The Golden Tortoise, Lost and Found

"I used to have no sense of time; I even felt that the night was too long, and time never seemed to rush by like water!"

As the anchors compared the different cultural landscapes of ancient and modern times, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel emotional, realizing for the first time how quickly time had passed.

He did feel that time was passing a little too quickly, so quickly that Zhang Xuezhou felt something was amiss.

However, immersed in the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique, Zhang Xuezhou lost track of time and was helpless against his own cultivation aptitude.

He had to accept reality and could only wait for this day to pass before returning to another world.

"When I discussed the Dao with the Emperor, he said that cultivation knows no time; one can remain in a secluded place for a long time without realizing the passage of time, while a thousand years have passed in the world!"

Zhang Xuezhou sighed, and Ren Anran echoed his sentiment.

"He certainly has a lot of experience in this area!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about the emperor of the Western Kunlun Holy Land and felt that the other's life was indeed monotonous and repetitive, and would be more boring than his own.

In the monotony of life, it's hard to make any special memories, which leads to a repetitive, fleeting existence.

Ren Anran's mention of the Emperor made Zhang Xuezhou think about the centennial gathering that the Kunlun Sacred Land needed to participate in.

In terms of timing, it is indeed very close.

However, he recently had to consider A Qiao's childbirth, which required avoiding the risks of unscientific childbirth for ordinary people. He also had to send the new emperor to the north, and he was also trying to find a way for Zhu Jiuyin quickly cultivate the Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation Technique. In addition, there was the Locking Yang Law Power that his own body had not yet unlocked. Furthermore, he was involved in the possibility of discussing the Dao of Transforming Infants with Dong Zhongshu and others. The hundred-year agreement was indeed neglected by him.

After reflecting on this, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he was always rushing around in terms of time, and his life was so full that there was no time to relax. It was rare for him to be able to sit back in a chair and enjoy the breeze like he was doing now.

He's definitely not a leisurely person. If he hasn't done a few things he planned to do, he inexplicably feels like he's being driven by someone with a whip.

"To be honest, I'd also like to test it out in the lab..."

Zhang Xuezhou muttered about his own busy little thoughts, only to hear Ren Anran say "Look," and then point to the distance.

"Ning Que, what brings him here?"

It wouldn't be surprising if Ning Que appeared anywhere, but Ning Que was clearly heading towards Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

Ning Que only needs to walk a hundred steps to reach Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou was quite Ning Que how Ning Que had managed to find him so accurately, since very few people had been able to contact him in the past few months.

"Brother Zhang, it's been so long! Hello, Sister Ren!"

In the few short seconds that Zhang Xuezhou and the others were watching, Ning Que's walking had already become a brisk pace, and he quickly approached Zhang Xuezhou and the others who were sitting on the park bench.

"You seem to be looking for us," Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously. "How did you find us so accurately?"

Do you remember this?

Ning Que put down the backpack on his back, then unzipped it, revealing a bronze-cast golden tortoise.

Is that it?

Zhang Xuezhou's eyes narrowed slightly, and he and Ren Anran stared at each other.

After defeating Huang Daoxian, the golden tortoise disappeared without a trace, and even though Ren Yisheng and the others searched the ground three feet deep, they couldn't find it.

As Huang Daoxian's defeat proved irreversible, the matter was gradually forgotten.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't expect Ning Que not to give up.

"Where did you find it?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

Compared to how Ning Que finds himself, how to find the golden turtle is obviously more important, and Zhang Xuezhou's questions also turned to the golden turtle.

"You might not believe it, but I bought this for five hundred yuan from a roadside stall," Ning Que said with a wry smile. "Somehow it ended up in Weiyuan County and was filmed in a video. Lin Qingyu, who's into the internet, discovered it and contacted me, so I drove there specifically to buy it back!"

"They actually went all the way to Weiyuan County?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"Rocket artillery absolutely cannot blast it to Weiyuan County!"

Ren Anran expressed her opinion cautiously.

Weiyuan County is located near Western Capital City Western Capital City, about 180 li away. Even if this golden tortoise were to ride on the rocket launcher with the longest range, it could only fly that far.

The golden turtle statue is indeed a bronze artifact unearthed by Zhang Xuezhou and others in Dongshan, and it is not a replica. It would be difficult for anyone to perfectly imitate the patina on the turtle's mouth holding the rim of the basin.

Zhang Xuezhou carefully examined the golden tortoise, confirming every minute detail of it.

He only quickly averted his gaze when he vaguely sensed the golden tortoise wriggling slightly.

"It seems like someone is controlling it," Zhang Xuezhou said.

Zhang Xuezhou had seen bronze turtles wander around before, but he never expected this bronze turtle could run so far.

The bronze tortoise is not a living creature, but rather belongs to the category of magical artifacts.

Either the bronze tortoise is drawn by fate, or it may be manipulated.

The power emanating from the bronze tortoise was clearly very fragile, so weak that an ordinary person could catch it, and Ning Que could lock it in his backpack.

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't explain the reason for the bronze tortoise's operation, but it was indeed a rare treasure, possibly even comparable to items like Ding Kui and the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon Staff.

"This thing can be controlled to run around everywhere, wouldn't we have to keep an eye on it all the time?" Ren Anran said.

"No, no, no," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head and said, "It can travel underground, but it can't travel through everything, not even Ning Que's backpack!"

"It didn't manage to escape. These past few days, Jin Shixue, Wang Zimo, Min Ziyan, Lin Qingyu, and I have been taking turns guarding it. It can move, but it can't stay without the backpack made of cloth," Ning Que said.

It seems you guys get along very well!

When Ning Que explained the situation, he mentioned everyone's name, clearly not wanting to claim credit for himself.

"Wang Ziming, Min Ziyan, and Lin Qingyu's foundations are a bit weak, so they can only be trained through special recruitment," Zhang Xuezhou said. "You and Lao Jin are both extremely rare sequence masters. You don't need to pay too much attention to those rumors in the sequence circle. When the time is right, you'll get your chance!"

"I..."

Zhang Xuezhou clearly had not forgotten Ning Que, nor had he forgotten Jin Shixue, the master of the old and remnant clan.

In fact, Zhang Xuezhou was still thinking about Ning Que when he was learning the Eighteen Strikes with a Sticky Clothes from Zhufu Yan, but he was too busy to attend to him.

Ning Que is the most capable fighter among the younger generation, while Jin Shixue is a master among the middle-aged. The only things they lack are family background and connections.

Zhang Xuezhou has already smoothed things over with the Zhou Household for Ning Que, but Zhou Yueyan is probably also anxious about the sequence lock recently. After all, the Zhou Household doesn't have much surplus, and the conditions offered by Zhang Xuezhou and others are enough to make the Zhou Household bleed a lot, and even bring the scientific research led by Zhou Yueyan to a standstill.

This anxiety likely affected Ning Que.

"You want to trade this for my quick-release sequence lock, right?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with a smile.

"I had this idea, but I wasn't sure if it would work before I came," Ning Que awkwardly but tried to explain. "This golden tortoise should be of some use. I've discovered that it seems to be able to locate us, and I've been using its orientation to find you these past few days!"

"It must be hiding our presence!"

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a few seconds.

Clearly, their war with Huang Daoxian was over, but their entanglement with the owner of the Golden Turtle had not been severed.