Beasts of Burden

Aqiao lives in Hu'an Lane.

There was an old woman in the house who bought groceries and cooked, and an old man who was responsible for carrying firewood, cleaning, and guarding the gate.

It takes an hour by carriage to get from here to Zhang Xuezhou's residence.

Unlike Wei Shao'er and the others who were lying in bed recovering from their injuries, A Qiao also took care of Dongfang Jia and did not stay in bed all the time.

"Jia'er couldn't crawl a few days ago, but he's started crawling these past couple of days, and he wants to see everything around him!"

Upon seeing Zhang Xuezhou arrive, Aqiao appeared extremely excited, and her headache symptoms lessened considerably.

"If you're not feeling well, ask your cousin to help you send Jia'er to Yanglingyi, so you won't have to worry about him!"

Zhang Xuezhou slowly released his Technique Method, and the healing did not happen overnight.

He told A-Qiao not to push herself too hard, lest she ruin her health.

"I originally thought I could just go for one night to verify the technique and then come back, so I didn't take Jia'er with me. Who would have thought that I would be knocked unconscious by a stick and only wake up after a whole day? I rushed back in a panic," A-Qiao said. "Yi-Shuo asked someone to send me some medicinal soup, and I've been taking it for the past few days and I'm feeling much better. My body is fine!"

"You can only recognize a few of these little sticks if you can, and don't hit them randomly in the future!"

Only then did Zhang Xuezhou flick his spiritwood staff.

Given the opponent's ruthless stick fighting skills, Zhang Xuezhou could only be thankful that Dongfang Jia hadn't followed.

He used his staff to strike the ground, letting Dongfang Jia grope around on the ground.

"Master never carries a stick, why is he carrying one today?" Ah Qiao said.

"This stick used to be inanimate and could be stored in a pouch, but now that it's come to life, it won't fit in anymore. I can only carry it with me," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. "It still has some wildness left, but once it's tamed or properly hidden, it won't cause any trouble!"

"Master is truly a man of immense fortune!" Ah Qiao exclaimed. "I have never seen such a useful stick before!"

"It was a lucky coincidence!"

Zhang Xuezhou chuckled. Looking at A Qiao, whose brows had unfurrowed, he felt that her injuries had healed very well.

The Spiritwood Staff has limited power when used alone, and without the cooperation of the Demon Tree of Abbot Island, its lethal effect is limited. If the attacked target falls to the ground, the Spiritwood Staff will not whip the corpse indiscriminately.

For many, the pain stems more from the psychological impact than from physical injuries like head wounds.

The impact of slow healing is not significant, and the effects of the herbal decoction adjusted by the empress are minimal. Once the body recovers from eating and drinking or sleeping, it will be able to recover.

"I recently visited the Princess with the children. There seemed to be some unusual activity there during the days when the Master lost his sword," Ah Qiao whispered in his ear, reminding him, "They've been keeping an eye on the Master. We mustn't let them take advantage of us!"

"Liu Ling?"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded in a low voice.

Liu Ling posed no problem for Zhang Xuezhou. The latter's cultivation level and skill in seduction were limited, while Zhang Xuezhou had taken a large amount of Suoyang, which naturally countered seduction techniques. Liu Ling's tricks were ineffective against him.

However, Liu Ling had many talented and capable people under his command, and he could also directly transfer manpower from the King of Huainan.

"I wonder if I'll be able to have a chance with the King of Huainan right now?"

Zhang Xuezhou's threat stemmed from the King of Huainan. This threat was not defined by the quality of their relationship, but rather by the mutual restraint between their cultivation practices.

If the King of Huainan kills the new emperor through sacrificial rituals or a rebellion, Zhang Xuezhou's years of efforts in Chang'an City will be rendered useless, and the backlash from the magic will inevitably bring a series of consequences.

He currently surpasses the King of Huainan in terms of physical strength by simulating the power of Emperor Gaozu, and with the assistance of the Suihou Pearl, his individual skill level in physical combat exceeds that of the King of Huainan of Huainan back then. However, Zhang Xuezhou is without roots, and there is a certain risk in initiating a physical combat campaign in the Huainan Kingdom.

If he cannot quickly defeat the King of Huainan, he could easily be dragged into a quagmire.

"If he can escape from the Huainan Kingdom, he has a 50% chance of winning; if he can escape from the Great Han Dynasty, he has a 100% chance of winning!"

Although he was still entangled with Donghua, Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind fighting on both sides, lest he be like a thousand-mile dike that collapsed due to an ant hole, and be torn apart by the King of Huainan.

"I'll be more careful. Besides, when this stick isn't properly controlled, it can be used to hit anyone. It won't be easy for anyone else to take it away!"

With various thoughts running through his mind, Zhang Xuezhou smiled and responded to A Qiao's advice.

"I heard from Yi Shuo that you even hit that 'Marquis of Pingyang' with your stick. She was very worried when she came over last time, afraid that you would cause trouble for the master!"

Ah Qiao whispered.

Ah Qiao truly believed that Zhang Xuezhou was blessed with good fortune, but she couldn't quite keep up with the luck that fate had in store for him.

She overheard gossip at the King of Huainan's Household and learned that Zhang Xuezhou had taken control of the imperial Red Empyrean Sword, causing quite a stir.

Under normal circumstances, Zhang Xuezhou, who failed in protecting the sword, should have been beheaded, but in the end, it was Guan Fu, a powerful family in the city, who suffered the most.

The former official of the Nine Ministers took the blame for everything, while Zhang Xuezhou remained unscathed.

With so many magical things happening, A-Qiao also firmly believed that Zhang Xuezhou had incredible luck.

Although the trouble caused this time was equally significant, A-Qiao believed that Zhang Xuezhou could still resolve it.

"He's fine as long as he wasn't beaten to death!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, indicating that the new emperor wouldn't be so easily killed by him.

As for the minor frictions caused by the interplay of their energies, it's quite common. Not only does he need to deal with them as they come, but the new emperor does as well.

"Everyone else will have their entire family executed," A-Qiao whispered.

"Only those who lack value will have their entire family executed!"

Zhang Xuezhou corrected A Qiao's wording.

The laws of the imperial court have always governed downwards, and as long as there are no conflicting interests among the higher-ups, they can maintain equality until one side declines and a change occurs.

Based on his own strength and longevity, Zhang Xuezhou believed that as long as he lived, he could maintain a relatively equal and mutually beneficial model for the rest of the new emperor's life.

Zhang Xuezhou will not be trapped in this pattern for long.

As long as he can resolve the threat from Donghua and establish himself firmly, Zhang Xuezhou will inevitably break away from the Great Han Dynasty to avoid conflict.

And now Zhang Xuezhou is getting closer and closer to his goal.

Given that the new emperor dispatched Zhufu Yan and then personally entered the residence, Zhang Xuezhou felt that there must be something that only he could do.

He wouldn't need to explain the incident of hitting someone with the spirit wood staff when he went to the palace; on the contrary, he might be quickly assigned tasks by the new emperor.

Zhang Xuezhou's entry into the imperial court was not for the purpose of constantly toiling like a beast of burden, which explains why he first came to A Qiao's place before heading to the palace.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou considered the matter dozens of times and concluded that nothing was so important that the new emperor would rush to check on his mental state.

"They probably don't think I really lost the Red Empyrean Sword, do they? Come to think of it, why is he in such a hurry for the Red Empyrean Sword? This sword is ruthless when it harms people. I'm not currently in charge of the Nagato Garden, nor am I using the power of the Demon-Revealing Mirror..."

Zhang Xuezhou felt heartbroken for a long time.

Only after treating Aqiao and teasing Dongfang Jia did Zhang Xuezhou reluctantly head to the palace to see what kind of troublesome tasks the new emperor would assign him.

"Drive me to Mayi in the Sky Shuttle as fast as you can!"

"Mayi? What emperor's mausoleum is this?"

After entering the palace and wandering around for a while, Zhang Xuezhou found the new emperor sharpening his sword in the Shufang Palace and learned about the work he needed to do.