In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Page 143

"My dear wife, this time I have traveled the world and experienced the sword fights in Zhuxian Town and witnessed the love and hate in Jueqing Valley. I can't help but sigh at the dangers of the world."

Furthermore, drawing upon some ancient musical texts, I have a somewhat immature idea: I want to compose a piece titled "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer."

"The Smiling, Proud Wanderer Melody 1.9?"

Zhang Xiaoshan's idea piqued Huang Rong's interest, and she even felt a sense of anticipation.

After all, her mastery of the Flying Immortal Sword Technique made her feel that her position as the empress was in jeopardy.

If we don't come up with something substantial at this point, we probably won't be able to keep those 'little devils' in check.

"Well, actually this wasn't my idea. It was something that two senior martial arts practitioners had come up with while searching through ancient tombs from the Great Zhou Dynasty and excavating lost musical texts."

However, for two grown men like them, the music must be full of heroic spirit.

We, husband and wife, are different. The martial world isn't just about swords and shadows; it's also about grudges and affections, youthful innocence and fading youth. I think we're more suited to composing this "Laughing at the Martial World" theme song!

In order to divert attention, Zhang Xiaoshan had no choice but to go to great lengths.

Otherwise, if this young lady were to mention the Flying Immortal Sword Technique, she might immediately become extremely jealous.

"What about the Flying Immortal Sword Technique?"

"You are not suitable. This sword technique requires the fusion of two true energies, one of yin and one of yang, to reach a profound state that is almost like shattering the void, in order to unleash the true power of the Flying Immortal Sword Technique."

You need to at least raise the Mingyu Skill to the ninth level, and that's just a prerequisite!

"For example, my power and that of Palace Master Lianxing cannot be harmonized!"

Chapter 192 The Candidates for the Upper Three Families - Fire Cloud Evil God?

"Young master, these are the guests we've had recently. Besides the Zhang family, there are three in total!"

Inside the study, Liu Sheng Piaoxu took out a record of the visitors from this period.

Every word, every action, and even some of their peculiar habits of these people were described in meticulous detail.

These are all standard ninja lessons, let alone those of a god-level ninja!

"well done!"

Zhang Xiaoshan nodded at the ninja in the darkness, showing great admiration.

Opening the roster, the three people are—

Zhuge Zhengwo, Tong Guan, and the Sixth Prince!

Zhuge Zheng was merely inquiring about the assassin from that night; nothing else happened.

After all, it would be strange if Zhuge Zheng didn't get involved in something like this.

As for Tong Guan's visit, it was to inquire about the matter of tens of millions of taels of gold.

The news of the nearly 30 million taels of gold reached the palace, and the emperor suffered from insomnia all night.

If this gold falls into the hands of those with rebellious intentions, the consequences are predictable.

Moreover, the Zhang family donated all of this gold, which made the emperor even more suspicious that they were taking the opportunity to send the gold away.

However, there were account books in the study. After Tong Guan inquired about them, the stand-in took out the sales account books.

This is not a handle to be used against them. What does the Zhang family have to do with the accounts of Ghost Street?

Moreover, the ledger did not indicate the purchaser; it only listed the price of each antique.

Once these things are sold, they're sold; even the emperor can't simply take them back.

Furthermore, the emperor could not say that the Zhang family had done anything wrong.

Was it wrong to donate gold to build dikes and dredge waterways?

I'm afraid all those civil and military officials would have directly berated the old emperor to death.

When Tong Guan left, Piao Xu gave him a box of the finest ambergris, and Tong Guan was all smiles.

Agarwood, musk, ambergris!

Not only is it ten times more expensive than gold of the same volume, but it is also scarce and difficult to find. Most of the products sold through general channels are inferior and deceptive.

Therefore, Zhang Xiaoshan was not worried about Tong Guan's arrival.

With the overall situation settled, the emperor, having received the news, would no longer suspect the Zhang family.

On the contrary, once the accounts are verified, the subsequent rewards and honors are absolutely indispensable. Such a magnanimous donation of tens of millions of taels of silver is something even the emperor cannot help but admire and be impressed by.

If they don't reward them, it would make the royal family seem stingy.

But the Sixth Prince?

This person is suspicious; his sudden visit is probably a test.

Even though the stunt double was very experienced, Zhang Xiaoshan didn't find any flaws in the conversation, but he might still have some suspicions.

"The Sixth Prince?"

This time, the Sixth Prince secretly dispatched two assassins, Yingxia and Yingxue.

Yingxia is the Fire Cloud Evil God, outwardly serving as the main force; Yingxue secretly leads the assassin team with the Divine Arm Crossbow, but after being ambushed by Jin Bu'er, she, along with Xingyin, Duan Yanqing, and the South Sea Crocodile God, became prisoners of the Blood Droplets.

They were all targets that Zhang Xiaoshan planned to recruit and incorporate into the Four Heavenly Kings of the Blood Droplets.

Without a top-tier expert to protect them, the Blood Droplets will suffer a great loss sooner or later.

The more often your hand is exposed, the more likely it is to become a trap set specifically for you next time.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaoshan also harbored murderous intent towards the Sixth Prince!

This person is too cunning and treacherous; he will likely become an enemy sooner or later.

No, they are enemies now!

This time, the Zhang family's Blood Droplets not only caused heavy casualties among his assassins, but also recruited the Divine Arm Crossbow for their own use, making them mortal enemies.

But this is a prince of the current dynasty, and even a slight suspicion could make things very difficult for the Zhang family.

Although the Zhang family is not afraid of these difficulties, Zhang Xiaoshan does not want to make a losing deal compared to the potential gains.

Moreover, now that the Sixth Prince has been killed, he might be the first suspect.

"Young master, if this is difficult, you can certainly..."

"Alright, if this could be solved by killing someone, the old emperor would have died countless times by now."

An ambitious prince, he met his end in a righteous way; we don't need to lift a finger.

Zhang Xiaoshan glanced at Liu Sheng Piaoxu speechlessly, and said slowly:

"Moreover, the Fire Cloud Evil God under the Sixth Prince is no less powerful than you."

His uncanny fire-based techniques likely originate from Taoism, and they happen to be the opposite of yours—ice and fire—making them mutually restraining.

"Mutual restraint?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng Piaoxu looked at Zhang Xiaoshan in disbelief, never expecting such a thing to happen in the world.

"What I saw with my own eyes will still scare you."

"The slaves dare not!"

Zhang Xiaoshan shook his head.

···

Ghost Street!

Ghost Street was unusually quiet during this period, and everyone was waiting for the outcome.

After the results came out, no one dared to cross the line. With a peerless overlord like the Golden-Faced Buddha behind the scenes and the Ghost King suppressing Ghost Street, who would dare to act recklessly here?

In particular, there was more than one golden-faced Buddha; there was also a jade Guanyin inviting the moon.

Leaving aside their unparalleled level of skill when they joined forces, their martial arts prowess alone made them among the most skilled masters in the world.

Just as well-funded companies in later generations acted as guarantors, the market in Ghost Street inevitably flourished, which was irreplaceable by other black markets.

"Son!"

Inside the Tianji Tower.

Ghost Yama looked at the three bronze-armored warriors behind Zhang Xiaoshan, and at the same time, a black shadow suddenly appeared. He immediately realized that this was his true form.

During this time, the stand-in frequently strolled around Ghost Street, making his presence known.

At least no one doubted the identity of the stand-in, so no one would doubt the identity of the Golden-Faced Buddha. Besides, it was normal for Zhang Xiaoshan to keep in touch about this matter.

At the same time, the Zhang family was also providing support for Ghost Yama.

Even without the Golden-Faced Buddha, the Ghost Yama still has the Zhang family as a powerful figure behind him.

The Zhang family's intimidating power is in no way inferior to that of the current Golden-Faced Buddha.

"Alright, Uncle Gui, let's talk inside!"

"Yes!"

After entering the core of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, Zhang Xiaoshan went directly to the secret room where the ancient books were stored.

These are all ancient books from hundreds of years ago, and Zhang Xiaoshan even invited more than a dozen 'deaf and mute' servants to take meticulous care of them.

Every volume of these books is a priceless treasure.

Zhang Xiaoshan disposed of all the garbage in a special way.

As soon as Zhang Xiaoshan entered, he went straight to the area with the lost musical scores, searching for those ancient books.

"Young master, you've been searching for these..."

"It's all because of the Flying Immortal Sword Technique. I created a Flying Immortal Sword Technique with the Palace Master of Yaoyue Palace, and after returning, I had no choice but to agree to that little girl's request to compose a song of laughter and pride in the martial arts world together!"

Otherwise, given that little girl's temperament, the inner quarters will likely never be peaceful again.

Upon hearing about the fierce battle in Zhang Xiaoshan's inner courtyard, Ghost Yama suddenly realized what was going on.

They were also shocked by Zhang Xiaoshan's talent, as he had actually created such a peerless skill as the Flying Immortal Sword Technique.

As for the song "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," it's rather funny.

But he also understood the helplessness of having trouble at home. This was the first wife he had married through proper channels, and if he didn't appease her, there would definitely be trouble in the future.

"There are many musical scores and books. If you need them copied, I'll go find someone right away!"

"it is good!"

Zhang Xiaoshan hadn't paid attention to these things before, but now he needed to filter them one by one.

Zhang Xiaoshan spent the entire morning flipping through these musical scores and books, making notes and giving instructions on where to copy them.

These are mostly ancient scores or fragments that were lost hundreds of years ago, and even the Tianlong Eight Sounds are among them.

These were all unearthed while collecting medical books for the Ghost Doctor. There were also many musical scores, literary classics, and even Buddhist scriptures and Taoist texts.

It would be a shame to discard them, so I collected them here.

In conclusion, each volume is categorized into its own type, totaling thirteen volumes!

These are all ancient books that were lost in the past. As for the ones that were not lost, Huang Rong went to collect them, so the two sides divided the work.

"Young master, this is a letter from the Hidden Dragon King!"

"Murong Bo?"

Upon opening the letter, just as Zhang Xiaoshan had predicted, Murong Bo had abandoned his position among the top three families and fled!

The letter also stated that the Murong family had given the martial arts techniques from the Shishui Pavilion to the Zhang family, hoping that, out of respect for the Zhang family, they would spare his life.

"Young master, would you like to...?"

930

"We don't need to lift a finger; the Murong father and son will be dealt with by their own people."

"Help me arrange a meeting with Qiao Feng at Yanziwu. Let me know the agreed time later."

"Yes, son!"

Upon hearing the name Bei Qiao Feng, Gui Yanluo knew that Zhang Xiaoshan probably wanted to use Bei Qiao Feng to eliminate the Murong family.