Chapter 872: Recording Books

Bi Linglong’s willowy brows shot up. “What kind of demonic creature is playing tricks here?”

With a flick of her sleeve, a powerful blast of energy shot forth, sending the coffin lid flying off with a bang. It spun many times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

*Zu An thought to himself, "This woman is truly violent. She just flips someone's coffin lid at the slightest provocation."*

Bi Linglong’s eyes, however, sparkled with admiration. She greatly admired such decisive actions, wondering when she would be able to act with such unrestrained satisfaction in settling scores.

Mi Li floated directly towards it, and Zu An and Bi Linglong hurried to follow.

Inside the coffin lay a lifelike corpse: a middle-aged man in a green robe wearing a crown, his attire almost identical to that of the alchemist depicted in the mural they had just seen.

“So it’s you!” A hint of surprise flashed in Bi Linglong’s eyes. As soon as her words fell, the middle-aged man’s face, which had been relatively plump, visibly disintegrated, then turned into a pile of flying dust and vanished. Only a pile of dry bones remained in the coffin.

Bi Linglong shuddered at the sight and instinctively moved closer to Zu An.

*Zu An thought to himself, "These coffins really are specially made. They can preserve a body from decay for a long time, but once opened and exposed to air, the contents instantly oxidize."*

“Master, who is this person?” Zu An asked curiously. He could understand why Fusu's body had been preserved for so long, as he was once the crown prince with a special status, but why did this person also receive such treatment?

“Do you remember I mentioned that Qin Shi Huang, in his quest for the elixir of immortality, gathered alchemists from all over the world to help him search?” Mi Li said. “He was one of them, Lu Sheng.”

After speaking, she pointed to the mural beside them and explained, “Actually, I had a guess as soon as I saw the mural. The first panel depicts the story of Lu Sheng seeking Xianmen back then. Xianmen is an immortal from ancient legends, and his name is also a homophone for ‘immortal gate,’ which is why Qin Shi Huang valued him.”

“However, he didn’t find the elixir of immortality. After expending a great deal of manpower and resources, he eventually returned with a book called *Lu Tushu*. It’s said to have been written by an immortal and can reveal the past and future.”

“Qin Shi Huang asked him about the future of the Qin Empire, and he obtained a phrase from *Lu Tushu* — ‘The one who destroys Qin will be Hu.’ Upon hearing this, Qin Shi Huang believed it referred to the northern nomadic Hu people, the Xiongnu. So he dispatched Meng Tian with an army of 300,000 to the north to build the Great Wall, to guard against the Hu people invading from the south.”

*Zu An thought to himself, "So that famous historical phrase came from here. Unfortunately, Qin Shi Huang’s calculations were no match for fate. In the end, 'Hu' didn't refer to the Xiongnu, but to his successor, Huhai."*

Bi Linglong pointed to the subsequent murals and asked curiously, “What happened next?”

Mi Li replied, “As I just said, in order to find the elixir of immortality, Qin Shi Huang virtually granted Lu Sheng every request. However, the more accommodating Qin Shi Huang was, the more frightened Lu Sheng became. After years of seeking immortals and asking for the Dao, he knew clearly that there was no such thing as an elixir of immortality in the world. He feared that if he ultimately failed to find it, Qin Shi Huang would punish him. So he secretly fled. When Qin Shi Huang learned of this, he was furious, feeling that despite his generosity towards Lu Sheng, he had been betrayed. Thus, he ordered a nationwide search, investigating all alchemists to see who had colluded with Lu Sheng. Eventually, several hundred people were implicated, and he ordered them to be buried alive.”

Zu An was startled. “Isn’t this the burning of books and burying of scholars?”

“‘Burying scholars?’” Mi Li frowned. “‘At that time, Confucian scholars hadn’t yet gained influence. What does it have to do with them?’”

Zu An instantly understood. He figured that later dynasties, for the sake of their own legitimacy, had exaggerated Qin Shi Huang’s cruelty and deliberately smeared his name.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind them: “I never thought after all these years, I’d still get to see the Empress.”

Zu An abruptly turned around, staring at the mural on the wall, as he realized this time the voice was coming from inside the wall.

The image of the alchemist on the mural faintly flickered with a ghostly light, as if a transparent figure was about to emerge.

Mi Li was equally surprised. “Oh, you actually managed to survive until now?”

Soon, a translucent figure climbed out of the wall. As it emerged, its original image on the mural completely disappeared.

“A wisp of remnant soul was sealed here,” the transparent figure, clearly Lu Sheng, said with an exceptionally forlorn tone. “Only now, sensing a fated person, have I awoken. I will soon turn to dust and ashes again; how can that be considered living?”

However, he suddenly looked at Mi Li, his eyes becoming exceptionally fervent. “Oh, Empress, why are you still alive? Is there really an elixir of immortality in this world?”

Mi Li said blandly, “There is no such thing as eternal life in this world. My survival until now is due to various coincidences and opportunities; it is not reproducible.”

She clearly did not want to explain her circumstances in detail.

Hearing her reply, Lu Sheng was not disappointed; instead, he sighed in relief. “Indeed, indeed. It seems my judgment back then was not wrong.”

“What exactly happened back then? Why did you hide in the mural in this state?” Mi Li couldn’t help but ask. With her discerning eye, she could naturally tell that the other party was not lying; if he had remained dormant in the mural for a long time in this state, he might have lasted for a few more years, but by choosing to awaken, he was destined not to live much longer.

Lu Sheng glanced at the mural on the wall and couldn’t help but sigh. “Everyone in the world thinks that I successfully escaped back then, causing the Emperor to bury hundreds of alchemists alive. But they don’t know that I didn’t actually escape; I was captured.”

“‘Captured? What happened exactly?’” Mi Li was somewhat confused, as it differed from her memories of that time.

Lu Sheng shook his head. “I am currently just a wisp of a remnant soul, missing many memories. I can’t recall the circumstances back then.”

Mi Li: “...”

Zu An: “...”

*Why is this guy acting like he’s in a melodramatic TV drama? He usually talks a lot, but at crucial moments, he becomes silent.*

Lu Sheng clearly knew his words were hard to believe. He slowly said, “Empress, you should know that I obtained *Lu Tushu* back then, right? With this book, I can predict fortune and misfortune within a certain period in the future. That time, however, I predicted that no matter what, I was destined to die.”

“I truly couldn’t understand, with my cultivation level back then and having left in advance, why I was certain to die. But *Lu Tushu* would not be wrong. So, I preemptively split off a wisp of my soul as a precaution, wanting to see what exactly happened.”

“So what exactly happened? Did Qin Shi Huang personally kill you?” Mi Li asked. In her view, this was the most likely possibility.

Lu Sheng shook his head. “Although I knew the truth back then, I don’t remember it now.”

Zu An: “???”

Mi Li also sneered. “Are you perhaps trying to amuse this empress?”

Lu Sheng sighed faintly. “Although I don’t know why I don’t remember, I can deduce that since I knew the truth but can’t recall it, it’s clearly due to a protective mechanism. My main body back then decisively made me forget these matters, otherwise this wisp of my remnant soul likely wouldn’t have survived either. But I still remember that extreme sense of shock and fear; for me to have felt that way at the time, it must have been an earth-shattering event.”

Mi Li frowned. “If you don’t even dare to remember, what’s the point of lingering on like this?”

Lu Sheng said, “The mission of this wisp of my remnant soul is to wait for a fated person to reveal the truth of what happened back then, and also to avenge my main body. Just now, I sensed the presence of that fated person.”

After speaking, he turned around and stared intently at Zu An.

Zu An sneered, “Do you take me for a three-year-old child? Why do you say I am the fated person?”

Lu Sheng said, “Have you forgotten *Lu Tushu* that I just mentioned? I also have some ability to foresee the future, and it told me you are my fated person.”

Zu An shook his head. “Just because you say I’m fated, why should I help you? It’s obvious your business is extremely dangerous; why should I get involved?”

Lu Sheng revealed a mysterious and eerie smile. “That’s no longer up to you; you are already in the game.”