If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

After the banquet at the palace ended, Zhang Fan returned to his residence in the capital.

Although he was appointed to guard a region of the Great Dragon Kingdom, his wife, children, and elderly parents were still kept in the capital, out of fear that the border would not be peaceful.

"master."

"Ah."

Upon seeing the general return, the old lady stepped forward to take the cloak from his hands, and the servants also helped the general remove his sword.

Zhang Fan didn't show much enthusiasm towards his family, treating them like strangers, and turned away without looking back as he entered his private room.

The old lady could only sigh helplessly and shake her head.

In this mansion, only Zhang Fan could enter the secret room. As for what was inside, to be honest, even his wife, the old lady, didn't know.

Moreover, Zhang Fan had given instructions that no one was allowed to peek into the secret room, or they would face certain death.

Once upon a time, a relative's child, out of curiosity, ran into the secret room, wanting to see what was inside. However, the secret room was locked by Zhang Fan and could not be opened at all. But Zhang Fan still found out about this, and took the relative's child away that night. After that, there was no news of the child.

Only the old lady knew that the child was most likely dead. From then on, everyone in the mansion kept their distance from that secret room. Zhang Fan was actually very satisfied when he saw this.

. . . . . .

Inside the secret room.

Zhang Fan lit the candles around him, and the light instantly illuminated the surroundings. If Lu Da were here, he would recognize it at a glance. The eerie layout here was almost exactly the same as the secret room in Hou Zhenghao's house.

“Fellow Daoist, you will not die in vain. I now know that it was all because of this Zhou Wu. If he obediently reveals the address of Baiyujing, I will take him with me to attain immortality. If he is not sensible, I will make him speak.”

On the table was a severed finger, and Zhang Fan was talking to himself while looking at it.

"Fellow Daoist Hou, it took me a lot of effort to get that severed finger back. Once I attain immortality, I will definitely give you a second chance. You'll have to thank me properly then."

It turns out that Zhang Fan and Hou Zhenghao are not in the father-in-law and son-in-law relationship as rumored.

Neither of them knew who influenced the other, but both were obsessed with attaining immortality and becoming immortal, which is why they became fellow sufferers.

When Zhang Fan learned of Hou Zhenghao's death, he secretly returned to the capital and took a severed finger from Hou Zhenghao's body. In their minds, having a disability meant having a chance to be reborn.

After making inquiries from various sources, it was discovered that Hou Zhenghao's death was caused by Zhou Wu.

Zhang Fan also learned from some clues why Hou Zhenghao kept pestering Zhou Wu; it turned out that Zhou Wu knew about Bai Yujing.

From then on, Zhang Fan's aging heart could no longer contain itself.

Hou Zhenghao is young and has the time to wait, but Zhang Fan is already old and frail and doesn't have much time left, so he has been looking for an opportunity to get close to Zhou Wu.

This trip back to Beijing is a great opportunity.

Zhang Fan originally planned to approach Zhou Wu secretly, but upon seeing Zhou Wu for the first time, he was reminded of Fellow Daoist Hou, and a surge of inexplicable anger welled up inside him, which led to what happened before.

. . . . . . . .

The next morning, Hua Rong, Wang Cang, and Song Gong appeared at Zhou Wu's residence.

"You guys are here!"

Zhou Wu sent someone to inform the group last night that he had something to tell them at his residence today. Unexpectedly, they arrived early this morning and were waiting for orders in the courtyard.

“If you have any instructions, sir, we dare not neglect them.”

Hua Rong said respectfully.

The group now completely follows Zhou Wu's lead. If it weren't for Zhou Wu's initial appreciation, they would still be at the bottom of the capital, swindling and cheating to make ends meet.

Where could I ever be as well-dressed, living in a grand mansion, traveling by carriage, surrounded by attendants, and respected as I am now?

"It's nothing serious, but you can help me find out something."

"Please give your orders, sir."

"You know Zhang Fan, right?"

"General Zhang Fan, the General Who Guards the North?"

Wang Cang gave a somewhat uncertain answer. There are many people named Zhang Fan in the capital, but for Lord Zhou to mention him, he must have some status and position. So it can only be General Zhang Fan, who recently returned to the capital.

"Not bad, you guys are doing well now. You haven't wasted your time in the capital."

"You flatter me, sir. We are here to gather intelligence for you, so naturally we need to get to know more high-ranking figures."

Zhou Wu is growing to like these three people more and more; they know their limits, are reliable, and obedient.

"I wonder what kind of information you are looking for, sir."

What exactly is the relationship between Zhang Fan and Hou Zhenghao?

"Understood, I'll take care of it right away."

Knowing their purpose, the three did not linger, lest they be discovered by someone with ulterior motives.

After leaving the Zhou residence, the three began to discuss the matter.

"Zhang Fan and his associates are mostly in the north and have hardly returned to the capital. If we want to find out about his relationship with Hou Zhenghao, it seems we'll have to make a trip to the north."

Hua Rong analyzed the current situation. The capital was alright, as he knew people from all walks of life, but the north was a different story.

“We don’t have any influence in the north. Let’s go there ourselves, Song Gong and I. You stay in the capital and keep an eye on things, just in case the Lord has any other instructions.”

Wang Cang thought about it and realized that he definitely needed to go to the north, so he took Song Gong and the other person with him. However, he also needed to leave someone in the capital, so this arrangement was made and no one had any objections.

"Then please be careful."

"Do not worry."

. . . . . . .

Zhou Wu always felt that Zhang Fan seemed to be hostile towards him, but after thinking about it repeatedly, he realized that this was indeed the first time he had met this person. After much thought, it was very likely that it was indeed because of Hou Zhenghao.

Speaking of Hou Zhenghao, Zhou Wu dared not let his guard down, which is why he had the idea of ​​sending Hua Rong and the others to gather intelligence on the other party.

Generally speaking, Zhou Wu tries to use Hua Rong and his two companions as little as possible. After all, it would be very dangerous for the higher-ups to find out about cultivating an intelligence organization. However, because Hou Zhenghao is involved, Zhou Wu has to be careful. The shadow that Hou Zhenghao left on him is too deep.

Because he had promised to support the imperial court with the graduates of the technical school, Zhou Wu could not leave the capital for the time being.

The students at the vocational school were essentially his students, so as their teacher, he naturally had to make sure they were all settled before leaving.

A letter has already been sent to the South China Sea, informing that any graduating students who are willing to serve the court are welcome to come to the capital.

However, this is meaningless. Most students in vocational schools are children from ordinary families. They come to vocational schools to learn a skill or technique so they can make a living.

The imperial court is a coveted job; everyone is desperate to get in, so who would let such a good opportunity slip by?

On the day the students arrived in the capital, Zhou Wu personally greeted them at the dock.

As soon as the ships carrying the students entered the capital, the students from all over the country were dazzled by the city's prosperity.

"This is the capital city, indeed prosperous."

"It's really quite different from the South China Sea."

“We’ll be considered government officials from now on, so will we stay in the capital forever? I still want to stay in the South China Sea.”

The students said all sorts of things, mostly their fantasies about the future.