Keeping Venerable Lei on the Hook

"Liu Xuan, you should learn cultivation properly from Young Master Wei. I will prepare a Qi and Blood Pill for you soon!"

"Little Huo, Liu Xuan's aptitude is quite good. Observe how he cultivates after Realm Entry. It will be easier to correct the mistakes you made in the early stages of cultivation when your body grows up!"

Even Huo Qubing could see through Wei Shao'er's little schemes, so Zhang Xuezhou would have no problem seeing through them either.

He wasn't a stingy person; he promised Huo Qubing he would teach him as much as he could learn.

Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou that forcing someone to learn something they can't learn will only waste their time, given the numerous cases he has encountered in real life where people fail to learn it despite his extensive experience.

Only by learning step by step can Zhang Xuezhou teach his students step by step.

He patted Liu Xuan on the shoulder, then winked at Huo Qubing, signaling Huo Qubing to follow Liu Xuan around more, as this might be more effective than following him.

They were not mediocre people either; their minds were focused on curing Huo Qubing's illness, while Liu Xuan used his magic to solve the problem, even mentioning that this situation would be of great benefit to Huo Qubing.

This means that Liu Xuan possessed the corresponding knowledge, or had access to classical texts, or had witnessed similar situations.

Zhang Xuezhou's judgment leans towards the former, believing that Liu Xuan and Li Shaojun obtained ancient inheritances in similar circumstances. However, he does not rule out the latter possibility, since Liu Xuan has the face of Emperor Gaozu in his youth, and there may be something else hidden beneath that face.

Huo Qubing was very clever, and adults were less wary of children. Zhang Xuezhou really hoped that Huo Qubing could gain some benefits from the other party.

A simple arrangement was made, and the personnel were divided into two groups.

Wei Shao'er and the others took Liu Xuan back to the mansion, while Zhang Xuezhou and the others found a carriage and headed out of the city.

"You surnamed Dong, are you really going to refine a longevity elixir?"

Inside the carriage, Li Shaojun had regained his otherworldly appearance. Looking at Zhang Xuezhou, who had also undergone a face change, he couldn't figure out how Zhang Xuezhou's aging technique had made him younger, or how he could refine pills to keep Venerable Lei on his Venerable Lei while simultaneously satisfying him.

"They've already taken the risk and made the sacrifice; we have to give Venerable Lei an explanation," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"But I have absolutely no idea how to refine any longevity elixirs," Li Shaojun whispered. "I can pretend, but don't get me killed!"

"Don't worry, it won't kill us," Zhang Xuezhou said. "We'll refine both the internal and external elixirs together. You can add whatever ingredients you have, and I'll add whatever ingredients I have. The results will definitely be perfect!"

"Really?" Li Shaojun asked skeptically, "Isn't this just reckless alchemy?"

"Don't talk nonsense about refining pills!"

Zhang Xuezhou made a comment, but then did not respond to Li Shaojun.

He was haphazardly refining pills, but he still stuffed in genuine longevity pills.

If you mix genuine products with counterfeit ones, you can at least get some of the desired effect.

Zhang Xuezhou's poison resistance is almost maxed out, so he's not afraid to try the medicine; he can test it with Venerable Lei.

Zhang Xuezhou felt it was worth it to keep Venerable Lei.

Zhang Xuezhou also wanted to test the medicinal properties of the Longevity Elixir.

Although Laojun does not refine pills with toxic side effects, the pills Laojun refines are all for cultivators, not for ordinary people. Zhang Xuezhou would not rashly give the medicine directly to his parents and others, lest a joyous occasion turn into a funeral.

"Cousin, how's the house over there being renovated?"

"Fifty percent is finished, it's habitable, all that's left is the finishing touches. We sold the property, and everyone has saved up quite a bit of money over the years. You also contributed some money, so the construction progressed very well. Everyone's waiting for you to come back and live with us!"

I'm going there in another two weeks!

Yanglingyi and Zhang Xuezhou was responsible for building, were not far apart, and using the means of flight, they were practically within arm's reach.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to frequently oversee the construction and repair of the mausoleum in the future, returning home would be very convenient.

"I was thinking of taking everyone over there for a look, so they can all benefit from it, and it'll also make it easier to have a reason to do feng shui for rich people and build tombs in the future. It's safer to collect this kind of money from the dead..."

The people of Zhang Household Village are old and their eyesight is failing, making them prone to making mistakes when divination. However, finding burial sites for the dead doesn't pose any serious consequences.

Zhang Xuezhou was thinking of using the construction of Maoling as a way to enhance the prestige of everyone involved, and then expanding their business to include this project.

The two chatted about how to charge for tomb repair and construction, and how to develop industry jargon. Li Shaojun, who was listening nearby, felt that these two cousins were no different from himself. There was a reason why they could all hang out together.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding did not shy away from Li Shaojun in their discussion. The reason for this was simple: the two would not be in competition. Li Shaojun, with his own independent business, could only get people to build Daoist temples and send him money, while Zhang Xuezhou and his group involved a large group of elderly people and could only scatter flowers and make money through shady means.

Knock knock!

The two continued to talk in hushed tones until Li Shaojun tapped his knuckles rhythmically twice on the carriage, at which point they both fell silent.

The curtain was lifted, and Venerable Lei, dressed in linen clothes, boarded the carriage.

"Master Li!"

Venerable Lei glanced at Zhang Xuezhou and nodded, then clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Li Shaojun. Li Shaojun stroked his beard and did not respond, but nodded in return.

"Go to Shanglin Garden with a license!"

Rong Tianding hung the token on the carriage, and the carriage immediately sped off along the road outside the city.

"Today..."

"I've already invited experts to help cut the spirit silk jade lotus root and extract the lotus root starch. I'll refine another batch today!"

Venerable Lei cautiously asked, and Li Shao Jun raised a finger.

After spouting nonsense that even he himself didn't believe, Venerable Lei calmed down, while Li Shao Jun glanced at Zhang Xuezhou unintentionally.

Li Shaojun was uncertain of his chances. He couldn't afford to cause any more trouble and didn't want to anger Venerable Lei and get killed by him.

Although their cultivation levels are similar, the different Technique Method they use due to their Realm Technique result in a significant difference in their combat strength.

If we were to rank the cultivators of the Three Realms, legendary powerhouses like Yuanshi Tianzun would be in the first tier, Venerable Lei in the second tier, Cheng Bushi and some sect leaders in the third tier, military officers skilled in combat in the fourth tier, and Li Shaojun in the fifth tier.

Given the two-level difference in individual strength, and Li Shaojun's reluctance to die, it's not surprising that he felt somewhat uneasy.

"I won't be in a long time for this alchemy session. Please wait outside for a while, and we'll appreciate the pills together then!"

Li Shaojun's demeanor was perfectly appropriate.

He arrived at the place where Zhang Xuezhou was refining pills after being thoroughly investigated by the Imperial Guards, and acted as if he were the master of this side hall.

As they strolled along, Li Shaojun also gave instructions to Venerable Lei, causing Venerable Lei to look anxious but also have to patiently wait.

"Wu Jin, Wu Jin..."

Li Shaojun entered the Alchemy Chamber first, while Venerable Lei whispered to Zhang Xuezhou, who wanted to follow.

"I have a feeling this Young Master Li is unreliable," Venerable Lei whispered. "He seems to know nothing about the Longevity Elixir, and the herbs he's chosen don't involve any longevity-enhancing medicines!"

"I found out from Master Li that the Longevity Elixir involves thousand-year-old blood essence, Ganoderma lucidum, Polygonatum sibiricum, Bitter Apricot, thousand-year-old ginseng, Drunken Peach, and Silver Fruit," Zhang Xuezhou said. "He definitely doesn't want to reveal the Pill Formula to you, so he's deliberately pretending to be confused in front of you!"

"What you're talking about is the real great medicine... Oh dear, this Daoist priest Li is quite shrewd. He was just trying to fool me," Venerable Lei complained via telepathy. "If he had just told me the names of these great medicines earlier, instead of trying to fool me with a few angelica roots, I wouldn't be so worried about whether the longevity pills are reliable!"

"Master Li has refined longevity pills several times, but these potent ingredients are scattered and difficult to form into pills. He's thinking of using the lotus root powder from the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root to shape them!"

"He said yesterday that those three sections of old lotus root were impossible to cut, and today he's already made starch from them?"

"Lotus root is difficult to cut with knives or swords, but if you boil it in water to make a lotus root soup, and then dry it to extract the starch!"

"He's really a genius to come up with something like this! When I was starving, I craved the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root, and I almost broke my teeth while biting into it. That stuff is really difficult to handle!"

"Now that it's cleaned up, we can start refining pills!"

Will it work?

Zhang Xuezhou and Venerable Lei whispered to each other, and Zhang Xuezhou eventually managed to fool Venerable Lei.

When Li Shaojun called out from Alchemy Chamber, Zhang Xuezhou successfully shook off Venerable Lei and entered the Alchemy Chamber as well, where he met Li Shaojun, who had brought two angelica roots to make up the numbers.