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

The heat in the shop hadn't dissipated yet, but the chilly wind had already sobered me up by half.

Liu Bang shuddered, squinting his drunken eyes as he watched the black-robed man lift the curtain and enter. The man walked silently, his feet barely touching the ground, like a dark cloud drifting in.

"Sir/Madam... what would you like to eat?"

The proprietress, Aunt Lu, was a woman of the world, but this man's aura was so intimidating that she could barely hold the meat cleaver in her hand.

The man in black ignored her.

He walked straight to the counter, his eyes, hidden under his hood, like two flickering will-o'-the-wisps, fixed intently on Liu Bang above everyone's heads.

"Liu Ji".

His voice was hoarse, like a grinding sound coming from three feet underground, "Did you enjoy the wine tonight?"

"That feels great! Of course it feels great!"

Liu Bang, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, slurred and stomped his foot on the bench, "What? This brother's here to drink with me, Liu Ji? Come on, fill it up! Fan Kuai's treating today!"

"Brother, I'm out of money..." Fan Kuai muttered quietly from the side.

"Shut up! I said you're treating, so you treat!"

Liu Bang slapped Fan Kuai on the forehead, then turned to the man in black robes and grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking. "Brother, I think your outfit is quite unique. Where did you buy it? I'll get one too, it'll be convenient when I visit the widow's house later... hehe, that'll be helpful."

The surrounding patrons burst into laughter.

In Pei County, Liu Ji was a notorious troublemaker; he would even dare to make a sarcastic remark if the Emperor himself came to him.

But the man in black did not laugh.

He slowly stretched out his hand, which was as pale as paper, with long, black fingernails that gleamed with a chilling light under the dim oil lamp.

"Clatter".

A heavy ingot was thrown onto the greasy countertop.

That was a gold ingot.

But it's not ordinary gold; it's jet black with dark gold patterns flowing across its surface—【Ming Qin Black Gold】.

On the front of the gold ingot was a ferocious skull logo, with tiny rubies even embedded in its eye sockets. As the light shifted, it seemed to come alive, staring intently at Aunt Lu behind the counter.

"what!"

Aunt Lu screamed in fright, dropping the knife from her hand onto her feet. "What...what is this? Dead man's money?!"

"This is money to buy your life."

The black-robed man's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable air of judgment:

"I'll pay for Liu Ji's drinks."

"By the way... I've already decided on his life."

This sentence is like pressing the pause button.

The once bustling dog meat shop fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the man in black, then at the bewildered Liu Bang. In Pei County, no one had ever dared to speak to Liu Ji like that before; it was tantamount to an old man eating poison—they were asking for trouble!

"Buy...buy my life?"

Liu Bang was stunned for a moment, then, as if he had heard the funniest joke, he pointed at himself and laughed so hard he almost fell over. "Brother, have you had too much to drink? Do you know who I am? I am the head of the Sishui Pavilion! I am an official of the Great Qin! You dare to touch me?"

"official?"

The man in black robes sneered, "In front of the Grand Preceptor of Qin, you are not even an ant."

"The Imperial Advisor?"

Liu Bang's heart skipped a beat.

That legendary sorcerer Su Ming?

That madman who turned the First Emperor into a red-haired monster and Xianyang into a ghost town?

How could he possibly notice someone as insignificant as a village head?

"I don't believe it!"

Liu Bang abruptly stood up, roaring with a fierce but weak voice, "I was born with a face of wealth and nobility! I'm destined to be emperor! You charlatan, do you even dare to try and take my life?"

"Whether it's a hoax or not, you'll find out once you try it."

The man in black robes flicked his wrist.

"Splash—"

A sickening scraping sound of iron chains rang out. A jet-black chain, exuding a thick aura of death, emerged from his wide sleeves like a serpent, swirling and dancing in the air.

The tip of the chain was a sharp claw, still stained with dark red blood, as if it had just been pulled from a vat of boiling oil in hell.

"A soul-snatching rope?!"

Lu Wan was so frightened that she fell to the ground with a thud, sobering up considerably. "Big brother! This...this is the Black and White Impermanence!"

"Bullshit! There are no ghosts in this world!"

Although Fan Kuai was also afraid, he valued loyalty even more. Seeing that the man in black was about to make a move, the dog butcher roared, grabbed the cleaver from the chopping board, and rushed forward.

"You're playing tricks! I'll chop you up!"

Fan Kuai's strike was powerful and heavy, carrying the ruthlessness he had honed through his experiences in the streets, and it went straight for the black-robed man's forehead.

"Watch out!" Liu Bang exclaimed.

However, the man in black robes didn't even try to dodge the thunderous blow.

He simply raised his head slowly.

The large hood slipped down, revealing a face.

That was a...

A bluish-gray, lifeless, even somewhat rotten face.

But what terrified Fan Kuai the most was that the features of this face were exactly the same as his!

The same big beard, the same thick muscles, and even the scar on his left eyebrow bone from a childhood fight is exactly the same!

However, this face is dead.

His eyes were sunken, and his pupils were a pair of mechanical crystals that shimmered with red light. His mouth was stretched into an exaggerated arc, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white shark teeth.

"you……"

Fan Kuai's sword froze in mid-air, and he stood rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning.

He stared at the terrifying face that mirrored his own, and an unprecedented chill shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, causing even the hand holding the knife to tremble violently.

"What? Don't you recognize me?"

The "ghost messenger Fan Kuai" grinned, his voice carrying a metallic, crackling sound.

"I am you... or, you after death."

"Fan Kuai, your body is too weak."

"Join us...like me, immortal and tireless..."

"A ghost...a ghost!!!"

Fan Kuai finally broke down.

He dropped the knife, let out a pig-like scream, and scrambled backward until he knocked over a table full of food and wine before collapsing to the ground, his crotch wet and hot.

Liu Bang was dumbfounded.

He looked at the monster that looked exactly like his brother and felt dizzy, his legs went weak, and he couldn't even stand up straight.

What the hell kind of sorcery is this?

A clone? Or is it really a ghost?

"Have you had enough fun?"

The "ghost messenger Fan Kuai" ignored the terrified real Fan Kuai and turned to look at Liu Bang, who had already shrunk under the table. He then swung out the soul-snatching chain in his hand.

"Now that you've had enough fun, come with me."

"The Imperial Advisor is still waiting for you in Xianyang, saying he wants to borrow your 'luck' for a while."

"No... I won't go! I won't go to the underworld!"

Liu Bang gripped the corner of the table in despair, kicking his legs frantically, crying out, "Help! Murder! Is anyone going to do anything about this?!"

"Splash!"

The chains coiled around Liu Bang's ankles like venomous snakes, and then suddenly yanked him.

"ah--"

Liu Bang was dragged out screaming, sliding on the ground like a dead pig waiting to be slaughtered, his ten fingers scratching deep bloody marks in the mud.

They were about to be dragged out the door and into the endless darkness.

"laugh--"

A sharp and extremely fierce sword aura suddenly pierced through the night!