A Change in Needs

"Little brother, don't you sleep at night?"

The Daoist Ran Deng was indeed very knowledgeable; he could talk for half an hour about poisonous plants and strange creatures that 99% of people had never seen before.

After rambling on and on, Zhang Xuezhou felt he had gained a lot of knowledge, but it was all rather useless.

Rong Tianding had been riding in carriages and galloping around on horseback with Zhang Xuezhou for days, and after listening to this for a while, he was starting to feel drowsy.

Looking at Rong Tianding's tired expression and then at Zhang Xuezhou's energetic demeanor, Daoist Ran Deng felt that the two were in completely different states.

He was so bored from their relentless questioning that he felt he should find somewhere else to rest.

"Meeting the Daoist priest was a stroke of luck on my journey," Zhang Xuezhou said. "I've received so much good advice from him, how could I possibly feel sleepy!"

"The old Daoist priest is in poor health and is somewhat inclined to rest..."

"I happen to have some knowledge of poison prevention and elixirs. I've heard of a rare medicine called the Life-Creating Pill, which might be able to heal your injuries, Daoist Master," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"What kind of pill is the Life-Creating Pill?" Daoist Ran Deng suddenly asked with interest, "Is this pill very powerful?"

"Haven't you heard of it, Daoist priest?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Our West Ox Hezhou is quite good at martial arts, but our development in the field of elixirs is inferior to that of the Eastern Land," Daoist Ran Deng nodded and said, "Moreover, this old Daoist has not been to the Eastern Land for many years and has never heard of Eastern Land elixirs!"

"The Life-Creating Pill can repair all injuries to the body," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Even if there is excessive blood loss, this pill can continuously replenish the blood!"

"So amazing?"

The Daoist Ran Deng exclaimed in surprise.

The Daoist Ran Deng had seen the Life-Creating Pill before. He had heard the Empress Dowager mention it once, and he had watched her swallow the last Life-Creating Pill.

This elixir helped the Empress Dowager endure the curse for a long time.

Daoist Ran Deng originally thought that this kind of pill countered Yin Sha Qi, which made him uninterested in the Life Creation Pill.

Only after Zhang Xuezhou explained did he realize what kind of potent medicine he had misjudged.

While Zhang Xuezhou's hearsay shouldn't be taken too seriously, Zhang Xuezhou did cite specific therapeutic effects, which lends some credibility to his claims.

This kind of pill can work on the Empress Dowager who is at the True Self Realm level, so it will obviously work on others as well. The medicinal properties mentioned by Zhang Xuezhou are too powerful; even he has a strong need for it.

The Daoist Ran Deng was initially too embarrassed to see the Empress Dowager again, but after some thought, he felt it necessary to seek her advice.

If they could produce even one or two Life-Creating Pills, that would give them the confidence to compete within the Western Sect.

No matter what rare materials are needed to make this elixir, Daoist Ran Deng felt he would find them.

For a seasoned powerhouse like him, cultivation has lost its meaning of enhancement; only Law Treasure, special Technique Method, divine weapons, and elixirs can help.

The Life-Creating Elixir undoubtedly belongs to this category.

"It seems you've seen the Life-Creating Pill before, young brother," said Daoist Ran Deng with a smile.

"When I was traveling with a senior, I saw Jinxia Yuanjun use this elixir and witnessed its effects," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile.

"Jinxia Yuanjun?"

The Daoist Ran Deng had expected Zhang Xuezhou to mention his experiences with the Great Han Dynasty, but to his surprise, Zhang Xuezhou mentioned the Immortal Court and even revealed his real name.

This news undoubtedly gave Daoist Ran Deng pause for thought.

He couldn't immediately tell whether the Empress Dowager's Life-Creating Pill shared the same name, or whether the Immortal Court and the Great Han Dynasty were internally connected, or whether the Empress Dowager belonged to the Immortal Court.

Numerous speculations undoubtedly disrupted the thinking of the Daoist Ran Deng.

He and Buddha rarely came to the Eastern Land, not because they disliked the Eastern Land, but because the Western Sect had caused a lot of trouble and incurred grudges Eastern Land.

It wouldn't be surprising if the Buddha were beaten up again, and it would be normal for the Daoist Ran Deng to be beaten up and sent back by some people when he came to the Eastern Land.

If the Elixir of Life and Creation is a medicine of the Great Han Dynasty, then Daoist Ran Deng can inquire freely and boldly, and seek cooperation with him.

If the Life-Creating Elixir is a medicine from the Immortal Court, and the Empress Dowager is also a member of the Immortal Court, then Daoist Ran Deng felt that he might encounter risks when he returned to Chang'an.

Even if the Empress Dowager was not from the Immortal Court, the Immortal Court's informants in Chang'an City must have been high-ranking officials, which would have made it possible for them to obtain the Life-Creating Pill for the Empress Dowager.

Zhang Xuezhou's casual words sent a whirlwind of thoughts through Ran Deng Dao Ren's mind.

The idea of him going to Chang'an City had just surfaced when Zhang Xuezhou abruptly extinguished it.

"You just said you had some knowledge of poison prevention?" asked the Daoist Ran Deng.

The Daoist Ran Deng had previously spoken up, but when Zhang Xuezhou brought up the Life-Creating Pill as a topic, the roles had reversed, and it was now his turn to ask questions.

"I do have some knowledge," Zhang Xuezhou nodded, "But knowledge about poison prevention is of great importance, and these things cannot be easily discussed!"

"Young brother, what do you think?" Daoist Ran Deng began to persuade, "We can have a good talk tonight. You can share your knowledge, and I can share my experiences. We can complement each other perfectly!"

If the other party possesses an item, you can simply steal it by force in the wilderness. But when it involves knowledge, you can't even rob them if you want to.

The Daoist Ran Deng had previously wanted to leave and find some peace and quiet, but now he felt that there were advantages to the noise.

"Only through communication and exchange can cultivators obtain what they need," Daoist Ran Deng continued to advise. "You know that there are wicked monks in our West Ox Hezhou who wield snake staffs to harm people. If we can gain more experience in preventing poisoning, it would be a meritorious act of saving lives."

"Since you say so, Master, then I'll have a word!" Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"Okay, okay!"

"This matter of poison prevention involves a highly skilled cultivator who is particularly adept at detoxification," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Some poisoned individuals admire her, while others who administered the poison wish they could kill her. She is involved in many matters, and I don't want to cause her any trouble!"

"There are even cultivators skilled in detoxification! This is truly a rare path of cultivation!"

The Daoist Ran Deng was amazed.

He wanted to find out the other person's name and location, but Zhang Xuezhou's words made it impossible for him to ask.

"And what about the other one?" asked the Daoist Ran Deng.

"The other involves a method of warding off poison involving 108,000 acupoints," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Although I have practiced this method, only those who have mastered 108,000 acupoints can communicate with me!"

"This..."

It was the Buddha who cultivated the 108,000 techniques, not the Daoist Dipankara.

The Buddha's 108,000 techniques are specifically for body refinement, covering a wide range of physical abilities, but undoubtedly there is a gap between them and specialized skills.

He's good at everything, but not the best at anything.

If someone possessed a poison-repelling technique with 108,000 acupoints, that technique would undoubtedly surpass the Buddha's in its ability to ward off poison.

With the threat of Brahma's serpent staff, the Daoist Dipankara was eager to strengthen the Buddha's power, and their ability to ward off poison was indeed a necessity.

Whether it was one or both of Zhang Xuezhou's needs, the Daoist Ran Deng found that he had strong desires for both.

This sense of need was so strong that even though Daoist Ran Deng wanted to leave and find some peace and quiet, he felt that he needed to keep this young official of the Great Han Dynasty occupied and try to obtain the secrets he was talking about.