Master Lu searched for the elixir of life for Qin Shi Huang, and when he could not find it, he ran away.
Tips
history
The Tang tale is 《枕中记》 by 沈既济: a Daoist lends Lu a magic pillow at an inn in 邯郸, and the dream is over before the innkeeper's millet is cooked. It gave the idiom 黄粱一梦 for an empty dream of glory.
history
The Qin Lu Sheng and another magician, 侯生, spoke against the emperor before they fled. His anger at them led to the burying of scholars in 212 BC, the second half of 焚书坑儒.