Li Xi went to her fief, Liyang. The time was approximately more than half a month after she had told Ying Zheng about the matter of “summoning the heavenly soldiers and generals.” At that time, she received the news that the Liyang altar had been completed, so she set out.
But speaking of going to Liyang, one must mention that, besides herself, Li Xi had gained a companion with a special status on this trip.
That was the prince Cheng Qian, who previously had a bit of enmity with her and had been tricked by her in front of Ying Zheng.
In front of the city gate of Xianyang.
Ying Zheng, who came to see Li Xi off, said: “Today I came specially. Besides sending off the Divine Maiden, there is one more thing: I request that the Divine Maiden bring Cheng Qian along on this journey. I hope that in Liyang, he can be tempered a little and refine his delicate nature. From now on, the Divine Maiden need not care about his status and may command him at will.”
“But judging by your expression, it seems that you are unwilling to follow Li Xi to Liyang?”
Seeing the short Cheng Qian being held like a little chicken by a young guard in armor, tall, sturdy, looking mighty, not weak in martial ability—looking completely helpless as if he had been cast ashore like a dried fish—Li Xi suppressed the urge to laugh and deliberately asked Ying Zheng.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Qian bared his teeth and glared at her, wanting to speak to stop Li Xi from taking advantage, but his lips had just parted when the gaze from Ying Zheng’s phoenix-like eyes stopped him. He could only kick his legs in mid-air.
However, even this way of expressing grievance was not allowed. The young guard, expressionless, shook slightly while holding the “little chicken” and said seriously: “Young master, if you move like this, it may cause your subordinate to accidentally drop you.”
Li Xi could not help but marvel at how interesting Ying Zheng’s guard was—he handled Cheng Qian with such composure, not fearing to offend him or be remembered for revenge later.
Wait… at this time, a guard of the same age as Ying Zheng, daring to treat Cheng Qian so casually…
Li Xi seemed to suddenly remember something, looking at the well-built young guard, scrutinizing him. The young man’s face was resolute, full of righteousness, and under Li Xi’s unwavering gaze, he slightly lowered his head, somewhat embarrassed.
Li Si, who was witnessing this as if his little sister were teasing a respectable young man, could not help but feel a bit uncomfortable watching.
Just as he was about to tell his sister to restrain herself, he heard his king’s clear voice say lightly: “Divine Maiden, did you see something from his features?”
Li Xi was not a shy girl, so even being called out for staring did not bother her; she even continued Ying Zheng’s sentence: “I did not see clearly. Could I ask this young man to remove his helmet so I can properly display my physiognomy technique?”
Ying Zheng seemed slightly shocked by her answer. Then his eyes glanced at the embarrassed young man she had been examining while replying, and he said coolly: “Since the Divine Maiden wishes to see, Meng Tian, remove your helmet. Make sure the Divine Maiden sees clearly.”
It really was Meng Tian.
Hearing the guard’s name exactly as she had imagined, Li Xi immediately understood. No wonder he dared treat Cheng Qian so casually—this was the future General, known as the greatest warrior of China.
He was deeply trusted by Ying Zheng, commanding three hundred thousand troops, building the northern Great Wall, and fighting the Xiongnu. It could be said he was one of the most valued confidants of the First Emperor.
Thinking this, Li Xi smiled lightly and said to Meng Tian: “Tomorrow’s general of Qin, truly capable of commanding thousands of troops.”
After saying this, she withdrew her gaze.
She then continued: “Coming from a military family, Meng Tian, I suppose the king has already heard much of your words earlier. I shall now tell you something new and interesting.”
She stepped forward two paces, closer to the black-clad young king, and in a voice only they could hear said: “Meng Tian will improve the brush pen.”
After speaking, she quickly stepped back, keeping distance from Ying Zheng. If she stayed too close, she feared she might uncontrollably hug him due to the pink flowers blooming in her heart.
Then, she seemed to remember something and said to Ying Zheng: “Do not worry, Your Majesty. Li Xi will not fail the trust you place in me.”
She then looked at the small prince Cheng Qian, who had been held by Meng Tian all along, and with gentle eyes and a friendly expression, said: “Young master, I will take good, good, care, care, of you.”
Li Si, hearing how she emphasized “take good care,” knowing his sister’s habits, could not help but mentally give Cheng Qian a warning.
…How did this little prince offend their Li Xi?
Li Si could not help but wonder.
Upon arriving at Liyang, Li Xi first received the audience of the Liyang Magistrate, then informed him of the auspicious day she had chosen for the ceremony to summon the heavenly soldiers and generals, and sent him to arrange everything.
Liyang city, as her fief granted by Ying Zheng, still had the original magistrate in charge, not Li Xi herself.
This left Li Xi free. She only needed land to carry out her plans. If she were fully responsible for all affairs there, she would not have time, so this arrangement was perfect—she held ultimate authority, but administrative duties were handled by someone else.
In other words, the Liyang Magistrate was her worker.
While the Liyang Magistrate busily prepared various matters, Li Xi continued refining the plot of The Great Qin, and corrected the initial game settings in the system.
Her fingers slid across the system’s holographic screen, examining every detail. When she reached a line for time settings, she said: “Here, change the time flow. Make it 4:1. Four days in the Great Qin world equals one day in the player world.”
“Okay, host.” The system obeyed immediately, changing the numbers to 4:1.
The system was still curious and asked: “But host, why not use the default 10:1? According to my database, the biggest attraction of this world for players is that they have proportionally longer time, seven times longer lifespans, and can learn more. Once discovered, all players would flock to The Great Qin.”
Li Xi replied lightly: “Seven days is too long. Players cannot be online in the game all day. War and politics can change in an instant. If players log off and return to find the world overturned, that is a poor experience.”
“Do not forget, this is the end of the Warring States, the theme is building the soon-to-unite Qin. If time flows too fast, players experience ten years while we experience one—how can they truly invest in this world emotionally?”
Historically, Ying Zheng ascended the throne at thirteen, unified the six states at thirty-nine, then became emperor. Without cheats, it took twenty-six years to unify. With the system, Ying Zheng could unify the six states by thirty—reasonable. Fourteen years remain; for players, one game spanning four years roughly matches.
Moreover…
Li Xi continued: “Besides, human desire is endless. If time flows too fast, like 10:1, players would have ten times more time, driving them mad. They might use all the world’s resources to crack The Great Qin.”
The system, though advanced, could not predict genius players. Even if such players could hack the system, she could close the game and escape. But these future players were her profit. So she absolutely would not allow 10:1.
She might not even want 4:1, preferring 1:1, everyone working in Qin together.
But to motivate players, she offered extra time—four extra times—as a reward.
After hearing Li Xi, the system cheered in her mind: “Host, you are amazing! So smart! So clever!”
“Enough.” Li Xi rubbed her temple, stopped the system’s flattery, and continued checking the settings: “Also here, needs changing…”
Once all settings were corrected, and explanations given, the time reached Li Xi’s predetermined day.
She asked the system: “Background plot and opening CG are done, player spawn and respawn points assigned… the rest is up to you?”
“Host, rest assured! The rest is my business!”
Though this was its first practical player summoning, the system had extensive theoretical experience, even promotional ads ready.
That day, You Yu, a small gaming streamer, was searching for hidden gem games to review.
Suddenly, a flashy ad appeared:
—Holographic game masterpiece, experience 100% real Warring States!
—Witness the unification of Qin and the birth of the Terracotta Army!
—Fully AI NPCs await your experience!
You Yu: “…?”
He moved the mouse to close, hesitated, then clicked download.
The Great Qin.apk download…
Installation complete. Load game now?
“….”
A minute later, he saw the prompt and felt cheated. Full-holographic? Most downloads take hours.
Still, he clicked to load, planning to make a video mocking the game. He put on his VR headset and entered the game.
Upon logging in, he was stunned by the scene before him.