All Living Beings Toil in Obscurity
"In the beginning, there was no life; not only was there no life, but there was also no form; not only was there no form, but there was also no breath. Mixed in the vast expanse, it transformed and came to have breath; breath transformed and came to have form; form transformed and came to have life; now it transforms again and comes to die. This is how the four seasons of spring, autumn, winter, and summer proceed!"
Aside from being entrusted by the new emperor to investigate Princess Dou, Zhang Xuezhou did not have many important duties during the Empress Dowager's funeral.
He had already been marginalized, so it was clearly impossible for him to step out and join the fray.
Of course, Zhang Xuezhou felt that even if he jumped around, it would be useless; this situation had exceeded his expectations and was not suitable for him to intervene.
He figured that these days he would attend the sacrificial rites and funeral activities on time, and in his spare time he would go to Tianlu Qilin Pavilion to read books or look for Aqiao. Everything in his life could be done in a regular and orderly manner.
Zhang Xuezhou had attained Divine Ability through cultivation, so his visits to the Tianlu Qilin Pavilion to read books had limited effect.
This made him consider having a child with Rong Tianding, and see if the other party had any needs.
After Li Shaojun was taken away by Divine Lord Zhenyuan in the middle of the night, Zhang Xuezhou also met with Rong Tianding.
"So you've truly grasped the meaning?"
Rong Tianding began to speak in a refined manner, mentioning topics ranging from the birth to the death of life.
Saying a few words is useless, but apart from speaking, Rong Tianding showed almost no signs of life.
If Rong Tianding closed his mouth and eyes, his pale, Qi and Blood, and cold body could easily be mistaken for a dead man.
"I understand now, but this understanding seems rather useless!"
Rong Tianding touched him, and his body warmed up in a short moment, and his face regained a rosy hue instead of the deathly pale look he had before.
"My body can regulate the flow of energy from birth to death," Rong Tianding said, spreading his hands. "But I can't figure out what use this ability is."
"Is it still useful?" Zhang Xuezhou asked uncertainly.
"I can't think of anything," Rong Tianding shook his head. "I don't have Li Shaojun's ability to come back to life. If I'm stabbed while pretending to be dead, I'll really be dead."
"It's always good to have many skills," Zhang Xuezhou comforted him. "I've been attending funerals these past few days, so I might as well go to Tianlu Qilin Pavilion and browse through the books to see if there are any techniques that you can use!"
Rong Tianding had a serendipitous encounter that led to an enlightenment. This was the first time in his life that he had gained a unique ability through external factors, but he had no way to use this ability.
This left Rong Tianding somewhat frustrated, but he felt much better after Zhang Xuezhou comforted him.
"Once you enter the world of the Corpse-Covering Demon, it's like falling into a deep sea. I don't lack any magical Technique Method," Rong Tianding said. "The most common Technique Method is the Cloud-Soaring Technique. I'm afraid I'll have to practice this technique for the rest of my life. The Suihou Pearl and the Boshan Furnace are already top-tier Law Artifact!"
"Then I'll find some methods to aid in flight," Zhang Xuezhou said. "My Wind Avoidance Instruction Technique is extremely useful for assisting in flight, but it's difficult for you to cultivate, so I can only find you something simpler!"
"Avoidance techniques are too difficult!"
Rong Tianding waved his hands repeatedly.
Like Zhang Manqian and others, Rong Tianding was also intimidated by techniques involving hundreds of thousands of acupoints.
Of all the people, only Yi Shuo showed great interest in this, and promoted techniques such as the Grain Avoidance Instruction while also focusing on her cultivation.
Rong Tianding Rong Tianding also cultivates, but if he were to add another technique with 108,000 acupoints, he would feel overwhelmed and the gains would not be proportional to the efforts.
Everyone is different, and everyone has different fortuitous opportunity, so what they gain will be different.
Rong Tianding had been practicing under Zhang Xuezhou for a long time, and he knew very well that he could not simply repeat Zhang Xuezhou. This was the main reason why Zhang Xuezhou Realm Technique were different.
"I'll run errands for you at the Prefectural Governor's Office, and also to A-Qiao's place. The Empress Dowager is holding a grand funeral these days, so Si Lan Fang will definitely be closed. I'll see if I can find any bargains there!"
Zhang Xuezhou Rong Tianding's affairs, while Rong Tianding handled Zhang Xuezhou's affairs.
The two tacitly exchanged items, which made Zhang Xuezhou nod repeatedly.
"Spending some money at Silanfang is no big deal. His Majesty lent me a thousand taels of gold, so I have some money on hand now. Would you like to take some with you?" Zhang Xuezhou said.
"No need, no need," Rong Tianding waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "With your physiognomy skills, cousin, it won't be difficult for me to bring a young lady back if I find an opportunity!"
"Well?"
"Cousin, you're on a much higher level," Rong Tianding said. "I've always used you as my benchmark and considered myself incompetent, but when I look down, I see that everyone else is just a busybody. I've been busy lately, consulting fortune tellers for wealthy merchants and minor officials, and I've accumulated quite a bit of wealth. The women in Silanfang are all giving me the eye, practically throwing themselves at me!"
"Is that so?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.
Zhang Xuezhou is indeed at a rather high level.
What seemed like an ordinary matter to him was none other than the leader of a top power.
Among these great cultivators, Zhang Xuezhou himself was inconspicuous and his fortunes fluctuated frequently, not to mention Rong Tianding.
Rong Tianding always thought he was a good-for-nothing until he went out the door and ran around.
Once he understood his own position, Rong Tianding realized that he was not to be underestimated.
Yi Shuo had already infiltrated the Empress Dowager's inner circle, and he was able to influence almost everyone from minor officials to wealthy merchants.
As long as nothing serious happens, Rong Tianding handles things with ease and composure.
"Now that people call me Master Ding, you know how much that means," Rong Tianding said with emotion. "If my mother hadn't forced me to get married, and if I hadn't looked down on those rough-skinned women and been thinking of finding someone I liked at Silanfang, I wouldn't have known that I'd unknowingly become a great cultivator in other people's eyes!"
"That's true!"
Zhang Xuezhou nodded.
Among those who Realm Entry, only one in a thousand is selected, and very few achieve success in their cultivation.
Zhang Xuezhou felt that there were many powerful cultivators around him, but he couldn't be bothered with cultivators at the Divine Ability Realm. However, if he looked down a little, he would find that all the other beings were just ordinary people.
He hadn't ventured into lower levels before, entirely because it was difficult to profit from those levels.
The same applies to Rong Tianding; they can't exactly go to places like Silanfang, where people listen to music and engage in prostitution, to look for fortuitous opportunity.
His self-awareness almost stopped at this point, until Rong Tianding was urged by Rong Li to participate, and only then did he realize his own difference.
Even the life-and-death aura manipulation that Rong Tianding just mentioned is completely useless. This is an extraordinary skill among ordinary people. If Rong Tianding were to demonstrate techniques such as breath-holding, diving, or playing dead, Rong Tianding could easily win without lifting a finger.
"Now that the Empress Dowager has passed away, and I have learned from my cousin that Zhuang Qingdi and others are bound to fall, I have advance knowledge of the court's movements. It is easy for me to guide those minor officials on their future based on their facial features," Rong Tianding said.
"That works!"
"My combat skills in the Corpse-Cultivating Technique are average, but I can discern life and death with a mere touch, and clearly perceive a person's physical strength and weakness. Combined with physiognomy, I can achieve some unexpected effects, and even alter someone's fate!"
Rong Tianding pointed to Zheng Wukong and the others' residence.
Rong Tianding of changing one's fate involves observing signs of sudden death from facial features and combining this with the Corpse-Slaying School's perception of life and death to determine the approximate time. This allows clients to experience symptoms within a specific timeframe and seek medical help quickly. If Zheng Wukong and others cure a sudden illness, the client's fate is changed; if they cannot be cured, it does not affect the reputation of Master Ding.
In this situation, Rong Tianding gained fame and money, Zheng Wukong and others earned high incomes from treating serious illnesses, and the patients also saved their lives, so it can be considered a win-win-win situation for all three parties.
If Rong Tianding encounters even a few clients like this, his reputation will spread far and wide, and he will attract even more high-quality clients.
He personally tested and verified that he felt it wouldn't be difficult for him to find a wife through his own abilities.
"I never imagined making money would be so easy. All that running around and getting myself into trouble for nothing!"
After Rong Tianding recounted his story of getting rich, Zhang Xuezhou felt a sharp pain in his liver.
His face full of regret surprised Rong Tianding.
Compared to himself, Rong Tianding felt that Zhang Xuezhou made money too easily, and directly asked the emperor for a thousand taels of gold to change his residence.
If he had such skill, why would Rong Tianding need to go to such a brothel?