Chapter 36: Can Immortality Be Attained?

Looking at Li Nian, Ying Zheng said, "By your account, later generations govern without a sovereign. Coming from such a future, you should be more accustomed to a rulerless state. Why did you not propose governing Great Qin by this method?"

To this question, Li Nian answered almost without hesitation, "Reporting to Your Majesty, firstly, I am afraid of death. Secondly, a rulerless society is the result of historical evolution and the combined effect of many factors, which is entirely unsuited to the current situation of Great Qin. Great Qin needs Your Majesty; the common people of all under heaven need Your Majesty; and I, too, need Your Majesty!"

Li Nian had never once considered introducing constitutional monarchy, democracy, or republicanism in Great Qin. Such concepts were completely incongruous with the era of Great Qin.

Did the common folk of Great Qin even know what a constitution or a republic meant?

"In my humble opinion, regardless of the system or the method of governance, the most important principle is to seek truth from facts, ensuring that established national policies align with national conditions. The very national condition of Great Qin today is that it requires the leadership of Your Majesty!"

This response greatly satisfied Ying Zheng. If Li Nian had truly harbored thoughts of a rulerless state, he would have ordered his execution immediately, regardless of how valuable Li Nian might be.

Compared to the threat that Li Nian's potential dissemination of anti-monarchist ideas posed to his supreme authority, no amount of value was worth mentioning.

Even if he temporarily spared Li Nian's life, Li Nian would spend the rest of his days under strict house arrest, never tasting freedom again, reduced merely to a tool for extracting historical records and technologies from future generations.

When the time came for him to leave this world, he would take Li Nian with him and thoroughly erase every trace of Li Nian's existence in Great Qin.

Li Nian understood the First Emperor's intent behind the question, which was why he candidly confessed his fear of death and asserted that Great Qin was unsuited for anarchism or anti-monarchism, assuring the Emperor that he harbored no such notions. Furthermore, he subtly signaled to the First Emperor: You are my pillar of support and my great patron in Great Qin; how could I possibly undermine my own foundation?

Glancing outside the palace, Ying Zheng said, "It is late tonight, so we shall not speak at length. I have one final question. Once this is answered, you may return to rest."

Li Nian bowed respectfully and said, "Please ask your question, Your Majesty. This subject shall tell all he knows without reservation!"

Ying Zheng lowered his voice slightly. Fixing his gaze intently on Li Nian, he asked the question he had longed to pose ever since learning yesterday that Li Nian came from the future: "Does the future hold a method for attaining eternal life?"

*As expected, it's this question. The First Emperor has already set his sights on immortality and seeking immortals.*

Li Nian was not surprised by the inquiry. He replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, no. Although future science and technology are highly advanced, they cannot yet grant immortality. They have merely raised the average human lifespan. Men and women generally live to around seventy, and with careful bodily cultivation, reaching eighty or ninety is also possible."

To prevent the Emperor from asking about divine beings and immortal Isles, Li Nian added, "Future science has explored the entire world, and even landed on the moon, yet no divine beings or immortal Isles have ever been found."

Hearing this, Ying Zheng was deeply disappointed. He had indeed been on the verge of asking, only to have Li Nian anticipate him. It seemed Li Nian knew what he wanted to ask, but still, he was unwilling to give up.

"It is rumored that a goddess once stole the elixir of immortality and fled to the moon. Is that also false?"

Li Nian shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the tale of the goddess stealing the elixir and fleeing to the moon is merely a myth in later times, known as 'Chang'e flies to the moon.' In reality, the moon is a desolate wasteland devoid of any goddesses!"

Ying Zheng fell silent. He could tell that Li Nian was not lying to him, but precisely because it was the truth, his silence deepened.

This meant his dream of eternal life had truly been shattered.

Moreover, there was another crucial point: since even the future lacked a way to make people immortal, those alchemists had been deceiving him all along, claiming there existed techniques of longevity in the world and offering to brew elixirs of immortality for him.

Two thoughts raced through Ying Zheng's mind: What on earth were those pills the alchemists had been feeding him? And those alchemists—every last one of them deserved to be put to death!

Sensing the intensity of the First Emperor's desire for longevity, Li Nian offered, "Although the future possesses no art of eternal youth, methods for prolonging life are quite numerous."

The First Emperor was his backer and patron in Great Qin; naturally, Li Nian wanted him to live a long and healthy life to ensure his own comfortable existence in this era.

Ying Zheng recovered from his silence. Since true immortality did not exist, extending his years and living a longer life would also suffice.

"What methods?"

Li Nian explained, "The extension of average human lifespan in later generations is due to three main factors: first, improved living standards with no shortage of food; second, advancements in medical science capable of treating a wider range of illnesses; and third, the spread of knowledge, which has heightened health awareness among the people and instilled healthy lifestyle habits..."

"Your Majesty naturally lacks no food, but attention must be paid to balancing meat and vegetables for nutritional equilibrium—that is, consuming both animal flesh and garden greens. As for the medical arts of Great Qin reaching the standards of future generations, that cannot be achieved overnight, but I have a few strategies that should elevate Great Qin's medicine."

Ying Zheng uttered a single word: "Speak!"

Li Nian continued, "First, summon the finest physicians from across the realm to hold a grand medical convention, allowing healers throughout the land to exchange medical knowledge. Second, establish an imperial academy of medicine, enabling skilled physicians to enter the court and impart their medical arts. Third, elevate the status and remuneration of physicians, granting generous rewards to those who make significant contributions to the healing arts..."

"These are just my initial thoughts. My strategies simply boil down to actively managing physicians, encouraging the development of medical skills, and fostering communication among healers. I am certain Your Majesty can devise a plan far more thorough and detailed than mine!"

Even with the aid of a search engine, his individual brainpower could not match the comprehensive and meticulous planning of Ying Zheng and the ministers of Great Qin. Furthermore, whatever Ying Zheng devised would undoubtedly be better suited to Great Qin than anything he could propose.

Fortunately, Li Nian only needed to provide the spark; the First Emperor and his ministers would naturally refine it. Often, the hardest part of any endeavor is simply conceiving the initial idea.

"As for healthy lifestyle habits regarding food, raw foods should be avoided, especially meats such as sliced raw fish. They harbor many microscopic parasites invisible to the naked eye, which cause illness if ingested raw."

"Drinking water must also be boiled, for the exact same reason—water contains unseen organisms. Furthermore, Your Majesty must exercise daily and not sit rigidly behind the desk all day managing state affairs..."

At this point, Li Nian felt there was simply too much to cover, so he proposed, "I shall return to write down a detailed list of precautions and submit it to Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng nodded: "Very well."

When bacteria in food were mentioned, Li Nian suddenly recalled something: after arriving in Great Qin, he had not triggered a biochemical crisis within Xianyang Palace. Could it be that the time-travel process had automatically sterilized and disinfected him?

If so, that time-travel mechanism was quite intelligent!

Li Nian added, "As long as one maintains healthy lifestyle habits, Your Majesty can ward off all manner of illnesses and prolong your years. Oh, and I almost forgot—if Your Majesty has been taking substances refined by alchemists, you must stop immediately and never take them again. Long-term consumption of alchemical concoctions is harmful to the human body. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can test them on animals such as chickens or mice..."

Listening to Li Nian's chatter about how to use chickens and mice to test whether the alchemical elixirs were problematic, a smile emerged in Ying Zheng's eyes. This young man was genuinely looking out for his well-being.

When Li Nian finished speaking, Ying Zheng said, "It is inconvenient for you to be summoned here every single day, and inconvenient for me as well. Let us set a five-day interval. I shall prepare my questions in advance, and when the time arrives, you shall come and instruct me."

Indeed, summoning Li Nian daily to discuss myriad topics was inconvenient for both of them. How else could he handle state affairs or attend to other matters?

This method of setting a fixed schedule and predetermined topics meant that once every five days, Li Nian would give the First Emperor a "lesson," making things easy for everyone.

Li Nian naturally raised no objections and replied, "I obey Your Majesty's command!"

Ying Zheng then stated, "In five days, what I wish to know is: Why did Great Qin perish? And how can it be avoided?"

As expected, the First Emperor was far more concerned with the second-generation collapse of Great Qin.