The alchemist's opening move: I'll paint a pie in the sky for Qin Shi Huang.

Just as the crowd on the steps was filled with fervor, a helpless sigh echoed from a secluded corner deep within Xing Le Palace!

"Speaking of which, haven't we seen this wall several times before?"

Once again, Zou Yun walked to this damned corner, staring at the mark he had left earlier, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

After going around in circles, he returned to where he started.

Clearly, this man, who had just presented himself as a carefree and unconventional hermit in front of everyone, had now gotten lost in this remote corner.

"Is there anyone who can save me?!" Zou Yun shouted angrily, looking up at the sky.

In short, he can't find the way back to Danchi, and he can't even see a single person.

The columns cast long shadows in the afternoon sun, making the vast palace complex seem as if he were the only living thing left.

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

What bothered him even more was the growing hunger pangs in his stomach, accompanied by rumbling sounds that made Zou Yun increasingly irritable.

He simply gave up on the pointless wandering and squatted down by the shimmering lake, staring blankly at the fish swimming in the water.

Fish dart and play among the clear water plants, their delicate scales shimmering in the golden sunlight.

The more leisurely and carefree they were, the more Zou Yun's empty stomach seemed to stand out, and the rumbling sound appeared even louder.

Zou Yun licked his slightly chapped lips, his eyes fixed on a fish that looked exceptionally plump, pondering how to prepare one to satisfy his craving.

Yet, because he was unarmed, a faint sadness arose within him.

suddenly!

A crisp voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Hey, you can't poop here!"

Zou Yun turned around in surprise and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a little boy, about seven or eight years old, dressed in a dark brocade robe, running towards him from a distance.

The child had a serious little face, his expression so solemn it was almost comical.

His gaze was sharp and fixed on Zou Yun, who was squatting by the lake, clearly regarding him as some kind of villain.

"This is His Majesty's forbidden palace grounds; how dare you act so presumptuously!"

The little boy ran up breathlessly, trying to straighten his small body, put his hands on his hips, and try to look more dignified.

Just from that short jog, his chest heaved violently, and his face flushed.

It has absolutely no imposing presence; on the contrary, it appears extremely cute.

But the little brat didn't think so. After calming down a bit, he imitated the way adults scolded him and shouted in his still immature voice.

"Aren't you afraid of being dragged out and beheaded?"

Despite his efforts to project the most threatening expression, his handsome appearance with red lips and white teeth only revealed a cute, forced maturity in Zou Yun's eyes.

Like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Zou Yun stood up, slowly dusted off the dust on his sacrificial robes, and a playful thought suddenly arose in his mind. He deliberately drew out his question.

"Ha, so what? Do you even know who I am?"

He slightly raised his chin, allowing his magnificent sacrificial robes to shimmer with a warm luster in the sunlight, attempting to intimidate others with his attire.

Unexpectedly, the child was not intimidated by the luxurious robes. Instead, he looked him up and down carefully and said with a look of disdain.

"Of course I don't know your name!"

"But I once heard someone say that what makes a person noble is never luxurious clothing, but precious virtue."

"Moreover, to commit such a despicable act in this sacred palace..."

He paused, seemingly feeling that the original word was inappropriate, and ultimately changed it to a more subtle term.

"I suppose you're not anyone special."

The boy gave a soft snort, his disdain growing stronger.

Seeing this little brat lecturing him so seriously, Zou Yun wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he became quite interested and couldn't resist teasing the child.

He deliberately put on a stern face, suddenly reaching for his belt with one hand as if to untie it, while raising his voice in a provocative tone.

"Hmph! Well, I'm going to use the restroom here today, so what are you going to do about it?"

Upon hearing this, the lakeside fell completely silent!

Not only did the child's eyes widen suddenly, looking at him with the eyes of someone looking at a pervert, but even Zou Yun himself immediately realized that this joke might have gone too far.

A blush rose to his face, and his hands froze in mid-air.

"Cough cough..."

Zou Yun coughed twice and subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to touch the child's head.

But he dodged it. In the end, Zou Yun could only touch his non-existent beard to hide his embarrassment. His voice softened considerably as he awkwardly said...

"I was just joking with you, don't take it seriously."

Seeing that the little boy was still staring at him with a suspicious look, he had no choice but to change the subject.

"Little brat..." Zou Yun suddenly paused, as if remembering something, and immediately changed his tone, addressing the boy solemnly, "May I ask... your esteemed name?"

Sure enough, the child was pleased to hear Zou Yun address him as "your humble servant," and seemed quite pleased.

The seriousness on her little face softened, and she stopped dwelling on the awkward moment. She tried her best to sit up straight, clasped her hands together, and bowed earnestly.

"I am of the Ying clan, and my name is Ziying!"

"Ziying?! It was him!"

This name instantly triggered Zou Yun's memories of his past life.

He stared intently at the young boy before him, who beamed with joy at a mere respectful address, yet tried his best to keep his lips pursed, feigning composure.

Zou Yun was momentarily dazed.

The still-childish face before me briefly overlapped with the image of the last Qin king in my memory, struggling helplessly in the tumultuous collapse of the Qin Empire.

When he came to his senses, all that remained before him was the boy's clean, smiling face.

I wonder if, years from now, when a cold blade is at his side, he will remember these carefree days.

Fate is unpredictable.

Staring at Ziying in front of him, Zou Yun couldn't help but feel a complex pity in his eyes.

This glance left Ziying completely bewildered.

"This person's eyes are so strange. Why is he staring at me? He really is an oddball," Ziying muttered to himself.

However, we are still too far away from those things at the moment. The most urgent thing is to return to the Immortal Temple and have something to eat first.

Zou Yun quickly composed himself and forcibly suppressed those heavy thoughts.

"Gurgle~"

The stomach made another inopportune sound, and this time it was exceptionally clear, so that Ziying heard it clearly.

Zou Yun's face flushed slightly as she lowered her head and vigorously rubbed her stomach, which was protesting vehemently.

He hadn't eaten or drunk a single grain of rice or a drop of water since dawn. Now it was past noon, and his stomach was still empty; he was really starting to feel the strain.

Here, take it.

Just then, a few dark brown, glossy jujubes were handed to Zou Yun by a delicate white hand.

He looked up in surprise and saw that Ziying had unfastened the pouch at his waist at some point. The pouch was open, and inside were various dried fruits and candied fruits, bulging and full.

"I'm hungry, so let's eat this first. My mother gave it to me," Ziying said proudly.

"Gurgle~~"

The urging sound from his stomach interrupted Zou Yun's attempt to express his gratitude.

He didn't care about anything else at that moment, and directly took the jujube from Ziying's hand, stuffed it into his mouth and started chewing.

"Don't rush, it's all for you." Seeing this, Ziying not only didn't show any disgust, but squatted down to the side and kept taking out dried fruit from her pouch, handing it all to Zou Yun.

Zou Yun accepted all comers without hesitation, his influence as swift as the wind sweeping away the remaining clouds.

Zou Yun only stopped when the once bulky pouch became dry and shriveled.