A Smooth Journey

"I've told you many times, my cousin is a cultivator with great Law Power. He can go for ten or fifteen days without eating or drinking and it won't affect him. He can sleep for twelve days at a time and stay awake for twelve days!"

"It's true, he's really not dead. You have to believe me. That's just the official story; that's the only way to tell people!"

"I would never harm my cousin!"

"Stop putting food in his mouth, he can't swallow it right now!"

The atmosphere inside the carriage was rather eerie.

Rong Tianding had gotten used to Zhang Xuezhou's occasional periods of sleep and wakefulness, but Rong Li hadn't adapted.

Rong Li knew that Zhang Xuezhou had a habit of going to bed on time, but she didn't expect that Zhang Xuezhou's punctuality had become so outrageous.

At first, she thought it was no surprise that Zhang Xuezhou, who was suffering from hunger and exhaustion, slept for a whole day and night. But she was terrified by how much Zhang Xuezhou slept.

These past few days, Rong Li has often sneaked food and drink to Zhang Xuezhou while Rong Tianding was asleep, and she has also taken out a pig-slaughtering knife in the middle of the night to make wild gestures to calm his soul.

However, when she was preparing to do something this time, she was caught red-handed by Rong Tianding, who was waiting for Zhang Xuezhou.

"Ugh~"

Rong Tianding explained a lot to Rong Li, and then Zhang Xuezhou turned over and got up, and then vomited.

Zhang Xuezhou vomited a large amount of filth mixed with various scraps of food, and the carriage was filled with a foul stench for a moment.

"Oh my god, are you trying to kill my cousin? What's wrong with you? I told you my cousin is a great cultivator, but you won't listen at all!"

"Xuezhou only survived because my sword took his soul!"

"You even placed a butcher's knife behind your cousin's head?"

The difference in perception between cultivators and ordinary people is like night and day. Rong Tianding felt that the carriage journey seemed to be going smoothly, but Zhang Xuezhou's life was almost hanging by a thread.

He could only be thankful that Zhang Xuezhou was truly still when he was still; if Ye Meng had turned over even slightly, Zhang Xuezhou's head would have been slashed open.

"Cousin, you have to show off your skills to my mom, otherwise this matter won't be resolved!"

Rong Tianding quickly handed him water; he couldn't help but feel a terrible headache.

The Corpse-Slaying School he inherited is mostly associated with life and death, and the techniques it employs either take the lives of the living or control the dead, making them unsuitable for demonstration.

If ten or eight zombies don't emerge, he won't be able to unleash his full power.

This also led Rong Li to completely disbelieve that Rong Tianding had acquired such great abilities in just a few years.

Rong Li, in particular, had always been distrustful of Rong Tianding Rong Tianding, feeling that he had learned some Evil Dao in the martial arts world and had become a bad person. She had given Rong Tianding a lot of advice along the way.

He had a headache, but was also relieved that the person who had made his mother obedient had finally woken up.

Where are we?

"We've been traveling along the official roads and have already reached Henan Prefecture!"

"Henan Prefecture!"

Zhang Xuezhou was unfamiliar with Henan County, but he thought it was a good name. He was quick to realize the situation and thankfully, Rong Li's concern saved him from being killed.

"There are two great mountains here, Taihang and Wangwu, making the official roads quite inconvenient to travel on; otherwise, we could have traveled much faster," Rong Tianding said. "We are currently about 800 li from Luoyang, and nearly 1,500 li from Chang'an City!"

"That's fast, faster than I expected!" Zhang Xuezhou said. "I thought we'd only gone halfway!"

"Your cousin said you were seriously ill, so he took the official documents and made those local officials do things for us. We changed our horses eight times, and the people driving the carriages for us also changed eight times. There were also four soldiers riding horses to protect us as we went," Rong Li said anxiously.

She glanced at Jia Zhiyuan, who was sleeping soundly in the carriage, and couldn't help but feel angry again. She grabbed Jia Zhiyuan's ear and woke him up.

"We've been traveling day and night," Rong Tianding said. "The sooner we get back to Chang'an City, the sooner we can settle down!"

"My cousin is right!"

The official mounts taken from Luoyang are recorded, but they are not unchangeable. Rong Tianding's method of changing horses along the way is suitable for emergencies.

Although it was somewhat of an abuse of power, Zhang Xuezhou had to admit that Rong Tianding did an excellent job.

Twelve days and nights of continuous travel allowed them to complete nearly two-thirds of the journey.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou and the others traveled slowly by carriage, he would still be able to reach Chang'an City within the twelve-day period of lucidity.

If Zhang Xuezhou uses his leaping technique, this time will be greatly reduced.

He glanced at the towering Wangwu Mountain in the distance and abandoned his plan to quickly return to Chang'an City.

Rong Tianding used his supposed serious illness to obtain emergency assistance from officials along the route within their authority. At this time, the carriage was still moving, and Zhang Xuezhou also needed to meet the relevant conditions, at least until the next stop was reached.

"Look, even my cousin says I'm good at handling things," Rong Tianding said happily.

"Are you really alright, child?" Rong Li asked worriedly. "Don't always put your cousin first. He's a scoundrel; he's never been a good person since he was little!"

"Gentlemen, did I drive my carriage too fast?"

They had barely exchanged a few words when voices outside the carriage came asking questions.

"It's good that the carriage is a bit bumpy; it'll dislodge what was stuck in my throat and let me catch my breath," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Lord Dongfang?"

The unusual sound coming from inside the carriage reached the outside. The coachman's eyes widened. He wanted to whip the horse faster, but he was afraid that the official carrying the official documents would be injured in the jolting.

Official documents from the imperial court were not universally accepted throughout the Great Han Dynasty; some vassal states could even ignore them.

However, in the past few months, the major vassal states have shown significantly more respect for the imperial court, and have been very cooperative in the face of minor, harmless matters.

Taking a few horses and soldiers to escort a hundred miles is not a big deal, but many people are wondering what exactly this mission, given by the new emperor, is worth sending an official to make such a large detour within the Great Han Dynasty, even to the point of making the official fall ill.

The soldiers and coachmen involved in the escort were all highly skilled, and some of them were retainers, most of whom came with a purpose.

"Are you feeling any better?" the coachman asked.

"The coachman is actually True Spirit Realm martial artist? Has Henan Prefecture become this extravagant?"

"Bandits lurk along this official road. I, Zhang An, am here on the orders of Lord Du Zhou to ensure Lord Dongfang's safety along the way!"

Without even drawing the curtains of the carriage, Master Dongfang inside had already discerned the cultivation level.

This only proves that the other party's cultivation level surpasses Zhang An's, and by a significant margin.

Even though he was lying sickly in the carriage, Lord Dongfang still put a certain amount of pressure on Zhang An.

When Zhang An spoke, he quickly introduced himself, including his family background and origin, to avoid any potential negative entanglements.

"Du Zhou? I'll remember that name!"

Zhang Xuezhou responded, indicating that he had remembered the master behind Zhang An's favor.

For Du Zhou to be able to hire a True Spirit Realm cultivator as a groom, he might be Consciousness Creation Realm cultivator or a Body Transformation Realm cultivator, but he is likely struggling to find a good official career in Henan County, which is why he is looking for opportunities everywhere.

Zhang Xuezhou did not form cliques or engage in favoritism in the imperial court; when he said he remembered names, he truly meant it.

But this ambiguous statement greatly excited Zhang An.