Harbinger of Misfortune

They chatted and laughed freely beneath the pavilion.

Zhang Xuezhou eventually concluded that Dou Taizhu's life was very boring, and he was surprisingly interested in listening to his endless rambling.

From the northern regions to Shu Commandery, from villages to cities, from food and clothing to what one owns now, Zhang Xuezhou recounts many things in his narration.

Normal people wouldn't want to listen to these things, but Master Dou listened with great interest.

For Princess Dou, who had grown up in luxury, poverty was something she had never experienced in her life. She could not imagine what it meant for poor people to go hungry for nine meals in three days, nor could she imagine a group of children lying in rows to conserve their energy. She could hardly imagine how hunters with only physical strength could hunt wild beasts with rudimentary tools.

"The centipede's entire body is covered in poisonous legs. Does this thing really have meat inside?"

"Yes, there are quite a few inside the shells!"

Weren't you afraid of being poisoned by eating the wrong things when you were kids?

"You'll know which part of the animal is inedible once it's poisoned!"

Zhang Xuezhou felt there was a reason he had asked Huo Qubing and others to taste the pork; that's how he grew up.

Princess Dou had little interest in Zhang Xuezhou as he was now, but she was very interested in Zhang Xuezhou as a child, and she frequently asked Zhang Xuezhou about his past.

"It's getting late, would you like to have dinner here, madam?"

They chatted until it was almost dark when Rong Tianding returned carrying a basket of sunflowers, which saved Zhang Xuezhou and prompted Zhang Xuezhou to quickly extend an invitation.

No, no, no!

Zhang Xuezhou was used to a life of hardship, and Princess Dou could not bear to eat sunflowers every day.

She repeatedly waved her fan to refuse Zhang Xuezhou's idea of hosting a sunflower feast, and then stood up.

"Once His Majesty's mourning period is over, I will host a banquet for everyone, Dongfang Shuo, you may attend!"

Before leaving the residence, Princess Dou extended an invitation, which Zhang Xuezhou readily accepted.

Princess Dou's banquet was not a good one for many officials who needed to choose sides, but Zhang Xuezhou himself had a need to get close to Princess Dou, and he was not afraid of being implicated and categorized.

He saw Princess Dou out, then looked at Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi who remained.

"Would you two like to have some sunflower leaves together?" Zhang Xuezhou invited.

"My lord, you need not worry about our food and drink, just provide us with a place to stay," said Dou Shisan, who was wearing golden armor.

"Our Huang-Lao Daoist practice only requires one pill every seven days, along with some water, to fill our bellies," Dou Shisi said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "We two have been fasting for over a year and a half and don't need any extra food!"

"Then... then you guys are really amazing!"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi, and felt that the two of them had gone astray in practicing Grain Avoidance, and that not eating for a long time would lead to the degeneration of their gastrointestinal function.

Even though Zhang Xuezhou possesses an extremely long-term ability to Grain Avoidance from food, he will still eat quickly when he is awake in order to keep his body in a good condition.

The longer Grain Avoidance, the weaker one's digestive system becomes. If one cannot reach the level where one can survive simply by swallowing air like he did, one's digestive system will eventually atrophy, and one will die without realizing it.

At this point, he no longer interfered in the practice and correction of Huang-Lao Daoist methods, but Zhang Xuezhou had a certain understanding of the disputes between different schools of thought.

"Choose any room you like!"

After making some simple arrangements, Zhang Xuezhou returned to his residence.

With Lady Wei nearing her due date, Zhang Xuezhou also had to make proper arrangements for Aqiao, who was also pregnant.

Zhang Xuezhou believed the child belonged to Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, since he wasn't present when A Qiao became pregnant, and the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon had taken over her body. However, this was indeed inextricably linked to Zhang Xuezhou, and he needed to take it seriously.

Compared to him, who has received modern knowledge, A-Qiao's knowledge is limited, and she does not know about a balanced diet like Zhang Xuezhou and others.

However, societal development has also imposed limitations. In this era, let alone prenatal care, most women, even those nearing childbirth, are still forced to work.

Simply put, A-Qiao, whose lower abdomen was slightly protruding, didn't consider herself pregnant at all.

"The ban on Chang'an City will be lifted in a few days. We'll hire a farmhand then and have him buy cooked meat and eggs every day. A-Qiao needs to eat three eggs and a pound of meat every day. If she feels unwell, go back to the old house and see Doctor Zheng. Don't drink alcohol. If you can cure my illness, do so; if you can't, rest. Don't push yourself..."

Zhang Xuezhou picked up a boiled sunflower leaf; the bland vegetable tasted like chewing wax.

Mallow, chives, garlic, and scallions are the main vegetables, and mallow can be eaten in two out of the four seasons.

Although Zhang Xuezhou didn't even have sunflowers to eat before he was eighteen, that didn't stop him from hating this vegetable after he turned thirty.

Without Zhang Zhong and Lady Yourong cooking pork every day, Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to instruct A Qiao to buy cooked food directly.

His sudden concern left A-Qiao somewhat at a loss. When Zhang Xuezhou patted his chest and mentioned that he would go to the imperial armory in the next two days to select a precious medicinal herb that could be cooked, A-Qiao burst into tears.

"My lord, I... I... actually... the princess asked me to..."

"It's just that the princess asked you to do some reporting. She's thinking of making a quick buck while I'm having a good time. It's no big deal!"

"Does the master already know?"

"My lord has had many strokes of good luck in his life, but he's never been able to hold onto them; they've all been given away to others. He's gotten used to it. If he does have good luck in the future, you can report it if you wish, but I really hope he can pass that good luck on to his family!"

Aqiao hesitated and stammered a bit, while Zhang Xuezhou spoke freely and casually.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind Aqiao using crows to report the situation; his affairs weren't particularly important, except for the matter of the white meat, which made Zhang Xuezhou choose to handle with caution.

After making arrangements for the pregnant woman's normal life, Zhang Xuezhou was surprised that A Qiao actually had the courage to bring up her original purpose.

Having said all that, A-Qiao had completely switched sides, and there was no possibility of her returning to Liu Ling's side.

A Qiao's cultivation level was of little use, but she was able to contact Princess Liu Ling and had Liu Ling's trust, which Zhang Xuezhou thought was quite good.

Although it's uncertain whether A-Qiao can be of any help in dealing with the Prince of King of Huainan, having more possibilities is always a good thing.

Seeing the anxious Aqiao, Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly comforted her, even mentioning that when he had a stroke of good luck, it was best if it happened to the child, since it's better to keep the good stuff within the family.

"My lord, the princess mentioned in her reply that a long star fell from the sky in Huainan, which is said to contain an incredible and miraculous event. Would such a thing be of any use to you?"

Perhaps it was because A-Qiao's reports were too trivial and too frequent, or perhaps Princess Liu Ling needed to tell A-Qiao what constituted a major fortuitous opportunity that needed to be reported to the higher authorities. Liu Ling then demonstrated this to A-Qiao.

The content of this demonstration was also revealed to A-Qiao when she defected.

This caused Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding to exchange a glance.

"Changxing?"

"It's one of those big, bright stars that fell from the sky. Some say that a long star is unlucky and will kill someone; whoever touches it will be unlucky. Others say that there are immortals on the long star, and if you touch it, you will be taken in by the immortals. Still others say that there are rare and wonderful things on the long star, and the Huainan Kingdom should search for them extensively!"

Zhang Xuezhou asked in doubt, while A Qiao quickly explained, recounting all the information she had obtained from Liu Ling.

The various accounts reminded Zhang Xuezhou of the fire meteor.

Aside from the difference in name and the scene of its fall, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the long star and the fireball shared some similarities.

"Could a fiery meteor have fallen into Huainan?"

Although the social development of this world is far less advanced than that of reality, there are too many powerful cultivators in this world. Even a powerful alien being like 'Bai' didn't cause any trouble.

Clearly, this world has also been invaded by fire meteor creatures, and the invasion continues to this day.

Zhang Xuezhou was clearly very interested in the long star that had fallen in Huainan.