Hearts and Minds Scatter

"Dongshan's fortune has not been blocked!"

In order to check whether there were any other items in the tomb of Emperor Luo Li, Zhang Xuezhou did not choose to leave immediately after obtaining the bronze tortoise, but remained stationed at Dongshan.

He waited all night, and the tomb of Emperor Luo Li was almost completely destroyed.

But Zhang Xuezhou never saw the golden light of fortune again, nor did he find any other bronze turtles or other objects that gathered fortune beneath this imperial tomb.

It wasn't until the sun rose over the distant eastern mountains that Zhang Xuezhou saw layers of sunlight spreading out, and countless golden rays of fortune reappearing in the eastern mountains.

Everything was just as he had seen before; the imperial mausoleum in Dongshan was filled with auspicious energy.

Even while serving the new emperor, Zhang Xuezhou would still be influenced by the dynasty's fortune, thus elevating his own luck.

Even though Zhang Xuezhou knew that seizing the fortune sealed by Huang Daoxian would have consequences, he would still benefit from the flood of this fortune, which was rippling in the golden light of luck.

The benefit lies in the fact that proactive behavior results in bearing more responsibility, while passive behavior results in bearing less.

His three-clawed dragon form emerged, and like a giant beast, he recklessly devoured the golden light of fortune.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou was about to believe that he would seize this opportunity to push the changes in the body's fortune, thus leading to a life-or-death confrontation with Huang Daoxian in the future, he felt that the aura of fortune seen by the three-legged fish-dragon was not as steadily covering the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleum as before, but rather shining out in all directions like a ray of light.

As if a control device had been removed, or perhaps the key element of the formation had been broken, the fortune sealed off by Dongshan began to dissipate in all directions.

By using his physical form, Zhang Xuezhou was able to track the dissipation of fortune and sense its disappearance during the dissipation process.

Just as solid ice melts into water, and water turns into steam and disappears, the fortune hidden in Dongshan also repeats this process.

Zhang Xuezhou stared wide-eyed, intently observing everything.

In reality, his path to cultivating his magical arts almost entirely depended on the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleum. Choosing the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleum to steal magical arts for cultivation would offend the Yellow Immortal, while not choosing the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleum meant he had nowhere to cultivate. This contradictory attitude made Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation of magical arts unsatisfactory and lacked normal cultivation.

At this moment, with his luck shattered and dissipated, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

But after a brief moment of thought, a sense of surprise welled up in Zhang Xuezhou's heart.

While he did encounter problems in his cultivation of Qi techniques, and his plan to promote the Qi Luck Eye was largely aborted before it could be formally implemented, the Qi Luck Land of Dongshan was plotted by Huang Daoxian, and the more thoroughly it was destroyed, the more severe the blow would be.

"The internal strife between Zuo Jin and Zuo Luo has actually triggered such a huge bombshell!"

The changes in Dongshan did not come out of thin air, nor were they merely a coincidence for Zhang Xuezhou; rather, they stemmed from internal conflicts.

This is probably similar to the power struggle between Emperor Jing and the Prince of Liang, which ultimately led to the young Liu Che ascending to the throne.

The simple toolbox could not block the penetrating golden light of fortune, but without the bronze tortoise sealing it underground, everything that had happened before was shattered.

Zhang Xuezhou was filled with anxiety and uncertainty, constantly reflecting on the situation while also keeping a close eye on the Dongshan fortune, which he lacked the ability to control.

The dazzling light shone as it traveled further and further away, carrying with it a golden aura of fortune. It was only when he realized it was difficult to keep up that Zhang Xuezhou swayed and gradually returned to his vicinity.

The golden light and darkness in his eyes vanished instantly. Zhang Xuezhou opened his eyes and felt that Dongshan, now illuminated by the light, was no longer different from any other area, becoming just like any other region.

"Committee Member Zhang!"

From afar, Jin Shixue kept calling out, and kept leaping over the deep pit to get closer.

"Don't you feel how wonderful, warm, and healing the sunshine is today?" Jin Shixue exclaimed.

"I think the weather is really nice today. This atmosphere makes me feel very comfortable, and all the fatigue from a busy night has been swept away!"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at Jin Shixue, who was approaching with considerable surprise.

Jin Shixue's performance in the continuous tomb exploration was mediocre, but this is a judgment made in comparison with Zhang Xuezhou.

If we exclude Zhang Xuezhou, who is well-informed, Jin Shixue's performance was actually quite good. He had even sensed some of the effects of the golden aura of fortune, which shows that he has keen perception.

"You look good," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Nothing they did at the hospital worked, and they wanted to get me some high-end medical care, but I couldn't afford that kind of treatment," Jin Shixue said. "I never expected that today, with the sunlight shining on me, I would suddenly feel so much better. All the discomfort in my head seemed to melt away like ice and snow!"

Congratulations!

Zhang Xuezhou clasped his hands in congratulations.

Jin Shixue felt clear-headed and relaxed, while Zhang Xuezhou was filled with anxiety and headaches, feeling that many things had changed completely overnight, making it difficult for him to grasp the main point.

He glanced at the nearly destroyed tomb of Emperor Luo Li, and waited until the tomb was completely excavated before leaving.

"I've heard that Committee Member Zhang has connections within the committee. If Committee Member Zhang could lend a hand to an old-fashioned person like me, I would be eternally grateful," said Jin Shixue, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Why would you have such a thought?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.

"I feel the world is so vast, and I want to see even greater places," Jin Shixue said. "I am sincerely seeking your help. I will not develop my Lineage or seek to build up my own power. If Committee Member Zhang approves of my abilities, I am willing to follow him and the Committee forward!"

Jin Shixue felt as if some belief within him had been shattered.

His past stubbornness and obstinacy now seem utterly ridiculous; everything he pursues appears as old and outdated as dusty history.

His body was cleansed by the sunlight, and so were his thoughts. He no longer clung to the old-fashioned ideas of restoring the country, but instead thought about integrating into the great collective of the Scarlet Alliance State in order to seek a better future.

In a short period of time, Jin Shixue felt as if he had undergone a tremendous ideological transformation, and his ideas had changed dramatically.

This shift in thinking came suddenly and abruptly, and even historians of the Jin dynasty could not understand it.

But Jin Shixue was well aware that his change was related to this sunrise.

He used to explore the lost past; now he wants to pursue the future.

"Think it over carefully. Once you've figured it out, you can come find me at the North Rehe B13 Research Institute!"

After Jin Shixue's explanation, Zhang Xuezhou's expression became extremely subtle. He hadn't expected that the decline of Dongshan's fortune would bring about a change in Jin Shixue's thinking.

However, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't determine whether Jin Shixue's mindset was lasting or short-lived.

He agreed to Jin Shixue's request, but also suggested that the other party think it over more carefully, so as not to end up pleasing neither side if he changed his mind in the future.

Feng Ziqiang, standing to the side, looked both shocked and angry.

Feng Ziqiang was also approaching sixty years old. He could understand the meaning behind Jin Shixue's words and knew very well that the other party was choosing a side to side with, and even turned to the Alliance States Sequence Committee right in front of him.

Feng Ziqiang couldn't understand why Jin Shixue had changed his temperament after recovering from his serious illness, no longer working hard to support the group of old-timers as before.

However, Feng Ziqiang did not sense any influence from Jin Shixue. In fact, Jin Shixue had insisted on performing the bonfire ritual last night and accompanied him to investigate the imperial tomb.

However, Jin Shixue's behavior created a certain disconnect in his heart. Since gradually taking over the leadership of the group of former officials and their descendants from Feng Xiangyu, Feng Ziqiang has been working hard and setting an example in Dongshan.

For the first time, he felt as if the building was about to collapse. He realized that the firm belief that had been supporting him had dissipated, and he had become increasingly despondent in a short period of time.