fifth form

Chapter 3326: Meeting on the Road
Guanjiangkou is located in the Bashu region. Zhang Xuezhou originally wanted to find Prefect Wenweng and see how Sima Xiangru and others were attacking the southwestern Yi tribes, but he could sense that someone was following him.

He had just come out of Guanjiang Estuary, and there were only a limited number of cultivators who could track him. The only way to make it difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to find the tracker's location was for Yang Jian, who was familiar with the changes of the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts.

Zhang Xuezhou could only drift away in the end.

With his jade wings gliding across the sky, he soared not for tens or hundreds of miles, but for over a thousand miles.

Only after confirming that no one was following him did Zhang Xuezhou return to normal speed.

"The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts are indeed very troublesome!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't know what Yang Jian had transformed into. Judging from Yang Jian's description, the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts could transform into mountains, rivers, trees, insects, fish, birds, and beasts, making it impossible to defend against.

Yang Jian may not be the top cultivator in the Three Realms, but he is definitely one of the most troublesome.

Zhang Xuezhou discovered Yang Jian's difficulties, not to mention the hostile targeting between them.

This kept him from having any bad thoughts, probably because everyone got along peacefully and helped each other.

He also had a strong desire for the dragon oil from Guanjiang Estuary. This readily available dragon oil was better than searching for it himself or using any dragon as a guinea pig. Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the origin of this dragon oil was likely extraordinary and could not be achieved by ordinary dragon demons. It was very likely that the dragon demons were stronger than Ao Li and others.

As Zhang Xuezhou pondered various things and considered how to get along with Yang Jian, Li Tianwang, and others, he suddenly heard a loud shout.

"Master Dong, have you come here specifically to stop me?"

The Star-Fixing Technique of the Xiangmen School can intercept the opponent's path, thereby accurately locating the opponent's landing point.

Zhang Xuezhou's star-fixing technique failed, but he was intercepted by Dong Zhongshu time and time again.

As the wind howled through the mountain peaks, Zhang Xuezhou heard a sound and saw someone drifting on the mountaintop amidst the sweeping cold wind.

With his arms retracting like jade wings, Zhang Xuezhou's body treaded on the waves and gracefully fell to the ground.

"I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" Dong Zhongshu cried out. "I killed the King of Jiangdu! His Majesty has summoned me to Chang'an. Our cultivation of magic is doomed!"

"What are you thinking about?" Zhang Xuezhou floated down nearby and followed Fei Zong, saying, "His Majesty now allows everyone in the world to practice cultivation techniques. We can practice openly and legitimately, and there will be no more trouble from checking cultivation techniques!"

"I have caused the death of the King of Jiangdu!" Dong Zhongshu cried out.

"The King of Jiangdu drowned, what business is it of yours?"

"I took away his luck; it was because the King of Jiangdu's luck was exhausted that he fell into the river and died!"

Although he was a high-ranking cultivator, the ashen complexion on Dong Zhongshu's face was undeniable.

Dong Zhongshu was a kind-hearted man. He practiced the art of manipulating fate to seek good fortune, but he never intended to kill the King of Jiangdu.

Seeing that the King of Jiangdu had drowned in the river at a young age, he undoubtedly believed that he had made a mistake in the matter.

“You’re overthinking it. The King of Jiangdu was silenced because he offered magic gold to the court. He was never skilled in magic, so even if you hadn’t taken his magic, he wouldn’t have survived this battle!” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Shu Jin...you mean the one from Huainan made the move?"

Dong Zhongshu exhaled a deep breath, feeling the heavy sense of guilt in his heart greatly subside.

He had just been using his magic to help the people of Jiangdu live in peace and prosperity when the King of Jiangdu died. This situation made Dong Zhongshu question the meaning of life. He almost went back and forth between the ideas of "the ruler and his ministers working together" and "the ruler and his ministers working together", and he almost lost his mind.

It wasn't until the summons came from Chang'an that Dong Zhongshu finally snapped out of his daze.

He made many guesses, even suspecting that the new emperor had discovered that he had practiced magic and had restrained the King of Jiangdu.

Various vague speculations made Dong Zhongshu tremble with fear, and he also sought help from fellow practitioners of divination.

When Dong Zhongshu finally received the definite news from Zhang Xuezhou, he nearly lost his footing in the storm.

"Is your information accurate?" Dong Zhongshu asked repeatedly.

"Do you want it to be accurate or inaccurate?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with a smile.

"I definitely hope it's accurate!"

Dong Zhongshu sighed.

Even though he was no longer primarily responsible, he felt he still bore secondary responsibility.

The secondary responsibility didn't make him feel as guilty, but it did leave Dong Zhongshu with a sense of annoyance.

"When did His Majesty summon you, and what is the purpose of summoning you to Chang'an?" Zhang Xuezhou glanced around to the northwest, feeling that the distance from here to Chang'an was not far.

Dong Zhongshu had something to hide, so he seemed to be dragging his feet when entering Chang'an. In addition, his interception of Zhang Xuezhou made the process take a long time.

"I don't know either," Dong Zhongshu shook his head repeatedly, "As long as it doesn't involve magic!"

"Look at what you've done, this is practically seeing snakes in the shadows," Zhang Xuezhou complained.

"Even if His Majesty had fallen into the water and drowned, you might not have the same mental health as me!"

Dong Zhongshu forcefully retorted, which made Zhang Xuezhou open his mouth but not refute it for a moment.

Although he occasionally bickered with the new emperor, their cooperation was intertwined with minor conflicts, Zhang Xuezhou simply could not accept the new emperor drowning.

“His Majesty is doing well,” Zhang Xuezhou finally said, shaking his head.

"Shanggu County has been captured, and all the officials of the Hexi Prefectural Governor's Office have died in battle," Dong Zhongshu said in a deep voice. "Now that the court has declared war, the court and the public are in turmoil, with passionate calls for battle and undercurrents surging everywhere. Your Majesty must be in a very bad situation right now!"

“This battle was bound to happen sooner or later,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"But we cannot afford to lose this battle," Dong Zhongshu said. "And the imperial court has no chance of winning whatsoever!"

“It seems His Majesty summoned you to Chang’an to seek a better chance of victory,” Zhang Xuezhou guessed.

"What chance do I have of winning?" Dong Zhongshu exclaimed in surprise, "I'm not that capable, and I'm not even as capable as you are now!"

"I'm not capable either!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand.

Even if Yuanshi Tianzun came, it wouldn't make a difference; no one can control the conflict across such a vast territory.

This kind of conflict does not occur in a specific location, but could happen anywhere, with the number of people involved in the killings ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, and even more if ordinary people are included.

An individual's strength is limited to fighting in a localized area, while this is a macro-level struggle.

If cultivators cannot rely on their individual strength to carry out decapitation strikes against their enemies, the war will break out in full force until one side is continuously weakened or an opportunity is sought to launch a targeted attack, thus creating a chance for war.

To be honest, Zhang Xuezhou lacked strategy in dealing with this kind of war; he was more focused on seeking opportunities arising from high-level power struggles.

Dong Zhongshu was even more passive, feeling that he could not play a significant role in the war and that going to Chang'an would only result in rambling and incoherent advice.

"My head is huge!"

Touching his head, Dong Zhongshu shook off the guilt of the drowning of the King of Jiangdu, only to feel a new melancholy welling up in his heart.

Just as Dong Zhongshu struggled to grasp the state of true self, Dong Zhongshu at this moment also couldn't see the direction clearly.

He could exploit Zhang Xuezhou's strategic points to pinpoint the possible locations Zhang Xuezhou might pass through, but Dong Zhongshu couldn't grasp the intricacies of the Three Realms' struggle, making it difficult for him to find the opportune moment to intervene.

Dong Zhongshu felt that the new emperor had taken too many risks and acted too impulsively.

He had only been free from the Empress Dowager's entanglement for a short time, and never imagined that he would be entangled with the new emperor again so soon.

However, Dong Zhongshu did demonstrate his abilities in Mayi. If the war situation continues to escalate, he will inevitably be entangled with it no matter where he is, and sooner or later he will be drawn into the conflict.

"To contend or not to contend, to contend for pride, or not to contend for pride, to endure for a moment and the storm will pass, to take a step back and the sea and sky will broaden, to take an inch and then a mile, there is no reason to give up one's position, to give up again and again and there will be no way back, a great man is born between heaven and earth, he should live with a glorious righteous spirit, when it is time to act, he should act..."

Various thoughts lingered in Dong Zhongshu's mind, and many plans clashed one after another.

Dong Zhongshu eventually realized that he would never be able to wait for perfection. No one would wait for him forever, and the relentless passage of time would make the possibility of perfection increasingly distant.

The more he desires, the less likely he is to achieve his goals.

"If His Majesty summons me to Chang'an to seek a chance of victory, then I can no longer harbor any thoughts of seeking perfection, otherwise I will not be able to get through this!"

The King of Jiangdu has already passed away, and the new emperor is also teetering on the brink of collapse.

Either one suffers and all suffer, or one prospers and all prosper.

If he did not seek change, Dong Zhongshu felt he was very likely to follow in the footsteps of the King of Jiangdu.

When his gaze turned toward Chang'an, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but steel his resolve.