I lit a cigarette, took a couple of drags, exhaled wisps of smoke, and picked up the teacup on the table. Three villains set out from Qiland, searching for the medicinal ingredients needed for the Celestial Path Pill left behind by Master Bernard Zheng.
"So, did you find it in the end? That Celestial Path Pill?"
Xu Fu nodded.
"Of course we found it. After all, I managed to stand out from all those famed alchemists who came seeking fortune after the founding of Qin, earning the trust of Emperor Qin—all thanks to that Celestial Path Pill. Maybe I was just lucky. In those years in Qin, I was unmatched among the alchemists. No one dared oppose me; I reached the peak of power, then lost my balance. But that wasn't what I truly wanted. It was only during that quest for immortality that I finally understood."
"So what is it you really want?"
I glared at Xu Fu. His evil deeds made me deeply uncomfortable, but I had no right to judge him.
"Eternal life. I grew up around it, always repelled by it, unable to truly believe in it. Yet I still walked this path—not just to reach the peak of power, but because, from a young age, I witnessed too many scenes at the end of life."
After Xu Fu got up, he said he was going out to buy some groceries and told me to wait a few minutes.
I stood up, planning to brew another pot of tea and continue listening to Xu Fu’s story. In these tales, I heard nothing good in people; whatever could be considered good was always replaced by evil in the end.
Adam Dale was like this, Xu Fu was like this, and even Wu was the same. I sighed, and with a whoosh, a fragrant aroma wafted over. I saw Xu Fu carrying bags and bags of food, all of it grilled, the scent rich and mingled with the aroma of alcohol.
Did you know? In ancient times, the most popular food was called 'zhi'—grilled meat, especially roast wild boar from Yanland. I still can't forget the first time I ate roast wild boar; it was Ms. Genesis and Mr. Oblivion, the siblings, who made it for me.
I stared at Xu Fu.
Are Ms. Genesis and Mr. Oblivion from Yanland?
Xu Fu nodded, sat down, picked up a piece of meat, and began to eat.
In the 243rd year of the Warring States, Zhaoland's Grand General Li Mu led his army to attack Yanland. King Simon of Yanland appointed General Justin Grant to defend, but they suffered a crushing defeat. General Justin Grant was captured and executed, twenty thousand soldiers were lost, and Yanland was severely weakened. Just as Zhaoland was about to invade Yanland, they suddenly withdrew, and Qinland seized the opportunity to send troops. Yanland narrowly escaped disaster, but its national strength was greatly diminished.
When winter came, the enormous losses meant many regions lost their young workforce, and the harvests were drastically reduced. Famine broke out.
On the main road, all the refugees formed a long line heading toward Zhuo City. As a southern city bordering Qiland, and with no wars for years, most refugees chose Zhuo City as their destination.
The line of refugees on the road seemed endless, but suddenly, cries of alarm broke out.
"They're stealing food!"
A crowd of people, like starving wolves, were frantically snatching food. This was the reality for the refugees.