A Qualified Messenger
The high-ranking officials of the Xiong State did indeed learn of the destruction of the Dragon City ancestral land, Feiyu was an important member of the patrol envoys.
With the absence of Zhu Shiyin, Golden Toad Dharma King, and Kong Ning, the Xieluosi River Holy Land is most skilled in flying and verifying, was undoubtedly stretched thin. Even Feiyu, who was specifically responsible for Zhu Jiuyin's mount, had to participate in the verification.
Any unusual targets detected at high altitudes warrant investigation, which is why Feiyu conducts verification.
When he saw Zhang Xuezhou, who was presumed dead, on the Imperial Shuttle, he couldn't leave easily.
This even put Feiyu in a dilemma: should he continue searching for the legion that had destroyed the Dragon City ancestral land, or should he persuade Zhang Xuezhou to help refine pills?
Searching across the vast grasslands is no easy task, and persuading Zhang Xuezhou is no different.
While the view is expansive at high altitudes, it's difficult to Chu Lands, making it easy to overlook things. The faster the flight speed, the greater the chance of overlooking something, and the longer the inspection will take.
As for persuading someone who had been beaten half to death to help refine pills, Feiyu thought that would be quite difficult.
Based on Feiyu's understanding of humanity, he felt that he shouldn't have sent Nine Spirits Primal Sage to forcibly invite them in the first place. If he had offered some treasures as gifts and invited Zhang Xuezhou to refine a batch of pills, the matter would most likely have been resolved satisfactorily long ago.
Moreover, Zou Bugui is a very good asset in terms of personal connections. As long as Zou Bugui is alive, persuading Zhang Xuezhou won't be that difficult.
"My godfather has been imprisoned in the Sacred Land for over a decade. He's probably long since grown tired of that kind of life. It's better that he's old and has died!"
Zhang Xuezhou searched several times for a way to subdue Feiyu, but ultimately had to give up. This kind of useless guy could only take the beatings of others and then subdue them. Anything that required taking the initiative was very difficult for him. Unfortunately, Feiyu Demon King was also a great demon who was good at flying but not good at fighting. It was like two chickens pecking at each other. A chaotic fight was unlikely to produce any results.
When the Feiyu Feather Demon King Zou Bugui, Zhang Xuezhou's response was resolute.
The longer Zhu Jiuyin imprisoned him, the lower Zou Bugui value would become.
This value does not stem from Zou Bugui's resistance to alchemy, but rather Zou Bugui the fact that Zhou Bugui has refined too many similar pills for Zhu Jiuyin. Although Zhu Jiuyin still has a need, the Xieluosi River Holy Land will inevitably be unable to supply enough similar medicinal materials in the long run, and in the end, there will be no medicinal materials left to refine pills.
If he didn't wish for Zou Bugui's death, Zou Bugui might actually fall into being used, and then possibly die in the struggle for interests.
Zhang Xuezhou's ruthlessness left Feiyu speechless, unsure how to offer any advice.
"My godfather was destined to refine pills in the Sacred Land. Do you think I could come back if I went to refine pills in the Sacred Land?" Zhang Xuezhou retorted.
"Of course he'll come back. You're an old friend of ours," said the Feiyu Feather Demon King.
"I used to think we were just old friends," Zhang Xuezhou sighed. "But it wasn't until Daojun's flying dagger struck me mercilessly that I realized meeting a few times and exchanging greetings a few times doesn't make us friends!"
"This..."
The Feiyu Demon King was speechless for a moment.
The place where Zhang Xuezhou once studied under a master showed no mercy, not to mention the Xieluosi River Holy Land, which was merely a formality.
Venerable cultivators never owe favors; they always settle a matter by giving something in return. If disputes arise later, they can act without the slightest hesitation.
The reason of personal favor is indeed untenable, but if we remove personal favor, the other reasons are even less reasonable.
If Feiyu were to agree to any high reward, he wouldn't dare to make such a request so casually.
"Anyone who is hit by Daojun's flying dagger will die. You are still alive, so you must have held back," the Feiyu Demon King advised.
"No one survives the Daoist's flying daggers. Do you think the Daoist would ruin his reputation for me?" Zhang Xuezhou laughed.
"If they survived, they must have held back!"
The Feiyu Feather Demon King forced a rebuttal, only to feel that their conversation was drifting further and further away from his invitation to Zhang Xuezhou to refine pills.
All the possible reasons for persuasion had been given, and the only remaining option was a special reward, but Feiyu couldn't make that decision.
He looked around, trying to find out where Zhang Xuezhou was so he could quickly return and conduct the search after communication, but Zhang Xuezhou was not about to tell him easily.
The Feiyu Demon King needed Zhang Xuezhou, and Zhang Xuezhou also wanted to stall the Feiyu Demon King. The two ended up talking while flying, but the more they talked, the more tense things became. Even though Zhang Xuezhou was good with words, he could not ease the tension and buy time.
"I've heard some secret news. Some say that Your Majesty can achieve immortality by consuming just one bite of this elixir, and it can also be used to refine elixirs of immortality. Your Majesty should be careful when going out these days!"
Zhang Xuezhou couldn't let the Feiyu Feather Demon King ruin things, so he could only sneak in a topic of tact.
If Donghua needs to target Zhu Jiuyin, the other party will not back down just because Zhu Jiuyin is prepared. His casual mention will not change anything, and it may even make things more difficult for Donghua.
Once Zhu Jiuyin becomes wary, the probability of the opponent running around causing trouble will decrease significantly, which will also relieve the pressure on the Great Han Dynasty.
Zhang Xuezhou had always lacked such a reliable messenger.
"Where did you hear such a thing?" Feiyu asked in astonishment as he thought about flying away to report to his lord.
"I heard it from Li Tianwang of the Immortal Court," Zhang Xuezhou said casually. "I'm on good terms with him. When I was gathering information, he even gave me his Three-Zhang-Qing sword to play with!"
Zhang Xuezhou and glanced at the distance between himself and Feiyu high in the sky.
He flicked his hand, and the Law Treasure flew out, revealing its longest length of nine zhang.
This distance is clearly far from enough to bind the Feiyu Demon King, and the high altitude is not a good place to restrain or attack him.
Zhang Xuezhou showed off his treasure and then put the Three-Zhang Green back. Feiyu didn't notice Zhang Xuezhou's restless desire.
"This is indeed Li Tianwang's treasure. Li Tianwang's information is very accurate!" The Feiyu Demon King exclaimed after seeing the Three-Zhang-Qing, "Is the Immortal Court going to target His Majesty?"
"Who knows?" Zhang Xuezhou shrugged. "It's always good to be cautious, Your Majesty. If you don't believe me, you can go to the Jade Emperor Peak of Mount Tai and see Li Tianwang there. Ask him yourself and you'll find out!"
"Oh dear, this is a very bad thing!"
The Feiyu Demon King roared.
Having been intimidated by Zhang Xuezhou's mix of real and feigned threats, the Feiyu Demon King, caught between two conflicting thoughts, no longer harbored any intention of inviting Zhang Xuezhou to refine pills, nor did he have any desire to investigate the situation in the Dragon City ancestral land.
"It's only because we still have some connection that I'm willing to inform you out of respect," Zhang Xuezhou said. "You can investigate as you see fit, just don't mention my name!"
I will not betray my friends!
The Feiyu Feather Demon King readily agreed, and Zhang Xuezhou didn't take it seriously. After all, if Li Tianwang didn't fight with Zhu Jiuyin, it would be considered that he was emotionally stable. How could he communicate calmly? It would be difficult for the two sides to exchange relevant information.
Encouraging Zhu Jiuyin to go to Mount Tai to investigate might also influence the Immortal Court. Zhang Xuezhou couldn't predict the final outcome, but he felt that stirring up trouble wouldn't be a problem.
Besides, his name in the Xieluosi River Holy Land is Tolkien, and the demons sometimes call him Zhang Xuezhou, rarely using the name Dongfang Shuo, so the probability of him being involved is really not high.