Fate Arts in Conflict

"We traveled from Suiyang to Luoyang, and now we have to travel back from Luoyang to Suiyang. This is such a hassle! Why didn't they just let us get off in Suiyang!"

Everything during an emperor's travels operates at maximum efficiency, including avoiding obstacles such as roads and pedestrians, and ensuring a sufficient supply of food.

However, the issues encountered when traveling privately are completely different.

The new emperor's caravan could travel from Suiyang to Luoyang in just five days, while an individual traveling on horseback would take at least half a month, involving many issues such as lodging, food, and safety along the way.

Of course, after three more days with Zhang Xuezhou, he would fall into a deep sleep, making the journey to their destination even longer.

Moreover, Rong Tianding had no intention of traveling far again. He missed Xu Yuan, Xu Ji, and others, and always cherished the legacy of the Corpse-like School.

"Suiyang isn't His Majesty's territory, so anything we do there will attract attention," Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "If Suiyang were under His Majesty's control, and he were familiar with everything in the region, we wouldn't need to run errands for him!"

Aside from the need for rest and adjustment before returning to Chang'an City, the new emperor's decision to make arrangements at this time is most likely due to what Zhang Xuezhou said, or perhaps some other unfavorable factors.

For the new emperor, who was eager to recruit talent, the other party would never punish Zhang Xuezhou for missing the ancestral temple ceremony by making him travel so arduously.

The other party must have done some research on Li Shaojun, otherwise they would have sent someone else to look for him.

"We're on official leave now, we can go wherever we want," Zhang Xuezhou said. "His Majesty even gave us two horses and two strings of cash, plus official documents to assist us along the way. These days aren't so bad!"

"That's true!"

"You must be thinking about Xu Yuan," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. "You have the Five Qi Gathering Technique to accumulate cultivation, so you don't need to worry about learning it a few days earlier or later. Diligence is a good thing when it comes to cultivation, but cultivation depends more on fortuitous opportunity!"

"We're fortuitous opportunity meet?"

"We have some leads to follow, but we need to find Li Shaojun to prepare some 'Rejuvenating Decoction' before we can use it!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

The secret realm of the underworld is of low quality, but it is an excellent blessed land for cultivators with low cultivation levels.

In particular, the cultivation methods of the Corpse-like School likely require such secret environments. Zhang Xuezhou felt that if he could figure out the opening patterns and locations of the many secret realms of the underworld connected to the Reincarnation Stone, it would be a great blessing for Rong Tianding.

If everything is prepared properly, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't find it strange if Rong Tianding caught up with his cultivation level in a few years.

"Li Shaojun will definitely get involved too," Rong Tianding.

"If he doesn't practice any sinister or dark Incantation Technique, he probably won't be able to use them," Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "With the Origin-Nurturing Pill and Spirit-Forging Pill, my cousin will easily catch up to me in cultivation in the future!"

"That's amazing!"

Rong Tianding shuddered.

Should we involve Yi Shuo?

"We'll talk about it later; she has a lot of problems on her end too!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about Zheng Wukong and the others who had taken the Gourd Pill, and felt that he could ask Li Shaojun to take a look at their ailments, or work with them to try to develop some powerful medicines to cure their diseases.

After resting for a night in Luoyang, he and Rong Tianding mounted the steeds given to them by the new emperor and rode away, chattering away.

The new emperor's entourage then made its way towards Chang'an City.

At this moment, the morning light had just begun to break, and a touch of red light had just appeared on the horizon.

The return of the new emperor to Chang'an City was bound to cause turmoil, and Zhang Xuezhou also had his own thoughts on his journey.

Both sides were heading in different directions, and both had similar factors arising from their deceptive tactics; the only difference was that the new emperor was aiming for a grander goal while Zhang Xuezhou was aiming for a smaller one.

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a moment and realized that their fortunes seemed to overlap in some way, and that there was a possibility of conflict and clash.

The overlap is due to the similarity in the actions of both parties, while the conflict and clash are due to his being punished by the new emperor and his departure to avoid the vortex, which belongs to the case of great fortune suppressing small fortune.

If you don't examine it closely, everything will seem normal, but if you look at it from the perspective of divination, you will find subtle connections.

"The conflict isn't obvious at this point, but what would happen if it became obvious?"

Zhang Xuezhou once believed that after practicing the art of manipulation, he was discovered by the new emperor, who then used the art of manipulation to kill him.

But he discovered that things were not like that.

This is a clash of their energies, which may have led to conflict.

Zhang Xuezhou's fortune-telling began at the Liang King's tomb, and their conflict of fortunes even started long before that.

Zhang Xuezhou could only think about how he had gone through so much trouble to obtain this official position, and then the new emperor had arranged for him to be appointed as the Grand Master of the Imperial Carriage, before he was killed and then he was now a scholar waiting to be summoned.

Realizing what had happened, he couldn't help but gasp several times.

"This situation must be adjusted. Only when our fortunes align can we reduce conflict and benefit each other, instead of him suffering a loss while I suffer a great loss. If His Majesty's east wind prevails over mine, my death or injury is inevitable!"

Thinking of the troubles brought about by the new emperor, Zhang Xuezhou was reminded of what he and Li Shaojun had done in Fengxize.

By relying on the Suihou Pearl to repeatedly subdue Emperor Gaozu fifty times, and by establishing connections with Emperor Gaozu's rival Bai, and even providing positive assistance to Bai, they were clearly going against the new emperor.

While others feared the new emperor's identity and were wary of the fake Crimson Sky Sword, Bai didn't have so many concerns.

If any uncontrollable effects occur, it will most likely be detrimental to the new emperor, and may even kill him.

"We must find Master Dong and see how to solve this problem!"

Zhang Xuezhou noticed something amiss in Fengxize, and his cultivation techniques were not progressing as he had anticipated.

Now, after continuous contact with the new emperor, he finally belatedly realized what was going on.

He most likely went astray in his cultivation of magical arts, and had already clashed with the new emperor.

This is generally the case when both sides are at a similar level of skill; if the skill level is higher, it's very likely that the situation will become unmanageable.

"How can we resolve the situation where we seek to gain fortuitous opportunity to His Majesty by attaching ourselves to the court, but this also risks conflict and trouble?"

Zhang Xuezhou faced a dilemma: he wanted both.

He was like a beggar at this moment, having to beg from the rich with a grin in order to have any chance of getting a meal, but he might also get slapped in the face by the rich.

The wealthy man is unaware that the beggar is an illegitimate child in his Lineage and may very well bring ruin upon the Lineage. Under such circumstances, it is virtually impossible for the beggar and the wealthy man to join hands and achieve success together.

He made analogies in his mind, feeling that things were difficult and that he needed to consult Dong Zhongshu, or at least see how far Dong Zhongshu had progressed in advancing the art.

This period happens to be a time with a high degree of freedom.

The distance from Luoyang to Shouchun in Huainan is a thousand miles, with high mountains and long roads, but Zhang Xuezhou happened to arrive when the King of Huainan came to Chang'an City. The king had also built a road, allowing him to ride his horse at full speed.

Zhang Xuezhou thought for a long time and finally decided to go to Dong Zhongshu first, and then seek out Li Shaojun to cooperate.