Beast Taming Sect

The Beast Taming Sect is located in Niutou Mountain in Huaibei, and its corresponding secret vault is also most likely located in or near Niutou Mountain.

Having determined their general location, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding were no longer wandering aimlessly.

But Zhang Xuezhou wasn't particularly enthusiastic.

Once anyone realizes that their luck is mediocre and their gains are limited, they will lose interest in adventure and exploration.

Zhang Xuezhou's purpose in going there was merely to check if Zhang Cigong was mixed in with the others and whether his life was in danger. If Zhang Cigong was in trouble, he would see if there was any chance to help him out.

Aside from that, Zhang Xuezhou rarely had any other thoughts.

"Cousin, what you're talking about—fate and destiny—is really hard for me to understand. Can our lives really be affected by these vague and unpredictable things?"

"If you find this hard to understand, think about a group of people playing 'Shìfā' (a type of divination game)," Zhang Xuezhou said. "What happens when a lot of people bet on it?"

"The bookmaker never does business at a loss," Rong Tianding said. "Lots of people will lose!"

"That's right," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "A small percentage of them can break even, but only a very few can actually win money!"

You mean to say...?

"Those with exceptionally good fortune are the very few who win money, while those with average fortune have a small chance of breaking even or losing a little. As for the average person, they are the losers. They seem to participate in everything, but they keep losing themselves time and time again, and may even end up losing their lives!"

"I understand now that you've said that," Rong Tianding nodded.

He lost the Essence Blood of the ancestral dragon within him, but gained the power of the gluttonous demon blood.

Rong Tianding is not a winner, but he is not a complete loser either.

He was undoubtedly involved in many things, but even in the things he was in charge of, he was just a supporting player, not someone who shone brightly.

Attributing all these events solely to the influence of fate is clearly an oversimplification, but it's equally impossible to say they have no connection to fate.

The Book of Changes states, "Things of a kind come together, and things of a group are divided into groups; from this, good fortune and misfortune arise," thus exploring this relationship and mentioning the related influences of good and bad fortune.

Rong Tianding suddenly understood why Zhang Xuezhou was so obsessed with his official position in the imperial court.

As an official institution of the Great Han Dynasty, this was clearly a group that held the fate of the Great Han Dynasty in its hands. Joining it would surely bring good fortune, which is why countless people gathered there.

"If Su Fei gathers a large group of people together, what will they be?" Rong Tianding asked. "Will they also have good luck?"

"Holding onto the rotten wood of the Beast Taming Sect will naturally bring bad luck, but the fortunes of each person he gathers are different, which will cause changes," Zhang Xuezhou replied. "My research in this area is only just beginning, and it's difficult for me to fully understand the intricacies involved!"

"If you figure this out, cousin, will we continue to have good luck?"

I think it's essential!

Zhang Xuezhou responded emphatically, and then a "tsk" sound came from Hua Yao's sleeve pocket.

Clearly, the painting demon does not approve of Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding's delusions.

"Even the moon has its phases, and you expect to have endless good fortune? Even emperors don't have that kind of luck!"

The painting demon muttered something, then continued to lament how miserable her old age had been, and how she had never had any good luck.

"Please stop nagging, we've already reached Niutou Mountain territory!"

Compared to traveling to Xi'an County in one hour, it took Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding nearly three hours to reach Niutou Mountain, and Rong Tianding even took a nap on horseback.

This is related to the mindset of Zhang Xuezhou and others at this time, and also to their occasional need to wait for Li Shaojun.

Zhang Xuezhou stopped the painting demon's nagging, put away the black and white twin horses, and then waved to the back.

In the distance, the exhausted Li Shaojun did not chase after him on the clouds, but instead walked on two stilts that were more than three meters long.

He could cover half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) with each step. Although this running style was not as fast as that of a fine horse, it was undoubtedly much faster than a normal person running at full speed.

Arriving breathless, Li Shaojun put away his stilts and landed on the ground, panting heavily.

"Why are you running so fast? We're not waiting for you," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Even if you wait for me, I will find you," Li Shaojun gasped.

"Aren't you a restless spirit?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously, "Tracking our movements shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"That can't be... so fast!"

Every tracking ability has its limits. For example, Ning Cheng and others once chased Zhang Xuezhou, and not only did they lose him, they also went through a lot of trouble.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't ended up in the Liang King's tomb, it would have been very difficult for these people to capture Zhang Xuezhou.

Li Shaojun's tracking skills were also exceptional.

If the other party is filled with anxiety or hires someone to deal with him, Li Shaojun has plenty of ways to slowly torture him.

But if someone like Zhang Xuezhou just rides off on a precious horse, how can he possibly catch up? Even if he had a method for tracking, he'd still have to catch up first.

Once Zhang Xuezhou and the others had run far away, he couldn't help but wander like a lost soul, searching for a target.

"Your skills have too many flaws!"

"Oh my god, you can't keep testing me!"

It's highly likely that Yuan Gu discovered and informed Zhang Xuezhou about the ability to never die, and the ability to be haunted by vengeful spirits also had obvious flaws, even being criticized by Zhang Xuezhou.

In just two days, Li Shaojun felt that most of his secrets, which had led to his downfall, had been revealed.

He felt he had been taken advantage of, but he had no way to control Zhang Xuezhou, and he also needed Zhang's help, so he could only grumble a couple of times in frustration.

Although he was very sincere in offering the information he was providing, Zhang Xuezhou didn't believe him and insisted on coming here to verify it.

Now that they had arrived at Niutou Mountain, Li Shaojun had no choice but to finish his work as soon as possible.

He took a while to adjust before urging everyone to use the aging technique.

In an instant, everyone's bodies aged, transforming into three sprightly old men.

The group looked at each other, and then Li Shaojun pointed out several flaws. After they finished sorting things out, they headed towards Niutou Mountain.

The imperial court wiped out the Beast Taming Sect at Niutou Mountain, but it did not completely abandon the place. Instead, it stationed troops to guard against the remnants of the Beast Taming Sect making a comeback.

Consequently, finding treasures within the Beast Taming Sect is not easy. If one's personal strength is weak, one might be reprimanded by the soldiers and driven away, making even going up the mountain a problem.

The situation Li Shaojun described regarding Su Fei is exactly like this. It's almost impossible for Su Fei to return to Niutou Mountain to search for the secret vault on his own, which makes it inevitable for Su Fei to invite various martial arts figures.

Among the various schools of thought in the Great Han Dynasty, there were both those who were hostile to the imperial court and those who ignored it. In the eyes of many schools, the Great Han Dynasty was just lucky to have gained the world and become the legitimate dynasty. Judging from the time it took for the Qin Dynasty to fall, the fall of the Great Han Dynasty was only a matter of time.

Influenced by this mindset, many people in the underworld are driven by profit.

If the benefits are great enough, it's not unusual for them to kill government officials and soldiers.

These people call themselves "knights-errant" or "heroes," and this is recognized in various places. Whenever there is a conflict of interest that is inconvenient to handle, inviting some knights-errant to help is never a bad idea.

"Fellow heroes, we have already attacked the sect twice, killing twelve of the garrison soldiers. They now have only eight men left, and it will be at least two to three days before they send out carrier pigeons to call for reinforcements!"

"So, even if we charge in again and successfully enter the Beast Taming Sect, we'll only have two to three days to search for them?"

"This amount of time is more than enough, isn't it?"

"Whenever the young sect leader opens the secret vault, everyone should take whatever they can and try to get rich!"

"The Beast Taming Sect has way too many traps and mechanisms. I almost lost my life charging into one of them. Young Sect Master Su, can't you just show me the Beast Taming Sect's trap map?"

"Senior Lei Bao, if I had the trap map, I would have taken it out long ago. Why would I risk my life like this!"

"Fine, your sect is good at setting traps. Don't even mention your father, even the disciples of your sect throw animal cages and traps everywhere!"

Zhang Xuezhou and the others arrived at a reasonable time.

Numerous heroes gathered at the foot of Niutou Mountain, and even more people, like them, came to try their luck after hearing the news.

Hidden among the lush greenery on the mountain, a large bell tolls, accompanied by shouts and reprimands from officials and soldiers. If one listens closely, one can also hear the soldiers threatening the imperial court.

Meanwhile, down the mountain, a group of chivalrous heroes were plotting another attack on Niutou Mountain.

This situation, resembling a confrontation between two armies, was extremely strange, but it truly occurred in every instance where the imperial court clashed with various academic schools of thought.

The Beast Taming Sect is not an isolated case; there are many such dilapidated schools of thought, and many people have taken advantage of this situation, leading to the emergence of various smaller sects.

Consequently, many heroes and knights-errant are also enjoying this, seeking adventure to change their fate and turn their lives around.

Zhang Xuezhou glanced around and noticed Lei Bei also among the others.

Beside Lei Bei, the strange man with a sickly appearance appeared to be Jin Chang.