Chapter 1: The White Dragon Hides the Corpse (Part 1)

  In the twenty-sixth year of Qin Wang Zheng's reign, on a day in March, after a thunderstorm, the sky was still overcast and showed no signs of clearing up.

  Dark clouds are rolling in, and from time to time, a faint rumble of thunder can be heard, as if it is foretelling that an even bigger storm is approaching.

  The fleet stopped by the river Suishui, and a burst of crying came from the fleet.

  "Can't you just give up?"

  A middle-aged man got down from an ox cart. Beside him were two girls, one of whom was eighteen or nineteen years old, with bright eyes and white teeth, a pair of almond-shaped eyes filled with sorrow; she held her younger sister's hand, with a sad expression on her face.

  The middle-aged man asked: "Can't Mr. Qu even save him?"

  An official-looking person hastily stepped forward to answer: "Sir, Liu Quan's fate was sealed from the start! When he was first born, someone said he had a great calamity in his destiny and wouldn't live past fifteen years old. Master Jun did his best, but unfortunately this child... Alas, it was all predestined."

  A middle-aged man with a look of loss on his face.

  "We barely escaped from the Single Father, thanks to his father and son sacrificing their lives. Liu Fu died in battle, and now even Kan can't be kept safe... Fu Sheng, you come with me to take a look, since his father and son died for my family, we must give that child a proper settlement."

  "What the old master said is absolutely right!"

  Four people walked to the end of the vehicle team and saw an old woman holding a sturdy young man's body, crying.

  That young man, with a sturdy build, had his eyes tightly closed, his face as white as paper, and black blood stained on the collar of his clothes, lying there motionless.

  An old man with a doctor's appearance stood up shaking his head and let out a sigh.

  "Madam, please restrain your grief!"

  It is a term for an old woman. In more straightforward language, it means "old lady".

  This sentence was equivalent to determining the nature of things. The old woman, who had been full of expectation, heard Lang Zhong's words and fell silent for a moment before letting out a shrill cry, and in an instant tears rained down.

  A middle-aged man walked over and asked Lang Zhong: "Mr. Jun, is it really hopeless?"

  "Mr. Qu nodded, 'This child was shot with an arrow outside the Single Father City, right in the vital part. If not for his strong physique, he would have stopped breathing long ago. Being able to hold on until now is already a surprise... Mr. Lü, I'm really sorry, please forgive me for being unable to do anything.'"

  The middle-aged man said: "Mr. Qu's words are too much! Lü Mou is now a fallen person, and Mr. doesn't abandon him. From Danfu, he followed me all the way here, which is already a great kindness. How can I blame Mr.? It's just a pity that we couldn't save Quan's life after all. I really owe an apology to Liu Fu brothers... Fu Sheng, go and pass on my message. We'll rest here tonight and set off again after arranging for Quan."

  The housekeeper was startled, "Master, this wilderness is not very safe. Another ten miles, it's Mosang, we..."

  The middle-aged man's face sank, "The dead are more important, let alone Liu Fu and Liu Ke, the father and son who saved my family!"

  The housekeeper was very reluctant, but the master had already made up his mind, and he also knew that persuasion would be futile.

  A middle-aged man led two young girls to the front of the wailing old woman and said, "Madam Qian, please restrain your grief!"

  "Yes, auntie, please don't grieve!"

  A slightly older girl squatted down and gently comforted her. Those bright eyes were red, with tears swirling in the sockets.

  Liu and his son have nothing to do with her family.

  To be precise, the father and son of the Liu family were just guests in her home. The deceased youth was named Liu Quan, who was fourteen years old. The young girl had watched Liu Quan grow up since childhood, and with her kind nature, she regarded him as a younger brother. Although she also had brothers, compared to them, the simple and honest Liu Quan seemed more intimate, always following closely behind her like a little tail since childhood.

  But now, Liu Kan has actually left...

  The girl's heart was filled with sorrow, but she forced a smile and comforted the old woman saying: "Auntie, although he has passed away, his spirit in heaven will be sad to see you like this."

  "Yes, Qian'niang... Don't let Qian leave with an uneasy heart!"

  The middle-aged man also dissuaded in a low voice, and the old woman sobbed and stopped crying.

  "The most urgent thing is to bury him in the ground for peace. Unfortunately, this condition is simple and cannot find a coffin for burial. However, I still have a piece of brocade in my hand, temporarily used as a coffin, let him be buried first. When we arrive at Pei, we will ask someone to make a coffin, how about that?"

  Madam Wang said: "I am just a woman who manages the household, how can I be in charge of these things? But I will follow Master's arrangements."

  "However, I'm afraid I must decline!"

  The middle-aged man was also a member of the scholarly family, and he did things in a very orderly manner. He immediately arranged for people to either bury the cauldron and cook rice or set up shelters, coming and going, looking very busy. The two girls then supported Qian's wife and walked into the carriage.

  The vehicles formed a circular array with a bonfire lit in the center.

  The young man's corpse was placed under a giant tree, wrapped in a piece of brocade, with a grass mat underneath his body.

  According to middle-aged men, the auspicious time for burial is at 5:00-7:00 pm.

  That is to say, they had to spend a night in this desolate wilderness.

  Not everyone is willing to do so. After all, this place is a flat plain with no shelter from the wind and rain. Moreover, the world is not at peace, and it's hard to guarantee that there won't be any bandits or robbers appearing. Although the slaves in the caravan are armed, it's still not safe.

  Two girls returned to their own vehicle after persuading Kan Lai to fall asleep.

  "Sister, why suffer for a foolish boy in this desolate wilderness? If you ask me, dig a hole and bury him."

  A young man complained, his fingers combing through his hair, saying calmly.

  Next to him sat a young man, about sixteen or seventeen years old, who also nodded repeatedly in agreement upon hearing this.

  The girl glared, "Brother, you can't say that. The Liu family father and son died protecting us... Think back to the year when our household had many guests. However, on the day of the single father's defeat, only the Liu family father and son stayed behind. Not for anything else, even if it was just considering ourselves, we couldn't do such an unrighteous thing. Now our household can't be compared to how it was back then, with the king surrendering, this world is already Qin's world.

  And when we arrived at Pei, it was unfamiliar territory. Although there were some thin resources, without someone to help us out, it would be difficult to make a living in Pei after all.

  Who can help us?

  Aren't they just those people who fled with us from outside?

  "My father is doing this to win over their hearts. If it's really as you say, I'm afraid that before the promised time arrives, these people's hearts will have scattered."

  The young man was obviously somewhat intimidated by the girl, despite being older than her.

  When the girl said that, he didn't dare say anything else. He just muttered under his breath: "That's what they say, but it's still a bit dangerous. What if bandits appear? We'll all be in danger of losing our lives. If we can't even stay alive, what's the use of having people's hearts?"

  The girl, however, was too lazy to pay attention, and hugged her sister, leaning against the carriage, closing her eyes.

  "Sister, has Qian really left?"

  Little sister whispered, "Then won't there be anyone to play with me anymore? Sister, I want to stay...I don't want to leave, okay?"

  The girl's nose turned sour and she tightly hugged her sister.

  "Auntie, don't worry... although Ah Kuan has left, sister is still here."

  "Ah!"

  For outsiders, it's probably hard to understand the feelings between the sisters and Liu Quan. Childhood friends? Maybe! In the sister's heart, Liu Quan is her little brother who grew up under her care; while in the younger sister's eyes, Liu Quan is a good playmate since childhood.

  What about now?

  Brother or companion... lies alone outside, and can no longer laugh and play with them like before.

  But who is to blame for all this?

  Outside the train car, it started raining.

  But it wasn't loud, just a steady patter. The rain pounded against the carriage roof, making a dull sound. Occasionally, the sound of horses whinnying could be heard from the camp, adding an eerie atmosphere to this quiet rainy night. Yes, eerie, an inexplicable eeriness.

  The girl suddenly woke up and remembered Liu Gong's body was still outside.

  She gently released her sister and covered her with clothes. Looking at the two brothers who were snoring loudly, sleeping soundly, she couldn't help but feel helpless. These two brothers, who were used to living in luxury, could actually sleep so soundly in such a situation?

  However, if Liu Jian were still alive, he would probably not be so vigilant himself.

  She put on her raincoat, and the girl walked out of the carriage. She picked up a felt from the car beam, jumped off the car, and ran to the big tree. Can't let Liu Kan's body be washed by the rain? But when the girl arrived under the tree, she found that there was already someone sitting next to Liu Kan's body.

  Kuang Yu, Liu Kuang's mother.

  In this world, apart from the girl who was concerned about Liu Quan's corpse, his mother was also worried. Even more so than the girl's concern, it was more sincere. Upon hearing the footsteps, Quan's mother turned her head to look and saw that it was the girl, she smiled slightly and nodded.

  "Auntie, why don't you go rest?"

  Qian's wife looked at Liu Qian, a faint, inexpressible smile of kindness appeared on her face, and she said softly: "Qian is afraid of thunder, I accompany him, he will not be afraid!"

  The girl didn't say another word, but found a raincoat and put it on Liu Qian's body, then sat down beside him. The two women didn't speak again, just accompanying Liu Qian like that. The night grew darker and the wind howled, the rain getting heavier and heavier!