A Solid Foundation, Success Like Water Flowing into a Channel
"Why do I feel that Shi Wudao and His Majesty Emperor Jing are both quite sane?"
"That's because our conversation only touched on the most important parts of their lives. If you change your approach, you'll find them stiff, rigid, and difficult to answer!"
Emperor Jing, buried in Yangling, was concerned with politics, while Shi Wudao focused on life, death, and spiritual cultivation.
If you ask each other about directions that you are both familiar with, the conversation will flow smoothly.
However, if the question is phrased differently, Fei Jiang becomes stiff and unresponsive, unable to engage in fluent conversation with Zhang Xuezhou and the others.
This is indeed a special kind of being, connected to the past, but it cannot be treated as someone from the past.
Unless the flying zombie can forge its own path and gain new intelligence, it is nothing more than a zombie buried in Yangling.
After exiting Yangling, Zhang Xuezhou carefully sealed the gate again.
After releasing the fossils several times using the bluestone staff, the previously broken rocks and soil began to recover, roughly restoring their original appearance.
Although there were some differences from before, Zhang Xuezhou didn't care too much, as long as it was generally acceptable.
Once he dispatches some craftsmen to carry stones and repair the structure, everything will be covered up. He can even create a more suitable entrance so that he won't have to repeatedly dig and cast spells to get in next time he comes.
"Cousin, who was in charge of building Yangling in the past?"
"Zhi Buyi, an elder statesman in the court, Struggle Emperor Jing diligently until his last breath, dying while guarding the imperial tomb!"
Rong Tianding asked a seemingly random question, but Zhang Xuezhou understood exactly what Rong Tianding meant.
On the one hand, Rong Tianding felt that entering Yangling so openly would inevitably offend those responsible for building the tomb.
On the other hand, Zhang Xuezhou's future situation can be inferred from his predecessor.
Zhi Buyi was in charge of the construction of Yangling during the later stages of his career as Grand Master of the Palace. He eventually rose to the position of Grand Censor, one of the Three Dukes. He lived a low-key life and enjoyed many honors. In the end, he was buried in Yangling with Emperor Jing.
Zhi Buyi never encountered any difficulties from Emperor Jing in his life, and in the end he paid for Emperor Jing's death. This ending was not bad, but he died because he was not strong enough.
"Looks like this is a really good job!"
Rong Tianding nodded repeatedly, clearly understanding the situation.
It's difficult to predict the distant future, but at least for now, they have extremely high authority over the cemetery. They can build the Maoling Mausoleum and also interfere with the restoration of various imperial tombs. It wouldn't be difficult for them to make some appropriate use of it.
The two walked as if on foot through Yangling, but in reality, they were using cloud-riding techniques to move.
Zhang Xuezhou had previously transformed his cloud-riding technique into a skill for rapid land travel, Rong Tianding was now accompanying Zhang Xuezhou on this journey.
Rong Tianding was originally unable to perform such leaps, but the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus transformed his body, making it not too difficult for him to learn from Zhang Xuezhou.
Ultimately, as long as you have a solid foundation and someone to teach you step by step, learning many advanced skills is not as difficult as you might imagine.
In particular, Rong Tianding reached the Divine Ability Realm, Law Power underwent a qualitative change, greatly reducing the difficulty of Technique Method that were previously laborious.
Although they appeared to be walking side by side, the two were actually moving at an extremely fast speed.
"That's the territory we've chosen!"
Passing through the South Sima Gate, the bustling construction scene of Yangling County came into view.
During Emperor Jing's reign, there was internal strife among the seven major vassal states. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to perform forced labor to build the Yangling Mausoleum. These people had to work in shackles, and the number of those who died from exhaustion and those who escaped and were executed was countless. This also resulted in a mass grave filled with resentment.
With fewer prisoners during the reign of the new emperor, the construction of the imperial mausoleum required the recruitment of craftsmen.
The construction of Yanglingyi attracted a large number of craftsmen, which can be considered a place for Maoling to recruit workers.
Zhang Xuezhou looked around for a while before finally focusing his attention on a large construction area.
Compared to Chang'an City, where land was incredibly valuable, land in Yanglingyi was very cheap, and there were even official subsidies to help build ditches and channels.
The area purchased by Zhang Household Village is quite large, almost forming the shape of a village.
Looking around, charlatans are constantly appearing in various residential areas, with many carrying fortune-telling shams and small stools.
"Although the current court isn't as harsh as it was in the Qin Dynasty, and we're just a bunch of fake fortune tellers, we can't be so high-profile, lest we invite trouble," Zhang Xuezhou cautioned. "We must make sure everyone understands the principle that true masters don't reveal their abilities. Only by being like Li Shaojun can we ensure our long-term safety!"
"My cousin is right. Our uncles and aunts have indeed been quite high-profile in moving into their new homes recently," Rong Tianding said.
It's much easier to talk than to do, and eventually even middle-aged men and women working and hunting in Zhang Household Village joined in, forming a large-scale "face reading" practice.
As long as they can provide psychological comfort, the people of Zhang Household Village can make a living by relying on this approach.
Although it can't be compared to being an official or a big businessman, it was still considered a relatively respectable job in this era.
"Where's Xu Yuan?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.
"He took advantage of the policy to lease a piece of land at a low price, saying he wanted to cultivate fertile land and carry on the breeding business to the end," Rong Tianding said.
"He is an ambitious man!"
Zhang Xuezhou nodded.
Cultivating fertile land is not something that can be accomplished simply by talking about it. Many farmers have spent their entire lives practicing slash-and-burn agriculture, and they only manage to cultivate two plots of fertile land in their entire lives.
Autumn fires can only burn the surface, not the roots, making it difficult to eradicate weeds completely. All the fertilizer produced by the fire will become nutrients for the weeds next year.
Without herbicides, weeds will grow wildly in the fields, sometimes even outgrowing the crops.
This required constant weeding and involved factors such as irrigation. Without the support of the imperial court and the deployment of agricultural officials to develop this area, many things would have been difficult to accomplish.
It was precisely because he understood the difficulties of the labor involved, and compared it with the ease with which the people of Zhang Household Village profited, that Zhang Xuezhou felt such deep emotion.
"Even the founder of the Agricultural Sect is doing so-so, and Xu Yuan has a stubborn temper; once he gets something done, he won't turn back. We'll have to keep an eye on him in the future," Rong Tianding said.
"Agriculture... agriculture is a huge industry!"
Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a few seconds before slowly explaining the importance of people like Xu Yuan.
Few people make a fortune from agricultural production, but agriculture is the foundation of a country. Only when the agricultural base is stable can there be a continuous supply of people.
There are no powerful cultivators in the Agricultural Sect, including its founder, who was not an exceptionally strong individual. However, the strength of the Agricultural Sect does not lie in its cultivation level or its governing philosophy, but rather in the behavior of a small branch that has emerged from the Agricultural Sect.
Breeding, farming, improving agricultural tools, and teaching agricultural production are the key tools for a prosperous nation.
If Xu Yuan could breed a large number of durable and high-yielding seeds, and then promote their sowing in various places, Zhang Xuezhou would feel that the agricultural sect had made a great contribution.
The debates between schools of thought have lasted for hundreds, even thousands of years. The leaders of all schools have Gaogao, pointing out how the country should operate, how to control people's hearts, or how to defend against foreign enemies. However, no school has turned its attention to the most basic foundation and truly made the foundation at the bottom solid.
Just like Rong Tianding's cloud-flying technique, if the foundation is insufficient, no matter how much one learns, it's like trying to walk like someone from Handan who failed to walk properly, making it difficult to achieve the same level as Zhang Xuezhou.
Once Rong Tianding's body was altered and he entered the Divine Ability Realm, everything suddenly became simple, and he almost effortlessly gained the ability to fly.