With the trump card of Zhang Lei in hand, the Emperor's worry had lessened. The dispute between the Song Empire and the Li Tang Empire had existed for a long time. Since its inception, the Song Empire had gradually eroded the territory of the Li Tang Empire. Among the three green basin countries, the Song Empire was the most recently established and was the most ambitious at that time. Through the efforts of successive emperors, its territory had continuously expanded. Now, although the Song Empire was no longer the most powerful, it had basically stabilized its territory and was on par with the other two countries. The Li Tang Empire had always held a grudge against the Song Empire and all its past monarchs had considered the recapture of their former territory as their top priority, causing the dispute between the two countries to never cease.

This time, the Li Tang Empire once again launched an attack on the border and made preparations for war against the Song Empire. At the same time, they formed an alliance with the Qingfeng Country of the Redstone Petrified Mountains to harass the Song Empire. The Black Flag Army was also a special forces unit arranged by the Li Tang Empire at the rear of the Song Empire. However, due to Zhang Lei's interference, the Li Tang Empire's plan was disrupted, and the Black Flag Army retreated, giving the Song Empire some time to quickly gather its strength, achieving a balance of power.

Naturally, due to the hasty preparation and lack of adequate resources, the Song Empire did not want to go to war. The Li Tang Empire took advantage of the situation to apply pressure and make territorial demands, sending their top martial artist, An Lang, as their envoy. An Lang was also a famous figure in the world of martial arts.

The Emperor switched his tone and said, "Li Aiqing, this negotiation is related to the survival of the Song Empire!" Zhang Lei thought, "What does this have to do with me? I don't understand anything. Wait, what does the Emperor mean by telling me this?" Confused, he glanced at Hou Pijin, thinking, "Can't you help me by saying something?" But Hou Pijin just turned his head and didn't respond, causing Zhang Lei to grind his teeth in anger.

The Emperor then said, "Li Aiqing, I empower you as a special envoy and give you full authority to negotiate with the envoy from the Li Tang Empire." Zhang Lei said, "Your Majesty, I am ignorant and know nothing, I am afraid that I will not be able to handle this task." Glancing at Hou Pijin again, he thought, "Why aren't you speaking up? Help me out here." But Hou Pijin just laughed and said, "Don't worry, I will take care of everything. You have nothing to fear." Zhang Lei then said, "Okay, I'll leave it all up to you." In his heart, he planned to use bluffing tactics and see how Hou Pijin would respond. If the negotiation went poorly, he would get himself removed from his position, which would actually be a good outcome for him.

As the two of them leave, they are greeted by a row of guards outside the gate. The leader of the guards approached and knelt down, introducing himself as Chen Fengning, a fifth-ranked guard with sixteen subordinates accompanying him to serve the Holy King. They left the palace and headed towards the King's residence. On the way, Zhang Lei instructed one of the guards to go to the silver shop to pick up Zhao Hao and others. Upon arriving at the Holy King's residence, Zhang Lei was awestruck by the grandeur of the place. The King's residence covered nearly a thousand acres of land, only slightly smaller than the palace, and was one of the symbolic buildings of the Song Kingdom. It was originally the royal garden that was later converted into the King's residence. The palace wall stretched for ten kilometers, and the residence was divided into five building groups, each of which was renovated every few years with a large amount of funds allocated by the royal family. The palace was staffed with over a thousand eunuchs, palace maids, servants, and laborers, and the whole building group was magnificent with gold walls, although slightly inferior to the palace. Zhang Lei finally understood why Hou Pijing said that giving up the King's residence would cause such a stir for the Emperor. The King's return to the residence not only disrupted the order of the residence, but also sent shockwaves throughout the imperial court. The King's reputation was truly astounding, and he was revered as a god-like figure in the Song Kingdom. The word about the King's return spread quickly among the nobles and officials of the royal family. After all, the King had not returned for more than forty years. The older generation had seen the King, while the younger generation only knew of his legend. It was also rumored that the King brought a brother with him upon his return and that the Emperor conferred on him the title of General of Tiger's Might, along with the gift of the entire King's residence. It was said that the King's brother was a young man who had just reached adulthood, and others claimed that it was this young man who had freed the city of Hanlin. Most shocking of all was that this young man was the younger brother of the Guardian God of the Great Han Kingdom, Fu Chongbi. These rumors were deliberately spread by the Emperor's men just to let the word spread to the special envoy from Litan Kingdom. Soon, the originally deserted gate of the residence was filled with carriages and horses of the officials who came to visit. The guards at the gate collected their greeting cards and turned them away, saying that the King was not receiving visitors at the moment. The officials who were unable to see the King were dissatisfied and immediately left, grouping together and discussing. Meanwhile, a guard came to the gate with three people. "Hey, isn't this Zhao Ji, the head of the Bao Yin Jewelry Shop?" "Old Qian, are you seeing things? How could that old man be so young?" "Look at that big black guy, what a tough man, his big axe is so huge!" "Wow, this little girl is really pretty." The officials were discussing among themselves, watching the three men walk into the King's residence with confidence. They chose an official to inquire about the situation and approached a guard with whom they were familiar. "Brother Xu, may I ask why those three people were allowed into the residence earlier?" The guard smiled and said, "Well, Qin old friend, to tell you the truth, even I don't know." The official was embarrassed and thanked the guard. After Hou Pijing entered the residence and gave some orders to the steward, he disappeared somewhere as he was nostalgic. Zhang Lei was surrounded by eunuchs, palace maids, servants, and laborers, all of whom wanted him to take a bath and change his clothes.

Entering the small room beside the inner hall, four eunuchs brought in a large wooden basin with a silver trim and adjusted the temperature of the water. A palace maid with a slim face, delicate eyebrows, and big eyes said, "Please, my lord, take a bath." The eunuchs and servants retreated from the room. Zhang Lei said, "Alright, I will take a bath. You may leave now." The remaining eight palace maids bowed and paid their respects, saying, "We will serve you, my lord." Zhang Lei replied, "Good, ah!" Suddenly startled, he added, "No, no! Wait, all of you, get up. I only prefer to bathe on my own. There is no other reason. Otherwise, I'd rather not take a bath." However, the palace maids continued to kowtow and bow. Feeling helpless, Zhang Lei finally said, "Alright then, let's begin." He thought to himself, "The aristocrats in this palace indeed know how to enjoy themselves. They even have women to serve them during their baths. I am risking my life and yet I'm afraid of taking a bath?" One of the palace maids came forward to help him remove his clothes, and Zhang Lei tried to keep a bold and heroic appearance.

Sitting on the Grand Preceptor's chair in the inner hall, Zhang Lei felt uneasy all over. The eight young and beautiful palace maids had just thoroughly washed and scrubbed him all over, causing him to feel embarrassed and flushed. A eunuch announced the arrival of Zhao Hao, Mei Jingjing, and Zheng Peng. Zhang Lei was delighted and said, "Please, come in, come in!" Zhao Hao, Mei Jingjing, and Zheng Peng wandered around the inner hall. Mei Jingjing, being impatient, walked in first. Upon seeing Zhang Lei's strange appearance, she giggled and exclaimed, "Brother, you look so strange in that official uniform. Hey, how did you even become an official?" Upon seeing the three of them, Zhang Lei's mood improved, and he chuckled, "Sis, do I look handsome in this outfit?" The three of them chorused, "No! Haha!"

Zhao Hao reported the rumors that were circulating outside and asked the whereabouts of Zhang Lei's senior disciple. Zhang Lei pondered for a moment and then said, "There is one more thing that hasn't been spread outside. The emperor has appointed me as a special envoy to negotiate with the Li Tang dynasty. Oh, right, Sis Jingjing, you are from Li Tang. Can you tell me something?" Mei Jingjing laughed and said, "Brother, I will tell you everything I know."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Zhang Lei asked, "I want to know about An Lang's role in Li Tang." Mei Jingjing was shocked and said, "An Lang? He is a priest of the Li Tang dynasty temple." Through gritted teeth, she added, "He is our enemy of the Mei family!" Zhang Lei instructed his butler, "Go and find my senior brother." He then said to Mei Jingjing, "Tell me more about it." Zhang Lei now regarded Mei Jingjing as his younger sister, and he would not neglect her affairs. Mei Jingjing's father was named Mei Ao, and he was a third-level priest of the Li Tang dynasty temple. The Mei family's method of cultivation was unique, as they practiced the cultivation of herbs and plants, which was completely different from others. Mei Ao's pills were particularly famous, and the most renowned were the top five: the Yang Pill, which greatly increased the cultivation of one's true essence; and, when consumed after forming the Yuanying, could speed up its growth, thus avoiding the danger of demonic cultivation.

There are five different types of elixirs mentioned in the original text. The second is the "Foundation Building Elixir," which is a treasure for beginner cultivators as it can quickly help them to establish their foundation. The third is the "Injury Healing Elixir," which can seamlessly restore broken limbs for cultivators during battles. Its effect is incredibly potent. The fourth is the "Life Saving Elixir," which is the most well-known. Injured cultivators, as long as they have a breath left in them, can avoid death by taking this elixir. That's why it's also referred to as the "Take Your Life Back Elixir." The fifth is the "Curse Breaking Elixir," which can remedy various types of strange curses. Unfortunately, Mei Ao's elixirs caused trouble. An Lang was a top-ranked nobleman and a Duke, and the Emperor of Li Tang's uncle. Because he wanted to cultivate a few heirs, he forcibly demanded the "Elemental Yang Elixir" and the "Foundation Building Elixir" from Mei Ao, but the refining process for these two elixirs was extremely difficult. Mei Ao only had a few pills left, and An Lang demanded six of each. Mei Ao couldn't give up so many, which led to animosity between them. An Lang was a devious and cruel person. He harbored hate in his heart because Mei Ao couldn't fulfill his demands. He secretly schemed and forced Mei Ao and his wife and daughter to flee. An Lang arranged people to pursue them, and they fought fiercely at the border between Li Tang and the old Song country. During the battle, Mei Jingjing got separated from her parents and wandered into the Seven Forks Ridge. "Where are your parents now? Have you received any news?" Zhang Lei asked with concern, thinking: "No wonder she ran to the Seven Forks Ridge to become a bandit. This little girl is quite extraordinary." Mei Jingjing replied dejectedly, "No, but my parents may have gone to the Frozen Wasteland to seek help from their sect." Zhao Hao was surprised, "Are they going to the Frozen Continent?" Mei Jingjing replied, "Yes, the Frozen Continent." Zheng Peng shouted, "Let me chop up this old bastard. Miss Mei, my Blackie's axe isn't just for show." Zhang Lei comforted her, "Don't be sad, we'll all help you. After everything is settled, I'll go with you to the Frozen Wasteland." Zhang Lei then asked Zhao Hao, "What's the Frozen Wasteland like? You've been to a lot of places, have you been there before?" Zhao Hao replied, "Only cultivators dare to go to the Frozen Continent. It's an incredibly harsh and cold place with strange weather and bizarre monsters called the 'Chacha Ice' monster. If humans encounter them, they're doomed. Once, I passed through the edge of the Frozen Continent. If I hadn't learned martial arts, I wouldn't have made it. Out of the eleven people who were with me, only seven survived." Zhang Lei said, "Even so, I still want to go. I won't rest until I find your parents." Mei Jingjing's eyes couldn't help but redden with gratitude as she warned Zhang Lei to be cautious of An Lang, who was an extremely vicious and cunning person. She advised him that he could be easily ensnared in his traps. Initially, Zhang Lei was going to handle this negotiation casually, but as it now involved Mei Jingjing's enemy, his thoughts changed. He would not let An Lang get away so easily. With determination set, Zhang Lei began to consider how he would proceed. The steward announced that the Emperor was in the Western Temple and that they could not disturb him. Zhang Lei smiled, "Let's go bother him a bit. If we return to the mansion, he'll be gone, and he won't care about us. Let's go and find him." The steward led the four of them and the large group of servants to the Western Temple.

Walking into the architectural compound of Xifu, the steward pointed upwards and all four of them couldn't help but chuckle. Hou Pijing, alone and solitary, squatted on the rooftop, lost in thought. Zhang Leis walked slowly onto the roof and joked, "Brother, how's the view?" Hou Pijing sighed and replied, "Did you know? Cultivators have no families, and are destined to endure all loneliness. Seeing your relatives and friends leave you one by one, I'm now the most afraid of coming back to this palace. Sigh!" Zhang Leis was speechless. Hou Pijing looked down at the building below and said, "All you kids have come, let's go down." He smiled and added, "This palace is now yours, why not show everyone around and be a gracious host?" Seeing him relaxed and joking, Zhang Leis also lightened up and joked back, "Brother, don't you know, the palace is so big that I can't even tell the directions. You want me to get lost?" The two of them floated down holding hands, and the servants knelt and respectfully said, "Blessings for the Holy King!" Zhang Leis said, "Brother, how can you stand it, having people kneel and pay respect to you every day?" Hou Pijing laughed heartily and said, "That's why I got the emperor to give the palace to you. Let brothers also taste the feeling, how's that, is it good?" Zhang Leis immediately thought of the eight pretty palace maids torturing him in the inner hall earlier and said, "It's uncomfortable, not fun at all." Of course it's not comfortable, being washed and scrubbed by eight young pretty women, and not wanting to mess around, how could it not be difficult to bear. Zhao Hao knelt down and respectfully said, "Disciple didn't know that Master is the Holy King. Please forgive me, Holy King." He felt a burst of pride, the Holy King is my Master, power and wealth are at my fingertips. Hou Pijing looked deeply at Zhao Hao, putting away his smile and said solemnly, "Kid, I'll only say it once, you must remember it clearly. If you truly want to step into the path of cultivation, everything in the secular world will be meaningless to you. You can play, you can care, but you can't be greedy. If you can't pass this test, you'll never be able to enter higher realms of cultivation, don't blame me for not warning you in advance." These words hit Zhao Hao's heart like a sledgehammer, and he immediately began sweating like a pig. It was like the sound of drums and trumpets sounding at dusk and dawn that made him alert. He repeatedly kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Master, for teaching me. I understand" In fact, Zhao Hao had only begun cultivating after meeting Zhang Leis. Prior to that, he had been in the business world for over seventy years, so having secular ideas was not surprising, but with Hou Pijing's guidance, it would greatly aid his future cultivation. Hou Pijing added, "Learn from your Master, his realm is much higher than yours." Zhang Leis felt ashamed and thought if Hou Pijing had seen his embarrassing moment when he first got the bracelet on Earth, he might have kicked him far away. The book room of the palace, more precisely, the book tower, was three stories high. Led by Hou Pijing himself, they entered the book tower, and Zhang Leis was ecstatic. From the first to the third floor, every shelf was filled with ancient books. He thought, "I must take the time to read them carefully." After sitting down, Zhang Leis told Hou Pijing about Mei Jingjing's family background and asked, "What's An Lang's status in the cultivation world? What's his Master's background? You're familiar with the situation, please introduce it to us."

Hou Pijing first asked Mei Jingjing: "Miss Mei, is there someone named Mei Youbing in your family?" Mei Jingjing exclaimed: "Yes, he is Niuniu's great-grandfather. Does Senior know him?" Hou Pijing nodded and said: "The Mei family's sect must be in the Huichun Valley of the Cold Ice Plain, called the 'Ling Pan Gate', right?" Mei Jingjing jumped up with joy and grabbed Hou Pijing's arm, shaking it and saying: "That's great! Niuniu can find her parents now!" Hou Pijing laughed and said: "Stop shaking, my old bones are falling apart." He turned to Zhang Lei and said: "An Lang doesn't have much status in the cultivation world. He is a power-hungry villain who is fond of conspiracies, so it can be assumed that his cultivation is not very high." He looked at Zhao Hao and added: "However, I have heard that this person has many strange treasures, some of which are extremely vicious. His sect is very mysterious. According to my knowledge, An Lang is related to the 'Bai Huang Lao Ren' of the 'Qian Jie Star'." Mei Jingjing asked in confusion: "What is the Qian Jie star?" Hou Pijing said: "It is a place where exiled cultivators are sent. It is a terrifying planet. If a cultivator does not have enough strength, the outcome can be disastrous. Bai Huang Lao Ren is the leader of the evil organization on Qian Jie Star. He has many powerful cultivators under his command, but because of the suppression of the Feng Yuan Star, they dare not act wickedly." Zheng Peng could not bear to listen anymore and shouted: "Young man, I don't understand what you're talking about. It's killing me!" He beckoned to the butler and Zhang Lei whispered: "Take him to the guest room and get him some meat and wine to eat, hurry up." After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Lei said: "I don't know much about the situation in the Litan Kingdom and the Gu Song Kingdom. Old brother, go ask the emperor for a person. I need a military advisor. Hmm, I want Cheng Zizhong and someone who understands the entire Green Basin country." Hou Pijing smiled and said: "No problem. If you want to be the chief of the secretariat, the ministers of the various departments, I can also handle it." A guard reported that the permanent envoy of the Great Han Kingdom to the Gu Song Kingdom was seeking an audience with General Huwei.