Unleashing Divine Might

Zhang Xuezhou had honed his physical skills, so he was not afraid of crude striking methods. Even if a wooden stick broke on his buttocks, it wouldn't hurt him in the slightest.

But this would undoubtedly be seen as an act of defiance against the Empress Dowager.

He didn't force himself to stay awake; instead, he simply collapsed onto the bed, hoping to avoid the situation for as long as possible.

"The Empress Dowager's tour won't last long. I'll go with her when she returns. Once His Majesty returns to the palace, the matter will be over!"

The new emperor was away from the palace for at least half a month, which was indeed a bit long, but that's how things are; as long as he returned, everything was fine.

For example, Li Guang, the Commandant of the Guards of the Weiyang Palace, was the most important figure. The Empress Dowager would not punish Li Guang, nor would she pursue the matter further afterward.

People like them would only anger the Empress Dowager if they went to her, and she would then give them a stern reprimand.

As long as he doesn't appear in front of the Empress Dowager, Zhang Xuezhou feels that the Empress Dowager shouldn't be bothered by him.

Zhang Xuezhou was making his own little plans, and then he weakly called out twice more.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, Zhang Xuezhou heard the sounds of the Imperial Guards' drills outside fade away.

He only realized that the imperial carriage had already passed through this area when he saw the door being pushed open, and a canopy was placed at the entrance.

"Is this... is this some kind of beating to drag me out of bed?"

Zhang Xuezhou's heart skipped a beat, just as he heard a eunuch outside the door shout, "The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

I'm starving!

Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to bite the bullet and call out.

The sound of footsteps landing outside the door had barely taken two steps when a voice begging for mercy on knees suddenly rang out.

Drag him away and give him five strokes of the cane!

Zhang Xuezhou's guess was absolutely correct; making a mistake by wandering around in front of the Empress Dowager would indeed result in a reprimand.

The Empress Dowager reprimanded him in a low voice, and then spoke again to give a signal.

"Send in the food I prepared!"

After a series of moving sounds, Zhang Xuezhou saw eunuchs at the entrance carrying carved phoenix wooden trays on top, and they filed in one after another.

"The Empress Dowager bestows rice cakes upon the ladies!"

"The Empress Dowager bestows lotus seed cakes!"

"The Empress Dowager bestows honey cakes!"

"The Empress Dowager has bestowed upon you a pot of Imperial Jade Liquor!"

Not much different from the Empress in the Weiyang Palace, the Empress Dowager also enjoyed pastries.

These pastries are mostly made from grains through steaming or boiling, then mixed with honey and other ingredients. They taste very good, but they can be quite cloying if you eat too much, so you'll need to drink water or alcohol to cut through the richness.

Seeing the eunuchs bowing and placing the plates in front of the bed, Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue eating.

He even had to speed up to avoid appearing hungry.

"This Dongfang Shuo must be starving!"

"A massive amount!"

The pastries on the tray are solid and thick, each tray weighing about three to five pounds, enough to feed more than ten people at the same time.

Zhang Xuezhou swallowed it whole, then forced it to digest using the Grain Avoidance Instruction.

He ate and drank so much that even the Empress Dowager couldn't resist peeking over a few times.

"Your method of Grain Avoidance is quite remarkable!"

Later, even the Empress Dowager couldn't help but praise it.

"Just make sure you don't make any mistakes with your food intake after you wake up from your illness, lest you really starve!"

Being able to eat a lot is a skill.

Being able to endure hunger is a skill in itself.

Having both of these skills is an extraordinary ability.

Without a doubt, the Empress Dowager knew that Zhang Xuezhou's endurance far surpassed that of ordinary people.

If someone like Zhang Xuezhou, when sober, were to use his abilities to deliver urgent reports at breakneck speed, he would be an exceptional talent, not to mention that Zhang Xuezhou is also skilled at flying.

Although it seemed like he was just eating, the Empress Dowager couldn't really get angry at Zhang Xuezhou, who looked like a starving ghost. She didn't drag him out and beat him like she did with Han Yan and the others for not taking good care of the new emperor.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

As long as he didn't speak, he would be punished; instead, he would use other means to start a conversation. Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that he was unlikely to be beaten afterward.

His years of communicating with various high-ranking individuals were not for show; rather, Zhang Xuezhou was well aware that once the established stalemate was broken, he would not be able to push himself into that situation.

From the moment the Empress Dowager stepped through the door, Zhang Xuezhou had already bowed. After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, he quickly responded.

"Do you have the strength now?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"After eating the Empress's cake, I feel full of energy," Zhang Xuezhou replied.

"It's good that you have the strength. I heard that you and His Majesty went on an inspection tour of Zhongnan Mountain?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"I have been ill and have sought medical help for a long time without success, so I decided to treat myself," Zhang Xuezhou said, bowing. "These past few days I went to Zhongnan Mountain to gather herbs, but I was attacked by a pack of wolves. Fortunately, Your Majesty passed by and displayed great power, which allowed me to escape. In the end, I followed Your Majesty down Zhongnan Mountain!"

"Oh?"

The Empress Dowager spoke with some surprise, then looked around.

"How did Your Majesty display such divine power?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"His Majesty drew his sword and killed forty-six wolves within a hundred meters. The wolf pack collapsed like a house of cards and fled in panic," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Does Your Majesty truly possess such divine power?"

The Empress Dowager's face showed disbelief.

Cultivation level can easily lead to complacency, making people believe that strong cultivation can generate overwhelming power, allowing them to kill whomever they want.

But the reality is far from what we imagine.

If comparing the new emperor to the gray wolf doesn't readily evoke a clear understanding, then compare an ordinary adult to a mouse, chicken, or duck.

If an ordinary person were to kill forty-six scurrying rats in a short period of time, even the Empress Dowager would have to praise them as remarkable.

Let alone the new emperor's cultivation level, even a martial artist at the Divine Ability Realm would have a hard time accomplishing such a task.

"Commander Cheng, how long will it take you to kill forty-six wolves?" the Empress Dowager asked, looking behind her.

"Your Majesty, if the wolves are bound and unable to move, I can kill all forty-six wolves with six sword strikes in no more than three breaths," Cheng Bushi.

"What if these wolves weren't tied up and were in the jungle?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"If it weren't right in front of me, I would have to keep chasing and killing in the jungle, and the time required for that would be hard to say," Cheng Bushi said earnestly.

"Can't you be sure about the time either?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"Cannot!"

Cheng Bushi nodded in agreement.

Killing forty-six wolves Cheng Bushi; the challenge lay in killing them within a short timeframe of a hundred meters.

Without the deterrence and suppression of powerful cultivators skilled in Technique Method, it would be difficult for cultivators proficient in martial arts to achieve a mass kill. Cheng Bushi a cultivator who could kill quickly in battle, and he had to admit that he could not do such a thing.

"Okay, okay!"

When the Empress Dowager entered, she still carried a hint of anger, but now her anger had completely vanished, and she even smiled and praised the move.

"The Red Empyrean Sword is indeed extraordinary," the Empress Dowager said. "With this sword by His Majesty's side, His Majesty is safe!"

If we were to find a reason for the new emperor's extraordinary power, it would inevitably involve the Red Empyrean Sword, as only the Red Empyrean Sword could help the new emperor achieve such an incredible kill.

The Empress Dowager was anxious because she was worried about the safety of the new emperor and feared that something might happen to him.

A person's strength can be judged by their battle record. With the new emperor's strength, he wouldn't need to worry about anything around Chang'an City, let alone venture into dangerous places.

As long as top-tier cultivators like Zhu Jiuyin don't personally arrive, the Red Empyrean Sword is sufficient to withstand external risks.

With a weight lifted from her shoulders, her furrowed brows relaxed.

Originally, she came to Shanglin Garden to interrogate and punish the new emperor, but now she is overjoyed and has no such thoughts in her mind. At most, she can only give her son a few words of reprimand as a loving mother.