Things Were Settled

It was nearly dawn when Wei Qing and Li Guang found the new emperor again.

Wei Qing, who was in charge of driving the horses, was relatively easy to deal with, since Wei Qing duties were limited. However, Li Guang was kneeling on one knee to beg for forgiveness.

He certainly bears undeniable responsibility for the safety of the new emperor, but Li Guang's suppression by the Empress Dowager is also a real fact.

The Heaven-Shaking Arrow was repurposed, and the Dragon Horn Bow, as a murder weapon, was not permitted to be used in Chang'an City. Without his weapons, he could not stand at the top. Even when Li Guang encountered Gongsun Gui, a cultivator at the Sole Self Realm, he appeared extremely passive.

Normally, as long as Li Guang patrols Weiyang Palace, combined with the power of Palace of Peace and Happiness, it would be sufficient, even without top-tier weapons.

However, the new emperor needed to go out from time to time, and Li Guang's long-standing confidence in his top-notch combat strength made him believe that he was capable of protecting the new emperor's safety.

He never expected things to go so terribly wrong tonight.

When Li Guang apologized, he was somewhat defiant, but also somewhat apprehensive, realizing he hadn't caused a major disaster that night.

"Guard Mao, stand up. Tonight's events are nobody's fault, and no one needs to be punished!"

"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for not punishing me!"

The new emperor did not punish him, and Li Guang rose very quickly.

His gaze fell on the still crackling, burning human-shaped object on the ground, then on Chen Zhang and the others who were constantly adding grease and wood, and finally on Li Shaojun, who was stroking his beard while bleeding from his chest.

Thinking of the 'imminent disaster' that Li Shaojun mentioned after meeting the new emperor, Li Guang felt a sense of unease. He even thought he could consult Li Shaojun, since he himself had had moments when he felt uneasy.

But Li Guang's glances were mostly unintentional, glancing at the Red Empyrean Sword worn at the new emperor's waist.

He had once seen countless purple swords fall from afar, and he had also seen the new emperor ultimately safe and sound.

He belatedly realized that the Red Empyrean Sword might have played a crucial role when the new emperor Law Power, thus allowing the new emperor to turn the tide of battle.

Otherwise, he couldn't believe how these people could fight against the strange and powerful cultivators in the shadows. This made Li Guang feel a little more wary of the new emperor for no reason, and he no longer regarded him as a stubborn young emperor.

Li Guang was lost in thought, Wei Qing remained silent, while Wei Shao'er held the toddler and coaxed him back and forth, occasionally touching his neck.

As for Chen Zhang, Zhang Xuezhou, and others who were adding firewood and grease, they were busy without stopping.

The atmosphere in the Marquis of Pingyang's residence was somber, and the new emperor and his entourage even carried a hint of wariness.

The atmosphere only lightened when the sun rose high in the sky and its rays shone over the Marquis of Pingyang.

"Thank you Lord Dongfang, for stopping my bleeding!"

Chen Zhang's face was pale, and even standing next to the fire, it did not regain its color.

He was nearly killed when Gongsun Gui slit his throat with a white silk handkerchief. His life was half saved by Wei Shao'er, and then half saved by Zhang Xuezhou. Chen Zhang could also sense that his near-death experience seemed to have stirred up some kind of influence, much like the strange situation that occurred when Wei Shao'er gave birth.

He found the strangeness of the Technique Method difficult to understand, but he vaguely guessed that the turn of events was inevitably related to many things that had happened in the past.

This made Chen Zhang's gratitude towards Zhang Xuezhou and the others extremely sincere.

If he weren't currently living under someone else's roof, Chen Zhang would almost certainly have hosted a grand banquet to express his gratitude.

"You are welcome!"

If Wei Shao'er wants to draw his sword, Chen Zhang must be healed first. This situation of both husband and wife being injured is extremely strange, and even Zhang Xuezhou is amazed.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't witnessed the suffering of Chen Zhang during Wei Shao'er's childbirth, he might not have been able to handle the situation correctly.

He was used to using magic to heal people and didn't really care about Chen Zhang's gratitude.

The events of tonight left Zhang Xuezhou somewhat amazed. He felt that any technique from any school of thought, once used to a certain level, could produce considerable power.

Gongsun Gui's mastery of the Yin-Yang School's Technique Method also gave him a sense of impending doom in Jin Chang.

Zhang Xuezhou thought for a long time and realized that he and Jin Chang needed to maintain a peaceful relationship. He believed that only by loving and respecting Jin Chang.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou were to reach the Divine Ability Realm, Zhang Xuezhou felt it would be difficult for him to contend with Jin Chang.

As for his learning the Following Like a Shadow Technique, let's leave that aside. The technique was taught to him by Jin Chang. If he were to use this technique against Jin Chang, it would be like waving a big sword in front of Guan Yu, and he would be exposed and killed directly.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou hadn't yet mastered this technique of combining light and shadow, and felt that his body simply couldn't blend into the shadows.

He wasn't a Technique Method genius to begin with, so he couldn't learn everything he learned. Jin Chang had only explained it once, so it was normal that Zhang Xuezhou couldn't learn it.

Only by seeking further instruction from Jin Chang, or by asking his senior brother Wu Chao for a shortcut to cultivation, could Zhang Xuezhou truly master this art.

He was confident and not particularly impatient. After all, the Following Like a Shadow Technique couldn't help him deal with Huang Daoxian or fight against the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon. It was more of a supplementary technique when he couldn't use the Yang Corporeal Soul Transformation Technique for observation.

Zhang Xuezhou tossed a few pieces of wood into the fire, then looked at the rising black smoke and the faintly nauseating smell.

He just wanted to finish this job as soon as possible and erase all traces of Gongsun Gui, so that his accomplices could find them through some means and cause them endless trouble.

Of course, Zhang Xuezhou must say that both last night and today were good days.

Li Shaojun's boastful talk and empty promises to fool the new emperor actually had a lucky moment, and their situation stabilized.

Even if some people doubt Li Shaojun, the new emperor will not listen to them.

The real, hard cases are right in front of us; this is not something that can be resolved by those officials submitting a few petty reports.

Whether Li Shaojun can refine the Life-Creating Fortune Pill or not is not even important.

What's somewhat regrettable about this incident is that Li Shaojun needed to maintain an image of a superior person in order to gain the new emperor's continued and long-term trust. Otherwise, once his image collapsed, the emperor might suspect that Li Shaojun had set up the scheme.

Zhang Xuezhou analyzes the psychology of many people and constantly deduces how he can benefit from it.

Ren Yisheng is right; it is human nature to constantly seek to gain benefits.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to become an official in an important economic department, it would be easy for him to engage in corrupt practices.

He pondered for a while, then gave Li Shaojun a slight beckoning.

When Li Shaojun walked up to him, Zhang Xuezhou touched the blood-stained Li Shaojun robe.

"Master Li seems to have suffered some internal injuries," Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"I didn't just suffer internal injuries, I've almost died..."

"You were almost beaten to death, weren't you?" Zhang Xuezhou asked. "I quickly healed you once before with my magic. Are you still injured? Do you want me to use the Supreme Purity True Technique to heal you again?"

"I don't need Technique Method... cough cough cough, what I need now is rest and recuperation. It's just a pity that this old Daoist priest is always helping others and not only lacks money, but also rare medicinal pills. How can I possibly save up some good medicine for my recuperation!"

Li Shaojun almost rolled his eyes at Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou knew his condition perfectly well. After dying once, all his debts were wiped clean. Except for his blood-stained clothes, which couldn't be restored to normal, all other parts of his body were brand new.

His body has no internal injuries and does not require Supreme Purity True Technique healing.

Li Shaojun was about to criticize Zhang Xuezhou for having a problem with his head, but when Zhang Xuezhou pressed down hard with his palm, Li Shaojun coughed repeatedly and realized what was happening.

Now that the matter was settled, it was time for this enlightened Human Dynasty to demand rewards from the reigning emperor not far away, especially since the new emperor had previously guaranteed a return if the matter came true.

Zhang Xuezhou changed the subject, and Li Shaojun coughed repeatedly, finally managing to attract the new emperor's attention.