Qin Dynasty: They've all turned into zombies, what's there to fear about a rebellion?

On the way back to Xianyang Palace from the Great Wall construction site, Su Ming felt completely unwell.

That damned dragon horn seemed to radiate some kind of powerful radiation. Ever since he casually touched it with his finger, an indescribable heat surged through his body, as if he had drunk ten kilograms of fake liquor, or as if he had just finished a sauna. Every pore on his body was open, hissing and steaming out.

"System, are you sure this is genuine dragon energy? I feel like these side effects are even more outrageous than the T-virus!"

While tugging at his collar to cool down, Su Ming was mentally ranting.

The system's cold, mechanical voice now sounded almost gloating:

[Answer to the host: The ancient dragon was inherently extremely yang and vigorous, and that dragon had a rather eventful private life in its lifetime... It's normal for your charm value to mutate after absorbing its essence. It is recommended that you find a way to harmonize yin and yang as soon as possible, otherwise you may easily... experience internal heat.]

"I'll get my ass on you!"

Su Ming grumbled as he stepped through the gates of Xianyang Palace. He was about to find a water vat to bury his head in to calm himself down when he realized that the atmosphere around him was a bit strange.

Normally, when the palace maids and eunuchs saw this "infamous" Imperial Advisor, they would want to hide their heads in their necks and stay as far away as possible, for fear of being captured and turned into a zombie or having their blood drawn and sliced.

But why has the wind changed direction today?

"oops!"

A delicate, startled cry suddenly rang in my ears.

Before Su Ming could react, a little palace maid in a pink palace dress fell flat on her face in a completely unskilled "Wild Goose Descending on Sand" style right in front of him. The broom in her hand flew far away, and she lay on the ground, weak and boneless, but she still stubbornly raised her head, revealing a rosy little face and big watery eyes staring at him shyly.

"Your Excellency, Imperial Advisor... I slipped, could you... help me up?"

Su Ming: "..."

If I'm not mistaken, these floor tiles are so flat that even an ant wouldn't trip over them.

Before Su Ming could even reach out, two or three bold palace maids darted out from the side, surrounding him like cats that had smelled blood.

"Your Excellency, I have some freshly brewed plum juice. Would you like a sip to cool down?"

"Your Excellency, you're sweating. Let me wipe it for you..."

"Oh! The Imperial Advisor's gaze is so intense, my legs are going weak..."

Surrounded by these beautiful women, Su Ming felt the heat intensify, the air thick with the scent of perfume that made his head throb. He could clearly sense that the palace maids' gazes towards him were no longer filled with fear, but rather with a... desire to devour him alive.

That look in his eyes was exactly the same as the look in Qin Shi Huang's eyes when he wanted to eat people!

"Stop! All of you, step back three zhang!"

Su Ming roared and used some of his corpse energy to force the group of infatuated palace maids back.

He rushed out of the encirclement as if fleeing a plague, but before he had gone far, he ran headlong into a black iron wall.

"Oh, isn't this our Imperial Advisor?"

Meng Yi, dressed in gleaming black iron heavy armor and carrying a helmet, stood blocking the intersection with a mocking expression. He looked Su Ming up and down, his face flushed and clothes disheveled, with an expression that was as lewd as could be.

"What's wrong? Did you just escape from a life of luxury?"

Meng Yi leaned closer, sniffed hard, and then gave an "I understand" look. "Tsk tsk tsk, this smell... Grand Preceptor, it seems that your 'yin-yang replenishment' technique has reached its peak? Even from two miles away, I can smell that... aura that makes one's legs go weak."

"My ass, my legs are weak!"

Enraged, Su Ming kicked Meng Yi's shin guard with a sharp "clang," shouting, "This is dragon energy! Don't you understand dragon energy? I dug up a real dragon's corpse on the Great Wall and accidentally got a bit of a side effect from it!"

"Understood, I understand."

Meng Yi didn't believe it at all, and instead went even further, winking and making faces, "A true dragon, of course, must be strong in that area. Imperial Preceptor, you've absorbed dragon energy, so your charm is off the charts now. You didn't see it, those little palace maids were practically drooling when they looked at you."

"To be honest, even I, your humble servant, felt my heart skip a beat when I saw you just now."

Su Ming felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively clutched his chest, taking two steps back: "Meng Yi, I'm warning you, our friendship is purely platonic, don't do anything rash!"

"Get lost! I like women!"

Meng Yi chuckled and cursed, then said seriously, "However, Imperial Preceptor, you do look a bit...evil right now. Coupled with the rumors circulating in the palace these past two days about how you tormented Shao Siming that night, your image in everyone's mind is definitely that of a 'wicked and arrogant' great demon."

"Evil and arrogant?"

Su Ming paused for a moment, then subconsciously turned his head to look at a bronze vat next to him.

A familiar face was reflected in the water.

The facial features were still the same, but the overall aura had undergone a dramatic transformation. What was once merely a pretty face now possessed a jade-like luster due to the dragon energy entering the body, and the corners of the eyes and brows carried an unforgettable peach blossom charm.

Especially those eyes, with a faint pink light swirling deep within the pupils, and a slight squint revealing a captivating and wicked charm.

Coupled with his black robe, half-open in the wind, and the helpless, bitter smile on his lips...

Goodness, isn't this the standard face of a villainous male god from a novel?

"It's over, now there's no way to clear my name."

Su Ming covered his face in despair.

Being handsome is a good thing, but being so handsome that you "look like a bad guy" and "prey on innocent women" could easily get you into trouble in the Qin Dynasty, a time when the people were simple and honest (or fierce).

"No, I have to hide."

Su Ming felt the gazes from the eunuchs and palace maids around him growing increasingly intense, and even the patrolling guards passing by were starting to look at him strangely. He dared not linger outside any longer, fearing that some princess or noblewoman might suddenly appear and forcibly abduct him.

"General Meng, keep a close eye on the construction work at the Great Wall, especially that dragon skeleton. Make sure no one steals it!"

Su Ming hurriedly gave a brief instruction, then covered his face with his sleeve and, like a rat crossing the street, scurried along the wall towards the side hall.

"Hey! Imperial Advisor, slow down! Don't hurt your back!"

Meng Yi shouted loudly from behind, which caused another round of whispers around them.

Su Ming slipped away as fast as he used to when he was delivering takeout and sprinted back to his territory.

"Bang!"

He slammed the door of the alchemy room shut, bolted it, and then leaned against the door, panting heavily.

"This is terrifying...the women of Qin are terrifying..."

Su Ming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling like Tang Sanzang who had just escaped from the Spider Cave.

When will this damn dragon energy side effect finally go away?

Is it really as the system says, that I need to find someone to "balance the yin and yang"?

"Bah! I, Su Ming, am a respectable man. How could I be so careless as to seek an antidote..."

He muttered to himself as he turned around, intending to find some herbs to clear heat and reduce internal fire among the pile of medicinal materials.

however.

When he saw the scene inside the room, he froze instantly.

The alchemy room was not empty.

Beside the dissection table, a purple figure sat quietly.

Shao Siming.

She seemed to have regained her mobility and was no longer the disheveled figure bound like a dumpling. At this moment, she was sitting upright on a futon, holding a copy of "Human Anatomy Diagrams" that Su Ming had casually tossed there, reading it with great interest.

Hearing the noise, she slowly raised her head.

Eyes facing each other.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively reached for the door bolt to escape.

Oh no! This old lady has recovered! She's here for revenge!

Although I didn't do anything to her last night, I still bullied her quite a bit, tying her up, touching her, and forcibly feeding her drugs. This has created a huge grudge!

"Um...madam, spare my life!"

Su Ming leaned against the door, raising his hands in surrender. "I really did it to save you last night! And I did it for the sake of Great Qin's scientific research... If you're really angry, you can hit me, just don't hit my face!"

However, the expected Ten Thousand Leaf Flying Flower Stream did not arrive.

Shao Siming remained seated quietly, her pale purple eyes scrutinizing Su Ming from head to toe, the murderous intent in her gaze gone from last night, the same intent that had made her want to tear him to pieces.

Instead, it took on an extremely complex, somewhat inquisitive, and...

A confused look?

She turned her head slightly, her nostrils twitching slightly, as if she could smell the intense, almost overwhelming dragon aura emanating from Su Ming.

Her originally cool and aloof face was visibly flushed with a faint blush.

"you……"

Shao Siming finally spoke.

Although her voice was still a little hoarse, it was clear and melodious, like jade beads falling on a plate, so beautiful that it could make your ears pregnant.

"Why...do I smell like a dragon?"