Separate Paths

"Could it be that my fate is truly split in two, with one part belonging to the extraterrestrial demons and the other to me?"

When fortunes plummet, few people can solve their problems on their own.

Dong Zhongshu's judgment was uncertain, but his conjectures were undoubtedly getting closer and closer to Zhang Xuezhou's possible actual situation.

Why would an extraterrestrial demon go to the trouble of moving me into this body?

"Could it be that it was kind enough to know it was going to take over my body in the real world, and deliberately left me a body beforehand?"

"You're a really nice person!"

"But the Buddhist disciple said that I might experience a similar situation when I Divine Ability Realm. How can this be explained?"

Countless thoughts raced through Zhang Xuezhou's mind.

He watched as Dong Zhongshu took a paper horse Law Artifact and rode away into the distance, eagerly anticipating the day when Dong Zhongshu would return to Chang'an City.

Whether it's the Yellow Sand Technique or the "Zaiyou" text, these topics clearly require dedicated study. These top-level contents involving various schools of thought cannot be easily translated into popular terms in just a day or two. Zhang Xuezhou could only patiently wait for Dong Zhongshu's future reward.

He glanced at the black and white twin horses, then at the Heavenly Silkworm Cloth.

This was after Dong Zhongshu repeatedly tested it and confirmed that no hidden traps had been found.

A heavy weight lifted from Zhang Xuezhou's heart.

Although he was busy for two days, he didn't come away empty-handed. At least these two treasures, which had been checked for backdoors, were safe to use.

Zhang Xuezhou planned to settle in Chang'an City to seek the court's favor, but he wasn't someone who never traveled far.

For example, when he had the opportunity, he would visit Huainan Kingdom, or he might take Rong Tianding to search for Xu Ji near Ba County.

He doesn't have many plans in the near future; his main focus is on stability.

Zhang Xuezhou stared into the distance for a long time until Dong Zhongshu's figure on the paper horse disappeared from sight, then he swayed and walked out of the forest.

"The Nine Tripods of Yu the Great, the Treasure Hunting Technique? The Transformation Technique of the Yang Soul?"

After Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu left together, the Holy Mother of Wudang appeared from the spot where the two had parted ways.

She was indeed worried about Dong Zhongshu and Zhang Xuezhou, and kept a close watch on them, but the information she overheard did not involve the two of them targeting her or the tomb she was guarding.

They discussed many things, mainly about identifying treasures and exchanging Technique Method.

Dong Zhongshu gave Zhang Xuezhou a treasure-hunting technique, and Dong Zhongshu Zhang Xuezhou reciprocated with a Yang Soul Transformation technique.

The former is ordinary, while the latter is profound and difficult to understand.

"Creating a Law Power avatar outside the body sounds incredibly improbable. It's likely a test technique used by someone. Could it be a censored version of Laozi's 'One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones'? But Laozi's 'One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones' has so many problems..."

The Yang Soul Transformation Technique has many advantages, but its biggest problem lies in its unknown origin and nature.

Not to mention being manipulated or exploited, practicing this art could very well mean becoming someone else's stepping stone.

The Holy Mother of Wudang didn't act as a guinea pig; she only made a slight guess, and the overheard information went in one ear and out the other.

Her figure flickered in the forest before disappearing directly underground.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuezhou returned to the residence that Wei Shao'er had seized.

Rong Tianding and Xu Yuan got along very well. At this moment, the two were roasting a blackened pig leg, one tending the fire and the other flipping the roasting pig leg. They were practically arm in arm.

"Let me tell you, my specialty is cooking pork. I can cook any kind of pork," Rong Tianding boasted, his pork leg roasted until it was black.

"Brother Rong, this meat smells delicious!"

Xu Yuan nodded repeatedly.

Let alone eating meat, Xu Yuan has barely had a full meal in over a year, relying mostly on wild fruits and vegetables he gathers to stave off hunger.

He didn't have much money on him, so today was a rare treat for him.

"Cousin!"

When Zhang Xuezhou opened the door, Rong Tianding and even peeked inside a few times.

"Where is the teacher?" Rong Tianding asked.

"He went to Huainan!"

Although Dong Zhongshu wandered around using his treasure-hunting technique to search for spirit jade, his first stop was the Wenying Pavilion in Dong Zhongshu.

After that, he might go to Liangyuan Garden, and then return to his hometown.

It would be difficult to meet Dong Zhongshu in Chang'an City, but for Zhang Xuezhou, who possesses the Black and White Twin Horses, finding Dong Zhongshu would not be too difficult. He only needed to follow the route to find Dong Zhongshu.

Zhang Xuezhou plopped down on the ground and then joined the group of people having barbecue.

"Brother Xu, how about we open a pharmacy in Chang'an City?"

Xu Yuanlai's primary concern in Chang'an City was not finding out how many Origin-Nurturing Pill Zhang Xuezhou would refine for his own cultivation, but rather finding a place to stay and then supporting a normal life.

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding were both down on their luck, and Xu Yuan was clearly no exception.

Watching the other person wolf down the charred meat, they were so hungry they barely had any oil left in their stomach.

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a few seconds, then offered a more friendly suggestion.

He did not underestimate his opponent at all. Compared to Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding, who were unemployed, the Agricultural School was still a large school of thought, and Xu Yuan possessed the resources of this school.

The people of the Agricultural Sect dislike Chang'an City, and consequently, the chances of Agricultural Sect cultivators running businesses in Chang'an City are extremely low.

Compared to his daily stall selling scrapes and cuts, Zhang Xuezhou felt it was much easier to make a living by relying on Xu Yuan.

"Yes, open a pharmacy, make money, buy a house," Rong Tianding quickly echoed.

"Why buy a house? Can't we live in this house?" Xu Yuan swallowed the pork and asked doubtfully, "I also cleared a piece of land over there and planted some vegetables. Once the vegetables grow, we won't have to eat wild vegetables anymore, and we should be able to make a living!"

"You must be looking for me to refine the Origin-Nurturing Pill and the Spirit-Forging Pill. We need a proper place to refine pills," Zhang Xuezhou said. "These pills can't be refined in just a few days. Correspondingly, we need to make a living, and we also need to cultivate. Eating wild vegetables can only ensure that we don't starve to death, how can we achieve anything in cultivation!"

"This house belongs to a fierce woman, the kind who stabs people with a sword," Rong Tianding said. "We can't live in this house; we can only use it temporarily, lest she come back in the middle of the night and stab us to death."

Given the ruthlessness with which Yiwei treated the children, what Rong Tianding said is absolutely possible.

Zhang Xuezhou took advantage of Wei Shao'er's current illness, Dong Zhongshu's presence the previous night, and his own lack of sleep to temporarily seize the opportunity to usurp the position.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to stay in Wei Shao'er's thatched hut for an extended period, Zhang Xuezhou worried that his head might be pierced by the other party's flying sword.

Cultivation is not something that can be achieved by simply eating wild vegetables. When one is exhausted by the stomach and skin, it is impossible to strengthen oneself. Even a swordsman with extraordinary talent like Zhufu Yan Fu Yan was caught in a predicament.

Zhang Xuezhou and his colleagues not only had to make a living, but they also had to live a good life.

"This place is definitely not a place we can stay for long. We need to go to Chang'an City to find a place to settle down," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"But they check the city gates for 'tickets'! I've come all this way through mountains and valleys, where am I supposed to find 'tickets' for them to check?" Xu Yuan said in distress, "I can't even get through the city gates of Chang'an City!"

"This is indeed a troublesome matter," Rong Tianding said. "If the Master were in Chang'an City, it would be easy to resolve, but who can we find to vouch for him now?"

There's always a way!

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand.

However, it's unavoidable that Xu Yuan will have to stay outside the city for the time being, which means they'll probably have to help him out to maintain a normal life.