Cooperation and Competition

Putting aside his character, Zhufu Yan was indeed quite capable.

The martial arts techniques displayed by the opponent did not emphasize grandeur or orthodoxy; they were used in whatever way was practical, convenient, and effective.

Each move of Zhufu Yan's sword is designed to strike the opponent's acupoints according to their changes, causing the opponent to be slowed down or fail in their spellcasting, and then the basic move of a blinding groin kick follows.

The power of the Qi and Blood flowing through the three acupoints is very low, but the speed is extremely fast, far faster than those martial arts that require the use of Qi and Blood from hundreds of acupoints.

If you remove the follow-up blow of the groin kick, Zhang Xuezhou felt that this martial art was very similar to Ning Que's freestyle kicking.

They are clearly from different worlds, yet their martial arts styles are so similar, which makes Zhang Xuezhou marvel at the wonder of it all.

Ning Que was able to defeat his opponent with a set of Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) techniques to become the sequencing champion, Zhufu Yan's sword was even more lethal, clearly giving him a significant advantage in close-quarters combat.

"Brother Dongfang, would you like to learn a few moves too?"

After Zhufu Yan finished performing a complex set of "Eighteen Strikes for Clothing," he saw Zhang Xuezhou also demonstrating on the side. He was delighted, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou was quite supportive.

"Your swordsmanship is simple yet powerful, effective even with just physical strength. I'm eager to learn, so I'll try to pick up a couple of moves!"

Zhang Xuezhou, who lacked close-combat skills, really wanted to learn a couple of practical close-range tactics.

His body couldn't circulate Qi and Blood, but Zhang Xuezhou's physical strength was not weak.

Moreover, he also snatched a Fish Intestine Sword from Li Shaojun. The power of the divine weapon combined with his physical strength would make his thrusting melee attack incredibly powerful.

Combining Ning Que's freestyle fighting style with reference to Zhufu Yan's Eighteen Strikes with Clothes, Zhang Xuezhou is also refining his self-defense techniques.

This aligns with his earlier assassination attempt on Hongku. After exchanging the Deer-Slaying Blade for Li Guang, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't pull off this tactic anymore, but once he obtained the Fish Intestine Sword, he could use it again.

"Then your pronunciation isn't standard!"

Zhang Xuezhou practiced several moves in succession before being corrected by Zhufu Yan.

"Would you like me to give you some pointers?" Zhufu Yan asked with a hint of smugness.

It's as strange as a courtesan in a brothel claiming she only sells her art, not her body, to expect a Alchemist to also practice martial arts and swordsmanship.

If Zhang Xuezhou wasn't just offering empty praise but genuinely wanted to learn, Zhufu Yan thought Zhang Xuezhou must be out of his mind; his IQ had probably dropped after all these years.

What do you know!

Zhang Xuezhou remained silent, but Huo Qubing, standing to the side, retorted indignantly.

Without cultivating one's Qi and Blood, there's no need to completely follow Zhufu Yan's fighting style.

Huo Qubing felt that Zhang Xuezhou didn't care about the Qi and Blood strength of a few acupoints at all, and that a single slap would be enough to send Zhufu Yan flying.

Huo Qubing didn't know much about others, but he knew very well about his uncle, Wei Qing.

Wei Qing is a martial artist at the Divine Ability Realm. His individual strength ranks first among the Imperial Guards of Shanglin Garden. Even when besieged by the three deputy commanders, including Wuqiu Shouwang, who are also at the Divine Ability Realm, he is not at a disadvantage.

Zhang Xuezhou was someone who could wrestle and roll with Wei Qing, and he even took a sword hilt from the new emperor without uttering a sound.

Even if such a cultivator were to roll over while lying down, he could still knock someone over, let alone attack using physical strength.

Zhang Xuezhou doesn't need to use any Qi and Blood strength to learn martial arts; he only needs to be agile enough to knock down his opponent in close combat.

Huo Qubing had previously thought Zhang Xuezhou was too weak, but was later shocked by Zhang Xuezhou's ability to control the Imperial Shuttle. However, he discovered that Zhang Xuezhou's abilities were limitless, and that he could easily surpass him with just a few simple moves.

Seeing that Zhufu Yan still wanted to instruct Zhang Xuezhou, Huo Qubing couldn't help but feel resentful.

"If you can defeat the Dongfang master with just one hand using this Eighteen Styles of Clothing-Clad Warriors, I'll call you father!" Huo Qubing exclaimed.

"How dare you speak like that, child?" Zhufu Yan said, "Even at its worst, my Eighteen Strikes of the Clothes are still a martial art I've used for many years. As long as I'm not suppressed by someone's cultivation level or strength, it's a deadly martial art, not to mention defeating a Alchemist at close range. You actually say I can't beat Dongfang Shuo with one hand? That's incredibly disrespectful!"

"Little Huo, don't cause trouble. If you do, you'll be sent back to Chang'an City!"

"Knew!"

After being criticized by Zhang Xuezhou, Huo Qubing reluctantly stopped talking.

"Brother, would you like to demonstrate your skills a couple more times?" Zhang Xuezhou urged. "We'd love to see your martial arts!"

"I'm not showing it anymore," Zhufu Yan said after a moment's thought. "I can't stay in this place anymore. Even a little brat like you is ostracizing me!"

Ah~

Looking at Huo Qubing, who had turned his head to the side, Zhufu Yan felt that the other party's interest in learning martial arts had faded too quickly, and that he had almost no chance of becoming a teacher for such a child.

He didn't want to be the one being watched, and his low-level swordsmanship wouldn't attract any attention, let alone allow his opponent to understand his high-level swordsmanship.

After some back and forth, Zhufu Yan felt that not showing it was the best option, as it would at least save him some effort.

Zhang Xuezhou looked rather surprised, completely unexpected that Zhufu Yan would break down and quit so quickly.

"Brother Dongfang, I'll go back over there and wait for the Commander-in-Chief's recommendation!"

Zhufu Yan pondered for two seconds, then glanced at the Alchemy Chamber next to the side hall.

The furnace in the Alchemy Chamber had not been lit, and there was no light or temperature to be felt outside. After seeing this clearly, Zhufu Yan felt that Zhang Xuezhou had no advantage to gain.

He hopped up the steps of the side hall and then leisurely walked to the other side.

This made Zhang Xuezhou shake his head.

He watched as the Zhufu Yan left for the side hall where they were waiting, his gaze sweeping across the room before turning to the other side.

"Whoa!"

The sound of the carriage coming to a stop after speeding along could be heard, accompanied by various voices urging them on.

Before long, the Imperial Guards, lined up in formation, quickly arrived on foot carrying wooden crates.

The fact that the Imperial Guards, selected from both the Southern Army and Northern Army, could carry these boxes indicates that their weight was extraordinary.

The new emperor and Wei Qing appeared almost simultaneously, both walking briskly towards him.

"Drag all these medicine boxes inside and arrange them properly, making sure they're in the correct order, so the Alchemist can find the medicine easily," Wei Qing called out as he walked.

Boxes with the same product name should be placed together!

The new emperor added a sentence for emphasis.

The two arrived in a hurry, clearly having been busy without a break.

"I offered half of the purple Ganoderma and Polygonatum sibiricum in order to get permission from Changxin Palace to take these auxiliary medicines!"

The new emperor let out a long sigh.

Let alone Zhang Xuezhou, even if he were an emperor, he would be no exception.

The new emperor was unable to effectively mobilize the Office of the Inner Clerk, and large-scale alchemy also required consultation with the Changxin Palace.

Medicines are not afraid of being exposed to the sun; in fact, the sun dries them out. However, medicines are afraid of being soaked in water. Soaking medicines in water weakens their medicinal properties, causes them to rot, and makes them difficult to process. All these problems mean that they are difficult to store for a long time.

The powerful medicine obtained from the secret realm needs to be processed as quickly as possible.

One approach relies on the number of Alchemist to refine various types of pills, making the most of each Alchemist's abilities.

The other option is to rely on Alchemist like Zhang Xuezhou who can mass-produce pills regardless of the cost, refining whatever they can, because getting something is better than losing it.

The new emperor clearly paid a considerable price to quickly dispose of this batch of secret medicinal herbs.

"A total of 782 boxes, with medicines of all ages and a very complete range of products!"

"Those leftovers from the Alchemist of the Office of the Inner Clerk, perhaps?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Xuezhou asked a question, and the new emperor could only give an awkward reply.

The collaboration with Changxin Palace involved 103 Alchemist, half of whose products would be at the new emperor's disposal.

On Zhang Xuezhou's side, even though Zhang Xuezhou was a close advisor and willing to cooperate in the refining process, Zhang Xuezhou was ultimately alone.

The discussion involved comparisons among Alchemist, as well as the close yet competitive relationship with the Empress Dowager of Changxin Palace. In the end, the new emperor only obtained a portion of the medicinal herbs from the Office of the Inner Clerk.

Although most of them met Zhang Xuezhou's needs, they had indeed been selected and chosen before the new emperor gave them to Zhang Xuezhou to practice with.