The Roster

"This item from the Marquis of Wu'an bears a seal with the character 'Yan' on it, so it must have originated from the Yan region!"

"Master Li, this is truly a gifted man! This item was left to me by my mother. She said it was an heirloom of our family, and our family originated from the Yan region!"

Tian Fen was ridiculed for taking the first treasure, and the second item was something he had kept hidden away.

When the scroll was unfurled, servants carried it around the hall, allowing everyone to observe it.

Some of the invited appraisers lowered their heads, some seemed lost in thought, and others hesitated, about to get up but then sitting back down.

Tian Fen didn't wait for anyone to speculate and directly asked Li Shaojun.

"Does the master still know what the text recorded on this scroll means?" Tian Fen asked.

"These are all names," Li Shaojun said. "This one is named Zang'er!"

"This... this is my mother's name!"

"His name is Zang Yan!"

"That was my mother's brother; we haven't heard from him for over sixty years!"

"Zang Tu!"

"My maternal grandfather!"

Li Shaojun pointed to several places and mentioned several names, which made Tian Fen exclaim in surprise.

"It seems to be the genealogy of the Marquis of Wu'an," Dou Ying said with a smile.

"I haven't been able to read my ancestors' characters for many years, which is quite embarrassing," Tian Fen said with a wry smile.

Tian Fen's situation was not unique. Qin Dynasty, various states were in conflict and used different scripts. However, with the Qin Dynasty reforming the script and the continuation of the Great Han Dynasty, everything changed within a century.

Apart from a few learned elderly people who can still recognize ancient characters, people in the new era have not learned those abandoned ancient characters.

Tian Fen's genealogy is quite old; names like Zang Er and others were added later according to established rules, and the texts involved are from an even earlier period.

He accepted the family genealogy and thanked Li Shaojun profusely.

Although the items Tian Fen retrieved weren't particularly valuable, their discovery provided answers, which greatly piqued the interest of many.

As Tian Fen began, people would occasionally hold up their own treasures, trying to get answers from others.

This treasure appraisal banquet was different from the banquets that Li Shaojun and others had attended in the past. At the banquets Li Shaojun attended before, the host would present the treasures and give a reward after identification. However, at this banquet, many people were invited to bring items that were difficult to identify, and some even offered to pay for identification.

If one has the ability to identify relevant information, the reward will be substantial; if one lacks the ability, it is common to gain nothing.

Zhang Xuezhou disliked drinking with Guan Fu, so he immediately left his seat and went to watch the commotion.

"Is there something wrong with Tian Fen's baby?"

As they walked back and forth, Li Shaojun also came up and touched Zhang Xuezhou's body. This made Zhang Xuezhou, who was using the treasure-hunting technique to find the hidden spirit jade, stop the technique and ask in a low voice.

"That thing is a roster," Li Shaojun whispered.

What roster?

"We encountered them on that island in the sea," Li Shaojun reminded him. "The roster contains the names of people recorded by that faction, along with contact methods and code words!"

"What? This can be made public?"

"It's possible that the lineage was severed and contact was lost; the younger generation didn't understand the situation!"

Li Shaojun whispered.

For many years, Li Shaojun had been studying the Immortal Court, trying to find a way to enter Immortal Court and obtain the longevity elixir, but he had come up empty-handed after all these years.

He never expected that after coming all the way to Chang'an City, he would see a relic connecting him to the Immortal Court at such a banquet.

If they follow Tian Fen's scroll to make contact, they might be able to reach members of the Immortal Court.

"Should we take advantage of the chaos?" Li Shaojun asked in a low voice.

"We'll have to see how things go," Zhang Xuezhou said, pursing his lips. "If you get caught, great, but if I do, I'm doomed!"

"You're still going to die?" Li Shaojun said angrily, "Cai Ma even said you could live for six hundred years!"

"Pshaw, you believe that kind of thing!" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

I don't believe it!

Li Shaojun shook his head decisively, but he felt as if he had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

He knew Zhang Xuezhou too well; he knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou liked to tell the truth while pretending to be lying, and then tell lies as truth.

If Zhang Xuezhou is overjoyed and wants Cai Ma to use his fate-telling technique to check again, Li Shaojun can guarantee that this six-hundred-year lifespan is a joke.

But Zhang Xuezhou's direct question left Li Shaojun no choice but to begin to doubt whether the matter was true.

"My liver hurts! That bastard takes all the benefits but never includes me, only sending me to my death time and time again!"

Li Shaojun became suspicious. When he thought of the highly skilled Divine Lord Zhenyuan, and then considered Cai Ma's background, and added Cai Ma's mention of Zhang Xuezhou having seven life-extinction halos, he felt that Zhang Xuezhou had acquired countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures in recent days and then achieved his great goal in life.

"If I can live to be six hundred years old, no matter how long I live, I'll always be at the starting point of the True Self Realm cultivation!"

As he pondered the benefits of this high lifespan, he felt his heart and liver ache more and more.

"They have longevity pills over there," Li Shaojun whispered behind Zhang Xuezhou. "I've memorized the names on the roster. We're sure to be able to infiltrate the Immortal Court. If we can make it big, we'll be rich for life!"

I don't care for that stuff!

"If you don't care, someone else will, like your father, your mother, your aunt, and your cousin," Li Shaojun said through gritted teeth. "Cai Ma has tested your parents; one of them will only live for ten years, and the other for twelve. You yourself live a long life, so you won't just stand by and watch them die young. This is one of the few life-extending pills that ordinary people can take these days!"

"Nonsense!"

Zhang Xuezhou has a very calm mindset.

As someone who needs to contend with Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, his own lifespan is limited.

But Zhang Xuezhou never expected that his parents would also pass away before him in this world.

Zhang Weimeng and Song Fengying married at a normal age, both under fifty, while Zhang Zhong married Lady Yourong after serving in the military, making him older.

Adding to their busy lives, such as mining in Huainan and working as medicine sellers, the elderly couple aged quickly and might even pass away before Zhang Xuezhou.

This made Zhang Xuezhou's expression slightly unpleasant.

Cultivating one's destiny through the arts is not something everyone can do, and it is related to one's cultivation level, making it extremely difficult to reach a high level.

For the present moment, the best option for those who wish to live longer is indeed the Longevity Elixir of the Immortal Court.

One golden elixir can grant twenty years of lifespan; this has been repeatedly verified.

"Well, this opportunity is right in front of us," Li Shaojun urged. "We won't do it right away; let's wait until things are settled in Chang'an before we act!"

"Can!"

Zhang Xuezhou frowned slightly, but ultimately agreed to the matter.

"The Marquis of Marquis of Wu'an's surname is Tian, his parents' generation was Zang, and before that Zang family was Zhao, and then his husband's surname. There are many cases of surname changes across generations. No matter what we are called, they can't trace it. It won't be very difficult for us to infiltrate!"

Li Shaojun whispered a message, indicating that he was not doing this on a whim, nor was he blinded by greed or lost his mind, but rather that there was an extremely high success rate.

Normally, Li Shaojun could do this by himself, but he felt it would be more reliable to bring Zhang Xuezhou along.

The fact that Zhang Xuezhou lived to be 600 years old struck him deeply.

If Li Shaojun didn't offer Zhang Xuezhou some benefits and become his close friend, he felt he would never have a chance to get any real fortuitous opportunity from Zhang Xuezhou in his lifetime.