All the heroes of the world are now in my grasp.

Gao Zidan raised her hand to hold the wine bowl, her fingertips slightly clenched. The noise inside the tent seemed to be separated by a layer of water curtain; she could hear the sounds, but they couldn't reach her heart.

His mind was racing with thoughts of his mission to Zhou Bo's camp. On one hand, there was Liu Yao's determined request for territory; on the other, there was Zhou Bo's cautious and principled nature. A slight misstep could not only ruin the negotiations but also destroy the last remaining goodwill the Gao family had. As Liu Yao spoke about the arrangements for manpower, horses, and tokens, he could only respond absentmindedly, nodding in agreement from time to time.

Inside the tent, the Xiongnu chieftains took turns offering toasts, and Gao Zidan patiently dealt with each one. As the cups clinked and the night deepened, the welcoming banquet finally came to an end.

Everyone rose to take their leave, and Gao Zidan also pulled Han Xin to return to their tent to rest, but Liu Yao grabbed their arm. The Chanyu, his face flushed with alcohol, patted his shoulder, his voice still booming: "Young man, you've suffered greatly on this journey, enduring wind and rain. I've selected two nimble maids from my camp to be sent to your tent tonight to attend to your needs and help you warm up."

Gao Zidan was taken aback upon hearing this. To be honest, as a college-bound young man of eighteen or nineteen with little experience in such matters, it was impossible for him not to feel any impulse. However, on one hand, there was the shyness and embarrassment of inexperience, and on the other hand, there was the worry and anxiety about being sent as an envoy to Zhou Bo's camp. In addition, seeing those Xiongnu female slaves, he felt more pity than affection. Naturally, he bowed and declined, finding a reason that was very reasonable for his identity and persona. His tone was earnest but firm: "I appreciate the Chanyu's kindness. However, my father and mother have just passed away, and the blood feud of my entire family has not yet been avenged. I am currently in mourning and should observe the mourning period. I would never dare to approach women. I beg the Chanyu to rescind his order."

Liu Yao paused for a moment, then understood. He withdrew his hand, a look of respect on his face: "I didn't think this through. You're right, with our parents' great revenge still unavenged, we should indeed maintain our composure. Good lad, you have integrity! I won't mention this matter again. Rest assured, and if you need anything, just tell the guards outside the tent."

Gao Zidan bowed again to express her gratitude, then led Han Xin out of the warm and cozy Chanyu tent.

Outside the tent, the wind and snow were fierce, the cold wind whipping up snowflakes that instantly dispelled the smell of alcohol clinging to him. Gao Zidan pulled his fur cloak tighter around himself, gazing at the swirling snowflakes, his heart still heavy. Han Xin followed behind him, remaining silent and reserved, not uttering a single word throughout.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Gao Zidan woke up at dawn and was preparing to get up, wash, and finalize the details of their departure with Liu Yao when a guard outside the tent shouted through the felt curtain: "Young Master Gao, the Chanyu sent me to report that there was a blizzard last night, and the mountain path at the valley entrance is completely blocked by snow. In the deepest parts, the snow reaches up to the horses' bellies. We definitely can't move today!"

Gao Zidan's heart sank, and she lifted the curtain and went out.

As far as the eye could see, everything was a vast expanse of white. The entire Yongming Valley was covered with thick snow, and the distant mountains blended seamlessly with the sky and earth. The mountain path leading to the outside world from the valley entrance was already buried in waist-deep snow, making it impossible for anyone to travel on horseback or even on foot.

The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, stung my face, biting and piercing.

Liu Yao was standing not far away, frowning as he watched the swirling snow. When he saw Gao Zidan come out, he strode over and said in a rough voice, "The weather is not cooperating. This heavy snow has come at the wrong time. Judging from the snowfall, it won't stop for a day or two. The mountain roads won't be cleared either, so we'll have to postpone our departure for now."

Looking at the blocked mountain road, Gao Zidan could only nod helplessly: "Since things have come to this, we can only stay in the valley for a few days until the snow stops and the road is cleared before we leave."

That's fine. I'll take advantage of these few days of free time to get a better understanding of the information about this world.

After warming up inside her tent, Gao Zidan went to the Chanyu's tent again, found Liu Yao, and got straight to the point: "Chanyu, I want to ask you for something."

"Oh? What is it?" Liu Yao raised an eyebrow. "Anything my Yongming tribe has, just ask."

"I would like a map, preferably one that covers all the prefectures and counties in the country," Gao Zidan said. "Taking advantage of the heavy snow that has closed the mountains these past few days, I want to sort out the situation in the surrounding area, so as to prepare for my upcoming mission."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao shook his head, a knowing smile on his face, his tone laced with a touch of vulgarity and teasing: "You're a pampered young master raised in a prestigious family, accustomed to a life of luxury in grand mansions, only interested in studying, discussing philosophy, socializing, and feasting. How would you know the value of these maps?"

He leaned forward and pointed to the wooden tray on the table, explaining, "The complete map of the world is a crucial military and national artifact locked away in the imperial archives. Apart from the special agency in the central government that manages maps, very few people in the world can get their hands on it. Each prefecture and county only dares to draw maps of its own territory. Anyone who privately draws a complete map of the world is committing treason, a capital offense. Only aristocratic families like your Bohai Gao clan can have a family heirloom of privately collected maps. You didn't have to deal with these mundane matters before, so naturally you don't know the intricacies of it."

Gao Zidan's heart skipped a beat, and she followed up, "That was just my assumption. Surely your department has maps of the surrounding areas? At least maps of Bingzhou and Yunzhou, I'd like to see them."

"Yes, I have one." Liu Yao readily agreed and immediately sent someone to fetch the map from inside the tent.

But when the yellowed sheepskin map was laid out on the table, Gao Zidan was completely dumbfounded.

The map was extremely crude, with the mountains and roads crooked and the locations of cities only roughly marked. The scale was also ridiculously distorted—a mountain road marked as thirty li was drawn to be less than ten li of river valley. Forget about precise positioning, even the general direction had to be guessed. It was completely different from the modern maps he was familiar with and he couldn't adapt to it at all.

Gao Zidan stared at the map for a long time, but could only close it helplessly, her disappointment deepening. No wonder people say that during the War of Resistance Against Japan, whenever our Eighth Route Army captured something, the first thing they would do was seize the map. Without sufficient mathematical and physical surveying as a foundation, the map drawn would be far from accurate.

We can't rely on maps, and we can't just sit idly by while the mountains are blocked by heavy snow.

He looked up at Liu Yao and spoke again, his tone natural: "The map of the Chanyu is good, but with the mountains blocked by heavy snow, it is a bit boring to see just this map. If the Chanyu has any books here, whether they are national history books, old articles from previous dynasties, or military strategies, I would like to borrow them to pass the time. If not, novels or something similar will also be fine."

He had assumed that Liu Yao, a Chanyu from a nomadic tribe, would most likely not possess a collection of books. He specifically mentioned novels because he had heard that Later Jin generals had used *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* as their military manual. Unexpectedly, Liu Yao laughed upon hearing this: "Do you think we Huns are some illiterate barbarians from a hundred years ago? We have spoken Han for generations, so naturally we have plenty of books."

He raised his hand and called out to the outside of the tent, instructing his personal guards, "Go, move all the books from my study to Young Master Gao's tent! National history, classics, policy essays, military strategies—move them all over, don't forget anything!"

The guards immediately responded and went.

Liu Yao patted Gao Zidan on the shoulder and laughed, "Just stay in the tent and watch. As long as the snow doesn't stop and the road isn't clear, you can stay in the valley. If there's anything you want to see or anything you want, just say so, don't be shy."

Gao Zidan was overjoyed and quickly clasped her hands in thanks.