Lu Li quickly helped Tong Yuan up, saying, "What are you doing? Please get up!"
Tong Yuan, however, remained kneeling on the ground and refused to get up.
"Ancestor! Tong Yuan... Tong Yuan is unfit for this great responsibility and has tarnished the name of Ghost Valley! Please, Ancestor, take over Ghost Valley again!" Tong Yuan sobbed uncontrollably, his voice filled with grief and indignation.
Back then, Guiguzi's strategy of alliances and counter-alliances held a pivotal position even among the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Later, Lu Li emerged out of nowhere and helped Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng unify the world, which further elevated the reputation of Guiguzi.
However, after Lu Li's death, Guigu began to live in seclusion. By the time it came to Tong Yuan's generation, only the three of them, master and disciple, remained in Guigu.
After a moment's thought, Lu Li said, "You should get up first."
He sighed and reached out to help Tong Yuan up.
"I want to ask you, do you know why the Qin Dynasty perished?" Lu Li asked bluntly.
Tong Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and then said, "Back then, when the eighteen princes attacked Xianyang, Qin general Zhang Han was defeated and surrendered."
"Later, Zhang Liang, one of the ancestors of Guigu, joined the army of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, and helped Liu Bang defeat Xiang Yu, eventually leading to the unification of the world by the Han Dynasty."
These two short sentences left Lu Li completely stunned.
How could Liu Bang and Xiang Yu still be alive?
This is impossible! This is absolutely impossible!
"Where is Wang Li? He still has nearly 300,000 troops stationed at the Great Wall!" Lu Li asked somewhat inappropriately.
Tong Yuan shook his head and replied, "There are no records of Wang Li in Guigu."
After saying that, Tong Yuan took out a book and handed it to Lu Li.
The Records of the Grand Historian
This book is the famous Records of the Grand Historian, written by Sima Qian during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty.
The work covers more than three thousand years of history, from the legendary Yellow Emperor era to the fourth year of the Taichu era of Emperor Wu of Han.
Sima Qian spent fourteen years completing the work.
Lu Li quickly opened and looked through the records of Qin Shi Huang, Xiang Yu, and Han Gaozu.
Almost all of them tell the story of how the Qin Dynasty was established and how it fell, and how Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and other feudal lords.
But they never mentioned anything about Lu Li, as if he had been erased from history.
"What exactly is going on?"
Lu Li frowned as he read the last page, muttering to himself.
"I don't know either. There is no record of my ancestors in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian."
"Moreover, only the Ghost Valley records some of your deeds," Tong Yuan explained.
After saying that, Lu Li looked down at the bottom of his sculpture, where many words were engraved.
The inscription was written in Qin seal script, so the sculpture must have been erected during the Qin Dynasty, after his death.
The text records Lu Li's life story, but it omits the fact that he used the Heavenly Dao to his advantage and kill Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.
In short, Lu Li rushed to Wang Li's aid, fought against the Xiongnu, and sacrificed his life for his country!
After that, there were no further records.
It's as if the person who erected the sculpture of him intentionally concealed the truth of history!
It all seemed like someone had done it on purpose, and even Lu Li couldn't guess what secrets were hidden behind it!
Lu Li remained silent for a long time, yet he still couldn't guess who had erased all of this.
"Ancestor, how...how did you survive until now? Didn't the records say that you sacrificed your life for the country in the battle against the Xiongnu?" Tong Yuan asked incredulously.
Although he doubted how Lu Li had survived to this day, he never doubted Lu Li's identity.
Because of the fluctuations in his internal energy, even Tong Yuan couldn't sense what level he was at.
Lu Li's eyes were glazed over as he murmured, "I... have been lying in a coffin for over four hundred years."
He missed the Chu-Han Contention, missed the Western Han Dynasty, but awoke in the chaotic late Eastern Han Dynasty, a period no less turbulent than the Warring States period.
Is it a coincidence or fate?
Lu Li could accept the former, but the latter was terrifying to think about.
Tong Yuan was immediately shocked. He had been lying in a coffin for over four hundred years? Could it be that Lu Li wasn't human?
How can anyone have a body that remains incorrupt and a soul that doesn't dissipate for four hundred years?
"Do you also doubt whether I'm human? To be honest, sometimes I doubt myself whether I'm even human," Lu Li said with a self-deprecating laugh.
Tong Yuan quickly cupped his hands and said, "This junior wouldn't dare!"
"By the way, let me ask you, does the Black Ice Platform... still exist?"
“Ancestor, after the Qin Dynasty fell, the Black Ice Platform also disappeared.”
Ironically, there is no record of the Black Ice Platform in Sima Qian's Records. Almost all the stories about Lu Li are replaced by a strategist or a persuader.
If it weren't for the records of Lu Li's deeds in Guiguzi, even Tong Yuan probably wouldn't have known about the Black Ice Platform.
Lu Li took a deep breath. Everything was full of questions. If he wanted to find out the truth of what happened back then, he would probably have to find the Confucian scholars.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Confucianism was suppressed and exclusively promoted, making it the dominant ideology that continues to this day.
In this era, the only representative figures of Confucianism are probably Zheng Xuan and Lu Zhi.
One of these two is a recluse, his whereabouts unknown. The other holds a high position, so meeting him would probably be difficult.
Alternatively, there is another way: go to the palace and explore the records of the royal court, where the detailed historical truth should be found.
However, neither of these methods is easy.
"I hope you won't tell anyone that I'm alive," Lu Li instructed.
The fewer people who know these things, the better, as it will make it easier for him to understand the truth of history.
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