Different Gains, Different Outcomes

Zhang Xuezhou is always quick to get things done, but few people are as fast as him.

Zhang Xuezhou had indeed been waiting for news from Yang Jian for a long time, but after more than half a year, Yang Jian had not sent any news. After Zhang Xuezhou achieved sainthood in his physical body, he even decided to go to Kunlun.

If it weren't for various other matters, he felt he would already be in Kunlun.

While he was considering going but didn't, Yang Jian replied to his message.

The message was delivered by Yang Jian's dog. This dog liked to bark at the sky and had a nickname, "Xiaotian," which roughly means that it liked to bark.

"Xiaotian, where is your master?"

It's not strange for humans to talk, but it's a bit strange for dogs to talk.

After helping the somewhat weak Yi Shuo down, Zhang Xuezhou also had to deal with the barking dog.

"How dare you ask my master? My master is physically invincible and has never had any illness, but he hasn't woken up for seven days after drinking the wine you brewed. Did you poison my master to death?!"

The dog barked wildly, blaming Zhang Xuezhou, but it wasn't particularly alarmed, since Yang Jian's death wasn't as gruesome as Zhang Xuezhou's, where no remains were found.

"Tch, if you can't hold your liquor, don't drink so much!"

Zhang Xuezhou chuckled, prompting Gouzi to launch into a long, defensive protest.

Although it seems like a joke, Yang Jian was indeed drunk, and his physical body, having attained sainthood, could not withstand the Nine Treasures Wine.

Unlike ordinary alcoholic beverages, Nine Treasures Wine has a different kind of alcoholic stimulation; instead, it can affect the mind, and a large dose can cause drowsiness.

In the past, when Zhang Xuezhou took Nine Treasures Wine, he often took advantage of the time spent traveling around the world to reduce the waste of the medicinal effects of Nine Treasures Wine due to drowsiness.

Just as alcohol eventually evaporates from the body, so too does the medicinal effect of Nine Treasures Wine. If it cannot be used to concentrate the mind, these mental stimulant effects will subside after sobering up.

"This is outrageous! So much poison had no effect on Master, yet he was knocked out by the wine. Is the wine you brewed really this bad?" Xiaotian exclaimed.

"Why don't you go and try it for a bit!"

"I won't drink it!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a suggestion, which made Gouzi shake his head repeatedly.

"Only one of us, my master and I, can fall. If we both fall, the Holy Mother Wudang," Heavenly Dao. "That old hag is ruthless and doesn't blink an eye when she kills!"

What are you saying!

Before Zhang Xuezhou could reply, Wei Shao'er, who had overheard the conversation, couldn't help but hurl a string of insults at Xiaotian.

"You should rest and recover first. I told you before that I would introduce you to someone; she's already here!"

Zhang Xuezhou learned about Yang Jian's information, and he let Wei Shao'er and Xiaotian continue their verbal sparring.

He helped Yi Shuo, who had been unwilling to eat for a long time, drink some water and then brought out some food.

"They've really come?"

"They're here!"

Yi Shuo's hand trembled a few times as she held the bowl, before she calmed herself down and began to eat heartily.

"You still need to practice the Grain Avoidance Instruction more often," Zhang Xuezhou instructed. "If anything happens to me, just wait for me. I'll definitely be back!"

"I'm definitely willing to wait!"

Yi Shuo was eating, couldn't lift her head, feeling utterly worthless in Zhang Xuezhou's eyes.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't taught her the Grain Avoidance Instruction in her early years, she would have either died of thirst or starvation after half a month; how could she have persevered to this point?

Yi Shuo had previously resented herself for practicing the Grain Avoidance Instruction, which prevented her from dying, but now she felt that the higher her Grain Avoidance Instruction level was, the better.

Zhang Xuezhou clearly hadn't forgotten what he'd said before, and he'd also mentioned taking Yi Shuo to meet someone very important. Yi Shuo was in extremely poor condition at the time, so she had to keep eating in order to avoid looking so disheveled when she met the person.

"His Majesty is still digging a hole for me, I need to find him, and this dog, I need to go meet his master!"

Zhang Xuezhou pointed to the dog arguing with Wei Shao'er.

Once Yi Shuo's near-death situation is resolved, everything else is not a problem. The new emperor will not die for Zhang Xuezhou, and Yang Jian's drunkenness will not lead to his death. There is no need for him to be anxious about either of them.

However, the matters involved by these two individuals are both very important. Zhang Xuezhou needs to communicate with the new emperor to prevent the emperor from giving him a grand funeral, which could lead to unpredictable changes in the Fortune Technique. The Nine Treasures Wine that Yang Jian is involved in has a simple and powerful medicinal effect, and Zhang Xuezhou needs to retrieve a batch as soon as possible to prevent Yang Jian from misjudging its benefits and drinking it all.

Just thinking about Yang Jian's towering figure, the amount of water he drank during the tea competition, and how he managed to expel water from his body, Zhang Xuezhou felt a little uneasy, wondering how much Nine Treasures Wine Jian still had left for him.

"Wait for me a moment, I'll be right there to find your master!"

Zhang Xuezhou comforted Yi Shuo and then entrusted the matter to Xiao Tian.

Once both sides agreed, Zhang Xuezhou's body shot into the air and headed towards Maoling, more than a hundred miles away.

"Zhufu Yan, go to Maoling County and gather more men. These next few days, you must fill this mountain with what I call a tomb!"

The scene at Maoling was somber. Not only were thousands of porters carrying soil to fill the tomb chambers being built on the ground, but there were also banners fluttering and hundreds of soldiers on horseback patrolling the area. Dozens of court officials followed the new emperor as he inspected various parts of Maoling.

The new emperor stood before an unfinished temple, his voice tinged with agitation, much like a volcano about to erupt.

Few ministers dared to offer advice at this moment. Zhufu Yan glanced at the porters mixed with elderly men in their sixties, and without uttering a word about the difficulty of the task, he mounted his horse.

The whip cracked, and Zhufu Yan Fuyan quickly raised his head.

A familiar figure appeared, seemingly stepping through the air, almost causing Zhufu Yan to curse.

"Your Majesty, there are people in the heavens!"

Zhufu Yan called out, and the sound of a bowstring tightening quickly rang out.

"Don't shoot your own people!"

Zhufu Yan cried out in alarm, only to see the new emperor suddenly look up, while Zhang Xuezhou paid no attention to the arrow he had drawn and aimed at rapidly falling.

Are you human, demon, or ghost?

The new emperor's eyes narrowed sharply, his gaze not entirely filled with the joy of facing a life-or-death situation, but also with disbelief and wariness. After all, he had truly witnessed Zhang Xuezhou being destroyed by the Demon-Revealing Mirror, and the Zhang Xuezhou before him was hard for him to believe.

"Your Majesty received the swordsmanship of 'Defending the Borders' back then, do you remember what I received?"

Zhang Xuezhou landed lightly. He looked at the new emperor, then at the many astonished acquaintances around him. He understood the new emperor and the others' feelings of having seen a ghost, and quickly had the new emperor verify it.

"I remember you told me to use my swordsmanship and then cut your neck... You actually did it?"

The new emperor's complex gaze transformed into surprise and deep joy.

He couldn't possibly have cut Zhang Xuezhou's neck at the time, and even thought Zhang Xuezhou's behavior was madness, while also trying to comfort Zhang Xuezhou. Little did he know that Zhang Xuezhou had truly grasped the art of life and death, and came back to life after being beaten to death once.

This was something we dared not verify at the time, but it was later realized.

"No wonder you didn't leave a trace of flesh and bone in Changmen Garden. I thought the Demon-Revealing Mirror had evaporated you. Turns out you came back to life with flesh and blood!"

Within the cultivation system of the Great Han Dynasty, there were cultivators like Dong Zhongshu who entered the True Self Realm at an advanced age, as well as cultivators like the new emperor who reached the True Self Realm at a young age.

Leaving aside those cultivators who have already reached the top level of cultivation, the new emperor believes that among all the cultivators, Wei Qing and Zhang Xuezhou have the highest probability of entering the True Self Realm.

The new emperor didn't understand the arts of life and death, but he had witnessed the rampage of the Shi Wudao in the palace, and he turned a blind eye to Rong Tianding Corpse Jiao technique.

If Zhang Xuezhou had grasped the essence of the Shijiao School, he wouldn't find it strange. After all, cultivation geniuses possess extraordinary abilities and cannot be judged by common sense.

Zhang Xuezhou's resurrection is astonishing, but not impossible.

Having quickly grasped the situation, the new emperor understood many things, and his face lit up with joy.

He was about to wave his hand to stop everyone from working so that he could slowly build the tomb for him when he heard Zhang Xuezhou deliver a message.

"Marquis of Wu'an Tian Fen of Wu'an has passed away. Do you think you can expedite the repair of his tomb and then give the Prime Minister a grand burial at Maoling?"

Compared to his previous furious oversight of the Maoling Mausoleum, the new emperor's demeanor had completely softened, and he was even less anxious about the tomb's construction schedule.

His breathing calmed, and his voice softened.

This was not because Zhang Xuezhou was more important than Tian Fen, but because the new emperor was psychologically prepared for Tian Fen's death, but had no preparation for Zhang Xuezhou's death at all. He even believed that he had lost control of the Demon-Revealing Mirror, which led to Zhang Xuezhou's death.

For the new emperor, his biggest regret during this period was being a step too slow.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou had only sealed the Demon-Revealing Mirror a fraction of a second faster, he wouldn't have been destroyed.

The death of his close advisor Han Yan distressed the new emperor, leading him to declare that he would not restrict the cultivation of Fortune Technique. Zhang Xuezhou's death, on the other hand, triggered his resentment at his own incompetence, and he has been unable to control his emotions and has been prone to outbursts of rage these past few days.

His emotional outburst did not provoke resistance from trusted ministers; on the contrary, many became even more loyal to the new emperor.

At least everyone knew very well that being a favorite of the new emperor could mean death, but the new emperor genuinely considered everyone as his confidants.

If he didn't have his own tomb, the new emperor was even willing to offer up the imperial mausoleum he had designated for his subjects to be buried with him.