Late at night, around ten o'clock, Li Chonglou waited for his master and senior sister at the entrance of Han Palace.
The three sat together and discussed for a long time, finally agreeing that this jade slip indeed belonged to Wang Mang.
However, whether it was Du Wu who brought it to Shangluo remained to be verified.
"These past few days, I haven't been idle in Qin Prefecture," Lin Zhendong said with a complex expression, sighing, "Although there is no record in official history, I have found clues in unofficial local records."
"After Du Wu killed Wang Mang, he disappeared for decades."
"Until his old age, he returned to his hometown."
"However, at that time, he had already changed his name and surname, no longer called Du Wu, but Du Shi!"
"The Imperial Censor during the reign of Emperor Guangwu? That remarkable person who invented leather bellows for iron smelting and water-powered machinery?" Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou showed surprise. He didn't know how his master obtained this information, and it must have been very difficult.
As for the famous name Du Shi, he certainly could not have not heard of it.
This man supervised the repair of ponds and expanded fields, making the region prosperous and achieving outstanding merits, praised by the people as "Mother Du."
In that era, a person with such advanced inventions was already an extraordinary figure.
A soldier who conquered cities and seized territories, killed Wang Mang, and then lived incognito as a historical marvel.
What was the probability of this?
It could be said to be zero, but with Shi Boqiong's assistance, or in other words, if he were also a reborn person?
With advanced knowledge of physics and agriculture, he would be an absolute marvel in that era.
Thinking about it, it seemed quite possible.
"That's right. Although he changed his name, he didn't change his surname. Fortunately, he didn't change it completely, which allowed me to find traces," Lin Zhendong was very confident in his investigation. "Moreover, although this man claimed to be from Jixian, he was buried in Shangluo after his death."
"This aligns with the origin of your jade slip."
"This is by no means a simple coincidence."
"However, his tomb has likely been looted. I must go to Shangluo quickly. I will discuss the specific situation when I return."
He had originally thought that Shi Boqiong was very likely in Du Wu's tomb.
Unexpectedly, after much effort to find the possible location of Du Wu's tomb, he heard that it had been looted over seventy years ago.
Even with Lin Zhendong's temperament, he found it difficult to sit still at this moment.
To have spent a lifetime working only to end up with nothing.
How could he be reconciled?
If calculated according to Li Chonglou's previous life, Shi Boqiong would only actively appear in fifty years.
By then, he would likely be a pile of dry bones. Even if it appeared, what would be the use?
He couldn't wait any longer!
"Master, my true qi has recovered. Once I find Tian Shan, I will accompany you!" Li Chonglou volunteered.
But Lin Zhendong refused. "Good!"
"Didn't he give you a three-day deadline? Once we get his personal item, we can calculate his location, and then the three of us masters and disciples will act together to force him to show himself!"
He was well aware of Li Chonglou's current situation. If the enemy were visible, it would be fine, but for someone as elusive as Tian Shan, whom even eagles could not track, how could they not be cautious?
He did not want Li Chonglou to suffer the same fate as himself, losing his wife and regretting it for the rest of his life.
Going to Shangluo could wait; decades had passed, there was no rush. But this matter could not wait.
Li Chonglou knew his master was concerned for him and that there was indeed a matter of priority.
He arranged for them to stay at Han Palace.
The next morning, he received a notification from Xiao Yun saying that Shi Jianming would return to Yong'an that day.
"He's finally here!" Li Chonglou personally went to the airport to pick him up.
Seeing Shi Jianming's pale face and disheveled appearance, he knew he must have gone for a medical check-up.
The result was as he had seen, indeed cancer.
"Li Chonglou, save me..." The first words he spoke lacked any dignity of a major boss.
For successful people like them, life was precious, unless their spiritual world was extremely empty.
Shi Jianming had hobbies and interests; Tianhuang stones could be a solace for his soul, so he did not have a desire to die.
Just as he was in the prime of his life, he was suddenly confronted with death.
The fear in his heart was imaginable.
After hearing the renowned doctors in the capital declare that he only had one to three years to live, he almost broke down.
He packed his bags and rushed to Yong'an.
Whether Li Chonglou's words were true or false, he had to try.
Seeing his state, Li Chonglou chuckled inwardly. Fortunately, he had coincidentally obtained a piece of Qingyan Shi. Otherwise, this fellow would have truly been doomed.
He would have died after being robbed of his possessions by himself, which was quite unjust.
But now, everything was about to change. He didn't need to, and Shi Jianming didn't need to die.
Li Chonglou asked calmly, "Did you bring the item?"
"Yes, yes..." Shi Jianming dragged a bag over and took out a Huanghuali wooden box.
He opened it in front of Li Chonglou.
As the box opened and he saw the bean-sized pearl lying inside, Li Chonglou felt a wave of discomfort.
An ordinary person would likely not even feel it; this was a sign of the body's magnetic field being disturbed.
Only when the body reached a certain level of sensitivity through martial arts practice would one be able to detect it.
Fortunately, he had true qi protecting him, so he was not too affected.
If one were to be exposed to such a magnetic field for a long time, how could the body not develop cancer?
Li Chonglou reached out and picked up the Dust-Repelling Pearl, admiring it carefully.
This inconspicuous object was one of the three legendary divine pearls of ancient times. Its magnetic field radiation was so strong that it could easily dispel dust.
It was not a mystical matter.
"You, you be careful," Shi Jianming said, seemingly with good intentions, but his eyes were filled with reluctance.
Even though he knew his cancer was caused by it, it was still a treasure he had cherished for decades. To hand it over just like that, his heart ached like being cut by a knife.
"Take care of yourself. I promised to treat you. Eat this." Li Chonglou put the Dust-Repelling Pearl back into the box and took out half a piece of Qingyan Shi, handing it over.
"What... what is this?" Shi Jianming took it, his face filled with suspicion.
"The mud pill of Jigong. Do you want to eat it or not? If not, give it back to me." Li Chonglou deliberately teased him.
His body, after eating a whole piece of Qingyan Shi, might recover from cancer but lose its lifespan.
He could only give him half a piece, keeping the other half for future use.
Upon hearing this, Shi Jianming closed his eyes tightly, gritted his teeth, and swallowed it in one gulp.
The thick patina of the fruit emitted a fishy smell that rushed straight to his heavens, almost making him vomit in the car.
"Why... why does it smell like old oil?" Shi Jianming drank a bottle of water to suppress his nausea.
Li Chonglou smiled without answering.
After being handled by collectors for decades, how could it not smell like old oil?
It was good that it could cure diseases and save lives; he was still complaining.
As he was thinking, Shi Jianming's complexion began to change from pale to green, then from green to black. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Stop the car!"
"I need to go to the toilet, stop the car quickly!"
"Here?" Li Chonglou glanced at the bustling airport road.
Cars were coming and going, but seeing Shi Jianming's desperate expression, he had to ask the driver to pull over.
Thinking about how the chairman of a top hundred listed company was now being watched by everyone on the roadside as he relieved himself, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
As imposing as he was usually, he was now as dejected.