Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 287 - 276: They Won’t Kill Us!

Chapter 287: Chapter 276: They Won’t Kill Us!

Zhang San saw that the Earth God had run off, and he cupped his fists in apology toward the woman.

"Sister, I apologize. I don’t know what’s wrong with the Earth God. Just wait a moment; let me ask someone more specialized."

The woman wanted to say no need; over the years, she too had found some Cultivators, even those from the Purple Mansion Realm she had encountered before.

But the result was the same, no one could find her child’s soul.

Perhaps... when he died, his soul was obliterated along with him.

However, Zhang San still rushed back to discuss it with Xu and Luo Liangfeng and the others.

"My Ghost Summoning Method isn’t very effective. Do you guys have any other methods for summoning spirits?"

Xu shook his head.

Luo Liangfeng gave a bitter smile and said, "Our Maoshan Sect is good at capturing ghosts, and we have some methods for summoning ghosts too, but they certainly don’t compare to the Ghost Summoning Method. If even the Ghost Summoning Method is of no use, then we are at an even greater loss."

At this point, Shang Bufa’s eyes widened in astonishment and he asked, "Zhang San, you know the Ghost Summoning Method?"

Zhang San nodded, asking, "What about it?"

"That’s a Secret Technique lost even within our Legalism Sect. How did you come to know it?"

Zhang San smiled and said, "How I came to know it is not important. What’s important is whether you want to learn it or not. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you."

"But... but... that’s a lost Secret Technique of the Legalism Sect, you... you’d teach it to me?"

Although Shang Bufa’s friendship with Zhang San had rapidly warmed on this journey, he did not think it had reached the point where Zhang San would impart such a Unique Skill to him.

Especially considering what Zhang San knew was the lost Secret Technique of the Legalism Sect.

If Zhang San carried this knowledge and sought favors from the four families of Legalism Sect in return for favors, the Legalism Sect might resolve the issue of Fengdu County’s negligence in escort duty for Zhang San!

Yet, Zhang San had readily agreed to teach this Secret Technique to himself?

"It’s not that... Zhang San, you might not understand how important this is to the Legalism Sect, it’s..."

"What’s all this ’can’t be’ or ’shouldn’t be’..." Zhang San said with a smile, patting Shang Bufa’s shoulder earnestly, "I, Zhang San, consider you Shang Bufa a friend, a brother. What I know, teaching it to my friends and brothers—what’s wrong with that? If you like it, learn it. I previously even taught Big Head Wang and Wang Ziteng the Body Refinement Technique. If you want to learn, I’ll give you a copy later. However, I don’t have the Secret Manual with me right now; I need some time to write it down from memory and then I’ll give it to you."

At this moment, Shang Bufa was moved to the point of tears welling up in his eyes.

This Zhang San, how truly loyal!

This time when he returned home, he must persuade the Merchant Clan leader to find a way to protect Zhang San!

Zhang San, seeing that no one had a way to summon the spirit, was preparing to go and inform the woman.

But just then, a leaf fluttered by, sticking to Zhang San’s forehead.

Zhang San removed the leaf and glanced at Wei, knowing it was Wei looking for him.

So he approached Wei, who was hiding in a corner that rarely attracted any attention, and asked in a low voice, "Wei, what’s going on?"

Wei replied in a low voice, "Ever since it started raining, I’ve felt uneasy. Although I’m not too skilled in Water Series Techniques, I can’t help but feel there’s something off about this rain."

Zhang San knew that Hei was good at Water Series Techniques, and the Chi Dragon clan’s Water Series Techniques were also rather outstanding, so he had learned the Chi Dragon Water Manipulation Technique from Hei.

Now, whether it was Yin Water or Yang Water Force, he had almost mastered them.

He hadn’t noticed it himself at first, but upon hearing Wei’s words, Zhang San paid close attention and indeed found that this rain didn’t seem like it was naturally formed. The formation of these dark clouds was somewhat deliberate.

Wei continued to ask, "I’ve noticed you haven’t been worried at all on this journey. Why do you think we can safely reach the Capital?"

Zhang San shared his analysis with Wei.

"I found out that Emperor Kaihuang likes competent officials. If I could find that out, surely the Crown Prince must know it too. And if the Crown Prince is aware, he might treat us differently. After all, if the Crown Prince can win over us from the Town Martial Office on Chuan-Yu Road, in Emperor Kaihuang’s eyes, it would reflect the Crown Prince’s capabilities and also the good judgment Emperor Kaihuang had in choosing his Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince winning us over not only proves his ability to govern subordinates but also shows others that he, like Emperor Kaihuang, values competent officials. It might even resolve this crisis. After all, he is the Crown Prince; Emperor Kaihuang surely wouldn’t punish him for this incident."

"But if the Crown Prince orders someone to kill us, I believe his retainers most certainly have the ability to assassinate us with one hit. That would be as good as admitting that he was behind the incidents on Chuan-Yu Road. It might even disappoint Emperor Kaihuang and make him think he’s a fool."

"Wei, if you were the Crown Prince, what would you choose?"

Although Wei had always been one to favor escaping, upon hearing Zhang San’s analysis, he couldn’t deny it made a lot of sense.

After all, he was the Crown Prince of the nation.

Even if the Crown Prince’s intelligence was limited and he couldn’t think this far.

The people under the Crown Prince surely couldn’t all be jealous, incompetent trash, right?

Zhang San, seeing Wei still somewhat uneasy, whispered, "And besides, we haven’t encountered any assassins sent by the Crown Prince along the way, and we’re not far from Daxing City of the Capital now. We’ll enter the Capital City tomorrow; would he send people to kill us tonight? How could that be, right?"

Upon consideration, Wei recognized the logic in this.

Making a move near the Capital could cause any number of disturbances, potentially leading to unwelcome complications.

With that thought, Wei exhaled a long breath, finally feeling somewhat relieved.

"Wei, don’t worry," Zhang San assured him quietly, "I promise, there won’t be any problems."

Having reassured Wei, Zhang San then turned and walked over toward the woman.

"Sister, I am very sorry, I just asked everyone about it, and no one else has any other solution. I couldn’t be of help to you in this matter,"

As he spoke, Zhang San handed over the child’s portrait and the Eight Characters of Birth to the woman.

The maid beside her took the items.

Seeing the disappointment on the woman’s face, Zhang San couldn’t help but comfort her, "Sister, even though these words might sound like an attempt at consolation, in fact, the Ghost Summoning Method I used earlier is a Cultivation Technique that can summon nearby ghosts and monsters with sins to serve me."

"That your child was not among them proves that he was a good child, pure of heart, and not bearing a trace of sin. Otherwise, I surely would have found some clue."

"Just now, I communicated not only with the ghosts and monsters in this area but even those near Daxing City in the Capital, yet I found no sign of him. Therefore, the child must indeed have been a good child."

"Such a good child, although I cannot be 100% certain, I believe that a child as kind as him must have already reincarnated into a better life, reborn into a family of wealth and nobility. After all, a child so benevolent, even in death and reincarnation, should not suffer."

Zhang San’s words indeed sounded like false comfort.

After all, many have heard of reincarnation, but nobody knows for certain whether it’s true or not.

Yet, the woman was still very grateful, and even broke into a smile while tears flowed from her eyes.

"You’re Zhang San, aren’t you?"

Zhang San nodded.

The woman wiped away her tears and smiled at Zhang San.

"Truth be told, in all these years, no one has ever acknowledged him as a good child. Not my heartless father, nor my brothers. They always tell me to forget him. But that’s my own flesh and blood! How can I be as cold-blooded as they are and forget my kin!"

As she spoke, the woman glanced at Zhang San.

In fact, when Zhang San had left earlier, the woman had used a special method to overhear the conversation between Zhang San and Wei.

Despite Wei’s use of a Secret Technique to ensure that only the two of them could hear their conversation,

the woman managed to catch every word that was exchanged between Zhang San and Wei without missing a single one.

She knew that Zhang San was indeed a Martial Artist from the Town Martial Office, but while he knew the Emperor’s preferences and the wise choices to make, he didn’t know what kind of person the Crown Prince actually was.

"You’re Zhang San, aren’t you?"

Zhang San nodded.

"I see that you are new to the Capital. If you don’t mind, how about I take you as my brother? If you face any troubles in the Capital City, come to me, and I’ll surely help you," said the woman.

Zhang San quickly bowed deeply to the woman in respect.

"Sister, I, Zhang San, offer my respects to you," he said.

Although Zhang San didn’t know her identity,

he was unfamiliar with everything in the Capital City, and among the twenty or so people with the woman, several were at the Spiritual Platform Realm, indicating that she was not ordinary.

Not that he was seeking to gain any major advantage from her, but having more friends meant more pathways; making one more acquaintance in the Capital City was always beneficial.

Moreover, his new sister, who still mourned her child’s passing after more than twenty years, must be someone who cherished relationships deeply.

Such a feeling person typically holds strong moral principles.

With such a person, he wouldn’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back in any situation.

Therefore, Zhang San’s calling her "sister" was indeed sincere.

Upon hearing Zhang San address her as "sister," the woman felt an unprecedented happiness.

She had several brothers, but which one of them did not seek to use her to accomplish their own ends?

Which brother truly cared for her?

Which brother truly cared for Ming?

"Brother, by rights, you should have stayed at a station along the way, but why did you miss it? Did the station purposefully refuse to accommodate you?" she asked.

Zhang San nodded and said, "We happened to arrive while the station was undergoing repairs. With the coming of autumn and the increased rainfall, they needed to do some refurbishing first."

Hearing this, the woman nodded more firmly and then said seriously, "Brother, I think that might not have been a coincidence. It’s possible that someone wanted to harm you."

Zhang San laughed.

"Don’t worry, sister. I, Zhang San, always try to be kind to others; it’s unlikely that anyone would want to harm me. Besides, where is this place? Just a half day’s journey away is Daxing City in the Capital—where the Emperor himself resides!"

"This very locale could be considered as on the edges of the Emperor’s bathtub. Who would dare to strike a killing blow here?"

No sooner had Zhang San finished speaking, than he heard the whistling sound of something cutting through the air.

He turned and looked towards the courtyard wall outside the main hall.

There he saw dozens of masked experts, armed with weapons, standing atop the courtyard wall, their gazes ominous and filled with a deadly aura.