Chapter Thirty-Four: The Secret History of the Shen Clan

Inside the ancestral hall, Liu Tan pointed his sword at the old patriarch and said, “Now you can reveal that monumental secret of yours!”

The old patriarch nodded and replied, “Your Majesty, do you know who the highest ancestor our Shen clan can trace back to is?”

Liu Tan shook his head. “I can neither guess nor do I wish to. Just tell it straight—no more riddles, understood?” Unwittingly, he let slip a phrase from his former life.

But the meaning was clear, and the old patriarch understood. He continued, “Our highest ancestor is said to be Shen Gongbao of the Shang dynasty!”

“You’re lying to me?” Liu Tan’s anger flared. Shen Gongbao was a character from myth and legend! Did he think Liu Tan was a fool?

The old patriarch hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, please don’t be upset. Allow me to explain in detail.”

“Very well. I’ll see how you spin this tale.” With these words, Liu Tan placed his sword against the old man’s neck, the blade touching his flesh; any movement from Liu Tan would end the old patriarch’s life.

The old patriarch went on, “Your Majesty, let us set aside whether our ancestor was indeed Shen Gongbao or whether he aided King Zhou of Shang. I’ll speak only of our most recent traceable forebear. His name was Shen Jia, and he served as an astrologer, a feng shui master, and a tomb builder under Emperor Qin Shi Huang. By chance, our ancestor Shen Jia deciphered the Shen clan’s secret: the Emperor’s Immortality Technique. This method clearly states that a ruler who accumulates great fortune, immense merit, and vast malice will attain eternal life. Shen Jia followed this method to build the emperor’s mausoleum. Its location is hidden, the tomb is filled with traps, and without the ancestral diagrams, even the builder himself could not enter. Three thousand boys and three thousand girls were buried with the emperor, stone figures guard the tomb, drawing upon the fortune, merit, and malice, absorbing the essence of sun and moon. After more than two thousand years, the emperor’s corpse will awaken, undergo rebirth, and become the Golden Body of Pangu, eternal and indestructible!”

He paused, then sighed again. “But our ancestor Shen Jia was unlucky and encountered Qin Shi Huang, who amassed all those qualities. Shen Jia used the technique, but the emperor grew suspicious and, before his death, ordered Shen Jia’s execution and the destruction of the Shen clan. Our ancestor survived by the skin of his teeth, escaping from the Qin Empire, wandering here with the intent to hide his name. When the Second Qin Emperor died, the clan resumed its surname. The ancestral mandate instructs all descendants of the Shen clan to remain hidden, never to engage in imperial struggles. Only when they meet another emperor who achieves merit comparable to Qin Shi Huang may they offer the technique. Thereafter, the new emperor may enter the mausoleum, destroy the corpse, absorb its essence, and take its place—thus forging the Golden Body of Pangu and avenging the destruction of the clan. This secret has been handed down orally, generation by generation, only to the patriarch and his successor. Now, I reveal it to Your Majesty, offering this technique in exchange for the lives of my clan, and pledging our unwavering loyalty. Should you treat us kindly, we will remain faithful unto death!”

Liu Tan listened, mouth agape, now half convinced. The reason was simple: the three thousand boys and girls, the stone figures—these were not mere legends. The three thousand boys and girls were, in fact, those whom Xu Fu took from the Qin dynasty, supposedly to seek the elixir of immortality overseas, but actually sacrificed in the north. The stone figures were the terracotta warriors discovered by later generations.

Furthermore, most royal tombs of past dynasties had been excavated by the government or ruined by tomb robbers, but only the tomb of Qin Shi Huang remained untouched. Everyone knew its location, yet neither thieves nor authorities could enter. This alone proved the tomb was no ordinary place.

Moreover, in this era of the Three Kingdoms, many incredible tales circulated, such as Zhuge Liang borrowing the east wind or the Seven-Star Lamp ritual to prolong life—stories that showed ordinary men could not grasp all the mysteries of the world, not even in Liu Tan’s previous life.

One’s status determined one’s perspective.

Yet, despite his partial belief, Liu Tan was not easily fooled. He gazed at the old patriarch and said softly, “Words alone are not enough…”

The old patriarch nodded and pointed to the ground. “Right beneath us, beneath the ancestral hall, lies our clan’s secret.”

After a moment’s silence, Liu Tan gestured to the floor and said hesitantly, “Then let’s excavate?”

“As Your Majesty wishes!” The old patriarch exhaled deeply. “I will gather my clansmen and open the treasure for Your Majesty!”

Liu Tan nodded. “Very well. Rise now.”

The old patriarch groaned as he struggled to his feet, clearly numb from kneeling too long.

The two exited the ancestral hall, drawing the attention of the imperial guards and Shen clan members.

The old patriarch paused and tapped his cane. “From this day forth, the Shen clan serves Your Majesty as lord, unswerving unto death! Now, Shen Ming, take ten clansmen and gather the ancestral tablets. Shen Lin, take the rest—” he glanced back at the hall, “—tear down the hall and dig below!”

The three commanders looked to Liu Tan, who nodded. The guards remained vigilant, but their tension eased.

Under the patriarch’s direction, all the Shen clan members began to move, carrying away the ancestral tablets, overturning the hall, and digging with picks and shovels. Soon, they had excavated a large pit where the hall once stood, and it continued to grow deeper.

“Patriarch, we’ve found something!” a clan member exclaimed.

“Keep digging, but carefully!” the old patriarch replied joyfully.

Liu Tan peered into the pit and saw two chests lying quietly within.

“Bring them up!” the old patriarch commanded. When the chests were hauled out and placed on open ground, he turned and knelt before Liu Tan. “Your Majesty, these two chests are the most valuable possessions of the Shen clan. Now, they are yours.”

Liu Tan sheathed his sword and circled the chests. They appeared to be forged of wrought iron and were extremely heavy; it had taken six men considerable effort to lift them from the pit.

After a long while, Liu Tan waved his hand. “Come, open them for me!”

The designated clan member looked to the old patriarch, received his nod, and stepped forward to unlock the chests. With a click, he opened them with both hands.

Gold, indeed! The first chest was packed with palm-sized gold ingots, glittering in the sunlight. Liu Tan was delighted; with this gold, he could re-equip his guards.

The second chest was filled with silk scrolls. He took one and unrolled it. Large characters read: “Emperor’s Immortality Technique,” followed by densely written fine script.

Clearly, this was not the moment to read closely. He picked up another scroll: “Detailed Explanation of the Mausoleum’s Location.”

Another: “Stealing the Sun and Moon—Replacing Qin Shi Huang.”

Another: “Detailed Explanation of the Mausoleum’s Mechanisms.”

On and on, each scroll recorded information about Qin Shi Huang’s tomb.

At this point, Liu Tan was convinced of the Shen clan’s secret. Fire blazed again in his heart.

Immortality?

What an alluring word…