He had dispatched the Qin Army and the Black Ice Platform to search for her whereabouts!

Only when he saw Green Maiden return did Ying Zheng finally breathe a sigh of relief. He cupped his hands and bowed. "Where have you been, Master? I've been searching everywhere for you!"

"Mount Tai!"

Green Maiden hopped onto the railing at her side and casually made up a lie.

Hearing this, Ying Zheng looked puzzled. "What did you go to Mount Tai for, Master?"

"Obviously, to pick out a good place for your Fengshan ceremony!"

Green Maiden swung her legs and raised her brows, smiling at Ying Zheng. "Well? I'm pretty good to you, aren't I? I even went ahead to scout out a place for this sort of thing. No need to thank me. Just have some beef prepared for me later. I'm starving."

"I'll have someone prepare it for you right away, Master!"

Ying Zheng nodded and immediately gave the order.

Green Maiden waved him off and went straight into her tent. She plopped down, then rubbed her little feet.

Snake Girl had always been wild, running around barefoot for more than two thousand years.

She stretched her legs and flexed her toes, then sighed. "Ah... I'm tired after just a few steps. My body isn't what it used to be."

Hong Luan rolled her eyes. "You've walked more than a thousand li since yesterday. Of course you're tired."

"I came back late because I was afraid he'd get suspicious, okay?"

Green Maiden flopped onto the rug.

She rolled over and gazed up at the canopy of the tent. Then she suddenly said, "If only I hadn't agreed to King Xiaowen back then."

Hong Luan landed beside Green Maiden's head and preened her feathers. "Jiu! Bird likes that you keep your promises. Whatever you do, Bird will do with you!"

"Ah! Looks like bringing you down from Kunlun was the right choice after all! Bird Sister, give me a kiss!"

Green Maiden grinned, rolled over, grabbed Hong Luan, and planted a kiss on her.

Hong Luan kicked Green Maiden in the cheek with one foot and scolded, "Stupid Snake! You got your saliva on my feathers!"

The whole-beef feast Ying Zheng had ordered arrived soon after. In less than an hour, the cow—which had been bigger than Green Maiden herself—had disappeared down the snake's belly. She wiped the grease from her hands and sighed with satisfaction.

"Ah... I really don't ask for much. As long as there's meat to eat, life as a snake is wonderful!"

Green Maiden stood and stretched her back.

Though she had eaten an entire cow, her belly didn't bulge at all. Her figure remained perfectly proportioned.

Seeing this, Hong Luan couldn't help but tease her. "I really wonder which stomach you put all that meat in."

The Eastern Tour's procession rumbled toward the foot of Mount Tai.

Li Si led men up the mountain, only to find that a flat expanse had already been cleared at the summit. The earthen foundation had been tamped firm, and faint footprints could still be seen along the edges.

Only when Li Si reported this did Ying Zheng finally believe that Green Maiden had gone to Mount Tai just to help him choose a place for the Fengshan ceremony.

Under Li Si's supervision, the Fengshan altar was soon completed.

Ying Zheng climbed to the heights and offered sacrifices to Heaven.

Standing atop Taiping Peak, Ying Zheng gazed out over the Qi-Lu Land. The vast, boundless plains stretched away beneath him, and the feeling of looking down upon all under Heaven was especially vivid. He turned toward Green Maiden and asked, "Master, if I offer sacrifice to Heaven here, will Tian Zhen know?"

"Perhaps."

Green Maiden didn't know either.

She looked westward. Far off on the horizon, a vast golden light shimmered, while the mighty Auspicious Fortune over Xianyang Plain suddenly began to slowly disperse.

It was as if, having reached its peak, it had begun to roll downhill!

Green Maiden's pupils contracted.

"How could this be..."

She had killed Zhao Gao and made Fusu the Crown Prince. The future Second Emperor wasn't Hu Hai. Ying Zheng hadn't taken any pills, and at this rate, he could live for many more years. So why was Qin's Auspicious Fortune still fading?

Ying Zheng stood with his back to Green Maiden, unaware of her shock. He only said, "Whether Heaven knows or not, it is enough that you know, Master."

Green Maiden was silent for a long while. Then she sighed and shook her head, murmuring, "No... I'm not Heaven."

"Master, you are higher than Heaven!"

Ying Zheng spoke with complete sincerity. Hearing him, Green Maiden gave another self-mocking laugh and waved her hand. "Don't let Heaven hear you say that. Otherwise, it might strike me with lightning one day, and that wouldn't be good! Come on, let's head down."

Her voice sounded tired.

The procession led the way, with Ying Zheng and Green Maiden following behind. Green Maiden's expression was heavy, and she remained silent for a long time.

Vines crept out from the sides of the path and caught on the hem of Green Maiden's skirt.

Feeling the tug, she suddenly paused and looked down. The vines had wound around her hem as if trying to keep her on Mount Tai.

Green Maiden bent down and patted them. "I know. But I have to try, don't I?"

You never turned back until you'd hit a wall.

And what if she had a hard enough head to smash right through it?

As soon as she finished speaking, the vines slipped from her hem and fell beside the path. Green Maiden kindly picked them up and returned them to the grass at the roadside.

Up ahead, Ying Zheng glanced back and saw Green Maiden crouching. Puzzled, he asked, "Master, what are you doing?"

"Taking care of the plants!"

Green Maiden called back and stood, hurrying to catch up with the procession.

The army marched west, its vast procession stretching for miles as it traveled from Qi Land into Han.

From inside the carriage, Green Maiden gazed at the Yellow River flowing east. Seeing reeds swaying in the breeze, she twitched her nose and called to someone beside her. "What's that place up ahead?"

"Reporting to you, Master, it's Bolangsha."

Green Maiden understood at once and waved him away. "All right, go on."

When the carriage reached Bolangsha, it slowed because of the uneven terrain. As it rocked and swayed, Green Maiden counted the seconds in her mind.

In moments, a giant hammer came crashing down on her carriage, smashing it to pieces with a bang!

Hong Luan cried out in alarm, "What's going on? Who's trying to kill Snake?"

"That's what I should be asking."

Green Maiden grabbed Hong Luan and stood, looking to one side. There, in the reed bed, she spotted Zhang Liang hidden among the stalks.

It was no wonder Zhang Liang had mistaken her carriage for Ying Zheng's. They were both built to the same specifications: the Imperial Chariot.

In fact, Ying Zheng had even assigned her more attendants.

When Zhang Liang saw that the person stepping out of the carriage wasn't Ying Zheng but a girl in green, his expression changed abruptly. He turned and ran without a moment's hesitation.

The Qin Army seized the would-be assassin, while Ying Zheng hurried toward Green Maiden.

"Master! Are you all right?"

Seeing Ying Zheng's anxious expression, Green Maiden waved him off. "Stay here. I'll go take a look."

Ying Zheng hurriedly said, "I'll send someone else, Master..."

"No need."

Green Maiden refused Ying Zheng's offer. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, she vanished into the reeds in the blink of an eye. Her body moved with a snake's agility; the others could barely follow her with their eyes, let alone keep up.

Zhang Liang wasn't as fast as Green Maiden. In the space of a breath, she had blocked his way.

"Stop running. You can't outrun me."

Green Maiden stood in Zhang Liang's path. Looking at the man who would become Zhang Zifang, the sage strategist who helped establish the Han dynasty that would last four hundred years, she called out his name.

"Zhang Liang! Zhang Zifang!"