No One Lost Out

"That demonic feather is lost?"

"It burrowed into the ground?"

The King of Huainan concluded his banquet with the King of Jiangdu with satisfaction.

In a half-hearted, half-serious exchange, the King of Jiangdu's not-so-shrewd mind was completely guided by the King of King of Huainan, who successfully came to believe that the King of King of Huainan, a conservative, was actually a fanatical radical, and was willing to work hard to promote the court's conquest.

The King of Huainan was willing to devote himself wholeheartedly to the court's conquests, not only providing manpower but also financial resources, and was even willing to don armor and go into battle when necessary.

He even instructed the King of Jiangdu to keep the secret strictly, lest he find himself in an awkward position among the conservatives.

Everything was almost arranged when he received a report from Lei Bei, whose face was flushed.

What is lost on one front is gained on another. The King of King of Huainan has always been lucky. Even though his gains in the Water Palace were mediocre, he had arranged a backup plan with the King of Jiangdu, which made the King of Huainan quite satisfied.

Only after Lei Bei reported did he remember Dongfang Shuo, who had a somewhat unconventional way of having luck.

The other party discovered the Water Palace and offered it up as a tribute.

After reaping a fortune by soaking the object in water for a quarter of an hour, the other party's hidden treasure also disappeared without a trace.

The other party didn't take it, and the problem is, the King of Huainan didn't take it either.

But this kind of thing needs some explanation.

"Finding a treasure hidden underground is difficult, and opening that underwater palace would require digging again," said the King of King of Huainan. "I can't compensate him for this treasure. You go to Li Shang and ask for two Holy Blood Pills to help him recover. I also obtained a demonic feather Law Treasure in the underwater palace. If he's willing to accept it, I can give it to him!"

The King of Huainan reached out and plucked a feather that was sparkling with fire.

For the King of King of Huainan, the unearthed treasures and artifacts held more commemorative significance than practical use.

He only carried this demonic feather Law Treasure out of curiosity; once he saw it, it wouldn't seem so special anymore, and he could easily give it away as a gift.

The King of Huainan also hoped that Zhang Xuezhou would help him find Yao Yuanguang, so he treated Zhang Xuezhou very politely and even took more than Zhang Xuezhou had previously given.

After easily dealing with Zhang Xuezhou's matter, the King of Huainan waved for Lei Bei leave.

"By the way, Lei Keqing, you look radiant. Did you have some good luck today?"

Lei Bei only taken a few steps after turning around when the King of Huainan seemed to remember something and beckoned to Lei Bei, asking him a question.

"I won a little money in the gacha game today," Lei Bei said happily. "I've been losing for so long, but today my luck turned and I'm finally not losing anymore!"

"You!"

The King of Huainan pointed at Lei Bei, feeling a sense of disappointment and frustration.

However, it's not bad that Lei Bei has this hobby; it allows the King of Huainan to easily grasp the other party's weakness and also makes the King of Huainan trust Lei Bei more.

He jokingly scolded Lei Bei before shooing Lei Bei away.

"The Great Han..."

The King of Huainan looked towards Chang'an City and stood in the main hall for a long time.

For the King of King of Huainan, everything had almost reached his current limit.

Whether it was politics, internal or external troubles, or anything else, he planned his path perfectly.

But all the calculations couldn't overcome the most fatal flaw: the new emperor who possessed the Crimson Sky Sword.

This was a sword the King of Huainan could not avoid, and it also filled him with deep dread.

All his plans were extremely correct, but the Crimson Sky Sword was an obstacle, which could reverse everything that was progressing smoothly at any time.

The thought of destroying the Crimson Sky Sword kept swirling in his mind, causing the King of Huainan's expression to change repeatedly.

"It's a pity Your Majesty has never practiced cultivation techniques!"

The King of Huainan finally sighed.

If the new emperor had previously cultivated his spiritual energy to condense his physical strength, he would have already launched a spiritual energy competition.

Now that the new emperor has the Crimson Sky Sword in his hand, even though his physical strength is weak, this is why the King of Huainan dares not launch a contest using his magical abilities.

Having eliminated the possibility of using magic, the King of Huainan had no other underhanded methods to target him.

If he doesn't wait for the right time, place, and people, his only way out is to rebel and seize the rightful Great Han Dynasty.

Rebellion is a highly unpredictable and risky undertaking, making it a very Lower Vehicle choice.

The King of Huainan gazed in the direction of Chang'an City for a long time.

In Jin Chang's secluded courtyard, Zhang Xuezhou and Lady Yourong gazed at each other for a long time.

Zhang Xuezhou must admit that he is not a sentimental person, even after meeting Zhang Zhong, he parted ways in haste.

Upon entering Jin Chang's secluded courtyard, Zhang Xuezhou dismissed the servants, tidied up the place, and then called Lady Yourong into the room.

When their eyes met, Zhang Xuezhou saw the yellowish tears in Lady Yourong's eyes and the graying strands of hair on her head. He felt speechless.

He was constantly trying to survive.

For Zhang Xuezhou, the meaning of his life at this moment is simply to survive.

But in his relentless pursuit of survival, Zhang Xuezhou undoubtedly sacrificed and neglected too much.

His life was squeezed into a mere twenty years, while his parents in this world were already old and their lifespans would likely be even shorter than his.

He only regretted his limited abilities; he wanted to do everything, but he didn't do anything well.

"Mom, you've suffered so much!"

After holding Lady Yourong's hand for a long time, Zhang Xuezhou finally managed to utter a sound.

"Son, you're the one who's suffering!"

Lady Yourong's suffering stemmed from her arduous labor and lack of freedom; she couldn't even be with Zhang Zhong, and the couple could only see each other occasionally. Such a life was undoubtedly extremely agonizing.

Zhang Xuezhou's hardship lay in his lack of physical strength when he left the mountain village, as well as his tendency to be drowsy.

It's difficult for Lady Yourong to know exactly how much Zhang Xuezhou has sacrificed to get to this point.

Zhang Zhong spent more than ten years in the army before becoming a corporal. It was almost impossible for him to settle down in Hibiscus City and live a stable life. The leap in social class was nearly impossible.

It's difficult for ordinary people to even ask those in positions of power for a favor, let alone get their help.

Zhang Xuezhou had contact with many high-ranking figures in Huainan, including even the King of King of Huainan, a powerful feudal lord.

These abilities don't come out of thin air. Without hard work, Zhang Xuezhou would never have appeared on the stage in Huainan, let alone taken her away.

Lady Yourong dared not think about the hardships Zhang Xuezhou had endured along the way.

She too had countless words hidden in her heart, difficult to speak.

The two had countless unspoken words, yet their eyes seemed to convey everything they wanted to say to each other.

"Brother Dongfang!"

Only when the sound of Lei Bei came from outside the courtyard did Zhang Xuezhou put down Lady Yourong's hand.

Lady Yourong quickly used her sleeve to wipe Zhang Xuezhou's eyes.

"Lei Bei very nice person, but he can't control his mouth, you..."

Before Zhang Xuezhou could finish giving his instructions, Lady Yourong was already deftly tidying up the bedding and other items.

This made Zhang Xuezhou take a deep breath.

Hearing the rapidly approaching footsteps, he couldn't help but quickly reply.

"My brother asked around for you and even brought you some treasures. The King said he couldn't find that feather treasure for you, so he sent me to Li Shang to ask for two Holy Blood Pills. Li Shang also gave me a bottle of Old Ginseng Nourishing Pills. The King found something interesting in the Water Palace, and he also asked me to deliver it to him..."

Pushing open the door to the side room, Zhang Xuezhou welcomed Lei Bei, who had come to deliver compensation.

After going around in circles, Zhang Xuezhou never expected that the Golden Crow Feather, which he had tampered with at the Huaihe River Water Palace, would come back into his possession.

He didn't lose anything; the King of Huainan gained some and lost some, and overall, the balance was likely maintained.

Neither of them suffered any loss or damage, but it seems that they each got what they wanted and completed their respective tasks.

This dashed Zhang Xuezhou's hopes of following Dong Zhongshu's advice and leaving the King of Huainan with some debt.

Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to abandon his plan to make things difficult for the King of Huainan, intending to seek another opportunity later.