A Visitor from Kunlun

The new emperor reigned for only three short years.

The transition between old and new officials in the imperial court was far from stable.

Even a great cultivator like Han Anguo hadn't managed to secure a position, so Zhang Xuezhou felt he couldn't be too impatient.

"This Brother Anguo prioritizes self-preservation; he should be a trendsetter!"

The fact that Han Anguo sought entry into the Chang'an City court and even leaned towards the new emperor's side proves that the new emperor's current position is secure and that he will inevitably be able to fully inherit the Great Han Dynasty in the future.

The strategic move involving the real and fake Crimson Sky Swords proved far more significant than Zhang Xuezhou had anticipated.

"The truth cannot be hidden, and falsehood cannot be made true. If His Majesty were to need to use the Crimson Sky Sword someday, that would indeed be a troublesome matter!"

In the scheme involving the true and false Crimson Sky Swords, the most important condition for the forgery was that the owner of the Crimson Sky Sword could be defeated.

Unlike other divine weapons, this doesn't make you invincible once you wield it.

The Crimson Sky Sword allows for failure, and it grows stronger through defeat, eventually turning the tables on its opponent.

The real challenge for the new emperor lies in the final step. The new emperor can lose, even lose repeatedly, but he needs to achieve final victory.

When the new emperor truly uses the Crimson Sky Sword, he needs to possess sufficient ability.

By drawing on Han Anguo's choice and considering how the new emperor could consolidate his position, Zhang Xuezhou, upon further deduction, also discovered the new emperor's true needs.

"His Majesty desires individual strength, not the elimination or recruitment of anyone, much less investigation of corruption. His focus in investigating corruption is on the money paid into the national treasury. His Majesty's private Little Jin is likely being used to acquire cultivation resources!"

Normally, emperors would enjoy the best resources of the Great Han Dynasty.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't know if the new emperor did this intentionally or if the emperor was genuinely lacking cultivation resources; it seemed the other party was using money to seek resources.

Zhang Xuezhou analyzed the information one by one and felt that if the new emperor wasn't putting on an act, the other party's cultivation might have encountered some problems, and the demand for cultivation resources would be enormous, to the point that even the royal family's normal supply was insufficient.

This kind of spiritual practice is not surprising. For example, people like Zhou Rihui and Zhang Xuezhou have a much greater need for spiritual resources than ordinary people.

Even in this world, the resources Zhang Xuezhou used to advance his cultivation level were several times, or even more than ten times, greater than those of other people.

Han Anguo would drink a beverage worth tens of taels of gold every three days to replenish his body. This one kind of cultivation medicine alone would cost thousands of taels of gold a year, and the accumulated cost over the years would be astronomical.

Only by seeing through the surface phenomena to the essence could Zhang Xuezhou ascertain the new emperor's true thoughts and thus gain his favor.

Compared to his efforts to recommend various people and constantly address the social problem of corruption, it would be far less helpful to lend a hand to the new emperor's cultivation.

"So, Li Shaojun doesn't need to refine the Life-Creating Pill. As long as it's a pill suitable for His Majesty's cultivation, His Majesty will surely be very pleased!"

After much deliberation, Zhang Xuezhou determined how he should interact with the new emperor.

For the new emperor, the most important thing is for the other party to seek cultivation to make up for the lack of the Crimson Sky Sword. For Zhang Xuezhou, the most important thing is how to get along with the new emperor, strive to benefit the fortune of Chang'an City, and reduce conflicts with the new emperor.

The mysteries of the technique were difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to explain. He was trapped in a predicament from which he could not extricate himself, and he placed more emphasis on the opportunity brought about by this elusive and illusory nature.

In this situation, maintaining a close relationship with the new emperor became extremely important for Zhang Xuezhou.

"Now there's only one last thing left: to find out what realm of cultivation His Majesty is practicing, and what cultivation medicines he needs!"

On the last day, Zhang Xuezhou did not visit Kong Anguo, but instead spent most of the day having a long talk with Han Anguo, and was even invited to a banquet by Han Anguo.

It was nearly evening when Zhang Xuezhou finally left the Fuqilai Inn.

He took five hundred taels of gold and left in a carriage.

Zhang Xuezhou had almost figured out many things along the way and had also determined how to do things in the future.

He felt a little satisfied, thinking that he had deduced and calculated many things by using Han Anguo's situation as a basis.

"Whoa~"

The sound of the coachman quickly reining in his horse and arguing brought Zhang Xuezhou back to his senses.

He arrived home a little earlier than he had anticipated. Zhang Xuezhou pulled back the curtain and saw that they hadn't yet reached Laoshu Hutong, and the area outside wasn't Zhang's residence.

"Sir, there's a woman blocking our way. I scolded her and tried to call the patrol guards, but she said she's looking for a man named Zhang Xuezhou who's in the carriage!"

Zhang Xuezhou?

The coachman spoke extremely quickly.

By the time Zhang Xuezhou lifted the curtain, the other party had already quickly communicated and relayed the information to Zhang Xuezhou.

This made Zhang Xuezhou look ahead.

He had a nickname in Chang'an City: Dongfang Shuo. He hadn't used the name Zhang Xuezhou for many years. Only close relatives and friends would call him by that name, and it was extremely rare for outsiders to use it.

But Zhang Xuezhou did not recognize the woman blocking the carriage.

The woman was dressed in ordinary women's clothing, without any special or unusual attire. She looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old, with a pretty face, and could be considered a delicate and charming young lady.

If there's anything special about this woman compared to other women, Zhang Xuezhou thinks her waist-length hair is unusual, and her long fingernails are also unsuitable for work.

Although the other person was dressed in ordinary women's clothing, these two flaws were enough to reveal that she was not an ordinary woman.

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the person, but found it difficult to discern their cultivation level, which surprised him somewhat. He was completely unaware of when he had offended such a person.

The other party either has no cultivation, or their cultivation has broken through to the True Self Realm, making it difficult for him to see through them.

If the other party belongs to the former category, Zhang Xuezhou will find it difficult to associate with this type of woman.

If the other party belongs to the latter category, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't recall when he had ever encountered a great cultivator with the True Self Realm cultivation level.

"The Holy Mother?"

Zhang Xuezhou hesitated for a moment, wondering if the Holy Mother of Wudang had changed her appearance and was playing tricks on him.

You're so irresponsible!

As soon as Zhang Xuezhou uttered his guess, the woman opposite him suddenly changed her expression and rebuked him on the street.

He observed the woman, and she was clearly also sizing up Zhang Xuezhou.

Only when Zhang Xuezhou spoke did the woman show a hint of anger.

"No one has ever called me by such an insulting title before," the woman said angrily.

"Is this insulting?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"I, Yunying, am unmarried; how can I be called 'mother'?" the woman said.

"Should I address you as such?" Zhang Xuezhou asked tentatively.

"You can call me Cai Ma directly, or address me as Holy Maiden. If you are of a lower generation, you can simply call me Holy Aunt, not Holy Mother!"

The woman introduced herself, which made Zhang Xuezhou suddenly alert.

Only then did he learn where the woman came from.

Tens of thousands of miles away, the Holy Maiden of Kunlun Sacred Land has come to Chang'an City.

This is a place Zhang Xuezhou has always wanted to go back to, but he has never set off. The long journey across mountains and rivers makes Zhang Xuezhou give up the idea, even though he is currently skilled in flying, he has no intention of trying it.

Zhang Xuezhou never expected that the holy maiden from the Kunlun Sacred Land would travel across mountains and rivers to come to Chang'an City.

Judging from this, the opponent's flying technique must be of an extremely high level.