Old Affairs of the Beast Taming Sect

By the time Yuan Gu finished explaining the entire Cloud Soaring Technique, it was already past dawn.

As the night watchman's call to battle echoed through the night, Yuan Gu nervously turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuezhou.

This prompted Zhang Xuezhou to reach into his sleeve pocket and then take out a red pill sealed with beeswax.

"Is this the longevity elixir?" Yuan Gu asked in a trembling voice.

"I don't know if it was the Longevity Pill," Zhang Xuezhou corrected again, "The Golden Cloud Primordial Lady bestowed two Longevity Pills upon Yao Yuanguang and me, but I was unconscious at the time, and the pill passed into Yao Yuanguang's hands!"

"I see!"

"If I'm overthinking it, then you'll get what you want," Zhang Xuezhou said. "If I'm not overthinking it, you'd better check this pill carefully!"

When he handed the pills to Yuan Gu, he subtly and naturally slipped the scroll of Sage Kong paintings into his sleeve.

The feeling of difficulty in putting it into his bag made Zhang Xuezhou realize that the possibility of Yuan Gu's scroll being genuine was indeed extremely high.

As for the elixirs provided by Zhang Xuezhou, that remains to be seen.

"Would you like me to take a look?" Li Shaojun asked enviously. "Although I can't refine the elixir of immortality, I'm a Daoist, so I have some unique abilities!"

"If this pill is a longevity elixir, what use is there for me to distinguish it?" Yuan Gu said. "If this pill is not a longevity elixir, what use is it for you to distinguish it?"

Without waiting for Li Shaojun to speak again, he removed the outer shell of the amber and swallowed it whole.

"What a pity," Li Shaojun said sullenly, "I was hoping to use this pill to learn a few tricks and see if I could imitate the Immortal Court's longevity pills, but you swallowed it whole!"

"If you were more reliable, I would trust you, but unfortunately, you really don't inspire confidence in my character!"

A slight flush appeared on Yuan Gu's face.

He had been gambling on his destiny with immortals before, and he was still gambling on his destiny with immortals now; whether he succeeded or not was up to fate.

He swallowed the pill in one gulp, feeling somewhat uneasy, but more than that, he knew very well that this was how his life was going to be.

Whether his lifespan is extended or not, it will be difficult for him to have any other opportunities to become an immortal.

"Master Yao once told my fortune, saying I had one year and two months left to live. Now we'll see if his fortune-telling is accurate, or if his elixirs are." Yuan Gu said, "If I die in a year, young friend, you'd better be wary of people like Master Yao!"

Yuan Gu's reminder was not directed at Yao Yuanguang, but at this group, and even at himself.

If he had two longevity pills in his possession, and was about to give one to someone else, Yuan Gu would find it hard to be sure whether he would have any ulterior motives.

In this matter, it is extremely difficult for elderly people to put their knowledge into practice. Only young people, who lack reverence for life, can be so honest and generous.

He mumbled to himself for a moment, and when the incense burned out and he felt dizzy, Yuan Gu returned to his room to rest.

"What a pity!"

Upon seeing Yuan Gu return to his room, Li Shaojun smacked his lips, shook his head, and sighed.

"Hey, don't go!"

Having taken what they were entitled to, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding had no desire for anything else, nor did they intend to use the painting by Sage Kong for any testing. Instead, they quickly packed up and left.

Li Shaojun reached out to stop him, but when he saw Zhang Xuezhou's ambiguous smile, his heart skipped a beat.

"Guess if I know your secret of being immortal?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"That's hurtful, bro, you're going to hurt our feelings by saying that!"

Li Shaojun felt like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his heart pounding wildly.

He only showed off his skills twice in front of Zhang Xuezhou, and Zhang Xuezhou's eyesight was not enough to see through them. But when combined with the knowledge of an old Confucian scholar like Yuan Gu, it was a different story.

He obtained the ability to fly, but it seems he has been given a handle to exploit.

Li Shaojun wasn't afraid of people like Yuan Gu knowing his secrets. At worst, they would just avoid each other and wait until the other person died of old age, and then everything would be over.

But Li Shaojun was genuinely afraid that people like Zhang Xuezhou would find out his private matters.

After all, he did want to pester Zhang Xuezhou to try and gain more benefits.

But before things even got started, the matter had already come to an end.

Judging from the fact that Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding dared to throw stones at him so ruthlessly when they first met, these two cousins were undoubtedly vicious. If he went even slightly too far, Li Shaojun felt that he was at great risk.

"You two have connections, and I'm also a bit of a figure in the underworld. Our cooperation will definitely be more beneficial than harmful, so there's no need for us to be so wary of each other," Li Shaojun quickly added.

"How do you want to cooperate?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"We can share our private information," Li Shaojun said. "Some information might be useless to me, but useful to you, while some information that you consider ordinary might be of great use to me!"

"That's interesting," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. "Then give me an example!"

"For example..."

Before the cooperation even began, Zhang Xuezhou asked him to give examples.

For every example given, Li Shaojun would lose one less piece of information to exchange.

But he still had to bring up this example.

Having witnessed Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding emerge from Jade Emperor Peak, Li Shaojun knew very well that the two had visited the Immortal Court.

It's very difficult to find a connection with the Immortal Court in the mortal realm.

Unlike many other schools of thought, where the identities of cultivators are very clear, the identities of the immortals in the Immortal Court Immortal Court are extremely difficult to discern.

These immortals could be fortune tellers from the martial arts world, high-ranking officials in the imperial court, vegetable vendors on the street, wandering Daoist priests, or even those who run brothels and other businesses.

Each immortal has their own mission, and they will only return to the Immortal Court after failing a mission or having their identity revealed. Therefore, trying to make connections with immortals before their identities are exposed is entirely a matter of luck.

No immortal was willing to risk revealing their identity to get to know Li Shaojun.

Like Yuan Gu, the immortals also constantly pursued longevity or other things, which were far more important than anything else.

The Immortal Court's methods of controlling people's hearts are so simple that it's no surprise that Li Shaojun wanted to create an elixir of immortality.

If he hadn't been unable to subdue Yuan Gu, Li Shaojun would have really wanted to take that pill out of the other man's mouth.

With the Immortal Court's elixirs no longer an option, he can only hope to pave a path and find a way to realize his wish someday.

Zhang Xuezhou and the others in front of him were the people he was focusing on getting to know.

"I have something to tell you, which might be of some use to you," Li Shaojun said after thinking for a moment. "But if it's not useful, don't blame me. After all, everyone's needs are different. Only when we understand each other better can I accurately provide you with the information you need!"

"Speak!" Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"In recent years, the imperial court has eradicated many schools of thought. I recently heard that the Beast Taming Sect has also been reduced to nothing, with only its young master, Su Fei, surviving," Li Shaojun said. "Su Fei has invited some heroes of the martial world to retrieve the treasures hidden in the Beast Taming Sect's secret vault!"

"Oh?"

"If you have any need of the Beast Taming Sect, you might be able to take this opportunity to gain some benefits, and even have a chance to seize the Beast Taming Sect's legacy!"

Li Shaojun shared some news.

Zhang Xuezhou had little interest in general news; he found it far more reliable to go to Chang'an City and patiently wait to seek official positions and improve his luck.

However, Li Shaojun's mention of the Beast Taming Sect did stir something in Zhang Xuezhou's mind.

The reason for this is simple: after parting ways in the Northern Border, Zhang Cigong was searching for the secret treasure of the Beast Taming Sect.

If Zhang Cigong clashes with Su Fei and the others, and accidentally gets caught up in something, Zhang Xuezhou will lose even the last companion of Zhang Household Village.