Looking at the next painting, I was even more astonished, as the scenes grew increasingly bizarre. The drawing depicted a tall man, clad in a straw raincoat, suspended in mid-air above a deep cavern at the bottom of a lake, tossing a gigantic seed into the hole below. New shoots had already sprouted from the seed.

The following image illustrated that seed landing upon a blazing meteorite, yet it remained unharmed by the intense fire, instead taking root and beginning to grow on the stone. The caption for this picture read: Fire Nurtures Giant Wood, Conquering Poison Fire. “Fire Nurtures Giant Wood? How have I never heard of such a tree existing in this world?” I murmured to myself. But the moment I saw the next scene, I was forced to believe in the tree’s existence. Because that scene showed hundreds of sturdy men, all dressed in straw raincoats, carving out chambers within a colossal tree. Some were climbing the tree trunk using ropes, hacking at the immeasurably massive wooden surface with their axes and chisels, while others below used carts to haul away the wood shavings and bark. Each person’s action and expression differed, creating an intensely vivid visual impact. “It seems the very tree we inhabit is that original Giant Wood born of Fire, and this cavern dwelling was carved out by those men in raincoats. Unbelievable that such things truly exist in this world…” * said in disbelief.

We continued downward. The next painting showed the man with the coral staff and a beautiful young maiden sitting on a couch, being instructed. Although the maiden wore an elaborate crown of flowers, I still recognized her: she was the white-clad girl I had seen earlier, the very prototype for the white jade statue behind us. Below the steps of the couch, more than a dozen young men knelt on the ground. These men did not appear to be of the same lineage; their clothing seemed to be the distinctive fur-lined coats unique to the Western Regions. I finally understood why * called the maiden the mistress of this place, purely based on seeing this picture. But why would this nation, clad in straw raincoats and possessing superpowers, be lecturing men from the Western Regions?

I looked at the small text beneath the image, which read: The Huque Nation invaded; they were captured alive and then released. This meant the nation with superpowers had apprehended the soldiers of the smaller invading nation and, after lecturing them, set them free. The character for 'release' () could also mean 'to explain,' implying they captured these men and then provided them with instruction. “This… this seems to be describing the diplomacy between this nation and the Western Regions states. Why would this nation, which clearly saved the populace of the entire Western Region, have enemies?” * asked me. I shook my head and replied, “I don’t know, but this nation is certainly far more powerful than the others, so it’s natural that smaller neighboring states would look upon them with covetous eyes.”

nodded, then turned to the final painting, and my eyes suddenly lit up. Because this scene depicted something I had encountered before: a middle-aged man wearing opulent headwear stood by the sea, gazing out at the water, beneath which two massive, fish-like vessels were stealthily sailing underwater. This scene, combined with the man’s attire, instantly told me it was the moment Qin Shi Huang met the people of Wanqu, as recorded in the Shi Yi Ji: “The people of Wanqu arrived in spiral boats. The boats resembled shells, sailing beneath the ocean floor, impervious to water, named ‘Sunken Wave Boats.’ Their people wove the feathers of birds and beasts to cover their forms. When the First Emperor conversed with them about the opening of heaven and earth, it was as if he had witnessed it firsthand.”

Why was this painting here? I examined the image closely; its style was consistent with the preceding pictures; all these drawings seemed to flow from a single, continuous inspiration. However, this last painting seemed disconnected from the previous narrative; it felt independent. Or perhaps the preceding images told the story of the nation clad in straw raincoats, while the final one narrated an event unrelated to their own people. But on second thought, if I absolutely had to connect this last image to the ones before it, there was only one possibility: Qin Shi Huang did not see the people of Wanqu by the sea, but rather in the Salt Lake—that is, Lop Nur. If that were the case, assuming the people of Wanqu were the Wei people, then the blood edict I found in the bronze box would finally make sense. For some unknown reason, Qin Shi Huang met with the people of Wanqu, so many people in the Qin Dynasty became aware of their existence. Later, a high official surnamed Zhao sent people from the Lingyu Temple to search for the Wanqu people, the Wei people. I guessed that the high official capable of dispatching a secret organization like the Lingyu Temple, and bearing the surname Zhao, was highly likely the corrupt minister Zhao Gao. Why would Zhao Gao privately issue a blood edict to search for the Wei people? And what history unfolded between the people of the Lingyu Temple and the Wei people that led to those few individuals committing suicide here? It was all a mystery.

I conveyed these doubts to *, who furrowed his brow and began to contemplate. Knowing * to be a well-read and meticulous person, I did not interrupt him. Indeed, after a while, he spoke: “What do you think Qin Shi Huang searched for his entire life?” I answered without hesitation: “The Elixir of Immortality! Wait, could it be this…”

nodded, seemingly arriving at the same conclusion as me. I continued: “We learned from the Wei King’s Silk Manuscript that the Wei people are long-lived. Qin Shi Huang met the Wei people for some reason and learned they could live for a thousand years. Thus, he assumed the Wei possessed some secret technique for eternal life, so he ordered Zhao Gao to issue a secret decree, commanding the Lingyu Temple to seek out the Elixir of Immortality.”

shook his head and said: “No, if he wanted the Elixir of Immortality, he wouldn't need a blood edict; he was the Emperor, an imperial decree would suffice. A blood edict is usually reserved for secret operations.” “Are you saying Zhao Gao wanted the Elixir of Immortality? That doesn’t fit either. Qin Shi Huang was notoriously impatient. After returning from Lop Nur, his style would have been to immediately send troops to eradicate the Wei and seize the Elixir,” I stated very seriously.

shook his head again and said: “If you were the Prime Minister of an island nation, wanting an Elixir of Immortality, and the Americans possessed it, would you dare send troops to forcibly take it?” I paused, then asked, “What do you mean?”

paced back and forth, evidently thinking urgently about something, then stated: “If it were me, I would return, train a special forces unit, sneak into America, and seize the Elixir, rather than mobilizing the entire military force to start a war.” I suddenly understood, grasping the very reason for the creation of the Lingyu Temple—that was it!

continued: “However, gathering and training a special forces unit takes time. Look at this painting; how old does Qin Shi Huang look?” I looked up at the painting again. Although the posture of Qin Shi Huang still appeared vigorous, his long beard already reached his waist; he looked at least in his mid-forties. Yet, Qin Shi Huang only lived past fifty. This meant that by the time the Lingyu Temple was fully established, Qin Shi Huang would be nearing his final years, and Zhao Gao would be at the height of his power. At that point, Zhao Gao could easily concoct an excuse to fool the mentally clouded Qin Shi Huang into searching for the medicine elsewhere, perhaps in the mythical Penglai of Dongying… Yet history records that Zhao Gao eventually died too, meaning he also failed.

noticed the change in my expression and smiled slightly: “Are you thinking that the Lingyu Temple was ultimately defeated by the Wei people? My thought is the exact opposite. The Lingyu Temple certainly wiped out most of the Wei people, but they didn't find the Elixir. Fearing execution for failure, they occupied this tree-cavern as an underground base. Otherwise, how could there be so many poisonous insects raised by the Lingyu Temple outside?” I realized * was indeed brilliant; analyzing it this way made perfect sense. Those poisonous insects must have been the methods used against the Wei people back then, and my grandfather’s group mentioned before entering the tree cavern that they were looking for the Lingyu Temple base. I couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the fate of the Wei people, who traveled from the distant West to save the entire Western Region, only to meet such an end. Qin Shi Huang and Zhao Gao, those two men, were truly exceptionally venomous. Connecting the entire sequence of events, I still held onto one lingering question.