Instead, the focus shifted to a striking young woman, leaning against a boy as they sat together on a pine tree branch, watching the sunset.
Qilin stopped walking.
He stared at the boy in the mural, lost in thought.
Wang Cang Hai, too, was fixated on the youth’s face.
It was a face he could never forget.
The young immortal Qilin’s features had been depicted with striking accuracy—seven or eight parts identical to the real person.
But then again, the boy in the mural might not actually be Qilin.
After all, this story was nearly three thousand years old.
“He was the first Zhang Qiling,” Qilin murmured.
“The qilin beast that once guarded the Bronze Gate… fell in love with a human girl, Zhang Hai Sheng.
“For her sake, he chose to stay in the mortal world, even renaming himself Zhang Qiling—living alongside the Zhang clan of Dong Xia.”
Wang Cang Hai noticed that beside the pair of lovers in the mural, a crimson phoenix was depicted in mid-flight, its wings elegantly spread.
Suddenly, a verse from ancient texts came to mind—one that described King Zhou Mu and Sheng Ji:
"The phoenix soars, its wings fluttering in splendor. The birds gather, following its lead, and come to rest beside it. It flies freely, yet remains bound to the heavens."
Qilin asked, “What does that poem mean?”
“The phoenix flies freely, leading a flock of birds that follow in its wake. It symbolizes their boundless freedom in the sky,” Wang Cang Hai murmured, shaking his head slightly. “The latter part of the poem praises King Zhou Mu’s wisdom as a ruler. I always thought the phoenix soaring referred to Zhou Mu and Sheng Ji’s love. But now I realize—the one accompanying Sheng Ji to witness the hundred birds bowing to the phoenix was not Zhou Mu at all. It was the first Zhang Qiling.”
“They possessed the freedom of the sky…” Qilin repeated, then shook his head. “No. Bound to the heavens does not mean the freedom of the sky—it means the shackles of fate.
“A divine beast and a human falling in love… is something the heavens will never allow.”
Wang Cang Hai felt his heart sink at those words.
He couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Then what happened to the first Zhang Qiling and Zhang Hai Sheng?”
Qilin let out a quiet sigh. “Sheng Ji died before she even turned twenty.”
Qilin continued carrying Wang Cang Hai forward.
And sure enough, the next mural they saw depicted the first Zhang Qiling cradling Zhang Hai Sheng’s lifeless body, standing before King Zhou Mu. The two men seemed to be discussing something of grave importance.
Zhang Qiling’s expression was filled with sorrow and torment, while Zhou Mu looked troubled, holding a small white porcelain vial in his hand.
The following mural showed Zhou Mu now holding Sheng Ji’s corpse, standing behind Zhang Qiling—who raised an intricately carved jade seal.
Before them, a massive Bronze Gate was slowly opening.
Then came the final mural.
The Bronze Gate was tightly sealed shut.
Zhang Qiling, Zhang Hai Sheng, and Zhou Mu stood in front of it, their backs turned to the sealed gate.
Wang Cang Hai speculated, “That Zhang Qiling opened the Bronze Gate, took Zhou Mu and Zhang Hai Sheng inside, and then brought her back to life. Afterward, the three of them emerged together.”
Qilin exhaled softly. “Yes.
“The first Zhang Qiling broke his own oath—he used the secrets inside the Bronze Gate and Zhou Mu’s elixir of immortality to resurrect Zhang Hai Sheng.
“He granted a mortal girl, who had died too young, a life that was never meant to be hers.”
Zhang Hai Xing’s voice rang out, filled with excitement.
“The Bronze Gate can bring the dead back to life!” he shouted. “Clan Leader! Is there still a way to obtain the secret to immortality inside?”
Qilin shook his head. “I have no idea what’s inside the Bronze Gate.”
Wang Cang Hai said, “If the gate really exists here… we’ll find out soon enough.”
A strange sound echoed from ahead.
It was like the clashing of swords and the galloping of warhorses—
Yet there were no human voices.
No battle cries.
No whinnies of horses.
The Zhang family procession, which had been whispering in hushed voices about the murals, suddenly fell into silence.
Everyone understood—
A great secret was just ahead.
They pressed forward, step by step—
Until, at the end of the path, a massive Bronze Gate loomed before them.
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