Truth and Falsehood
Princess Liu Ling hosted a banquet at the King of Huainan's Household.
The banquet appeared peaceful, like a philosophical discussion, but in reality, it was a confession session.
First, Zhang Xuezhou cooperated in revealing relevant information, and then Jin Chang, who surrendered, went through the necessary procedures.
"This guy has none of Senior Brother Zhou's integrity. Senior Brother Zhou never yielded no matter how he was tortured back then, but this guy is very cooperative!"
The last part of Jin Chang's account of the Yin Yang Great Joy Nine People Incantation involves Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation.
Although Jin Chang was not optimistic about Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation after integrating the Realm Technique of the Yin-Yang School, and believed that no matter how much he cultivated, it would be difficult for him to break through to the Sole Self Realm, Zhang Xuezhou did not agree with this situation.
Once Jin Chang mentions Zhang Xuezhou, the other party will inevitably react differently, thus forcing them to break the previous agreement.
Zhang Xuezhou's face remained expressionless.
If Jin Chang hadn't seen Zhang Xuezhou's abnormal lower limb movements, Jin Chang would have almost doubted his own judgment.
Of course, Jin Chang felt that since he had been looking down, he probably hadn't noticed the subtle changes in Zhang Xuezhou's upper body.
"If he tricked Liu Ling, is the Eight-Step Ascension Pill real or fake?"
Zou Bugui home, even at the cost of his life, and instead submitted to Jin Chang, displaying extreme defiance.
Jin Chang only cooperated after suffering greatly.
However, by the time of Yin-Yang School Zhang Xuezhou, Jin Chang felt that each generation of Yin-Yang practitioners was different.
Compared to his and Zou Bugui's tough stance, Zhang Xuezhou's behavior was both soft and hard, making it difficult to ascertain the true situation.
To say that Zhang Xuezhou was weak is to say that the other party too readily went to this trap and was easily subdued by Liu Ling's methods.
The reason Zhang Xuezhou considered tough also stems from this banquet. The other party seemed to have submitted and been controlled, but at some point he had already broken free from the control, while Liu Ling seems to be completely unaware of it.
Jin Chang hoped that the Yin-Yang School wouldn't be in such a bleak state, with one after another falling into their own hands. However, he also hoped that the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill was real and not something Zhang Xuezhou had made up. After all, as a first-class guest minister who had completely surrendered to the King of Huainan's Household, Jin Chang must have been entitled to receive such a pill.
If Li Shang's analysis is correct, taking large amounts of the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill can advance him to the True Self Realm. After he collects all the secret manuals of Yin and Yang, his chances of ascending to the higher realm will increase again, and reaching the True Self Realm will no longer be a dream.
Being free has its advantages, but his complete subordination to the King of Huainan's Household isn't entirely a bad thing either.
"Even if we're treated like dogs, the King of Huainan should still give us a few bones to gnaw on!"
Jin Chang gritted his teeth and stared into Zhang Xuezhou's eyes, trying to make a more informed judgment.
When Zhang Xuezhou swayed again, he realized that his previous judgment was completely correct, which startled him.
But Jin Chang soon heard Liu Ling's surprised voice, and Li Shang's low exclamation in response.
"Dongfang Shuo, have another cup of Jade-in-the-Mouth liquor..."
"Princess, he seems to be unconscious!"
Did I kill him?
As if caught in an affair, Liu Ling appeared extremely panicked after his Technique Method failed, his face flushed red.
Su Fei, who was nearby, reached out and caught Zhang Xuezhou, who had fallen straight down, while Li Shang took a few steps forward to take Zhang Xuezhou's pulse.
"He appears to be dead but not quite; his body is energetic but he is not fully conscious!" Li Shang judged.
"Then... then I've gotten myself into trouble!"
Liu Ling's expression changed drastically. The backlash from casting the Technique Method made her face flush red, but also pale.
The court officials are not like the household slaves kept by the King of Huainan's Household, to be disposed of at will. If they really cause any life-or-death situations, even if she runs back to Huainan, she will not be able to escape accountability, and it may even implicate the King of Huainan.
If they don't break off relations and resort to arms, the consequences of such an incident will be unbearable for any individual.
Liu Ling was a princess who held power. She was adept at handling matters below her level, but she undoubtedly had many shortcomings when it came to matters involving her own level or even matters that affected her own influence.
After the initial panic, she appeared rather flustered.
"Dongfang Shuo's head was pried open by the Imperial Physician's Office. Every twelve days, he falls into a long coma, after which he wakes up on his own!"
In the end, Jin Chang couldn't stand it anymore and chose to speak up and remind Liu Ling.
"That's right, Dongfang Shuo said he was unwell when he attended the banquet, and that he was nearing the onset of his illness. He must have fallen ill!"
After Liu Ling was completely disoriented, he calmed down only after Jin Chang explained the situation to him.
Li Shang, who was taking the pulse, had a slight change in expression, while Zuo Wu, who was thinking about disposing of the corpse and severing ties, silently put the poison that could dissolve the corpse and bones back into his sleeve.
"I should never have invited him to the banquet today!"
Liu Ling took a deep breath, trying to regulate his Qi and Blood, and calm the constantly fluctuating Law Power within his body.
She felt that today wasn't a good day, but inviting Zhang Xuezhou was just too difficult.
When ordinary people receive an invitation from the King of Huainan's Household's residence, they would rush to visit him on the same day. Zhang Xuezhou readily agreed, but Liu Ling waited for nearly ten days without seeing the other party come to his door.
This also involves dealing with Jin Chang. Liu Ling not only wanted to seize the fortuitous opportunity from Zhang Xuezhou, but she also wanted to make an example of him, using Zhang Xuezhou, who also belonged to the Yin-Yang School, as a chicken to demonstrate to Jin Chang, the monkey, so that Jin Chang would completely submit.
Su Fei then came to Chang'an City to push for the testing of Zhang Xuezhou, thus fulfilling the entrustment of the King of Huainan.
Many things were intertwined, which forced her to personally invite Zhang Xuezhou.
Things are progressing very smoothly. Not only did Zhang Xuezhou cooperate and reveal the fortuitous opportunity, but Jin Chang also readily agreed, and Su Fei's test results were close to the original prediction.
Things only became somewhat chaotic after Zhang Xuezhou collapsed.
"Quickly send Dongfang Shuo back," Liu Ling said, panting.
"Princess, although Dongfang Shuo is ill, he underwent surgery before the illness. If he develops any new problems in twelve days, it may implicate our King of Huainan's Household," Li Shang warned.
"How about we go all the way?" Zuo Wu asked, frowning.
"The Yin-Yang School's Great Compassion Nine Heavens Mantra is still missing its final piece!"
Mao, who was copying the text, was reminded that the Yin-Yang School's content on Realm Technique was still incomplete, clearly indicating his dissatisfaction with Zuo Wu's rude behavior.
"Jin Keqing, what did Dongfang Shuo eat and drink while he was in a coma?"
Li Shang asked calmly, Jin Chang frowned slightly.
The group was somewhat panicked and reckless because they were afraid of being investigated by Anle Palace. Jin Chang, on the other hand, was thinking about the strange-faced Daoist who had subdued him with a slap earlier. He felt that everyone had acted without thinking, and even Jin Chang needed to be careful not to get involved.
"His Grain Avoidance Instruction is extremely high; he doesn't need to eat or drink anything," Jin Chang said.
"So, we don't need to do anything right now?" Li Shang asked.
"I don't know," Jin Chang shook his head and said, "I only know that when I went to invite Dongfang Shuo before, a Daoist priest with him subdued me in one move. If Dongfang Shuo hadn't pleaded for me, I would have been beaten to death. That Daoist priest also accompanied Li Shaojun to several banquets. I wonder if you know him?"
"The Daoist who subdued you in one move?" Someone at the banquet stood up and asked, "Were you in the shadows at the time?"
"Yes!"
Jin Chang replied in a low voice, which caused the person who had stood up to gasp.
Jin Chang is out in the open, only relies on trickery and is considered second-tier in strength. However, Jin Chang, who is in the shadows, is the true king, possessing the ability to overthrow his superiors.
Even though Jin Chang's cultivation level was relatively low among the guest elders, no one would deny Jin Chang strength because of that.
"Li Shang, take a look at Dongfang Shuo's illness these days," Liu Ling instructed after a moment's thought. "Treat him as well as you can, and don't hold back if you have any methods. It would be best if you could cure him!"
"Yes!"
"Guest Elder Jin Chang, I would like to trouble you to go to Dongfang Shuo's house and inform him that Dongfang Shuo is seeking medical treatment at the King of Huainan's Household, so that his servants will report to the Jingzhao Prefecture if they do not see him," Liu Ling said again.
"Can!"
Jin Chang responded with a low voice.
He did not resist Liu Ling's probing arrangements at all.
Zhang Xuezhou's health condition was just a side issue. As long as the people of the King of Huainan's Household do not commit any evil deeds, the trouble they can handle properly should not be too much. Even if there is, they can deal with it properly, and at most, the King of Huainan's Household will only have to pay some price.
But Jin Chang was troubled, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou's sudden illness made it difficult to judge whether he was lucid.
He was torn between thinking about how to use the King of Huainan's Household to obtain the Yin-Yang School's secret manual and the authenticity of the Eight-Step Immortal Elixir mentioned by Zhang Xuezhou.
Jin Chang had previously judged that Zhang Xuezhou had evaded Liu Ling's technique, but Zhang Xuezhou's illness interfered with his judgment, causing him to be conflicted and no longer as certain as before.