The Realm Awaits the North; Upheaval in Three Rivers

The history of conflict Central Plains and the Grasslands runs through the entire Historical River, with not only soldiers fighting each other, but also cultivators battling it out.

However, when fighting against the Hu people, even if the Great Rui had experts to take action, they could only restrain these Fourth Realm cultivators and could not push them too far. But this time, Qiu Yan did not lead any troops or gather any groups. He was provoked by the Left Wise King, so he just walked around the Grasslands, chasing down the Hu King and also sealing or injuring the Rouluo State Preceptor and others. His achievements were truly terrifying.

It should be noted that the officials of the court were unaware of the course of the battle, nor did they know that Qiu Yan had succeeded by leveraging the power of books and classic texts. All they received was the result, and that result was enough to shock everyone!

In fact, the news not only reached the imperial court, but also affected various Daoist Sect. They all knew about the tragic deaths of the Rouluo Three Saints and were greatly alarmed by Qiu Yan's actions. However, on the other hand, another piece of news also reached the Daoist Sect along with the downfall of the Three Saints.

Have any Daoist Sect disciples emerged from seclusion recently?

After a moment of silence in the Imperial Study, Li Kun spoke again.

The pale-faced old man replied, "There are also unusual movements on the Yingquan Dao, Heavenly Mausoleum Dao, and Cijing Dao. They've set off from the south, and it seems they're also heading towards the border."

Li Kun snorted coldly, "Qiu Yan is a book of Human Dao Canon and Military School strategies, intended for use in the imperial Military World. Yet these Daoist Sect claim it contains some unparalleled secrets that grant immortality. It's truly laughable. If he had such abilities, wouldn't Qiu Yan have mastered it himself?"

Not long after Qiu Yan his book, rumors spread within the Daoist Sect that there was a universe within it that could help people cultivate. Somehow, this caused quite a stir, tempting many cultivators who left their seclusion to search for Qiu Yan's whereabouts on the Grasslands.

After saying this, Li Kun asked, "By the way, have you contacted Qiu Yan? He writes about the Human Dao Canon. For both public and private reasons, I need to meet him and see the Original Edition of those classics to see what mysteries they hold."

The old man with the white face quickly grasped the emperor's thoughts, but he didn't reveal them. He simply said, "We haven't found the top scholar yet, but we have some clues. Several people from the Central Plains who escaped from the Grasslands tribes said they've seen someone similar. We released them and left them some instructions for their escape. However, from what they said, it seems the top scholar was accompanied by a servant."

"That's good," Li Kun nodded, his expression becoming much more serious, and he lowered his voice. "My lord, I won't hide it from you, Qiu Yan's actions this time have truly exceeded my expectations. His pursuit of the Left Wise King and his crushing defeat of the Rouluo Three Saints —such abilities are probably unmatched throughout the court. It seems he will soon be highly regarded by Military School. He might even become a pillar of the Military School, which is different from what I originally thought."

At this point, he gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I originally intended for Qiu Yan to be a lone minister. Even if he were Grand Confucian, I could still control him. But now it seems that while he may be isolated among the civil officials, he has unexpectedly gained the assistance of Military School. Coupled with the momentum he has built up by forging classic texts, he is subtly consolidating his position as the Grand Grandmaster of Military School. It will be difficult to suppress him then."

His words revealed a deep sense of worry.

The old man with the white face understood. Although he also thought highly of Qiu Yan, he was closer to Li Kun. At this moment, he spoke frankly and said, "Your Majesty's concerns are just that—concerns. Such a person standing in the court could endanger Your Majesty's safety within five steps. Even with the blessings of ancestors and powerful figures guarding the Imperial Palace, it would be difficult to ensure absolute safety. However, such talent is rare. In my opinion, it would be better to let him gain experience in officialdom and then let him retire to the countryside to write books and pass on his knowledge."

The old man was worried that Li Kun, in a moment of suspicion, might impulsively kill Qiu Yan, which would be such a great pity.

In his view, the greater Qiu Yan's abilities, the better it would be for Great Rui, the more stable the world would be, and the more secure Li Kun's position would be, with less worry. However, everything has its limits. If it exceeds those limits, even if the person has no ulterior motives, as long as he has the ability to cause trouble, he will be a threat to the emperor and must be guarded against.

Qiu Yan's ability to compile classic texts demonstrates his exceptional understanding of Human Path. Such a person generally does not endanger the dynasty's rule but rather serves as a cornerstone of the dynasty. However, if he is too close to the center of the dynasty's power, he may arouse suspicion. Furthermore, if a villain stirs up trouble and speaks ill of him, disaster may occur.

"Your Excellency is overthinking it. Tian Youqing and the others have mentioned it these past few days, but I understand their thoughts," Li Kun turned around, his eyes gleaming with reminiscence. "When my late father was in power, there was such a capable minister with Divine Ability. Unfortunately, my father hesitated and failed to give him an important position, causing him to resign. I always feel regret when I think about it. Now that this matter has fallen on my shoulders, I realize how difficult it is. My personal safety is only one aspect..."

He shook his head, his face showing even greater weariness.

The pale-faced old man looked at him with concern, but he couldn't interrupt. "Huang Kao" was the emperor's title for his deceased father, and he, a eunuch, had no right to comment.

As they were talking, Li Kun deliberately changed the subject and said, "By the way, the Rear Army Command Office has been fighting the cultivators on the Grasslands for several days. I wonder how the battle is going."

The old man with the white face finally spoke, "The Spiritual Qi at the battlefield is chaotic, and the Divine Ability light shines continuously. Anyone whose cultivation is not at the Third Realm will be injured or killed if they are even brushed against. Therefore, our scouts dare not approach, and no news has come yet."

Li Kun nodded and said, "In that case, the situation is still unclear. However, since the Rouluo Three Saints are not involved, although there are still experts left, they will not be able to do anything to Lord Shi. Moreover, this battle has also tied down the limited number of cultivators on the Grasslands, creating a better opportunity. We should decide on the day to send troops as soon as possible."

The white-faced old man said, "Your Majesty, the old general of the Yang Family mentioned the other day that the top scholar, who is in harmony with the Military School Order, can suppress the extraordinary and the Military Momentum on the battlefield. If the top scholar is present when the troops are dispatched, the result will be twice as good with half the effort."

"I am aware of this matter, which is why I am in such a hurry to find his whereabouts. Alright, Your Excellency, you should rest as well. This matter cannot be rushed. We should first prepare the provisions and supplies." Li Kun said, standing up and instructing the eunuch beside him, "Go and summon the chief ministers. I have something to discuss with them."

After saying that, he turned back and smiled, "Minister Wang and the others have been unable to eat or sleep these past few days. They've been torn between sending troops or not. Now that the news is confirmed, it should put their minds at ease, but..."

He looked at the Myriad-Mile Rivers and Mountains Map, his face filled with anticipation.

"I wonder what the current situation is with the delegation sent to Three Rivers. Minister Qiu has already given me a pleasant surprise. I wonder if Meng Qingbin and his group can give me another unexpected gain. If the Three Waters Tribe is willing to send troops, it would be a joyous occasion and the icing on the cake."

Emboldened by Qiu Yan's actions, Li Kun felt increasingly confident. His thoughts had changed; previously, he had pinned his hopes on the Three Waters Tribe's response, but now he no longer placed much importance on it. Success would be welcome, but failure wouldn't be a problem either. At worst, he could severely damage Rouluo and then teach Three Rivers a lesson.

Even now, he doesn't really dare to hope that he can wipe out the Rouluo in one battle!

Just as Li Kun was talking about the envoy delegation sent to Three Rivers, the delegation itself was facing a predicament.

Thump!

"These Three Waters Tribe are truly ungrateful and have gone too far! They completely disregard our Great Rui Dynasty!"

Zhao Can slammed his fist on the table, making the whole table shake violently. However, he had never practiced martial arts and was delicate and tender. This time, he attacked in anger, and his fist, which he had no reservations about, was thrown back at him. He was in real pain, and the pain made his face contort instantly.

Watching this scene from the side, Zhong Yan shook his head and said, "The saying goes that a county magistrate is not as powerful as a local official. Great Rui is far away from Three Rivers, and there are Rouluo and many Grasslands tribes in between. Even Rouluo is difficult to subdue, so how can he threaten Three Rivers? Moreover, the Three-River Hu are currently suppressed by Rouluo. If we anger Rouluo, there is a risk of their extermination. How could they dare to be close to us?"

He also frowned as he spoke.

Zhao Can grew increasingly dissatisfied. "If that's the case, then Rouluo Duolu n't have spoken so confidently. It turns out that what he said here is completely different. Isn't that deceiving us? What's even more hateful is that he refused to talk to us, yet all the gifts he brought were snatched away. Utterly shameless!"

Zhong Yan shook his head again, then stood up, walked to the tent, lifted the curtain and looked outside, but was immediately forced back by a glare from the Three Rivers Tribe on guard.

"This is no longer house arrest, it's an open and blatant attempt to imprison us!" Zhong Yan sighed, then turned his gaze to Di Ai, who was sitting upright.

Di Ai remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. Noticing Zhong Yan's gaze, she sighed and said, "This time we miscalculated. We didn't expect that the King of the Three Waters Kingdom would insist on seeing Qiu Yan. He was unwilling to say anything more to us, making it difficult to break the deadlock and leading to this situation."

Zhong Yan sneered, "Want to see Qiu Yan? I think it's just an excuse. Can't you all see that the eldest prince, Sukai, has already decided to submit to Rouluo! In his words, he clearly considers himself a subordinate of Rouluo, protecting them at every turn and not allowing anyone to say a bad word about Rouluo. I wonder if he's from Three Rivers or Rouluo."

Zhao Can's eyes darted around, and he suddenly discerned something different from Di Ai's words. He then said, "Speaking of Qiu Yan, he is indeed the biggest problem with this mission. If we ultimately fail, not only will we be unable to form an alliance with Three Rivers, but we may also have to watch helplessly as this tribe joins Rouluo. While we are certainly not without blame, ultimately, it is Qiu Yan's dereliction of duty that caused this!"

After saying this, he met the gazes of the other two and whispered, "Now that things have come to this, haven't you two seen the situation in the Three Waters Tribe clearly? Old Khan Yebalu is too old and has lost all ambition, only wanting to enjoy his remaining years. The eldest prince, Sukai, is ambitious, but his heart belongs to Rouluo; he will never align himself with Great Rui! Even if Qiu Yan comes, what use will it be? Rather than this, it's better to prepare an escape route and strike first, to avoid leaving a bad reputation." (To be continued...)

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