Divine Tang Era

The Jiusi Academy has an ordinary gate and an ordinary plaque, but when Xu Dan saw it again, he felt that it was just like the entrance of Yuelu Academy with the inscription "Only in Chu are there talents, and here they flourish"—full of ancient and refined atmosphere.

Goodbye, brother.

"Goodbye, study hard, wait for your mother to pick you up after school, and don't run around, okay?"

"Okay!"

Little Magpie responded and happily skipped into the school.

After she went inside, Xu Dan turned around to do his own thing. Yesterday, he had gathered spiritual herbs and killed so many demonic beasts. He would keep the meat to eat, but he could sell the beast bones, hides, and teeth to earn some money.

Within Jingning City, the best places to buy things are Yinlong Pavilion and Mingfeng Tower.

However, they only want high-end items and never want low-end things.

Xu Dan is most familiar with Mingfenglou. The items he acquired this time are of good quality, so of course he will sell them there.

Although he inevitably had to tell some stories, he had now figured it out. Telling stories was nothing to worry about; on the contrary, it could bring them closer and bring him some benefits. Moreover, he had recently thought that telling them stories about the Xue family and the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty was a bit silly, mainly because the stories were too long and a waste of time.

China is a great nation with a history of five thousand years. There are so many short stories, so why tell such a long one?

Leaving aside other things, one book like *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* or *In Search of the Supernatural* could be a long story. If that doesn't work, you can always bring up some mythological tales; any one of them will suffice.

Xu Dan shook his head self-deprecatingly, realizing how naive and foolish he had been.

Before long, they arrived at Mingfeng Tower. The maids standing at the door, who were very familiar with him, greeted him warmly, "Young master, you've arrived!"

"Hi everyone." Xu Dan waved his hand and asked, "Is your thread starter here?"

"The master has gone out. Young master, you may wait inside," a maid said.

There's no need to wait any longer. He's here to sell things, and it's good that Li Zhu isn't here; it saves him from wasting his breath telling stories. He quickly had the maid help him with his purchases, took the money, and left. The maid chuckled at his expression, which looked like he'd been chased by a tiger.

After leaving Mingfeng Tower, Xu Dan didn't rush home but strolled around the streets.

As I strolled around, I arrived at the South Gate and was surprised to find that there seemed to be many more people inside Jingning City.

Judging from their appearance, they were all traveling merchants. Not finding it strange, I bought a sesame seed cake from a stall and asked, "Why are there so many merchants in the city? Are there any new ways to make money around here?"

The stall owner gave him a look as if he were an idiot. "If I had connections, I would have gone there long ago. Why would I be setting up a stall here?"

"Why are there so many merchants in the city?"

"Aren't the people from the far north tundra ice fields coming down? These people, hurry up and come over to reserve your spots."

"Isn't it still early?"

"Will there still be seats available for them if it gets any later?"

After chatting with the stall owner for a while, Xu Dan learned why so many merchants had come to the city; they were all people who had come down from the Arctic tundra and ice fields.

The far northern tundra and ice plains are located far north of Jingning City, roughly in the Siberian region, and are under the jurisdiction of Yanran Road. Yanran Road is one of the twenty-three roads of the Divine Tang Dynasty, named after the inscription carved by Marquis Huo Qubing at Yanran.

The Twenty-Three Circuits of the Divine Tang Dynasty are not the same as the prefectures and circuits of the Great Tang Dynasty, but rather refer to other places.

These include Yanran Road, Beiting Road, Longyou Road, Guannei Road, Shanxi Road, Hebei Road, Bohai Road, Yunzhong Road, Jiangnan Road, Qianzhong Road, Minzhong Road, Hunan Road, Hubei Road, Huainan Road, Jiannan Road, Xuantu Road, Jingji Road, Duji Road, Zhuya Road, Lingnan Road, Jiaozhi Road, Annam Road, and Anxi Road.

There was also the capital city of Chang'an, also known as the Eastern Capital; and the Western Capital city of Luoyang, known as the secondary capital, both of which were directly under the central government of the Tang Dynasty.

The twenty-three circuits are similar to the provinces that Xu Dan knows; circuits are further divided into prefectures, which are similar to cities; prefectures are further divided into counties, counties into towns, and towns into villages. In fact, it is not much different from the regional divisions that Xu Dan is familiar with.

There are two routes down from the far north permafrost and ice fields: one is the Bohai Road, and the other is the Yanran Road.

The Bohai Road is covered with dense jungles, teeming with monsters, and home to many wild tribes, making it difficult to traverse.

However, that area is rich in ginseng and has various rare birds, animals, and medicinal herbs, so many people take that route just to dig up some precious ginseng and medicinal herbs or hunt some rare animals to make money.

The Yanran Road, on the other hand, is relatively safe.

This area used to belong to the Uyghurs, but now the Uyghurs have vanished and it has become a horse-breeding area of ​​the Tang Dynasty. There are many rivers along the way, so there is no need to venture deep into the jungle and risk danger. Therefore, many people come down this road to rest in Jingning.

The far northern permafrost ice fields are covered with ice and snow all year round, shrouded in cold fog.

Only in May and June, when the weather is hot, will the ice and snow melt and the cold fog dissipate.

Beneath the thick soil of the icy plains lie the remains of countless ancient behemoths. These remains, having endured endless ages, have acquired countless mysteries, which can be crafted into weapons and puppets; one can also glean supernatural powers from them. Even a small amount can bring immense wealth, so every year countless people go treasure hunting.

But there's only one month left.

When the time comes, the icy fog will return, enveloping the entire ice plain, followed by a blanket of snow and ice. If one does not leave in time, one will be frozen solid by the extreme cold and snow, buried beneath the ancient ice plain like those ancient behemoths.

People coming down from the icy plains usually settle in Jingning City.

They would sell the treasures they dug up here, live in the city, and look for ways to make a fortune. The following year, when the ice and snow melted, they would go to the far north tundra to search for treasure again. Others would leave, either returning home or heading to more prosperous cities to relax and seek opportunities.

The merchants who have arrived in Jingning City so far are just scattered soldiers and small vendors; the real big merchants have not yet arrived.

Only then will Jingning City truly become lively.

After wandering around for a while, Xu Dan bought a gift for becoming an apprentice at a shop and then headed towards Datie Lane.

Blacksmith Lane was near the inn where Xu Dan was staying. It was far from the South Gate, quiet and sparsely populated, making it a popular place for those who were poor or preferred peace and quiet to settle down. Arriving at the alley entrance, Xu Dan looked inside and saw many houses. He didn't know which house Master Xue, who taught archery, belonged to, so he had to search house by house, figuring that there must be some activity related to the archery instruction.

A woman happened to be coming out and, seeing him peeking around, asked, "Young master, who are you looking for?"

Xu Dan politely cupped his hands and asked, "I heard there's a Master Xue teaching archery here. May I ask which school he's from?"

"Go in from here and walk to the last house."

Thank you.

"You are welcome."

Following the woman's directions, Xu Dan walked to the back and heard the sound of someone teaching archery coming from inside. He peeked through the half-open door. Several people were standing in a horse stance in the courtyard, their arms outstretched, with something hanging from their wrists, clearly training their arm strength.

I wonder if I'll have to practice this too if I come here? It seems a bit tough.

For a moment, Xu Dan hesitated. But then he thought that this person was highly regarded by the Master of Mingfeng Pavilion, so he must have some skills. If he could learn a good archery technique, he wouldn't be afraid of hardship. Thinking this, he was about to push open the door.

Just then, the door opened.

A little girl with two pigtails sticking straight up peeked out from inside and innocently asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Is Professor Xue home?" Xu Dan asked with a friendly smile.

Upon hearing this, the little boy shrank back. Xu Dan had no idea what was wrong with the little guy. Then, a loud shout rang out, "Grandpa, someone's looking for you!" Then, he poked his head out again and said, "Wait a minute."

This little brat, he didn't even open the door first.

Xu Dan shook his head speechlessly.