I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 888 Giving You a Helping Hand

After hearing Xie Lingyun's words, Ji Chuan stroked the table with his fingers, pondered for a moment, and then said, "If you ask about the success rate of this matter, the key lies in what the King of Men thinks. For the King of Men, the eight great families are too powerful to be controlled, and they are beings he wishes to get rid of as soon as possible. Zhang Chen's appearance is an opportunity to tear apart the eight great families. Some people in the eight great families want to push Zhang Chen out to take the blame, while others in the Zhang family want to protect him. This is an opportunity for the King of Men. If we use this as an excuse to speak to the King of Men, we can definitely gain some room for maneuver for Zhang Chen."

"I'm afraid that in order to win over the King of Pingbian, the King of the Human Kingdom will simply hand over Zhang Chen," Xie Lingyun said, as this was her biggest worry.

Ji Chuan smiled upon hearing this: "The King of Pingbian is no longer the biggest threat. The biggest threats are the demon race, Huang Tiandao, and the eight great families. It is what the Human King is happy to see that Zhang Chen is stirring up trouble among the eight great families and drawing the power behind them to fight against them. If the eight great families want to hand over Zhang Chen, and we choose to protect him, we will definitely stand on the same side as the eight great families. The Human King is very happy that we fight to the death with the eight great families, so that the Human King can find an opportunity to make a move."

Ji Chuan then began to carefully consider: "Now that we've gathered together, we can put up a fight against the eight great families. We already have a bargaining chip."

Hearing Ji Chuan's words, Zhang Chen had already made some deductions in his mind. He figured that Ji Chuan, that old fox, was willing to help him because he had a desire to go with the flow, and that the King of Men might also be involved.

After discussing with everyone for a while, Ji Chuan left with Ji Feihua, their figures disappearing into the Inspection Office.

Watching Ji Chuan's departing figure, Xie Lingyun said irritably, "It seems our previous plans were unnecessary. There was no need to treat Ji Feihua at all. This old guy has probably already received instructions from the Human King. As long as we pay him a visit, he will readily support us."

“That may be true, but the extent of their support depends entirely on our relationship. Ji Chuan is a veteran of three dynasties, with disciples and former officials all over the world. He has countless people cheering him on, so it’s worth investing heavily in befriending him,” Zhang Chen replied to Xie Lingyun.

As they were talking, a guard came to announce, "Chief, Grand Eunuch Dugu Qiu has come to pay his respects."

"I'll go and invite him in myself," Xie Lingyun said, and followed the guard out the door.

Zhou Zhen said from the side, "Your influence in the capital is quite vast, really quite substantial. You've even placed your people in the inner palace. How do you know the Grand Eunuch? You should know that the Grand Eunuch holds a unique position in the capital. He is a favorite of the current emperor, and countless people want to curry favor with him but have no way to do so."

“I once saved the Grand Steward’s life in the North, and the Grand Steward took me in as his godson,” Zhang Chen said with a wry smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhen frowned: "Although the Grand Steward holds a transcendent position, he is ultimately just a eunuch. If the news that you have been adopted as the Grand Steward's godson gets out, it will probably not be good for your reputation. We need to do our best to keep this a secret and find a way to distance ourselves from you after this storm has passed."

Zhang Chen, however, disagreed: "I am neither a scholar nor a nobleman, what do I need that reputation for? Dugu Qiu treated me sincerely when I was still insignificant. His decision to take me in as his godson was without any ulterior motives. How could I possibly offend him? Why should I care about what others think?"

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he picked up the teacup and poured tea for Zhou Zhen: "Eunuchs are also human beings, and pitiful ones at that. In my eyes, all living beings are equal. I neither seek official positions nor develop my family. To me, reputation is nothing but an external thing. Why should I, a lone individual, care about reputation?"

Zhang Chen dismissed Dugu Qiu's words, his eyes filled with incomprehension; Dugu Qiu's words were sincere.

“As long as the other person is sincere, regardless of their identity, they are worth befriending,” Zhang Chen replied.

"You really do have an extraordinary mindset, transcending the pursuit of fame and fortune," Zhou Qiucheng could only say.

Upon hearing Zhou Qiucheng's words, Zhang Chen grinned, then got up and went outside. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xie Lingyun and Dugu Qiu walked over.

"Greetings, Grand Steward." Zhang Chen bowed to Dugu Qiu.

"Why are you being so polite with me? We're family, no need for such formalities, it's too much of a formality." Zhou Qiucheng helped Zhang Chen up, then looked him up and down for a while before saying, "It's been years, but you're still the same. You don't look like you've suffered much."

"With my abilities, I can get by anywhere. Where would I ever suffer? Unless I deliberately choose to endure hardship," Zhang Chen replied with a smile.

The group entered the house, and after Dugu Qiu sat down, he said to Zhang Chen, "I have received your letter. I will naturally speak to the Emperor to secure an opportunity for you. With the cooperation of Chief Xie and the others, you will surely be able to escape smoothly and obtain a legitimate identity. As for the eight great families, we will naturally take care of them for you." "Thank you, Grand Steward!" Zhang Chen bowed deeply upon hearing this.

The head steward gestured to Zhang Chen not to stand on ceremony, then looked at Zhou Qiucheng and said, "I didn't expect you to get involved with Mr. Zhou. With Mr. Zhou's involvement, our chances have increased by 10%."

“Mr. Zhou and I are sworn brothers,” Zhang Chen said with a smile.

Zhang Chen and Dugu Qiu, having not seen each other for a long time, reminisced and chatted for a while before turning the topic to Xie Lingyun: "Chief Xie's cultivation has broken through to the tenth level, making her the number one among the younger generation. The King of Men has heard that you have broken through to the tenth level and wants to summon you to the palace for further rewards. You should prepare as soon as possible."

Xie Lingyun replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Chief Steward."

Dugu Qiu then spoke of Zhong Wubai, his voice filled with emotion: "In a single day, two great cultivators were born, which boosted the morale of our generation of cultivators and let all cultivators in the world know that we cultivators are not inferior to others, and that we will not let the divine path become the only transcendent path. This is a matter of great importance to our cultivation path. Those countless cultivators with bleak futures, or those who want to switch to the divine path, will surely take these two as role models."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Chen took the opportunity to recount the story of the escort agency. However, when Dugu Qiu mentioned it, he wore a bitter smile. He was helpless at the moment. Why do you know?
Because of the loss of the Longevity Tree Coffin, although he was not punished by the emperor, he was sidelined and gave Chu Mingyue a chance to rise to prominence. Therefore, this matter was a thorn in Dugu Qiu's side. However, he also knew that the murderer was the Gong family, so he did not think of blaming the escort agency. After all, he knew the relationship between Zhang Chen and Chen Ping. Zhang Chen had already mentioned it when Zhou Qiucheng was proving his Dao.

At this moment, Zhang Chen brought up the old matter again, and Dugu Qiu agreed without hesitation, immediately setting about doing it.

Dugu Qiu turned and left to handle the escort agency matters for Zhang Chen, leaving Zhang Chen and the other two to continue drinking tea in the Inspectorate. After chatting for a while, Zhou Qiucheng got up to take his leave, leaving only Zhang Chen and Xie Lingyun sitting in the Inspectorate.

"How was it?" Xie Lingyun asked suddenly, watching Zhou Qiucheng's departing figure.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Chen said, "Whether it's the Grand Tutor or Dugu Qiu, they can be used, but not trusted! Their royal labels are too heavy. Although I have done them a favor, even saved my life, they have long since tied everything to the royal chariot. My life-saving grace is important to them, but it may not outweigh the entanglement of interests involved."

"How strange!" Xie Lingyun exclaimed, letting out a gasp of surprise.

Zhang Chen turned to look at Xie Lingyun, a look of confusion in his eyes. Xie Lingyun said, "The Zhong family are also people of the imperial court. Why did you give the pills for Old Master Zhong's breakthrough directly instead of the two of them? If we're talking about friendship, you should have a deeper relationship with the two of them than with the Zhong family. You should have given the pills to them."

“It’s because of Zhong Xiang!” Zhang Chen said. “I can tell from Zhong Xiang that the Zhong family is not a loyalist to the royal family. Back when the Longevity Tree appeared, all forces gathered together, and Zhong Xiang did not have the slightest intention to serve the court.”

Of course, all of this is ultimately due to his friendship with Zhong Xiang. Zhong Xiang also has the Great Freedom Demon residing within him, Zhong Wubai has the Great Freedom Demon in his heart, and Xie Lingyun has the Great Freedom Demon in her heart. This is the biggest reason why Zhang Chen bestowed this fortune upon him. However, such things can only be done, not spoken of openly.

Xie Lingyun looked Zhang Chen up and down, but she didn't quite believe his explanation. However, she didn't press him for details. Instead, she said, "You should go into seclusion and cultivate. We've already planned everything. We'll be able to resolve your identity issue at the next court assembly. You'll need to personally go to the assembly and engage in verbal battles with various factions. Prepare yourself. I can't disturb you any longer."

After Xie Lingyun finished speaking, she bid farewell to Zhang Chen, leaving Zhang Chen in the room to ponder the impending situation.

Watching Xie Lingyun's departing figure, Zhang Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pondering countless countermeasures: "I should lend Bai Cang a hand. If he can take root in the Great Victory Royal Family and devour its dragon energy, it will be a great help to me. But how should I help Bai Cang?"

He originally wanted to ask Dugu Qiu for help with Bai Cang's matter, but the moment he saw Dugu Qiu, he immediately abandoned the idea. He suddenly realized that Dugu Qiu had lived in the palace for countless years and must be loyal to the royal family. If he asked Dugu Qiu to intervene in Bai Cang's matter, it would definitely arouse Dugu Qiu's suspicion, and it would be hard to say who Dugu Qiu would side with.

“Looking back at the eunuchs of my past life, they were fiercely loyal to the royal family. I dare not gamble on the weight of Dugu Qiu's life-saving grace. Bai Cang is a pawn in my strategy against the Great Victory Royal Family, and I cannot afford the slightest negligence. I must ensure he enters the Great Victory King's sight naturally and flawlessly.” Countless thoughts raced through Zhang Chen's mind as he considered every possible opportunity. After a long while, his eyes suddenly lit up:
"I've come up with a plan to give Bai Cang a chance to catch the eye of the Great Victory King. Right now, Bai Cang is worried because he has no opportunity to meet the Great Victory King, but what if I could create an opportunity for him to meet the Great Victory King?"

"Xie Lingyun just said that I have the opportunity to enter the imperial court and debate with the eight great families. This may be an opportunity for me!" Zhang Chen thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)