Stalemate

"Hey-hey!"

"Hehe!"

During the game of guessing riddles, both Jin Chang and Dong Zhongshu's expressions changed slightly.

The two of them laughed awkwardly for a long time.

Holding bamboo strips less than an inch long in their hands, the two men looked at each other with knowing glances.

Zhang Xuezhou put the urn away, then used his Deer-Slaying Blade to scrape the bamboo strips, indicating that the remaining two bamboo strips had been processed and there was no way for anyone to discover their contents.

He threw away the cleaned bamboo strips, thus ending the matter.

As a skilled cheater in casinos, Zhang Xuezhou had already started playing this type of small-scale gambling, which was quite popular in the Han Dynasty, after Lei Bei mentioned it. He only needed to familiarize himself with the rules to start playing.

As the house, he can never lose.

The current conflict has shifted back to Jin Chang and Dong Zhongshu, and Zhang Xuezhou is no longer held responsible.

"Master Zhou, Accountant Du, Lei Bei here!"

Zhang Xuezhou carried the urn out of the gambling room.

He didn't know how long Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang stared at each other, or what they discussed.

It wasn't until Lei Bei in the evening that Zhang Xuezhou shouted for them to come down from the second floor of the inn.

"Listen carefully to the names of the scriptures involving 'luck,' 'qi,' and 'dao' (the Way of Luck). These include the Nine Revolutions Qi Harmony Technique, the Thirty-Three Chapters of the Daoist Canon, the Return to the Void Spirit Luck Chapter, the Red Bird Formation Qi Dao, and the Five Elements Flag Luck Dao!"

Lei Bei looked extremely haggard.

He gulped down a mouthful of water, and then recited all the demands that Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang had mentioned.

It Lei Bei virtually impossible for Lei Bei memorize the contents of every required text.

But as long as he remembers the name, it's really easy for him to do this.

"Things are indeed easy to do!"

Thinking about what he had accomplished, Lei Bei felt that obtaining the three-day Grain Avoidance was too easy; he had undoubtedly gotten a great deal.

Lei Bei hadn't expected that the number of books in the Jiazifang section was not large, making the search easy and effortless.

This was far more difficult than he had imagined.

"I'm fine now. When are you leaving? Would you like me to give you a ride?"

He felt obligated to help someone who had eaten his bread, and since the task he had imagined was not difficult, Lei Bei felt he had gotten a slight advantage.

Winning or losing at the game of archery is one thing, but he's not one to take advantage of others.

If Zhang Xuezhou and his companions were in any danger on their journey, he would still be willing to lend a hand.

"I remember that after becoming a first-class guest minister, one would be personally summoned by the King of King of Huainan, and the meeting usually lasted about three days." Jin Chang turned his gaze before reminding him, "You took their things and ran away; don't implicate us!"

"That makes sense!"

The smile on Dong Zhongshu's face lasted less than two seconds before it quickly disappeared.

If Lei Bei sends them out of Shouchun City today, the top-ranking guest of the King of Huainan's Household will come to their door tomorrow.

Lei Bei's farewell may have been well-intentioned, but it could involve them and even easily lead to conflict.

Dong Zhongshu pondered his terrible luck and couldn't help but feel grateful for Jin Chang's reminder.

"That servant seemed to say that the King of Huainan would summon me in three days... I... everyone, I have something to attend to right now!"

Having just become a guest advisor to the King of King of Huainan, Lei Bei immediately stood the King of Huainan up.

As the most powerful vassal king in the Huainan region, this was no different from Dong Zhongshu leaving Emperor Jing hanging for two days.

Even the most muddle-headed person knows the consequences. Startled, Lei Bei didn't even bother to eat the pork knuckle Zhang Xuezhou offered. He wiped the grease off his hands on his sleeve and then ran outside.

"It seems he'll face a lot of pressure from the King of Huainan," Dong Zhongshu sighed.

"He's lucky he didn't get his head chopped off," Jin Chang nodded.

"He's risking his life, but our situation isn't any worse. So, what are your plans for retrieving the secret manual?" Dong Zhongshu asked.

Which volume do you think is the "Yun Chapter" of Huang-Lao philosophy?

"I suspect there might be a related element in the thirty-three chapters of the Daoist Canon."

"Just maybe?"

Do you want me to say it's inevitable?

Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang engaged in a back-and-forth exchange.

The two had various subtle expressions on their faces, but even Zhang Xuezhou found it difficult to judge whether their expressions were genuine or merely attempts to mislead the other.

"I'm poisoned and unable to use my full strength, making it difficult to break into the top three guest elders. I can only wait and see what suitable guest elder missions the King of Huainan's Household has," Jin Chang frowned. "The time it will take to enter the top-tier rooms is uncertain."

"I am also unable to use my full strength," Dong Zhongshu said. "Only by going to the Northern Border to seek a temporary solution to my physical symptoms will I have a chance to challenge a Class A Guest Elder."

"Can you make it to that day?" Jin Chang asked.

"Then can you hold out until the day you complete your mission as a guest advisor?" Dong Zhongshu countered.

Jin Chang couldn't endure it, and Dong Zhongshu wasn't sure if he could either.

Dong Zhongshu wasn't even confident of being among the top three Technique Method- related guest advisors in the King of Huainan's Household.

However, neither of them could offer a top-tier technique as a bargaining chip.

Dong Zhongshu truly did not possess any top-tier medical skills.

Jin Chang, on the other hand, Zou Bugui.

Despite Jin Chang's repeated complaints Zou Bugui, it would be extremely difficult for Jin Chang to completely hand over the Yin- Jin Chang Yin Yang Nine People Sect's legacy, even though the transaction was closely related to him.

He and Dong Zhongshu stared at each other, constantly exerting psychological pressure.

The two share the same goal in 'strategic maneuvering', and after forming a temporary alliance, they both clearly hope that the other can contribute to solving related problems.

Now that they have uncovered the secrets of the Jiazi Room, it is time for the two of them to make a real decision.

As long as they take a step forward and enter the A-shaped room, both of them may get rid of their bad luck and live a beautiful life from now on.

Zhang Xuezhou kept stuffing his dinner into his mouth, but the two of them were still talking in cryptic terms until they finished eating.

"I'm going to sleep. See you in a few days!"

With his stomach full of food, Zhang Xuezhou took another dose of a three-day Grain Avoidance powder. After drinking water, he clasped his hands in greeting to everyone and went up to the second floor of the guesthouse.

"Brother Xuezhou, I feel like Accountant Du and that guy surnamed Zhou are acting a bit strange today," Zhang Cigong followed closely behind Zhang Xuezhou and asked in a low voice.

"It's normal for them to be a little strange!"

Zhang Xuezhou replied.

He took a bamboo slip and studied the newly learned characters with Zhang Cigong.

Zhang Xuezhou collapsed only after his head spun.

"Brother Xuezhou's illness is getting worse!"

Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation had already reached the True Spirit Realm, and he had learned many techniques, but Zhang Cigong felt no jealousy whatsoever.

As a special patient in Zhang Household Village, Zhang Cigong had seen Zhang Xuezhou fall asleep on time countless times.

The fact that the patient is now entering a seven-day interval between sleep episodes clearly indicates a further worsening of the condition.

If it were anyone else, this might have been a case of never waking up.

Therefore, Zhang Cigong would not harbor any ill intentions towards Zhang Xuezhou at this moment.

He could only lament the unfortunate fate of the people of Zhang Household Village.

"I wonder if that 'luck' they're talking about can really change one's fate!"

Zhang Cigong also heard some related information from Zhang Xuezhou.

Changing one's fate is a pipe dream, but if it were possible, Zhang Cigong would also like to change his own destiny.

For him, if he didn't change his fate, his life would inevitably be mediocre, even if he had the Realm Entry Seed within him.