Resounding in All Directions

"What's your name?"

"Zhang Xuezhou."

"Age?"

"Nineteen."

"Where do you live?"

"Zhang Household Village, the one beside Hibiscus City."

"Which Hibiscus City?"

"The one over in the Northern Border."

"Oh!"

After an inspection lasting several minutes beneath the gate tower of Yanmen Pass, Zhang Xuezhou was taken into the city by a soldier for questioning, while another soldier recorded his details as usual.

Hibiscus City was evidently so small that even the soldier handling registration had never heard of it. He simply wrote down the wrong characters for "Rong City."

"What's your cultivation?"

"Meridian Circulation Realm!"

"Who was your master?"

"My master... sir, does that have to be recorded too?"

With bows aimed at him from the gate tower, Zhang Xuezhou had been exceedingly cooperative, answering everything he was asked.

But when they asked about his master, Zhang Xuezhou really couldn't bring himself to answer.

His cultivation was a complete mess. He had swindled a Realm Entry method out of Zou Bugui, then had his belly stuffed full of Demon Power by the Golden Toad Dharma King, before being tossed into the Yedie River Holy Land to cultivate incantations.

But Zhang Xuezhou had learned little in the way of incantations and had instead brought a deadly calamity upon himself.

If he didn't help Wu Chao get rid of Hongku, Wu Chao would drag him down with him.

The matters involved concerned his life, but so did the matter of his master.

The loftier the status of the Xieluosi River Holy Land and the Yedie River Holy Land in Xiong State, the more despised they were within the Han Kingdom.

That was also why Wu Chao repeatedly had to conceal his identity.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that if he so much as mentioned either holy land, he would be considered a "suspicious