The Map

It was late at night when Zhang Xuezhou returned to Chang'an City. Ignoring the cacophony of the mallards, he chose to stay awake.

His unusually punctual awakening startled Yi Shuo, and caused the 'Sai Xi Shi ' (a beautiful woman) they had bought last month to rush out of the side room in a panic.

"Wonderful! It seems I've released a significant amount of Law Power from my body again!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't pay too much attention to it; he first examined his body, and he was extremely satisfied with the relatively smooth and free flow of his magical Law Power.

In the two weeks since he returned to reality, his body has shown significant improvement from the treatment.

Perhaps Yi Shuo's medical skills have improved, surpassing those of Li Shang of the King of Huainan's Household, and her own intervention has outperformed A Qiao's. Or perhaps the addition of someone like 'Sai Xi Shi ' has helped Zhang Xuezhou. After repeatedly sensing his surroundings, he felt that his body's Law Power seemed to be approaching the level of 60% unsealing.

Congratulations, my husband!

Yi Shuo smiled, her eyes crinkling into a crescent moon, and then quickly gathered up the silver needles she had stuck in Zhang Xuezhou's body.

There were still traces of blood in the room, as well as bones that had been gnawed on, indicating that Yi Shuo and the others had probably been treating the patients day and night, even eating and sleeping in the side room.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Since Yi Shuo had gone to such lengths, Zhang Xuezhou wasn't a heartless person; he genuinely thought Yi Shuo was very good.

"I'll introduce you to someone when there's a chance in the future!"

He gave advance notice, clearly wanting Yi Shuo and Ren Anran to meet and explore potential future developments.

"For my husband to introduce me so solemnly, it must be very important. I'm really looking forward to our next meeting!"

Zhang Xuezhou spoke in a rare solemn tone, and Yi Shuo nodded earnestly in agreement. She guessed several times in her mind, but finally put her thoughts aside.

"The people from the palace have come three times, and there are still people taking turns to stand guard outside. My husband may need to go to the palace again!"

While Zhang Xuezhou was cleaning up and eating as usual, Yi Shuo quietly informed him of the situation inside and outside the mansion.

"Going to the palace wouldn't be of much use to me!"

Zhang Xuezhou frowned; he was well aware of the new emperor's meaning.

Summoning Dong Zhongshu to Chang'an City may involve other important matters, but leveraging Dong Zhongshu's personal strength was inevitable, which in turn inevitably involved Zhang Xuezhou.

However, Zhang Xuezhou felt that individual strength had very limited impact in war. Putting aside various theoretical comparisons, he and the new emperor had participated in the march of 100,000 cavalrymen of the Xiong State. Individuals were just a tiny, insignificant part of the massive army.

The mount is galloping at high speed, making it extremely difficult to kill enemies while on horseback.

Let alone killing a galloping knight, even an ordinary person would find it difficult to chase down a group of rats running around.

A turn, a retreat, a surprise attack, or an engagement on horseback can significantly increase the distance between riders and other riders, making the subsequent battles more difficult. If one were to rely on the Sky Shuttle to assist the new emperor in killing enemies, one would instantly become a conspicuous figure, inevitably attracting a barrage of arrows.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou were willing to participate in the war, he could only kill a few dozen people on horseback, which would have no effect on the war situation.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to use his flying skills to kill enemies, the probability of him revealing his identity would be very high, and he would eventually fall into the trap of being retaliated against or kidnapped by powerful cultivators such as Daojun Nine Spirits Primal Sage.

Zhang Xuezhou was clearly unwilling to face this situation.

The tour of Mount Tai is nothing special. Whether it's Zhang Xuezhou or Li Tianwang, it's impossible for Zhu Jiuyin to go to Mount Tai if the Emperor Qin's Mausoleum is not revealed.

Zhang Xuezhou's strategy of stationing himself at Mount Tai was a way to get rid of trouble. He was willing to participate in the competition for power, but Zhang Xuezhou was unwilling to blindly jump in and cause chaos, which would ultimately lead to a complete mess.

The new emperor is currently behaving erratically, causing significant changes in the court and military. Zhang Xuezhou believes this is primarily a way to reorganize the official order of the Great Han Dynasty. However, achieving a major victory in foreign conquests at the same time is virtually impossible.

"His Majesty said that the Empress Dowager's test results are in, and he instructed me to tell you this, adding that you will definitely go to the palace after hearing it!"

Yi Shuo added a sentence, quickly interrupting Zhang Xuezhou's thoughts.

If there were any matters in the current imperial palace that required Zhang Xuezhou's involvement, it would be either the new emperor facing high risks or the Empress Dowager's research on the Yangpo Transformation Technique and the Nascent Soul Fusion Method.

He pursed his lips, sensing that the new emperor had already guessed his thoughts.

"Your Majesty is truly a prophet!"

Zhang Xuezhou got up with a headache and gestured to Yi Shuo.

The door to the side room opened, and hurried footsteps came from outside the mansion, accompanied by the sound of a door being opened quickly.

"Don't run!"

The new emperor's voice drifted from the gate of his residence, and Zhang Xuezhou could only reply.

"I'm not going. I don't really want to go to Mount Tai to get some fresh air!"

Haha~

The new emperor responded with a dry laugh.

If Kong Ning cannot be subdued, Zhang Xuezhou will be the only one in the Great Han Dynasty skilled in carrying flying vehicles, while Tian Fen is out of the question.

The new emperor will not place all his hopes for breaking the deadlock on Zhang Xuezhou, but Zhang Xuezhou's cooperation will certainly bring benefits.

The new emperor has received a lot of bad news this month.

For example, Yangping County, the fiefdom of the Marquis of Pingyang, has been captured, and the Marquis of Pingyang has disappeared without a trace.

For example, there was the scholar Di Shan, who was all talk and no action. His opponent rode to the border to defend the city, but only lasted for half a month before the border fell. His severed head was carried by a demon bird and thrown into Chang'an City.

With war raging across the north, even Han Anguo, who was stationed in Yuyang County, was targeted several times.

But so far, no one has achieved any results, whether on offense or defense.

"Can I go to the Xiong State to get some fresh air?"

The new emperor strode across the courtyard of his residence, quickly approaching the main hall, and then spoke to Zhang Xuezhou.

"Where in the Xiong State should we go to get some fresh air?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"You should know the location of some places," the new emperor said.

"I know how to get to the Xieluosi River Holy Land, and I also know how to get to the Yedie River Holy Land," Zhang Xuezhou said, "But I get caught every time I go to either of those places, so the experience is really boring!"

"That's a bit risky!"

One place was Zhu Jiuyin's territory, and the other was Daojun's territory. Zhang Xuezhou managed to escape every time he was caught, which shows he was quite capable.

The new emperor was eager to lead his army to conquer these two Sacred Land, but he knew very well that such a plan would be difficult to implement, as the two Sacred Land were located in very deep areas.

The question of why not attack the Sacred Land directly is superficial, just like asking why the Xiong State doesn't attack Chang'an City directly.

Only by advancing step by step and clearing out the surrounding area can such an advance be possible.

As for the present situation, these two Sacred Land are indeed not targets of the Great Han Dynasty's conquest.

Even a large army would find it difficult to go, let alone an individual.

"Bilan has been flying in the Xiong State for several years and has contributed a map. Would you like to take a look?" the new emperor said. "Perhaps we can find some valuable targets!"

"Such a good thing?"

Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise, feeling that the new emperor's expenditure of several cartloads of herbs was truly worthwhile.

Drawing a map is by no means an easy task. It took Cai Ma several years to travel from Kunlun to Chang'an City. The map he drew was so distorted that it was difficult to refer to.

Let's not talk about Zhang Xuezhou himself. He has been to many places and can identify directions, but his ability is based on aerial navigation, which is not suitable for land marching.

He could easily fly over a mountain or a river, but for the legion, a mountain or a river would often be an insurmountable barrier.

Any oversight could be enough to plunge a large legion into trouble, or even lead to its complete annihilation.

Map drawing is far more complex than simply talking about it or scribbling on the spot; it requires extensive and real-world exploration before it can serve as a reference point.