131: The end of a dynasty marks the beginning of its demise.

"Brother Feng, what just happened to you? It was like you were possessed, standing here motionless, eyes glazed over, and... and you were crying." Wang Dalong looked at Lin Feng's pale face and the tear tracks on his cheeks, feeling a chill run down his spine.

This underground place was gloomy and filled with sinister energy, what with the ancient tomb and the treasure. He was terrified that Lin Feng might have been tainted by something unclean.

"It's nothing." Lin Feng withdrew his hand, his voice somewhat hoarse. He rubbed his throbbing temples; the grand and tragic historical vision he had just experienced had taken a massive toll on his spirit.

He didn't explain, and he couldn't explain.

And at the very moment his consciousness returned, that cold, mechanical voice in his mind finally sounded the final prompt.

[Ding!]

[Hidden Historical Mainline Mission: "sorrowful song of the last song" has been completed.]

[Mission Rating: Perfect.]

[Mission Objective "Search for the Lost Final Mandate of the Southern Song Dynasty" has been achieved. You have successfully found the last treasury and symbol of legitimacy of the Southern Song exile court, "the treasure of mandate of the great song," and uncovered the tragic deeds of its Guardian, "Jinghai General" Su Xian, and his three thousand loyal souls.]

[Mission reward calculation in progress...]

[Reward 1: Reputation 300,000]

[Reward 2: Skill: Basic Feng Shui.]

[Skill Effect: Understands relevant Feng Shui theories, can identify simple Feng Shui formations, and deduce related information.]

As the system prompt faded, Lin Feng felt a warm current spread through his mind, sweeping away the exhaustion from viewing the vision.

He knew that the long mission chain of [sorrowful song of the last song], spanning Quanzhou and Nan'ao Island, had now, at this point, come to a definitive end.

He gently closed the lid of the brocade box and bowed solemnly to this imperial seal that had witnessed the entire rise and fall of the Song Dynasty.

However, just as he straightened up and was about to return the brocade box to its original position, his gaze inadvertently swept over the silk padding beneath the box.

He noticed that, pressed beneath where the box had been, under the silk, there seemed to be something else, a corner of yellowed paper peeking out.

Lin Feng's heart stirred. He carefully picked up the brocade box and placed it on a nearby stone platform.

Sure enough, beneath the silk padding lay a neatly folded memorial.

The memorial was made of high-quality Xuan paper, but due to its age, it had become extremely fragile, its edges yellowed and brittle.

Lin Feng held his breath and used his fingertips to unfold it with the utmost gentleness.

The writing on the memorial was in a beautiful, standard-style small regular script, powerful and meticulous. The heading read, "Your subject, Lu Xiufu, submits this report with tears of blood."

This was a secret memorial written by Lu Xiufu to the already crumbling minor court of that time!

Wang Dalong also curiously leaned in to look. The two of them read it word by word under the flashlight's beam.

The content of this secret memorial had nothing to do with the treasury or the imperial seal before them.

It spoke of another, even more earth-shattering matter!

[...I have heard that when the Qin lost its deer, all under heaven vied for it. The imperial seal of china is the proof of the legitimate succession of the Central Plains. Since the last emperor of Later Tang, Li Congke, embraced the seal and burned himself to death at the Xuanwu Tower in Luoyang, the seal's whereabouts have been unknown. Upon the founding of our Great Song, Emperor Taizu searched extensively but could not find it, a great regret. Thus, he had another 'Mandate Treasure' made to replace it. However, Heaven blessed China. A hundred years ago, villagers digging in Luoyang found a treasure box beneath the ruins of the Xuanwu Tower, containing an imperial seal. Its color was dark green, its quality extraordinary, with one corner repaired with gold, matching the historical records of the 'He's Bi'...]

Seeing this, Lin Feng and Wang Dalong's hearts skipped a beat.

The imperial seal of china!

That national treasure, carved from the He's Bi jade, symbolizing "the Mandate of Heaven" since the First Emperor of Qin! Could it have been rediscovered during the Northern Song period?

They continued reading.

[...This seal was later obtained by a wealthy merchant in Luoyang, who kept it secret and did not show it to others. Our court once dispatched capable individuals to investigate covertly. Multiple appraisals all stated it was undoubtedly a genuine artifact from the Qin and Han dynasties. The only regret was that, having endured the great fire, the jade body already had cracks, making it unsuitable to serve as the nation's most important artifact again. Our court thus abandoned the attempt to retrieve it, allowing it to circulate among the people. Now, with the divine land sinking and Lin'an fallen, I have heard that this seal, after changing hands, has already fallen into the hands of the Yuan court...]

The final paragraph of the memorial caused Lin Feng's pupils to contract sharply.

[...According to secret reports from righteous men who escaped back, after obtaining this seal, the Yuan ruler Kublai Khan was ecstatic and wished to use it to demonstrate his legitimacy as the ruler of the Central Plains. However, he was deeply aware that this object was a knot in the heart of the Han people, fearing future trouble. Thus, after his time, he buried this imperial seal of china, along with the relics of his grandfather Genghis Khan, together in the secret tomb at Qinian Valley, to be forever suppressed underground. To extinguish the hope of our Han people's restoration...]

The memorial ended abruptly here.

Qinian Valley!

Genghis Khan's secret tomb!

Wang Dalong was completely dumbfounded. He stammered, "Bro... Brother Feng... does this mean... the real imperial seal of china isn't lost? It... it was taken by Kublai Khan to be buried with Genghis Khan?"

This news was even more explosive than discovering the Southern Song treasury!

And just as Wang Dalong was in a daze, the system in Lin Feng's mind, which hadn't been silent for long, once again sounded with a cold and grand prompt.

[Ding!]

[Critical historical clue detected: "imperial seal of china," "Qinian Valley."]

[Epic-level Historical Mainline Mission triggered: "jade fragments tracing."]

[Mission Background: Received the Mandate from Heaven, may it be long-lasting and prosperous. The imperial seal of china, the legitimate succession of the Central Plains, the soul artifact of the nation. After the First Emperor of Qin, it endured a thousand years of war and fire, ultimately lost in the sands of the northern deserts. Its loss is a regret that has lasted seven hundred years for the entire nation.]

[Mission Objective: Retrieve the lost Qin Dynasty imperial seal of china.]

[Mission Reward: Unknown.]

[Failure Penalty: None.]

Lin Feng looked at the line of imposing golden text announcing the mission title before his eyes and felt dizzy.

He had just sent off the two young emperors of the Southern Song, and now the family heirloom of the First Emperor of Qin was knocking on his door.

He glanced at Wang Dalong beside him, who was still excitedly dancing about over discovering the mountain of gold and silver, and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Not a single one of these things could be taken away, so what was there to get so excited about?

The real trouble had only just begun!