Speculation

The group stayed in Shouchun City for several days.

It took a long time, but it wasn't too boring.

Wenying Pavilion turned a blind eye to the management of the Dingzifang area, which meant that regardless of whether the person in charge had real skills, most people could easily sneak in.

Zhang Cigong spent three days at Wenying Pavilion with Zhang Xuezhou, Zhao Liang, and others, until he was kicked out because he became too familiar with them due to his frequent comings and goings.

"It's a pity I don't know many characters!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked sullen.

Zhang Xuezhou had limited knowledge of Chinese characters; although he was not illiterate, there were still many characters he did not recognize.

Zhao Liang's skill level is slightly higher, but not by much.

As for Zhang Cigong entering the Wenying Pavilion, it was solely to look at the little figures carved on the bamboo slips; he could barely recognize any of the characters.

The T-shaped building has twenty-four rooms and hundreds of bookshelves, filled with a dazzling array of classic books.

For those who have never practiced or whose practice is limited, this is a treasure trove.

Even for cultivators who have reached a certain level of cultivation, this place can serve as a learning resource, allowing them to become familiar with the basic knowledge of various schools and sects.

However, none of the three gained much.

"I want to learn to write," Zhang Cigong said with a worried look.

He used to think that the people of the Beast Taming Sect despised him, tormented him, looked down on him, and gave him no future whatsoever.

This made Zhang Cigong hate the Beast Taming Sect's ruthlessness.

But after personally entering the Wenying Pavilion to view cultivation texts, Zhang Cigong realized just how serious his problem was.

Lacking sufficient knowledge, he could only be taught step-by-step by others.

Without a certain level of intimacy, it would be almost impossible for him to be taught.

This also requires the teacher to have a high level of cultivation and knowledge in order to instruct an illiterate person.

He's just incredibly lucky; he only has one Realm Entry Seed, and that's about it. He has no other advantages whatsoever.

"Brother Xuezhou, how did you learn to read and write and cultivate yourself back then?" Zhang Cigong asked in a low voice.

"I had a terrible time back then!"

Zhang Xuezhou lacked proficiency in Chinese characters, but his skill in writing Sacred Land texts was quite high.

He not only speaks fluent Sacred Land, but can also read and write Sacred Land script.

Under the Hongku and demanding teaching methods, he mastered the recognition of a language and script in just one month.

If all goes well, their journey to the Northern Border will be completed within two months.

This period of time isn't long; if you take away the time it took for Zhang Xuezhou to return to the real world, it's even shorter.

But Zhang Xuezhou wasn't going to waste the opportunity, since he had previously considered learning Chinese characters, and it wouldn't be bad to get Zhang Cigong to help him learn as well.

Who exactly is he?

Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang Cigong asked Dong Zhongshu to teach them calligraphy. While Dong Zhongshu gladly taught them, Jin Chang began to investigate Dong Zhongshu's background.

The Jin Chang that Dong Zhongshu had seen before was not the one he is now, and the Dong Zhongshu that Jin Chang knew was not the one he is now, the Dong Zhongshu Du.

Both of them have undergone a transformation, but their respective abilities are not easily used due to their respective physical ailments.

The things the two are doing now are quite different from what they used to do.

Dong Zhongshu became an accountant for a merchant group, while Jin Chang became a carefree wanderer.

In this situation, it would be difficult for both Jin Chang and Dong Zhongshu to guess each other's identities.

After Zhang Xuezhou finished learning the characters, Jin Chang, finding it difficult to verify, directly approached Zhang Xuezhou and asked him in a low voice.

"He is the head of a large school of thought," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Don't try to fool me," Jin Chang said, disgruntled. "I've never seen a leader of any school of thought become an accountant!"

"See? You don't believe anything I say," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Change to another lead," Jin Chang urged.

"He is a high-ranking official in the imperial court," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"..."

Jin Chang rolled his eyes at Zhang Xuezhou, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou's clues were an insult to his intelligence.

It's impossible for a school of thought leader to work as an accountant in a merchant guild, let alone a court official.

"Alright, his real name is Su Fang. He is the leader of the Beast Taming School. He was injured when the imperial court wiped out the school," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"So it was that monkey leader from the dog-raising faction!"

Jin Chang was somewhat satisfied with this answer, feeling that he now understood why Dong Zhongshu and the others had chosen to escort him.

"Who exactly is that gloomy-looking cultivator?"

That evening, Dong Zhongshu couldn't resist asking the same question.

He observed Jin Chang for several days and had many conversations with Jin Chang. He felt that Jin Chang was extremely knowledgeable and should not be an unknown person.

However, Dong Zhongshu did not recall such a person.

"He is a wanted criminal by the imperial court," Zhang Xuezhou said in a low voice.

"Don't try to fool me," Dong Zhongshu said with displeasure. "I've heard of most of the top cultivators wanted by the imperial court, and I know a little about them, but I've never seen anyone like him."

I'm telling the truth!

"Doesn't he want you to use your real name?"

"If you're willing to let me go to him and reveal my identity, then I can tell you his name!"

"Never mind, I can't reveal my identity!"

Dong Zhongshu waved his hand.

His current journey north has deviated significantly from the planned route for carrying out the imperial court's mission.

If possible, Dong Zhongshu hoped that as few people as possible would know his true identity.

If the identity Zhang Xuezhou mentioned is true, it is extremely inappropriate for such leverage to fall into the hands of a wanted criminal.

Although Jin Chang and Dong Zhongshu expressed their opinions, they did not stop trying to verify each other's identities.

"I remember the leader of that dog-raising faction was quite old, which doesn't match this Accountant Du's age!"

"Just give me a tiny hint about that wanted criminal's name, just a tiny hint. I'm already in a terrible situation; if I get involved with a wanted criminal and get caught, that'll be another disaster!"

Lei Bei had taken the three-day Grain Avoidance powder, had been in the Jiazi room for five days, and Zhang Xuezhou and the others had also been waiting for five days.

For the first three days, Zhang Xuezhou, Zhao Liang, and Zhang Cigong went to Wenying Pavilion to avoid disaster, but they couldn't escape it in the following two days.

Perhaps it stemmed from their curiosity, or perhaps from the hidden thoughts they had during their discussions, or perhaps from the keenness of cultivators, but Jin Chang and Dong Zhongshu's doubts did not diminish, but rather increased accordingly.

Caught between the two, Zhang Xuezhou felt helpless.

He didn't know how the two would react after learning each other's identities, but Jin Chang had clearly warned Zhang Xuezhou not to reveal his identity.

For Jin Chang, both the Han Dynasty's arrest warrant and his past actions had caused him a lot of trouble.

If the truth is revealed, Jin Chang will face unpredictable consequences.

As for Dong Zhongshu's secretive trip, he did not want to reveal his identity and had already made a three-point agreement with Zhang Xuezhou and others.

"How about we play a guessing game?"

Caught between the two, Zhang Xuezhou hoped for the first time that the seven-day deadline would come sooner, so that he wouldn't have to endure their endless probing and questioning, and could instead return to reality and find some peace and quiet.

Amidst the incessant questioning, Lei Bei also getting closer and closer to leaving Wenying Pavilion.

Once Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang learn from Lei Bei whether the Wenying Pavilion has answers related to Huang-Lao philosophy, they will obviously face different choices.

If Wenying Pavilion possesses the corresponding secret manual, the two will surely find a way to enter the Jiazi Room.

However, without the secret manual, the situation would be different for the two of them.

This includes both potential cooperation and potential conflict.

This led the two to press Zhang Xuezhou even harder for an answer.

Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to borrow four urns from the inn and call the two men over.

"How do you want to play?" Jin Chang asked.

"Guessing riddles?"

Dong Zhongshu also had doubts.

Only after Zhang Xuezhou took the bamboo strips, wrote words on them, and put them into two covered urns, and then put bamboo strips without any writing into two other urns, did the two men's faces change color.

"This urn contains clues to Wen Bigui's true identity, and this urn contains clues to Du Gou's true identity. The bamboo slips inside are blank. Watch carefully, I'm about to turn the urns. Whether you get your own or the other person's identity slip is entirely up to fate. If you get an empty one, there's nothing I can do," Zhang Xuezhou said. "After this matter is resolved, don't bother me, the middleman!"

"Okay," Jin Chang said, frowning.

"Alright!"

Dong Zhongshu nodded.

He glanced at Jin Chang, only to see that Jin Chang was also looking over at him.

Clearly, the two were trapped and extremely wary of outsiders, yet they needed each other's help.

When Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang were persuading Lei Bei go to Wenying Pavilion to investigate, they had their own discussion. However, the discussion did not end there. Instead, as time went by, they became more anxious.

After belatedly learning that two groups of people had died in Zhang Xuezhou's team, Jin Chang did not want to rashly get involved in the trouble.

Dong Zhongshu was in a similar situation; he even considered seeking external assistance.

The two men looked at each other, while Zhang Xuezhou took a cloth and covered the four urns as they continued to rotate.

When the cloth used for covering was torn off, each of them reached out and grabbed the jar.

Upon examining the bamboo strips in the urn, both Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang's expressions changed simultaneously.