In the twenty-sixth year of King Zheng of Qin, the Six States had fallen, and all under heaven had only just come under the rule of Great Qin.
The realm seemed at peace, but beneath the surface, the old lands east of the passes seethed with unrest, and one strange incident after another came to light.
At Wulipo in Yingchuan, thick fog shrouded the imperial road, and blood-red banners floated in midair.
Qin officials traveling alone began disappearing one after another, vanishing without a trace, dead or alive.
Pei Lan, an imperial censor overseeing the prisons, received an edict to inspect the eastern territories.
He was meticulous and skilled at spotting the smallest clues.
At his side was Xiao Zheng, a guard who could protect him with his martial prowess, and Gu Xiaoqi, a local youth well versed in the customs and people of the region.
Together, the three traveled across the former territories of Han, Zhao, Wei, Yan, Qi, and Chu.
They unraveled one seemingly bizarre and baffling local mystery after another.
Banners hanging in the forest, secrets in abandoned hamlets, suspects in the watery towns, strange tales from the frontier...
At first, Pei Lan assumed that local criminals were behind the disturbances.
But as the investigation deepened, the seemingly unrelated cases slowly began to intertwine.
He gradually realized that the people causing trouble in different regions seemed to share a hidden connection.
A vast web of conspiracies spanning the former lands of the Six States had already been quietly laid.
Remnant forces from the Six States were secretly colluding, while a hidden hand deep within the imperial court worked in concert with them.
A plot capable of shaking the foundations of Great Qin was advancing step by step.
Mist shrouded every path, and danger lurked everywhere.
Pei Lan and his companions walked on the knife's edge.
They parted the layers of mist shrouding the mountains and wilderness, pursuing those who struck from the shadows.
Across the realm, they investigated mysteries, followed clues, and worked to prevent a catastrophe of unprecedented scale.
