Selling a Technique to Survive

"I didn't expect you to have some skill!"

Jin Chang was very interested in how Zhang Xuezhou had turned so many people into dead bodies and wanted to know how Zhang Xuezhou had accomplished such a thing.

When Zhang Xuezhou swayed back and forth in the shadows, his clumsy Following Like a Shadow Technique made Jin Chang too ashamed to watch.

He forced a smile and offered a compliment, then gestured for Zhang Xuezhou to work hard.

"You flatter me. I didn't practice flexibility techniques when I was young, so I can't move as smoothly as you!"

Jin Chang moved like a writhing snake in the shadows, using his shadow to conceal himself.

Zhang Xuezhou, on the other hand, was as stiff as a piece of wood.

Let alone cross-school academic disciplines, even the techniques within the Yin-Yang School are not so easy to cross.

If you don't train your body's bones and flesh to be flexible and supple when you're young, it will be difficult to perfect the Following Like a Shadow Technique later on.

Moreover, this technique almost always requires constant physical training to prevent the bones and flesh from becoming stiff and difficult to move.

For someone like Zhang Xuezhou, it's clearly impossible for him to spend his entire life on the Following Like a Shadow Technique. Moreover, he changes bodies every twelve days, causing his body to lie flat. The result of his inconsistent practice is that he can't even get the hang of it.

Zhang Xuezhou was currently using the Following Like a Shadow Technique, which allowed him to remain hidden and immobile; his Technique Method level was considered quite poor.

However, Zhang Xuezhou's methods also explain why he was able to go to the King of Huainan late at night and why he was able to feed so many people the medium of corpse magic, giving Jin Chang another explanation.

"Fluent and graceful movements are useless," Jin Chang said dejectedly. "I've been cursed for years, called a useless coward hiding in the shadows, a scoundrel who can't stand the light of day!"

"Poke their mouths with the puppet strings and tell them to watch their mouths," Zhang Xuezhou advised.

"Forget it, we've already killed them all, let's not bother with the dead!"

Jin Chang waved his hand.

Many people criticized him, but these were mostly his dying words; very few people who criticized him actually survived.

Having been criticized for so many years, Jin Chang wasn't entirely happy about it.

He pulled a puppet string, his body dangling lightly behind Zhang Xuezhou's mount like the wind, and occasionally chatted with Zhang Xuezhou.

"When will you tell me the final section of the Yin Yang Great Compassion Nine Heavens Incantation?"

After riding these zombie-like mounts for over forty miles, Jin Chang couldn't help but ask Zhang Xuezhou.

"Once we're out of Huainan, it'll be fine," Zhang Xuezhou said. "You're familiar with the roads here, so please give us directions so we can leave sooner!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding were both capable of flying and could fly in all directions. They were also familiar with the official roads of Huainan, but the King of Huainan's Household had sent too many people to search for Changxing.

They either need to give way to each other, or they need to fight their way through, or they need Jin Chang's help to use his identity to maintain normal passage.

Zhang Xuezhou clearly sought Jin Chang's help to save trouble.

He didn't care about losing face, and kept agreeing with Jin Chang the whole way, while insisting on holding onto the only thing he could offer.

"You really don't trust your martial uncle that much?" Jin Chang sighed.

"I can rest assured, Uncle-Master. And believe it or not, I do know some great news that will benefit you," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Don't brag," Jin Chang said. "Your uncle isn't stupid. You can't fool him with just a few words!"

"No kidding, it's the truth," Zhang Xuezhou said. "I'm now one of His Majesty's men, and I know some of the palace's secrets. Any one of them is a secret unknown to the outside world!"

"So tell me," Jin Chang said, "If you tell me, I'll lead you down a secluded path where no one patrols; if you don't, you'll just wander around aimlessly. If you get caught and forced to confess your little secrets under torture, your martial uncle won't care!"

"There is a secret place in our Chang'an City that has not been visited by anyone for a hundred years, and it is exactly the same as the secret place of our Yin-Yang School," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Do you know the entrance?" Jin Chang asked curiously.

"I don't know," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head repeatedly.

"Then what are you talking about?" Jin Chang scoffed. "You want me to find the entrance in a place like this? I might as well just go straight to the Yin-Yang Secret Realm!"

"That would only work if our secret place is usable," Zhang Xuezhou sighed. "When I went to Mount Tai, I didn't forget to visit our place. A man named Yuan Quezhong and a man named Fu Sima led some people into the secret place. I suspect they've already ruined it, and they're probably just waiting for us to come knocking!"

"What?"

Jin Chang was startled.

He felt that what Zhang Xuezhou said was not some good news that would benefit him, but rather a major scare.

Zhang Xuezhou was unaware of the two men's identities, while Jin Chang had only heard of them and knew that they were high-ranking cultivators from the Immortal Court.

The people of the Immortal Court may live in seclusion, but they are still very active in the world around them.

After overhearing the relevant information, the Tushita Palace participated in the operation and even broke into the Yin-Yang Secret Realm.

"Why did you have to brag like that in the first place?" Jin Chang said with a headache, "This attracted the Immortal Court cultivators to descend to the mortal realm to investigate. Their investigation is one thing, but the key issue is that they trespassed into the secret realm. Even if they can't get out, this will definitely damage our Yin-Yang Secret Realm. The century-long rise of Spiritual Qi will likely be ruined by these people!"

"Well, I didn't have anything else to brag about back then, and you didn't say anything to help me out!"

"At that time..."

"You can't expect me to drag the trouble into the imperial court; I still want to live my life in Chang'an City!"

Once Zhang Xuezhou gets involved, the matter will never end.

Even though Jin Chang knew that Zhang Xuezhou's words were unreliable, he still really valued the information Zhang Xuezhou provided.

Many things in the world sometimes boil down to a matter of information asymmetry.

Everyone knows that unused secret locations are valuable, but finding them is an art. Randomly stumbling around and gambling on luck is nowhere near as reliable as searching a fixed area.

Zhang Xuezhou's words not only saved Jin Chang from disaster but also gave him other options.

Jin Chang lazily pointed in the direction.

For Jin Chang, who followed the King of King of Huainan, he not only knew where the great cultivator searching for Changxing was, but he also knew exactly where the Huainan army was conducting a thorough search.

If one were to calculate, Jin Chang would even know where these people are today and where they will go tomorrow.

Although they appeared to be surrounded by Huainan troops, as long as they followed the route indicated by Jin Chang, they would almost find themselves in uninhabited territory.

"This corpse-turned horse isn't afraid of being exhausted; it runs smoothly even while traveling. We've been running around all day and we'll only be outside the border of Huainan. After we pass this post station, your uncle won't see you off. Tell me clearly about the Great Compassion Nine Heavens Mantra, and we can part amicably. We'll meet again in Chang'an City!"

"No problem, Uncle-Master, you're the best! We haven't seen a single ghost on this journey, and we even traveled for half a day on the official road. It's all thanks to your skill, Uncle-Master!"

"Stop flattering me, Uncle-Master has already gone over time and has to go back to report. It'll be quite a hassle!"

"Then let me tell you, after the Divine Ability Realm..."

Jin Chang didn't want to take another step; he stopped immediately after crossing the border into Huainan.

The group had no choice but to rest, searching for any available ingredients, and if they couldn't find any, they would drink some water to fill their stomachs.

Rong Tianding was controlling the mount, while Zhang Xuezhou was dictating the contents of the Yin Yang Great Compassion Nine Heavens Incantation.

With some parts missing, Zhang Xuezhou also wanted to see how Jin Chang would fill in the gaps and whether he could move beyond the cultivation method of "Human Pill".

He spoke from the heart, and the content he omitted was indeed cut off.

"Something seems off about what comes next... Who?"

While deep in thought, Jin Chang frowned, his body already floating out like a wisp of smoke, grabbing at a slightly restless mount.

Before Jin Chang could even reach out, several grayish-white venomous snakes roared and hissed as they emerged from beneath his mount.

"Fellow Daoist Jin, it's been a long time. I hope you can lend me a hand; I will surely repay you handsomely in the future!"

Hongku's voice came softly from beneath the horse's belly, which made Jin Chang's eyelids twitch, and then his face showed surprise.

"It seems you can't escape being chased. I want to ask if you can pass on that method of flying and concealing your body?" Jin Chang said quickly.

"Able!"

Can I learn it?

"Able!"

Can you tell me?

"Able!"

After Hongku finished saying the three "can", Jin Chang had already dashed off, heading towards Tian You, who was likely to be tracking him down.

"Teacher, you've got a pretty good eye on your life!"

As Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding quickly gathered everyone to mount their horses and leave, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but lean closer to Hongku and complain.

"You're quick too!"

Hongku poked his head out from under the horse's belly and replied to Zhang Xuezhou in an annoyed tone.

Before Jin Chang discovered it, Hongku had been listening for quite a while and knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou was also making a living by selling his skills.