Roaming

Zhang Xuezhou startled Dong Yan.

He was, after all, someone who belonged to the upper class. Even if he didn't display any domineering aura, simply imitating the demeanor of emperors and others wouldn't be a problem.

Dong Yan's infiltration of Princess Guantao's residence was indeed very effective; he completed his mission with relative ease.

The depth of this infiltration amazed even Zhang Xuezhou.

Dong Yan was capable, so he was expected to do more work. Zhang Xuezhou clearly didn't want to pay him, but he really hoped that Dong Yan could do more work.

After creating a false identity by playing cards out of thin air, Dong Yan's awkward smile was tinged with a hint of ingratiation.

The ways of the world and people's hearts are indeed strange. The poor will use what they have to please the rich, and the rich, even without giving anything in return, or even just a few words of praise, will make many poor people very satisfied.

The same applies to matters of power.

As long as one holds a higher official position and wields greater power, it is taken for granted that one should command lower-level officials to do things, and it is even considered an honor for these people, even if they do not gain any real benefit from it.

The poor hope that the rich will be kind enough to give them a chance to get rich, while low-ranking officials work hard hoping that their superiors will promote them.

Of course, people's hearts and reality are two different things.

While some successes may be rare, they are not universally applicable. If Dong Yan can't gain anything from Zhang Xuezhou and starts to become harmful instead of valuable, Zhang Xuezhou might even send him to jail.

He offered Dong Yan a few words of encouragement in a lukewarm way, and then mentioned that he could meet with his superior, Minister Ma, upon returning to the Immortal Court after completing his mission. This made Dong Yan's face flush red as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and he showed no trace of the genius cultivator Huang Laodao was supposed to be.

"My lord, there are rumors circulating that His Majesty used the Red Empyrean Sword as a wedding gift for the Empress, and that the Empress will be in charge of it. The Empress will be returning to Princess Guantao's residence to see Princess Dou tomorrow. Do you wish to inquire about this?"

Dong Yan became increasingly ingratiating, and frequently mentioned information he knew.

Tomorrow?

Zhang Xuezhou nodded, indicating that he understood.

This information is somewhat useful, but not very useful. After all, outsiders are not allowed to watch the Empress's homecoming visit. Dong Yan can join in the fun, but Zhang Xuezhou will find it difficult to get involved.

He waved his hand to signal, and then asked Dong Yan to listen more carefully to see if there was any opportunity. If there was, he would inform him.

This made Dong Yan nod repeatedly.

For Dong Yan, his espionage mission was complete, and he was restricted from sending reports, making it difficult to take the next step. At this point, it was normal for him to curry favor with the immortal and do other things.

He left the mansion in high spirits, while Zhang Xuezhou muttered "a turtle looking at a green bean," clearly adding the inconveniently movable Demon-Revealing Mirror to the list of treasures that could only be seen but not used.

"Dou Shisan, deliver this bamboo slip to No. 17, Old Tree Alley!"

After thinking about Liu Xuan, whom he had almost completely ignored, Zhang Xuezhou decided to summon him to his residence to check on the situation.

Liu Xuan, who could use the Four Directions Locking Technique, was no ordinary person. Zhang Xuezhou was preparing to practice this technique recently, hoping to maintain a normal adult size when he was exhausted, and to be able to consult Liu Xuan for reference on any aspects of his practice that were not going well.

He stroked his beard, glanced in the direction of Changxin Palace, and paced back and forth a few steps.

His affairs were intertwined and seemed chaotic, but the core issue was his lack of self-protection, which led to various problems, unlike in the past when he only needed to focus on one thing.

He even had the task of building an imperial mausoleum for the new emperor.

Like funeral home workers in the real world, this kind of job may seem ominous, but it is a genuinely stable job.

Many things seem scattered, but Zhang Xuezhou believes that they can all be connected.

This was probably his life while he was stationed in Chang'an City for a long time.

"What good knives are left in this world?"

As long as he could swallow the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root to untie the knot of Law Power, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he could come and go freely, and everything would be much easier.

He didn't even need to send Dou Shisan to deliver the message; he could easily find Rong Tianding by using his cloud-riding technique, thereby learning Liu Xuan's whereabouts. He could also quickly inspect the new emperor's tomb or hide the Red Empyrean Sword at the ends of the earth, making the imperial sword no longer a threat to him.

Zhang Xuezhou can also do many things quickly.

Over the years, he has relied heavily on his travel skills. Although things haven't always gone smoothly, without these skills, Zhang Xuezhou would have been unable to make any progress.

"Let's go out and broaden our horizons!"

After failing to lock his body in the Four Locking Techniques several times with only a few simple attempts, Zhang Xuezhou felt his internal Law Power becoming increasingly thin.

He didn't force himself to continue cultivating. After looking around the relatively empty mansion, Zhang Xuezhou leisurely went out.

Zhang Xuezhou's travels to broaden his horizons weren't necessarily a good thing, so he decided to make plans early to avoid Yi Shuo being scrambling to find her next target when she became pregnant.

Women with cultivation abilities are few, and women with special bodies are even rarer. Zhang Xuezhou wandered aimlessly in the Imperial City District, looking for any mansions where women like A Qiao would be going out. He also tried his luck while walking, looking for any female knights-errant. His ultimate destination was the brothels where he searched for women from the general public.

Zhang Xuezhou firmly believes that as long as you put in the effort, you'll eventually find a few grains of gold while washing gold in the river sand.

"They were all older, married women; I didn't encounter a single unmarried woman along the way!"

After walking around the various mansions, Zhang Xuezhou noticed at least eighty or a hundred women. Most of these women were working by the ditches in the laundry workshop. Zhang Xuezhou warmly called out to his sisters several times, "Look up, ladies," which drew curses from the crowd who called him a lecher.

He was quite disgruntled, feeling that the married women were very shrewish and lacked any of the naiveté of young, unmarried women.

After wandering around for two hours, Zhang Xuezhou arrived at the Golden Jade Brothel in the Imperial City District.

Wei Shao often sings for money here, and most of the people who tip him are wealthy.

When he turned around, he heard Wei Shao'er standing on the high platform singing "The Song of Breaking the Enemy's Formation in Chang'an".

The melody remained the same, but the lyrics sung by Wei Shao'er were no longer Sima Xiangru's "Zixu Fu," but instead a short poem.

"The wind rises, the clouds fly high; my might extends across the land, I return to my homeland; where can I find brave warriors to guard the four corners of the earth?"

The three short lines of lyrics, sung repeatedly through changes in melody, do not feel monotonous; on the contrary, they become increasingly stirring as the melody rises.

"Wind!"

"Strong wind!"

Above Wei Shao'er's high platform were many wealthy and noble people dressed in rich clothes, young generals in red armor, and rich merchants.

When Wei Shao'er paused to rest, these people shouted excitedly, much like men and women in a bar who were wildly twisting their bodies in a frenzy.

The ground of the platform was covered with a layer of half-ounce coins, and occasionally some broken silver and gold could be seen, as well as some pearl ornaments, and a few long swords and long robes were also scattered around.

The various kinds of valuables piled up were complicated, and the long robes of this era were indeed considered rewards. Even when the imperial court bestowed rewards, it would use brocade robes and the like as heavy gifts. Zhang Xuezhou found it hard to comment on this scene. He only felt that he had broadened his horizons today.

The crowd below the platform was equally massive, with even more people unable to afford the entrance fee of one hundred and a half taels of silver.

Below the platform, one could hear the sounds but not see the people, yet even so, the shouts continued unabated, and many people seemed to be possessed by the music.

For Zhang Xuezhou, who had received a systematic education and was not lacking in entertainment such as music, novels, and television, this kind of thing was somewhat unbelievable. However, as long as he thought about how Song Fengying's live broadcast could cause such a stir that even someone like Changkong Luo couldn't help but step in and give rewards, he could understand the impact.

As Wei Zifu said, the impact of this new tune is enormous, and many people who are lacking in spiritual entertainment are very easily hooked.

It's normal for Wei Shao'er to earn a lot of money every day, especially since he has the Pingyang Marquis's mansion backing him up. No one dares to charge him venue fees, no one takes a commission, and no one dares to harass him.

"Lord Dongfang, what brings you here today?"

As the music ended, Wei Shao'er, while ordering two guards from the Marquis's residence to collect the money, also stepped off the stage from the side and waved to Zhang Xuezhou from afar.

They made an agreement, and Wei Shao'er habitually came to sing for money, but she was still somewhat worried that her protection was inadequate.

She called out, but Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, clearly not caring about her guard duties, and instead his eyes were fixed on the courtesans who would be performing on stage next.

"Lord Dongfang, you've only been married a few days and you've already come to this kind of brothel. Men really can't escape the temptations. I mustn't let my sick son be corrupted. By the way, my sick son... Lord Dongfang, my sick son went to your place. Didn't he come with you?"

Looking at Zhang Xuezhou, Wei Shao'er thought of her own child and realized that she had to discipline Huo Qubing properly in the future, lest Huo Qubing also become a frequent visitor to brothels.

She called out, and Zhang Xuezhou snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and then suddenly remembered something, jumped off the platform and ran away.