The Unremarkable Little Taoist Master

Qin Shi Huang lightly waved his sleeve, and the crowded Qin Army soldiers around him retreated like a receding tide, as if they had never been present at all.

Two generals from the Qin dynasty stood firmly behind Qin Shi Huang, watching us coldly, as if they would spring into action at the slightest movement on our part.

We anxiously watched the old professor, who appeared completely calm and composed, as if he were lecturing his students. Qin Shi Huang looked at the old professor, and the old professor looked back at him.

Neither of them broke this silence first, but it was eventually Qin Shi Huang who spoke up.

“May I ask why the Qin dynasty eventually perished?”

The old professor cleared his throat and replied, “During your travels to inspect the realm, you passed away. Zhao Gao and others supported Huhai as the Second Emperor, and later falsely claimed to transmit your will. Fusu believed in this so-called will and committed suicide by poisoning. After the deaths of these two, the Second Emperor indulged in excess, which led to the people’s uprising.

The first to rebel were Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, but they were quickly suppressed. Afterward, countless grassroots uprising organizations emerged, among which Liu Bang and Xiang Yu were the most powerful.

Xiang Yu and his fellows completely overthrew the rule of your Qin dynasty, and later Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu, ultimately becoming emperor and establishing the Han dynasty.”

Qin Shi Huang’s face turned ashen, and he sighed quietly, appearing to age several decades in an instant. He looked at the old professor and slowly said, “So now it is the world of the Han?”

The old professor shook his head. “After the Han came the Western Han, the Three Kingdoms, the Eastern Jin, and so many dynasties rose and fell. It truly reflects the saying that what is united must divide, and what is divided must unite.”

A look of relief appeared on Qin Shi Huang’s face as he self-deprecatingly smiled and said, “What a pity. I was unable to witness the heroes of this world, and it’s truly unfortunate that I could not contend with them.”

The old professor did not speak, merely watching Qin Shi Huang with a quiet gaze. It seemed as though Qin Shi Huang was speaking both to himself and to us when he said that great matters of the world divide and unite over time.

What a profound truth: what is divided must unite, and what is united must divide, Qin Shi Huang murmured.

After a while, Qin Shi Huang fixed his gaze on me and said, “What’s going on with you? It seems that there’s more than just you inside your body.”

I was taken aback. “Can you tell what it is? Can you share that with me?”

Qin Shi Huang replied, “I can tell you what’s inside your body and allow you to leave, but I have conditions.”

Everyone was excited, and I asked, “What are the conditions?”

Qin Shi Huang said, “I want to see my son Fusu. If you can bring him to me, I will agree to let you go.”

“Okay.”

“However, I don’t trust you. You’ll have to leave someone behind as a hostage. This person who just spoke with me seems like a good choice.”

The old professor’s assistant turned pale with shock. “This… Professor…”

The old professor reassured him, “It’s fine. I can stay behind. I’ll wait for you here, so don’t worry. I won’t be harmed.” He then turned to Qin Shi Huang and said, “Alright, we agree to your terms. Now, please let them go.”

Qin Shi Huang waved his hand, and a path appeared before us. “Follow this path, and you can get out.”

As we walked down the path, silence enveloped us. The old daoist priest furrowed his brow, and the old professor’s assistant looked less than enthusiastic. I glanced at the two of them and smiled, “Why the long faces? Once we complete our task, we’ll be able to rescue the old professor.”