Settling Down

"Dragon aura? Petty villain?"

For the "Grave Classic" to fulfill its wish, certain conditions must be met, and these conditions are linked to fortune.

Holding a dog leg in his hands and gnawing on it, Zhang Xuezhou listened Rong Tianding recounted this bizarre incident in a low voice.

If an ordinary person listened, they would think that Rong Tianding was talking nonsense, or that Rong Tianding was hallucinating, but Zhang Xuezhou realized that the wish of the grave could be fulfilled.

Rong Tianding's recitation of the tomb scriptures mostly originated from Dong Zhongshu, with a small portion corrected by Zhang Xuezhou. The tomb scriptures he cited from Emperor Jing may have had some special connection with Chang'an City.

"If only this scripture could repeatedly fulfill my wishes!"

Zhang Xuezhou may not be very capable, but he is extremely bold. If he knew that Emperor Jing's tomb scriptures could draw upon power in Chang'an City to fulfill his wishes, he would have to give it a try.

Zhang Xuezhou was very pleased with Rong Tianding's wish, because only his own relatives would think of him when they prayed for something.

He just wanted to avoid getting sick and suffering as much as possible, because he had been having a very difficult time in the past month. Not only was he getting hit while lying down, but he had also suffered a lot of injuries on the other side.

"Eat more, we're all healthy and well," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

He instructed Rong Tianding not to speak carelessly about these things, and couldn't help but wonder who was reprimanding the new emperor.

Their lives weren't easy, and the new emperor was clearly not as glamorous as one might imagine.

"Your Majesty needs a new god!"

Thinking about what happened in the Tuer tribe, Zhang Xuezhou muttered something out of the blue.

But he soon lingered on chewing to fill his stomach, while also carefully sensing every subtle change in his body after being nourished.

Faced with a scripture that might very well grant his wish, Zhang Xuezhou naturally hoped to draw upon its power.

Rong Tianding's wish couldn't change his bad luck, but it could at least reduce his troubles and prevent him from almost being crushed to death by a collapsing house during the next heavy rain.

Zhang Xuezhou felt he would be quite unwilling to accept that his death was caused by a heavy rain.

He urged Rong Tianding to eat more meat to replenish his body, and couldn't help but think about how to improve the current situation.

According to the theory of destiny, there is the assistance of a benefactor. Judging from the fact that Dong Zhongshu was hit by a collapsed house, it is clear that the other party could not protect them.

If he were to go to Shouchun City to watch the spectacle under bad luck, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he would most likely end up being harmed instead of successful hunting.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou also needed to investigate the whereabouts of Zhang Zhong and the Lady Yourong, something that Dong Zhongshu had promised to do but failed to resolve. The problem might be more complicated than he imagined, and it was equally impossible to solve under such unfavorable circumstances.

Zhang Xuezhou felt he needed to seek help from a different source, but he didn't have many connections in Chang'an City.

"I wonder if Zhang Qian has been appointed an official yet?"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about Zhang Qian, but Zhang Qian didn't even have a place to stay in Chang'an City, so Zhang Xuezhou couldn't find him.

Moreover, Zhang Qian's abilities were even less than Dong Zhongshu's, so he probably wouldn't be able to protect them either.

When will Your Majesty issue a general call for virtuous and capable officials from across the land?

It's good to have a powerful backer. Zhang Xuezhou eventually thought that relying on the imperial court to improve the city's fortunes might not be so bad, and people like Rong Tianding were beneficiaries of Chang'an City's improved fortunes.

Zhang Qian mentioned that self-recommendation could lead to official positions, but currently this is limited to a small group of people and involves rather strict vetting.

Even if someone like Zhang Xuezhou manages to find a way to submit a self-recommendation letter, he will still be rejected.

"I'll have to wait. I can't wander around aimlessly these days. I need to settle down and see when the court opens up more avenues for advancement, and then I can try my luck!"

After careful consideration, Zhang Xuezhou concluded that he should stay in one place to minimize the occurrence of problems.

Having Rong Tianding, Zhang Xuezhou felt he needed to explore Chang'an City more thoroughly and see if he could become a 'petty thief'.

While an official position could bring good fortune through the imperial court, Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind finding other ways to normalize his luck or embark on a path of good fortune.

He pondered what he had learned, which included the Yin-Yang School's array formations, physiognomy, and the Huang-Lao philosophy.

"If only there were a way to absorb the luck of those important figures!"

He kept thinking to himself that relying on influential people or the imperial court was a bad strategy. The best strategy would be to absorb the luck and power of those important figures when he was down on his luck.

Zhang Xuezhou only entertained this wild thought.

Firstly, powerful figures wouldn't be foolish enough to let someone absorb their luck; secondly, he simply doesn't have that ability.

But this thought gnawed at him like a venomous scorpion, causing him to ponder it for quite some time.

"Eight catties of dog meat, two catties of beef, and one chicken, totaling one hundred and twenty-two and a half taels of silver!"

It was only when he finished eating and paid the bill that Zhang Xuezhou realized what was truly important at that moment.

What does it matter if you're healthy or free from illness, what does it matter if you become an official or curry favor with powerful people, what does it matter if you pursue good fortune? Nothing can compare to the necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

This is Chang'an City with exorbitant expenses.

This meal cost Zhang Xuezhou a quarter of his half-ounce coin.

Even if they ate lavish meals every day, they couldn't sustain it for long, even if they ate naan or steamed bread.

"Cousin, we can sell paintings!"

When Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding discussed the matter, Rong Tianding couldn't help but think of the old approach, a suggestion that made Zhang Xuezhou shrug.

Without the right timing, location, and people, Rong Tianding's pig blood paintings would be nothing more than worthless canvases, with no chance of ever selling.

Moreover, doing business in Chang'an City is not something that can be done just by talking. To start a business, one must register and become a registered resident of the city. After obtaining city registration, one must pay "city rent" to the government before one can set up a stall.

If you want to do business in a more respectable way, you have to rent a 'liesi' or 'dishe', which means renting a stall to operate your business.

With so many rules, you can't just sell whatever you want.

Rong Tianding's pig blood paintings not only failed to sell, but these counterfeit items also could not be registered in the city's registry.

"With so many rules, this place is too difficult!"

After Zhang Xuezhou's explanation, Rong Tianding felt that Chang'an City had too many rules and regulations, and was not as free Hibiscus City.

"A large population inevitably requires management," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "It's normal to have more rules; otherwise, Chang'an City where people fight with butcher knives every day!"

There is only one Rong Li in Hibiscus City, but there are many people in Chang'an City who are just as fierce as Rong Li and possess rudimentary martial arts skills.

If people start fighting over stalls, the struggles in Chang'an City will never end.

"It's so hard to make a living and live well," Rong Tianding said. "Should we go back to Hibiscus City to get some money for emergencies?"

"That's a great idea!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't just decided not to wander around aimlessly, he would have taken Rong Tianding on his black and white twin horses, taking a shortcut straight to Hibiscus City.

However, he experienced too many risks while wandering from the Southern Jambudvipa Continent to the Northern Kuru Continent, and in reality, he also caused trouble when crossing from the Scarlet Alliance State to the Thousand Islands Alliance.

If Zhang Xuezhou still had the audacity to travel far from home at this point, it undoubtedly meant he didn't take caution and safety seriously.

"But we're all grown up now, how can we still expect to rely on our families for support!"

He agreed to Rong Tianding's idea, but then righteously refused.

This made Rong Tianding feel ashamed. He felt that his cousin, who had been out in the world for several years, had a different mindset. He was still thinking about relying on his family for support, while Zhang Xuezhou had already decided to rely on himself.