A Nighttime Visit
Returning home from the eunuch's office, Zhang Xuezhou felt a mixture of joy and melancholy.
He was naturally happy because the controversial position of Grand Master of the Palace was gone. With the new emperor not yet in control of the court, it would have been troublesome for him to take over such a position. As long as he appeared in court for a long time, he would inevitably get into disputes and troubles.
Zhang Xuezhou's melancholy stemmed from a simple fact: he never imagined he would become a reserve eunuch.
Although he would no longer need to urinate at the Qilin Pavilion and only needed to endure three years to complete his probation period, entering the Eunuch Bureau would clearly not bring him any good reputation.
Zhang Xuezhou could already foresee the awkward situation that would arise after a long time.
If we return to our original intention of entering Chang'an City, things will be simple.
Zhang Xuezhou finally felt relieved. As long as he could still use his magic to create an opportunity to escape the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, whatever he experienced was just a process.
Even when facing a formidable enemy like Huang Daoxian, Zhang Xuezhou felt nothing was a problem as long as the other party didn't block Zhang Xuezhou path.
"The officials in this court are truly like fleeting clouds; they can promote you when they want and demote you when they want!"
Zhang Xuezhou was wearing an official robe when he left home, but when he returned, he was wearing a gray robe from the eunuch's office; the change was too obvious.
After Rong Tianding Rong Tianding asked a couple of questions, he couldn't help but curse, feeling that he didn't even want to be a government official's dog.
"That's already pretty good," Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "I didn't do anything, and I even received a salary for two years without working. I should have been fired long ago!"
"That makes sense. Only government officials can get paid without doing anything," Rong Tianding nodded.
"Why was the master suddenly dismissed from his post?"
Zhang Xuezhou remained calm, while Rong Tianding returned to normal after hurling insults. A Qiao, however, paled, feeling as if the sky had fallen, realizing that Zhang Xuezhou had gone from a high-ranking official to an ordinary person.
"Young and promising" was Zhang Xuezhou's past label, but now all that remains is "young".
Aqiao had only been in the Zhang residence for two days when Zhang Xuezhou, whom she was responsible for keeping an eye on, suddenly fell from grace, something Aqiao found hard to believe.
This was so different from what Princess Liu Ling had instructed that it made her question her life and unsure whether to continue the surveillance plan.
She asked several times, but Zhang Xuezhou, too lazy to publicize the reason for his loss of office, only gave a few vague answers.
"Cousin, your wife is a bit unreliable!"
Aqiao is a worldly woman, but her social standing is quite different from that of Zhang Xuezhou and others.
Rong Tianding and Zhang Xuezhou chatted for a while. After Rong Tianding invited Zhang Xuezhou back to his residence and took out his Boshan furnace for nurturing yin objects, his eyes suddenly lit up and he pointed to Zhang Xuezhou's house.
"She sent out a messenger raven!"
Rong Tianding was inside the room, but his observation did not rely on his senses or his eyes.
To prevent the many people in Zhang Household Village from being beaten for using Fake Technique, Rong Tianding kept occult objects at the door of almost every household.
Regardless of their fighting prowess, these sinister beings would undoubtedly be excellent eyes for observation.
He manipulated the Boshan incense burner and clearly sensed the messages transmitted by the Yin entity.
"The Corpse-Eating School of Martial Arts truly has many wondrous methods; cousin, your observational skills are remarkable!"
Zhang Xuezhou didn't take Aqiao's messages seriously. Even if Aqiao didn't pass on information to the King of Huainan's Household, these things weren't private, and they would be known sooner or later.
Zhang Xuezhou was more interested in the restored Boshan incense burner than in Ah Qiao's little tricks.
The body of the Boshan incense burner originated from a banquet attended by Li Shaojun, while the lid was in the hands of the Empress Dowager. The two pieces were combined to create a unified whole.
The complete treasure obviously doesn't need to be divided into two parts, which only proves that the Boshan furnace belonged to each individual as spoils of war.
The lid that ended up in the hands of the Empress Dowager was no ordinary object, and the furnace body that ended up in the hands of the Imperial Zhuang Qingdi was no simple matter either; it was not merely something that could be used to nurture yin objects.
"This furnace originated from a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and the lid came from Anle Palace. There aren't many experts who can rival Anle Palace and are skilled in using occult objects!"
Zhang Xuezhou put aside A Qiao's matter, glanced at the Jiu Feng Demon King's ghostly spirit dancing like phosphorescence in the furnace, and touched the furnace wall, trying to find any hidden compartments or mechanisms that might be concealed in the furnace.
"Could it be something belonging to Shi Wudao?"
Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou didn't seem to care about A Qiao's behavior, Rong Tianding felt relieved and couldn't help but feel excited.
"The Corpse-like School isn't the only one that plays with yin objects, but there aren't many people who can fight against the Empress Dowager. This might really be one of his treasures," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.
Years later, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding still remembered Shi Wudao and the skills he displayed back then.
The Corpseless Path, shrouded in boundless Yin Qi, can cause those with weak cultivation levels to grow hair and transform into mindless zombies.
The opponent's ability isn't exactly strong, since it's not something that can deal with a master, but it's also extremely strong, making it a powerful weapon for clearing out groups of enemies.
If Shi Wudao hadn't still retained some semblance of order, this kind of power would have turned Chang'an City into a living hell.
The Corpseless Dao, hidden within the Yin Qi, appeared and disappeared without a trace, causing considerable embarrassment to many of the court's experts.
"It's a pity that this furnace isn't recorded in the Corpse Jiao Canon!"
Rong Tianding a pang of regret.
Rong Tianding didn't aspire to become the second Shi Wudao, but he still had some thoughts about what to do for a living. He felt that if he had half the ability of Shi Wudao, he would be able to integrate into the large group of cultivators, and even provide manpower and resources for Zhang Xuezhou. Together, they could occupy a place and not have to depend on others to make a living.
"You should play with this furnace more," Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "There are only so many ways to play with yin objects: either you raise a lot of yin objects, or you raise strong yin objects!"
"Then I'll grab some more, try to fill this furnace, and see if there are any new changes!"
Rong Tianding pondered for a few seconds and felt that fulfilling Zhang Xuezhou's condition was not difficult.
Normally, fighting and killing to capture evil spirits would take most of one's life, and one might even lose their life in the process. But with Zhang Xuezhou's Suihou Pearl, Rong Tianding could capture evil spirits as easily as mowing grass. Once he destroyed a batch of the Qi Ingestion evil spirits, the rest would all obey him.
The two brothers were chatting animatedly in the room. Just as the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) arrived, Rong Tianding rolled his eyelids, and his dead fish eyes reappeared.
"Cousin, a carriage has come to visit you!"
Rong Tianding pointed to the Zhang residence. Less than ten seconds after he finished speaking, Zhang Xuezhou heard a rhythmic knocking on the door of his own house.
"Lord Dongfang, I have come uninvited, and I hope you will open the door and see me!"
Zhuang Qingdi's voice wasn't loud, but Zhang Xuezhou's ears were incredibly sharp.
As long as he listened attentively, Zhuang Qingdi's words seemed to echo in his ears.
Why did he come knocking on our door?
Zhang Xuezhou withdrew his hand that had been exploring the Boshan incense burner.
During the impeachment in Xu Chang, Zhang Xuezhou and Zhuang Qingdi clashed once, and Zhang Xuezhou was swiftly and decisively swayed by Zhuang Qingzhai.
Between truth and falsehood, it's difficult to accurately judge what the Imperial Censor said.
Compared to dealing with Zhuang Qingdi, Zhang Xuezhou felt he would rather have a tacit agreement with Xu Chang to stage a fight.