Chapter 183: The True Solution to the Seal of Heaven

"I, Chen Wei, fear nothing and no one! I've been brave since I was a child!" Chen Wei declared proudly.

Zu An found himself somewhat impressed. For someone to maintain such an imposing presence in these circumstances was truly extraordinary.

"Alright then," Zu An said indifferently, "confess to the crime and say those words were carved by you."

Qiao Xueying, who had been curious about his method for saving people, froze the moment she heard him speak. Wasn't he just pushing them towards certain death?

"Hahaha~" Chen Wei sneered, "Are you perhaps trying to trick me into being your scapegoat because you can't find the real culprit?"

"I thought you were a clever man, but it turns out you're still incredibly foolish," Zu An said, shaking his head.

"You!" Chen Wei immediately erupted in anger. No one was willing to be called a fool by others.

Rage points from Chen Wei +256!

Zu An said coldly, "Think about it. Even if you don't confess, your original fate is already sealed – you're all dead. If you confess, only you will die. Is that really so hard to choose?"

Chen Wei retorted angrily, "This is a capital crime punishable by extermination of the nine generations of a family! How could I possibly admit to it casually?"

Zu An replied, "Extermination of the nine generations? As far as I know, your mother died young, and you've been relying on your father for survival all these years. Now your father is also dead. Where are these 'nine generations' you speak of?"

Chen Wei paused, then realized he was the only one left in his family.

After a moment of careful thought, Chen Wei still shook his head. "No, that won't do. There are many people in the village who have been at odds with my family, and we've had many conflicts. The thought of me dying for those people infuriates me. Why should I sacrifice myself for their sake? We might as well all die together."

Zu An frowned. This was proving difficult. He had initially thought the man's exceptional valor meant he possessed the spirit to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Unexpectedly, his character was more akin to a cunning leader than a self-sacrificing hero.

Chen Wei spoke again: "I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to die silently, without making a mark. A true hero either lives on or, if he dies, makes a grand name for himself! Since everyone in our village is destined to die anyway, I'll go and contact them, explain the stakes, and I'm confident I can unite them all to rebel. The world has suffered under the Qin Dynasty for too long, and many will surely answer our call."

"You, sir, possess great wisdom and are clearly no ordinary man. Why don't we conspire together for a great cause? When the time comes, you can choose to be a prince, a marquis, a general, or a minister—far more than just a mere imperial censor."

The man's passionate words made Zu An's blood boil slightly. He secretly marveled that some people were born with leadership qualities and highly charismatic speaking styles. Chen Wei was clearly one such person; if Zu An hadn't been from another world, he might have truly been swayed.

"Speaking such treasonous words in front of an imperial official, you must have a death wish!" Zu An said coldly.

Chen Wei, however, showed no fear on his face. He held his head high and stated proudly, "Since you've told me so much, you're clearly a clever man yourself, and you're dissatisfied with Emperor Qin's tyranny. In that case, why don't we aim for something grander? Kings, lords, generals, and ministers—are they born into it?"

Zu An: "..."

Hearing that familiar quote, passed down for thousands of years, he suddenly felt his throat go dry. "Your name isn't Chen Sheng, by any chance, is it?"

"Chen Sheng?" Chen Wei paused. "That's a good name. I've been wanting to change my name anyway. From now on, I'll be called Chen Sheng!"

Zu An: "..."

Is this some kind of joke? What on earth is going on? How did even Chen Sheng show up?

Zu An's thoughts were in a whirl. If this man truly was the historical Chen Sheng, then if he were killed along with these villagers, would there be no uprising afterward? Would the Qin Dynasty not fall so quickly? Would the course of history completely change?

Zu An was startled. As a transmigrator, not altering historical events was a fundamental principle. Who knew what massive impact changing such a significant event would have?

It seemed, then, that this Chen Wei—no, Chen Sheng, as he was now called—absolutely could not die!

At this realization, cold sweat trickled down Zu An's back. He finally understood why this was the Seal of Heaven! An ordinary person would never be able to find out who carved the words, and the outcome would simply be death. Even if a clever and ruthless person, following historical records, killed the entire village to silence them, Chen Sheng's death among them would alter the course of history, most likely leading to a fatal outcome for that person as well.

The only way to break the seal, it seemed, was to both complete the imperial investigation and save Chen Sheng's life. It must be that the historical accounts of the 'Fluorescent Star Guarding the Heart' event were incomplete. On the surface, everyone in the village was killed back then, but in reality, one person must have escaped—the later Chen Sheng! If he had blindly trusted the historical records, he would likely have fallen into a trap.

Speaking of which, Xue'er truly was his lucky star. If it hadn't been for her this time, he probably wouldn't have been so determined to save lives, and then he would have failed to break the seal and died without knowing how.

Zu An's thoughts raced like lightning. He then continued, "As for conspiring with you on a great cause, forget it. And don't even think about inciting the villagers to join you. They have homes and livelihoods, and many have elders and children to care for. How could they possibly join you in something as severe as a crime punishable by extermination of the nine generations? Furthermore, you yourself mentioned that many people in the village are at odds with you. If you approach them, not only will they disagree, but they'll most likely betray you. So, the time for an uprising is not yet ripe."

Chen Sheng's face flickered with indecision. Before, he had been full of fervor, but after Zu An's analysis, he immediately realized the truth of the situation. "Then what should I do? Am I really just to wait for death?"

Zu An said gravely, "If you trust me, confess directly that you carved the words and conclude this case. Afterward, I will rescue you. From then on, the world will be your oyster, and you'll be free to roam wherever you please. Whether you choose to live under a false name or pursue other endeavors, it will be up to you."

Chen Sheng didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stared intently into Zu An's eyes. "Why are you helping me?"

Zu An knew that a cunning leader like him would never trust easily. After a moment's thought, he replied, "I originally didn't want to get involved in this. Killing all of you would have been simple enough. But my good sister pleaded for your lives, and I'm not one to kill indiscriminately, so I decided to take a risk and help you."

Qiao Xueying, standing beside them, repeatedly chimed in, "That's right, Brother Chen, you can trust him. Although he appears a bit naughty on the surface, he's actually a decent person at heart."

Zu An looked exasperated, thinking, *Is she complimenting me or insulting me?*

Seeing Chen Sheng remain silent, Zu An immediately administered another dose of pressure. "If you don't agree, I'll kill you immediately. I won't risk you potentially revealing our conversation."

Hearing this, Chen Sheng actually let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, I agree!"

The group then discussed some details. Afterward, Zu An went out and summoned Magistrate Wang. "He has confessed. He secretly carved the words himself."

Magistrate Wang was overjoyed. "Imperial Censor, you truly have a way! This humble official is utterly impressed!" He then called out to his subordinates, "Men, execute this traitor on the spot!"

"Wait!" Zu An quickly stepped forward to stop him, pulling Magistrate Wang aside and whispering, "Are you just going to kill such an important suspect like this?"

"What else can be done after committing such a heinous act of treason?" Magistrate Wang asked, puzzled.

Zu An replied, "In my opinion, it would be better to escort him back to Xianyang and let His Majesty personally handle the matter. When the Emperor is pleased, there will surely be a generous reward."

"You're right, you're absolutely right! Imperial Censor, you've thought of everything." Magistrate Wang's eyes narrowed with a smile. "Men, bind the suspect inside and put him in the prison cart. I will personally escort him to the capital. Imperial Censor, would you like to come along?"

"I have other duties, so I won't be joining you," Zu An replied, shaking his head.

Magistrate Wang secretly rejoiced. "Thank you for your guidance, Imperial Censor. I will certainly not forget your kindness in the future."

"You flatter me, Magistrate Wang," Zu An muttered to himself, *It'll be a miracle if you don't hate me later.*

At this point, the villagers learned that Chen Wei was the one who carved the words. One by one, they cursed him, and even those who usually had good relations with him spoke out in condemnation. Clearly, having just narrowly escaped death, everyone was in a foul mood and naturally wanted to vent their anger on the culprit.

The thought that he had sacrificed so much to save these people, only to be subjected to their insults and blame, made Chen Sheng's eyebrows furrow, and he was about to erupt.

Zu An, however, arrived beside him just in time and transmitted a message with his qi: "The common people's understanding is limited; don't take their words to heart. Look at it this way: if public sentiment can be easily swayed to harm you today, it can also be easily swayed to help you in the future."

A glint flashed in Chen Sheng's eyes. He nodded imperceptibly, then lowered his head and said no more, quietly following the constables into the prison cart.

Zu An and Qiao Xueying exchanged a look, then left from another direction. Once out of sight, they circled around and ambushed the escort at a necessary pass.

In the end, they rescued Chen Sheng with little effort. Firstly, the constables and soldiers had low cultivation levels. Secondly, Magistrate Wang was eager to claim credit, so he only took a small contingent with him. He had no idea anyone would dare to hijack an imperial prisoner.

"Magistrate Wang, what do we do now?" A few subordinates who had been knocked to the ground scrambled to gather around Magistrate Wang. Losing an imperial prisoner meant certain death for all of them.

"How should I know!" Magistrate Wang himself was drenched in cold sweat. Not only was his promotion gone, but it now seemed he would lose his head.

Another subordinate offered an idea: "Why don't we go back and kill everyone in Chen Family Village, saying that no one confessed to carving the words, so..."

"Idiot!" Magistrate Wang slapped him directly on the head. "I already reported to the imperial court. Saying that now would be a death wish!"

Another person suggested, "I think we should falsely claim that Chen Wei attempted to escape mid-journey, injuring some of our brothers, and then we killed him on the spot?"

Magistrate Wang nodded slightly. "That's a good idea, but how do we deal with the body?"

The subordinate replied, "A condemned prisoner in the county yamen died of illness last night, and it hasn't been reported yet. Why don't we use his body as a substitute? We can slightly alter his appearance, and anyway, no one in the imperial court recognizes Chen Wei."

Magistrate Wang's eyes lit up. "That's an excellent plan! Quick, act immediately. We're all in this together now; this matter must not be leaked."

The others all agreed.

Meanwhile, Zu An and Qiao Xueying took Chen Sheng to a secluded spot. "You certainly can't return to Chen Family Village now. What are your plans for the future?"

Chen Sheng looked hesitant. "But my father's funeral arrangements..."

"Don't worry, I've already sent someone to arrange your father's burial there," Zu An replied. "Of course, it wasn't a grand funeral, as you know you're currently burdened with a crime."

"Thank you, my benefactor. I'm already incredibly grateful that my father could be laid to rest," Chen Sheng said, performing several deep bows before continuing. "Benefactor, please rest assured. From now on, I will change my name and surname and will never implicate you. As I said before, I will change my name to Chen Sheng, and I plan to go to Yangxia City to seek refuge with an old friend."

Zu An looked oddly. "Your friend wouldn't happen to be named Wu Guang, would he?"

Chen Sheng looked astonished. "How did you know, Benefactor?"

Zu An gave an awkward laugh. "Just a wild guess. Well then, we'll meet again. I wish you a splendid future."

Chen Sheng clasped his hands together in a salute. "The great kindness of you and your sister, Benefactor, I will surely repay it when I have the chance. Farewell!" He saluted them both again, then turned and departed, a hint of determination in his retreating figure.

Watching his departing figure, Qiao Xueying couldn't help but say, "Are you keeping something from me?"