Earlier, when he was showing the map to the other person, he had casually said a few ambiguous words, and the fact that he could understand them was somewhat justifiable.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a stirring in his heart.
He hadn’t come here simply for a stroll; his main goal was to find someone who could understand the map. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt
The white-clad man in front of him looked dignified and refined; perhaps he was the scholar referred to by the villagers of East Origin Village, finding him might yield some results.
As for whether he’d be beaten to it by the other person, Master Liu wasn’t overly concerned.
After all, the journey to East Origin Village was at least seven or eight days on foot, but with his flying sword, he could reach it in just half an hour, so how could anyone get there before him?
However, one must always be wary of others. Naturally, Master Liu wouldn’t directly reveal the origin of this map, but planned to go with the flow, using Li Qiang’s topic as a shield.
"That’s right, this map is indeed related to my hometown, as long as I find it, I will be able to return..."
Master Liu stopped there, leaving Yan Jiantong utterly bewildered.
Why can finding a map enable him to return?
He felt that he didn’t understand the other party’s meaning at all.
Could it be that this old man is too old and has forgotten where his hometown is, needing a map to return?
The next second, Pei Laoliu cupped his hands towards him and said:
"Mr. Yan, I have a request, I wonder if you could assist me?"
Yan Jiantong raised his eyebrows but did not immediately agree.
"Oh? Daoist, why not speak and let me hear it."
Pei Laoliu took out the copy of the map from his bosom, spread it out in front of the other, and said:
"This map of mine records some things about my hometown, but the drawing is so rough that I can’t find the exact location. I wonder if Mr. Yan can make anything of it?"
Yan Jiantong’s face showed a strange expression, muttering to himself, could this old Daoist be spinning lies for so long, trying to deceive him into buying his worthless map?
Although he thought this in his heart, he still agreed aloud:
"Such a trivial matter doesn’t count as trouble. Since Daoist and I share the same table and drink, we surely have fate. I shall try to clarify for Daoist."
Pei Laoliu nodded with satisfaction, and then spread the map in his hand, presenting the details to the other’s eyes.
"This map... is indeed rough..."
Yan Jiantong wore the same expression as the people of East Origin Village upon first seeing the map.
But after a moment, his expression subtly changed, turning into a frown and thoughtful look.
Pei Laoliu noticed his demeanor and was delighted, thinking there might be hope.
Sure enough, after pondering for a while, Yan Jiantong looked up at Master Liu and said:
"Daoist, although this map looks crudely drawn, it seems to me it’s not as simple as that... This method of drawing doesn’t seem random, but rather like a military array map."
"Military array map?"
"That’s right, in the Dafu Dynasty’s military, they seemed to use this method of drawing array maps, needing special means to decipher them. This way, even if spies from the Empire stole the array maps, they wouldn’t be able to decipher their arrangements."
Hearing this, Pei Laoliu suddenly understood.
This thing is quite like modern encrypted documents.
It seems that the fortuitous encounter left by this so-called cultivator is truly not so easily obtained; it requires solving some puzzle.
However, he couldn’t quite understand.
Why would a cultivator use a method from military arrays to draw a map?
Such things should be mundane techniques; why would a cultivator use such a method to draw a map?
For now, these questions weren’t important; what mattered was whether this white-clad man could help decipher the meaning in this map.
"Mr. Yan, can you understand this map? If you can assist me in deciphering it, I will surely offer a generous reward!"
This time, Yan Jiantong was a bit puzzled.
Is this some sort of new scam? Why is he offering me a reward instead?
However, as a top martial expert, he’s fearless, naturally unafraid of anything.
At worst, if the other party truly deceives him, he could simply seize it back.
He didn’t believe this old Daoist, pretending to be a cultivator, had any real skills.
Looking closely again at the map on the table, after pondering for a long time, he finally said:
"This map indeed uses a military method of drawing. By chance, I have learned a bit of it before, but I can’t make out the details. The method used for this map seems different from the current ones, like it’s more ancient..."
He stopped here, looked up at Master Liu, and continued:
"I have a friend who is a military man, currently staying in Han Yue City. If Daoist trusts me, you can give me this map, and I will entrust it to him to have a look."
Upon hearing that he needed to hand over the map, Master Liu instinctively felt a bit reluctant.
However, upon recalling Da Hei’s ability, he still nodded and relieved himself of concerns.
Now Da Hei is much more formidable, with a nose capable of tracking for miles.
As long as the other party is within a hundred miles of Han Yue City, he’s not afraid of them slipping away under his watch.
The most important thing is, he currently has no other methods.