Unexpected Surprises

The people of Zhang Household Village are almost all scattered, with husbands not seeing their wives and children not seeing their parents, thus being separated.

The way the King of Huainan's Household imprisoned people caused Zhang Xuezhou and his team great trouble, and also resulted in them only being able to rescue half of the people in their initial rescue attempt.

However, Zhang Xuezhou must also admit that he had already done his best. The methods of escaping Huainan, including obtaining food, weapons, and transportation, could not be decided on a whim, and the planned escape route also needed to avoid conflict.

The first rescue was somewhat successful, and luck played a part. When attempting a second rescue, it was clear that words alone were not enough to get things done.

"Let's go to Shouchun first and eavesdrop to see how their search for Changxing is going."

If the Beishan area remains heavily guarded, Zhang Xuezhou will find it difficult to find a breakthrough.

If the search for Changxing causes a relaxation of vigilance in the Beishan area of Shouchun, Zhang Xuezhou can seize the opportunity to make his move.

The former would allow Zhang Xuezhou to search for Changxing based on the information, while the latter would allow him to attempt a rescue; either way, he would have a choice.

"Speaking of which, Master Dong also came to Shouchun City. Why didn't he participate in the search for the long star? However, the matter of the white flesh is indeed too important. Or perhaps Master Dong's flying skills are too poor, and he returned to Chang'an City before the long star even fell? Or perhaps Master Dong knew the importance of the matter and hurriedly left Chang'an City before coming to Huainan to investigate?"

Zhang Xuezhou was quite familiar with the location of Shouchun City in Huainan. This was not only because he had visited Shouchun City many times, but also because there was a water palace in the Huai River that winds around Shouchun City.

This unique positioning allows him to easily locate Shouchun City in the dark.

In the dead of night, the city of Shouchun was utterly silent, with only a few inns with lanterns hanging high in the wind, and the only area illuminated by bright light was the royal palace.

Zhang Xuezhou easily found a dark area to land.

He also thought about Dong Zhongshu had been in a great hurry to and from Chang'an City.

"I'll go check on the situation at the King of Huainan first!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked around, then sat down on the ground.

As the Law Power drew upon the body, the Yang Soul Body materialized.

His limited Law Power not only made his Yang Soul small, but also limited the distance he could probe.

However, the profound magical Law Power of the Divine Ability Realm allowed his Yang Soul to take shape, with all the necessary parts present and an extremely well-proportioned body, unlike the large-headed dolls condensed by some mages.

It's not uncommon for many powerful cultivators from the Yedie River Holy Land to use their Yang Soul incarnations to cause trouble in Chang'an City; Zhang Xuezhou did it a long time ago.

Zhang Xuezhou believes that anyone would try to do something bad without anyone noticing.

Normal cultivators need to plan carefully before infiltrating important areas, but for Zhang Xuezhou, it was all a piece of cake.

After simply entrusting Rong Tianding with the responsibility of protecting his physical body, Zhang Xuezhou, in the form of a small figure, drifted away.

"So busy!"

The city of Shouchun was extremely quiet, but once inside the King of Huainan, things became bustling, and the activity continued even in the dead of night.

Basket after basket of soaked beans were scooped out of the well water and then sent to the stone mill in the mill to be ground.

The white soy milk, flowing like water, flowed along the pipes designed under the millstone into a large basin, and was then ladled into a large cauldron that was being heated by a fire.

There are pre-cooked white meats and white meats that have already been shaped into chunks.

These new foods, made with gypsum water, were wrapped in cloth and then slowly squeezed out of the water by placing bluestones on them.

Some of the drained white meat was deep-fried in hot oil until golden brown, while other areas had white meat that was bluish-green and moldy. Some white meat was marinated into minced pieces, and some was smoked with spices.

Compared to Zhang Xuezhou's rudimentary tests, the King of Huainan was clearly constantly researching various ways to utilize white meat.

Zhang Xuezhou also saw various dishes made from white meat, as well as white meat mixed with rice. There were also hundreds of men, women, and children with chains around their feet, their faces pale, being imprisoned in prison vans, lining up to wait for a food test.

Clearly, what Dong Zhongshu and Zhang Xuezhou could think of, the core figures of the King of Huainan court could also understand.

The ability to turn horse feed into delicious food makes it no exaggeration to say that white meat is a strategic asset.

However, compared to Zhang Xuezhou's decisiveness, the Prince of King of Huainan was still testing back and forth, trying his best to find out all the problems with the white meat.

The study continuously records information on the water content of white meat, the number of days it can be stored under different conditions, the ingredients it can be paired with, and the effects on people after consumption.

Medical officers were stationed alongside the many people who consumed the food to prevent illness from developing after consumption.

"They seem to be from our village?"

The people tested at the King of Huainan were relatively easy to distinguish. Some of those with tattoos on their foreheads were convicts, while those who had not been branded were likely trying to gain merit by risking their lives, or were forced to come and taste the food.

After his gaze swept over the rough-handed, haggard men and women, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but frown.

He was only eighteen when he left the village, and now he is thirty. Many of his uncles and aunts have become old men and women. Moreover, the people of Zhang Household Village have always done hard labor, and their aging is very obvious, making it extremely difficult to tell just by looking at them.

"If we were at Xiashi Mountain, we could sneak away while the defenses Kongxu, but what if we're in the King of Huainan?"

Concealing his body, Zhang Xuezhou drifted and observed, constantly hovering near the crowd, observing these elderly people who had never been branded.

More than ten years of imprisonment would corrupt even the most spirited young man, let alone an old man.

Zhang Xuezhou looked at the elderly people with their heads down, and only occasionally could he catch a glimpse of resentment in their cloudy eyes.

"Zhang Zhoushi, it's your turn!"

Zhang Xuezhou originally intended to explore the King of Huainan, but he waited for a long time by the prison cart where people were waiting to taste the food.

When a garrison officer brought over a plate of deep-fried pork belly, Zhang Xuezhou quickly approached him.

"Sir, will I be able to see my family after I eat this?"

The white-haired old woman looked up and asked, but the garrison officer responded indifferently.

"As long as you can complete each round of tastings, you'll get exactly what you promised in the first place!"

The guard in charge of overseeing the food tasting and the official negotiating the terms were clearly not the same person, but those who were tasting the food had no choice; even if they knew the person was different, they could only ask with a sliver of hope.

After the garrison officer urged her twice, the old woman had no choice but to swallow the food she had eaten over and over again.

Before trying them, these foods were undoubtedly delicious, but it was hard to resist eating the same thing every day.

When the time comes, all the test participants need to eat.

If one cannot swallow the food or dies, it means the test has failed, thus rendering the desired outcome unsuccessful.

Of course, the old woman was lucky; the food she ate wasn't too bad. Those who unfortunately chose moldy food would hardly survive three days.

"Zhang Houren?"

When a soft voice asked the old woman, the white-haired woman quickly raised her head and looked around.

"There's still half left, can't you finish it?"

The garrison officer's questioning voice came, and the old woman had no choice but to lower her head again, swallowing the food that had become nauseating after repeated consumption.

Zhang Xuezhou, who was in charge of the testing, sighed. He looked at the palace area where the white meat was being made and tested, and then at the guards patrolling back and forth with swords. He felt that there was almost no possibility of rescuing people from the palace.

This prompted Yangpo to begin searching other areas of the King of Huainan.

"Wonderful!"

Passing two silent palaces, Zhang Xuezhou arrived at the main hall of the King of Huainan.

Just as he was about to cautiously approach the brightly lit hall to listen, a shout came from inside, followed by a burst of applause.

"With this Turning Stone into Gold touch, even if the golden period can only be maintained for a month, I will still have countless riches!"

Inside the main hall, as the narration continued, Zhang Xuezhou was able to recognize the voice of the King of Huainan.

"I never imagined we could actually unleash the legendary magic of Turning Stone into Gold! As long as we mix this magical gold into real gold, no one will notice, not even for a month, let alone a year!"

"The Eight Steps to Immortality Pill failed to be refined, but Li Qi and Shu Jin, who accidentally did, are both quite remarkable!"

"I've always said that Dongfang Shuo is incredibly lucky, and Ling'er's acquisition of the Eight Steps to Pill Formula from him is truly a great achievement!"

The main hall was filled with sweltering heat. As the voices continued to be heard, Zhang Xuezhou was able to identify the voices of the King of Huainan, Liao Tu, Liu Qian, and others.

But the chatter among the crowd startled Zhang Xuezhou.

The King of Huainan and his gang failed to produce the genuine Eight Steps to Immortality Pill, but they did manage to create one unexpected byproduct after another.