Filling the stomach

Everyone faces different circumstances and has different perceptions, so Zhang Xuezhou rarely resorts to scolding people out of frustration.

The slaves who were captured died tragically, a result of being tortured to the point of exhaustion.

No amount of ambition or wisdom will help; once captured and starved for a few days, they will revert to their original form and revert to the basic human instincts for survival.

In extreme hunger, humans will even eat dirt, so there's no need to mention doing anything truly despicable.

Shame, disgrace, honor, and disgrace are all luxuries; even preserving one's body intact after death is difficult.

Zhang Xuezhou would certainly not help the dead or people without the will to live, and he rarely does things without personal gain.

If the two can overlap in opposite directions, everything will fall into place naturally.

A short while later, Zhang Xuezhou, along with two gaunt men who had been dragging the corpse, changed into fur coats and prepared to seek out the lotus flower the two men had mentioned.

"Let's see if we can find a few Bodhi-flower lotuses. Lead the way!"

Zhang Xuezhou pointed to the snow-capped mountain area outside the darkness.

"If you can find the Lotus of the Buddha, I will show you the direction to Yanmen Pass. Just ride for about six hundred li and you will see Yanmen Pass leading back to the Great Han!"

Zhang Xuezhou was not disoriented at the moment; the six hundred li he pointed to was indeed a straight line of six hundred li.

In areas that are not winding or meandering, it is not particularly difficult to travel in a straight line.

Having been given a chance to survive, Zhang Xuezhou also hoped that the two men could give him a chance to have a full meal.

Lacking Demon Power and Law Power, Zhang Xuezhou's body was currently very weak, and he had no other effective means besides intimidation and suppression.

He went to Western Kunlun to plead poverty, and apart from a set of Heavenly Robe and a medicine gourd for safekeeping, he had nothing of value. He was practically penniless, and his means were extremely limited.

Zhang Xuezhou can't help many people, but he's willing to assist each other when mutual benefits are exchanged.

"Sir, could you please...?"

Let's go!

One of the gaunt men still hoped that Zhang Xuezhou would display his great power, while the other gaunt man, having seen through something, took the lead and led the way.

These two men, one named Ma Lang and the other Niu Xun, were both descendants of lowly people who had committed crimes and were exiled to remote areas. Even their names meant cattle and horses. Both of them were farming and making a living in the border regions.

Ma Lang and Niu Xun felt they were living a subhuman life on the frontier. When they were harassed by a small group of soldiers from the Xiong State, their resistance was not strong enough, and they were captured by the Xiong State.

They didn't realize until they went abroad that life there was simply unbearable.

This isn't a matter of whether they want to or not, or whether they try hard enough; it's that the Xiong State don't even see them as human beings.

Those who could work would be driven to do work; those who couldn't work would be pickled and eaten, skin and flesh included. Some of the better quality human skin would be turned into whips, swords, and other accessories, while intact heads would be used as containers.

For those still influenced by Eastern Land culture, this means they will not find peace even in death.

The two were indifferent to living, but were terrified of the torment that awaited them after death.

Given the opportunity to escape, the two men led the way without hesitation.

Stumbling and falling, the two led Zhang Xuezhou toward the snow-capped mountain.

"The Bodhi-bhāṣā lotus only appears during the snowy season. Some Xiong State rely on eating this to survive the winter. Although it has the word 'lotus' in its name, it has nothing to do with lotus flowers. At most, it resembles an unopened lotus bud..."

Ma Lang had a bit more experience, and he kept talking about everything he knew on the way.

Niu Xun walked ahead, head down, searching in the darkness for the direction the Xiong State had mentioned for picking the Bodhi Lotus.

"The color of the bald lotus is similar to that of snow. It is hard to find if it is hidden in the snow during the day. However, it will emit a faint fragrance at night. You can follow the scent to find it!"

Ma Lang pointed to the oxen sniffing on the left and right, and also mentioned the method used to find the oxen.

"By smell?"

When searching for medicinal herbs, flying is not as efficient as sweeping a carpet; the rapid movement will cause it to miss too many things.

However, if one can rely on their sense of smell to find their prey, the effectiveness of flying would undoubtedly be greatly enhanced.

Zhang Xuezhou happens to be skilled at identifying medicinal herbs, and his sensitivity to aspects such as taste, medicinal properties, and odor is far stronger than that of the average person.

He took a deep breath and could faintly detect a scent that was easy to miss.

Perhaps because of the distance, the fragrance is too faint, so faint that a normal person cannot detect it with their breath.

Zhang Xuezhou checked the wind direction and then gestured for the two to continue their investigation.

He leaped forward and flew against the wind.

The wind in the snow-capped mountains is not the straight northwest wind that people usually think it is, but changes according to the terrain, and there are even swirling and entangled winds.

Finding medicinal herbs against the wind using only one's sense of smell is no easy task for Zhang Xuezhou.

Nearly 15 minutes later, Zhang Xuezhou finally found the source of the fragrance.

This is indeed the plant that Ma Lang described, resembling a lotus flower bud, with a snow-white color, making it extremely difficult to distinguish when mixed in with the snow.

"This kind of thing grows in huge quantities; as long as you can eat it, it will definitely keep you full for two or three days!"

Rumors become rumors because they are passed around and circulated, and some things, after being constantly escalated, deviate from their original truth.

Zhang Xuezhou looked at the cluster of lotus flowers that had grown, and then directly plucked one out.

He frowned and chewed, feeling as if he were biting into ice shards, the taste slightly bitter with a hint of sweetness.

The bittersweet taste is a crude indication that it can be both medicinal and poisonous. For ordinary people, this lotus can be eaten, but not in large quantities, otherwise it will cause poisoning.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't care about the toxicity issue; the slight toxicity would be directly neutralized by the Poison Avoidance Art, and even figuring out the effects of the poison would be difficult for him.

He frowned and ate three pieces before he felt a slight burning sensation in his stomach.

"The Bodhi Lotus carries fire poison; no wonder it can ward off the cold!"

Eating Bodhi seed in freezing weather is not a problem, as the biting cold wind will constantly counteract and neutralize the fire poison. However, eating Bodhi seed in mild climates can cause the fire poison to attack the heart. If you eat too much, it is not surprising that you will develop sores all over your body.

With a simple identification, Zhang Xuezhou had already clearly understood the nature of the Bodhi Lotus.

Besides its medicinal properties, this snow herb is also used to fill one's stomach.

Ma Lang and Niu Xun's observations and experiences were largely accurate, but they failed to clearly understand the drawbacks.

If they relied on constantly eating lotus flowers to escape to the Great Han Dynasty, it would be quite normal for their bodies to become so hot that the fire poison would attack their hearts, causing physical illness and death on the way.

This medicinal herb is suitable for those who need to curl up in the cold winter to survive, or for those who need to consume it in a certain amount to avoid death.

Zhang Xuezhou picked a bunch of lotus flowers, and then selected two more.

The extra portion was for his own consumption to replenish his body's needs, while the other two were given back to Ma Lang and Niu Xun. Zhang Xuezhou would also teach the two how to properly take this herb, but whether the two could escape back to the Great Han Dynasty was up to them.

Thinking of Xiong State resorted to cannibalism during the winter due to food shortages, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the number of people eating raw meat and drinking blood was beginning to increase in the western regions.

He could only hurry through this territory, lest he be caught and killed when he was out of hiding.