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

Xianyang Palace.

The First Emperor's expression darkened slightly, and he tapped the memorials on the table lightly with his index finger, remaining silent.

He turned his head again to look at the feathers on the soft couch next to him.

After a long silence, he sighed deeply, "More than a month has passed..."

My eyes closed a little, and I didn't know if the Heavenly Fate Mystic Bird was alright, or where it was now.

Thinking this, the First Emperor stopped tapping on the table.

Summon the eunuch to convey his order: instruct the painters to create an image of the Celestial Bird.

Painting mythical birds is no challenge for the painters.

These painters came from the State of Chu, a place known for its romantic and imaginative people, and was the birthplace of the most mature silk painting art.

Before the state of Chu was destroyed.

One of the painters even wielded meticulous brushwork and painted a portrait of Donghuang Taiyi, the supreme god of Chu, for the King of Chu.

As for that portrait of Donghuang Taiyi now...

But they became spoils of war and were stored in the treasury of the First Emperor's palace, which goes without saying.

They received an order from the First Emperor.

Several painters worked together, with one person handling the meticulous brushwork and using minerals such as cinnabar, azurite, and malachite to mix the pigments.

Then he began to paint on fine silk fabric.

Two days later, the painting was completed, and a lone black bird stood atop a high mountain, raising its head and letting out a long cry.

The painter happily presented the silk painting to the First Emperor.

Unexpectedly, the First Emperor merely glanced at it before throwing it back...

"Redraw!"

The painters looked at each other in bewilderment.

Isn't this what the Heavenly Bird of Destiny looks like?

But since the First Emperor had spoken, they had no choice but to redraw it, but before they started, they consulted others.

As it happened, one of the ministers had seen the Heavenly Mandate Black Bird.

He said, "You've simply drawn this based on ancient records of the Black Bird and your own imagination. How can that possibly be right?"

"His Majesty desires the image of the Celestial Bird."

"What matters is destiny. The Heavenly Mandate Mystic Bird of the Great Qin Dynasty is no ordinary mystic bird image!"

Now the artists finally understood.

After inquiring about the appearance and some details of the Heavenly Mandate Bird from the minister, he redrawn the image of the Heavenly Mandate Bird.

No longer standing atop a mountain, but standing in Xianyang.

Its appearance is also different from the previous one; it is no longer drawn based on imagination, but based on reality.

However, the First Emperor glanced at it and was still not satisfied.

"This does not suit my taste. Redraw it!"

The saying goes, "Things shouldn't happen more than three times." If the emperor is still not satisfied by the third time, he might not be dragged out and beheaded, but he would certainly be punished.

These painters were extremely worried.

Finally, they found Zhao Gao, the magistrate of the Imperial Carriage Office.

Because he often accompanied the emperor and knew the First Emperor well, he asked how to paint a portrait of the Heavenly Mandate Black Bird that would satisfy His Majesty.

After seeing the painters' second portrait.

Zhao Gao understood: "That was before. Now the Heavenly Mandate Mystic Bird has changed drastically in appearance and grown in size, so His Majesty is naturally dissatisfied."

The painters humbly asked questions, and Zhao Gao answered them one by one.

After understanding the situation, the painters discussed it and began to paint the image of the Heavenly Mandate Bird based on Zhao Gao's explanation.

The third silk painting was sent to Xianyang Palace again.

When the silk painting was hung up, the First Emperor only saw that the entire painting depicted the scene of Xianyang Palace.

Behind the curtain in one corner of the silk painting, there is a blurry figure.

At the very center of the silk painting, above the main hall, stands the Heavenly Bird of Destiny, its head tilted to the side.

Its body is covered in jet-black feathers,

Its crest feathers stand upright, and its long tail feathers cascade down like tassels, trailing behind it...

The painters lay prostrate on the ground, anxiously awaiting their fate.

But the First Emperor remained silent for a long time, his eyes fixed on the past scenes and the appearance of the black bird that the painters had recreated.

After a long pause, he finally said, "Very good."

The painters were overjoyed; the First Emperor was finally satisfied, and they would no longer be punished.

The First Emperor waved his hand.

He also bestowed generous rewards upon all those who participated in the painting.

..........

That night.

Holding a candle, the First Emperor stood before the hanging silk painting, gazing at it intently for a long time.

He raised his hand and gently touched the portrait.

He demanded, "Heavenly Bird of Destiny, where are you? If you don't return soon, I fear I won't be able to see you one last time."

He sighed and sat back down at his desk.

He picked up a memorial from the table and glanced at it briefly, but the First Emperor paused the next moment.

This memorial was addressed to the First Emperor himself.

The pen was put down by Xu Fu.

"Heh." The First Emperor sneered. If you hadn't submitted this memorial, I would have really forgotten about you.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the words on the memorial.

The First Emperor remained expressionless, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

The memorial contained the following words:

"Your subject, Xu Fu, recently received a dream from the sea god, who revealed to me the method of achieving immortality."

"Destiny is in one's own hands, and destiny is constant."

"Your Majesty's merits are worthy of being compared to Mount Tai, and can be proof of longevity."

"Your Majesty, I beg you to grant me an audience with you so that I may present you with the fruit of immortality."

He threw the memorial on the table and gave a cold laugh.

"What is Xu Fu up to now?"

After thinking for a long time, the First Emperor smiled and ordered that Xu Fu be brought over immediately.

Not long after,

Led by the palace guards, Xu Fu entered Xianyang Palace and arrived before the curtained and beaded screen.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

Xu Fu bowed.

But the First Emperor simply tossed his memorial aside.

He said coldly, "You submitted a memorial claiming that the sea god appeared to you in a dream and gave you the secret to immortality. Do you think I would believe such clumsy words?"

"His Majesty."

Xu Fu quickly bowed down and said.

"Everything Xu Fu said is true. He would never dare to deceive the emperor or do anything disloyal. I hope Your Majesty will see the truth."

"Heh," the First Emperor chuckled and said.

"In that case, I will give you a chance to see the truth."

As he spoke, he stood up from behind the table, stood behind the curtain, and looked at Xu Fu, who was lying on the ground.

"Xu Fu, what is your method for achieving immortality?"

The emperor inquired.

Xu Fu let out a long sigh of relief.

What he said next was the method of achieving immortality, which was of great importance. Once he uttered these words, he would surely incur the resentment of the court officials and the hatred of the people!

They will surely die without a burial place, and will be condemned to death a thousand times over!

But he had no choice but to speak out.

This was a high-stakes gamble, betting not only on the king's fear of death but also on one's own chance of survival.

"Your Majesty," Xu Fu raised his head, "the method of immortality I present is..."

He paused for a moment, then uttered two words: "Destiny."