[The iron cavalry of the North Wind Delegation, carrying a biting cold wind, finally shattered the silence of the ancient southern capital.]
[This news swiftly spread among the scholars of the capital, like a single stone stirring up a thousand waves.]
[Southern scholars ran about spreading the word, and news that the delegation's convoy had entered the capital became widely known.]
[On the streets of the ancient capital, carriages and horses streamed past in an endless flow, and the clamor of voices filled the air. The people flocked to both sides of the streets, craning their necks in anticipation, eager to catch a glimpse of the North Wind Delegation.]
[The delegation's convoy slowly entered. The accompanying princess and generals dismounted in person before the gates of the imperial city, displaying utmost humility and respect.]
[This was Great Qing's proudest day in twenty years.]
[The court officials debated day after day over whether to negotiate peace or continue the war.]
[In the end, the reigning Emperor decided to have North Wind return the six prefectures and establish a marriage alliance.]
[News came that the Lu Family Army was to withdraw and return to court. Inside the command tent, your father looked at the imperial edict in his hand, and a trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes.]
[The Lu Family Army's morale soared like a rainbow, bolstered further by the Northern Region Rebel Army's arrival. To strike straight at Huanglong Prefecture seemed only one step away.]
[Yet the imperial command could not be defied. He could only let out a deep sigh. "Eight thousand li of road, clouds and moon—now all have become dust and earth."]
[Your father's memorial requesting battle sank like a stone into the sea, failing to stir even a ripple. Instead, he was demoted by one rank because of it.]
[Less than half a month later, another golden edict arrived, summoning you, your father, and your brother to the capital to receive your honors.]
[Looking at the golden edict in your hand, you decided...]
1. Throw caution to the wind and strike straight at Huanglong Prefecture.
2. Obey the order and return to the capital to receive your honors.
3. Retire to the countryside and continue cultivating in the mountains.
4. Personally participate (1/3)
Yu Ke looked at the four options.
He could not help but ponder. If he chose 1, throwing caution to the wind and striking straight at Huanglong Prefecture...
So what? Even if he won the realm, it would still belong to Great Qing.
A rash attack would also invite censure from the court. There was simply no need for it.
In five years since descending the mountain, he had already changed the grand course of the realm. This simulation should yield substantial rewards.
The side quest had already been completed.
The simulation's main task was still cultivation.
Yu Ke decided to choose 3: retire to the countryside and continue cultivating in the mountains.
[Your father had long known of your desire to resign. Though he beat his breast and sighed, he understood full well your unwavering resolve to cultivate.]
[Your younger brother was also returning to the mountains to cultivate. He had long been clamoring to return to Mount Zhongnan.]
[Upon hearing the news, Wang Yang galloped over through the night and spent days trying to persuade you. Yet your heart was steadfast in the Dao, never wavering in the slightest.]
[He could only sigh. "Great Qing has lost a pillar that could steady the sea."]
[You personally took up the brush and wrote a letter of resignation, submitting it to the court. You wished to retire to Mount Zhongnan and pursue the Dao's natural way.]
[Your resignation passed through the hands of the seal-bearing eunuch Ma Bao before being presented to the Emperor. Taking it, Ma Bao sighed. "Grand Guardian, your future is bright as brocade. With only a light beat of your wings, you could soar straight into the azure clouds, be made king or minister. Why must you cultivate on Mount Zhongnan?"]
[Hearing this, you merely smiled calmly. "I raced eight thousand li through the Northern Region, not to be granted a marquessate, but to strengthen the state."]
[When your resignation reached the capital, the realm erupted in uproar, and all four quarters were shocked.]
[People discussed it endlessly, divided in their praise and criticism of your decision. Some commended your lofty integrity, while others mocked you for recklessly advocating war against the court's sacred will, claiming you acted out of resentment.]
[Ma Bao deliberately spread word of it for you. For a time, the tale of "The marquessate was never my desire" was passed from mouth to mouth throughout the land.]
[The Emperor, however, was rather pleased by your resignation. He issued an edict bringing your father south, granting him the posts of Pacifying State Army Military Commissioner and Historian of Longevity Abbey, while also bestowing an estate upon him in the capital.]
[Though it was an idle post, it was nevertheless a dignified Principal First Rank appointment, showing how lavish the Emperor's rewards to the Lu Clan were.]
[Many generals of the Lu Family Army were granted high offices, but the key positions had already been taken over by great generals from the court.]
[Seeing this, you understood that this Emperor still harbored doubts about the Lu Family Army, which would soon number one hundred thousand, and could not fully set his mind at ease.]
[That day, you were already twenty-six. You and your younger brother packed your luggage and prepared to set out for Mount Zhongnan.]
[You put on that long-unworn Daoist robe once more.]
[Unexpectedly, the news spread throughout the entire Northern Region. Outside the Lu Family Army's camp, countless commoners came from every direction, surrounding the encampment so tightly that not even water could pass through.]
[Your father told you that these simple and honest people of the Northern Region had all come to see you and your brother off.]
[A warmth surged through your heart. As you stepped out of the camp gates, you saw men and women, young and old alike, their eyes shining with reverence and reluctance as they cried out in unison, "Grand Guardian!"]
[They held eggs, flatbreads, clothing, and other things in their hands, wanting to see you off, fearing that on your long journey you would suffer from cold and hunger. You declined them one by one, yet your heart was filled with warmth.]
[Tears filled their eyes. Some felt it was unfair for you; those southerners who did not know the truth had claimed, when you resigned, that you had done so deliberately, relying on imperial favor to act spoiled and willful.]
[Yet the people of the Northern Region understood the hardship and difficulty the Lu Family Army had endured along its path. They knew the Lu Clan's character and sense of responsibility well.]
["Freeze to death rather than tear down a house; starve to death rather than plunder"—those were not empty words.]
[They had personally endured the cruelty and ravages of North Wind's army. Countless homes had been reduced to ruins amid the flames of war, and loved ones had been forced apart.]
[Twenty years of national humiliation—how could such a heavy burden be weighed against a simple marriage alliance between two states?]
[As you gazed at those who had come all this way to see you off, many generals of the Lu Family Army covered their faces and wept.]
[At that moment, an indescribable shame rose in your heart.]
[Though you had recovered the old mountains and rivers over these six years, you still felt that you had accomplished no merit at all.]
[With your younger brother beside you, you gave the people seeing you off a deep bow, expressing your gratitude and respect, then turned away resolutely.]
[That day, heavy snow fell from the heavens, whirling and drifting for three days and three nights without end.]
[A ballad began to spread through the Northern Region: "Who says Heaven is no gracious host? It sends one man off with wind and snow that fill the sky."]
[In the deep autumn of that year, you returned to Mount Zhongnan. The red leaves in the mountains blazed like fire; you had been gone for six years.]
[Liu Jinchan personally welcomed you and your brother at the foot of the mountain, his face overflowing with joy.]
[The battle in which you crossed the Yellow River three times had become a legend eagerly discussed by the sect's disciples. They held you in the highest esteem.]
[Those disciples who had once looked down on you had now put away their arrogance, leaving only deep admiration.]
[Yet you paid it no mind. You continued cultivating with a heart free of distraction, doing your morning practice and climbing up and down the mountain every day, rain or shine.]
[That winter, Three Truths One Sect of Mount Zhongnan was recognized by the court as an orthodox Daoist sect, and its reputation grew with each passing day.]
[Over the next three years, you cultivated diligently every day. Though your progress was slow, your tenacity and perseverance inspired admiration. Even in the dead of night, you were still practicing stances.]
[After countless days and nights of hard work, your cultivation finally reached the sixth level of Great Yellow Court, and you finally entered the ranks of second-rate martial artists.]
[That day, you turned thirty.]
[Notice: Today's Celestial Reincarnation has ended. Please return tomorrow. Your progress has been saved.] [One day in the mortal world, ten years within the cauldron.] [Save duration: thirty years.] [Kind reminder: Within ten years, you changed the grand course of the realm and spared the people of the Northern Region from the suffering of war. You have received a Kun Void World reward. Drawing now...]
Before you continue