The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror

"The desert lone smoke straight, the long river sunset round."

Gao Yana saw the landscape before her and couldn't help but recite the poem of the Poet Buddha, Wang Wei. In the past, she had no idea what the lone smoke straight and the sunset round depicted.

Seeing the scene now, she felt that there were no words more apt than those two lines of the Poet Buddha.

She was even grateful to her teacher for having forced her to memorize texts; otherwise, she would not have experienced such a wonderful emotion upon seeing this view today.

Xu Qing smiled, "As the ancients say, read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles."

If one hasn't read ten thousand books, the joy of traveling ten thousand miles is much reduced.

The beauty of a landscape lies not only in its colors but also in its culture.

Without the accumulation of ten thousand books, traveling is like eating meat. Though meat is undoubtedly excellent, without exquisite cooking, it's just food and not tasty enough.

Of course, in another era, people traveled merely to escape from places they found boring to other places that others found boring.

This is also good, but ultimately not interesting enough.

Nevertheless, life is ultimately about experiences; going out and exploring is certainly not a bad thing.

Zhang Junbao could only smile silently from the side, for he indeed hadn't read many books.

Along the way, he's already been mocked several times by Xu Qing.

Thus, Junbao resolved that upon returning, he must thoroughly read the Daoist Collection and then test Brother Xu.

Hmph!

...

...

The mountains north and south of Lanzhou echo each other, the Yellow River flows through the city from east to west.

It is the most prosperous place in the Northwest, a gathering place for the wealth of Central Earth beyond its borders.

Many wealthy merchants from the desert gather here.

Now, these large merchants uniformly follow the orders of the King of the Desert, Zamuhu.

Without Zamuhu's protection, even if they were merchants trading with the Court, their goods would still lack security on the road to the Western Regions.

In contrast, with the King of the Desert's protection, the journey to the Western Regions and beyond is unhindered.

They even know where the oases and water sources are in the vast and boundless Gobi.

Such information is more precious than gold in the desert.

True power is measured by how much benefit it can bring to those around.

Only then can power be stable.

As for wealth, it's merely the return after gaining power.

Without power, even the greatest wealth cannot be secured.

This is true throughout history, both at home and abroad.

Zamuhu's power is considerable, so his information is agile.

Before Xu Qing and his companions arrived at Zamuhu's villa, they were greeted.

They were the Canglang Guards under Zamuhu's command.

"Are you three esteemed guests from Guanzhong?" The leader of the Canglang Guards removed his iron mask, revealing a face crisscrossed with scars, with a voice like a cracked gong.

He waved the gilded token in his hand, "The Great Khan has prepared a welcoming feast, please follow me."

Xu Qing and Zhang Junbao exchanged glances.

It seems the King of the Desert never forgot his ancestors' failure to compete with Tie Muzhen for the Mongolian Khan.

Therefore he instructed his subordinates to call him the Great Khan.

After that, the three followed the leader of the Canglang Guards to the villa.

First, they crossed three suspension bridges.

Past the bridges, Zamuhu's villa loomed like a giant beast by the Yellow River.

Steps of white marble seem to lead directly to the nine-tier palace gates, with Western Region rubies inlaid between the eaves and rafters, glowing in the twilight like clouds.

Gao Yana tread on a Persian carpet three inches thick, gazing at the exquisite reliefs on the columns on both sides — featuring both Central Plains' Azure Dragon and White Tiger as well as Western Region celestial musicians, in an eerie yet harmonious blend.

A sudden whiff of sandalwood filled the air, and a servant in a mysterious silk robe appeared silently.

Zhang Junbao's pupils contracted; the person's garments didn't flutter as he moved, leaving no trace on the carpet whatsoever. What was even more astonishing was the faint golden tattoo on his neck, clearly an indication that the Iron Cloth Shirt had been cultivated to the Transformation Realm, with Qi-Blood suffusing and staining the skin.

"Please, all three of you." When the servant spoke, his voice was as melodious as a woman's.

Zhang Junbao's heart gave an involuntary leap; the servant was actually a eunuch.

The servant pushed open the intricately carved wooden door, and the golden palace lamps inside immediately lit up the hall as if it were daylight. On the sandalwood throne in the center, Zamuhu reclined against a leopard-skin cushion, holding a jade cup inlaid with turquoise in his left hand, and gently stroking a Persian cat's soft fur with his right.

"The swordswoman from Huashan, Clear Wind, and the two Daoists." When Zamuhu rose, his boots shattered the shadows on the floor, "Word is quickly spreading in the Worldly Society about how you seized the Mystic Iron Order at Shuangqi Town, battling the heroes. It's a treat to see that your reputations are well earned."

His gaze swept over the three like an eagle and finally settled on the sword at Gao Yana's waist, "I hear that Miss Gao's 'Qingfeng Sword' has drunk the blood of thirty-three river bandits?"

Gao Yana lightly touched the hilt with her fingertip, speaking coldly, "Mr. Zamuhu's intelligence network is indeed far-reaching."

"In this desert, information is the lifeline." Zamuhu laughed heartily, causing the copper bells on the beams to buzz.

He gestured for a servant to pour wine, the amber liquid swirling in the night-lit cups, "I hear that the two Daoists are seeking desert maps and guides, and I presume you know of my rules as well."

Xu Qing remained composed: "Mr. Zamuhu, do you want the Mystic Iron Order?"

"The Mystic Iron Order is just a piece of scrap metal; what truly holds value is the secret behind it." Zamuhu suddenly flung his wine cup to the ground, shards scattered around, causing the Persian cat to let out a dreadful cry. He walked quickly up to Xu Qing, the pressure emanating from him thickening the air, "It is said that holding the Mystic Iron Order allows one to see the Divine Eagle Great Hero. The martial world circulates this legend: Martial Arts supreme, the Treasure Sword slays the dragon, commanding the world, none dare defy, invincible when the Heaven Sword does not appear. Now I have obtained the Dragon Slayer Treasure Sword, intending to find the Divine Eagle Great Hero, to learn the secret of the sword and saber. Hence, I ask the two Daoists to hand over the Mystic Iron Order."