The Aftermath at Yang Mausoleum

Sage Kong ordered the item to be returned to the Kong family, while Zhang Xuezhou accepted a jet-black bead.

The Sage Kong edict was of no use to Zhang Xuezhou; of course, even the Suihou Pearl was useless to Zhang Xuezhou.

But since Kong Zhong wanted to exchange the Sage Kong Token, Zhang Xuezhou did him a favor.

This greatly increased his popularity among the Confucian scholars.

"Speaking of which, you were summoned by Shen Peigong to do some business. How is he doing?" Zhang Xuezhou asked casually.

"Teacher... teacher, this time it's... sigh!"

Kong Anguo let out a long sigh.

Those who ran fast fared relatively well, and when faced with a crisis, they were protected by the power of Sage Kong's decree, though they were affected by the collapsed tunnel.

My father and four uncles were experts in earth escape and other arts, so there was no way that Kong Anguo died in the collapse.

But Shen Peigong was too slow and too late to escape the collapsed passage.

When Zhou Ba and the others, who were suffering from diarrhea to the point of leg weakness, came to plead for mercy, it was only with Kong Zhong's help that they were able to uncover the other party.

Shen Peigong was already on the verge of death, and his body had many areas of decay, clearly indicating that he had suffered a great calamity.

"So, Sage Kong's decree is not afraid of gloomy energy?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully after hearing this.

"I'm terrified," Kong Anguo said. "I suspect the Holy Decree manifested because it couldn't withstand that malevolent Sha Qi, rather than because our Kong family was in collective misfortune!"

"Even Shen Peigong couldn't escape it, so how come you all seem to be doing just fine?" Zhang Xuezhou asked suspiciously.

"We were lucky, actually. When we climbed out, we ran into an old monk carrying a lantern," Kong Anguo said in a low voice. "His lantern contained a kind of fire that could burn away the Sha Qi. His flame burned away the evil Sha Qi, and the holy decree was a manifestation of divine protection that ensured our safety."

"After all, our ancestors were best at both attacking and being attacked. As long as our ancestors manifested their power, we wouldn't be afraid even if mountains collapsed," Kong Zhong interjected. "Our ancestors reached out and grabbed the vengeful spirit that rushed out, crushing it into this bead!"

"That makes sense!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a thumbs up.

He also fled in panic last night, and what happened afterward is unknown.

After Kong Anguo and Kong Zhong recounted their accounts, Zhang Xuezhou had a general summary, connecting almost all the events that had occurred in Yangling to his knowledge.

There seemed to be no winner in this struggle. The Empress Dowager retreated in the chaos, Shen Peigong was impacted by the Sha Qi and then encountered the heavy pressure of the passage being buried. Zhou Ba and others were tormented by the Water of Eternity, which prevented them from getting in. Kong Anguo and others did more than ten days of hard work.

Under his guidance, Daoist Ran Deng entered the passage and burned away the Sha Qi, possibly even helping to suppress the Suihou Pearl. It is unknown whether he emerged after the passage was buried, but it is unlikely that a sinkhole could kill a great cultivator at the level of Sacred Land lord.

As for minor characters like Yi Shuo and Rong Tianding, let's not even talk about them.

After figuring things out, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but tighten the Suihou Pearl even further.

This is another treasure that cannot be stored in a pouch. The advantage is that it is not as heavy as the Sage Kong Decree, and it is even somewhat light, like a hollow plastic ball.

The Suihou Pearl caused no discomfort, but Zhang Xuezhou was not careless. He decided to keep it safe and secure, ensuring that the King of Huainan would not flaunt it while in Chang'an City.

Moreover, this is very likely a burial object from Emperor Jing's tomb. Like the spirit jade that Zhang Xuezhou had previously obtained, the Suihou Pearl is also a treasure that cannot be brought to light.

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't afford to use the Sage Kong, and if he weren't not a member of the Confucius family, he wouldn't be so easy to talk to.

The crowd gathered around the stalls on West Street, munching and chewing haphazardly until the area became a bit crowded. They then made way for each other, continuing to eat their millet cakes as they walked.

"Though mountains be high and rivers long, we shall meet again at the imperial court!"

Kong Anguo and his group needed to find an inn to stay at, while Zhang Xuezhou, having been busy for two days, had to take his people home. The two groups met at the city gate, and then went their separate ways.

Zhang Xuezhou felt he needed to set some rules for Yi Shuo: she shouldn't mess around unnecessarily, lest he be unable to rescue her.

"If I find a good fortuitous opportunity, maybe I can even take you to enjoy it!"

After he finished speaking and heard Yi Shuo murmur, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel that what she said made sense.

For every disadvantage, there is a corresponding potential benefit.

Yi Shuo's trip wasn't too bad in a way, except that she was caught digging pits everywhere and was placed under house arrest for two days by Shen Peigong's men.

Of course, neither Yi Shuo nor Rong Tianding gained any benefit.

As for Zhang Xuezhou, he simply watched the whole thing.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't gone to join the fun, he felt that Kong Zhong and the others would have come to his door after the matter was over, either to return the Sage Kong Token or to replace it with the Sui Hou Pearl, and the situation wouldn't have been much different.

If Yi Shuo could gain some benefits through her reckless actions, that might be a possibility.

"That makes sense!"

Zhang Xuezhou ultimately abandoned the rules he had just established and did not dissuade Yi Shuo from digging a pit to find the Holy Mother Wudang.

It's a good thing that young people are energetic, and it's also a good thing that they travel around.

For example, Rong Tianding followed Zhang Xuezhou around the whole time, acting as his nanny from beginning to end. He didn't get any benefits, but he almost died several times.

It's risky for Rong Tianding to run away with Zhang Xuezhou, but there's nothing to worry about if he runs away with someone of Yi Shuo's caliber.

In any case, Zhang Xuezhou has now settled down and is still a government official, so he can be considered to have settled down.

As long as he doesn't cause any major trouble, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to take care of himself.

"It wouldn't be bad to follow Yi Shuo around more," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"This woman isn't as honest as she seems at all; she... ouch, she hit me again!"

After a brief struggle, Rong Tianding had no choice but to utter a harsh remark.

"Wait for me in March!"

Rong Tianding kept grumbling.

He was waiting for Xu Yuan to bring Xu Ji after the spring, and then he would officially begin his cultivation of the Corpse-like School.

Having accumulated cultivation through the Five Elements Gathering for so long, Rong Tianding still had a certain degree of confidence in himself.

If his cultivation level were to increase, Rong Tianding felt he could easily beat Yi Shuo to a pulp.

He made some harsh remarks, but Yi Shuo didn't take them seriously. She was actually hoping that the Rong Tianding stronger, so that she wouldn't lack fellow practitioners.

"Scholar Dongfang, how is your fighting ability?"

After looking at Rong Tianding, who was all looks and no substance, Yi Shuo couldn't help but ask about Zhang Xuezhou's situation.

As a school of thought in medicine, Yi Shuo didn't expect her senior and junior brothers to be particularly skilled in combat. Even Zheng Wukong was only a mediocre fighter, and his sparring and fighting skills were not up to par.

However, Yi Shuo realized that she could not rely entirely on medical skills to advance her spiritual cultivation. If she had enemies, she couldn't very well give them acupuncture treatments while seeking revenge.

The corresponding Yi Shuo still values fighting ability quite a bit.

She asked Zhang Xuezhou, clearly hoping to get some help from Zhang Xuezhou.

"My fighting ability..."

Zhang Xuezhou hesitated for a moment.

His strength is such that, if he's capable, he can't be defeated head-on; but if he's not, Zhang Xuezhou has indeed caused quite a few powerful cultivators to suffer defeats.

He's capable, but it's hard to say whether he can do it or not.

"You've been waiting for me for years!"

Zhang Xuezhou finally uttered a single sentence.

He felt he needed to wait for Dong Zhongshu. Once Dong Zhongshu had thoroughly understood the Huangsha Sect's Technique Method, he would have the ability to engage in direct combat after his studies, instead of only being able to grab a stone and throw it at people as he was now.

A complete Technique Method passed down from a sect is far better than learning random bits and pieces here and there. Moreover, each Technique Method has its own school of thought, and there aren't many techniques that conform to the Yin-Yang School.

Techniques like the Yellow Sand Sect's ability to create a cloud of dust are not suitable for Zhang Xuezhou, while techniques involving control, such as Yellow Sand Entanglement, are more suitable for Zhang Xuezhou.

This was something Dong Zhongshu had mentioned, and it made Zhang Xuezhou quite hopeful.

He called out to Yi Shuo, leaving her speechless. She felt that the two cousins were exactly the same, both of them incredibly stubborn.