Seeing Wen Weng Again

The governor of a prefecture held immense power, equivalent to the Nine Ministers according to the rules of the Great Han Dynasty, with an official rank only slightly lower than that of the Three Dukes.

Far from Chang'an City, the prefects were almost like kings and princes, possessing extremely high levels of autonomy.

As long as the basic tax requirements of the imperial court are met, the imperial court does not restrict how autonomous the prefectural governor's jurisdiction is.

Some people adhered to the old ways, some focused on city defense, some on water conservancy, and some sought mining and salt extraction; the methods of governing various prefectures and cities differed.

The move by Shu Commandery to encourage people to attend official schools was not a major problem. The most important issue was how to solve the people's livelihood problems and whether Shu Commandery, after reducing taxes, could meet the court's tax revenue requirements.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan was filled with unanswered questions, and Zhang Xuezhou took the opportunity to visit Wen Weng, who was also willing to help Divine Lord Zhenyuan resolve his doubts.

"Master Zhang!"

The unfamiliar address made Zhang Xuezhou almost turn around to look for someone, Zhang Xuezhou only then did he recall a person from his nearly forgotten memory.

"You are... Zhang Shu!"

Zhang Xuezhou led Divine Lord Zhenyuan to the prefectural governor's mansion, where he also met some local natives he had known in the past.

Thanks to the effects of the Longevity Fruit and the Longevity Formula, Zhang Xuezhou's age was reduced by several years.

He looked somewhat like the young man who had taken Golden Dragon Fish and other similar products back then.

After several years, Zhang Shu had become a little more robust and looked older.

Zhang Xuezhou almost didn't recognize the other person, but Zhang Shu recognized Zhang Xuezhou very quickly.

"Yes, yes, I am Zhang Shu. It's been many years since I've seen you, Master Zhang. I didn't expect you to still look exactly the same as before," Zhang Shu said with great joy.

Zhang Shu and the others held the position of Commandant, which could be passed down as long as their Lineage remained in power. The other party's official position had no room for advancement, and for many years they had been accompanying Wen Weng in the Prefectural Governor's Office, patrolling the Prefectural Governor's Office when they had nothing to do.

He was bored out of his mind when he saw Zhang Xuezhou coming to the prefectural governor's office.

"I'm getting old," Zhang Xuezhou said modestly and politely. "Where is the Prefect?"

"The master is teaching at the academy and will probably not return to the prefectural governor's residence for another half an hour," Zhang Shu said. "Have you also come from afar this time?"

"Right!"

"Please come in quickly!"

If he encountered any minor official or clerk, no matter what the matter was, he could only wait outside the prefectural governor's mansion. But Zhang Shu knew Zhang Xuezhou very well, and he also knew that there was a connection between Zhang Xuezhou, Dong Zhongshu, and Prefect Wen Weng.

Having inspected the prefectural governor's mansion for many years, he was well-versed in these people and their affairs. He immediately led Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan into the mansion and then directly into the dining room.

"Master Zhang has come from afar, so please rest for a while. We will provide you with plenty of water and food. Our Prefect will be back soon," said Zhang Shu.

"No problem!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

Before he could even speak, Zhang Shu had already done half of the work.

The meals at the prefectural governor's residence were standard: rice, sunflower leaves, two taro roots, and a palm-sized piece of pork—a nearly full bowl, no different from previous years.

"We have come from a long journey and are very hungry. Each of us needs to eat eight or ten portions to feel even half full. We will have to trouble Commander Zhang!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan sat down and ate a simple meal; their bowls were already empty.

This made Zhang Shu's mouth open slightly, and he quickly ran to the kitchen.

"Quickly, quickly, cook another pot of rice, and reheat the dishes, so that the Prefect won't be left with nothing to eat when he returns!"

Zhang Xuezhou said that each person would only be half full after eating ten servings of food. Zhang Shu calculated it and then had someone bring over the rice and vegetable pots from the kitchen.

Regardless of the number of literate people in Shu Commandery at present, their arithmetic skills are undoubtedly quite good.

Based on a simple calculation, Zhang Shu felt that at least forty people's worth of food should be provided to avoid appearing unwelcoming.

He watched Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan eating slowly and deliberately, and felt that the two of them ate very elegantly, but they were obviously serving themselves bowl after bowl of food very quickly.

He couldn't help but swallow hard, glancing back and forth between Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

"Looks like we're behaving rather rudely; we're probably being mistaken for monsters!"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan was a little slow to react to worldly matters, while Zhang Xuezhou came to his senses quickly.

He smiled at Zhang Shu and then asked a question.

Where is Zhao Liang?

"Zhao Liang returned to the county seat two years ago, but he said he was no longer capable of fighting and could no longer hold a military position, so he had to go home to do business. His cousin Zhao Meng has now taken over the position of Commandant!"

Demons can transform into human form and exhibit abnormal behavior, but they do not possess extensive knowledge.

Zhang Xuezhou inquired about acquaintances and mentioned Prefect Wen Weng, as well as Dong Zhongshu in Jiangxia. This calmed Zhang Shu's suspicious and pounding heart.

"Master Zhang, what kind of technique is this? How can your stomach hold so much food?" Zhang Shu couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing much, just Grain Avoidance Technique," Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "We haven't eaten or drunk anything for several days, this is just making up for what we missed!"

"Your Grain Avoidance Instruction is really good!"

When Zhang Xuezhou explained, Divine Lord Zhenyuan had no choice but to loosen his belt.

Looking at Zhang Xuezhou, whose belly was still flat, Divine Lord Zhenyuan couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan ate twenty bowls of food until he was stuffed, and his stomach was somewhat bloated. Zhang Xuezhou, on the other hand, showed no change in his body, as if he had only swallowed a few mouthfuls of water.

As a practitioner of the Grain Avoidance Instruction, Divine Lord Zhenyuan was all too aware of Zhang Xuezhou's abilities.

This process rapidly transforms, even highly efficiently, the food consumed, leaving very little residue. Therefore, it does not cause abdominal bloating and allows for rapid energy recovery.

This is what makes Zhang Xuezhou's Grain Avoidance Divine Ability different from other Grain Avoidance Instruction.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan said he wasn't envious, but he was somewhat envious. However, he wasn't extremely envious. He felt he couldn't bring himself to be so ruthless. Even if he were given another chance to choose a Divine Ability power, Divine Lord Zhenyuan felt he would absolutely not choose the Grain Avoidance Instruction. In fact, he would rather give up the opportunity to break through to the Divine Ability Realm and start practicing new Technique Method than choose another Divine Ability Technique Method.

"I heard that Grain Avoidance means not eating or drinking, so why do I need to make up for it?" Zhang Shu asked, puzzled.

"If you don't seek physical recovery, there's no need to replenish your energy. However, if you seek to restore your physical strength and Law Power to normal, then replenishment is inevitable. It's important to understand that Grain Avoidance is simply restricting food intake, not abstaining from food!"

Familiar laughter came from outside the prefectural governor's mansion. Zhang Xuezhou turned his head and saw Prefect Wen Weng carrying two scrolls of bamboo slips as he walked towards him.

His attire was not extravagant; were it not for the crown he wore, which indicated his status, his casual clothes would have been indistinguishable from those of ordinary people in Shu Commandery County.

"Zhang... Dongfang Shuo?"

Wen Weng was clearly taken aback when he saw Zhang Xuezhou.

He had assumed it was some great cultivator who had come to Shu Commandery and was having a long talk in the prefectural governor's restaurant, but he never expected it to be Zhang Xuezhou, who had obtained a fake certificate several years ago.

Having personally experienced such a thing, Wen Weng was quite familiar with Zhang Xuezhou, after all, he had only forged documents a very limited number of times in his life.

"Weren't you following Zhongshu? How did you separate?" Wen Weng exclaimed in surprise, then looked at Divine Lord Zhenyuan and asked, "I still don't know this fellow Daoist's name?"

Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation level was relatively low back then, so his potential for further advancement was limited.

Before Wen Weng could investigate further, when his gaze turned to Divine Lord Zhenyuan, he felt a faint sense of suppression wash over him.

Compared to Zhang Xuezhou's restraint, which made him appear like an ordinary person and allowed Prefect Wen Weng to investigate him, Divine Lord Zhenyuan was undoubtedly a man of complete physical and mental strength, and would naturally retaliate the moment he was spied on.

Wen Weng felt a slight tremor run through his body.

When he looked at Divine Lord Zhenyuan again, he felt that the other party exuded a sense of superiority.

Even though he was standing while Divine Lord Zhenyuan was sitting, Wen Weng felt that he was the one looking down at Divine Lord Zhenyuan.

The other person seemed to possess an aloof and superior air, which, while unfamiliar, also gave Wen Weng a sense of familiarity.

"Is... could it be that they've returned?"

Having gained a deep understanding of ancient history, Wen Weng finally recalled the origin of his uncomfortable feeling of being looked down upon, and also roughly determined the origin of Divine Lord Zhenyuan.