Chapter 185: Mount Tai Yao Immortal, the Whole Network Erupts!

185. Chapter 183 Mount Tai Yao Immortal, the Whole Network Erupts!

In the 《Lament·Astronomical Records》 it was once recorded: "Sea‑side mirage towers and pavilions." Initial and final trust. In the gengyin mid‑spring, I avoided the bandits at the seaside. One day at noon, a servant ran to report a strange matter, saying: "Suddenly several mountains rose from the sea, none of which had ever existed before, none of which had ever existed before; the elders watching thought it was something extraordinary."

I was startled and went out, when the master of Yingchuan sent a messenger to invite me. After arriving, we went up together to the Gathering‑Far Tower and looked east. There, amidst the vast blue sea, stood towering like extraordinary peaks, linked like layered ridges, arrayed like broken hollows, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

Even in ancient Xia there were records of mirages; this extraordinary sight surpassed the knowledge of people at the time, so during the Warring States, Qin‑Han, and Wei‑Jin periods everyone regarded it as the manifestation of immortals.

In the modern age of technological development, seeing a mirage still feels wondrous; moreover, according to the terrain of Mount Tai there are not even the conditions needed to form a mirage.

What's more, they even saw the scene of Qin Shi Huang's Mountain Closure sacrifice from a thousand years ago—this is no longer an ordinary mirage, it truly leaves everyone incredulous.

"Could it be that we'll actually get to see the real Qin Shi Huang later?!"

A surge of shock and awe rose in everyone's hearts; as the procession drew nearer, the clouds and mist began to disperse, and they could see things more clearly.

At the front were the Qin dynasty cavalry, warriors clad in armor, mighty and imposing, even their warhorses wore bronze fittings; behind them came attendants holding trays and others bearing various ritual and musical implements.

The vanguard and rear gathered, carriages linked, banners fluttered, canopies swayed, drums and music thundered, displaying the supreme status of the emperor.

A huge golden carriage appeared in everyone's view, its surroundings draped with gold‑embroidered hanging clouds, three layers of gold‑pierced cloud panels attached, the canopy made of three layers of blue silk, each layer embroidered with alternating gold cloud‑dragon feather patterns.

Each wheel had eighteen spokes decorated with gold filigree; in front were two shafts, their ends adorned respectively with the head and tail of a gold dragon; at the rear hung twelve Grand Sacrificial flags of blue silk, each flag embroidered with the sun, moon, five planets, and the twenty‑eight lunar mansions, from which hung five‑colored tassels.

As the wheels turned, the tassels and bead curtains swayed slightly, and through them one could faintly glimpse a towering figure in a black dragon robe—that was Qin Shi Huang, hailed by later generations as the one‑emperor of all ages!

It was not a blurry image nor a textual record, but a figure coming directly from a thousand years ago.

Even from a great distance one could see the extraordinariness of the procession and feel the emperor's mighty, overbearing aura, which inspired awe.

Although they could not see the figures' faces clearly, this did not hinder everyone's admiration for Qin Shi Huang.

"Could it be that some other place is filming a drama about Qin Shi Huang's Mountain Closure on Mount Tai, and the image is being refracted here, thus forming this mirage?"

"Who would film a drama with such a massive entourage? Look at the people, horses, and troops—all are real, tangible beings, and I've never heard of any film crew near Mount Tai."

"How could actors produce such an aura unless the person himself were actually present?"

"I have that feeling too, but if it were truly a reenactment of a scene from a thousand years ago, that would be too fantastical."

"What on earth is going on? Is this really the scene of Qin Shi Huang's Mountain Closure on Mount Tai from a thousand years ago?"

The crowd debated the scene before them.

Qi Xueqing, however, pulled out his little notebook again and kept writing and drawing, gazing at the scene not far away with a thoughtful expression.

If it were a filming, it would match the historical records too closely—it would be a perfect one‑to‑one reconstruction, something even the most rigorous historical drama could not achieve.

If it weren't, how could such a marvel arise? All sorts of doubts rose in his heart.

The shadows of the green mountains grew hazy, even fading into the background; amid such a grand procession everything began to lose its color.

Qin Shi Huang descended from the imperial carriage, a red carpet stretching all the way to the summit of Mount Tai like a ladder to heaven; wearing a black dragon robe and a crown, the emperor stepped forward one pace at a time.

Although they could not see his face clearly, they could feel the mighty aura emanating from him, like a towering green mountain that almost made them unable to breathe, even giving their scalps a tingling numbness.

Moreover, some of the lively crowd, upon seeing Qin Shi Huang appear, instinctively fell silent, their eyes locked tightly on that figure.

Originally the crowd had hardly any notion in their minds, but upon seeing the scene before them they all simultaneously recalled a certain phrase.

"The Qin king sweeps the six directions, how mighty his tiger‑like gaze! He swings his sword to cleave the floating clouds, and all the feudal lords come westward."

Only now do they understand the meaning of those words: it turns out that a person can awe the world with just his back.

As that towering back reached the summit of Mount Tai, the cavalry and attendants lined up on both sides, the air flowing with a solemn, reverent aura; the crowd felt like ants, and an inexplicable reverence rose in their hearts.

Though they were merely spectators, they had the sensation of being present, crossing the distance of time and space to arrive at Mount Tai a thousand years later, to witness the scene of the one‑emperor of all ages, Qin Shi Huang, performing his Mountain Closure here.

Only after witnessing it with their own eyes did they know how shocking it was; the pallor and thinness of words could not even show one‑tenth of Qin Shi Huang's Mountain Closure.

The mist in the mountains gathered; Qin Shi Huang seemed to tread the ladder to heaven, his black dragon robe with dragon patterns fluttering in the wind, golden light crowning his summit, giving the feeling that he might ascend straight to the ninth heaven.

The crowd hardly dared to breathe, fearing they might disturb the heavenly being.

Even knowing that what lay before them was merely an illusion, the feeling it gave them was all too real.

"This shouldn't be a filming; it's completely a reenactment of a scene from a thousand years ago! Only Qin Shi Huang himself could have such an aura."

"I feel the same; even superb acting couldn't produce that."

"To be able to witness such a marvel, this life is truly worthwhile."

The visitors sighed with myriad emotions; even if they couldn't see Qin Shi Huang's face clearly, they were still overwhelmed by his aura.

The cloud sea surged again, red and purple intermingling, changing instantly, like myriad horses galloping.

The heavens' rosy clouds merged with the boundless sea of clouds on the horizon, as if a vast oil painting had descended from the sky; clouds, mist, and haze reflected each other, golden light lifting the veil to reveal a mysterious corner.

The mirage's image was not continuous; it flickered on and off like a slide show, the scenes advancing quickly.

At this point the Mountain Closure ceremony was drawing to a close; after Qin Shi Huang paid homage to heaven and earth, more than a dozen attendants strained to lift something up and covered it with a huge red cloth.

From the expressions and movements of the surrounding people, it was clear that Qin Shi Huang attached great importance to the object beneath the red cloth.

"What is under this red cloth, made so mysterious?"

"Could it be some treasure?"

For a moment everyone's curiosity peaked; they could hardly wait to lift the red cloth themselves.

Even a simple motion, Qin Shi Huang's every gesture was filled with domineering authority.

The red cloth was lifted bit by bit, and everyone finally saw its true face; they could not help but widen their eyes—it was unmistakably a strangely shaped stone!

It is called strange because this stone is not the usual square block, but has been meticulously carved by skilled artisans.

Its slender body twists and turns, each scale polished to utter smoothness—it is unmistakably a vividly lifelike snake!

The snake's eyes are even inlaid with two green jade gemstones; it is nothing short of supernatural craftsmanship, with spiritual energy radiating outward.

The snake statue's angle is perfectly facing the crowd.

Gazing at that pair of emerald‑green beast eyes, everything between heaven and earth dims.

In a daze, the crowd felt an illusion: the snake statue seemed to have pierced through time, looking through a layer of hazy mist at humanity a thousand years later.

"Good grief, I feel as if that snake statue is looking at me!"

"I thought I was the only one having this illusion, never expecting you too—"

From any angle, it seems like everyone is staring at me.

Seeing this strange snake statue, everyone felt an odd sensation, instinctively lowering their heads, not daring to meet its gaze.

How could it be a snake statue?

Everyone was puzzled, and before they could figure out why the Mount Tai Mountain Closure ceremony would bring a snake statue...

Another stone tablet was brought forward, an attendant handed over a chisel, Qin Shi Huang pondered for a moment, then swept his hand broadly, dragons flying and phoenixes dancing, as if he were about to inscribe something on it.

Such an action was truly bizarre to the extreme.

Generally, after an emperor performs Mountain Closure, they would inscribe on the stone tablet, but in this case, it is clearly to inscribe for the snake statue!

What does this mean?

Qin Shi Huang's inscription was not lengthy; he finished it quickly. Qi Xueqing strained his eyes, wanting to see more clearly.

However, as soon as Qin Shi Huang put down the chisel, a crack appeared on the stone tablet, spreading like a spider's web.

The indestructible stone shattered into countless pieces under everyone's gaze, and even Qin Shi Huang's body began to tremble.

In that fleeting instant, Qi Xueqing finally recognized what Qin Shi Huang had inscribed.

It was four small seal characters—

Demon Immortal!

Longevity!

Before he could grasp the meaning of these four characters, another exclamation rose from the crowd.

Hum!

As the stone tablet collapsed, the originally calm three-dimensional image, like boiling water, shook not only Qin Shi Huang but all the figures.

The lifelike shadows once again became illusory, the surrounding sea of clouds gathered once more, wiping away traces of these people's existence.

At the very end when the image faded, Qin Shi Huang actually slowly picked up a stone from the ground, gazed into the distance, leaving only an infinitely mysterious back for everyone, and this grand Mount Tai Mountain Closure ceremony finally came to a close.

Yet the crowd remained immersed in the magnificent, awe‑inspiring scene, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

The green mountains remained as they were, silently witnessing everything; despite the seas turning to mulberry fields and dynasties changing, they seemed unchanged.

Mount Tai had once glimpsed that grand ceremony in the long river of history, but could only dissolve it into the mountain wind; now many people again witness it together with it.

……

Because there were simply too many tourists on Mount Tai, the appearance of a mirage spread without legs and quickly went viral online.

The heat was unprecedented, also attracting some experts' opinions, after all this mirage was especially miraculous.

Soon experts, using the video, speculated on the cause of this mirage's formation.

"This is indeed a mirage, and moreover a recreation of an ancient scene; such a phenomenon is very rare."

Since a mirage is a natural phenomenon formed by the refraction and total reflection of light, its occurrence is closely tied to geographic location, geophysical conditions, and the specific weather characteristics of those places at particular times.

It is very likely that, when Qin Shi Huang performed the Mountain Closure ceremony, due to weather or some other reason, the image was recorded and then, by a twist of fate, reappeared a thousand years later.

This is remarkably similar to the appearance of palace maidens' silhouettes on the walls of the Forbidden City.

It is said that similar examples exist in foreign ancient architecture: during special nights of thunder and lightning, certain materials can preserve the image, and when the same environment arises again in the future, there is a certain probability it will reappear, much like a piece of film.

Therefore we speculate that perhaps Mount Tai itself recorded this scene from a thousand years ago, and now, due to environmental and meteorological factors, it is being replayed, presenting this kind of divine trace.

The experts' explanation completely confirmed that this is a projection from a thousand years ago, not an ordinary mirage, and it once again stirred up public opinion.

However, it is also strange that only people on the mountain saw it, while nearby towns not far from Mount Tai saw nothing, possibly due to the terrain.

"The experts are spouting a bunch of jargon, speaking down‑to‑earth, this is just a documentary from a thousand years ago!"

"What a fellow, the original poster really hits the nail on the head—I love your way of speaking."

"Before, some said someone was filming nearby, but I thought it didn't look like an act; the experts finally made sense this time."

"Today I truly broadened my horizons on Mount Tai; it was like watching a grand stage pantomime, and the performer was none other than Qin Shi Huang—can you believe it?"

"Qin Shi Huang's Mountain Closure on Mount Tai! Among the Yellow Emperors who performed the Mountain Closure on Mount Tai, there are only a few, and Qin Shi Huang ranks first in my heart."

"By the way, Qin Shi Huang also carved a stele at the end, but why did that stele suddenly crack? Has anyone seen what characters were on it?"

"It seems to be 'immortal fairy' and 'longevity'?"

"I can understand longevity, but what is this 'immortal fairy'?"

Speaking of Qin Shi Huang's stories about longevity, in modern times they are well known; many ancient emperors pursued immortality, but few matched his grand scale.

The most famous example is perhaps his dispatch of Xu Fu together with three thousand boys and girls to sail east to Penglai in search of the immortal islands.

According to historical records, Qin Shi Huang became enamored with alchemy in his twenties, and from then on he believed that an elixir of immortality existed in the world and began seeking ways to obtain it; to meet immortals he even moved the entire palace underground.

Unfortunately, Qin Shi Huang never found the elixir of immortality in his lifetime, a fact recorded in many historical accounts, yet there is not a single word about the 'immortal fairy'.

But many people have personally seen Qin Shi Huang carving the stele and inscribing characters; the mirage is based on the scene of his Mountain Closure on Mount Tai a thousand years ago, matching reality exactly, so there is no possibility of falsehood.

For a time, this drew many people's attention back onto Qin Shi Huang.

"People say Qin Shi Huang was cruel and violent, burning books and burying scholars, but much of that is later hearsay; his book burning did not destroy medical, agricultural, or other practical technical texts, and those he buried were not scholars but the sort of mystics who brought disaster to the state."

"I finally understand why Qin Shi Huang became obsessed with seeking immortals and the Dao in his later years—he had too many unfinished affairs and too many ambitions unrealized."

"Qin Shi Huang's pursuit of longevity is understandable, given the ample historical records, but can anyone explain what this 'immortal fairy' is?"

"And what about that strange snake statue? Doesn't everyone find it odd? As far as I know, the Qin dynasty venerated the green hawk, and even Qin's totem was bird‑related; why would a snake suddenly appear, especially during the Mount Tai Mountain Closure?"

"The green hawk is the protector god of the Qin clan; snakes eat birds, so the Qin people disliked snakes, even to the point of hatred, yet judging from Qin Shi Huang's attitude, he seems to like, or perhaps respect, them."

"From the carving of that snake statue, it's clear a lot of work went into it, and Qin Shi Huang even inscribed the two characters 'immortal fairy'; could this snake be an immortal fairy?"

"Your imagination is running wild—how could a snake possibly be an immortal fairy?"

Compared to the online debate, Qi Xueqing's desk is already piled with books such as *A Brief History of the Great Qin*, *The Qin Dynasty—Rise of a Kingdom*, *Qin Shi Huang, the One Emperor of All Ages*, and similar works.

Qi Xueqing's eyes are bloodshot, looking as if he hasn't rested well; since returning from Mount Tai he hasn't closed his eyes, constantly searching for books about Qin Shi Huang and the Qin state.

"Qin Shi Huang's erection of the stele and inscription of characters was certainly not a whim; moreover, the characters 'immortal fairy' precede 'longevity', and such an order in ancient times could not be accidental, showing that these two words carried even greater weight in his heart than 'longevity' itself."

Qi Xueqing muttered to himself, but no matter how he combed through the histories, he found no record of the 'immortal fairy' or the snake statue.

These two characters appeared like a night-blooming cereus, during the Mountain Closure ceremony on Mount Tai, and as the stone tablet shattered, they vanished like smoke and clouds.

If they weren't an eyewitness, they would almost doubt whether what they saw was a dream.

"What exactly is a demon immortal? Is it a place name? Or does it represent some kind of object? Or could it be a person's name?! Or does it refer to that snake statue?"

Qi Xueqing's mind filled with various doubts, but these could not be found in any book; perhaps only by crossing a thousand years of time to ask Qin Shi Huang himself could one know the meaning represented by the two words 'demon immortal'.

They had a faint premonition deep in their heart that the two words 'demon immortal' surely concealed a great secret, and were definitely related to that snake statue.

When examining the historical records of the Great Qin, especially the section on the Mountain Closure ceremony on Mount Tai, Qi Xueqing's sense of unease grew stronger.

"No!"

They seemed to have thought of something, their pupils dilated sharply, and finally understood where that strange feeling came from.

In history, Qin Shi Huang performed the Mountain Closure ceremony on Mount Tai only once, which is clearly recorded in the 'Mountain Closure' chapter of the Records of the Grand Historian.

【When the First Emperor heard these differing opinions, finding them hard to implement, he thereby dismissed the Confucian scholars. He then removed the carriage roads, from the base of Mount Tai to its peak, erected stones praising the virtue of Qin Shi Huang, making clear his receipt of the Mountain Closure.】

When the First Emperor ascended Mount Tai, he encountered a violent storm midway and rested under a large tree. The Confucian scholars, having been dismissed, were not allowed to participate in the rites of the Mountain Closure; upon hearing that the First Emperor encountered wind and rain, they ridiculed him.

This is also the origin of the well-known anecdote of the Five Doctor Pine.

This Mountain Closure left Qin Shi Huang unhappy; neither the scale nor the manpower matched what he had seen in the mirage, being far off.

"In other words, Qin Shi Huang once performed the Mountain Closure ceremony on Mount Tai twice! What we saw in the mirage was actually the second time!"

Only then can it explain why what they saw differs from what is recorded in the histories.

Qi Xueqing's mind was stirred up like huge waves; they never expected that, besides the demon immortal, they would also be drawn into such a secret matter.

The capital of the Qin dynasty was in Xianyang; as a historic cultural capital, nearby there are also many famous ancient mountain ranges, such as Zhongnan Mountain and Mount Hua. Judging by their fame at the time, these two mountains are not inferior to Mount Tai.

Mount Tai is a thousand li away from Xianyang, which can be said to be a distant journey; why did Qin Shi Huang not choose a nearer place but instead this one? Later generations have offered many explanations.

Before the Qin dynasty, Mount Tai was not an immortal mountain; on the contrary, it was precisely because Qin Shi Huang performed the Mountain Closure ceremony on Mount Tai that the worship of Mount Tai was first expanded from the eastern barbarians to the whole nation, and Mount Tai as a Daoist immortal mountain traces its origin to Qin Shi Huang's Mountain Closure on Mount Tai.

Some say that the Qin state rose in the northwest, but its ancestral roots are not in the west, rather they come from the east; the main reason for Qin Shi Huang's Mountain Closure on Mount Tai was to return home and seek his roots.

But is that really the case in fact?

Qin Shi Huang's first choice of Mount Tai was due to political and cultural reasons; then what was the second time for?

Moreover, the second ceremony was grand in scale, yet the histories left no record of it at all, truly mysterious to the extreme!

If they had not by chance seen a mirage on Mount Tai, this history would likely have remained buried in the long river of history!

Qi Xueqing, carrying various doubts in their heart, updated the Historical Mist series special again; this time they turned their gaze toward Qin Shi Huang.

Qin Shi Huang himself carries great controversy; added to that, the recent heated online discussion of the mirage scene, and also earlier on the mountain roads near Mount Tai, where bandits were executed by a white light falling from the sky.

For a time, all of this gave the mountain endless mystery.

The talk of myths also began to spread from Mount Tai, hotly debated like never before! (End of chapter)