Asking for Payment

"Three nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms, four thousand-year-old ginseng roots, half a pound of Gathering Spirit Grass, one pound of Heart-Clearing Grass, five mace of Bone-Growing Flower, three ounces of Coptis chinensis extract..."

The new emperor somewhat regretted asking Li Shaojun what medicine he needed to maintain his health.

He was generous with his gifts, but Li Shaojun mentioned dozens of medicinal herbs, half of which he had never even heard of.

If it involves common, high-grade medicines, the new emperor can easily procure them, but when it comes to rare or uncommon medicinal herbs, only the Palace of Peace and Happiness knows the details.

The Empress Dowager has been ill for the past two years, and has used a lot of rare and precious medicines.

The new emperor's request for rare and potent medicine from Palace of Peace and Happiness was seen as a competition with the Empress Dowager for medicinal herbs. This would inevitably lead to the perception that the emperor, having acquired the Red Empyrean Sword, had treated the Empress Dowager cruelly and ungratefully, deliberately wasting the medicine and hindering her recovery.

But not going to Palace of Peace and Happiness would be letting Li Shaojun down, since the other party had risked his life to save him and was now in need of rest.

If someone works tirelessly for the emperor, only to be discarded after being used, no one will be loyal to that emperor.

In particular, the new emperor felt that Li Shaojun was a capable person, and who knows, he might need the other party's help in the future.

This is a dilemma.

"Are these the ingredients for the Life-Creating Fortune Pill?"

The new emperor pondered for a few seconds before cautiously asking the question.

His question caused Zhang Xuezhou's expression to change slightly, while Li Shaojun frowned slightly.

Zhang Xuezhou recruited Li Shaojun because the latter was skilled in refining powerful elixirs, including the Life-Creating Fortune Pill, which could heal all injuries.

However, the various drugs that Li Shaojun mentioned in his nonsense have absolutely no connection with the Sheng Sheng Zao Hua Life-Creating Fortune Pill), and many of them even have conflicting effects.

The new emperor didn't understand alchemy, but as long as a senior Alchemist used these powerful herbs and made slight combinations, no matter how they were refined, it would only result in a clump of poisonous dregs, and would not become any kind of miraculous medicine.

If these powerful medicines are categorized as required for the Life-Creating Fortune Pill, how could they possibly ever actually refine such pills in the future?

"Some of these powerful medicines heal external injuries, some heal internal injuries, some nourish my cultivation, and some even help me prolong my life!"

After thinking for a while, Li Shaojun came up with a whole bunch of reasons, almost listing all the effects of the pill.

"There are medicines that can prolong life?" the new emperor asked in surprise.

"Yes," Li Shaojun nodded and said, "I once followed a master and met the immortal Anqi in the Eastern Sea. He told me some principles of the Golden Elixir Dao, so I can also refine some rudimentary pills. I have lived longer by taking such medicines for many years!"

"You followed a master to see the immortal An Qisheng? An Qisheng was a master from the Great Qin Dynasty, so wouldn't you be over a hundred years old?"

The new emperor exclaimed in surprise.

It's not uncommon for people to live to be a hundred years old, but what is rare is that Li Shaojun, who is over a hundred years old, was hit by a carriage and was still able to get up and drive the carriage away, even running as fast as a young man like the new emperor, and even joining forces to kill Gongsun Gui.

If he were to be knocked down by a carriage at the age of one hundred and still be able to run several miles, the new emperor would think that this must be a wonderful constitution for old age.

To be able to cooperate with others to kill a powerful enemy at an advanced age is something that people yearn for.

He asked Li Shaojun his age, which prompted Li Shaojun to stroke his beard without giving a direct answer.

"This old Daoist priest has only lived to be over seventy years old. He's old and useless, his cultivation is insufficient, and he only has a slightly broader perspective," Li Shaojun said. "Now that he's in this state, any further extension of his lifespan would be in vain; he won't live much longer!"

Li Shaojun's Aging Technique transformed him into someone in his seventies.

At this point, he didn't mention exactly how many "over seventy" he was, and even humbly mentioned his poor abilities.

If Li Shaojun's identity as a master is established, his tactic of retreating to advance can play a significant role in many situations.

This allows us to characterize Li Shaojun as someone knowledgeable, older, with limited practical skills, but possessing unique abilities.

When Li Shaojun mentioned that his health was poor after his injury and that he could no longer use the longevity-enhancing medicine, the new emperor's wavering balance shifted to one side.

"I've never even heard of the names of the medicinal herbs that Master Li needs. I might need to go to the palace to inquire about them for you," the new emperor said. "Rest assured and rest well. I will find all the necessary medicines for you as quickly as possible."

He reluctantly agreed and decided to go to Palace of Peace and Happiness to see the Empress Dowager, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Marquis!"

Li Shaojun was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected that His Majesty would treat him so kindly after he had casually mentioned so many things.

In all his years of life, this was the first time Li Shaojun had ever seen an emperor look like this.

This was so different from the Gaogao emperors he had imagined that it almost felt unreal.

"I am weak and injured, and will be staying with Dongfang Shuo for a while. If things get a little inconvenient, I will go to the Andong Inn in the east of Chang'an City. If my injuries become unbearable, I will go to the deep mountains to gather herbs," Li Shaojun said sincerely. "It would be best if you could come sooner, Marquis!"

"Don't worry, I'll enter the palace right now!"

The new emperor nodded in agreement.

Li Shaojun did make a very good impression on the new emperor.

If it were a fierce general from a military region who had fought many battles and was seriously injured, and his superiors made excuses and refused to give a clear answer, it would be quite normal for riots to break out.

He hadn't seen such a non-competitive and unassuming cultivator in a long time.

If given a large dose of medicine, the other party will accept it calmly; if not, they will not hold a grudge and will seek a solution on their own.

The new emperor showed no anger or dissatisfaction in Li Shaojun's eyes. He seemed to be a great cultivator he had met by chance, but with good character, which was why the emperor kept reminding him, used his treasures to save his life, and even helped kill Gongsun Gui despite being injured.

With all these factors combined, the new emperor was indeed willing to meet with the Empress Dowager to see if he could obtain some things that Li Shaojun needed.

He beckoned to Li Guang, signaling him to accompany him back to the palace. He also instructed Wei Qing and the others to burn Gongsun Gui's remains to ashes, so that the monks he had invited could arrive and drive away all hidden dangers.

The new emperor and his entourage left in a hurry. Li Shaojun glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, and the two exchanged a knowing look, both of them taking a deep breath.

The current court is not ruled by the new emperor, but they have at least made a very good impression on him.

"If he brings the larger dose of medicine, we'll have plenty more medicine," Li Shaojun whispered.

"That's because you're so..." Zhang Xuezhou said sullenly via telepathy, "Several kinds of the powerful medicines I wanted aren't in there!"

"How am I supposed to know what you want? You haven't told me what I need!"

"This opportunity came Taicang and too urgently. I wasn't prepared at all, and I can't possibly discuss this with you!"

"I'll just take whichever is most valuable!"

Li Shaojun and Zhang Xuezhou exchanged glances.

It happened, yet it seems it didn't.

They asked the new emperor for a lot of potent medicine; whether the new emperor could produce it was another matter.

And how they use it after taking it out is a headache.

Little did the two know that their attempt to deceive and intimidate the new emperor would lead to real trouble the very next day. After they got involved, they were constantly on the run, living a life-or-death situation, and never even considered taking any reward.

This led Li Shaojun, after the deed was done, to request a large quantity of extremely valuable medicine from the new emperor.

Whether they are suitable for each other is another matter entirely.