Chapter 868: Recording Books

Bi Linglong’s willow-like eyebrows shot up. "What demons or monsters are playing tricks here?"

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

Zuan thought to himself, "This woman is truly violent; she just flips open a coffin lid at the slightest provocation."

Bi Linglong's eyes, however, sparkled with admiration. She greatly appreciated such a demeanor, wishing she could one day act with such uninhibited justice.

Mi Li floated directly over, and Zuan and Bi Linglong quickly followed.

Inside the coffin lay a lifelike corpse: a middle-aged man in a green robe and wearing a crown, almost identical to the sorcerer depicted in the earlier mural.

"So it's you!" A hint of surprise flashed in Bi Linglong's eyes. As soon as her words faded, the middle-aged man's previously plump face in the coffin visibly disintegrated, eventually turning into a pile of ash that vanished, leaving only a heap of dry bones in the coffin.

Bi Linglong felt a shiver of dread as she watched, subconsciously moving closer to Zuan.

Zuan thought to himself, "These coffins are indeed specially designed. They can preserve the human body from decay for a long time, but once opened and exposed to air, the contents instantly oxidize."

"Master, who is this person?" Zuan asked curiously. He could understand why Fusu's body had been preserved for so long, given his former status as crown prince, but why would this person receive the same treatment?

"Do you remember I told you how Ying Zheng, seeking the elixir of immortality, gathered sorcerers from all over the land to help him search?" Mi Li said. "He is one of them, Lu Sheng."

She then pointed to the nearby mural and explained, "Actually, I had a guess the moment I saw the mural. The first image depicts Lu Sheng's story of seeking Xianmen. Xianmen is an immortal from ancient legends, and the name also sounds similar to 'immortal gate,' which is why Ying Zheng valued him so highly."

"However, he did not find the elixir of immortality. After expending a great deal of manpower and resources, he eventually returned with a book called the *Records of the Luo Book*, which was said to have been written by an immortal and could reveal the past and future."

"Ying Zheng asked him about the future of the Qin Empire. From the *Records of the Luo Book*, Lu Sheng received the phrase, 'The one to destroy Qin is Hu.' Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng immediately believed it referred to the nomadic Xiongnu people from the north. He then dispatched Meng Tian with an army of 300,000 to the north to construct the Great Wall, guarding against the Hu people's southward incursions."

Zuan thought to himself, "So that famous historical phrase originated here. What a pity that Ying Zheng's calculations were not as good as fate's; in the end, 'Hu' did not refer to the Xiongnu, but to his successor, Huhai."

Bi Linglong curiously pointed at the subsequent images and asked, "So what happened next?"

Mi Li replied, "As I just mentioned, in his quest for the elixir of immortality, Ying Zheng was incredibly indulgent with Lu Sheng, granting his every request. However, the more he was indulged, the more frightened Lu Sheng became. After so many years of seeking immortals and the Dao, he knew there was no such thing as an elixir of immortality in the world. He feared that if he ultimately failed to find it, Ying Zheng would punish him, so he secretly fled. When Ying Zheng learned of this, he was furious. He felt he had treated Lu Sheng so well, yet Lu Sheng had betrayed him. So he launched a massive search across the land, investigating all sorcerers to see who had colluded with Lu Sheng. Ultimately, several hundred people were identified and ordered to be buried alive."

Zuan 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 connection would they have had?"

Zuan immediately understood, realizing that later dynasties had likely exaggerated Qin Shi Huang's brutality and deliberately slandered him to legitimize their own rule.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind them: "I never thought that after so many years, I would still see the Empress."

Zuan spun around abruptly, staring at the mural on the wall, as he realized the voice was coming from within it this time.

The sorcerer's image on the mural faintly flickered with an eerie glow, as if a transparent figure was about to emerge.

Mi Li was equally surprised. "Oh, you're still alive?"

Soon, a translucent figure crawled out from the wall. As it emerged, its original image on the mural vanished.

"A wisp of a remnant soul, sealed here, only awakened now upon sensing a fated person. It will soon turn to ash and disappear. How can that be considered truly living?" The transparent figure was clearly Lu Sheng, and his tone was particularly desolate.

He suddenly looked at Mi Li, his eyes becoming unusually fervent. "Oh, Empress, why are you still alive? Is there really an elixir of immortality in this world?"

Mi Li said calmly, "There's no such thing as eternal life in this world. My survival until now is due to a series of coincidences and opportunities; it's not reproducible."

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

Hearing her answer, Lu Sheng wasn't disappointed; instead, he sighed in relief. "Just as I thought, just as I thought. It seems my judgment back then was not wrong."

"What exactly happened back then, and why are you hiding in the mural in this state?" Mi Li couldn't help but ask. With her discernment, she could naturally tell that the other party wasn't lying. In his current state, if he had remained dormant in the mural, he might have lasted for several more years, but choosing to awaken meant he wouldn't live much longer.

Lu Sheng glanced at the mural on the wall and couldn't help but sigh. "The world believes I successfully escaped back then, causing the Emperor to bury hundreds of sorcerers alive. But how could they know that I didn't actually escape; I was captured."

"Captured? What happened exactly?" Mi Li was somewhat perplexed, as this didn't quite align with her memories from back then.

Lu Sheng shook his head. "I am merely a wisp of remnant soul that split off in an emergency back then. I'm missing many memories, and I can't recall the circumstances at that time."

Mi Li: "..."Zuan: "..."

Zuan thought, *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 must know that I obtained the *Records of the Luo Book* back then. With this book, I could predict fortunes and misfortunes within a certain period in the future. That time, however, I predicted that no matter what, I was fated to die."

"I truly couldn't understand why, with my cultivation back then and having left in advance, I would be doomed to die. But the *Records of the Luo Book* would not be wrong. So, as a precaution, I split off a wisp of my soul in advance, hoping to see what exactly would happen."

"So what happened? Did Ying Zheng personally kill you?" Mi Li asked. In her opinion, this was the most likely possibility.

Lu Sheng shook his head. "Although I knew the truth at the time, I don't remember it now."

Zuan: "???"Mi Li also sneered. "Are you perhaps making fun of me?"

Lu Sheng let out a faint sigh. "Although I don't know why I don't remember, I can infer that since I knew the truth but don't remember it, it's clearly due to a protective mechanism. My main body decisively made me forget these things back then; otherwise, this wisp of my remnant soul likely wouldn't have survived either. But I still remember the extreme shock and fear I felt. For me to have felt that way back then, it must have been an earth-shattering event."

Mi Li frowned. "If you don't even dare to remember it, 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 bring the truth of what happened back then to light, and also to avenge my main body. And just now, I sensed the aura of that fated person."

After speaking, he turned and stared intently at Zuan.

Zuan sneered, "Do you take me for a three-year-old? On what basis do you say I'm the fated person?"

Lu Sheng said, "Have you forgotten the *Records of the Luo Book* I just mentioned? I possess a certain ability to foresee the future, and it tells me you are my fated person."

Zuan shook his head. "You say it's fate, so it's fate? Why should I help you? It's obvious your matter is extremely dangerous; why should I get involved?"

Lu Sheng revealed a mysterious and eerie smile. "This is no longer up to you. You are already caught in the scheme."