Chapter One Hundred and Six: The Calamity of Heavenly Star

“You are spouting nonsense. The local magistrate is the Son of the Red Emperor. He slew a great serpent—how could he possibly be compared to a man like you?”

These words came from one of Liu Bang’s most devoted followers.

Said at a moment like this, they sounded especially absurd.

He had cut down a white serpent, and for that alone had been revered as the Son of the Red Emperor.

Yang Wenhao laughed heartily, then looked at Liu Bang and said, “Liu Bang, you haven’t lived for nothing after all. At the very least, there are people who truly do serve you as their master.”

Liu Bang’s face darkened terribly. This matter of the Son of the Red Emperor had been nothing more than a trick he had used to fool people. Now that it had been laid bare, it had become a colossal joke, and Yang Wenhao’s mockery was entirely to be expected.

Still, he forced himself to calm down and said to Yang Wenhao, “Brother Yang, for Xiao Chuan’s sake, could you spare these brothers a way out?”

“Even with death at your doorstep, you’re still thinking about winning hearts?” Yang Wenhao’s expression was cold.

He was a bleeding heart, one might say that without exaggeration, but this bleeding heart was scarcely worthy of the name. Liu Bang was the kind of man who would do anything if it served his own interests.

Liu Bang fell silent for a moment, then said, “I dragged them into this. If not for me, they would never have ended up like this. I beg you.”

Yang Wenhao gave no answer and turned to leave.

Then a voice came back: “Kill everyone except Liu Bang on the spot.”

It was not that Yang Wenhao was heartless. Rather, these people were nothing but a burden. He still had to rush at full speed to Eastern Commandery to find the Heavenly Star.

They were all old, weak, sick, and crippled. Bringing them along would only slow him down.

Even if he did not revere the First Emperor of Qin, the First Emperor was still the ruler of the present age, and Yang Wenhao had no choice but to act accordingly.

By the time Yang Wenhao disappeared from sight, the soldiers of Great Qin pounced on the common folk like starving wolves.

This was not a battle. It was a one-sided slaughter.

The personal troops under Yang Wenhao had all been taught the art of body refinement. Though they were ordinary soldiers, each one could stand up to a centurion or even a thousand-man commander.

Before this, these bandits had been nothing more than peasants with hoes in their hands. How could they possibly compare to such fierce and battle-hardened warriors?

Soon after, Yang Wenhao’s deputy brought word that, aside from Liu Bang, all the common folk had been executed on the spot.

“Deputy Sun.”

Yang Wenhao summoned his deputy.

Deputy Sun entered, bowed with clasped hands, and looked at Yang Wenhao with deep reverence.

“Deputy Sun, lead five hundred men to escort Lord Liu and Liu Bang back to Xianyang. Remember: Liu Bang must not be made known to anyone else. Whoever disobeys will be executed.”

The word “executed” came out of Yang Wenhao’s mouth, and Deputy Sun’s expression changed slightly before he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Afterward, Yang Wenhao spoke with Lord Lu for a while, and Lord Lu also nodded in agreement.

He knew Yang Wenhao had matters to attend to and naturally would not interfere.

Then Yang Wenhao led the remaining troops, all mounted, and rushed at top speed toward Eastern Commandery.

Although Yang Wenhao’s body had already become tremendously strong, to the point that he no longer needed rest, his men could not endure this relentless day-and-night march.

If he were alone, he could arrive in a few days. But with his men in tow, it took him more than a week to barely reach the place in Eastern Commandery where the Heavenly Star had fallen.

It was a village. On that day, when the Heavenly Star descended outside the village, it had indeed shaken the surrounding settlements for dozens of miles.

Fortunately, the First Emperor had long ago secretly sent men to guard it, waiting only for Yang Wenhao to bring it back.

“General Yang, this humble officer has been awaiting your arrival for quite some time.”

The one guarding the Heavenly Star was the Commandant of Eastern Commandery, who held military authority over the region.

Though his rank might not have been very different from Yang Wenhao’s in truth, after all, one guarded Xianyang, while the other defended Eastern Commandery, it must be remembered that a favorite under the throne could not be compared with a general stationed in a remote land.

Seeing this commandant lower himself so much, Yang Wenhao gave a slight nod and showed no other expression.

“Who has seen this Heavenly Star?” he asked.

The Eastern Commandery commandant replied, “Reporting to General Yang, on the very day the Heavenly Star fell, this humble officer led troops here immediately. As for who has seen it, I fear it must have been the villages nearby.”

“How many people?” Yang Wenhao asked.

The commandant hesitated for a moment, then said, “About one hundred households.”

Hearing this number, Yang Wenhao’s expression could not help but turn solemn.

One hundred households. At the very least, that meant four to five hundred people.

Since the beginning until now, his hands had been stained with a great deal of blood, but those he had killed were all enemies.

On the day the First Emperor’s secret edict arrived, there had actually been one more sentence in it.

That sentence carried the bearing of one above others. The First Emperor’s meaning, he could understand.

At first, he had taken it lightly. But when he truly came to this moment, he still could not help but tremble.

Seeing Yang Wenhao remain silent for so long, the Eastern Commandery commandant thought he was considering something and dared not continue speaking.

After a long while, Yang Wenhao let out a faint breath and said, “Commandant, give me the list of everyone who has seen the Heavenly Star.”

“Yes, sir.” Though the commandant did not quite understand, he still nodded. After all, this man had been sent on imperial orders. If he failed to do well, he might well be spoken of behind his back.

That night, Yang Wenhao sat before a lamp, reading an ancient book.

He discovered that reading these old texts helped him steady his mind and kept him from becoming too agitated.

In truth, though, there were very few times when he was agitated; one could count them on the fingers of one hand.

And today was one of them.

“One hundred households. Kill them all.”

Yang Wenhao’s voice trembled slightly.

Only now did he truly understand why those in power were the hardest to be.

If he did not carry out the order, perhaps the First Emperor would punish him for failing the mission.

Though he was not afraid, it would inevitably cause him trouble in the future.

In the end, Yang Wenhao set down the bamboo slips in his hands and let out a long, weary breath.

Today, a deed occurred in Eastern Commandery that aroused heaven’s wrath and the resentment of all people.

A hundred-household village in Eastern Commandery had been wiped out. Hundreds of lives, young and old, men and women, all perished miserably.

The entire commandery was shaken, yet only a few days later, the Governor of Eastern Commandery announced that the matter had been the work of a band of outlaws, and troops had already been dispatched to suppress them.

Meanwhile, Yang Wenhao stroked the Heavenly Star before him, which now emitted a faint blue glow.

When he drew his hand back, he found that it had picked up some blue powder.

It seemed to be fragments from the Heavenly Star.

Suddenly, Yang Wenhao remembered something. In the original tale, one of the chief ingredients in the elixir of immortality was precisely this Heavenly Star powder.

“Come in.”

Several soldiers walked in and bowed. “General.”

“You three, use your weapons to strike this thing and see how much powder you can get. Remember, the more, the better,” Yang Wenhao said.

“Yes, sir.” The soldiers were all puzzled, but they still nodded and agreed.

Then they began using their swords to hack at the faintly glowing Heavenly Star.

But this object was no ordinary thing. Even after half a month, their gains remained limited.