A Late-Night Visit

Zhang Xuezhou has had a busy schedule lately.

He made a round trip from the Western Kunlun to determine the route.

After returning to Chang'an City, he needed to relinquish his position as Grand Master of the Palace, but retain the additional title of Attendant Censor.

With the time to return to the real world drawing near, he will have less time to deal with these matters.

But Zhang Xuezhou didn't panic. In the past, he had difficulty determining his own safety after switching worlds, but now he had Divine Lord Zhenyuan by his side.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan's cultivation level was extremely high. Zhang Xuezhou was unsure of Divine Lord Zhenyuan's true combat strength, but Divine Lord Zhenyuan was obviously as fast as him. With such a powerful cultivator by his side, Zhang Xuezhou felt very safe.

Although Divine Lord Zhenyuan's main purpose in staying behind was to guide Zhang Xuezhou to the Yedie River Holy Land, and his time in Chang'an City would not be too long, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the time would be just enough.

For this reason, Zhang Xuezhou did not act in an overly hasty manner.

"Having done no real work for three months, without seeing His Majesty, and without paying respects to the Empress Dowager, surely he can be dismissed from his post?"

Zhang Xuezhou never intended to make a name for himself in a position like Taizhong Dafu; he even considered running away as soon as he took office.

He believed that his undisciplined and unruly behavior had nearly exhausted his career prospects in the imperial court, so his demotion was a logical consequence.

If the new emperor were willing to offer a suggestion as requested, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the memorials impeaching him in the court would be as numerous as snowflakes, and under heavy responsibility, the probability of him being reinstated as a scholar-official at the Golden Horse Gate would be extremely high.

"Master Zhenyuan..."

"The thief you mentioned has scaled the wall; should we capture him?"

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Daoist priest!"

Zhang Xuezhou has a habit of not sleeping at night, Divine Lord Zhenyuan, with his complex cultivation, is also very energetic at night.

While waiting for dawn, Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan ate and drank, and occasionally exchanged words.

The two only turned their attention away when someone was admitted to the hospital.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan was indebted to Zhang Xuezhou and needed him to guide him. He knew that Zhang Xuezhou would be in a coma for the next two days due to health issues, and he figured he might as well do it sooner or later to protect Zhang Xuezhou.

Without waiting for Zhang Xuezhou to speak, he volunteered his services to address the situation facing the Zhang Household.

He quickly pushed open the study door, a purple aura emanating from Divine Lord Zhenyuan's body, and then he struck out with his right sleeve.

"Um?"

The feeling of the fish being thrown off the hook surged into Divine Lord Zhenyuan's mind, and he couldn't help but slap his left hand.

The seemingly casual move turned into a powerful grab, and a gust of wind swept through the courtyard, creating an instantaneous upheaval.

"Go to hell..."

A low curse came, and a faint purple light floated by. Divine Lord Zhenyuan's arm flickered, and his normal left hand seemed to extend more than twenty meters in a short moment.

He hooked a white phantom with his left hand, then instantly withdrew it.

"He has some skill, but not much!"

As Divine Lord Zhenyuan retracted his left hand, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar in a blue robe appeared in his left hand.

With his left hand pinching the collarbone, the blue-robed scholar felt as if his vital point had been seized, and his expression as he looked at Divine Lord Zhenyuan changed from slight anger to terror.

"Hero, please spare him!"

"Hey-hey!"

"I just came to see my nephew, my nephew..."

"Sneaking around in the middle of the night, that's not something a normal person would do, and you have no junior apprentice here!"

"Uncle-Master?"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan captured the intruder with extreme speed.

Combining Divine Ability Technique Method and realm suppression, Divine Lord Zhenyuan resolved the problem in a short time by stepping on the door of the study.

If it weren't for the fact that the visitor shouldn't be killed, Divine Lord Zhenyuan's speed could have been even faster.

Zhang Xuezhou watched Divine Lord Zhenyuan attacking from both sides with envy. Only when the blue-robed scholar captured by Divine Lord Zhenyuan broke down and begged for mercy did Zhang Xuezhou barely recognize him.

He looked at the unfamiliar face and asked a somewhat uncertain question.

"It's me!"

The scholar in blue robes nodded slightly, then acknowledged his identity.

"Are you really Uncle Jin Chang?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"You may not recognize my head, but you should at least be able to hear my voice!"

Jin Chang twisted his neck with difficulty, looking at the strange Daoist priest with gray hair and a youthful face who was grabbing his collarbone, and couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

Many people came to him, his nephew, asking for favors, but no one saw Zhang Xuezhou.

Combining the divination methods of the King of Huainan's Household with his own exceptionally good fortune, it was determined that Jin Chang would be able to find Zhang Xuezhou tonight.

The deal was done, and Jin Chang found Zhang Xuezhou as he had expected. However, the meeting was far from what he had imagined. Jin Chang had no chance of using conditions such as having a master's sect or exchanging partners to ask Zhang Xuezhou to assist the King of Huainan's Household.

In short, the matter was already ruined the moment they entered the Zhang residence.

Jin Chang's weaknesses were so minor that he usually didn't need to pay attention to them.

He never imagined that he would be defeated so quickly.

In a mere instant, his collarbone was grabbed, rendering him unable to circulate his magical Law Power; the instant was so short that Jin Chang didn't even notice.

For a master with his fast-paced fighting style, this was almost impossible, but it happened. Jin Chang could only assume that he had encountered a top-tier master with an even more aggressive and fast-paced style.

This kind of top-tier is truly top-tier. Even though Jin Chang is currently a cultivator at the Divine Ability Realm, he still retains the advantages he had in the Sole Self Realm, making it difficult for him to be defeated by someone of lower status, and he does not appear weak when facing Sole Self Realm cultivator.

To be able to subdue him in such a short time, the opponent must be at least at the True Self Realm, and their magical Technique Method must be highly refined.

Jin Chang knew how he had lost, but he didn't know how such a master had appeared.

Like a radish growing out of nowhere, a True Self Realm cultivator suddenly appeared in Zhang's residence.

"If you doubt the authenticity of my voice, no one else will ever know that I helped you reach the Divine Ability Realm," Jin Chang, his face showing pain.

"It really is my martial uncle!"

Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise.

The Divine Lord Zhenyuan at the entrance glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, then at Jin Chang, before flicking his finger.

A crackling sound came from Jin Chang's body, and his bones made a series of sounds as if they were dislocating.

"Thank you for showing mercy, Daoist Master!"

Jin Chang twisted the puppet's head, and feeling the rapid and smooth flow of Law Power amidst the misaligned bones, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Uncle-Master, next time you come to my house, just knock on the door. You don't need to sneak in," Zhang Xuezhou assured him. "I'll definitely open the door for you!"

"Knew!"

Jin Chang responded dejectedly, and when Zhang Xuezhou came to ask him what business he had come for, Jin Chang felt he didn't want to say another word.

"I just came to Chang'an City to see you," Jin Chang said through gritted teeth, "To see if you're safe after returning from Mount Tai!"

"Uncle-Master, I'm perfectly safe!"

Zhang Xuezhou responded.

He didn't need to guess; he knew perfectly well that Jin Chang was an envoy sent by the King of Huainan's Household to persuade him, and that he must want to use his position as Grand Master of the Palace to do something.

When Shen Peigong served as Grand Master of the Palace, he controlled the Confucian School. He was so powerful that no one dared to provoke him, and no one forced Shen Peigong to do anything.

Zhang Xuezhou lacked the support of any faction and a solid foundation in the court. Without a true group to stand with him, it's not surprising that his hasty ascent to a high position made him a target for others.

Just like the awkwardness and helplessness of a new emperor ascending the throne, many people face similar problems when they take up important positions. It is extremely difficult to replace an important position in the court, and the banding together of young people is of little use.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, he arranged for Zhao Wan and Wang Zang, who held important positions, to commit suicide in prison. Dou Ying Tian Fen were both stripped of their official posts, while Han Anguo, Zhang Xuezhou, and others were placed in a second wave of arrangements several years later.

Compared to Zhao Wan and others, Zhang Xuezhou and others held a lower level of official importance, and with the support of Anle Palace, the dire situation they faced had been greatly reduced.

Even so, the turmoil caused by these important court positions was still considerable, and its effects lingered even three months later, attracting genuine experts and powerful figures to visit.