Three Pieces of Good News

Zhang Xuezhou brought news of his death, allowing the new emperor to more easily shed the matter of the hasty oversight of the Maoling Mausoleum.

He also brought three pieces of good news.

"Was Zhu Jiuyin really captured?"

The new emperor had known for some time that Zhu Jiuyin might be targeted, but he didn't expect things to happen so quickly.

"Two of the three Sacred Land of the Xiong State have been lost; this is Heaven's help to our Great Han!"

The death of Zhang Xuezhou was like cutting off the arm of the new emperor. Daojun's defeat and Zhu Jiuyin's capture by the Western Sect also cut off half of the Xiong State's territory, leaving only the Nine Spirits Primal Sage, who could hardly support the overall situation. The other six ancestral lands of the Xiong State were like six different schools of thought, and their difficulty was almost negligible compared to the three Sacred Land.

The battle at Dragon City, the ancestral homeland, made it legitimate for the Great Han Dynasty to take the initiative to attack the Xiong State, while the crushing defeat of generals like Li Guang made the new emperor realize the reality of cavalry warfare.

To strike while the enemy is weak is an age-old principle, and the new emperor knew he had to seize this opportunity.

This was not a deep incursion into the Xiong State, but rather he needed to use the invaded territories such as Henan and Hexi as training grounds to put the Great Han Dynasty's cavalry into actual combat.

After several back-and-forth battles, the generals not only gained experience, but the cavalry legions also became less fearful.

This allows us to identify the gaps between the two sides and strive to bridge those gaps through other means.

Many thoughts swirled in the new emperor's mind until Zhang Xuezhou mentioned the second piece of good news.

"Possessed by a living soul?"

Donghua released the living souls from the Spirit Gathering Banner, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Ren Anran's collection of four bottles of living souls only yielded a portion of them.

Any living soul, once tamed, can possess a body, making the warrior even more courageous and fearless in the face of death.

This is an extremely ancient sacrificial ritual, which has reappeared after a thousand years. The new emperor harbors a greedy desire for power, but he also needs to be wary of potential future troubles.

Upon hearing that Zhang Xuezhou and the others had only taken four bottles containing a little over a thousand portions of living souls, he quickly nodded in agreement.

The results of this kind of thing can be known through later testing, or a small number of people can be exposed to it first, but controlling a large number of living souls is absolutely necessary, and he must not allow others to use it.

"It's already remarkable that you have the help of capable cultivators to subdue living souls; anyone else would likely have their flesh and blood drained if they even got close!"

Although he hadn't personally witnessed the Xieluosi River Holy Land, the new emperor possessed some relevant knowledge and could sense the danger from Zhang Xuezhou's words.

He felt incredibly lucky to have met Zhang Xuezhou, and Zhang Xuezhou was just as lucky to have met a cultivator who could subdue living souls.

The new emperor dared not allow a large number of living souls to possess cavalry soldiers, but the Xiong State Kingdom, who grafted Demon Power onto them, were truly willing to do such a thing. As long as they could increase their power, the Xiong State would not care about the dangers that power brought, nor how many years they would live.

Even if these living souls were not used on the soldiers of the Great Han, the new emperor felt that they should be collected and kept safe to avoid using them on the enemy.

"What's the other good news?"

The news brought by Zhang Xuezhou was so good that the new emperor's mood shifted from depression and anger to joy, and he was eager to hear the third piece of good news.

"This does involve the practice of the Heart Sutra. A friend of mine brought some powerful medicine to aid his practice, but he drank most of it like wine. I didn't have time to go back to Chang'an City after I returned, and I don't know how many portions I left behind," Zhang Xuezhou said.

What brings you to Maoling with such an urgent matter?

The new emperor felt a mixture of anxiety and heartache.

What worries him is that his progress on the Heart Sutra is almost zero. He is currently recruiting Western Regions who are proficient in Sanskrit and Great Han, but he has not done any research himself. Suddenly, the medicine to boost his practice arrives.

His heartache also stemmed from the medication; upon learning that Zhang Xuezhou's friend was drinking large doses of medicine like alcohol, the new emperor felt that the other party was wasting precious resources.

"He got so drunk at the Holy Mother Wudang get out of bed. Whether I go early or late, the result will be the same!"

Zhang Xuezhou also found it difficult to criticize.

Whether he goes early or late makes little difference, since Yang Jian is currently drunk and dozing off, so whether he goes or not won't change the outcome.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou's situation after obtaining the Nine Treasures Wine was no different from that of the new emperor. He was not confident in bypassing the two Western religious leaders, and at this time he did not have the courage to promote the cultivation of the Heart Sutra.

Compared to the polite and measured approach of other great cultivators, these two sect leaders were seasoned killers, and the probability of a life-or-death situation was extremely high when they made their move.

Zhang Xuezhou had witnessed the two capturing 'Bai' and killing the Dragon Kings of the Five Lakes; he wasn't confident enough to risk his life on such a cultivation.

"I still have to go!"

The new emperor pondered the power of his sword formation, then considered that he hadn't even gathered all four magic swords yet, and reflected on his lack of ability. He couldn't help but feel a sense of both hope and regret.

Regardless of whether things can be accomplished, if there is an opportunity to prepare, it should be seized.

"I'm really curious about your friends!"

"We can go take a look together. If he has a lot of medicinal wine left, you can help me bring it back!"

The new emperor was very curious about Zhang Xuezhou's circle of friends, and Zhang Xuezhou casually mentioned it, which also made the new emperor look at the large Heaven and Earth Pouch at his waist.

The Great Han imperial family possessed Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag. The large Heaven and Earth Pouch bag was unique, and the Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag were few in number. Zhang Xuezhou was unharmed, but the Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag was blown to shreds.

The Great Han imperial family lost a Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag, and Zhang Xuezhou is likely also bankrupt. No matter what treasures were hidden in the Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag, they were all turned to ashes. Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou and his group only brought back a small number of dead souls from the Xieluosi River Holy Land, which may also be related to the reason why they could not store items.

"Don't worry, everything is easy to handle. I'll visit my aunt tomorrow. She and Dong Yan are living happily ever after and no longer manage Huang Laodao, so she probably won't need the Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag anymore. My uncle has passed away, so we can retrieve his Imperial Shuttle. We won't lack anything we need!"

Zhang Xuezhou understood immediately, and the new emperor also grasped the meaning instantly.

The two whispered to each other for a while, and eventually managed to get along well again.

"Next time you hold a funeral for me, ask Dong Zhongshu. He should know whether I'm truly dead or not!"

The new emperor couldn't possibly use Fortune Technique to test Zhang Xuezhou's existence, but Dong Zhongshu could sense it and determine Zhang Xuezhou's life or death.

Zhang Xuezhou did not see Dong Zhongshu among those who came to the funeral.

Given their relationship, even if Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu lacked friendship, Dong Zhongshu would still come to verify Zhang Xuezhou's situation in order to use his Fortune Technique, which means that Dong Zhongshu knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou was not dead.

"If that's how you put it, then I really haven't seen Dong Zhongshu these past few days. I originally thought he wasn't close to you and didn't bother to come to the funeral. I didn't expect him to know you weren't dead, yet he didn't even remind me, leaving me to suffer for so long for nothing. He's truly a heartless person!"

Zhang Xuezhou informed the new emperor of the method of judgment, which enraged the emperor, who wished he could arrest Dong Zhongshu and give him a good beating.

This made Zhang Xuezhou feel somewhat disheartened, as he felt that the probability of conflict between cultivators using Fortune Technique was quite high.

He collaborated with the new emperor, successfully bringing about his own demise. In the blink of an eye, Dong Zhongshu's peace was over as well.

"Speaking of which, Master Dong used the Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven Technique to distribute the power, so I'm afraid he won't have an easy time for a while!"

Zhang Xuezhou could only offer a word of support, which finally calmed the new emperor down, turning his anger into concern.

The two walked one after the other, their steps resembling galloping horses.

Several officials followed closely with cavalry, but later they lost sight of the two men.

"His Majesty and Dongfang Shuo aren't including us!"

Zhufu Yan rode his yellow horse and chased after them for a while, but eventually had to give up in frustration.

He looked at the disappearing figure in the distance and couldn't help but sigh.

"Speaking of which Dongfang Shuo's brother-in-law has gone to another place to take up an official post, so I should also find a chance to travel around!"

Zhufu Yan's eyes darted around.

He was favored by the new emperor in Chang'an City, but the appointment of officials in the court was not simply a matter of ability, but also involved connections, networks, and the ability to handle the court's demands.

These matters were quite difficult for Zhufu Yan, who lacked a solid foundation; even managing the money in Maoling would be investigated.

Within Chang'an City, they were constantly restrained, but once outside the Chang'an City, everything was just like controlling Maolingyi; with enough violence, everything could be easily controlled.

After much deliberation, he realized he needed to find someone he could control through violence and bully.