The Two Imperial Guard Commanders

Ordinary people are mourned in the funeral hall for three days after their death, and then they are buried. There is also the custom of observing the first seven days after death.

The rules after an emperor's death are even more numerous.

Emperor Jing had been dead for more than two months. During this time, there were three days of royal rites, as well as the construction of temples for worship. Officials also participated in the sacrifices, and every seven days they had to enter the palace to pay their respects, which would continue for forty-nine days.

It was three to six months later that Emperor Jing's coffin was placed in the imperial mausoleum for burial.

It wasn't just His Majesty who was concerned about whether Emperor Jing was truly dead; many others were also interested in this matter.

Zhang Xuezhou even thought of the strange phenomena and sounds Rong Tianding saw and heard when he recited the "Grave Sutra".

"Your Majesty, can you feel it? You cannot protect the imperial aura of this Great Han dynasty. Even a villain can tear a piece of flesh from you!"

Zhang Xuezhou read aloud what Rong Tianding had recounted.

He initially thought that Rong Tianding's recitation of the "Grave Sutra" had affected the fortune of Chang'an City, leading to the new emperor being reprimanded. Now it seems that the other party was not referring to them.

Zhang Xuezhou stood up, looked in the direction of the imperial city, and then sat down again.

He's been having bad luck lately, so he's avoiding getting involved in any spectacle to avoid getting into trouble.

He sat from the second watch to the third watch, and then counted the hours from the third watch to the fourth watch.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou began to feel hungry again and had to tighten his belt, he saw figures dressed in tight-fitting clothes running wildly across the street where the Dong residence was located.

"Now that you've come to Chang'an City, why are you acting so furtively and doing such despicable things!"

A familiar voice came from Zhang Xuezhou, followed by an even more familiar voice.

"Li Guang, the commander of the Weiyang Palace guards, has been offering his congratulations for a long time. Now that you're here, don't leave!"

If Cheng Bushi's voice only made the fleeing people back down, Li Guang's voice terrified them.

The sound of galloping horses echoed from behind, and another arrow pierced the darkness.

"What a brilliant willow wood double!"

Cheng Bushi rode his horse out of the street, reached out in the darkness and grabbed a dark figure. He felt the brokenness of the wood in his hand and Cheng Bushi tossed it back.

You need to practice your catching techniques more!

Ten seconds later, Li Guang arrived on his white horse.

His gaze swept over the arrow he had planted in the willow stake, constantly assessing the wounds his opponent had suffered.

After a long pause, Li Guang could only utter a complaint.

Being stationed in Chang'an City is not the same as sending troops to fight; everything that needs to be dealt with is completely different from what is done in a military camp.

For example, when they were hunting down a criminal, they needed to capture him alive in order to identify his accomplices, which meant that Li Guang's arrows were more likely to wound rather than kill.

But Li Guang didn't expect that he had wounded his opponent while Cheng Bushi still hadn't captured him.

His sarcastic remarks made Cheng Bushi shake his head repeatedly.

"I'm only good at taking a beating; it's too difficult for me to take the initiative," Cheng Bushi said. "You continue the pursuit, and I'll go protect His Majesty to prevent any villains from launching a sneak attack when we're both out. Otherwise, we'll end up losing more than we gain!"

"She has already used magic to escape far away and is difficult to discern her direction, so we will not pursue her," Li Guang waved his hand and said, "The palace has been robbed again, and the few petty thieves we killed will probably not be able to offset this crime."

Cheng Bushi it difficult to leave his post too far, and Li Guang was clearly in the same boat.

Whether it's catching a thief or protecting the emperor's safety, everyone can clearly distinguish which is more important.

The two exchanged a glance, reined in their horses, turned them around, and then rode off together towards the imperial city.

"Unfortunately, my relationship with General Li Guang was just so-so!"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at him enviously.

Li Guang was the top figure in the Northern Border Military Region, and his official rank upon entering Chang'an City was clearly not low.

Judging from the way the other party was riding his horse at this moment, and the fact that he could freely use his archery skills to shoot people in Chang'an City, he clearly had a lot of real power, which was far more useful than Dong Zhongshu's nominal position.

But just thinking about Li Guang's cold face made Zhang Xuezhou realize that there was no hope for a relationship between them, and that Li Guang might not even remember someone as insignificant as him.

"I wonder if this person is completely dead!"

After Cheng Bushi and Li Guang left, Zhang Xuezhou went to the street to take a look.

He picked up the broken willow stump and then touched the sleepy bug in his pocket.

"They're so hard to please!"

Seeing that Sleepyhead had no interest in the willow stump, Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to give up.

The willow stake in his hand still retained traces of Law Power energy, and bore the marks of the force left by Li Guang's arrow that pierced through it.

This was clearly a Law Treasure wood that had been refined by someone, but the sleepy bug couldn't resist it.

Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to collect some wood scraps as a backup, in case he got too sleepy and hungry one day, he might be able to nibble on them if he saw something he liked, so as not to starve to death.

"Find me a secluded spot!"

As he was plotting his own scheme, he suddenly felt someone grab his neck from behind, and an old woman's voice came from behind him.

"Who are you...?"

Zhang Xuezhou had just uttered a mutter when he felt as if his cervical vertebrae had been struck by lightning, and his body began to tremble involuntarily.

"Enough nonsense! And don't even think about attracting Li Guang's attention by shouting," the old woman's voice continued. "The Imperial Guards will be conducting their routine search along the streets in half an hour. You'd better hide me now, or I'll tear your bones apart before I'm caught!"

"I'm just a homeless person, I..."

Die!

A deep, hoarse voice came through, and a chill ran down Zhang Xuezhou's spine.

But I know a good place!

He let out a quick, low cry, and felt the hand gripping his neck pull back.

In just a second or two, this almost made Zhang Xuezhou break out in a cold sweat.

He rarely encountered someone who would kill without a second thought, especially since he was just a stranger with almost no vested interest in the other person.

The other person was clearly trying to take someone down with them before they died, not even sparing a homeless person.

Zhang Xuezhou felt he had been struck by terrible luck.

He felt a surge of warmth upon seeing the willow stake after it had been enchanted, and Li Guang's mention that the other party had already gone far away made Zhang Xuezhou think about letting Sleepy Bug try it out to see if it suited his taste. Little did he expect to encounter such a ruthless demon.

Clearly, his luck was still terrible; nothing he did went right.

"Lead the way!"

A cold voice came, and Zhang Xuezhou had just taken a step when he felt his body sink, and then someone was lying on top of him.

"I'm injured and can't walk easily. Carry me quickly to that good place," the old woman said in a low voice. "You must keep me safe for at least three days. If you're even one day shorter, I'll kill you!"

As Zhang Xuezhou bowed his head in agreement, he felt a slap come down on his face, and a bitter-tasting object was stuffed into his mouth.

With a push from the other person's palm, he swallowed the bitter-tasting object.

"This is a deadly poison; I'll give you the antidote after it's done!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Xuezhou felt the person on his back lower their head, clearly lacking the strength and energy to continue the conversation.

He had just had a fleeting thought when he abruptly stopped himself and carried the other person across the street.

Zhang Xuezhou had only been to Chang'an City twice, and his understanding of the Chang'an City was limited, so how could he know which places were good?

However, the Dong family is currently renovating their residence, and there is no one there at the moment. It's fine for temporary hiding, but if Zhang Xuezhou needs to stay there for three days, that will be a problem.

He took a deep breath, and the energy flowed continuously through his numerous acupoints, subtly activating the Poison Repelling Technique.

If he were to turn against this old woman, he would obviously need to first assess his own situation.

"It's not poisonous at all!"

After the Poison-Repelling Technique swept over his abdomen, Zhang Xuezhou found that he could not detect any poison.

On the contrary, his body felt slightly warm, and his strength seemed to have increased in a short time, which also greatly reduced the physical effects of his thirty-day Grain Avoidance.

At least Zhang Xuezhou didn't feel hungry or uncomfortable at the moment.