C49

Zhang Xingzhi took the initiative to make an appointment with Zhang Zhou. As a senior brother, he naturally had to show respect and welcome him. In less than two years, Zhang Zhou had completed ten years of his lifespan. Zhang Xingzhi wasn't jealous of this, on the contrary, he had a good impression of Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Xingzhi was not a person who liked luxury. In an ordinary restaurant, he would sit by the window on the second floor and order a few dishes. As he ate and chatted, he felt more comfortable with Zhang Zhou.

"Senior Brother, is there any activity in the martial arts world recently?"

"Teacher told me that you loved to ask me about those martial arts world affairs." In fact, no matter how lively the martial arts world was, in the end, it was all about the slaughter of benefits! How many of them had actually gone out to do chivalry, to get rid of violence and safety, and to think for the sake of the common people? However, I really like the way you wrote it. It's a pity that you only know the lyrics and you've never heard the melody before! "

"Ha ha-ha, if senior likes it, I'll sing it to you when we find a place with no one else!"

"Don't. Let me leave this expectation to Drifting Water!"

"Senior brother, you are simply not giving me face. That's fine!" As long as we go to He Zhou, I will arrange something for Senior Brother! "

Zhang Zhou knew that he belonged to Qingliu, which was similar to that stubborn idealistic character. Therefore, he tried his best to direct the topic towards the less sensitive areas. However, after a few cups of wine by Zhang Xing, he started to resent the vulgarity of the world. Zhang Zhou had no choice but to exhort her in a low voice.

"Senior brother, what we did was to capture criminals and to eat Jianghu food. We were ordered to capture thieves and to apprehend bandits. We have done our part and we have done our best to live up to our conscience!" No matter how ugly the benefits are, it's not a reality you and I can change! Why must you be so stubborn? "

Zhang Xingzhi drank another cup and laughed bitterly, "I wonder how many times Teacher has told me!? I also know that there are some things that are not worth getting, but the things that are ingrained in my bones cannot be changed! "

"Senior Brother, I really admire the untainted nature of you!"

"Hahaha, what a fart! But he didn't even get a speck of mud. Teacher said that it was inappropriate!"

"Actually, teacher values you a lot."

"How could I not know? His teacher treats me like his son and keeps me by his side, afraid that my temper will cause trouble. After so many years, I have seen every single detail clearly. I am not an ignorant fool, how could I not know the painstaking efforts of teacher! Honestly, I really miss the time when I was investigating a case in Hezhou. Teacher was like an umbrella, and I was like a fish in water. I had the happiness of being cared for, and I also had the happiness to display it to my heart's content … "

Zhang Zhou could already feel that Zhang Xingzhi was not happy in the capital. The capital was the place where the most powerful people gathered, and it was also the place where Zhang Xing was the most incompatible with his character. Zhang Xingzhi and Cao Yi were the most different. At the moment, Cao Yi's protection was more like a kind of restriction to him. Upon seeing that Zhang Xingzhi, who was only in his early thirties, had a touch of gray at the temples, Zhang Zhou could not help but feel his heart ache!

The hardest thing for a person to change is their personality. Zhang Zhou had also done many things that utilized the personality traits of others to achieve his or her own goal, but very rarely did he or she attempt to change the personality of others. He would treat people around him in a different way, depending on their characteristics. For example, he would protect Yunan extremely well and believed that he could give Xiao Qi a good future; for example, he would teach and support Fei Zi, because he could see his potential; for example, Cao Yi, whom he could follow in the lead. Because of the way Cao Yi treated people, he believed that there would be a good future for him. However, Zhang Xingzhi's personality was too paranoid. If it was anyone else, Zhang Zhou would definitely choose to stay away from them. This was because conflicts of character between them would cause him to be very tired and injured. However, Cao Yi's request and the love between the Master and his sect left Zhang Zhou deeply helpless. At the same time, he could not abandon them! But what could he do in the face of such stubbornness? Now, he understood his teacher's helplessness. Letting go of Zhang Xing, his ending must be very miserable. If he stayed by his side, he could only watch as his teacher dejected day by day. It was a dilemma!

"Senior Brother, I heard that sister-in-law and children have always been at their home in Su Zhou."

"En, staying at home is pretty good. At least you don't have to worry about me every day!"

"Let sister-in-law come to Hezhou! If there's anything else, we can help each other! "

"It's not that I can't come, it's just that I can't. Teacher didn't tell you about my past, right?"

Seeing Zhang Zhou shake his head, Zhang Xingzhi softly sighed, "Your sister-in-law and I both came from the Sorcerer Town!"

Zhang Zhou really didn't know much about Zhang Xingzhi's background.

In the Sorcerer Town, the famous martial arts sects were one of the most mysterious existences. The most famous representative of the current generation of the Sorcerer Town was the medical saint Li Lingquan, who had caused Daoist Yun Feng to struggle for a long time to find his target. The Sorcerer Town had three ultimate powers: doctors, poisons, and witches. Li Lingqiao was renowned throughout the world for his medical skills. However, the most mysterious technique in the Sorcerer Town was magic. It was a strange technique that only a few people in the world could clearly describe. According to the legends, the best spells could control people from thousands of miles away. Even though Zhang Zhou was no stranger to this term in his previous life, he still felt it was incomprehensible.

Like the majority of the sects, the Sorcerer Town also had a direct line of descent, as well as a side branch. In Zhang Zhou's opinion, the Sorcerer Town was more like a mysterious research facility. The direct line was responsible for the core scientific research, while the side branch was responsible for the security. Zhang Xingzhi was a descendant of a branch family, while his wife was the direct descendant of the Li family, a doctor's daughter. In the Sorcerer Town, besides a few respected individuals, those direct descendants that had inherited techniques were not allowed to leave the Sorcerer Town, and there were no restrictions on the disciples from the other branches. Therefore, Zhang Xingzhi was able to leave the Sorcerer Town and roam the martial world, while his wife was unable to.

This was also the reason why Zhang Xingzhi had given the mysterious medicine to treat Zhang Zhou's severed arm. Zhang Zhou had never seen it again. The medicine came from the Sorcerer Town and was not passed down in the world.

Zhang Zhou wanted to help him resolve this problem. Since he already had the Sorcerer Town, there was no need to spend so much time and effort.

The two began to chat about their past. The atmosphere also became gentle and breezy. At this moment, scattered snowflakes appeared outside the window, causing the wine to have a somewhat romantic effect. This was the first time snow had fallen this year, and Zhang Zhou couldn't help but take a few more glances outside the window. Zhang Zhou inadvertently glanced outside the window at the corner of the street before continuing to toast Zhang Xingzhi. As the cup reached the halfway mark, he suddenly stopped as his eyes quickly shifted to the place he was looking at a moment ago. The person at the corner had already turned around and was nowhere to be seen. Zhang Zhou put down his wine cup, stood up and walked to the window, hoping to get a better look. It was a man in his fifties who was short and petite. The man seemed to have sensed something and turned around to look behind him. As if he didn't see anything unusual, he quickly turned around and left. Zhang Zhou took a deep breath. He was very sure who this person was. It was the first time in his life that he had participated in a battle, so how could he not have a deep impression of him? Head of the Yindog!

At this moment, Zhang Xingzhi was also standing behind him. His sensitive nature made him less intoxicated by Zhang Zhou's sudden actions.

Zhang Zhou thought for a moment and said without hiding anything, "Just now, I saw a person. In Hezhou, when Yue Ting was lured into a trap, he was there. I remember that person's name was Head Dog Yin!"

Zhang Xingzhi's eyes lit up. He was no longer depressed like before! He then looked in that direction and asked, "Are you sure?"

"The way he looks with his delicate eyebrows and eyes is too impressive. There's no mistake about it!"

Zhang Xingzhi did not speak any further. He held onto the windowsill with his eyes closed. His fingers were tapping on the windowsill. It was unknown what he was thinking about. Zhang Xingzhi did not disturb him. After all, he knew more about the matters of Hezhou than him.

Before long, Zhang Xingzhi opened his eyes and turned around to look at Zhang Zhou, "Last time, we were in charge of Hezhou, while the border army was in charge of the King Mansion. There were a lot of fish that slipped through the net, but the biggest one. Do you know who it was?"

"Who?"

"It's the King of the Great Northern River!"

Ah!

Zhang Zhou was shocked. He believed that Zhang Xingzhi would not lie. Many doubts in his heart were immediately dispelled. After the operation, there had been no news of the Great Northern River King being punished with punishment. He was still wondering if he was being imprisoned by the Emperor. Also, it was no wonder that Zhang Shu's northern border soldiers were given very little rewards. Their emotional tasks had gone down the drain. However, even more doubts arose.

"Even if I don't say anything about this matter, I have already deduced it."

"Does teacher know?"

"Teacher, maybe you know, maybe you don't!" Even if I did, I probably wouldn't have told you! "

Zhang Zhou nodded. Since the Emperor did not reveal this matter, he must have his own thoughts. A smart person would choose to ignore or not know about it. If their teacher knew about it and didn't tell them, he would naturally feel that it was unnecessary. Perhaps he didn't want them to get into trouble, especially so for Zhang Xingzhi.

"Senior Brother, this is not a place to talk. My residence is not far from here, so there's no rush. Let's go home and talk!"

Zhang Xingzhi nodded in agreement. The snow did not start to fall. It only lasted for a few seconds. When they returned to the small courtyard, the two of them were almost awake from their drinking. Since Zhang Zhou didn't have any servants, he was left to Yang Xiaolang and Erniu. Zhang Zhou asked Yang Xiaolang to bring a brazier from the kitchen to keep him warm! The two of them continued their conversation in the living room.

"Senior Brother, why did you speculate that the King of the Great Northern River had slipped through the net?"

"This is a long story. The things inside are very complicated, do you still remember the secret box that teacher told you to find? "

"The one lost by the government yamen?" "Of course I remember!"

"Yes, it is the contents of this box that has allowed the Great Northern River King to be caught much earlier. You don't need to ask me what's inside. I don't know either. I'm still very curious about the contents of it! "

Zhang Xingzhi paused for a moment before continuing, "After teacher got the box, he called me back immediately. On the day I returned to Hezhou, the imperial court sent people over, and we started our operation!"

Based on what Zhang Xing said, Zhang Zhou recalled his past. Judging from the time when he had obtained the box, it was indeed the case. In other words, not only did his teacher know about the contents of the box, he was also very sure that the contents inside would cause the Imperial Court to take decisive action. However, Zhang Zhou didn't feel that anything was amiss with this matter. Zhang Zhou saw the regretful expression on Zhang Xingliu's face.

"What is it? Wasn't it better to be in advance? At that time, according to the information gathered, they are already planning to kill you! "

Zhang Xingzhi nodded his head, "Of course I know that. After teacher received your message, he notified me immediately. He even sent all the armed forces he could use to protect my safety, but also stopped me from investigating further on this case! Until teacher told me to go back, I couldn't take a step further. "

"Now that we have enough evidence, are the side issues still important?"

Zhang Xingzhi did not deny it, but it was clear that he was unwilling to give up. Zhang Zhou did not want to dwell on this, so he asked, "What happened next?"

"During my investigation, I encountered a very unexpected situation."

"What's going on?"

"The Great North River King appeared in two places at the same time!"

"What?" Could it be a substitute? "

Zhang Xingzhi nodded.

"If not for this accidental discovery, I would not have known that the King of the Great Northern River would have made such arrangements. However, I am very sure of this. The King of the Great North will not let his most trusted subordinate, the Death Soldier, go and protect his substitute body! "

"That's not necessarily true, right?"

"No, absolutely not, because the death knight of the Great North River King is his male pet!"

Zhang Zhou finally understood why Zhang Xing was so sure.

"After the Great North River King was captured, we also secretly investigated and found that the male pet was not on the list!"

"Maybe he escaped, maybe he leaked it!"

Zhang Xingzhi shook his head without giving a specific explanation.

"Just as you said, the Great Northern River King that we captured is a fake. Then, why didn't the Emperor send out an order to investigate?"

Zhang Xingzhi shook his head with a frown on his face. Apparently, he couldn't figure it out either!

"Since there is no clear decree, and I haven't used the torture method like at the beginning to investigate, there must be a secret that I don't want others to know about!" This matter involves the royal family … "This Head of the Nefarious Filthbird, should we capture it or not?"

Honestly speaking, Zhang Zhou had already given up on the idea of capturing Old Man Yan! How could Zhang Xingzhi not know what Zhang Zhou meant? He was momentarily at a loss.

Zhang Zhou had never felt that he could easily solve all the problems of this era with his own wisdom. This was especially the case for the royal family's secret matter which involved an Emperor's Heart that was difficult to predict and had a complicated background. The simple words, "Monarch's Heart Technique" had severed the lives and possessions of many smart people. What he needed to do now was to safely accumulate his strength. One day, he would be able to achieve a strength that was not controlled by others. This road would be very long. Before that, he would choose to keep a low profile and not offend people easily, unless they wanted to take action against him or seriously obstruct his development. If he were to take the initiative to reveal the secret the emperor was unwilling to reveal, it would be no different from stretching his neck and hanging himself on a rope!

However, Zhang Xingzhi didn't let him take the time to relax. Finally, Zhang Xingzhi had gotten over his dilemma and said the words that Zhang Zhou really wanted to beat him up.

"I won't capture the head of that dog, because, I feel that he can help me find the location of the Great Northern River King!"

"Yindog Head might be a small fry in this incident! He might not even know where the King of the Great Northern River is, right? "

"Chief Yin, on the surface, that's indeed the case. However, I'm certain that he is one of the trusted direct descendants of the Great Northern River King. As for that Monk Golden Lotus, that is an inconspicuous nobody. "

"Senior apprentice-brother!" Zhang Zhou was driven mad, "Are you crazy? "What's the point of your investigation?"

Zhang Xingzhi looked at Zhang Zhou. With a calm smile and a resolute tone, he said, "King of the Great North River, how many innocent lives have you committed? Shouldn't you be brought to justice?"

Zhang Zhou couldn't help but want to slap his own face. Why had he taken that glance just now? Why did you tell him when you saw it? Making him depressed was still better than asking him to seek death!

"Do you think of the consequences?"

"Consequences? Haha, at worst, you will be decapitated and be unable to sever the righteous conscience of the world! "

At this point, Zhang Xingzhi revealed a fighting spirit that made Zhang Zhou feel powerless. He finally understood why a person like Cao Yi would helplessly ask him to protect Zhang Xing!

It was not that Zhang Zhou did not have a chivalrous heart, nor that he did not wish for himself to be able to uphold justice at all times, but as a man who had lived two lives, he would not choose to do that. Many things had determined that when he had a choice, he would not do that kind of hot-blooded thing, much less die for so-called justice! His personality had decided everyone's bottom line. He couldn't tell if Zhang Xing was right or wrong. After arriving in this world, this was the first time Zhang Zhou felt so depressed.

At this moment, Yang Xiaolang entered the room and informed Zhang Zhou that the young girl had arrived. She informed him that she would be rushing into the palace as soon as possible and that the empress wanted to see him! Zhang Xing's mood slowly turned, and he decided that no matter what, Zhang Xing would have to wait for him to come back before he could make a decision! Zhang Xingzhi readily agreed.