The Great Qin Dynasty: The egg of the Black Bird was revered as a national guardian beast.

Thick, dark clouds obscured the sky.

The First Emperor drew back the curtain, and goose-feather-like snowflakes drifted down from the sky, slowly passing through the carriage window.

It fell into the First Emperor's palm, and was ice-cold...

Snowing.

Moved by the scene, the First Emperor recalled past events.

That was also a winter hunt, and he and Cheng Qiao participated together, all for the sake of winning the winter hunt championship.

But he knew that the two of them were not simply vying for the Winter Hunt Crown.

What they were fighting for was the throne as heir apparent.

To become the king of Qin, the skills of horsemanship and archery were also essential.

"A monarch should avoid being too kind."

Looking at the snowflakes falling outside the car, I sighed.

But in reality, a monarch can be benevolent, but his position does not allow him to be benevolent.

Lately, he's been having more and more dreams.

Sometimes, it was that foolish younger brother who, after failing to compete with him for the crown prince position, would hide and cry.

But the next moment, he suddenly grew up, covered in blood, and knelt beside his bed, saying nothing.

Sometimes, it was his mother who would stand by his bedside, staring intently at him, saying, "Give me back the lives of your two sons!"

Looking at the snow outside the car,

The First Emperor slowly closed his eyes.

........

The snow kept falling.

the next day,

The First Emperor's imperial chariot finally arrived at Shanglin Garden.

The garden was covered in a blanket of white, the trees in the mountains were draped in snow, and the whole place was cold and desolate.

"Have we arrived yet?"

He lifted the carriage curtain with one hand and squinted at the outside.

As before, this royal garden has remained unchanged through the reigns of several Qin kings.

The carriage curtain was lowered, and the First Emperor's voice came through.

"Go in."

At his command, the First Emperor's massive army surged in like a tidal wave.

Shanglin Garden has thirty-six gardens, twelve palaces, thirty-five pavilions, and numerous ponds and marshes.

The First Emperor took Xuan Ye to Jianzhang Palace.

Before leaving, he ordered all civil and military officials and their sons to find a place to live.

It's already late tonight.

Let's conserve our energy and prepare for the winter hunt tomorrow!

As for the main army that came with them, they will set up camp in an open space and wait for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the First Emperor will go on a winter hunt with his princes.

On the other side of Shanglin Garden, they will conduct military drills and live-fire exercises.

Xuan Ye flew for quite a long time today.

After following the First Emperor into the Jianzhang Palace, he casually found an open space and lay down to rest for a while.

The First Emperor, however, did not feel tired.

Upon entering Jianzhang Palace, Zhao Gao had someone present the memorials that had been brought along.

The other ministers are also getting on in years.

After such a long journey, I felt sore all over, so I went down to rest.

Only the young masters were still in relatively good spirits.

Instead of resting, he ordered people to set up targets, nocked arrows, and shot at the targets not far away.

And so, the next day arrived quickly.

The First Emperor got up very early.

He wasn't wearing a crown today, and he had changed his clothes to a military uniform with a sable shawl.

Seeing Xuan Ye wake up,

He tightened his belt as he looked over.

He laughed: "If the Heavenly Fate Mystic Bird doesn't wake up soon, I'm afraid we'll all be done with the winter hunt and have left, leaving you all alone here."

He lowered his head and preened his feathers.

He said, "Your Majesty, are you really willing to leave me here alone?"

"Hmm..." The First Emperor stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then gave a definite answer: "Willful."

Xuan Ye lifted his eyelids slightly, but said nothing.

"Let's go." The First Emperor walked over. "All the civil and military officials are waiting outside; only we are left."

"I'm not going."

The First Emperor was taken aback and asked, "Why?"

Then he chuckled: "Doesn't the Heavenly Bird of Destiny want to witness the grand spectacle of today's winter hunt?"

He turned his head away.

"You guys go winter hunting, so what am I supposed to do there?"

After thinking for a moment, he added, "I can't draw a bow and shoot arrows, I'll just go and take a look."

"It's just hunting animals, nothing special."

The First Emperor was stunned for a moment, standing there, not knowing what to say.

Just then, someone walked in.

"Your Majesty, the Chancellor and other ministers are asking when we will depart?"

"Let them wait!" the First Emperor said, turning his head, and then waved his hand impatiently.

The man hurriedly retreated.

The First Emperor turned around, walked to the other side, looked at the Heavenly Mandate Bird, and asked.

"What's wrong? Tell me, and I'll take care of it for you."

Xuan Ye lowered his head, not wanting to speak.

Or perhaps, they simply don't know how to bring it up.

I hadn't realized it before, but now I often think about my past life, when I was still human.

But what about this body now?

It's good.

But a human soul in a bird's body is neither suited to living nor to dwelling in such a place.

After a long silence, when someone came again to urge the First Emperor to set off, the First Emperor spoke.

"That Fated Mystic Bird, you stay here for a while."

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I will come to pick you up personally after the winter hunt."

After saying that, he walked out of Jianzhang Palace.

Standing outside the palace gate, the First Emperor turned around and glanced inside.

Then, he turned around and left.

Xuan Ye was alone in the palace, surrounded by desolation.

Feeling frustrated, it spread its wings and flew out of Jianzhang Palace, disappearing into the clouds.

Then it closed its eyes and folded its wings.

The wind howled, and for some unknown reason, a faint mysterious light emanated from Xuan Ye's body as he fell downwards.

As they approached the ground...

Xuan Ye suddenly spread its wings and slowly glided.

He landed on the ground, looked around, and found that the mysterious light on his body was getting stronger and stronger.

Xuan Ye paused for a moment, filled with doubt.

Before he could even think, a mysterious light emanating from his body enveloped him like a ribbon.

Finally, an ellipsoidal cocoon of light, about the height of a person, was formed.

The feathers on its body disappeared in the light and shadow.

Wings and claws disappeared one after another, replaced by long limbs.

Finally, the mysterious light gradually dissipated.

Snowflakes were falling heavily when a figure appeared in the desolate, snowy landscape.

This is a human body.

Her skin was as white as snowflakes falling from the sky.

His dark hair was casually draped behind him, gleaming with an unusual sheen.

He slowly opened his eyes.

A pair of unforgettable, dark purple pupils.

He stood there, raised his hand and touched his face. The familiar feeling—it was his old face.

But soon, a sound came from afar.

Xuan Ye remained unmoved, but when he looked down, he suddenly realized that he was not wearing any clothes.

"It's over, it's over."

After glancing around, Xuan Ye ran into the woods.

Soon, a group of guards came over. They were there to scout the surroundings in case any thieves were lying in ambush to assassinate the king.

"That's strange, there was definitely some movement here just now."

"Here!" someone shouted, and the others rushed over and saw a footprint on the ground.

"Spread out and chase them!"

Soon, a group of guards ran into the woods.

Not long after, a guard came out alone. He looked up, and under the guard's clothes was Xuan Ye's face.

I looked around.

Follow the footprints of the guards who came from there.