By coincidence, Yi Xiaochuan finds a tiger pendant which sears a mark onto his chest when he wears it on his neck.

Back in the Qin dynasty, Xiaochuan meets Xiang Yu and Liu Bang and becomes sworn brothers with them.

While serving as a general of the Qin Empire, Xiaochuan meets Yushu, a princess of the tribal kingdom Tu'an.

On the other hand, Gao Yao is separated from Xiaochuan and sent to the palace, where he is forcefully castrated and made to serve the royal family as a eunuch.

As he becomes increasingly influential in the imperial court, he becomes corrupted by power and starts turning against his old buddy Xiaochuan, whom he now sees as a threat to his plan to dominate the empire.