Yan Shouyi grew even more curious upon seeing Liu Ying's secretive demeanor.
He was itching with impatience and urged Liu Ying to reveal the news. Liu Ying didn't play coy and stated directly,
"Aren't you always at odds with the actor Li Genmiao? You've met Li Genmiao's mother, Zhang Qingsu, but do you know who Li Genmiao's father is?"
Yan Shouyi was startled. He hadn't expected the news Liu Ying brought was about Li Genmiao.
Yan Shouyi had never considered the question of Li Genmiao's father because, according to the principles for inheritors of folk sects, most of them had no surviving parents. Thus, Yan Shouyi had almost taken it for granted that Li Genmiao's father was dead.
However, since Liu Ying asked this question, it was uncertain whether Li Genmiao's father was dead, but his identity was definitely not simple.
Yan Shouyi pondered it over and over, then showed a look of shock. "Could it be the Old Celestial Master? Damn it, this is explosive gossip! No wonder Zhang Qingsu lives on Longhu Mountain!"
Liu Ying shot Yan Shouyi a glare. "If the Old Celestial Master knew you were slandering him like this in the afterlife, he'd probably come up himself to snatch your soul and drag you down to the eighteenth level of hell!"
Yan Shouyi chuckled. "He wouldn't, after all, he still has leverage over me."
"Are you even human? You still hold onto the leverage of a dead man."
Liu Ying said seriously, "Actually, Li Genmiao's father is alive. He is also an inheritor of a folk sect, and his identity is—a tomb keeper!"
"A tomb keeper?" Yan Shouyi frowned.
The profession of a tomb keeper, at first hearing, sounded as lowly as a watchdog, but that was not the case.
A prominent family would often bury their deceased relatives in one place for convenience of worship and management. However, a vast mausoleum certainly couldn't be without someone to manage it, hence the birth of the tomb keeper profession.
Tomb keepers were often lonely elders with distant blood ties to the family. Dressed in black clothes and black pants, silent and gaunt, perhaps from continuously absorbing the morning mist and evening glow in the cemetery, they always gave off an aura of pervasive Yin energy.
Tomb keepers had two duties: first, to clean the cemetery, clear weeds, and plant flowers and trees; second, to stand guard, preventing grave robbers and wild beasts from disturbing the spirits of the deceased.
However, in reality, some special tomb keepers had a third duty—preventing things within the guarded tomb from escaping!
Imperial tombs, born from thwarted ambitions and resentment combined with dragon qi, could produce terrifying entities. Without tomb keepers to suppress them, this world would likely have been overrun by those ancient monsters from hundreds or thousands of years ago.
Yan Shouyi's grandmother, Wen Yuxian, served as a tomb keeper for twenty years in the Jian Wang Tomb, which prevented Jiang Wusheng from escaping for two decades.
Tomb keepers were the highest authority over the graves!
Based on Yan Shouyi's understanding of tomb keepers, besides their high level of skill, they had two characteristics.
First, tomb keepers were all extremely cautious and vigilant, observing every surrounding event with meticulous detail. They viewed all accidental events with reverence, such as trees dying, tombstones collapsing, snakes appearing, or ants moving their nests. They could detect anything amiss and formulate strategies to cope, preventing negative changes within the tomb.
Second, tomb keepers were benevolent individuals, never refusing requests from others and helping wholeheartedly, always believing in the reward for their present good deeds in the next life.
Alas, as times changed and seasons turned, larger cemeteries were brought under unified management, prohibiting arbitrary construction and waste of arable land. Tomb keepers, along with those cemeteries and the almost stagnant time, seemed to have vanished into the dust of history. Only in mountainous cemeteries with rolling peaks and valleys would the figures of tomb keepers occasionally appear, like solitary ghosts wandering through the mountains...
Liu Ying said, "Years ago, while traveling through the Jianghu, Zhang Qingsu passed by Lishan and coincidentally met Li Chongxi, a tomb keeper. The two fell in love, spending several passionate nights together. Unfortunately, Zhang Qingsu had to continue her journey, while Li Chongxi had to remain at the cemetery he guarded. Thus, they were forced to part ways, never imagining that after their separation, Zhang Qingsu would discover she was carrying Li Chongxi's child."
"Zhang Qingsu used the child in her womb as leverage, hoping Li Chongxi would leave the cemetery and live with her and their child. But Li Chongxi heartlessly refused. Zhang Qingsu, refusing to be pressured, resolutely found another man and married him, giving birth to Li Genmiao. It was unfortunate that Zhang Qingsu had a thin fate; she killed her husband within a few years. After that, Zhang Qingsu's sanity deteriorated, and she began forcing Li Genmiao to learn the Nuo ghost opera. As for what happened afterward... I'm sure you already know."
Having understood the cause and effect, Yan Shouyi couldn't help but sigh.
When he was at Longhu Mountain, his grandmother Wen Yuxian had told stories about Li Genmiao and Zhang Qingsu, but the stories never mentioned Li Chongxi. It was likely that even his grandmother didn't know Li Genmiao had a biological father.
It made sense; when his grandmother met Zhang Qingsu, Li Genmiao was already five years old, so it was normal for her not to know the truth.
However, now that Yan Shouyi had obtained this news, he had finally grasped a secret unknown to outsiders, a secret that might become leverage against Li Genmiao in the future.
Thus, Yan Shouyi quickly asked, "You said Li Chongxi is still alive. Is he still guarding a tomb? Which cemetery is he guarding?"
Liu Ying deliberately slowed down the car and said, word by word, "The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang."
"I... damn..."
Yan Shouyi leaned back against the seat, clutching his heart.
This Li Genmiao truly had status; his father had been guarding the most powerful and mysterious tomb in history for so long.
That was Qin Shi Huang!
The first to unify the six states, the universally acknowledged First Emperor!
The tombs of other emperors had long been developed into tourist attractions, while the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang had not been excavated to this day, with only the Terracotta Army being put on display for people to see. Yet, even this tip of the iceberg, the Terracotta Army, had already captivated the world with its charm.
People simply couldn't imagine what the actual Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang would be like, given how impressive a single Terracotta Warrior was.
Yan Shouyi scratched his head and quietly asked, "Miss Liu, you say the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang hasn't been excavated yet. Could this be because..."
"That's right, it's because of Li Chongxi's existence," Liu Ying answered affirmatively and directly.
Yan Shouyi was shocked again.
After decades of winnowing, most folk sects had become disheartened and were not as formidable as they once were. Some had even lost their lineage and disappeared into the river of history.
Yet, a tomb keeper like Li Chongxi, with his own efforts, could withstand pressure from all sides and steadfastly guard the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang!
This required how much capability, how much perseverance... how much terrifying strength!