The enemies and threats within the imperial mausoleum had all been resolved.
As they journeyed back, everyone chatted and laughed, their previous fear gone.
The only one truly unlucky was Li Yang.
This four-eyed bookworm had been in a coma ever since Hu Hai possessed him and was still being carried on a stretcher by Wang Sihuai's team.
Xia Qi didn't know whether to envy or pity Li Yang. After all, the guy hadn't experienced much fright and was unaware of the dangers everyone had faced. However, he had also missed a lot, such as witnessing Qin Shi Huang in person.
Ghosts, for an academic, were terrifying.
But seeing Qin Shi Huang was a completely different matter. Even Li Yang would likely be overjoyed and eager to ask the First Emperor countless questions.
As for who was most deeply affected, it was Yan Shouyi himself.
On this trip to the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, he had avenged his old enemy Yu Jinhong and his new enemy Shi Jing, and had also dealt with Chu Wu, Jiaomu Jiao of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and the others Chu Wu had brought.
Simultaneously, he had gained Qin Shi Huang's legacy, General Qing Jiang's "A Sword Questions the Heavens," and treasures such as the Ancestral Dragon Sword, the Purple Jade Crown, and the Sui Hou Pearl.
But most importantly, he had found the bone chain.
With the bone chain found, it was only a matter of time before Lin Zitong was no longer in mortal danger.
His perpetually worried heart could finally rest.
In excellent spirits, Yan Shouyi, seizing the moment while everyone was present, suddenly cleared his throat and called out:
"Everyone quiet down for a moment, listen to me."
The moment before, everyone had been engaged in lively conversation. Upon hearing Yan Shouyi speak, they immediately fell silent.
Long Feicheng teased, "Brother Yan, what do you want to say? Could it be you're going to be a dad? Hahaha!"
The other companions also smiled, clearly showing how relaxed everyone was now.
Little did they know that Yan Shouyi was about to drop a bombshell: "Yes, that's right, I'm going to be a dad."
The laughter of the crowd ceased abruptly, and their gazes turned serious.
Yan Shouyi then reached out and gently patted the heads of Long Feicheng, Agong, Wang Jimang, and He Xiping, smiling as he said, "Good boys, call me 'Dad'."
"Holy shit!"
"He's actually taking advantage of us!"
"Brothers, beat him up!"
The four companions instantly exploded with anger, lunging forward to chase and hit Yan Shouyi. Yan Shouyi quickly fled, shouting as he ran, "Just kidding, just kidding! I'm really going to be a dad!"
"You bastard, you're still saying it! I'll fight you!"
The others refused to believe him and chased Yan Shouyi, giving him a good thrashing.
Yan Shouyi was completely bewildered. It was true he had been joking, but now he was being serious!
Yet his good brothers wouldn't believe him.
Yan Shouyi perfectly demonstrated the idiom "The boy who cried wolf."
Taohua Ying, the only one who knew the truth, floated beside Lin Zitong, crossing her arms and saying with annoyance, "Are all men this childish? He's making such an important matter sound like a joke."
"Men are boys until death!" Lin Zitong said with a smile, patting her belly.
Luo Ning and Zhao Yiyao, noticing something amiss, looked at Lin Zitong with surprise, "You... you're not actually pregnant, are you?"
Women were always more attentive and sensitive.
Lin Zitong nodded.
The two women immediately adopted a coy demeanor. Even the tomboyish Zhao Yiyao couldn't help but cover her mouth and shriek, "Ahhh!"
Then they gathered around Lin Zitong, carefully placing their hands on her belly and whispering, "Little one, we are your aunts! You must remember us when you're born!"
Given Lin Zitong's relationship with them, Luo Ning and Zhao Yiyao could easily claim to be the child's godmothers.
However, the status of godmother still required Lin Zitong and Yan Shouyi's consent.
Long Feicheng and the others, who had been roughhousing, finally noticed the commotion around Lin Zitong and stopped chasing Yan Shouyi, their mouths agape in shock.
"N-no way, is it true?" Long Feicheng exclaimed, his face full of astonishment. "Sister-in-law is really pregnant?!"
Yan Shouyi sighed, "I knew I shouldn't have joked with you guys earlier. Now that I'm telling the truth, no one believes me."
"Oh my god!"
The four good brothers were momentarily at a loss. Except for Agong, none of them even had girlfriends yet, and Yan Shouyi was already about to become a father.
Wei Changqing also showed a rare, gentle smile.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Lin Zitong's heart filled with sweetness. She murmured to herself:
"Little one, remember your aunts and uncles. They are the people who love you most in this world."
Liang Yinqiu, Wang Sihuai, Xia Qi, and the others also came forward to offer their congratulations.
On the journey back, everyone had a new topic of conversation.
Would the baby be a boy or a girl?
Would the little one resemble their father more or their mother?
What name would be suitable?!
Everyone was filled with anticipation for the arrival of this new life, eager to bestow all their love upon this unborn child.
...
As the eastern sky began to show the pale white of dawn.
Yan Shouyi and his companions finally emerged from the breach in the imperial mausoleum.
Despite their excited emotions, everyone's face revealed undeniable fatigue.
The sky had cleared, but puddles of water and mud remained on the ground.
The area outside the imperial mausoleum was silent.
Upon exiting, they only saw the staff who had been mesmerized by the human-skin drum and lay unconscious on the ground.
And...
The tomb keeper, Li Chongxi, sitting alone on a pile of broken bricks, head bowed and panting.
Beside Li Chongxi lay many corpses, most of them belonging to Chu Wu's men, with a smaller number being disciples from local folk sects in Chang'an.
In the battle last night, Li Chongxi, in conjunction with the Chang'an folk sect disciples, had fought fiercely against the people of the New Xuan Mountain Sect.
And now, not a single person from the New Xuan Mountain Sect had left alive, even though Li Chongxi's side had suffered heavy casualties.
Seeing this scene, Yan Shouyi and his companions immediately suppressed their previous joy.
He rushed to Li Chongxi's side and asked, "Senior Li, how are you?"
Li Chongxi raised his head. His face, deeply lined, was smeared with blood, making it impossible to tell if it was his own or the enemy's.
He forced a weary smile and asked, "Have the matters in the imperial mausoleum been settled? Have those experts and professors all returned?"
"It's all done, all done," Yan Shouyi said, helping Li Chongxi up. "You're badly injured."
"At my age, what can I do?" Li Chongxi sighed and shook his head. "One must admit one is getting old."
Yan Shouyi checked Li Chongxi's pulse while calling out to the others:
"Contact Master Qin, have him send a car quickly. We'll take Senior Li to find Old Jin! ...No, have Old Jin come along too. There are many injured here!"