fifth form

Chapter 3458 A New Life Without Return

"What a pity! Even if we only took one out of thirty, we could still get three hundred Qi and Blood Creation Pills!"

Thanks to Zhang Xuezhou and Zhu Jiuyin's advance notice, the group chose to cross the Ten Thousand Mountains to return.

Zhang Xuezhou piloted the Sky Shuttle, carrying Zhou Bugui, while Rong Tianding followed behind using his cloud-riding technique.

After leaving the sacred land of Xieluoschuan for a hundred miles, Rong Tianding finally said it was a pity.

"Enough pills are enough; it's not worth the risk of buying low-grade ones!"

On the Imperial Shuttle, Zhang Xuezhou responded calmly.

Having escaped the favored waters marked by 'white', Zhang Xuezhou was also free from the potential whirlpool, which calmed his mind considerably.

His only worry was that 'Bai' would cause trouble. It was impossible for the other party to defeat Zhu Jiuyin, but 'Bai' had very unique abilities and could easily harm people. Zhang Xuezhou was also afraid of being influenced by bad things, even when he was near water.

"Shouldn't we support some people?" Rong Tianding asked.

Rong Tianding doesn't need to take the low-grade Qi and Blood Creation Pill, but this kind of pill is a good medicine for many cultivators, and many cultivators would fight tooth and nail to get it.

It's difficult for a single Creation Pill to keep a cultivator loyal for long; it's not a problem to use it to command someone to do something.

If he could acquire a large amount of high-end resources that he didn't need, Rong Tianding thought he could keep some retainers. This was a very popular practice in the Han Dynasty at the time, as many things that required their responsibility could be handed over to their retainers.

"It's meaningless when input and output are disproportionate!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand.

His philosophy was that he was destined not to keep retainers. Money and favors would only bring temporary gratitude. At most, Zhang Xuezhou would help out promising talents, which would be considered a good relationship between them.

Even with Ning Que's exceptional talent, and even though Zhang Xuezhou was aware of his potential, Zhang Xuezhou did not train Ning Que to be a henchman for any faction.

Similarly, there were Wei Shao'er, Liu Xuan, and others. Even though Zhang Xuezhou knew that these people had extraordinary potential, he did not take it upon himself to win their loyalty, and he was even less certain whether they had the ability to train them to the level of working with him.

“We are cultivating ourselves,” Zhang Xuezhou cautioned. “We can rely on others to do something, but ultimately we need to have the ability to do it ourselves, otherwise the higher we go, the more difficult it will be.”

"My cousin is right!"

Rong Tianding nodded, putting aside the distracting thought of not being able to make a profit.

Curious about Zhang Xuezhou's departure, he chose to ask again, lest he fail to handle things properly when he took over Zhang Xuezhou's place. However, Zhang Xuezhou did not give a direct answer to this question.

This made Rong Tianding realize that the matter could not be explained directly, as it likely involved Zhu Jiuyin, who was currently marking Zhang Xuezhou, and possibly other opponents of the same level.

"Are we just going back to Chang'an like this?" Rong Tianding asked, changing the subject.

"Going back wouldn't be bad!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

The matters he is involved in are complex, and to navigate them with ease undoubtedly requires a certain amount of luck. Only with a great deal of luck can he avoid trouble for himself.

Chang'an City is the most important place for the destiny of the Han Dynasty, and Zhang Xuezhou can obtain the best destiny in Chang'an City, the capital.

If there is anything that requires him to rely on luck, Chang'an City will definitely be Zhang Xuezhou's first choice.

If everything goes smoothly, he could find a suitable body for Ren Anran, allowing her to stay for a longer period. Alternatively, he could search the imperial treasury for spirit jade to prevent Ren Anran's Yang Soul Body from disintegrating, until she successfully cultivates the Great Wilderness Creation Scripture, thus achieving stability like Zhu Jiuyin after traversing countless mountains and rivers. "I wonder if Consort Tang has prospered, and whether she still needs the Firming Pill. I spent a lot of effort refining it back then, but before I could sell it to her, Jin Chang chased me for thousands of miles, and I haven't been able to fulfill my promise all these years!"

Hearing that Zhang Xuezhou was going back to Chang'an, Cao Bu was quite pleased.

He sat pale-faced on the Sky Shuttle, taking a long time to adjust to high-altitude flight, occasionally managing to interject a word or two.

Who is Consort Tang?

"Her name is Tang Cai. I heard she used to be a maid, but after sleeping with Liu Qi, she became a concubine. She had the lowest status in the harem, and that was the only level I could curry favor with back then!"

I'll ask about this person for you tomorrow!

Having been away from the Han Dynasty for a long time and confined in the underground palace of the Xieluoschuan Holy Land, Zhou Bugui had almost no understanding of the outside world.

The upper limit of Zhou Bugui's network of connections is somewhat limited. Profiting from selling pills is secondary; fulfilling his obligations is probably Zhou Bugui's main concern upon returning to the Han Dynasty, and it is also the beginning of Zhou Bugui's reintegration into the Han Dynasty.

While preoccupied with his own affairs, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but introduce Zheng Wukong and others to Zhou Bugui, and also mentioned the Longevity Pill and Life Creation Pill that Zheng Wukong and others were currently researching.

"So you're saying I can live for at least another twenty years?"

While learning about the properties of the Longevity Pill, Zhou Bugui also obtained a Longevity Pill from Zhang Xuezhou.

He looked at it several times before deciding to take it. He didn't feel anything after taking the pill, but Zhou Bugui's anxiety and impatience subsided considerably.

Having enough lifespan would indeed be very comfortable. He was already quite old, and after being captured by Zhu Jiuyin for more than ten years to refine pills, he had entered an age that was rare in ancient times. After leaving the secret place to recuperate, Zhou Bugui thought he wouldn't live for more than two years. However, before he could even return to the Han Dynasty, his lifespan had already been extended.

Zhang Xuezhou has indeed done better than him over the years, and his research into elixirs has exceeded Zhou Bugui's capabilities.

Hearing Zhang Xuezhou's arrangements for returning to Chang'an, Zhou Bugui couldn't help but nod repeatedly.

"By the way, how's it going in Jinchang?" Zhou Bugui asked.

"I beat him up when he came to Chang'an last time, and he swore he'd bring me some pills, but I haven't heard back yet!"

Zhang Xuezhou shrugged.

Upon hearing that Zhang Xuezhou had assaulted Jin Chang, Zhou Bugui felt his last worry subside.

Zhou Bugui didn't care about Jin Chang's life or death. After all, he and Jin Chang had fought for many years and had no feelings left for each other. He only cared about whether Jin Chang would cause any harm.

Upon hearing that Zhang Xuezhou had easily defeated Jin Chang, Zhou Bugui nodded repeatedly.

“Jin Chang’s skill lies in cleverness. It is difficult to defeat cleverness with cleverness, and he will figure it out and kill you. But if you use force to break through cleverness, he will be helpless and will lose the will to fight back after defeat,” Zhou Bugui said.

“You know Uncle Jin Chang well,” Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. “Unless he steps into the True Self Realm, he probably has no intention of competing with me!”

“Speaking of the True Self Realm, you have the upper hand now. Let’s see if you can get the inheritance jade in Jin Chang’s hands,” Zhou Bugui said. “If the inheritance jades of our two sects are combined, it might be possible to glean the contents of the fusion technique of our ancestors!”

"Going to Huainan is not difficult for me. I will retrieve Uncle Jin Chang's inheritance jade in a few days and take a look at it!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded, indicating that obtaining the inheritance jade from Jin Chang would not be difficult for him.

This situation left Zhou Bugui sighing, feeling that the strength and weakness among Yin-Yang School cultivators was ultimately cyclical. Jin Chang had suppressed him for many years, but now he was easily manipulated by Zhang Xuezhou and had no choice but to cooperate.