During the Warring States Period, a man offered to teach the King of Yan the secret to attaining immortality.
The king was overjoyed and immediately sent an envoy to learn from this master. However, before the envoy could begin his lessons, the so-called immortal master died. The envoy had no choice but to return in disappointment.
Enraged, the King of Yan rebuked the envoy for being too slow and arriving too late, and ordered his execution.
The king never realized that the man who boasted of being immortal had deceived him. Instead, he blamed his own envoy for the failure.