The Technique's Flaw

"It's so cold in this woods!"

Zhang Xuezhou wore a celestial robe, seemingly unfazed by the cold, but his feet were not covered by it.

Over time, Zhang Xuezhou inevitably got so cold in the mountains that he had to stamp his feet to keep warm.

As darkness fell, Zhang Xuezhou stopped going up and down the mountain.

He waited for an hour, and saw that the lanterns in Yangling in the distance were getting brighter and brighter, and the sky was gradually darkening.

Compared to the bright areas, he was undoubtedly hidden in the darkness, completely unnoticed.

The sleeves of the celestial robe were rolled up only slightly, revealing sharp, bronze-colored feathers that then protruded from the arms.

His arms transformed into feathers, and the Demon Power within his body began to guide the Technique Within the Clouds.

With a gentle wave of his hands, Zhang Xuezhou sent a fierce gust of wind sweeping through the air, propelling his body into the sky.

Flying and flying with people are two different things. Zhang Xuezhou had only been towed by Dong Zhongshu with a rope before, and had never actually flown with people.

It was only after his cultivation had advanced to the Body Transformation Realm and his Demon Power had also increased significantly that Zhang Xuezhou decided to give it a try.

Of course, it's okay to fail.

In addition to leaping to capture people, Zhang Xuezhou also gave Rong Tianding a bottle of Water of Eternity from the West.

If this substance was mixed into food and eaten, it would cause them uncontrollable diarrhea – that was the fate of these great scholars.

Even Hongku could not ignore diarrhea, and Zhang Xuezhou believed that even a great Confucian scholar would not be able to withstand it.

He watched the scattered smoke rising from the mountain village from afar, and when Rong Tianding emerged from the thatched hut carrying a large basin, Zhang Xuezhou immediately swooped down.

The whistling wind caught Rong Tianding somewhat off guard before he was carried away by the force of the impact.

"Sink!"

When Zhang Xuezhou's sarcastic voice came over, Rong Tianding felt a chill run down his spine.

He had barely covered a hundred meters before he tumbled out of the air.

"What kind of demon dares to run wild here?"

Zhou Ba's rebuking voice rang out, and another beam of light flew out.

Rong Tianding cried out, "Ah!" and saw Zhang Xuezhou's dark figure spread its wings and fly away, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

The bright light fell far away, and then Zhou Ba withdrew it.

"Did you see clearly what attacked?"

Only when the sound of rushing footsteps drew closer did Rong Tianding notice the luminous pearl Law Treasure Zhou Ba was holding.

The light on the pearl flickered, and Zhou Ba kept checking it from all directions.

Zhou Ba was Shen Peigong's prized student, possessing extraordinary strength. The other party was alert and made a swift arrest, while Zhang Xuezhou also escaped quickly.

In their one-on-one exchanges, Zhou Ba clearly gained nothing.

He asked Rong Tianding, which made Rong Tianding, who had fallen to the ground, shake his head repeatedly.

"You cook are quite calm. Did you not see it clearly at all, or do you recognize that monster?" Zhou Ba asked suspiciously.

"Sir, I don't know how I suddenly started flying!"

Rong Tianding's heart skipped a beat, followed by a swift response.

"That's true, your strength is a bit low, it's normal that you can't react quickly enough," Zhou Badao said. "There are many things that happen at night in places with mountains and forests behind them, so don't wander around. Go back to your room after you finish delivering the food!"

"Yes, sir!"

Rong Tianding scratched his head.

Having fallen many times on Mount Tai, he is quite experienced in falling, and his body reacts almost instinctively.

Simply put, he didn't fall.

However, Rong Tianding felt a little uneasy. He thought that even if Zhang Xuezhou came, it wouldn't be easy for them to escape the village and return to Chang'an City.

Firstly, Zhou Ba and his men were guarding the village, so if they tried to escape a certain distance, they might be discovered.

Secondly, the journey back to Chang'an City was not short, and it was impossible to enter the city normally at night.

Rong Tianding was preoccupied with these thoughts, but he couldn't immediately discern Zhang Xuezhou's plans.

He wasn't being mistreated in the village at the moment, except for having to feed and drink more than ten people every day.

As long as these people don't kill him to cover their tracks, Rong Tianding feels he can accept doing hard labor and doesn't need to take the high risk of rescuing him.

After thinking for a moment, he quickly ran back to the kitchen and, quite naturally, took out a small porcelain Rong Tianding and dripped two drops of water into the broth.

He didn't know what was in the porcelain bottle or what its purpose was, but since Zhang Xuezhou said so, he did as he was told.

After stirring and churning, Rong Tianding picked up the plate and went outside.

Zhou Ba's gaze swept around, taking in everything in this small mountain village.

"It might be Night Owl. You'd better hurry up and put away our food, then close the door and rest," Zhou Badao said.

"Yes, sir!"

Rong Tianding responded and went into the thatched hut, then looked at Yi Shuo, who was taking pulses there.

One became a cook, and the other was skilled in medicine. They made the best use of their talents and naturally integrated into Shen Peigong's team. Their usefulness was more obvious than that of Kong Anguo, who could only sit cross-legged and daydream.

Rong Tianding pouted at Yi Shuo, who couldn't help but return a troubled expression.

She never imagined that digging around like this would uncover such a problem.

Normally, they dig their own digs, and Shen Peigong and others dig theirs; the two keep to themselves.

However, Yi Shuo felt that following Shen Peigong and the others wasn't a bad deal. Perhaps these people were also digging a secret passage, and if she managed to sneak a peek, she could go in and take a look later.

She raised her head and looked again at the dark hole behind her.

A chilling aura rose up, giving Yi Shuo goosebumps.

For a moment, she felt that the tunnel led to a secret place, but then she felt that the atmosphere of the tunnel didn't quite match the secret place.

"You damn woman, go back to sleep with me!"

Seeing Yi Shuo's wandering gaze, Rong Tianding couldn't help but mutter a curse.

"Who are you calling a dead woman? You're asking for trouble again, aren't you? You still want to sleep with me? No way!"

Once you get to know her, Yi Shuo undoubtedly becomes a fiery little woman who reveals her true nature, especially since she and Rong Tianding have fought many times, which can be considered as building a friendship through their brawls.

Upon suddenly hearing Rong Tianding's nonsensical remarks, Yi Shuo couldn't help but quickly retort with a curse.

"Don't argue, don't argue! Sage Kong said that it's good for a young woman not to argue," Shen Peigong said with a headache.

"I get angry just looking at his deadpan expression. He won't behave unless I yell at him a few times," Yi Shuo said angrily.

"Who are you calling a dead man?" Rong Tianding said. "People may control heaven and earth, but they can't control how husbands and wives can't be together!"

"Why didn't I see you all planning a family reunion yesterday?" the learned scholar Xia Kuan asked with a smile from inside the house.

"Back then we were afraid you'd beat us up," Rong Tianding said. "They say you're beholden to someone who feeds you, so after we cooked for you for two days, we've become a little bolder!"

"It's good to be bolder," Xia Kuan said. "I'm also grateful to have you all, otherwise I would have been spared the trouble of chopping meat and cooking!"

"Go, go, all of you go!"

Shen Peigong waved his hand, indicating that Yi Shuo and Rong Tianding could go back to their rooms to rest, which would give him some peace and quiet.

Watching the two of them bicker and argue as they left the thatched hut, he couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache and coughed a few more times.

"Senior Brother Zhou Ba found an old ginseng in the mountains today. We had the cook stew it into pork. Teacher, please eat some to nourish your body," Xia Kuan said respectfully.

"I sat in meditation for seven days, diminishing the life force I gained from eating, so that I could exert a better effect when using the Sword-Drawing-to-Slaying Technique," Shen Peigong said. "I don't need to eat, you eat!"

"But we still don't know when they'll arrive!"

"The monk who performs rituals requires a member of the royal family to be present, and there's a daily rotation. She'll definitely come, perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow night, or perhaps the night after!"

Shen Peigong coughed twice and moved his trembling body closer to the fire.

The firelight warmed his body, but Shen Peigong could sense that the vitality within him was fading.

Every technique has its drawbacks, and this kind of fortune-telling technique, which involves extremely rare elements, is particularly flawed.

As long as his body is weak enough, the sword-drawing and life-slaying technique will inevitably strike the one with the strongest vitality.

Only after the spell marks him can he regain his physical strength and pray for the death.

Shen Peigong touched his sleeve pocket, from which emerged a graceful wooden puppet of a noblewoman with her hair tied up, and a small sword about three-tenths of an inch long resting on the puppet's head.

He poked the puppet's head with the small sword, then cut his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the puppet's head.

As he muttered incantations, the drop of blood gradually seeped into the top of the puppet's head.

"She seems to be here!"

Shen Peigong closed his eyes and muttered for a long time, then suddenly his mind stirred and he looked towards the direction of Chang'an City.

The Empress Dowager always preferred to act at night, and this time, it seems that the other party left Chang'an City at night.