A few dozen miles from the canal, a dozen or so carriages were parked by the roadside, surrounded by a similar number of guards.
In the largest carriage at the front, several night pearls were embedded in the carriage walls, emitting a soft glow.
Inside, Guo Taiping held a book in his hand, which he was flipping through.
On a small table in front of him, an ancient map was laid out, displaying a series of bizarre characters.
The book he held was snatched from Xiahou Shuwen. It was a compilation of golden text annotations that the Xiahou family had been organising for generations. It contained more than a thousand golden characters, which was comparable to those kept in the Academy of Letters and the Academy of Martial Studies.
The map was a treasure map he had accidentally obtained. He instantly recognized the golden characters written on it and remained vigilant.
