Chapter Eight: Refining the Heavenly Thunder

Outside the Xianyang Palace, in a desolate graveyard.

This was the designated burial ground for the concubines of the palace who died suddenly or passed away prematurely. As for whether they would be relocated once the Lishan Mausoleum was completed, that would depend entirely on the mood of Qin Shi Huang.

At this moment, within a tomb that was surprisingly grand, Concubine Li—who had been meticulously dressed and buried with great ceremony—suddenly opened her eyes.

Her rapid breathing and the violent heaving of her chest confirmed that she was far from dead. She had merely taken a secret, concocted medicine or practiced a specialized technique to feign death and make her escape. Of course, this would have been impossible without someone inside the palace shielding her.

Concubine Li surveyed her surroundings, a faint smile gradually appearing at the corners of her lips. She did not cry out, nor was she in a hurry to break out of the coffin. Instead, she waited silently.

After an unknown amount of time, a sound came from outside.

*Thump, thump, thump.*

Suddenly, the lid of the coffin was violently heaved aside, and a sturdy, tall figure appeared before her.

Concubine Li rose and looked at the man, who was dressed in Yin-Yang robes and resembled a soul-reaping messenger. She said with disdain, "Did I not tell you? Do not wear this attire when coming to pick me up at a graveyard! If I hadn't suffocated, I would have been scared to death by you!"

The burly man scratched his head and said with a foolish grin, "Sister Li, I was just so worried about your safety that I forgot to change."

Concubine Li stretched her limbs, jumped out of the tomb, and rubbed her belly. "I have successfully conceived the dragon's seed! Tell the Sect Master that we can proceed to the next step!"

"Understood!" The burly man grinned, his eyes filled with joy.

Concubine Li leapt onto the man's shoulders and looked back in the direction of the Xianyang Palace. Her blood-red lips parted slightly: "Fusu, I have left you a protective charm; consider it my compensation to you!"

***

In a makeshift prison temporarily constructed in Xianyang.

Fusu clutched the thorny wooden bars and shouted at the departing guards, "I am telling the truth! I am innocent! I have been framed!"

"Enough!"

"Stop yelling. Who here isn't 'innocent'?" a middle-aged man in Confucian robes in the opposite cell asked impatiently.

Fusu looked at the man. He was busy carving something on the ground, occasionally making adjustments. What shocked Fusu most was that there was a cinnabar furnace in front of the man, emitting a pungent odor.

What is this? Alchemy?

Can you even practice alchemy in prison? Fusu was baffled.

"Who are you?" Fusu asked curiously.

The middle-aged man glanced up at Fusu and replied concisely, "Han Zhong!"

"Are you practicing alchemy?" Fusu asked again.

Han Zhong turned his head, looking extremely irritable. "Can you shut up and stop disturbing my refinement of the elixir of immortality?"

Fusu was stunned. He was actually refining an elixir of immortality!

At this moment, another Confucian scholar leaned over and said, "Judging by your clothes, you must be a man of status. How did you get caught?"

Fusu looked over; it was a young man in Taoist robes with a frivolous air about him.

"I was also caught for practicing alchemy!" Fusu answered nonsensically.

The youth laughed immediately and said, "What kind of alchemy? There’s no future in that stuff! By the way, my name is Shi Sheng, and I was also brought here for alchemy."

Fusu's mind raced. He felt as though he had seen these people somewhere before. Suddenly, Fusu slapped his thigh. "Lu Sheng, Hou Sheng! Are you the disciples of those two?"

Shi Sheng smiled and patted his stomach. "Disciples? No, we just followed them to refine medicine for His Majesty. Who knew those two old foxes were so cunning? They embezzled the funds and ran away. Now they've ruined us, and we are stuck in this cell, forced to refine elixirs day and night. If we don't produce an immortal elixir within a month, we'll be dragged out and beheaded."

Fusu suddenly understood. He asked curiously, "Why aren't you refining any?"

Shi Sheng waved his hand. "I've given up. It's all a scam. How could an immortal elixir be refined so easily? If it were, wouldn't everyone be an immortal? It requires great fortune and great destiny!"

Upon hearing this, Fusu thought the man was interesting and said with a smile, "I have a formula that can refine the lightning of the heavens!"

"Lightning?" Shi Sheng widened his eyes and scoffed, "You're just blowing wind! Can the lightning of the heavens be refined?"

Fusu was not offended and continued to smile, "Whether it can or not, one test will tell!"

As he spoke, Fusu began to recite the techniques for making modern black powder. "One part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, three parts charcoal; it would be even better if you added some cane sugar..."

Shi Sheng had been somewhat interested, but upon hearing this, he immediately looked disappointed. "I've seen all the materials in your formula; we even use them sometimes. These things explode the furnace far too easily, so we've already discarded them. Forget about refining heavenly lightning; you can't even get decent dregs out of them!"

Fusu continued, "If you can't refine it, it's because you're clumsy! Don't you believe me? Try my formula and see if it works."

"Fine!" Shi Sheng, having nothing better to do and preferring to do something rather than wait for death, said, "I’ll humor you! You're clearly someone who won't shed tears until they see the coffin. Wait here, I'll refine this and show you it's just a waste of materials!"

Fusu was overjoyed upon hearing this. He quickly dictated the specific proportions. As for the technical process, Fusu knew nothing, but Shi Sheng was a veteran alchemist. Without needing further instruction, he began the process with practiced ease. Fusu watched from the side, offering occasional reminders.

And so, in that prison cell, the two of them created the black powder that would shock the world!

***

The Prime Minister's residence.

Li Si was entertaining his prize student, Wu Gong, engaged in an earnest conversation. Wu Gong handled most of the affairs for the Commandant of Justice, and the prisons were under his jurisdiction.

Li Si took a light sip of strong tea and smiled. "Xiao Wu, how have the arrangements gone?"

Wu Gong respectfully held the tea with both hands but did not drink, replying, "Rest assured, Teacher. I have had our people planted among the guards place Fusu among those fangshi (Confucian scholars)."

"Excellent!" Li Si smiled.

The charge of Fusu defiling Concubine Li had been firmly planted. Next, by exploiting Fusu's relationship with Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng, he would surely convince Fusu to plead for these scholars! Once that happened, it would anger His Majesty once again, thereby stripping Fusu of his right to the succession!

Wu Gong looked puzzled. "Teacher, Prince Fusu is already in such dire straits; will he really plead for these scholars?"

Li Si nodded with a smile. "He certainly will! Based on my understanding of Fusu, he holds Confucianism in high regard. These people, Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng, may operate under the guise of fangshi, but they are at their core Confucian scholars. Their philosophies of governance align perfectly with Fusu's. If Fusu wants to advance further, he must gain their support. And I intend to catch them all in one net. Now that Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng have escaped, it is as if I have severed Fusu's left and right arms!"