Inside the school.

The woebegone youth Sun Yuan, undeterred by numerous setbacks, had not given up on uncovering the truth.

A few days later.

Looking weary, Sun Yuan knocked on another professor's office door: "Hello, Professor Zhang! I'm Sun Yuan!"

"Oh, Old Xiang's student! What brings you to see me?"

Professor Zhang, in his fifties, had a slightly sarcastic and self-mocking expression.

After all, he studied ancient mythology, a field not aligned with the strictly objective world of archaeology.

In fact, Sun Yuan had heard Professor Xiang disparage him many times.

But now, he wore a broad smile: "I've encountered some academic issues that no one could resolve, and my teacher once praised you for your unique and thought-provoking insights."

"Heh, you're quite the talker, did Old Xiang really say that?"

Professor Zhang was clearly skeptical, but his attitude improved significantly: "Have a seat, what would you like to ask?"

"You know, during the excavation of an ancient tomb with Professor, I encountered some baffling things involving Immortals, Kunlun, 'The Classic of Mountains and Seas', The Queen Mother of the West, and so on... I have many questions, like, is the master of Kunlun Mountain The Queen Mother of the West? Is she the legendary ancestor of Immortals?"

Sun Yuan took a deep breath and asked his question.

Professor Zhang chuckled: "Though The Queen Mother of the West occupies a significant place in ancient mythology, according to my research, she isn't the true master of Kunlun. The true master is an entity known as 'Emperor Donghua', also referred to as 'Emperor Fusang'..."

"Fusang?" Sun Yuan's expression suddenly turned a bit strange.

"Not the Fusang province you're thinking of, but Tanggu Fusang!" Professor Zhang rolled his eyes: "The term 'Emperor Fusang' first appeared in 'Taigong's Pillow Book', which states: 'Emperor Fusang has a wife named 'The Queen Mother of the West', elegant and dignified beyond compare, governs the birth of all things, and possesses an Immortal Elixir that grants eternal life!'"

"In the later Yan Han Fang Shi's 'Immortal Biographies Supplement', it records Emperor Donghua wearing a tri-colored crown, dressed in clothes of nine-colored clouds, also titled Jade Emperor."

"Then in the time of Da Song, 'True Spirit Rankings' refers to him as Taiwei Dongxia Fusang Danlin Emperor of Upper Dao..."

"Fusang is the divine Fusang Wood, symbolizing the great sun, thus Emperor Donghua, Fusang Emperor has another alias—East Emperor Taiyi!"

...

Professor Zhang, worthy of being a mythologist, was well-versed in these folklore tales and legendary myths: "In my view, The Queen Mother of the West is regarded as the chief of ancient female fairies, while East Emperor Taiyi is the true leader of all Immortals, and master of Kunlun!"

Sun Yuan pressed his temples.

For some reason, he once again heard terrifying murmurs, and a vision of an extraordinarily tall, fiery and rejuvenated great tree seemed to appear before his eyes.

In his mind, 'The Classic of Mountains and Seas' resurfaced, opening a new page:

[The highest under heaven is the Fusang Wood, reaching up to the sky, coiling upward and bending downward, connecting the three springs... Nine suns rest on the lower branches, one sun on the upper branch... Its leaves are like Central Xia's mulberry, bearing fruit once every nine thousand years, with a taste of utmost sweetness and fragrance...]

'My sensing appeared again, does this mean... I'm on the right path? Emperor Donghua, East Emperor Taiyi, they are the key?!'

A speculation suddenly emerged in Sun Yuan's mind.

...

In the library.

After gathering information from Professor Zhang about 'Emperor Donghua', Sun Yuan eagerly commenced his investigation.

"Historically, records about Emperor Donghua are so few..."

Several days later, he dejectedly set down a book, for whether it was Emperor Donghua, Fusang Emperor, or East Emperor Taiyi... these titles only occasionally appeared in ancient mythological texts, surprisingly less than The Queen Mother of the West!

Moreover, there were many errors and contradictions, making Sun Yuan feel exceptionally distressed.

After all, over thousands of years, history has seen several instances of cultural loss due to tyrants and war. Many ancient texts have been lost.

"These materials haven't stimulated 'The Classic of Mountains and Seas' to reappear, indicating they're not very useful, so the current clues are limited to 'Kunlun', 'East Emperor Taiyi'... and that ancient tomb?"

Sun Yuan took out his phone, intending to call Old Huang to inquire about the situation, but hesitated.

Only then did he remember that Old Huang, still shaken, was in the hospital, while Professor Xiang and Hu Gong Jin Gong's mental states weren't ideal.

Now, rumors of hauntings in the tomb had started to circulate online, halting the excavation work.

"Sigh..."

He sighed, preparing to search for information online.

At that moment, a news popup appeared, regarding the Xingshan ancient tomb.

"Is there no privacy anymore with today's big data?"

Sun Yuan complained but couldn't resist opening it, his expression suddenly freezing.

The news headline read—[Haunted Tomb Has New Incident, Precious Artifacts Stolen!]

He quickly scrolled down, discovering that the jade skeleton, originally destined for the museum or research institute, had been stolen the previous night!

"A relic thief has become this audacious?"

"However... a jadeized skeleton does hold significant collectible value... No, to those who truly believe in the existence of Immortal Dao, it would be an invaluable treasure, wouldn't it?"

Sun Yuan murmured to himself.

Originally, he was highly skeptical of the existence of supernatural powers.

But now, having faced Hu Gong and wielded some ancient spellcraft himself, he couldn't bring himself to voice doubt.

He didn't have any ulterior motives; if he were to encounter the thief, he would certainly intervene.

In this situation, Sun Yuan wouldn't be overly zealous, but could only hope for the police's actions.

Just as Sun Yuan was about to leave, two people walked in.

Seeing them, Sun Yuan felt a heavy blow to his chest, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

"Senior Sun..."

Xia Fanxing followed Zhong Shenxiu in, greeting Sun Yuan.

The way they addressed him seemed noticeably distant.

"Hello there."

Sun Yuan tasted bitterness in his mouth, along with a hint of sourness: "Are you here to read too?"

"Yes, I mentioned, I'm a scholar of ancient studies."

Zhong Shenxiu said with a smile: "And Xingshan City is a very interesting place, rich with ancient relics and cultural heritage... I really like it here, for instance... that Xingshan, has very nice scenery."

'I'd rather you didn't like it here.'

Sun Yuan internally quipped, but suddenly overheard a statement that drastically changed his expression: "Have you heard about the stolen ancient tomb?"

"I..."

Before he knew how to respond, Xia Fanxing's voice intervened.

"Of course, Senior Sun was involved in surveying and excavating that tomb!"

"Haha, what a coincidence, those artifacts from the tomb were just stolen..." Zhong Shenxiu lowered his voice: "I heard the ones who did it weren't simple... the process was... quite mysterious!"

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