Emperor Ming of Han bestowed upon Ban Chao, a descendant of the historian family, a bronze Yan tally, sending him on a mission to the Western Regions to seek the elixir of immortality and the golden Buddha from his dreams. Ban Chao sought out hidden masters in the capital, and was accompanied by thirty-six people, including a successor of the Mohist school, a descendant of a thief's clan, and a sorcerer from Yelang. Besides fulfilling the emperor's wish, they also sought to uncover the origins of the historian family and the murderer who framed their father.