Catching Monsters

Chapter 693 The Strange Imperial Advisor
After Jiang Yun and his group left the desert, they officially entered the Western Regions.

Along the way, one could occasionally see caravans carrying spices and other goods unique to the Western Regions, preparing to exchange them for silk and other goods in the Zhou Kingdom.

On the way, when these people from the Western Regions saw Jiang Yun and his group, they all showed surprise on their faces. After all, it was rare to see so many people from the Zhou Kingdom in the Western Regions.

Moreover, it was a team of over a hundred people.

At this time, all the Imperial Guards had changed out of their flying fish uniforms.

Jiang Yun led his team toward Liujin City, but along the way, he discovered that this so-called Western Buddhist Kingdom was quite different from what he had imagined.

Jiang Yun originally thought that since it was a Buddhist country in the Western Regions, the people here must not lock their doors at night, and the people must be simple and kind.

In reality, in some villages or markets of this Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions, one can often see large numbers of slaves being tied up and brought in by monks or merchants for sale.

Later, out of curiosity, Jiang Yun made a special inquiry and learned that the Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions was strictly hierarchical, and although on the surface there were only three classes: monks and nobles, wealthy merchants, and commoners.

In reality, the number of monks, nobles, wealthy merchants, and ordinary people in the Buddhist kingdoms of the Western Regions was not large.

Below that is a class of outcasts.

In the entire Buddhist kingdom of the Western Regions, eighty percent of the population belonged to the lowest caste, slaves.

Buddhist kingdoms in the Western Regions also had strict Buddhist systems, such as the requirement to pay with one's life for murder.

But the untouchables and slaves are not considered human beings.

"Amitabha."

As Master Yunhai walked along, he saw white bones by the roadside and his brows furrowed.

Among the group, Master Yunhai was one of the people who had high hopes for this Buddhist kingdom before coming here.

As a Buddhist practitioner, he naturally felt a sense of anticipation upon arriving in this legendary Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions.

But now it seems that this place is very different from what I imagined.

The entire team rarely stopped, fearing that delay might lead to unforeseen changes.

Only by getting the last meteorite into my hands as soon as possible can I finally put my mind at ease.

After entering the territory of the Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions, the group traveled for another seven days.

Although the entire Western Regions Buddhist Kingdom is not exactly a desert, most of the area is still Gobi.

The cities and villages that can be seen along the way are basically built based on the oases.

Finally, the group arrived outside Liujin City.

At this moment, from a distance, one can vaguely see a magnificent and enormous city.

Although the city was far smaller than the capital of Zhou, it was not small either, comparable to the size of a prefectural city within Zhou.

Furthermore, from a great distance, one can see a huge golden Buddha statue standing in the very center of the city.

The entire golden statue was ten zhang tall, enormous, and under the sunlight, it shone brightly, its reflected light spilling across the entire gilded city.

"Such a huge golden Buddha, how much gold must have been used to build this?" Zidane stared at the enormous golden Buddha, speechless, his mouth practically watering.

"Let's go into the city!" Jiang Yun said in a deep voice.

Soon, the group slowly headed towards the gate of the Golden City.

Meanwhile, outside the gates of Liujin City, there were more than ten soldiers guarding the area.

These soldiers were dressed in thin clothing, carried swords, and had typical Western Region features.

Upon seeing Jiang Yun and his group, they immediately began shouting in a string of gibberish.

He reached out and stopped them, his eyes filled with wariness.

Clearly, they rarely saw such a large Central Plains army come to Liujin City.

Jiang Yun and Liu Boqing's gazes quickly turned to Monk Yunhai.

Soon, Monk Yunhai stepped forward with a smile on his face and his hands clasped together, saying, "Amitabha."

After observing Master Yunhai's demeanor, the soldiers exchanged glances and hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects.

With Master Yunhai around, a lot of trouble was saved, since monks held a very high status in the Buddhist kingdoms of the Western Regions.

Furthermore, not just anyone can become a monk.

Then, someone ran into the city, and after a while, found someone who understood the Central Plains language to communicate and negotiate.

"Master, where do you come from, and what is your purpose?" the translator asked respectfully and humbly.

Monk Yunhai said, "We have come on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of Zhou, carrying generous gifts, to pay a special visit to the King of the Buddhist Kingdom in order to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries."

After listening to Master Yunhai's words, the translator was slightly taken aback. He digested what the monk Yunhai had said for a while before speaking to the soldiers around him.

Then, soldiers entered the city to inform the king.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. If you wish to enter the city, you must wait for news from the King."

Jiang Yun and the others were not in a hurry and waited patiently. Before they knew it, they had been waiting outside Liujin City for a full half hour, but the soldiers who went in to report had not yet brought back any news.

"What's going on, sir?" Zida asked in a low voice.

"Wait, there's no rush," Jiang Yun said calmly.

Many Western Region people who were preparing to enter the city kept glancing at Jiang Yun and his group as they passed by.

After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a monk slowly walked out of the city. The many soldiers at the city gate immediately stood up straight and looked at this person respectfully.

The monk was around fifty years old, with a kind face, slightly plump, and his smile was as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Amitabha Buddha, I am Xia Yuxin, the National Preceptor of the Buddhist Kingdom. You have come from afar from the Central Plains. The King was very pleased to hear of this and specially sent me to welcome you."

National Preceptor of the Buddhist Kingdom?

Xia Yuxin looked at everyone and asked, "May I ask which lord has led this group?"

Liu Boqing stepped forward and said, "I am Gao Lingshan, Minister of Rites. His Majesty Xiao Jingzhi has just ascended the throne and has specially sent me as an envoy to visit the King."

Jiang Yun and Liu Boqing had discussed it before, but Jiang Yun was too young after all...

It would be more appropriate for Liu Boqing to impersonate the envoy.

"Minister Gao." Upon hearing the name of the Minister of Rites, Xia Yuxin's smile widened, and he politely extended his hand: "Please come, everyone. Also, since you are here representing His Majesty of Zhou, have you brought your official invitations?"

Jiang Yun was slightly taken aback. National stipend?

Liu Boqing, however, remained calm and said, "I will personally deliver the royal invitation to the King when I visit him tomorrow."

Xia Yuxin nodded slightly and led the group slowly into the city.

On the way, Xia Yuxin stayed by Liu Boqing's side, glancing at the group that had followed them from time to time.

Xia Yuxin was able to succeed Master Hongguang as the Imperial Preceptor after his death, which naturally shows that his abilities were also quite remarkable.

He could tell that there were no ordinary people in this team; they were mostly well-trained martial artists.

Of course, this only made Xia Yuxin more convinced of the identities of the people in front of him.

The city of Liujin was considered prosperous in the entire Western Regions, but it was not particularly remarkable for the people who came from the capital of Zhou.

However, along the way, you can also see many novel things, such as local specialties.

In the very center of the gilded city stands a royal palace, within which stands a colossal golden Buddha.

Xia Yuxin first led them to a fairly large inn in the city to stay, and then said, "The king will have time to meet with you all early tomorrow morning."

"It is best if you do not leave this place before tomorrow morning."

After saying that, Xia Yuxin quickly left.

The inn has dozens of rooms, with two or three people per room, so you can squeeze in a little.

Soon, after everyone found their rooms, Jiang Yun led Qi Da to Liu Boqing's room.

Monk Yunhai, Ai Tangtang, and Cat Dacai were also inside.

"Please sit down." After Liu Boqing invited Jiang Yun and Qi Da to sit down, he frowned slightly and said, "The other party is quite concerned. We only introduced ourselves as envoys from the Zhou Kingdom, but the Grand Preceptor personally came out to receive us."

Qi Da, standing to the side, raised his head slightly and said, "The prestige of our Zhou Kingdom is renowned throughout the world. Since we are an envoy team sent by His Majesty, how could they not take us seriously?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Boqing frowned slightly, looked at Jiang Yun beside him, and asked, "What do you think?"

Jiang Yun stroked his chin and said, "It is a bit strange. The Grand Preceptor's status is not low. Normally, when he hears that we have arrived, relevant officials from the royal palace should come to greet us."

At this point, Jiang Yun frowned deeply, feeling that something was amiss.

Liu Boqing's eyes flashed slightly, as if he had guessed something, and he said with a smile, "This Grand Preceptor is quite interesting."

"I'm afraid their king doesn't even know we've arrived yet."

Upon hearing this, Zidane's expression changed slightly: "The king doesn't know we're here yet?"

"But didn't that imperial advisor just say..."

Liu Boqing calmly got up and poured a cup of tea for the room: "No need to rush, let's wait and see. That Grand Preceptor will probably come again."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, deciding to make the best of it since they were already there.

There was no use in thinking about it too much. Of course, Jiang Yun still had Qi Da inform his men to be more vigilant in order to avoid any mishaps.

The sunset here is a little later than in Zhou, and the temperature drops sharply after sunset.

After dark, Jiang Yun returned to his room to meditate and rest.

As midnight approached, Jiang Yun suddenly heard a soft footstep coming from the corridor outside.

Jiang Yun opened her eyes instantly and looked outside.

(End of this chapter)