fifth form

Chapter 3164 The Brother-in-Law Who Came to Investigate
A month and a half later, Zhang Xuezhou returned to his residence.

The mansion was heavily guarded. Zhang Xuezhou could see that a watchtower five zhang high had been erected around the mansion, and people on the watchtower were watching the surrounding area.

This watchtower is simple, yet very practical.

Although some of the privacy of their own residence was also undoubtedly observed, compared to the involvement of the Crimson Sky Sword, everything else was insignificant.

The recent turmoil in the court has made many people extremely cautious, fearing that they might cause trouble at this critical juncture.

"This is my younger brother!"

"younger brother?"

Most of the people in the mansion were familiar faces, and they all showed up when they learned that Zhang Xuezhou had returned. There were also some new faces that Zhang Xuezhou had never seen before.

Zhang Xuezhou initially thought they were personnel sent by some government office to patrol the area. However, after Yi Shuo introduced them and Zhang Xuezhou compared their facial features, he finally confirmed the connection.

"Zongzi, quickly call for help!"

"Sister...Brother-in-law, I was only a thief for five years, I didn't do anything immoral...My name is Yi Zong!"

Perhaps knowing that Zhang Xuezhou was an official in the imperial court, Yi Zong noticed that Zhang Xuezhou's eyes were constantly fixed on him, and he spoke haltingly when he saw Zhang Xuezhou looking nervous, almost revealing all his secrets.

“My father used his connections to send my younger brother to a sect, but after the family had an accident and contact was lost, I inquired about the situation after my condition stabilized. I heard that the sect that Zongzi belonged to had been wiped out by the imperial court, and then I had no news of him for many years. I only saw him this month!”

Yi Shuo pointed to Yi Zong and explained, and Zhang Xuezhou finally understood the origin of this brother-in-law.

"How did you find your way here?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.

"I originally occupied a mountain and became a bandit, but later I heard from a passing merchant that the young master had become a first-class guest minister in Huainan and had issued a summons to bring all the people of our sect there. That's where I met my fellow disciple Zhang Cigong!"

Yi Zong glanced at Yi Shuo, then at Zhang Xuezhou, and blurted out his words like beans spilling from his mouth.

"Zhang Cigong said that the Prince's Palace had a mission to spy on the treasured sword of Dongfang Shuo's residence. He asked me to accept the mission and come to Chang'an City, so I came here. I didn't expect to run into my sister here too!"

"Is your young master Su Fei from the Beast Taming Sect?"

"Yes, yes!"

Yi Zong nodded repeatedly, and Zhang Xuezhou had guessed the general outline.

After pondering for a moment, and considering the limited number of first-class retainers in the Prince of Huainan's mansion, and comparing them with the sects that the imperial court had suppressed, he basically guessed Yi Zong's background.

The missions assigned by the Prince of Huainan's mansion are not something one can simply accept at will; one needs to have someone backing them up and possess the skills required for the mission.

"Why did Zhang Cigong recommend you to take on this kind of mission?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.

He said I'm skilled at taming animals, and that completing the mission would definitely change my fate and allow me to become a superior person!

Yi Zong stroked his short, still somewhat prickly beard, and blurted out all the words in one go, completely unaware that he had become the intermediary for Zhang Cigong to pass on information to Zhang Xuezhou.

The internal relations within the Beast Taming Sect remained as bad as ever; even with only a few people, there was still infighting.

Even 'Old Tong' was caught, let alone someone of Yi Zong's caliber.

Yi Zong was lucky. After being tricked by Zhang Cigong into coming to Chang'an, he discovered Yi Shuo, thus avoiding not only theft but also imprisonment.

"What amazing skills do you have?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with interest.

"I keep a bunch of night owls; those guys are really good at stealing things at night," Yi Zong introduced, then added dejectedly, "They just sleep during the day; you can't even call them!"

"Zongzi raised twelve owls," Yi Shuo said. "These owls are good at stealing things at night, but they themselves aren't very capable!"

“He’s already quite capable!” Zhang Xuezhou shook his head, denying Yi Shuo’s words.

The Beast Taming Sect's cultivation method is quite unique. This school's cultivation techniques are ordinary, but their cultivation involves mental power methods.

Although these spiritual methods are not as advanced as the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra of the Western religion, they belong to a very small number of schools of thought in Jambudvipa that have derived spiritual power methods.

Yi Zong's cultivation level was average, but his spiritual power was extremely impressive. He must have had to practice diligently because his skills were limited, which eventually led him to acquire the ability to control various kinds of beasts.

This kind of repetitive practice is an effective way to enter the realm of spiritual power, and continuous and long-term practice is like the mark of Nagok, which will inevitably lead to transformation after perseverance.

However, the Beast Taming Sect's trump card, the Soul-Stirring Beast Control Technique, requires far more mental strength than realm techniques.

Although Yi Zong's cultivation level seemed insufficient at over thirty years old, he had inadvertently found himself to be exactly what the Beast Taming Sect needed for cultivation.

"Brother-in-law, I didn't expect you to be from the Beast Taming Sect too!"

After Zhang Xuezhou's explanation, he mentioned that he could teach the techniques of the Beast Taming Sect, which made Yi Zong exclaim in surprise, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou knew much more about beast taming than he did.

“I’m not a member of the Beast Taming Sect,” Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, “This technique originated from the Beast Taming Sect and was combined with the Beast Taming Manual compiled by Su Fei, which is why I was able to learn this art. This art has no taboos and is quite suitable for you. You can study it seriously in the future!”

"Young Master Su Fei even showed my brother-in-law the Beast Taming Manual, you two have such a good relationship!"

Yi Zong sighed enviously, but when he saw that Zhang Xuezhou's expression was slightly strange, he realized that he had guessed in the wrong direction.

"Su Fei is a very interesting person, it's a pity he didn't come to Chang'an!"

Thinking of Su Fei, who possessed the ability to sense luck, Zhang Xuezhou smiled slightly.

If it were Su Fei who came to steal the Crimson Sky Sword, he would like to deal with him to avoid any possible future accidents.

With the addition of Yi Zong to the mansion, in order to prevent Yi Zong from betraying them or inadvertently revealing information, Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to give the necessary instructions and also provided relevant techniques so that Yi Zong would not need to return to the Huainan Prince's mansion in the future.

If Yi Zong wants to become an official in the imperial court, he has connections there.

Zhang Xuezhou's financial power was far inferior to that of the Prince of Huainan's mansion, and he could easily provide for one person on his own.

Although it's not about changing Yi Zong's fate, this treatment should be better than what the Prince of Huainan's mansion provides, which will save Yi Shuo from worrying.

"Brother-in-law, you really are my brother-in-law! With these arrangements, I don't even want to go back to the Prince's Mansion!"

The Beast Taming Sect has disbanded, and its binding rules are almost non-existent. Yi Zong doesn't meet the standards for a high-ranking guest of the Prince of Huainan's mansion, so he doesn't have the trouble of breaking free from the mansion's constraints.

Yi Zong was overjoyed, feeling that he had already changed his life before he had even done anything.

Most cultivators have simple pursuits throughout their lives: one is to improve their cultivation, and the other is to use their cultivation to make a profit. Yi Zong is no exception.

Zhang Xuezhou provided cultivation techniques and also had connections to recommend him for official positions. Yi Zong felt that his dream had been fulfilled in a very short time.

"Show off your skills after dark. As long as your night owl skills are useful, you'll definitely become an official in the future!"

Zhang Xuezhou patted Yi Zong on the shoulder.

The palace area is well-protected during the day, but less so at night.

Without the Empress Dowager's divine presence to patrol the area, Sima Tan and others' ability to see and hear the heavens was severely lacking in their ability to investigate.

The addition of Yi Zong can make up for the deficiencies to some extent. If the number of owls that Yi Zong can tame increases, or if he tames high-quality owls, or even demon birds, his role will be greatly enhanced.

These birds, adept at flying in the dark, possess a vision far exceeding that of cultivators at night, and their flight speed is extremely fast.

If used properly, Yi Zong could play a very good role in resisting the retaliation of Dao Jun and Zhu Jiuyin.