Coincidence

Before they began practicing cultivation techniques, Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu had a very pure relationship.

But after they revealed each other's secrets, the two became like grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

The difference is that Zhang Xuezhou was stationed in Chang'an City and led the charge, while Dong Zhongshu planned and commanded from Jiangdu.

This also led to a different division of labor between the two.

Dong Zhongshu obtained information about the white meat from the King of Huainan's Household, which even required Zhang Xuezhou to act as an intermediary.

"It's unbelievable that ordinary people can eat gypsum ore. Eating this kind of mineral normally would cause stomach stones and other illnesses," Zhang Xuezhou complained, holding up a stone.

"Ordinary people can still eat salt and minerals," Dong Zhongshu reminded him.

"That's different!"

"The same principle applies to all of them!"

Zhang Xuezhou was about to deny Dong Zhongshu's claim that grinding beans and adding gypsum water was almost like adding external minerals to an internal alchemy process, yet it still resulted in a top-grade elixir—a situation that seemed impossible.

But when Dong Zhongshu mentioned ordinary people eating salt, Zhang Xuezhou, who was about to refute him, came back to his senses.

The practice of integrating internal and external alchemy emerged very, very long ago.

If we consider cooking the food as the process of refining the inner elixir, then adding salt is like contaminating the minerals in the outer elixir material. Theoretically, there is indeed no difference.

However, such occurrences are extremely rare, and their widespread transmission is nothing short of a miracle.

White meat is likely the second type of food, after salt, that integrates internal and external elixirs, something that hasn't even appeared in the Scarlet Alliance State food is plentiful.

For the King of Huainan's Household to be so eager to prepare this dish, the white meat must have undergone various tests to confirm its safety and efficacy.

"You should have done this sooner..."

Just as Dong Zhongshu was about to urge Zhang Xuezhou to act quickly to avoid putting the court in a passive position in the future, he heard the sound of waves crashing in his ears, which made Dong Zhongshu quickly shut his mouth.

"The one surnamed Dong!"

The sound of Li Shaojun shouting came from behind the roof after he jumped into the house, which forced Zhang Xuezhou to open the window.

Has Zhenyuan left?

Upon seeing the shadow cast by the lamplight in the study, Li Shaojun asked a question with extreme caution.

"Let's go, let's go," Zhang Xuezhou waved.

"That old bastard is finally gone," Li Shaojun said with a sigh of relief. "I've been living in constant fear these past few days; not a single happy day has passed!"

"You got a huge advantage and you're still complaining about it? You'd be better off getting beaten to death than have no reason to complain!"

"What advantage did I gain? It was a chaotic fight, and not a single person from the Immortal Court was seen!"

Li Shaojun kept complaining.

His obvious advantage is that he catches the eye of the Immortal Court, but if no one from the Immortal Court notices him, Li Shaojun will only have the trouble of attracting enemies.

His claim that he wanted to leave Chang'an City and seek refuge in the mountains was false, but Li Shaojun genuinely wanted to quickly change his identity to avoid being found.

The presence of Divine Lord Zhenyuan at Yunyi Daoist Temple made Li Shaojun uneasy, fearing that Divine Lord Zhenyuan would discover his true nature. After Divine Lord Zhenyuan left, he lacked a sense of security, which also made Li Shaojun uneasy.

He circled around in the darkness and finally arrived at Zhang Xuezhou's house.

"This?"

"Dong Zhongshu Master Dong!"

"This?"

"Master Li Shaojun!"

I've heard so much about you!

"Nice to meet you!"

Li Shaojun made a few complaints, then took the initiative to push open the study door.

The expected scene of Rong Tianding sitting in the study did not materialize. Instead, he found a refined middle-aged man sitting there, which made him quickly shut up his complaints.

After some questioning, Li Shaojun became less casual, and Dong Zhongshu also silently put the gypsum ore into his sleeve, then casually covered his nose with his sleeve.

After Li Shaojun entered, the study smelled strange.

"I'm going to see Brother Rong. You guys keep chatting!"

Dong Zhongshu was the first to get up and leave. Li Shaojun opened his mouth, then touched the cloth bag tied to his waist.

"I'll give you half of these things, so you won't complain about me being stingy later. Once I've given you the rest, we'll consider the matter settled," Li Shaojun said, putting down the cloth bag.

"It stinks terribly," Zhang Xuezhou complained.

"I never expected to be vomited on like that! The filth was practically piled up on my head. No wonder it stank!"

Li Shaojun grumbled indignantly, put down his cloth bag, and instead of taking his seat in the study, he also prepared to leave.

"You'll see later," Li Shaojun said, "As long as you help me keep things stable, I'll give you half of what I'll get if I succeed!"

Having actually refined the Eight-Step Ascension Pill, Li Shaojun was well aware of his success rate in alchemy.

Although the new emperor agreed readily at the Yunyi Daoist Temple, Li Shaojun was also afraid that his repeated failures would cause dissatisfaction, and Zhang Xuezhou's cooperation would be needed in the future.

He didn't play any tricks at the moment, only hoping to try his luck and refine a batch of pills, which would then help him enter the Sole Self Realm.

If Li Shaojun's cultivation level were to improve even slightly, refining the Eight-Step Ascension Pill would be a breeze.

After quickly finishing his private conversation, Li Shaojun didn't want to linger in the study, which was beginning to reek of rotten eggs.

He brought the items and distributed them fairly. How to dispose of them is up to Zhang Xuezhou himself. At least Li Shaojun doesn't want to take pills indiscriminately, given that he can still refine pills and make medicine in the future.

He finished speaking while blocking the doorway, and left the study a step ahead of Dong Zhongshu.

"This person is quite capable!"

Li Shaojun arrived quickly in the darkness and left just as swiftly.

Dong Zhongshu swept away the stench in the study, then watched Li Shaojun disappear into the night. He felt that Li Shaojun's flying skills were very high, and he was clearly a troublesome character.

"He's just so-so," Zhang Xuezhou remarked.

"That's amazing! There are probably no more than ten people in the Han Kingdom who possess this kind of flying skill. I've heard of Li Shaojun before, but I thought he was just bluffing. I didn't expect him to have real skills!"

Dong Zhongshu said something seriously, and Zhang Xuezhou was seen frantically searching for cloth and wooden boxes.

"What kind of foul-smelling thing is this? Such an odor cannot be contained without storing it in a bag," Dong Zhongshu said.

"This is a failed external elixir, difficult to preserve using the inner elixir sealing technique. He dislikes it, and so do I, but this thing should be usable as poison, so I must keep it!"

Looking at the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill wrapped in a cloth bag by Li Shaojun, Zhang Xuezhou felt that it was just eight rotten eggs.

Li Shaojun disliked this failed attempt at refining the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill, and Zhang Xuezhou shared a similar attitude.

But as long as he thought about how he was still relying on Huang Daoxian's chip to hone his poison-avoidance technique in reality, he felt that there was nothing wrong with storing it properly, because he might need it someday.

"My official bag was burned, and my rank isn't high enough to get a bag from the imperial court. I don't have a suitable container for the time being, so I can only lock it in a box!"

Zhang Xuezhou found a wooden box and then looked through the cloth bag. Inside the bag were eight reddish-brown hard lumps about the size of dates, along with a lot of powder.

Without the sealed bottles available in industrial production, and without the ability to preserve them like inner elixirs, these outer elixirs are not only difficult to seal, but may also become ineffective and useless over time.

Zhang Xuezhou dipped his finger in the powder and then licked it on his tongue.

His face flushed red, as if he had just taken a swig of strong liquor.

This stimulation spread throughout his body in a short time, causing Zhang Xuezhou's body to turn slightly red.

The Poison Avoidance Technique eliminates the trace amounts of toxicity in the powder, while the Body Technique counteracts internal and external impacts.

Even so, this elixir powder still made Zhang Xuezhou's physical characteristics visible.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to take Li Shaojun's Eight-Step Ascension Pill normally, he felt it would inevitably have a powerful impact on his body.

He carefully observed the pills he intended to store temporarily, deciding to use them while he had some free time to see if he could improve his Poison Avoidance Technique. Meanwhile, Dong Zhongshu's eyes were wide open.

Dong Zhongshu looked at Zhang Xuezhou with disbelief as his Qi and Blood and qi turned red, and a faint Law Power light emanated from his body, even mixed with a faint blue Demon Power.

"What kind of elixir can simultaneously enhance one's Qi and Blood, and Law Power?!"

Dong Zhongshu lowered the sleeve covering his nostrils, and his eyes felt hot.

Dong Zhongshu had been searching for something that both Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun disliked for many years.

He tried to follow the path of destiny but failed to achieve anything significant; all his efforts to seek good fortune were no match for occasional coincidences.

Just like the white meat unexpectedly obtained by the King of Huainan's Household, Dong Zhongshu felt that he had also encountered a failed but potentially very suitable elixir for his own needs.