Sima Tan Questions His Life

The banquet at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence was as grand as ever.

Marquises were second only to emperors and imperial relatives, not to mention the added prestige of Princess Yangxin; this banquet was no less grand than that of the imperial palace.

"To be able to enjoy song and dance performances while having a meal—that's such a lucky life, something most people can only dream of!"

Rong Tianding first saw a banquet of the upper class, he was like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden.

Looking at the hot pot Zhang Xuezhou mentioned, he felt it was far more lavish than the pork stew in Hibiscus City.

There was no room for Rong Tianding to speak at this banquet, so he just focused on eating in silence, quickly returning the toast whenever someone raised their glass.

This time, the Marquis of Pingyang did not use the guessing game for amusement; instead, he discussed poetry, songs, and dances with the others.

Zhang Xuezhou was no different from Rong Tianding; both were focused on eating and drinking. He found writing poems a headache, and he also found singing poems and related songs and dances a headache. If someone wanted to ask him about this, it would be touching on Zhang Xuezhou's blind spot.

The singers were singing softly, accompanied by a large group of dancers.

At the banquet, everyone clinked glasses, accompanied by constant sounds of eating, drinking, and praising.

"Lord Dongfang, shall we have a drink?"

When the sound of clinking glasses came from a nearby seat, Zhang Xuezhou raised his head, quickly picked up his glass, and drank the wine in one gulp.

"Lord Dongfang, perhaps you don't recognize me yet. I am Sima Tan, the Grand Astrologer!"

In the distance, raising a glass, was a middle-aged man with a long beard. He had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were extremely deep and bright, as if he could see through the truth of the world.

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the other person before returning to reality, but only now was he able to examine them normally.

Fortunately, Sima Tan took the initiative to introduce them; otherwise, given that everyone was dressed similarly, it would have been difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to distinguish between them.

"So it's Grand Astrologer Sima! I've heard so much about you!"

Zhang Xuezhou, as usual, exchanged normal pleasantries.

He was very interested in the Grand Astrologer Sima Tan, whose Yang Soul was extremely special, able to sense his Yang Soul incarnation and observe from a great distance.

But this was also someone Zhang Xuezhou wanted to avoid. If Sima Tan discovered the truth about his Yang Soul, Zhang Xuezhou felt it would definitely not be a good thing.

He was interested in Sima Tan, but didn't want to get too close.

Given this contradictory attitude, Zhang Xuezhou's politeness became a normal occurrence.

"Is Lord Dongfang's health alright?" Sima Tan asked in a low voice.

"No problem, I'm in great health," Zhang Xuezhou replied, patting his chest.

Zhang Xuezhou sat at the end of the table, while Sima Tan, of a higher rank, sat in the middle. Although the two were talking, there were still seven or eight people between them.

Sima Tan asked a question, and everyone in the middle came over to take a look.

After Zhang Xuezhou replied, everyone went back to check on Sima Tan.

"You can't possibly be without problems," Sima Tan said in a low voice. "How could you be without problems after taking that poison pill? I snorted at you twenty-three times and you were knocked out. Now you still feel nauseous from time to time, and you keep having nightmares!"

"Why would the Grand Astrologer exhale such a foul odor?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise. "I've never seen anyone have such a hobby!"

"This isn't a hobby of mine!"

Sima Tan waved his hands repeatedly, but when a group of people in the middle raised their glasses to laugh at him and whispered about his peculiar hobby, he felt that things were going terribly wrong.

But Sima Ling only pondered for a moment before recounting the unsavory deeds of one of the men's ancestors.

As the Grand Historian, he loved reading old records and could accurately know what outrageous things these people's ancestors had done.

Sima Tan's revelation of the other party's past, particularly his family history, caused everyone to instinctively avoid him. However, some people quickly stood up and offered him their seats, inviting him to sit in a more convenient place to talk, thus ending the minor trouble.

"Fortunately, none of our ancestors produced any notable figures," Zhang Xuezhou sighed.

"I have reviewed your registered records, and strictly speaking, they are not valid," Sima Tan said. "If your parents and ancestral home cannot be traced, you may not be able to pass the examination when you assume an important position in the court in the future."

"My innocence is testified to by Prefect Weng, isn't that enough?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"If your position is below that of Prefect Wenweng, then there's naturally no problem," Sima Tan said with a smile. "But if your future position is higher than that of Prefect Wenweng, then things become more complicated, and your competitors will likely use it against you!"

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Sima!"

Zhang Xuezhou bowed and clasped his hands in thanks.

His official position was far removed from that of Wen Weng, a powerful prefect.

In reality, the prefect was responsible for maintaining peace and tranquility in his region, and his position was almost equivalent to that of the Nine Ministers. It was extremely difficult to reach this level.

Maintaining peace in a region is not something that can be achieved through mere words; it requires genuine and exceptional individual strength. The high level of cultivation required to reach the Sole Self Realm" is also an important criterion for becoming a prefect or one of the Nine Ministers.

Besides his substandard cultivation level and individual strength, Zhang Xuezhou's physical condition was also a significant factor preventing him from reaching this level.

His 'controversy' may seem to have many problems, but in reality, it is not a problem.

However, while Sima's words were unpleasant, they were very frank, which could even be considered as an effort by such a principled person to curry favor.

After Zhang Xuezhou understood the situation, he inevitably felt a closer connection with Zhang Xuezhou.

"Lord Dongfang, are you really alright?"

Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou's attitude had become much friendlier and he was no longer as perfunctory as before, Sima Tan asked again in a low voice.

"There are still some problems," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"I knew this Marquis of Pingyang..."

"You know I was cursed when I was stationed in Yangling, and then the physician opened my skull. I'm still in a coma to this day!"

Sima Tan initially thought that the Marquis of Pingyang was just putting on an act by inviting Zhang Xuezhou to the banquet, but he didn't expect that Zhang Xuezhou didn't have any problems with taking poison Pill Formula.

"Didn't you experience any adverse effects after taking that pill?" Sima Tan asked, still unwilling to give up.

"I don't know if there were any negative effects at the time, since I fell into a deep sleep not long after," Zhang Xuezhou said, spreading his hands. "When I woke up, I felt no different than before, and even more comfortable!"

"That's impossible!"

Zhang Xuezhou seemed to be perfectly fine, and the other party even felt very good about it.

After confirming the diagnosis, Sima Tan felt extremely unwell. Why was it that the person who took the elixir was fine? He had been experiencing nausea, vomiting, nightmares, and even hallucinations for days.

He had just inhaled a lot of stench, which almost made him question his existence. It took him a week to recover.

"Something's not right. That scent you had back then was very familiar to me. I feel like I've smelled it somewhere before. Imperial Physician Guan Yili... It's a pity he died young, otherwise I could have asked him to confirm!"

Sima Tan muttered to himself, struggling to grasp the crux of the matter.

However, it was difficult for him to continue investigating.

Imperial Physician Guan Yili died a few years ago, and the Empress Dowager was far from being someone Sima Tan could inquire about or verify.

He currently only has Zhang Xuezhou as a test subject, and the other party happens to have a good feeling about it.

"The smell on you all is definitely off. It's a very unpleasant smell. I think it's related to Yili's short life, but why is the Empress Dowager perfectly healthy, and why is Dongfang Shuo completely healthy? This isn't normal. Why am I both sick and in pain? Is my time coming to an end...?"

Sima Tan muttered to himself, feeling that the problem was extremely complex and difficult for him to figure out.

But Zhang Xuezhou's heart couldn't help but stir upon hearing this.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't know who Yi Shuo's father was, but the surname Yi wasn't used by many people, and even fewer people with the surname Yi became imperial physicians.

Yi Shuo's alchemy gourd originated from a task entrusted to her by her father.

If we were to find a point of connection between them, it would either be that they had both taken the Life-Creating Pill or the Gourd Pill.

"So, Chunyu Tiying, Zheng Wukong, and Wei Shao'er are all in danger?"

Zhang Xuezhou then proceeded to deduce the result in reverse.

He took the Spirit Forging Spirit-Forging Pill made from the gourd and then used the Life Creation Pill to powerfully expel the impurities. Zhang Xuezhou didn't know if it was completely cleansed, but the possibility of him being at risk in the short term was relatively low.

But for the other three, things might not have been as lucky as he was.