An Unseen Confrontation
How to deal with fellow practitioners who use cultivation Fortune Technique is a big problem. After being repeatedly challenged, Zhang Xuezhou has gained some basic experience in handling such situations.
If both parties share similar wills, it will be more advantageous for both.
If two people have opposing ideas and do opposite things, it will inevitably lead to conflict, and may even bring misfortune to both of them.
He maintained a proper distance in his interactions with Zuo Quan and others, and formed an alliance with them very quickly after discussions.
In general, before completely turning against Huang Daoxian, Zhang Xuezhou felt that everyone could get along peacefully, and he could even be united and friendly with Zuo Quan and others.
Zhang Xuezhou doesn't care about alliances among young people. Even the largest groups of young people are just elite partners, unlikely to play any significant role in the present.
The current Scarlet Alliance State mainly composed of groups like Li Yingbo and Changkong Yinghao, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, these groups will remain in power for at least fifteen to twenty years.
While some young people may indeed have the opportunity to move up the ranks after advancing in the Sequence Tier, this only makes them one of many, and they are unlikely to play a leading role.
All the Ketu in vain!
Even though the dozen or so alternate members of the North Rehe committee were completely obedient to Zuo Teng and listened to Zuo Quan, it didn't cause any trouble.
Zhang Xuezhou agreed easily and got along very peacefully with Zuo Quan and others.
It wasn't until he left the Zuo Household and drove into the North Rehe region that his usually calm heart began to pound wildly.
"Without real strength, I'm still somewhat afraid... Something's not right, could it be that these two are plotting against me?"
Zhang Xuezhou calmed his pounding chest. He pondered his trip to the Zuo Household and felt that he had been somewhat slow to react. But when he came to his senses again, Zhang Xuezhou realized that there was another possibility.
"This is bad!"
When Zhang Xuezhou is hidden in the shadows, he is like a sharp knife, capable of launching the most devastating blows against those who ignore him.
But when Zhang Xuezhou is in the public eye, he is like a leaky sieve, easily punctured.
When he was lucid, everything was fine, but after he fell into a deep sleep, how could he know about the underhanded tactics of others?
Zhang Manqian's strength is limited and she cannot reach the top-tier level of the Scarlet Alliance State. Ren Anran's strength is at the sub-first tier, but after her hands are crippled, she falls to around the Third Sequence, and her abilities become negligible.
Under these conditions, it would be very difficult to prevent the likes of Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo.
In particular, Zuo Quan and Zuo Luo possess bizarre abilities; they don't engage in direct, face-to-face combat, but can launch attacks from tens or even hundreds of miles away.
"What do we do?"
Zhang Xuezhou's first thought was to ask Ren Yisheng and others to eliminate or take control of the Zuo Household Zuo Household, but doing so without any obvious major Zuo Household would cause widespread panic, and Ren Yisheng and others would inevitably be severely restricted.
Ultimately, the Scarlet Alliance State was a committee system, not an autocratic feudal system. Even Li Yingbo and others only had the power to lead the way, but not the power to arbitrarily control things.
It's difficult to know the true strength of Zuo Luo, who can control Pei Jing. Whether a direct attack would be effective against someone skilled in using Qi is also a question.
A direct confrontation proved ineffective, and Zhang Xuezhou's second thought was to simply flee.
This is Zhang Xuezhou's experience over the years: when faced with unforeseen events, one should seek refuge and avoid them.
"But I can't stay away from home forever. As long as they don't give up targeting me, I can't escape!"
Zhang Xuezhou has limited options. Going to the British Alliance State would inevitably lead to him being recruited by Genas to hunt down the Fire Meteor creatures. The Aomeijia Alliance is not peaceful due to the infiltration of alien beasts, while the Thousand Islands Alliance can find refuge in Tuer Kalanduo, but the moths in the Tuer District are impossible to guard against.
"I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"
Zhang Xuezhou felt that danger lurked everywhere, especially since their frail health made them unsuitable for long journeys, increasing the likelihood of accidents. It wouldn't be surprising if they were wiped out by a single mishap.
"What methods are these two scoundrels devising to target me? They can't possibly just kill me with a knife, can they?"
After pondering the matter back and forth, Zhang Xuezhou realized that things were going to be difficult.
He thought for a long time before coming up with feasible solutions for prevention.
"Hello, Professor Li, has a position been assigned to me? I just finished the procedures for being awarded the honorary professorship? That's all I need to do. I'm really looking forward to being in charge of the Imperial Mausoleum in Dongshan!"
Zhang Xuezhou quickly dialed the number.
He was a guest at the Zuo Household, but Zhang Xuezhou's arrangements did not end there.
Having been awarded the title of honorary professor, Zhang Xuezhou successfully passed the threshold of the requirement for authority at the Dongshan Imperial Mausoleum.
The Dongshan Imperial Mausoleum may seem to hold little real power or benefit, but it involves the tombs of the Luofu Dynasty spanning hundreds of years, as well as the appeasement of countless remnants of the previous dynasty.
As times progress, the number of these remnants of the past decreases, but the threshold for personnel in charge of this department remains extremely high.
Just as Zuo Quan Zuo Quan in charge of managing the Twilight Years Mansion, he couldn't have done this job if he didn't have the title of committee member.
The same applies to Zhang Xuezhou's management of the Dongshan Imperial Mausoleum. His authority over this mausoleum was secondary; the requirements for his professional title were quite high.
Only by placing greater emphasis on external affairs and dispatching higher-ranking management personnel can such efforts to appease the remnants of the old regime be effectively implemented.
Previously, Zhu Haishan, who held the title of honorary professor in the Department of History, was in charge of related matters. However, since Zhu Haishan was killed in the Zhang Qiaoen rebellion incident, no new arrangements have been made for the highest-ranking administrator of the Dongshan Imperial Mausoleum.
Zhang Xuezhou has now successfully taken office; his professional title has already gone through the internal process, and all that remains is for him to personally take up his post.
"The ceremony doesn't need to be grand. Just light two strings of firecrackers and let them go once, that'll be it. Do we really need to invite some prominent figures from the previous dynasty to offer their congratulations? I'll have to go through all that socializing with them. This whole process is a bit too complicated!"
According to Zhang Xuezhou's plan, his first task upon taking office was to carry out a major overhaul, carefully repairing and inspecting all the tombs, collecting any Spirit Jade that could be found, and digging deeper into the tomb of Emperor Luo Yan to see what was going on.
Most importantly, Zhang Xuezhou wanted to use this maintenance project to find out where the fortune of Dongshan was hidden.
If he had found this hiding place a day earlier and reactivated the Qi of Dongshan, Zhang Xuezhou's Fortune Body would have inevitably risen.
A higher level of Fortune Technique means stronger resistance; even if someone tries to manipulate you from behind, you can resist. Moreover, when your luck is at its peak, it's rare for someone to successfully scheme against you.
In particular, the cultivation of Fortune Technique is illogical and incredibly fast; as long as there is enough energy, it can be accumulated upwards.
Given the right conditions, Zhang Xuezhou has the potential to achieve great success in Fortune Body.
But nothing can overcome the need to go through the proper procedures. Even if Li Yingbo and his team expedite the process, Zhang Xuezhou still needs to be recognized upon taking office. Otherwise, his appointment will bring countless troubles, not to mention things like digging and starting construction.
"This is the end. I might have gotten into Fortune Technique conflict with them, which led to this complete failure!"
Zhang Xuezhou's expression darkened slightly.
After a while, Zhang Xuezhou reached into his pocket and took out the gold necklace that Zuo Quan had given him.