Who Is the Winner?

"Couldn't he just agree to both requests at once?"

"He's stubborn and insists on a one-for-one exchange!"

Outside Wenying Pavilion, the crowd gradually dispersed and things returned to normal. Lei Bei, holding the sword he had discarded, glanced at the trio discussing things from time to time.

"I don't believe he would insist on a one-for-one exchange when he has a need for it," Jin Chang said.

"Although taking advantage of someone's misfortune is not something we would be happy to do, we really need him to agree to these two conditions right now," Dong Zhongshu said.

"Look, they disagree!"

Zhang Xuezhou shrugged.

"Then forget it. Even if I, Lei Bei, am so hungry that I forget the content of the realm technique I memorized, I will not agree to your demands without any bottom line," Lei Bei, pursing his lips.

"This isn't exactly shameless, is it?!" Jin Chang exclaimed in surprise. "It was just a small favor for you!"

"That's right," Dong Zhongshu said. "If you just help us investigate the Huang-Lao arts of the Jiazifang school, it won't be difficult. It won't take more than two months to escort the five of us to the Northern Border!"

"It will definitely take me a lot of time and energy to search for you, which will consume my already limited mental capacity," Lei Bei. "I don't know what enemies you have that require my escort. If we start fighting again, I'll definitely suffer a great loss, which could easily lead to my death, and dying would be a bad deal for me!"

"You can't think like that," Dong Zhongshu said. "What if everything goes smoothly?"

"You guys go by yourselves, why did you have to drag me along!"

Lei Bei a simple face, but Lei Bei's not stupid.

He held his sword, his eyes gleaming, clearly playing a different kind of 'guessing game' with Dong Zhongshu and the others.

This is also a gamble. If you win, you'll have one less thing to do; if you lose, you'll inevitably have to do both mental and physical labor.

Right now, it all comes down to who has the better mental fortitude.

Lei Bei a chill run down his spine.

But Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang were even more furious.

Without Lei Bei a pathfinder, Jin Chang would have to go to great lengths to become a top-ranking retainer in order to obtain information.

If Wenying Pavilion does not have the necessary needs, everything Jin Chang has planned will be in vain.

Given Jin Chang's bad luck over the past two years, Jin Chang felt that the possibility of such a thing happening was extremely high.

As for Dong Zhongshu's idea, it was no different. Compared to obtaining the Huang-Lao philosophy from the imperial secret library, it was obviously easier to obtain it from the Wenying Pavilion of the King of Huainan.

If the King of Huainan doesn't mind, he can take off his official robes and come to the King of King of Huainan as a guest minister in the future.

But for Dong Zhongshu, if he wanted a future, he needed to overcome the current difficulties.

"Brother Du Gou, let's make a deal!"

Finally, Jin Chang couldn't hold back any longer and took the initiative to discuss the matter with Dong Zhongshu.

"Brother Bigui, this matter is truly giving me a headache, you..."

The discussion between Jin Chang and Dong Zhongshu brought a hint of joy to Lei Bei's eyes. He had been impoverished due to repeated failures in the gacha game over the past two years, and he never expected to win one day.

Judging from the way the two of them were discussing things, he probably only has one thing to do.

"Brother Dongfang, I feel something's not right about this," Lei Bei whispered.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.

"Why should they negotiate terms when you're the one providing the goods?" Lei Bei asked.

What you said seems to make a lot of sense!

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

The sound of their conversation instantly erased the differences between Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang.

Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou summoned the people and provided the materials, but he was the one doing the work for Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang.

Jin Chang felt it wouldn't be worth it if Lei Bei's reminder caused Zhang Xuezhou to have any other ideas.

He quickly yielded to Dong Zhongshu's demands and then joined forces with Dong Zhongshu.

"Help us find the techniques of Huang-Lao, and memorize all the bamboo Mingdu containing the words 'luck,' 'qi,' or 'dao'!"

Lei Bei not Dong Zhongshu or Jin Chang, but a cultivator whose name could be pinpointed. Since the two were asking Lei Bei, an outsider, to search for him, they had no choice but to cast a wide net.

Lei Bei was required to write down any bamboo slips containing related words.

Let them judge after Lei Bei removed from Wenying Pavilion.

The Jiazi room was undoubtedly the area with the fewest bamboo slips. For Lei Bei, even if the other party had a poor memory, doing this kind of thing wouldn't be too difficult.

"Make a deal!"

Lei Bei happily agreed.

After two years of bad luck, he finally opened for business and started stocking up on goods today.

A dose of Grain Avoidance powder is quite expensive, Lei Bei that he had recouped the half-ounce of money he had lost over the past two years, and even made a profit.

This made him beam with joy, feeling that his luck had finally turned and he could sweep away the shame of the past two years of playing the guessing game.

He clapped his hands in agreement and happily carried Zhang Xuezhou's dose of Grain Avoidance powder into Wenying Pavilion.

"Things are a bit complicated, and I actually have to come with you on this trip," Jin Chang said unhappily.

"It's already good enough if he feels he hasn't been taken advantage of," Dong Zhongshu said. "After all, he's just simple-minded, not stupid; he can't possibly agree to everything!"

"That's true," Jin Chang nodded and said, "It's better to let him work happily than to work with a gloomy face."

"The main problem is that we don't know anything about the Jiazi Room. If he suddenly decides to lie and claim that there are no relevant secret manuals inside, then there's nothing we can do," Dong Zhongshu said.

"Well said!"

Jin Chang nodded, then quickly thought about the extra things he needed to do.

Having grown accustomed to traveling with Zhang Xuezhou, Jin Chang felt that going on a trip to the Northern Border with him wouldn't be a problem, since it was an area he was familiar with.

Moreover, this was within the territory of the Han Dynasty, and there were no dangers abroad.

Jin Chang didn't mind showing the way to Dong Zhongshu and the others.

Compared to personally verifying the bamboo slips of the Wenying Pavilion's Jiazi Room, the price of a Grain Avoidance Powder was incredibly low; only a complete fool like Lei Bei would make such a simple transaction.

Once the verification is complete, Jin Chang will not waste his efforts.

Dong Zhongshu was clearly in the same boat. If Wenying Pavilion could obtain the Huang-Lao philosophy regarding 'luck', he wouldn't need to be so cautious in climbing the ranks of the court.

If his luck changes, he may have a fortuitous opportunity to break free from his own constraints in the future.

Dong Zhongshu was already very pessimistic about his future prospects in the imperial court.

Given his bad luck, his journey to the Northern Border to resolve the Zhao family's troubles was simply a matter of fate. If he succeeded, he would avoid being sued; if he failed, Dong Zhongshu had no fear, as the worst that could happen was that he would lose his official position and flee to Huainan.

He pondered the negative consequences and felt that things were just as they were.

"If you two were to acquire the arts of Huangdi and Laozi in the future, could I also learn them? My luck is really bad, and I need to defy fate," Zhang Xuezhou said in a low voice.

Lei Bei happy while working, and Zhang Xuezhou was also happy to hand over the Grain Avoidance powder, but Zhang Xuezhou also had an ulterior motive.

Considering his own abilities and his expertise in Chinese characters, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he could only seek help from these two people.

As for Zhang Xuezhou, he was bound to get involved in whatever Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang were thinking of doing.

Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, he certainly won't lose out by participating.

If he could obtain a copy of the Grain Avoidance Powder to acquire the secret manual of the Jiazi Room, Zhang Xuezhou felt it would be a very worthwhile deal.

"Become!"

"Can!"

Jin Chang is unreliable, but Jin Chang is tied to Zhang Xuezhou and is counting on Zhang Xuezhou to complete the Nine Heavens Sect's legacy. This makes Jin Chang's unreliability seem reliable.

Dong Zhongshu was a man of exceptionally high moral character.

If an ordinary person gets into trouble, why would they travel thousands of miles to help someone get medical treatment?

Seeing that the two of them agreed in unison, Zhang Xuezhou immediately beamed with joy.