May I Ask, Daoist...

A cold glint flashed, and the longsword was pointed straight at his throat, but Qiu Yan didn't even blink. Looking at the sword-wielding man in front of him, he asked, "The Bell Sacrifice Dao? I didn't expect to encounter a Daoist Sect deep in these Grasslands."

The Left Wise King used Karma to propel his body, and with this flight, his speed was incredibly fast, traversing vast Grasslands and deserts. The forest they were currently in was located deep within the Grasslands, a great distance away from the border of the Great Rui Kingdom, which is why Qiu Yan made this statement.

"Enough with the nonsense! Who are you, and why are you here?" The man frowned and asked coldly. He was dressed in a long robe and had a handsome face, but his eyes were darting around. He first looked Qiu Yan up and down, noticing that Qiu Yan's aura was normal, so he assumed he was just an ordinary scholar. Then he looked behind him but saw no caravan or people, which puzzled him.

"Why I'm here is none of your business," Qiu Yan shook his head, then asked, "Just now..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the sword-wielding man, who sneered, "I asked you a question, and you didn't answer truthfully. You have no manners at all! This is truly the way of us from the Central Plains! You don't know the principles of honesty and open communication, how ugly! But this is not your fault, it's the fault of our ancestors..."

"Oh?" Qiu Yan sensed a chaotic logic in the other party's words, but he had no intention of delving into it or wasting time here. He decided to release some of his power to suppress the other party and enter the forest to find the Left Wise King.

However, the moment his senses touched the man, his Fortune fluctuated. This fluctuation did not originate from Qiu Yan himself, but was caused by the influence of Official Qi.

A thought flashed through Qiu Yan's mind, and she suppressed her Original Edition intention to listen to the man's words.

The man spoke for a long time, but seeing that Qiu Yan did not answer, he became increasingly angry. He continued to use vicious words to belittle Qiu Yan and Central Plains. In the end, he sheathed his sword, stepped forward, and raised his hand to tie Qiu Yan's arms behind his back. However, Qiu Yan used a simple Curse Arts to dispel his intention. In the end, he followed behind him as if facing a formidable enemy, saying that he was there to monitor him.

After walking a few steps, Qiu Yan suddenly asked, "Judging from your words and attire, you are also from the Central Plains. Why then do you speak so viciously about your own people?"

"I, a man from the Central Plains, am different from you!" the man said calmly, a hint of pride in his voice. "My life has been elevated on this vast Grasslands! Every blade of grass and every tree here can slowly dilute the sinful blood in my veins!"

"Oh? I see. It seems that in your heart, this place is a paradise." Qiu Yan shook his head, but was glared at by the man, who warned him not to say anything more.

As Qiu Yan followed the man into the Lin Zhong, two beautiful young women approached. Both were in their early teens, pretty, and dressed in short, flowing skirts.

When they saw Qiu Yan, they were all filled with curiosity, looking him up and down. Finally, they asked, "Senior Brother Zhang, who is this person? Why is his attire different from that of the nobles of the Rouluo Tribe? It's more like the clothing of us lower-class people."

Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes and glanced at the two women. He could see the relaxed demeanor in their expressions and knew that although the two women were dressed in Central Plains attire, their customs were different from those of the Central Plains.

The man addressed as Senior Brother Zhang walked behind Qiu Yan, intending to escort Qiu Yan into the forest. Upon hearing the two women's questions, he chuckled, "That's right. This man is just like us. We're all lower-class people from the Central Plains, inferior to tribal nobles, so our attire is naturally the same!"

"The lower class of the Central Plains?" Upon hearing this, the two women wrinkled their white noses, revealing a look of disgust. "Could it be the kind of people who grew up in the corrupt and degenerate environment of the Central Plains?"

Senior Brother Zhang said, "It's not clear yet, but judging from his appearance, that should be the case. His attire is the same as the people we caught a few days ago; they should all be those useless scholars."

"So this is what the people we caught a few days ago looked like!" the two women exclaimed excitedly. "We sisters came here specifically to see this, to witness the ugliness of us Central Plains people!"

At this moment, Qiu Yan suddenly spoke up, "Ladies, judging from your appearance and attire, you are also from the Central Plains. How come you speak so self-deprecatingly, without a trace of self-respect and self-love? You even seem to gloat over the plight of your fellow countrymen?"

His words drew snickers from the two women, who looked at Qiu Yan with disdain as if they had heard something amusing.

One said, "They're people from the Central Plains after all; they lack self-awareness."

Another said, "I've heard that you people over there study the Sage, and have even forged historical texts from over a thousand years ago. But you don't know that all of these things are fabricated. It's pathetic and pitiful that you know things that others have made up, yet you're still immersed in them. Tell me, isn't this ridiculous? Is it that we demean ourselves? It's that we are shrewd!"

As he spoke, his eyes gradually filled with pity.

Qiu Yan was even more surprised upon hearing this. He glanced at the two women and chuckled, "Falsifying history? Fabricating scriptures? You two mean people who don't know the truth but think they possess true knowledge. How pathetic and pitiful! Seeing you two, I feel the same way."

"You do have some insight." Upon hearing this, the two women felt that Qiu Yan had been persuaded by them, and a sense of saving the ignorant arose spontaneously, instantly making them radiant.

In their view, if someone thinks the same way as them, it means that the other person can still be saved; otherwise, they have been poisoned by the corrupting influence of the Central Plains and are simply ignorant fools.

This time, Senior Brother Zhang didn't reprimand them. After the two women finished speaking, he gave them a reminder and then told Qiu Yan to continue forward.

As they walked, Qiu Yan seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "By the way, you gentlemen, though of Central Plains blood, yet you belittle the Central Plains. Is it because you are disappointed in its lack of progress and hope that the Central Plains will strive for advancement?"

Senior Brother Zhang frowned and said, "How can we possibly make progress in the Central Plains? We'll be wiped out by the Great Khan sooner or later!"

Hearing this, Qiu Yan nodded and said no more.

As they walked deeper into the Lin Zhong, a clear voice emanated from within, recounting various truths—

"... Therefore, you should be grateful to have come here, and do not feel homesick because you are far from your homeland. When the Great Khan leads his army to conquer the Central Plains, we will naturally be able to return to our homeland!"

From this voice, Qiu Yan sensed an emotional fluctuation, clearly indicating the use of some kind of Cultivation Method to influence the senses and thoughts of others through one's own emotions.

Upon hearing this sound, Senior Brother Zhang and the two women beside him all showed solemn expressions, their eyes filled with reverence. Their expressions and movements became respectful and devout, and they walked step by step in unison, with the air of believers going to worship the gods.

"Huh?" Just as this thought crossed Qiu Yan's mind, he was surprised to find that a wisp of consciousness was indeed being sent out from the top of the heads of the three people in front of him, drifting into the Lin Zhong like incense sticks.

"Interesting. It's no coincidence that the Left Wise King ended up here. Every bite and sip is preordained, connected by Fortune, and governed by Karma. We might as well investigate."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan followed the thoughts the three had entrusted to him and found that at the end of these thoughts was a half-person-high Incense Burner. Behind the burner was a stone platform, on which sat a man who looked to be in his forties. He had a square face, a ruddy complexion, and his hair was tied up with a small crown. The crown was inlaid with dazzling pearls. His long beard was covered by a sash. He was wearing a Daoist robe, which was made of the finest silk and was radiant with iridescent light.

From afar, what an elegant and otherworldly Daoist priest he looks!

The man sat on the platform and exhaled; the words he had just spoken were those of this man.

Below the stage, on the other side of the Incense Burner, was an open space covered with lush green grass. Fifty or sixty people sat there, row upon row, occupying a large area. Judging from their appearance and hairstyles, they were all from the Central Plains, but their clothing was not all the same. The first few rows all wore robes with the left side overlapping the right, and their faces were full of piety. Together with the Daoist priest on the stage, it was quite reminiscent of the scene of a great sage in ancient times giving a sermon.

Those sitting in the last few rows were all dressed in the Central Plains right-fastening robes. Judging from their attire and demeanor, there were merchants, scholars, and ordinary farmers. Many of them had tattered clothes, scars on their faces, and their hands and feet were bound with hemp ropes. Even if they struggled, they could not break free.

As Qiu Yan approached, he saw bright yellow talismans on the chests of these people, each bearing a single character in seal script— the High Antiquity character for "suppress."

Behind this group of people were several men dressed similarly to Senior Brother Zhang, holding long swords and standing in one place. When they saw Qiu Yan coming over, one of them took out a piece of yellow paper and walked over slowly.

"Suppressing Character Spell'? This is supposed to be a sermon, meant to suppress those who don't want to listen? What a show of power!"

As Qiu Yan was pondering this, the Daoist priest on the platform glanced at him, then looked away and continued speaking eloquently. From his words, it was clear that he was trying to persuade those who had been subdued to put aside their prejudices and submit to Rouluo.

The emotional manipulation technique mentioned in the words has already worked, and many of those who were under its influence are now showing signs of doubt.

"... Do not doubt, everything I have said is true and verifiable. Back then, I understood the truth of how the Central Plains enslaved the people, and led a group of young men to fight. But the court actually suppressed us common people! They slaughtered us mercilessly! The Great Rui land could not tolerate us, so I had to come to the Grasslands alone. There I met like-minded people and established this Bell Sacrifice Dao to warn the world and awaken people's hearts!"

His words carried a strong sense of guiding light, as if he were standing on a mountaintop, looking out for a solitary traveler on the road ahead.

But just then, an untimely voice rang out—

"May I ask, Abbot..."

These words, though not loud, were clear in everyone's ears, interrupting the Daoist's speech and causing Senior Brother Zhang, the two women, and the sword-wielding men to change their expressions and glare angrily at Qiu Yan.

The speaker was Qiu Yan.

He felt a surge of anger under the glares of the crowd, but he only looked at the Daoist priest on the platform and asked, "Where are all the virtuous and righteous people who followed you in raising an army? I don't understand, if you are a refugee, why are you dressed in the finest silks, wearing a small crown adorned with pearls, and even your beautiful beard is meticulously cared for? You are more extravagant than the wealthy gentlemen of the Central Plains. It's not like you're a refugee; it's like you've come to enjoy wealth and luxury!"

ps:

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