Chapter 6: Qin Shi Huang-O cara levou a gente para um ponto turístico onde dá para cultivar imortalidade e fazer arqueologia!(Aquele que segura a pena)

"It's here, it's finally here." Li Jianguo gripped Jiang Ye's arm in excitement. Even a rough-hewn man like him held unparalleled reverence for the First Emperor of Qin.

As a blogger, Zhang Tao had a habit of recording beautiful moments whenever they arose. He certainly could not miss the ceremonial procession of the First Emperor’s eastern tour. If this footage were released, it would undoubtedly cause a massive sensation. Zhang Tao took his phone from his pocket, opened the recording function, and stealthily aimed the lens at the approaching procession. Jiang Ye, Li Minghui, and the others followed suit, pulling out their own phones. Seeing everyone else doing the same, Li Jianguo felt inspired and followed their lead.

Jiang Ye, acting as their tour guide, hurriedly whispered a warning to the group: "Everyone, be careful while filming. Don't let anyone see; be discreet. Remember to turn off your flash and sound. And, whatever you do, do not look directly at the imperial carriage. If you must look, do it surreptitiously so you aren't discovered."

"Understood, understood," the others replied with nods.

The grand, sweeping procession drew nearer. The commoners on both sides of the street fell to their knees in succession, performing the kowtow. Jiang Ye and the other five followed the flow of the crowd, kneeling down while keeping their phones hidden within their sleeves, the recording function still active, capturing every detail of the unfolding events.

The leading official shouted toward the head of the carriage, "Prepare to welcome the Imperial Carriage!"

"Long live the Emperor! May the Great Qin endure for ten thousand generations!"

The surrounding commoners joined in the chorus: "Long live the Emperor! May the Great Qin endure for ten thousand generations!"

"Long live the Emperor! May the Great Qin endure for ten thousand generations!"

The sound rose wave after wave, piercing the very clouds. Jiang Ye and his five companions joined in the shouting, with Zhang Tao calling out especially loudly and excitedly.

"Long live the Emperor! May the Great Qin endure for ten thousand generations!!!"

Jiang Ye swept his gaze across the sides of the street, noticing that all the commoners had their foreheads pressed firmly against the ground. Occasionally, a bold soul would peek upward, but upon catching sight of the cold, gleaming halberds in the hands of the Imperial Guards, they would hastily bury their faces back into their coarse fabric sleeves.

*Clop, clop, clop...*

The uniform sound of horse hooves approached like distant, low thunder. Six pure black imperial horses moved slowly forward, the jade pendants on their foreheads swaying gently with each step, while the golden bells braided into their manes emitted a solemn, metallic chime.

Behind the horses was the First Emperor's exclusive carriage—the Wen-Wen chariot. The frame was crafted from nanmu wood, the shafts carved with vermilion bird and coiled dragon patterns, and the canopy hung with tasseled jade pendants that shimmered with a cold, metallic luster under the sun. The interior and exterior of the carriage were lined with lacquered cloth, and the windows were shielded by fine gauze curtains. Wherever the carriage passed, the golden bells rang out softly.

Through the half-rolled curtains, a figure could be vaguely seen sitting within. As the carriage reached Jiang Ye, a sudden breeze lifted a corner of the curtain. For a fleeting second, a blade-like, chiseled profile was revealed, only to vanish as quickly as it had appeared. Though they hadn't seen the First Emperor in full, it was still enough to leave them trembling with excitement.

*Good heavens, that was the First Emperor himself!*

Just as Jiang Ye was inwardly marveling, a crisp "click" suddenly echoed by his ear, accompanied by a blinding flash of light.

*Damn it!* Jiang Ye cursed silently.

*Whiz—*

The sound of air being pierced was followed by an arrow, glinting with cold light, flying toward Jiang Ye’s side at breakneck speed. Li Jianguo stood frozen in shock. Jiang Ye reached out to pull him away, but his physical reflexes could not keep pace with his mind. On the other side, Wang Haifeng reacted with lightning speed, yanking Li Jianguo away. The sharp arrow whistled past just centimeters from Jiang Ye's ear, burying itself into the building behind them.

Before anyone could react, a large contingent of Imperial Guards, brandishing cold, sharp halberds, surrounded Jiang Ye and his group. The speed of their movement was beyond imagination. Once Li Jianguo regained his senses, he realized his mistake, but regret was useless now. Jiang Ye cursed inwardly, but his priority was survival; if they could just hold out for another six hours, they could return to the modern era.

Zhang Tao was so terrified that he raised his hands, not daring to move a muscle. Even Li Minghui and the other two dared not make the slightest gesture. Compared to the battle-hardened, blood-stained elite soldiers of the Qin army, they were completely out of their depth. If any of the six made even the slightest move, those sharp halberds would slice through their necks and separate their heads from their bodies.

The sudden turn of events made the atmosphere in the area heavy and stifling, with countless eyes fixed upon them.

"We are not assassins," Zhang Tao said, his voice trembling, terrified that a halberd might pierce his body. "We don't have any weapons on us."

Just as the soldiers were preparing to search them, Meng Yi, dressed in black robes and riding a tall horse, arrived on the scene. His sharp gaze swept over the group from above, and he commanded the soldiers, "Take them away first. Do not let this delay His Majesty's journey."

"Understood!" the lead soldier replied.

After Meng Yi departed, the lead soldier ordered with a cold face, "Take the six of them away."

As the soldiers seized Jiang Ye, he immediately stored his phone and water bottle into his system. During the escort, Jiang Ye tried to store the others' phones and water bottles as well, but their captors were not to be trifled with. There was no chance for contact. Even a simple exchange of glances resulted in a reprimand. Not wanting to be whipped, they could only walk obediently under guard.

***

Langya Prison.

Jiang Ye and his companions were locked in a cell. As soon as they entered, the jailers approached to search them. Li Jianguo was the first to be searched. The jailer patted him down and quickly found the smartphone and water bottle in his sleeves.

"What is this thing?" The jailer held the low-end, few-hundred-yuan smartphone, looking at it from left to right.

Jiang Ye spoke up: "This is called a mobile phone, a precious treasure. It can be used as an oil lamp for lighting, and it can also create images—images so realistic they could be mistaken for the real thing."

As he spoke, he signaled frantically to Li Jianguo: "Brother Li, hurry and demonstrate it for these officers."

Although Li Jianguo didn't understand Jiang Ye's intention, he followed his lead. "Officer, let me demonstrate for you." He stepped forward.

"Don't move!" the jailer barked. He cast a wary glance at Li Jianguo before looking back at Jiang Ye. "You do it."

Jiang Ye explained, "Officer, the treasure belongs to him. Others cannot open it; it must be opened by its owner."

Another jailer snapped his whip. "Do as you're told and stop the nonsense."

Jiang Ye had no choice but to step forward. He pressed the power button, and the screen instantly lit up. The jailer watching Jiang Ye was startled by the sudden light and instinctively threw the phone away.

With a loud "thud," the phone hit the ground.

Li Jianguo cried out in heartache, "My phone!"