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墨書 Inktalez
However, the Steppe People clearly underestimated the power of the Great Desert. They dragged a large amount of Treasure into it and after seven or eight months, all of them perished.
Lu Chen listened quietly. According to Princess Zhulan, that batch of Treasure was indeed located in the northwest direction, deep within the vast desert.
The Steppe People were also formidable; dragging so much Treasure with such a heavy load, they managed to flee continuously for seven or eight months, covering at least twenty to thirty thousand miles.
The depth of the desert is not that far; they must have lost their way, wandering back and forth inside until they exhausted themselves and died of thirst.
What does a distance of twenty to thirty thousand miles mean? It is equivalent to traveling from Chen Qilin's location in the East Sea where he discovered the Source Stone, all the way through Giant Barbarian Island, into the Central Plains, and then to Gaochang, Luzhan, and other nations.
Lu Chen pondered for a moment. From a moral standpoint, those Steppe People were truly worse than beasts. They resorted to betrayal against their allies, a method despised by everyone.
However, Lu Chen did not blame them at this moment; instead, he felt somewhat grateful. Because they plundered the Han Dynasty's Treasury, which caused Rouran to arrive in the imperial capital only to find nothing.
The debts incurred from military campaigns, combined with the fact that the Great Zhou Dynasty had just been established and needed money everywhere, created a significant financial hole. If that batch of Treasure had still been around, it would have undoubtedly been used to fill this hole, making the Xiongnu even stronger.
But with the Steppe People's actions, they directly made this hole larger and more difficult to fill. The enormous financial expenditures forced the Great Zhou Dynasty to refrain from extravagance for twenty consecutive years while frantically printing money, minting coins, and raising taxes and levies.
Even the emperor had to tighten his belt and squeeze out money from every possible source.
"Where is the location of the Treasure?" Lu Chen quietly listened and directly asked about the most critical point.
"In the Red Moon Desert and White Sun Beach. A group of Adventurers encountered a storm by accident; the fierce desert winds blew away the sand covering ancient ruins. However, those enthusiasts lacked the ability to move them, so they sketched a rough map on sheepskin scrolls intending to bring out the news. But they could not escape the Desert Storm's erosion; nearly all of them perished. Only one Qi Master managed to escape to the edge of the desert due to his strong physique but ultimately died from heart failure."
Princess Zhulan paused for a moment to catch her breath before continuing: "A herder from the grasslands discovered his corpse some time ago. This herder took the items left by the Qi Master to sell at the market, where someone uncovered their secrets. Thus, news of the Treasure resurfaced."
The terrain around Northwest Central Plains is very complex; first there are grasslands, then deserts, followed by desolate Gobi Desert—endless and vast.
These areas also experience unpredictable weather changes and often face natural crises like ground fissures, quicksand, and storms. Ordinary people dare not venture deep into them. Only Adventurers risk their lives to explore these regions, but very few return alive.
Especially in recent years, it has been said that Monsters have emerged in Gobi Desert; they possess intelligence and even grasp some cultivation techniques.
Even with just a little bit of Qigong cultivation, they are not something ordinary humans can contend with. Beasts themselves possess immense strength and vitality, and with some True Qi in their bodies, they become even more formidable.
"By now, there should be quite a few people who know this news, right?" Lu Chen questioned. Since it started spreading from the market, many must have heard about it.
Princess Zhulan thought for a moment and then said, "It shouldn't be too many. The person who discovered the parchment is not a significant figure; he was just trying to sell the information for some quick cash. He sold the news to a wealthy merchant and initially asked for five hundred thousand taels of gold, but in the end, that merchant killed him."
Lu Chen blinked and sighed inwardly, saying, "An ordinary person is innocent, but possessing treasure brings trouble. Greed leads to downfall; who knows how many people have died because of this batch of Treasure!"
Lu Chen's tone was somewhat melancholic. Whenever treasure emerges, it inevitably attracts those who die for it. First were the explorers, then the Herder, followed by those who bought the parchment at the market, and even the wealthy merchant likely met a grim fate.
"The merchant must have died too, right?" Lu Chen asked to confirm his thoughts.
Princess Zhulan glanced at Lu Chen and continued, "No, this merchant is named Ye Dajin; he is the richest man in the Southern Seven States. He once helped the Great Zhou Court mint coins and is incredibly wealthy—a true giant."
Upon hearing Ye Dajin's name, Lu Chen's heart jolted. He then said, "Ye Dajin must have a son who is half-soul and mentally challenged, right?"
"Huh? How do you know that? My spies are all over Central Plains, but I only learned about Ye Dajin's foolish son because of the Treasure incident; it was just a few days ago."
Princess Zhulan's mouth slightly opened in surprise; how did Lu Chen know about Ye Dajin's son?
Lu Chen smiled mysteriously and remained silent. Ye Dajin's son would be renamed Ye Yunding; he is the reincarnation of Ye Nanzhai's Yin Spirit through Corpse Transformation. This matter has only been disclosed to Sun Zizhao and Prince Fu; the fewer people who know, the better.
To retain his past life's memories, Ye Nanzhai used Sword Dissolution to place a fragment of his Soul into the Demon-Slaying Sword as a support for Lu Chen. When the time comes for Lu Chen to extract that fragment from the Demon-Slaying Sword and trade it to Ye Yunding, he will be able to evade Fetal Mystery.
Indeed, it must be done through trade; otherwise, it would harm Ye Yunding's Merit!
Lu Chen is Ye Nanzhai's support. Although Ye Nanzhai gifted Lu Chen a Flesh transformed into an Essence Sphere to help him enhance his spiritual and physical cultivation, it is far from enough to repay his debt.
Even if Lu Chen trades the remaining fragment of Yin Spirit from Ye Nanzhai to Ye Yunding, Ye Yunding will still owe Lu Chen a debt that he can never repay in his lifetime.
Sword Dissolution is considered one of the lowest forms of Corpse Transformation method with countless drawbacks; however, its only advantage is that it allows one to avoid Fetal Mystery and not completely forget their past life.
Ye Nanzhai chose Sword Dissolution because he bore a mission. For instance, some Earth Immortals and deities live carefree lives; they do not care about memories of past lives. They can directly undergo Corpse Transformation in the deep mountains. Forgetting the past is inconsequential; being clear and carefree is the best.
Additionally, Ye Dajin actually killed the person who wanted to sell information to him for the sake of a parchment. This act is detrimental to Merit and very unfavorable for Ye Yunding. The blessings of his entire family will change because of this.
Lu Chen intends to keep this matter completely confidential. Ordinary people cannot discern that Ye Yunding has become foolish due to a lack of Yin Spirit. No amount of Divine Medicine can cure him.
In any case, wealthy merchant Ye Dajin has plenty of money, so let him find some swindlers from the martial world to perform exorcisms for Ye Yunding.
The more money Ye Dajin spends, the deeper Ye Yunding's future blessings will be, which can be seen as compensating for his own misdeeds.
When the time is ripe, Lu Chen will take the Demon-Slaying Sword and go to the Southern Seven States to find Ye Dajin, and at that time, he will exploit him thoroughly.
"Then where is the parchment now? Is it still in Ye Dajin's hands?"
Lu Chen is also very concerned about the whereabouts of the parchment, as it relates to treasure and relies on Chen Qilin's Mechanism Base.
Princess Zhulan shook her head and said, "According to reliable information from Tu Youdong, it is no longer in his possession. This can be confirmed because this Spy Network belongs to Kalan Prince, which has long infiltrated Ye Dajin's household. His every move is being monitored."
With this statement, Princess Zhulan revealed her source of information.
Since it is a Spy Network arranged by the Yushan Royal Family, its power must be significantly greater. Moreover, this group of Spy Network has already penetrated into Ye Dajin's home, making the reliability of the information even higher—99 percent.
After all, Kalan Prince, who is set to inherit the throne, possesses considerable strength that ordinary people cannot compare with. Additionally, Kalan Prince is also the greatest rival of Princess Zhulan.
It seems that Tu Youdong, who has not been by Princess Zhulan's side lately, has returned to the Yushan Kingdom. With his abilities, obtaining information about Kalan Prince would not be difficult.
It is certain that one of Princess Zhulan's trusted aides encountered unimaginable danger within the Yushan Royal Family, and Tu Youdong went to protect them.
"Then where is the parchment now?" asked Lu Chen.
"It is in the hands of Young Master Ming!
Princess Zhulan spoke up, but her expression was not good; her delicate face was pale and purple, showing a heavy heart.
"Who is Young Master Ming?"
Lu Chen was taken aback; it was the first time he had heard this name, one he had never encountered before. Judging by Princess Zhulan's demeanor, this person seemed somewhat formidable.
"You must have heard of the Martial Arts Association, right?" Princess Zhulan countered.
"The Martial Arts Association? I've heard of it. It was mentioned briefly in the manual given to disciples by the Five Element Sect, but not much," Lu Chen replied, puzzled.
He had indeed seen the Martial Arts Association mentioned in the booklet, but he did not know much about it; he had only heard the name.
"The Martial Arts Association is a neutral force that never intervenes in any conflicts. They do not actively provoke anyone, but no one dares to provoke them either. They are like spectators in a chess game, viewing the situation as a board while they themselves never enter the game, merely observing and commenting. They also evaluate and rank various powerful weapons like swords and knives or Qigong techniques, which is rather dull. If we talk about power, their total membership might exceed that of the Five Element Sect, but it seems there aren't many experts among them—only Young Master Ming, who is the leading figure of the Martial Arts Association."
If their numbers exceed those of the Five Element Sect, then they cannot be dismissed as an insignificant force; even if they lack many experts, they are still worthy of attention.
"Being mere spectators in a chess game while evaluating and ranking things does sound like a bunch of boring people," Lu Chen remarked with a smirk.
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