[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-114":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292077,4481,"Chapter 114","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-114",114,"\u003Cp>A small city in the Western Regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this border town near the Zhou Empire, it was more prosperous than imagined; most of the people here were Zhou Empire traders and merchants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the city, Lu Fang and the others found a native Zhou citizen who spoke the local dialect and began showing the “scrolls” around town to ask questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This small town was tiny, yet the population was extremely dense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of Zhou natives dressed in Western Regions style held up scroll after scroll, searching for the person depicted in the drawings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a crude stall selling roasted meat and naan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Fang, rest assured—anyone in the city who has seen the person in the drawing, my men will find them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged man with a goatee, dressed in a Western Regions long robe, swore confidently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was Hu Di, a well-known local guide and essentially the town’s all-knowing informant; seven out of ten guides here were his subordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll be continuing our journey later, so please move quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang paused, then added: “But don’t worry—if your men find the person in the drawing or any other clue, even if we’re gone, you can contact me via a transmission talisman. I’ll reward you handsomely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then handed over a dozen silver notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Di beamed and bowed deeply: “Then Young Master Fang, please wait here. I’ll gather every person in the city and spare no effort to find them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Tao frowned slightly, her expression serious:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you trust people too easily. What if this man takes the silver but does nothing? In my view, we should pay only after he delivers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Ling chuckled and shook her head: “Even roasted lamb skewers can’t shut your mouth? You don’t understand—this Hu Di, by his attire and speech, is clearly a local leader with influence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For a powerful group like this, reputation is everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he takes the silver and does nothing, not only can we check around town to see if he’s actually working, but word would spread and ruin his name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once his reputation is ruined, he loses far more than any silver he’d gain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded in agreement and smiled: “The sandstorms and sun here are truly intense. I’ll stroll through the city later to check the situation and buy some essentials.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two must stay close to Fourth Master, no matter what—don’t invite trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yiyi, who was chewing naan and lamb skewers at the same time, mumbled: “Mm-hmm, if you see anything tasty, buy more. Drinks too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled and nodded. Fourth Master was easy to please—just good food and drink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave Lu Ling a few more instructions before heading toward the eastern side of the small city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, camel caravans filled the streets, alongside crowded stalls and shops showcasing Western Regions and Zhou Empire goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just after Lu Fang passed one street, he saw someone holding a scroll, asking merchants and vendors on both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their inquiries were blunt and straightforward: any true clue about the person in the drawing would earn a high reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only someone with local power could handle this—otherwise, people would flood them with false leads just to claim the bounty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang bought some distinctive, long-lasting food along the way. He had already purchased large quantities of daily necessities in storage bags while on the Zhou Empire’s border.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, storage bags were precious items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the camel caravan they joined likely had only five or six storage bags at most—and those were usually very small capacity ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So most essential travel supplies were carried by camels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang walked quickly and had toured the entire small city within an hour. Seeing everyone holding scrolls and asking questions, he nodded in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If no one in the city recognized the woman in the drawing, there’d be no clue—but if anyone had seen her, someone would find her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So far, the situation wasn’t promising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was just a small border town in the Western Regions; they had prepared themselves for returning empty-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I give you a clue about the woman in the drawing, your ‘Sand Camel Gang’ will pay a thousand taels?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A drunken voice made Lu Fang stop. He turned toward the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A drunken man, seemingly of mixed Han and Western Regions descent, swayed unsteadily, gripping the arm of a man holding a scroll and glaring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did this drunkard come from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sand Camel Gang member sharply yanked his arm—but the frail old drunkard merely swayed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old drunkard gulped down several large swallows of liquor, then grinned: “What? Disrespecting old monk? Back then, I was a famous ascetic of the Buddha Kingdom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let go of me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Sand Camel Gang member snapped: “You? A drunkard claiming to be a Buddha Kingdom ascetic? Pfft!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old drunkard still clung to his arm, grinning: “Old monk doesn’t want to argue with you. I told you—I know the clue about the woman in the drawing. Give me a thousand taels, and it’s yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man, furious, shook his arm repeatedly but couldn’t break free. Just as he was about to explode, a hand suddenly reached out and pressed onto the old drunkard’s wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could react, the hand pushed him aside, sending him stumbling backward—finally freeing him from the old man’s grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old man! You wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Sand Camel Gang member spat a threat, bowed to Lu Fang in thanks, and hurried away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Arrogant bastards. Pfft!” The old drunkard spat a thick glob of phlegm. His drunken eyes, suddenly sharp, fixed on Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang opened his hands and smiled: “Sir, to be honest, the Sand Camel Gang is working for me. If you truly have a clue about the woman in the drawing, I’ll pay you a thousand taels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old drunkard kept claiming to be a Buddha Kingdom ascetic, but anyone could see he was drunk—no one would believe him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Lu Fang could sense the aura around him: a sixth-rank cultivator. Perhaps he truly was a Buddha Kingdom ascetic. Perhaps not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either way, listening wouldn’t hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sixth-rank monk didn’t seem like the type to fabricate a story just for a thousand taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if he was telling the truth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring the thousand taels?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old drunkard gulped more liquor, swished it in his mouth, swallowed, belched, and extended a palm smeared with dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang raised an eyebrow and smiled: “If I give you the silver and your clue is fake—or you vanish—won’t I be the fool?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old drunkard’s eyes grew hazy again as he spoke in the local accent:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I tell you the clue and you run off with it to claim the reward, won’t I be the one cheated?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1136,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1cce45604bf922e3120ed74b45da9a5696e4ac57cfc2f2ba04f5e4328a95bb9e","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-115","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-113",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]