CHAPTER 308: CHAPTER 170: THE FARCE

After parting with Zhou Qingchuan, Yun Sheng and the others crossed the challenging Yama Ridge and continued south.

As they journeyed southward, the terrain shifted from rugged mountains to gentle hills, making the road much easier to traverse.

Throughout the journey, Yun Sheng listened to explanations from Yun Canglang and Zhou Quan, gaining a good understanding of the Southern Border of the Great Zhou.

"It’s been almost nine years, Sheng’er. This place used to be my battlefield. In two more days, we’ll be able to enter Southern Border Town," Yun Canglang approached the Southern Border with a surge of sentiment, recalling his experiences in his twenties and feeling deeply emotional.

The members of the Sky Hunting Corps also fell silent.

The Southern Border of Great Zhou had once claimed the lives of a thousand men from the Yun Family Army, and for many accompanying members of the Sky Hunting Corps, these men included their fathers and brothers, as well as their close comrades.

Some of them couldn’t even bring back the bodies.

"Uncle, they say to rise where you fall. This time, we’ll let the soldiers from Hou Qin witness the might of Great Zhou!" Yun Sheng boosted everyone’s morale.

"Well said! Sheng’er, this time, besides investigating the Purple Gold Mine, we must also retrieve the remains of our brothers who died on the battlefield," Yun Canglang had been hastily buried the bodies of those soldiers during his previous defeat.

This time, he intended to fulfill his long-held wish to bring the remains of his fellow soldiers back to Yujing.

"Uncle, I’ve arranged to meet Zongren at the tavern in the town ahead. Let’s hurry and rest there for the night," Yun Sheng said, noticing it was nearly dusk.

After approaching the outer regions of Great Zhou, they had already shed their Hunter Soldier disguises.

Yun Canglang had previously mentioned that the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty had neglected this area in recent years, turning it into a no man’s land.

Marriages and trade often occurred between the people of Great Zhou and Hou Qin nearby, which could have easily included some spies.

The sudden appearance of a Hunting Corps with more than a hundred people was bound to attract attention.

To avoid detection, they had to disguise themselves.

The current look of the Sky Hunting Corps had been transformed into that of a merchant caravan.

Their clothing was still borrowed from Zhou Qingchuan.

Yun Canglang, bearing a commanding presence, disguised himself as the leader of the caravan, while Yun Sheng took on the appearance of a tender young master.

The others disguised themselves as merchants’ guards, and Huang Que, as Yun Sheng’s maid.

Following the plan Yun Sheng had previously made with Zongren, they arrived at a small southern town called Nanya Town.

"Everyone will rest at the Yue Lai and Ren He inns up ahead," Yun Canglang quickly found two inns in the town. Due to the large number of people, the caravan had to split between two inns.

While others were busy, Yun Sheng spoke with Yun Canglang and took Huang Que towards the town’s tavern.

Though Nanya Town was just a frontier town, it was densely populated and frequented by many merchant caravans.

Dressed as a distinguished young noble today, Yun Sheng wore a brocade short coat and boots, topped with a Jade Crown.

With naturally red lips and white teeth, and glossy black eyes, she genuinely resembled a noble young master traveling abroad.

Huang Que also dressed as a beautiful maid, wearing a pink skirt and green jacket; together, they attracted a lot of attention.

"Huang Que, we are here to inquire about the whereabouts of the Purple Gold Vein, feel free to ask passersby along the way," Yun Sheng conversed as they walked.

Yun Canglang also didn’t know the exact location of the Purple Gold Vein.

Yun Sheng inquired, what about the people who initially participated in the search for the Purple Gold Vein and those involved in the early mining operations?

Yun Canglang hesitated for a moment and fell silent.

Yun Sheng suddenly realized that those people must have all been killed.

Before national interests, the lives of civilians are worthless.

Thus, the search for the Purple Gold Mine this time has encountered greater difficulties.

The Purple Gold Mine is likely located at the intersection of the vast territories of Great Zhou, Hou Qin, and Tang Yuan; although the terrain here is flat, it covers a vast area, reaching hundreds of miles.

Yun Sheng does not have a Demon Beast that can be directly used to search for the ore, which puts her in a difficult position.

Yun Sheng thought that Zong Ren had the assistance of the Bat King and could find some clues, but since Zong Ren had not replied, it seems the result is surely disappointing.

The two entered a tavern, found a spot near the street, ordered some dishes, and waited for Zong Ren to arrive.

Just then, a person dressed like a peddler approached.

The taverns in Nanya Town are open-style, so some peddlers and flower vendors move around inside, selling small trinkets like local specialties to passing merchants.

This approaching vendor was a bit different from ordinary peddlers; he was very cautious and spoke in a low voice: "Esteemed young master, you don’t look like you’re here for business, I have an item here, would you like to take a look?"

The peddler had a good eye; he thought Yun Sheng, given his attire, was not like those weather-beaten merchants, but rather one of those noble young masters.

The peddlers in this area are all clever; they understand that these young masters are most interested in adventures of sorts.

Huang Que was about to shoo the man away, but was stopped by a look from Yun Sheng.

"Young brother, what are you selling?" Yun Sheng asked with a smile.

Seeing that the young master was amiable, the peddler became even more enthusiastic.

He cautiously took out a piece of Beast Skin Paper, unfolding it in front of Yun Sheng.

Yun Sheng had just seen the words "ore vein map" when the peddler quickly hid the map again.

"Young master, did you see clearly? That is a great fortune, I’ll secretly tell only you," the peddler lowered his voice even more and hid the map securely, fearing others might see it.

Ore vein map? Could it be the map of the Purple Gold Mine?

Yun Sheng was pondering.

"Get lost, how dare you bring your scams here," someone grabbed the peddler by his collar and swung him around.

The peddler hadn’t even managed to yell out when he was thrown out of the tavern like a stone.

Screams echoed from the street.

Zong Ren was half annoyed and half amused as he stood aside.

"Zong Ren, what was that all about?" Now Yun Sheng realized that there must be something fishy about the ore vein map.

"Sigh, that was a con artist. There are many around here selling such deceptive items, and just the so-called ore vein map versions alone, there are over ten," Zong Ren said annoyedly, taking out several supposed ore vein maps from his storage ring for Yun Sheng to look at.

Originally, a month ago Zong Ren came here, eager to complete the task that Yun Sheng assigned him to find the ore veins, and inquired around.

That was how he encountered such peddlers.

Although Zong Ren is quite old, he has not traveled much on the continent, and inadvertently got deceived by the peddler.

After he spent over ten days searching in hills and plains with the supposed ore vein map, he discovered that it was completely fake.

When he returned, he beat up that peddler and took all the supposed versions of ore vein maps the peddler had.

Today, upon receiving a signal from Yun Sheng, he hurried here, only to encounter another con artist.