The Journey

After the commotion subsided, everything fell silent.

Not only did Zhang Xuezhou in Western Capital begin to settle into a stable and planned life, but Zhang Xuezhou also lived a peaceful and stable life after leaving Shu County.

He wasn't starving, and he continued to produce Grain Avoidance powder using relatively primitive tools.

This involves both three-day Grain Avoidance powder and five-day Grain Avoidance powder.

The five strings of cash played a significant role; at least for now, he no longer lacked Grain Avoidance- related elixirs.

In reality, after improving his Grain Avoidance technique with the help of X446 repair technology, he also began to learn it in a very professional manner. After nearly ten rounds of practice, the two techniques were almost at the same level.

This wasn't some earth-shattering feat, but it did solve a critical problem that was crucial to Zhang Xuezhou's life.

With the help of the Grain Avoidance powder, he was able to safely pass through the seven-day period of unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, many people in the merchant caravan were beginning to get used to this ascetic who would occasionally go into seclusion for seven days at a time for spiritual cultivation.

Where are we now?

"We're quite close to Ba Commandery now. After passing Ba Commandery, we'll travel by water to Jiangxia, and then through Huainan, Chu, Liang, Zhao, and Yan before reaching the Northern Border!"

"We haven't reached Ba County yet?"

After regaining his composure and assessing his physical condition, Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou took a sip of water from the water jug in the carriage and casually asked a question.

Dong Zhongshu was reciting the mantra outside the carriage, later received a reply.

"Not so fast," Dong Zhongshu said. "You and Zhao Liang can only lie in the carriage. We can't take the back roads, so we can only find some open terrain to travel through, which has delayed us quite a bit."

"Actually, I wasn't lying down when I was awake," Zhang Xuezhou said.

Zhang Xuezhou said he wasn't in a hurry, but it wouldn't be true to say he wasn't.

Having hitched a ride on the merchant group led by Dong Zhongshu, he felt somewhat homesick on his way back to Hibiscus City and Zhang Household Village.

For Zhang Xuezhou, he didn't like to stay on the road for long periods of time, but preferred a safe and stable place to live.

He stretched in the carriage for several minutes until the numbness returned to normal before Zhang Xuezhou crawled out of the carriage.

If one could roam freely across the territory of the Xiong State in the Northern Kuru Continent, the scene was quite different once one reached the territory of the Han Dynasty in the Southern Jambudvipa Continent.

The region encompasses winding and rugged mountain roads, as well as various impoverished and desolate landscapes, and also boasts beautiful and rare places.

Within the territory of the Han Dynasty, a continuous array of unique landscapes stretched out, dazzling the eye.

But the only thing the Han Dynasty lacked was a vast grassland and flat land.

At least along the route that Zhang Xuezhou and his companions traveled, there was no terrain where vehicles could roam freely.

Dong Zhongshu had previously mentioned that it was difficult to traverse remote and impoverished areas, requiring a long time even for a horse, let alone a caravan.

He glanced at the twilight sky and had no choice but to suppress his lingering thoughts.

"Don't think that taking the shortcut saves time," Dong Zhongshu laughed. "I knew you'd be awake today, so after discussing it with everyone, we shortened the journey and took a section of the shortcut. These kinds of places are just as difficult to walk on, with uneven surfaces, and some potholes even took up more time!"

Are we taking a side path now?

"Right!"

Dong Zhongshu nodded, shaking the Law Treasure fan in his hand, his seemingly calm face revealing a hint of sharpness.

He stood up and reached out to look around.

At the foot of the distant mountains, a small village comes into view.

"Yin and Yang are two energies. The Yin-Yang School has a technique called 'Observing Qi' to distinguish between humans, ghosts, gods, and demons. Have you learned even a fraction of it?" Dong Zhongshu asked.

"I know that Yin and Yang are two energies," Zhang Xuezhou replied.

"That means you learned nothing!"

Dong Zhongshu sighed.

But he didn't mind too much, and simply began to recite a passage of scripture.

"Is this your Qi-reading technique?"

Dong Zhongshu was describing a technique.

The technique itself wasn't particularly difficult, which was also related to the completeness of Dong Zhongshu's mastery of it.

At least Zhang Xuezhou found it easy to remember, and he didn't think it was particularly difficult to cultivate. It was just like the art of feng shui site selection, which required constantly seeking out various living beings to perform the spells on, and continuously increasing the proficiency and discernment of the spells.

Zhang Xuezhou asked a question, and Dong Zhongshu gave an awkward smile.

"This is your Yin Yang Nine Heavens Sect's Qi Observation Technique!"

"Ha?"

Zhang Xuezhou never expected that he would need to rely on masters from other schools of thought to teach him the content of his own school.

While Zou Bugui could indeed observe and interpret qi, this ability didn't bring much real martial power and required long-term cultivation. Zou Bugui simply gave a brief introduction to the technique and then moved on.

Zhang Xuezhou indeed does not know the art of observing qi.

As a successor of the Yin-Yang School, it wouldn't be a problem if he started learning from Dong Zhongshu and then continued his studies with Zhou Zou Bugui.

Thinking about the long journey ahead, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but mutter a few lines to himself.

It wasn't until he had almost reached the village at the foot of the mountain that he managed to learn the Qi-reading technique completely.

"Accountant Du, why are you suddenly teaching today?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously. "Is the long journey too boring?"

"I guess so!"

"Luckily, you have a wide range of skills, otherwise we wouldn't have anything to talk about on this long journey!"

Dong Zhongshu's position in the merchant group was that of an accountant, responsible for bookkeeping and accounting. He also had a pseudonym, Du Gou.

Zhang Xuezhou's position in the merchant guild was that of a manager, responsible for assisting the accountant, and he used the alias Dongfang Shuo.

He responded, and when he heard the leader of the caravan ahead shout that they should get off and rest, Zhang Xuezhou immediately jumped off the carriage and stretched his body.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master!"

As servants in the merchant guild, they had to abide by basic rules, and even Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu were no exception. They all had to adapt to these rules to avoid giving themselves away when needed.

When Zhao Liang, whose face looked slightly sickly, stepped down from the carriage, everyone stepped forward to pay their respects.

"There aren't many inns in the village, so let's stay here for the night," Zhao Liang said calmly. "Zhang Debiao, go around the village and ask each household. If they're willing to accept half a tael of cash and salt, we can exchange them for some food."

The biggest challenge of long-distance travel was food, which was the biggest problem their caravan faced on their Northern Border.

When passing through some cities, the caravan would replenish its supplies as soon as possible.

However, the relatively high temperatures are not conducive to food storage. Even with salt, it is difficult to preserve for long periods. This requires the group to hunt for prey along the way and to seek opportunities to trade.

Guest Elder Zhang Debiao received the order and immediately called over two grooms. They trudged along the muddy path, their feet sinking deep into the weeds, towards the village.

The carriages were almost clustered together. Some people unharnessed their horses and let them graze, while others were instructed to find firewood to start a campfire.

"Accountant Du!"

Zhao Liang waved his hand.

Although Dong Zhongshu and Zhang Xuezhou were subordinates in the merchant group, Zhao Liang never dared to order them to do any work. Most of the time, he would arrange for others to do the work, and then call the two over to chat.

"Manager Dongfang!"

Zhao Liang cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the two men.

"How are you feeling?" Dong Zhongshu asked with concern.

"It's alright, but I don't have much strength," Zhao Liang replied. "My body aches terribly whenever I use my Qi and Blood and blood!"

"If you were at the Sole Self Realm, even the Divine Ability Realm might be able to neutralize the clash between those two Law Power," Dong Zhongshu said. "The True Spirit Realm level would find it difficult to shake these two Law Power. To you, our Law Power Law Power like mountains and rocks, while yours are just flowing water. Trying to wear down a rock with water is too difficult. Forcibly using your strength will only cause you physical pain!"

"What Accountant Du said is true," Zhao Liang nodded in agreement. "But it feels like there are two needles stuck inside me, and I can't help but want to scratch them every now and then, to pull them out, just like scratching an itch."

"Drink a few more sips of the medicinal soup later!"

Dong Zhongshu had no way to persuade Zhao Liang of such behavior; it was simply a normal reaction from a normal person.

Zhao Liang injured his body, but he can recover by brewing some medicine in a medicine pot.

With at least six months to go before reaching the Northern Border Military Region, Dong Zhongshu hoped everything would go smoothly until he resolved the issues and got rid of the trouble.

"Young master, there's an inn in this village. It has food and bathing facilities, and can comfortably accommodate ten or so people!"

The three had been talking for a short while when Zhang Debiao, who had gone to the village, came running back happily.

"They even have a guesthouse?"

Zhao Liang was clearly somewhat surprised.

Developing guesthouses in villages is quite difficult.

He glanced at the muddy path, and after exchanging a few glances with Dong Zhongshu, he too trudged into the village, his steps uneven.

After traversing several hundred meters, upon entering the village, one sees lanterns hanging in every household, some villagers returning from hunting unloading their prey, and others cooking over a fire.

In the center of the village, a slightly dilapidated two-story building stands, with a plaque hanging in the middle.

Tongfu Guesthouse

The strokes of the four large characters are not strong enough, but the handwriting is neat.

Zhang Xuezhou read out the name.

He followed the crowd, and along the way, he saw villagers greeting him warmly from time to time.

This made him feel that the mountains and rivers were different, and the scenery was different in each place.

He has clearly arrived at a welcoming place.