Hardship

"The Ten Yin Holy Son?"

Kong Ning's voice contained a name that Zhang Xuezhou found both familiar and unfamiliar.

Zhang Xuezhou had heard too much about the Ten Yin Holy Son, but Zhang Xuezhou had only met the Ten Yin Holy Son once.

That was the beginning of his cultivation, the start of his turbulent life, and the source of Zhang Household Village's current fortune and misfortune.

It was a venomous python with a colorful body and a single horn.

"Could that venomous python not be the Ten Yin Holy Son?"

Zhang Xuezhou harbors many secrets, including not only his experiences in the real world but also the opportunity to Realm Entry after consuming demon flesh.

He had always believed that the people of Zhang Household Village had devoured the Ten Yin Holy Son, but Kong Ning's words made him waver for a moment.

"If that venomous python wasn't the Ten Yin Holy Son, then who was it?"

"If the Ten Yin Holy Son are indeed the Bashe (a mythical serpent), how did they manage to convince their adoptive father, the Venerable One, and other powerful demons to believe in death?"

Is the true form of the Ten Yin Holy Son the Bashe (a mythical snake)?

Zhang Xuezhou did not spread his bronze wings to watch the excitement.

Once Kong Ning can confirm the answer, he can ask further questions later.

Compared to his current flying ability, Kong Ning, a powerful demon skilled in flight, clearly has a stronger tracking ability and would arrive at a more accurate answer.

"The Bashe demon can actually fly now, so my advantage in flying isn't that great anymore. Add to that my habit of needing to lie down for seven days at a time, and this guy's vengeful nature is so strong..."

Zhang Xuezhou's thoughts briefly lingered on the true identity of Bashe, but he quickly shifted his focus to his own safety.

Thinking of the arrow that Bashe shot out in human form, he quickly had the idea of leaving Shu County and getting far away from Wen Weng and Dong Zhongshu.

With these two people taking the bullets for him, Zhang Xuezhou felt he shouldn't be targeted.

"In this vast sea of people, where will you find me!"

Zhang Xuezhou previously believed that the eye of the Bashe was likely the target the Bashe was searching for, and he was not the only one who thought so; Dong Zhongshu and Wen Weng also thought so.

However, the trap of the Eye of the Serpent was completely ignored during tonight's operation.

Even as the serpent flew over the city wall, the one-eyed creature didn't glance at the trap at all.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that the Bashe might really be unable to sense the eye-shaped demon treasure anymore. After all, if Zhang Xuezhou himself lost an arm or a hand, or if he lost a Law Treasure, it would be just as difficult to retrieve it.

Having undergone such a high-intensity test, Zhang Xuezhou felt there was absolutely no problem with collecting the Bashe Eye.

He was determined to make a quick buck, buy the medicine, and then flee as fast as possible.

"Damn it, that serpent escaped again!"

After several encounters, even though the Bashe had transformed into human form, it was still a demon that everyone could recognize upon meeting it.

Zhang Xuezhou dodged an arrow, while Dong Zhongshu was hit in the shoulder, with the arrowhead still lodged in his arm.

He almost started cursing, but his refined Confucian School scholarly temperament made him mindful of his behavior, and his many grievances ultimately turned into a single word. "How hateful."

"You're skilled in martial arts, yet you couldn't even dodge an arrow?"

Seeing Dong Zhongshu come seeking treatment, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but complain.

"You don't know how good that demon is at using sneak attacks; you can be hit without warning!" Dong Zhongshu cried out in anguish. "I was casting my spell on Zhao Liang when I realized he was nearby."

"That snake demon is too cunning!" Zhang Xuezhou nodded in agreement.

"That's not good at all!"

Dong Zhongshu nodded repeatedly.

Unless his opponent uses superior skill level to overwhelm him, he rarely suffers losses in battle.

However, after encountering the Bashe three times in a row, and each time returning in a more or less embarrassing state, Dong Zhongshu not only felt that his luck was bad, but also felt that, as Zhang Xuezhou said, his Technique Method was not very good. His many skills that he was so proud of had met a difficult opponent to deal with.

His diverse Technique Method brought various countermeasures, but when faced with a situation where brute force could overcome skill, none of his many methods could decisively win the battle.

This is related to the quality of the Technique Method he currently controls, and even more so to his long-suppressed realm of cultivation.

When Dong Zhongshu thought of the Bashe (a mythical snake), he thought of its gall bladder, and he also thought of his own unfulfilled desire for enlightenment.

Life is tough!

Dong Zhongshu made a comment.

"Look at what you're saying, getting hit by an arrow and you've come to understand life," Zhang Xuezhou said.

You don't understand how hard I've worked!

"That's because you haven't seen how much harder it was!"

Dong Zhongshu felt that his life was full of hardship and suffering, while Zhang Xuezhou felt that it was his misfortune to be called hardship.

He once thought his life was confined to Zhang Household Village, never imagining that the world he would encounter after leaving would be so bizarre.

Despite reaping considerable benefits, Zhang Xuezhou lived a precarious existence.

Even after he returned to the Han Kingdom territory, this was still the case; in fact, Zhang Xuezhou had just experienced a life-or-death ordeal a few days earlier.

Zhang Xuezhou has experienced many hardships and is no longer bothered by them.

"My job as prefect is truly arduous!"

Wen Weng climbed the city wall and gazed at the scene for a long time before finally interjecting.

On the second night of guarding the snake trap, the snake did not take a liking to the trap; instead, it entered the city.

The other party did not want to reclaim their demonic treasure, but rather acted in retaliation, and the extent of this behavior far exceeded Wen Weng's imagination.

Whether it was driving snakes to ambush and kill Dong Zhongshu and others at night, shooting arrows in the dark, or other strategies that had not yet been used, Wen Weng realized that he had an extremely troublesome opponent.

If the enemy's arrangements had not been incomplete, and if Zhang Xuezhou had not arrived in time to deliver the Law Treasure, Wen Weng believed that Shu County would have faced a very difficult night, and he, as the county governor, would have been even more responsible.

"Is being a prefect really that difficult?"

Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu almost simultaneously muttered complaints, feeling that Wen Weng's hardships were utterly unreasonable.

But the widespread complaints all point to one thing: they've messed up everything they're doing right now.

Wen Weng, who was in charge of the powerful Shu Commandery, was filled with anxiety and didn't know how to deal with the revenge of the great demon Bashe. Dong Zhongshu, on the other hand, was at his wit's end. This time, Bashe had only hit his arm, but next time it might hit his throat.

Zhang Xuezhou, on the other hand, behaved no differently than usual, showing a preconceived notion of wanting to run away.

Each of the three parties had its own agenda, but they were all forced to remain in Shu County.

Wen Weng was the prefect, and Dong Zhongshu was an official sent to investigate the incident at the academy. Dong Zhongshu did not want to return to Chang'an City so soon.

As for Zhang Xuezhou, it was simply because he hadn't received the money and didn't have enough Grain Avoidance powder or other medicines for his long journey.

"Ahem, Master Dong, why don't you use Zhao Liang's Law Power tracing technique to trace its origin again?"

Thinking about the banquet fee he needed, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but urge Dong Zhongshu to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

His words left Dong Zhongshu somewhat helpless.

"That snake is very wary. He left Zhao Liang as a threat because we didn't notice anything unusual. Once I use Zhao Liang to pinpoint his location, he should dispel the spell on Zhao Liang, just like the eyeball you picked up. I'm currently lacking the necessary materials for tracing the source of the spell!"

"That means?"

"In other words, I can no longer use Zhao Liang to locate the Bashe!"

Dong Zhongshu was somewhat dejected, but Zhang Xuezhou was secretly delighted.

If the Bashe snake stops controlling Zhao Liang, it means that Zhao Liang is very likely to regain his sanity, and the Zhao family can hold a wedding banquet together with the Zhang family.

This good fortune came so quickly that Zhang Xuezhou felt his life was no longer difficult.