Cultivators of Fortune

Many people in Chang'an City were eager to see Dong Zhongshu make a fool of himself.

Regardless of their past renown for their talents, the outcome was clear the moment Nan Zhongshu and Bei Shenpei met.

The transformation from bustling crowds to deserted shops took only a short time.

If this hadn't been an internal Confucian School dispute, this battle would have been enough to ruin Dong Zhongshu's reputation.

Good fortune and misfortune are always intertwined, so try to take it easy!

Zhang Xuezhou had no way to change the internal strife within the Confucian school; he could only advise Dong Zhongshu to be more magnanimous and take a more relaxed view.

"Misfortune has always been my companion, and I haven't seen any fortune at all," Dong Zhongshu sighed. "I had a smooth and successful life for over ten years, never imagining that my downfall would be so miserable!"

"It's already a miracle you're alive!" Zhang Xuezhou advised.

He couldn't help but glance at Rong Tianding, Rong Tianding also felt a pang of sympathy, yet also a sense of relief.

Preserving your life is indeed very important.

Some people are fearless, but that's just because they haven't experienced death.

For anyone who has faced death or is elderly, the greatest fear is death itself.

It was fortunate that Dong Zhongshu was able to remain safe after the struggle.

"Save my life, oh dear!"

Dong Zhongshu sighed deeply, realizing that saving his life would not be easy.

He had barely managed to stabilize his body when his struggle with Shen Peigong worsened his symptoms, reducing him to a cripple once again. Had it not been for the Nine-Turn Qi-Harmony Technique that kept him alive, Dong Zhongshu would have had a very difficult time surviving.

Dong Zhongshu could only be thankful that he had never been an arrogant person in the past, and that his downfall had allowed others to take advantage of his misfortune.

"You used to recite the sutras to heal your injuries, so why are they still recurring? Is it because you only prayed for General Li to temporarily stabilize his body?" Zhang Xuezhou asked. "Or have you not yet fulfilled your wish?"

"My grave motto!"

Dong Zhongshu believed that personal wishes should not be told to others, but his wish to pray for the tomb scriptures was related to his injuries, though not so closely.

The power of this wish is similar to that of ordinary people praying to gods and Buddhas, and Dong Zhongshu was unsure whether it was reliable.

"Why are you asking me this? Does it mean your wish has already come true?" Dong Zhongshu asked after pondering for a moment.

"My wish has come true," Zhang Xuezhou nodded, "Although I don't particularly like it, it has indeed fulfilled my desire!"

"It really happened?"

Dong Zhongshu looked astonished.

The Huang-Lao school of thought possesses metaphysical and mystical qualities. Although it is widely circulated, it is mixed with the "spirit medium" element mentioned by Zhang Xuezhou, making it difficult to distinguish whether the effects are real. There is also a lot of misinformation that makes it hard to discern the truth.

The information everyone currently has comes from Zhang Xuezhou, and Zhang Xuezhou's information comes from the King of Huainan.

However, the veracity of such information is left to chance; whether it truly comes true or is merely a coincidence is difficult for most people to discern. It mostly serves to strengthen people's belief that they are destined to succeed.

If others thought so, Dong Zhongshu would assume that the other party had a good ending.

For Zhang Xuezhou, the person who proposed the "shaman theory," to believe this, it must mean that Zhang Xuezhou's wish has been fulfilled, or even that the other party's wish has been fulfilled in such a way that Zhang Xuezhou has no way to refute it.

In other words, the "Tomb Classic" truly came into play.

"Were there any unusual phenomena when your wish came true?" Dong Zhongshu asked in a low voice.

"I would like to tell you, but you might not believe me, and you might not be happy to hear it," Zhang Xuezhou said, spreading his hands.

"I don't believe you? I'm unhappy?"

"I think you'll find it hard to believe, and you'll be unhappy," Zhang Xuezhou said. "Of course, if you insist I tell you, I can."

"I really want to hear it, to see how unbelievable and unhappy I am that your wish has come true!"

Looking at himself, Dong Zhongshu felt that his fate couldn't get any worse.

Hearing something worse would only make things worse, which made it hard for him to believe.

Especially since this involved his "Fen Jing" (Tomb Classic) doctrine, which originated from the heart, Dong Zhongshu felt he needed another reference point to more accurately judge his own state.

"Since you're willing to listen, then I'll tell you about my unfortunate and bizarre experience..."

If the facts can be confirmed, the power struggle between Emperor Jing, the Prince of Liang, and the King of Huainan could cost many people their lives.

There was no benefit in Zhang Xuezhou recounting these things, but he didn't mind using them as a starting point to discuss Huang-Lao philosophy with Zhang Xuezhou Dong Zhongshu and explore more possibilities.

He spoke in a low voice.

Dong Zhongshu frowned deeply. He repeatedly tried to stop Zhang Xuezhou from continuing, but ended up listening to the whole story.

It wasn't until Zhang Xuezhou mentioned that the power of the tomb scriptures had drawn a sword to sever the white dragon head that King Liang had transformed into that sent chills down Dong Zhongshu's spine.

"Red Sky!"

Zhang Xuezhou's status and position made it difficult for him to enter the palace, so he had no chance of seeing that sword.

But Dong Zhongshu had witnessed it.

This is the strongest evidence Zhang Xuezhou has to support his account of the matter. Despite never having seen the Crimson Sky Sword, Zhang Xuezhou described its shape, which is completely identical to the Crimson Sky Sword in the Imperial Palace's secret pavilion.

This forced Dong Zhongshu to believe that everything Zhang Xuezhou said was true, and he did not doubt that Zhang Xuezhou was lying.

This wish was fulfilled with the help of Emperor Jing, whose words were law and could not be taken lightly, thus proving the effectiveness of the "Tomb Classic".

But once he thought about the complex and intertwined relationships involved, the fact that Emperor Jing's death was closely related to this, and that it even involved the rebellion of the Prince of Liang, the affairs of the Prince of King of Huainan, and even the truth that Emperor Jing had multiple identities, Dong Zhongshu truly wished he had never heard of these things.

"Anyone who gets involved in this will lose their head, or even their entire family," Dong Zhongshu warned in a low voice. "You must never go around talking about these things again. Keep them buried in your heart and never mention them again!"

"It's not because the Master is so upright that I'm telling you this," Zhang Xuezhou said in astonishment. "What? You actually believe such an absurd thing without even a hint of doubt?"

"I believe it," Dong Zhongshu nodded.

"Then you've disappointed me greatly!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked sullen.

He recounted bizarre and outrageous tales, such as Emperor Jing transforming into a golden dragon, the King of Huainan transforming into a serpentine dragon, and the Prince of Liang transforming into a white dragon. No normal person could believe it; for example, Rong Tianding listened to it as utter nonsense.

But Zhang Xuezhou didn't expect that Dong Zhongshu would bypass these absurd and unbelievable things and choose to believe him directly.

This left Zhang Xuezhou with a bellyful of complaints he couldn't express.

"You mean the 'Art of Combat'?" Dong Zhongshu hesitated for a moment before saying, "This is similar to how we cultivators use our Yang Soul to fight with spells. The conditions for achieving this are extremely demanding, but such a cultivation method does exist in the world. This cultivation method is different from our normal cultivation, and it is very difficult to master. More importantly, this ability can only be exerted under specific conditions. Without cultivating other techniques, such a cultivator is almost equivalent to a cripple."

Dong Zhongshu was undoubtedly very knowledgeable, and he introduced the cultivators who practiced the art of "Yun" in a low voice.

The cultivation of luck is not about providing powerful combat strength, but about controlling one's own luck to make one's fortune flourish.

This belongs to the Huangshu (黄术) within the Huang-Lao school of thought. Huang in Huang-Lao refers to the Yellow Emperor, and Huangshu is an extremely secretive art of rulership.

The art of manipulation exists only within a very small circle; ordinary people cannot even see it.

"There's a drawback to this technique," Dong Zhongshu said in a low voice. "It's said that once you reach a certain level in this technique, you can unleash a battle of 'manipulation techniques.' The powerful can kill weaker cultivators under specific conditions, even if they are separated by vast distances!"

"Is this some kind of Incantation Technique...?"

"As long as one doesn't practice manipulation techniques, those who do can't target them. This is the biggest difference between manipulation techniques and Incantation Technique!"

Emperor Jing was dead, the King of Liang was dead, the fate of the King of Huainan was uncertain, and the new emperor had only been on the throne for a few months. The abilities of those practicing magic within the Han Dynasty were at their lowest level.

Without the constraints of a powerful figure, this is the best stage for cultivating 'manipulation techniques'.

Dong Zhongshu's fingers trembled slightly.

If he wants to realize his wish, he must at least be able to wait until it is realized.

It would be meaningless for Dong Zhongshu if his wish were fulfilled centuries after his death.

Dong Zhongshu also had to consider the various troubles brought about by practicing cultivation techniques, and he even needed to avoid the inevitable conflicts in the future. In addition, he also needed to obtain the secret records of cultivation techniques from the Royal Secret Pavilion.

"Dong Zhongshu, the half-month period has passed!"

As Dong Zhongshu was lost in thought, a loud shout came from outside the mansion, which immediately made his face turn ugly.