Two Battles, News Reaches the Imperial Study

"No, we must find him immediately!"

As Lord Shi spoke, he read the letter twice more, finally nodding and saying, "The matters mentioned in this letter must be dealt with as soon as possible. Qiu Yan has compiled the Human Dao Canon of Military School; his methods of governing the army must be correct. We cannot be negligent in the slightest."

"Oh?" Qing Shan was slightly surprised. "I wonder what's written in this letter?"

"See for yourself." Lord Shi waved his hand and handed it over. "The old man thought he would talk about something profound, but it turned out to be just about the division of military camps."

"Barracks division?" Qing Shan glanced at the letter and saw its contents. "The Wounded Soldiers' Camp need to be promptly cleared and properly divided to prevent the spread of plague. We are to pass this message on to Marquis Maishan?"

As he spoke, he shook his head. "Since they are figures of letters and classics, why bother with such trivial details?"

"Qing Shan, you are not Military School strategist and do not know the secrets of these details. In the past, many things started from small things, which were discovered and summarized by our predecessors, and ultimately prevented problems before they occurred. Qiu Yan's ability to discover these small details proves that he has a good understanding of the principles of Military School."

As he spoke, the old man couldn't help but sigh, "I heard that Qiu Yan had little prior experience with military Military School, only spending a short time in the Wuxin Commandery in the Southern Border. Then, during the Provincial Examination, he wrote a military strategy, demonstrating his strategic planning and predicting the whereabouts of the Marshfolk. Later, Palace Examination, his writing on Military School Order shook the entire military school. He Thought-Convergent Order and received an official position, and was assigned to the Military Pavilion to organize the books..."

The more he spoke, the louder his voice became. "This person is truly exceptionally talented. If everyone could be like him and comprehend the principles of Military School, our Military School wouldn't have fallen to its current state."

As he was pondering this, Qing Shan finished reading the letter and said, "Leaving that aside, the letter also mentions that there are many Central Plains people in the Lin Zhong. It asks us to bring them back to the Central Plains. Does Lord Shi have any plans?"

"You cultivators, you've reached such a level that you've lost all humanity. If it were any other younger generation, they would surely have come over to offer some words of comfort, but you, you completely ignored them!" Lord Shi first gave an irrelevant answer, then glanced into the Lin Zhong and nodded, saying, "Since we are of Central Plains blood, we cannot leave us here."

Qing Shan replied, "However, many of these people have been misled by Ning Sanshou's words. Through constant exposure and subtle influence, they have developed a deep hatred for the Central Plains. This can be discerned from the emotional fluctuations they exude. Why force such people to be taken away?"

Lord Shi Gong laughed and shook his head, saying, "So what if they get scolded a couple of times? What's the big deal? These people will be treated like slaves on the Grasslands, and ultimately they'll need the protection of the Central Plains dynasty."

"Yes, yes, yes." Ning Sanshou nodded hurriedly, bowing and scraping. "If it weren't for the strength of the Central Plains, we would be of no value to the Rouluo Hu people. It is precisely because the Central Plains is powerful that they need us and treat us with some respect. If we were from weak countries like Southern Marsh, who would care? If the Central Plains were in chaos, and we were reduced to a destitute people, that would be a catastrophe! The Celestial Dynasty cannot abandon us!"

At this Sinfolk, he raised his hand to wipe away tears. "Whenever I think of this place, I am heartbroken. Helplessly, in order to survive, I have to slander my motherland. But I really do not want the Central Plains to be in chaos, because if that happens, it will be our death!"

"Oh? I didn't expect you, you little rascal, to have such insight. No wonder you can survive in a foreign land and even put on such a show. These are all your disciples, aren't they?" Lord Shi's gaze swept over Senior Brother Zhang and the others.

The senior brothers, having witnessed Qiu Yan's display of power, were already terrified and pale as ghosts. They were still shaken, their faces as white as paper.

They were previously taught that people from the Central Plains were crude and incompetent, born to be conquered and trampled upon, and that people from the Central Plains were inferior.

Therefore, they dared not even speak loudly in front of the Hu people, but today they witnessed with their own eyes that the Rouluo Left Wise Left Wise King of Rouluo was killed by the people of the Central Plains, and the Three Saints worshipped by the Grasslands were also captured and their fates unknown. Their hearts were already in chaos.

In particular, Senior Brother Zhang and the two women, recalling their words and actions in front of Qiu Yan, were filled with lingering fear. When Lord Shi looked at them, an invisible pressure enveloped them, and they immediately lost their State of Mind and collapsed to the ground!

"Is this the State of Mind of your disciples? When you teach your disciples, what exactly do you emphasize? Have you ever taught them the principles of conduct? How come they become like this when they encounter a little trouble? Are they all just tools to be dealt with perfunctorily?" Lord Shi frowned, not even looking at Ning Sanshou's expression, and ordered the people around him to gather the refugees from various parts of the Lin Zhong.

The light and shadow shifted, and figures moved swiftly. In just a few breaths, the people scattered in the Lin Zhong were gathered together.

These people listened to Ning Sanshou in the Lin Zhong, and then Qiu Yan confronted the three saints. There were many changes and upheavals, enough to intimidate them, but they were not killed. Even those who were injured were only scratched by tree branches along the way when they were fleeing in panic.

However, the earth-shattering scene lingered in everyone's hearts, preventing them from calming down for a long time. Being captured and brought here by the Governor-General's Residence's mansion's retainers was naturally terrifying, but under their Divine Abilities, resistance was ultimately futile.

This place is where the will formed when the classics were created lingers, which restrains Divine Ability. However, the few people who followed Lord Shi into the forest have extremely high cultivation levels. Even if they are suppressed, they are not something that ordinary people can resist. You should know that Lord Shi himself is Nascent Soul cultivator, so he was not deeply affected when he entered the forest.

Looking at the chaotic crowd gathered together, Lord Shi frowned, noticing their panic and confusion, knowing that it was because they were startled and unable to regain their composure.

"What a misfortune! Qiu Yan is a scholar of classics, and his work will be invaluable for future historical writing. To be able to witness it is such a fortuitous opportunity! Their capture was a disaster, but witnessing Qiu Yan's completion is a blessing—a blessing in disguise! Even I, an old man, missed out! Yet these people not only gained nothing but were terrified. Their good fortune is too shallow; they have no one to blame but themselves."

Shaking his head inwardly, Lord Shi suddenly opened his mouth and shouted, "Quiet!"

The sound, imbued with the power of vibration, was like a booming bell, piercing everyone's ears and vibrating their eardrums. Even Ning Sanshou trembled, and his wicked thoughts dissipated considerably. Needless to say, the fear in the chests of the others vanished instantly, and the sound abruptly stopped.

Then, Lord Shi waved his hand and said, "Alright, explain things to them clearly." Someone stepped forward and announced the decision to take everyone present back to the Central Plains.

Among those listening to the Dharma were merchants and scholars who had just been arrested. Upon hearing the words, some were overjoyed, while others wept; all were filled with joy.

However, some of them, whose minds had been influenced by Ning Sanshou's words all along, felt that they could think for themselves and were unwilling to return to that "dye vat," so they disregarded everything else and voiced their opposition.

"We will never go back!"

"That's right, although it's tough here, with all the hardships of living outdoors, at least we can do whatever we want!"

"Exactly! Even if we die, we would rather die than go back!"

"Oh? In that case..." Hearing these words, Qing Shan turned to look at Lord Shi, who shook his head and smiled, "Why ask so many questions? Take them all back. If we don't take care of them, do you think Rouluo? No need to bother with them!"

Qing Shan nodded, took out a palm-sized gourd from his sleeve, and sucked it in from the spout. Ning Sanshou and his many disciples were all sucked in amidst the objections.

"Alright, take them back, and give this letter to Xiao Lan while you're at it. We'll go look for Qiu Yan's whereabouts. It's settled then... Hmm?"

Just as he was giving the orders, a whooshing sound suddenly rang out in the sky. Several figures were riding the wind from the distant horizon at an extremely fast speed. Then the ground trembled, and dust rose from outside the forest as they drew closer. Clearly, troops were advancing rapidly.

"Those old fogies on the Grasslands have finally noticed this place and are trying to fish in troubled waters. They've got a good plan! Fifty years ago, I taught that Rouluo State Preceptor and the Ultimate Martial Venerable a lesson. I wonder if those two will come this time!"

After saying this, Lord Shi glanced at Qing Shan, who understood and turned to leave.

A few breaths later, several beams of light flew up from the Lin Zhong and collided with the figure in the sky. Then, a loud boom was heard, and the light and shadow bloomed, like flowers blooming in the sky.

The Spiritual Qi also surged, but due to the suppression of the will to write the book, it continued to intensify.

"Young master, the cultivators from the Central Plains and the Grasslands are clashing. Shouldn't we intervene?"

Not far away, on a small hill, two people were gazing into the distance; they were Qiu Yan and Qiu An.

Upon hearing Qiu An's question, Qiu Yan shook his head and said, "What must be fought will eventually be fought; fighting is an inherent part of this world."

As he spoke, a faint aura lingered around him, isolating the two of them and blending them into nature. This was the reason why Lord Shi could not find him.

On Qiu Yan's hand, there was a ginseng root lying on the Original Edition, its roots tightly intertwined, refusing to loosen for even a moment, surrounded by Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription, constantly exuding an aura of shock.

Beside its feet, a strange creature with the heads of a cat and Doghead stared at the book, its mouth agape, unable to close. The Doghead, in particular, was filled with terror, its head trembling slightly.

After glancing at it a few times, Qiu Yan tucked the long sword in his hand into his waistband, turned around and took a step. With a wave of his hand, a piece of paper transformed into a paper crane and flew south.

"Let's go, we'll meet the Grasslands Human Path on the way to Three Rivers."

"Yes!" Qiu An accepted the order and followed after them, carrying a blood-soaked human head.

After taking a couple of steps, Qiu Yan suddenly stopped, muttering to himself with a half-smile, "The Fortune is fluctuating. It seems the message has already been relayed back. Quite fast."

At the same time.

Prosperity Capital, Imperial Study.

Li Kun's face was grim. Just now, he received news that Qiu Yan had killed the young master of the Tulang Tribe!

ps: Thank you to "Lao Ge 1972", "Adventurer*Tianyun", and "Jian Yuan" for their monthly votes!

Thank you "Daoist Master One-Nine" for the generous donation!

Tomorrow at midnight.

I originally planned for the project to explode at the end of the month, but there were too many things to do with the renovations, and there were also problems when we were closing the water supply. In addition, I lost the manuscript a few days ago, so it's been delayed until now. Please understand.