Seeking a guide

Instead of going to Gongsun Hong's residence, Zhang Xuezhou searched the surrounding area and eventually found Zhang Qian's lodging.

More than a month later, Zhang Qian was full of vigor and even had a hint of joy in his eyes. His spirit was completely different from when he was serving at Yanmen Pass.

"Manqian, you're here too?" Zhang Qian said happily, "I'm preparing to send an envoy to Xiong State. Would you like to come with me across the border?"

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Xuezhou chuckled.

He had finally managed to run back, so he had no intention of running out again.

"You said the Xiong State is vast and rich in resources, so it has mithril, cinnabar, cloud essence, top-grade blood jade, iron ginseng, cloud grass, yin dates, and other such things," Zhang Qian said.

Yes, there is!

Zhang Xuezhou nodded, then added in his mind, "Even the royal family of the Xiong State has them."

"If you can roam freely in a place like the Xiong State and even obtain the Crescent Moon Saber Manual, I believe I was no less capable in the past," Zhang Qian said confidently.

"Are you really going?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

Zhang Xuezhou once boasted to Zhang Qian, but he never expected that Zhang Qian would actually take it seriously.

Perhaps it was because Zhang Xuezhou had entered and exited Yanmen Pass twice, and both times he had emerged unscathed, that Zhang Qian felt he could do it too, given the comparison of their cultivation levels.

"I must go," Zhang Qian said. "I now possess the techniques bestowed upon me by His Majesty. If I find and consume some of those treasures you mentioned, I won't say I've achieved divine skill, but I'll at least be far from ordinary!"

"Those treasures aren't so easy to find; I didn't find them the second time," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"But you've obtained the manual for the Crescent Moon Blade," Zhang Qian said. "If I couldn't find those treasures you mentioned, I would still be rewarded if I brought back some secret manuals from the Xiong State Kingdom!"

"The secret manual isn't so easy to obtain!"

"If you can get it, I can definitely get it too!"

Zhang Qian stretched out his arm and compared it with Zhang Xuezhou's arm.

He ultimately felt that he could beat Zhang Xuezhou without any problem.

Moreover, he didn't have Zhang Xuezhou's drowsy habit, making him more agile.

In terms of intelligence, Zhang Qian felt he was not lacking either.

"If you can lead the way for me, I will definitely take back all the land belonging to the Xiong State!"

Zhang Qian's group was, to put it nicely, an envoy; to put it bluntly, it was a small, opportunistic group of government officials trying to take advantage of the situation.

This is very similar to some of the groups from the Xiong State that infiltrate the Han Kingdom on horseback to plunder.

Zhang Qian is now clearly preparing to use the opposite approach, wanting to let the Xiong State also experience the might of the Han Kingdom.

He muttered to himself, becoming increasingly excited as he spoke, convinced that with his men and horses, they would surely achieve great things.

"Xiong State..."

Zhang Xuezhou had to tell the truth: he knew about the Xieluosi River Holy Land and the Yedie River Holy Land, but he really didn't know much about the Xiong State.

He had only been to Dragon City once with Wu Chao.

But their antics were short-lived, ending in a two-day escape. As for the tragic fates of him, Wu Chao, and Jin Chang that followed, let's leave that aside.

In any case, escaping for your life in the Xiong State is a very difficult thing.

If you don't get caught, that's fine, but once you do, you're trapped with nowhere to turn.

With their falcons and demon horses, the Xiong State were indeed capable of galloping across the vast grasslands.

Zhang Qian found Zhang Xuezhou's abilities rather dubious.

He tried to persuade Zhang Qian several times in a tactful manner, but Zhang Qian was completely unmoved.

After all, if Zhang Xuezhou can do it, there's no way he can't do it even with help.

"You'll be my guide," Zhang Qian whispered. "His Majesty promised me that if this matter succeeds, I'll be granted a title, and my career in the court will be smooth sailing from then on!"

"I have many potential enemies in Xiong State," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head repeatedly and refused, "I can't be your guide."

"That's true!"

Zhang Qian thought about it and realized that Zhang Xuezhou couldn't keep doing this kind of thing over and over again; anyone could figure it out.

This made him feel a little disappointed, as if his best assistant had left.

But Zhang Qian was not discouraged. After all, many people went to the Xiong State to trade, so recruiting some relevant people was not too difficult.

"Do you have any merchant guild members you know well?" Zhang Qian asked. "You can't show your face in Xiong State, but others should be fine, right?"

"I didn't... If you put it that way, I can actually recommend someone!"

Zhang Xuezhou was about to refuse, but then quickly realized what he was doing.

"Who?"

"Do you remember those two monks who entered the pass through Yanmen Pass? We met them again on the way back," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"You mean that big monk who bangs his head against a rock?"

"No, I meant that little monk!"

Wu Chao had always wanted to get rid of his senior brother, Buddha, Zhang Xuezhou thought they could rely on the oppression of the Great Han Dynasty.

The power of the imperial court might not be effective elsewhere, but it undoubtedly played a crucial role in the Han Dynasty.

If a wave of arrests and arrests were carried out, Brother Tathagata would surely escape, while Wu Chao would inevitably be arrested.

If a secret notification is given, Wu Chao might even cooperate.

The intervention of such a third-party force is an uncontrollable factor and would not lead to the Buddha and others arbitrarily using the Headband-Tightening Incantation to control it.

"He is very familiar with the Xiong State," Zhang Xuezhou said. "If you can get his help, you can go anywhere in the Xiong State without any problem!"

"Really?" Zhang Qian asked curiously.

"Or you could think about it again, really think about how we first met," Zhang Xuezhou suggested.

What are you thinking about?

"Who was I translating for back then?"

"Give it to the merchant guild of the Xiong State!"

Do you still remember the young master of that merchant guild?

When Zhang Xuezhou reminded him again, Zhang Qian felt a blurry, indistinct face appear in his mind, which kept overlapping with a young man who looked like a monk.

"Is that young monk from Xiong State?" Zhang Qian asked.

"Yes, but he was forced to become a monk by several old monks. He wants to break away from them, but his strength is not as good as theirs, and he is also under the strict control of his senior brother. If you can help him, he will definitely repay you," Zhang Xuezhou said.

Where have they gone now?

"It should be in Shouchun City!"

When Zhang Qian was enthusiastically seeking a guide, Zhang Xuezhou also gave him some suggestions.

Compared to his own aimless wandering in the vast grasslands, only to perish in some unknown corner, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Zhang Qian, with the help of Wu Chao, at least survived, regardless of any gains.

If you want to understand the Xiong State, following Wu Chao will definitely give you an answer.

As for the others, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't guarantee anything. He couldn't let Wu Chao take Zhang Qian to the Sacred Land to rob it, nor could Wu Chao take Zhang Qian to Dragon City to cause trouble.

It's generally good enough to just go out and have a safe and peaceful trip to broaden one's horizons.

If Zhang Qian had more experience, he wouldn't be so fanatical.

The Xiong State was no different from the Han Dynasty; most of its territory was ordinary, and resources were concentrated at the highest levels.

If you lower yourself to travel to major cities, it's no different from searching for rare and precious treasures in Hibiscus City.

Any abundance is the result of resources accumulating from one place to another, just like the soul jades offered by the Tuer people. It was only through the accumulation of these pieces that the shrine was filled with soul jades as numerous as stones.

However, if one were to actually search for them, it would be considered lucky if people like Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran found two pieces of spirit jade; it would be normal if they didn't find any at all.