After transmigrating across three lifetimes, I finally got the chance to defy fate and change my destiny.
1998, an alley behind Zhongguancun.
Someone ground my face into the snowy mud. His name was Wang Teng. He said, "Around here, I am the law."
When I opened my eyes again, I had become Fusu, the eldest son of the Great Qin. My father was Ying Zheng.
I returned with two thousand years of memories, thinking I could change my fate.
Then I saw a boy of fifteen or sixteen in Xianyang Palace. The moment he looked up at me, a chill ran down my back.
That was exactly how Wang Teng had looked at me in 1998. It took me a long time to understand: he had been chasing me for a thousand years.
In the Qin dynasty, he was called Hu Hai. In the Northern Wei, he was called Tuoba Gui. In 1998, he was called Wang Teng.
Even the dog at his side had never changed. In my previous life, it was Zhao Gao. In this one, it was Yao Chang.
I have died twice.
The first time, I died in Xianyang, by an imperial edict.
The second time, I died in Chang'an. My country had fallen, and I spent more than ten years managing grain for the man who destroyed it.
At the Battle of Fei River, a million troops collapsed overnight. I was the one who let the living men escape across the river.
Every time I change one thing, I forget another. First I forgot the tune my mother hummed, and later I forgot the sound of someone calling my name.
The farther ahead I plan, the more completely I forget.
There is only one thing I dare not forget.
The other half of the jade seal in my hand is not missing from the jade. It is with someone.
Her name is Lin Zhien.
This is my third life. More than a dozen dynasties have risen and fallen, and my name has changed over and over. Only she has always stood by my side, life after life.
This time, I won't run away.
