Xu Fu shouted loudly, "What have you done to my son?"
Li Xin's lips curled upward with a playful glint in his eyes as he slowly spoke, "Lord Xu, your son has truly opened my eyes! To think he single-handedly cut down over four hundred of my soldiers—it completely exceeded my expectations. It seems your Xu Clan still harbors some unknown secrets."
Anxiety gripped Xu Fu's heart as his eyes remained fixed on his grievously wounded son. At that moment, he felt utterly helpless and powerless. He was merely an alchemist, skilled in concocting pills, and completely useless in the face of such a fierce battle. He knew full well that with his current abilities, he had no way of snatching his son back from Li Xin.
Yet, a shred of hope still lingered in Xu Fu's heart, hoping that Li Xin would show mercy and spare his son. But he also understood Li Xin's mindset all too well: there was no way Li Xin would easily give up his pursuit of the Immortal Pill. If he handed over the Immortal Pill, not only would Li Xin refuse to let them go, but the Qin Emperor would certainly never let the matter rest either.
Caught in a dilemma, Xu Fu had no idea how to make a choice that would protect the safety of himself and his family. Faced with such a predicament, he could not help but feel a sense of despair, believing that he had reached a dead end and had no clue how to scrape together a glimmer of survival.
Li Xin said calmly, "You know what I want. Hand over the Immortal Pill, and I can let you leave." His voice was steady and resolute, as if he were stating a simple fact.
Xu Fu's heart tightened. He knew Li Xin wanted the Immortal Pill, but he still tried to buy time. He was about to speak when Li Xin's movement cut him off.
Li Xin slowly raised the long sword in his hand toward Xu Lin's chest. The tip of the blade gleamed with a chilling light, exuding a suffocating aura.
Xu Fu cried out anxiously, "Don't hurt my son!" His voice was laden with terror and despair.
Li Xin looked at Xu Fu mockingly, a flash of cruelty in his eyes. He said nothing, simply bringing the long sword closer to Xu Lin's chest inch by inch, as if savoring Xu Fu's expression of anguish.
Xu Fu's face turned pale, sweat broke out on his forehead, and his body trembled slightly. He widened his eyes and stared fixedly at Li Xin, hoping to find a glimmer of turning the tables in the other man's gaze. Yet, all he saw was utter indifference and ruthlessness.
Li Xin's gaze was like a cold abyss, sending chills down one's spine. The corners of his mouth tilted up slightly in a mocking smile.
A chill crept up Xu Fu's spine, and he realized he had fallen into a desperate plight. He knew that if he did not hand over the Immortal Pill now, his son's life would be in grave danger.
At that moment, Xu Fu finally saw his situation clearly. He took a deep breath, slowly drew a pill from his robe, looked at Li Xin, and said abruptly, "General Li, if you dare to harm my son, I will destroy this pill right now, and no one will get it."
Li Xin halted his movements, his gaze chilling as he stared at Xu Fu and said, "If you dare to destroy the Immortal Pill, I will hack you all to pieces! Once we return to Xianyang City, I will tell the Qin Emperor that you swallowed the Immortal Pill in private. By then, you can imagine what fate awaits the family you left behind at home. If you obediently hand over the pill to me now, I might just spare your lives, though you will never be able to return to Xianyang City. But don't worry, once I'm back in Xianyang City, I'll take care of your family in your stead."
After a moment of silence, Xu Fu spoke up, "I can give you this Immortal Pill, but you must first agree to two conditions and swear an oath to the heavens." His voice was low and firm, impossible to ignore.
Li Xin smiled faintly and said indifferently, "Let's hear them." He seemed unconcerned with Xu Fu's demands, yet his eyes never left the Immortal Pill.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Fu slowly said, "First, immediately release both of us, father and son. Second, I will not return to Xianyang City, but once you return there, find a way to escort my family out of the city. As for where they go, you can decide and tell me later." His tone carried a hint of helplessness and finality.
Hearing this, Li Xin frowned and fell into thought. Xu Fu watched him, tension gripping his heart. Time ticked away until finally, Li Xin raised his head and replied calmly, "Fine, I agree."
Hearing this answer, Xu Fu let out a breath. He stared at Li Xin and said, word by word, "Swear it."
Li Xin's expression abruptly darkened, a flash of displeasure and anger crossing his eyes. Glaring at Xu Fu, he said in an icy voice, "Xu Fu, don't push your luck!"
However, right at that moment, he noticed a movement in Xu Fu's hand as if he were about to do something detrimental to him. He immediately changed his tune and said, "Fine, I swear. I, Li Xin, swear to the heavens here and now that I will keep the promise I made to Xu Fu. If I break this oath, may I suffer divine retribution!" With that, he raised three fingers toward the sky to show his resolve.
Although Li Xin had sworn the oath, only he knew whether he truly intended to keep this promise. As for Xu Fu, he appeared to believe Li Xin's oath; after all, their transaction was completed, and the rest depended on whether Li Xin would honor his word.
Nodding, Xu Fu said in a firm tone, "Release my son first!" Yet Li Xin refused to yield an inch, coldly replying, "Give me the pill first!" The two refused to give ground, the tension reaching a breaking point.
Xu Fu knitted his brows tightly and insisted, "Hand over the person first!" Gritting his teeth, Li Xin started to speak when he caught sight of movement in Xu Fu's hand, and he viciously snapped, "Fine, I'll let him go!" With that, he grabbed Xu Lin by the collar and hurled him with all his might toward the alchemy furnace that had just been shattered by heavenly lightning. Xu Lin carved an arc through the air and crashed heavily onto the broken furnace with a dull thud.
Xu Fu widened his eyes, about to speak, but shut his mouth immediately under Li Xin's ferocious glare, not daring to say another word. With no other choice, Xu Fu had no option but to throw the Immortal Pill to Li Xin. Li Xin caught the pill steadily, examining it closely with greedy and excited light flashing in his eyes, as if admiring a rare treasure of this world. Afterward, he carefully tucked the pill away inside his robe.
Yet, unnoticed by anyone, the blood seeping from the body of Xu Lin—whom Li Xin had ruthlessly tossed onto the fragments of the alchemy furnace—happened to flow onto a small stone that had originally rested beneath the furnace. Upon being stained with Xu Lin's blood, the small stone quietly began to emit a faint white glow. However, because Xu Lin's body happened to block the light, none of them noticed this bizarre phenomenon occurring. Once the white glow broke free from the small stone, the stone shattered and blended into the sand and gravel on the ground, while the wisp of white vapor entered Xu Lin's body, wandering through his entire frame. As the white glow coursed through him, the wounds all over Xu Lin's body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Heartbroken to the extreme, Xu Fu walked over to Xu Lin's side and cried out loudly, "Liner, Liner, wake up! How are you? Your father shouldn't have brought you here. Had I known this would happen, your father would rather have defied the Qin Emperor's decree and come alone so that you would still have had a chance at life." Xu Fu's voice trembled, filled with remorse and self-blame. Tears shimmered in his eyes—the deep love and guilt of a father for his son. He gently stroked Xu Lin's face, as if trying to impart his own strength to him. In this sorrowful moment, Xu Fu seemed to have aged significantly, his heart heavy with pain and helplessness.
Just as Xu Fu was immersed in sorrow, Li Xin had already led the remaining hundred or so soldiers down the mountain and returned to his encampment. Entering his tent, Li Xin dismissed his attendants, ordering everyone outside. Left entirely alone in the tent, a morbid, sinister grin finally surfaced on his face. He could not help thinking to himself, "Qin Emperor, you want immortality, you want eternal dominion over the realm, you want to be emperor forever—well, I will shatter your dream of immortality. Though I cannot personally bury your empire, now that I can attain immortality, I will watch you grow old slowly, I will watch your empire slowly rot away, and I will watch you rot away. When you are on the verge of death, I will tell you the truth and let you slowly perish in despair." Madness and hatred flickered in Li Xin's eyes as he clenched his fists tightly, as if wrestling with fate.
Yet immediately afterward, grief washed over Li Xin's face, and tears fell drop by drop. His heart was filled with pain and yearning. "Father, Mother, your son is unfilial; I cannot avenge you myself. The Qin Emperor's power is too great; I cannot fight him nor slay the enemy with my own hands, so I can only use this method. I will sever his path to immortality, and I will watch his Qin family slowly wither. If there is ever a chance in the future, I will make his Qin family taste the suffering I have endured." Li Xin's tears fell to the ground, kicking up faint dust. His heart was filled with longing and guilt for his parents, and brimming with hatred and murderous intent toward the Qin Emperor. On this long path of vengeance, he finally caught a glimmer of hope.
Slowly, he drew the Immortal Pill from his robe. His fingers trembled slightly as if clutching the most precious treasure in the world, while his eyes shone with hope. At that moment, he felt that immortality was merely an inch away. Gently, he placed the pill into his mouth, filled with anticipation for the miraculous transformation to descend. However, after a long while, he felt not the slightest abnormality. This sudden turn of events plunged him into bewilderment. He could not help wondering whether the Immortal Pill was simply supposed to feel this way upon consumption, or if the medicine had yet to take effect. Or perhaps this was a fake pill after all? Or had Xu Fu secretly switched the pill? After all, since no such pill had ever existed before, he had no way of judging whether his current state was normal.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Xin still felt no change whatsoever, and anxiety inevitably crept into his heart. After waiting a little longer and still feeling nothing unusual, he abruptly stood up, hurried out of the tent, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Men, follow this general up the mountain!" The soldiers gathered together and once again ascended toward the peak. And right at the mountain peak at that very moment, an unbelievable scene was unfolding.