Chapter 3566 It’s not that simple

"It's the master who lied?! Why did Madam Ye say that?!"

At this moment, Lin Wan'er's face was full of surprise and confusion.

An Chengxi asked Lin Wan'er, "Senior, do you know anything about Meng Changsheng's life? For example, when was he born and when did he die?"

Lin Wan'er blurted out, "My master was born in Chang'an City in the first year of the Linde reign of the Tang Dynasty, which was 664 AD, and died in 1663, which was the second year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, exactly one thousand years ago."

An Chengxi shook his head and said, "I've had people in Chang'an look up a lot of ancient books and materials. Because Meng Changsheng passed the imperial examination and served as an official in the court, some official historical books have records of him. According to the official historical records, Meng Changsheng was indeed born in the first year of the Linde era."

"However, this contradicts what the Taoist priest said, so I hired some tomb raiders to search for clues in the ancient tombs of the Wu family from the Tang Dynasty."

"After more than a year of searching, until Senior and Chen'er went to the Shiwan Mountains, we finally found a document from over a thousand years ago from the Wu family. It stated that the 16th generation grandson of the Wu family at that time was named Meng Sheng, with the courtesy name Changming. He was born in the second year of the Qianfeng reign of the Tang Dynasty, which was 667 AD. The surname, name, and courtesy name all match. I believe this Meng Sheng is Meng Changsheng!"

Lin Wan'er's eyes widened, her expression no longer calm. She blurted out, "Madam Ye, are you saying that Master-shi changed his birthday? He deliberately changed his age by three years?"

"Yes!" An Chengxi nodded and said, "Based on what I have found, this should be the case."

Lin Wan'er frowned. "But that doesn't make sense! I once spoke with you about a man you met by chance. That man's ancestor was a servant named Jiang whom Master had taken in during his early years. Even that man said Master was born in the first year of the Linde era. So Master must have been less than a hundred years old then. It's impossible for him to be planning something a thousand years in the future, right? Besides, some scholars in the Tang Dynasty would spend vast sums of money and effort to bribe examiners and lower their ages just to pass the Tongzi exam. Some officials would also lower their ages to delay retirement, but I've never heard of anyone actually raising their age."

An Chengxi smiled and said, "Why did Meng Changsheng claim to be born in the first year of the Linde era? I have analyzed some clues from other records. Senior, please listen to my analysis and see if it makes sense."

Lin Wan'er nodded and said seriously, "I'm all ears."

An Chengxi said, "First, let me analyze human nature. Meng Changsheng's original name was Meng Sheng, with the courtesy name Changming. Later, after practicing Taoism, he changed his name to Meng Changsheng and styled himself Changsheng Jushi. This is like a businessman who was originally named Meng Sheng and later changed his name to Meng Facai. The only difference is that the word Changsheng sounds more ethereal, so it seems less vulgar. But in fact, its underlying logic is the same as names like Meng Facai and Meng Dangguan. I feel that someone who can change his innermost thoughts into his own name must have very strong inner desires and is definitely not the kind of person who has no desires or demands."

Lin Wan'er agreed and said, "Mrs. Ye's analysis is indeed very reasonable."

An Chengxi continued, "When Meng Changsheng passed the imperial examination and entered the court as an official, the emperor was still Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi. Emperor Gaozong changed his reign title fourteen times in his lifetime. His wife, Empress Wu Zetian, later ascended the throne and changed it seventeen times. Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong of Tang each used only one reign title, and other emperors generally used one or two. It's said that Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu both frequently changed their reign titles because they both believed in Taoism and the I Ching and Feng Shui. Each reign title held special meaning for them, and it's likely due to their frequent use of the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams for divination."

Then she continued, "I had someone calculate Meng Changsheng's birth date and time, which was the first year of Qianfeng. Personally, his career in the government isn't very promising, and it won't be of much use to the country. Given his birth date and time, and Emperor Gaozong's deep belief in Taoism and the I Ching, he won't have any future prospects."

After a pause, An Chengxi continued, "As for his birth chart recorded in the official history, that first year of the Linde era, I've had someone calculate it. If we go by that birth chart, he was definitely destined for a top-tier official career. For the nation, he was a rare talent who could save the country from collapse."

"When Meng Changsheng was practicing Taoism, he tried his best to achieve immortality. When he became an official, he would definitely try his best to climb up the career ladder. He would definitely change his birth date and horoscope to prepare for a successful official career. He would definitely be able to do such a thing!"

Lin Wan'er felt a chill run down her spine as she murmured, her face pale. "If that's true, then in 1663, Master was only 997 years old, three years before his natural death. My father and Wu Feiyan followed his wishes and arranged his funeral. I think he must have faked his death..."

"That's right," An Chengxi said. "Meng Changsheng wouldn't let your father and Wu Feiyan know his true intentions and plans. He faked his death and deceived his two disciples, giving himself three years to prepare the Blood Lake Hell, which would allow him to disintegrate before his death. That was his true purpose."

After that, An Chengxi continued, "I also looked up the county annals surrounding the Shiwandashan Mountains. Between 1664 and 1666, the area suffered a rare natural disaster, forcing a large number of refugees to flee their homes and become displaced, numbering at least tens of thousands."

Lin Wan'er looked at her and murmured, "Could it be that these people were all harmed by Master?"

An Chengxi shook his head and said, "I have no direct evidence for this, but according to that senior, setting up the Blood Lake Hell formation requires the sacrifice of a large amount of blood and wronged souls. Furthermore, I've checked almost every county annals within hundreds or thousands of miles of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. During that same period, and in the year or two that followed, there's no record of any place receiving large numbers of refugees, nor is there any record of a sudden increase in local banditry. These tens of thousands of refugees didn't flee to other towns, nor did they become bandits. So where did they go?"

When Lin Wan'er heard this, her whole body couldn't help but tremble violently, and her eyes were soon filled with tears.

She was a smart person and knew that what An Chengxi said, when put together, was enough to prove everything.

Meng Changsheng, whom his father respected immensely, had actually lost his humanity in his pursuit of immortality.

Using the lives of tens of thousands of people to build a hellish formation, just so that he can die in it and avoid the destruction of his soul, this method is extremely cruel!

She wiped away her tears with her sleeve and choked up, "Master... Oh, no, it was Meng Changsheng! He killed so many people and planned all this, just to let someone with the Shenglong Fate appear in this world. Then he would lure them to the Blood Lake Hell in the Hundred Thousand Mountains to possess someone else's body, and then be reborn in the body of someone with the Shenglong Fate... This step-by-step plan, a layout spanning hundreds and thousands of years, just for his own immortality, is... what's the difference between this and a demon?"

An Chengxi sighed, "Even the demons in myths and folk tales rarely contain such wicked people."

Lin Wan'er asked again, "By the way, Madam Ye, since Meng Changsheng must die in the Blood Lake Hell, does that mean he will never be able to leave that Hell?"

"Yes." An Chengxi nodded and said, "He shouldn't exist in the first place. Only by staying in his Blood Lake Hell can he hide from the Heavenly Dao. If he leaves the Blood Lake Hell, he will be shattered into dust by the thunder of the heavens. However, if he is still in the Blood Lake Hell, he will be the only god in the Blood Lake Hell. The Taoist priest said earlier that he has already refined tens of thousands of wronged souls in the Blood Lake Hell into magical instruments. With such a powerful magical instrument, no one can be his opponent no matter where he goes."

Lin Wan'er breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This also means that as long as you never go to the Hundred Thousand Mountains and never come to his home turf, he will never be able to do anything to you, because he can't leave his Blood Lake Hell, right?"

An Chengxi pondered and said, "In theory, it is true, but I always feel that everything seems not so simple!"