fifth form

Chapter 3022 Real vs. Fake Accounts
"Lord Dongfang, I am Maoweiwei under General Dingmao. May I ask which branch you belong to?"

Dou Shisan and Dou Shisi had been fasting for many years, and their physical condition was strong on the outside but weak on the inside. After vomiting, their efforts failed, and they fell into a drowsy sleep.

Dong Yan, on the other hand, did not have these problems. After regaining consciousness, he vomited a foul odor, then washed his body with clean water. He was somewhat listless but still maintained a normal state.

After making the diagnosis, Yi Shuo went out to check on the symptoms of the other people. Dong Yan quickly thanked her and then leaned closer to Zhang Xuezhou inside the room to thank him as well.

At the same time, Dong Yan lowered his voice and asked Zhang Xuezhou a question as his lips moved slightly.

As a member of the Celestial Court, Dong Yan was extremely cautious and concealed his identity.

However, Zhang Xuezhou was a rather unique figure in the official system.

He curried favor with the emperor but lacked real power as an official, and basically did not perform any state affairs.

Zhang Xuezhou publicly stated that he had no family, and even after getting married and having children, he issued a letter of divorce, making it seem like he was just temporarily living together.

All signs made Zhang Xuezhou seem abnormal, as if he had come to Chang'an to complete some mission.

Zhang Xuezhou accepted the golden bowl as a gift at the Immortal Court and then presented it to Princess Dou.

His golden bowl truly came from the Celestial Court and was regarded as some kind of token, which led to a misjudgment.

Having learned from Dong Zhongshu that someone from the Celestial Court had approached Princess Dou, Zhang Xuezhou was surprised that the infiltrator had so easily revealed himself.

"Are you under Sima Qing's command?" Zhang Xuezhou asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Six Ding and Six Jia of the Celestial Court are the strongest of the younger generation. Wang Wenqing and Hu Wenchang, whom Zhang Xuezhou fed the Eternal Water at the Kunlun Centennial Gathering, originated from this system, and thus he also learned about the Twelve Divine Generals of the Six Ding and Six Jia.

Zhang Xuezhou never expected that the Twelve Yuan Chen who were giving Dong Zhongshu a headache were actually subordinates of the Six Ding and Six Jia.

It must be said that the Six Ding and Six Jia are outstanding immortals of the Celestial Court over the past hundred years. Even the Twelve Yuan Chen, who are one level lower, such as Dong Yan, are young and handsome.

He addressed Dingmao Divine General by his given name, clearly not wanting to be associated with the Twelve Earthly Branches and place himself at the same level as Dong Yan.

"My lord, you..."

"I am acquainted with Wang Wenqing, Hu Wenchang and others, but I am not at your level!"

Zhang Xuezhou chuckled, his words carrying a hint of condescension.

He hadn't figured out exactly who the Twelve Earthly Branches were, nor how they contacted or identified each other, and Zhang Xuezhou didn't want to expose his mistake in just a few words.

Although the Celestial Court is currently yielding to Kunlun, and the Twelve Yuan Chen may seem less important, things will be completely different once Kunlun takes over everything.

Zhang Xuezhou really needed to be wary of these people's positions in the court, and whether they might cause any damage.

If possible, he would certainly like to capture them all at once.

If he could make use of these people, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't mind doing so.

"Commander Mao, you've been by Princess Dou's side for a long time. Have you gained enough?" Zhang Xuezhou asked casually.

Before Dong Yan could even verify his identity, Zhang Xuezhou was already questioning and examining him like a celestial official.

"I have already obtained the secrets of Huang Lao Dao's talismans and have also had some contact with the 'Supreme Heart Sutra'," Dong Yan cautiously stated. "However, I currently lack the follow-up to the 'Minor Celestial Immortal Technique' and the necessary elixirs, which prevents me from attaining supernatural powers and makes it difficult to further advance what I have gained!"

"Oh?"

The Jade Emperor confiscated medicinal herbs and elixirs from the residences of many immortals. The immortals were too busy taking care of themselves to distribute elixirs or guide the cultivation of Dong Yan and the others.

The turmoil at the top level not only affects the celestial officials of the Celestial Court, but also those at the lower levels.

Zhang Xuezhou interacted with high-ranking people in the Celestial Court; he had never actually met anyone at Dong Yan's level.

But Zhang Xuezhou could foresee the predicament Dong Yan was facing. "Liu Piao was very satisfied with my rapid cultivation in the past, but I have been slow to attain supernatural powers, and I feel that my position may be unstable." Dong Yan asked anxiously, "If you have the means to contact the Divine General, could you please convey a message to urge him on?"

“This celestial official also has important matters that cannot be delayed, how can I allow myself to be ordered around by you?” Zhang Xuezhou frowned and said, “Remember your own status, do not overstep your authority to give orders or arrange matters, otherwise I will go to the Lingxiao Palace to report to Minister Sima!”

"Yes!"

Dong Yan reluctantly agreed.

Although he spoke very politely, Zhang Xuezhou was right. Whether it was a plea or something else, he was arranging for Zhang Xuezhou to do something.

If he encounters a celestial official with a good temper, he can help pass on messages. However, the celestial officials he encounters are obviously not very good-tempered, and it may even involve his superiors.

Dong Yan and Yao Yuanguang were of similar status, both belonging to the outer sect. Not to mention going to Lingxiao Palace, they could only pass through Nantianmen very rarely.

Based on Zhang Xuezhou's casual remark, Dong Yan roughly judged that Zhang Xuezhou's status was not only higher than his superior Zhang Wentong's, but at least equal to Zhang Wentong's, which was indeed a level that he could not directly contact.

"What do you know about the demon-revealing mirror controlled by Princess Dou?"

Dong Yan looked somewhat somber. Just as he was about to bow and leave, Zhang Xuezhou casually asked a question.

“Well… I haven’t had much contact with the Demon Mirror yet,” Dong Yan said.

"Oh!"

"If you have any needs, I will definitely find out everything about the Demon-Revealing Mirror for you, and even take it from you!"

Upon seeing Zhang Xuezhou's disappointed reply, Dong Yan immediately volunteered.

He felt that the high priest he was dealing with had a bad temper, but as long as he made a move, the other party would definitely change his impression of him.

If he could successfully assist Zhang Xuezhou, Dong Yan felt that a simple word from Zhang Xuezhou in the Celestial Court might be more useful than three to five years of his own hard work.

Let's find out more before we talk!

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, indicating that Dong Yan could do whatever he thought of, since Zhang Xuezhou genuinely wanted to use the Demon-Revealing Mirror for self-defense.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to be ambushed by the Kunlun God, he would have no choice but to endure the beating and flee to Master Dou for help.

Compared to this method of leveraging power, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't mind having a better way to utilize the power of the Demon-Revealing Mirror.

As for obtaining the Demon-Revealing Mirror, there's no need for that. Zhang Xuezhou has nowhere else to go even if he gets the mirror; he still needs to rely on the Han Dynasty court, so seizing the treasure would be meaningless to him.

"Yes!"

Dong Yan respectfully agreed.

He understood the proper boundaries in his actions and felt that the matter wasn't particularly difficult.

Dong Yan was indeed very favored in Princess Guantao's residence. If it weren't for the limitations imposed by his cultivation level, and the fact that Princess Dou didn't want to force his growth, Dong Yan felt that he would have already completed the secret mission of seizing the Huang Lao Dao.

"I will return to Princess Guantao's residence today, and will report back to you by tomorrow at the latest," Dong Yan said.

"Oh?"

Zhang Xuezhou's expression showed slight surprise.

He was indeed a little surprised.

The Demon-Revealing Mirror may sound like just a magical artifact, but it has been passed down for many years and is a crucial weapon used by the imperial court to suppress demons.

The fact that the Demon-Revealing Mirror was not transported to the border to suppress demons may be related to its drawbacks and defects.

This kind of important equipment is highly classified. Zhang Xuezhou did not expect that Dong Yan could access it so easily. It sounded like there was no difficulty at all.