Roadside Ambush

The river in Henan Commandery is the Yellow River. This area includes Hedong Commandery, Henan Commandery, and Hanoi Commandery.

If you go upstream along the Yellow River, you will get closer and closer to Luoyang.

The Northern Commandery region is flat and has wide roads for military marches, while the roads in the Henan region are often damaged by floods of the Yellow River, and the high mountains make the roads narrow and crowded.

If one were to travel by horsemanship alone and could not access the official road, this would be a long and arduous journey that blocked the way for countless people.

Even when traveling on official roads, only cultivators can endure the long, bumpy rides.

Zhang Xuezhou had to admit that Du Zhou was extremely capable. The coachman he sent was just the right person; he was not only incredibly stamina-wise, but also had excellent driving skills.

"These two horses are extraordinary!"

Aside from the coachman, the two horses pulling the carriage were of excellent quality, even surpassing the horses provided by the new emperor in Luoyang.

"Lord Dongfang, the horses raised in Henan Prefecture over the years have become very fat and strong. Many of them are even of different breeds, and they are quite fierce when they bite. Even we have to be careful when we get close," coachman Zhang An replied.

"Did Du Zhou manage the horses?"

"Lord Du Zhou can manage everything, including the horses!"

Zhang An replied, and Zhang Xuezhou thus understood Du Zhou's predicament.

Being able to manage everything means being unable to manage anything. Power has no real application; one can only meddle in various situations. The other party is most likely a minor clerk, responsible for recording and reporting on others.

It's easy to see the future of an official like that at a glance, so it's normal for them to have some ulterior motives if they have the ability.

However, one cannot gain a foothold in the imperial court simply by having ability. Without nepotism and powerful connections, even if one enters Chang'an City to become an official, one will remain a marginal figure.

Zhang Xuezhou himself was also a member of the marginalized group, but he only gained some closeness to the new emperor by constantly climbing up to his target.

Thinking of Du Zhou, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but reflect on his own situation.

Friends who haven't seen each other for months will drift apart, and couples who haven't seen each other for a long time will have their feelings fade. It's also normal for emperors and their ministers to forget each other after a long time apart, especially since the new emperor has many ministers around him and doesn't need someone like Zhang Xuezhou.

"I seem to be able to do everything!"

Du Zhou, who was frustrated in his career, is another example of Zhang Xuezhou; people like him are as numerous as carp crossing a river.

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, wondering if recruiting Li Shaojun would once again win the new emperor's favor.

If Li Shaojun knew how to refine the Life-Creating Pill, that would be fine. The key issue is that the other party doesn't know how to refine it, and even struggles with ordinary pills, only knowing how to refine some external pills.

Recruiting Li Shaojun is one thing, but Li Shaojun's misdeeds being exposed and causing future trouble is another.

Zhang Xuezhou found the days unbearable.

If he's unlucky, it wouldn't be surprising if he were implicated, let alone get close to the new emperor.

"We must discuss this once Li Shaojun arrives in Chang'an City. That guy is bold and quick-witted; he'll cooperate perfectly. Let's see how we can get through this difficult situation!"

Zhang Xuezhou originally intended to inquire about the Life-Creating Pill at the Eastern Heavenly Gate, but he also heard the Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable mention the Life-Creating Pill at the Purple Cloud Palace.

Jinxia Yuanjun, who is skilled in biotechnology, is unlikely to be proficient in top-tier elixirs. The Life-Creating Pill that the other party possesses is most likely a distributed item, just like the high-level medical quotas given to major Lineage in Western Capital City.

The spiritual treasure mentioned by Yuanshi Tianzun is most likely the one who refined the Life-Creating Pill or possessed the Pill Formula.

To truly refine the Life-Creating Pill, one needs to seek help from the source. If the source is difficult to reach, then only Zheng Wukong, Chunyu Tiying, and others can think of a way to see if they can create some kind of super tonic.

It's a minor matter if Zhang Xuezhou's head can't be cured; the major issue is that many people lose their heads. Even if he is banished from Chang'an City by the new emperor and loses his close relationships, it would still be a greater loss than gain.

"You blind fools! You dare to stop Lord Dongfang from carrying out His Majesty's urgent mission? You've got some nerve!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Zhang An share the same surname, which led him to chat for a few more minutes before he became engrossed in organizing his thoughts from his time travels.

When Zhang An shouted, Zhang Xuezhou quickly came to his senses.

Zhang An had previously mentioned that there were bandits on the official road, and Zhang Xuezhou had initially thought it was just polite talk, but it turned out there really were bandits.

He hadn't encountered robbers for many years, partly because Zhang Xuezhou either ran to remote places, or he was high up and down, or he was accompanied by a powerful cultivator.

Those who dare to rob on the official road are unlikely to be wild barbarians from Lingnan, but are most likely cultivators with considerable strength.

The carriage came to a sudden stop. He lifted the curtain and saw that the road ahead had been blocked with logs and stones, making it impossible for carriages and horses to pass.

Zhang An held a riding whip in his hand, while his right hand reached for the long sword at his waist.

He shouted, and before he finished speaking, the wind was already blowing.

Zhang An could only turn his head slightly before an arrow pierced past his ear.

The sound of the horse's ear being pierced by the rosewood carriage frame reached Zhang An's ears. He reached out and touched it, finding half a piece of ear flesh in his palm. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, knowing that he had run into a tough opponent today.

"Get down!"

"Four officers, the bandits are in the jungle thirty paces ahead of us!"

When Zhang Xuezhou's voice came, Zhang An couldn't help but shout back quickly.

"Hey!"

Shouts of "draw your bow and fire!" came from behind, and soldiers lifted their mounts and leaped over the crossbeams.

Zhang An was exceptionally skilled, and these soldiers were clearly no ordinary men either; they spotted the ambush immediately and launched a direct counterattack.

"You scoundrel!"

The sounds of curses from the locals of Henan County rang out, followed by the clanging of metal objects, and then another volley of arrows rained down.

Zhang An wielded his long sword and slashed wildly, sending the bamboo and wooden arrows flying in all directions.

Then, a series of screams came from more than thirty feet away.

"Lord Dongfang, we have four military officers..."

Zhang An looked into the distance and saw four soldiers charging forward, one wielding a sword and the other a skilled archer, working together to kill several ragged bandits in the blink of an eye.

He was about to excitedly announce the good news when he saw the soldier at the front, who was holding a knife, beheaded by a curved blade that appeared out of nowhere.

This made Zhang An swallow his words.

The sergeant squads are selected from the elite regiments of Nanyang City, and include officers of real power such as captains and guards.

These people are real combat veterans, not ordinary soldiers.

Even if these people were of lower cultivation level, Zhang An would not dare to be certain of defeating such military cultivators.

But within a few exchanges, someone with that kind of skill had already lost their head.

"You actually used the scimitars of the Xiong State! There really are spies among you. It's one thing for you unruly commoners to occupy the mountains and become kings, but to collude with the Xiong State to assassinate important officials of the court—a bunch of traitors who sell out their country for personal gain!"

Then, mounted guards wielding longswords slashed back and forth.

His loud shout startled many of the raggedly dressed bandits, and also allowed everyone to see the tall, strong man among them who was attacking with a curved knife.

The other person wore a bamboo hat and half-covered their face, leaving only a pair of piercingly cold eyes visible.

The scimitar that cuts off heads darts through his hands like a butterfly. His unconventional fighting style forced the soldiers with longswords to slash back and forth, and even with the help of the charge of the warhorses, they were exhausted from defending.

The pale red glow on the longsword clearly proved that this guard was not weak, but rather was being overwhelmed by the strange and eerie scimitar.

"Kill them, or... you will all... die!"

The Xiong State, concealing his identity, spoke in extremely dry, broken Great Han, urging the many who had become outlaws to hurry up.

His swordsmanship was unpredictable, and he had some trump cards he hadn't used, but his opponent was clearly prepared to fall into this pre-set trap.

The subtle threat lies in the archer a hundred paces away.

Generals on the battlefield need their soldiers to cooperate, and the mountain bandit king is no exception. As long as these refugees and bandits can provide some assistance, even if it means risking their lives to disrupt the enemy, he has a chance to quickly reap the rewards.

To the disappointment of the Xiong State's experts, his advice had little effect. While those who had become outlaws were indignant at the tyranny of the imperial court, very few were truly willing to become traitors who colluded with the Xiong State.