When Qiu Yan Was Mentioned, Faces Changed; the Wonders of Nature

The north wind was biting, the air was chilly, and the earth was covered in a blanket of white.

In the Central Plains, autumn has only just begun, but on the Ice Plains, a winter scene unfolds, with snow stretching as far as the eye can see.

The group moved slowly forward against the strong wind, their thick clothes fluttering in the wind, with tiny ice particles hitting them and making a whooshing sound.

This group, consisting of Qiu Yan, the envoy delegation, and nobles from the Three Rivers Tribe, left their gathering place and headed towards the North Sea.

Previously, after Qiu Yan expressed his desire to visit North Sea, the Three Waters Tribe did not take it lightly and regarded it as a matter of utmost importance. They did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately arranged for people to make preparations.

After Qiu Yan and the others had lunch, everything was arranged properly. Old Khan Yebalu led the way, while Meng Qingbin and others accompanied them.

The reason why the envoys from Great Rui also came was that, after the previous events, Qiu Yan's status had changed in their eyes. Killing the Left Wise King and pacifying the Three Waters Tribe, even without any official position, these two achievements alone were enough to awe everyone.

Moreover, Qiu Yan already held an official position and was the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examinations. He was favored by the emperor, and his visit was at the emperor's special request, who would grant him special favors? Who could underestimate such a person?

Not to mention, Qiu Yan's cultivation methods far surpassed the ordinary level. Most of those present were mortals, and who would dare to truly offend a cultivator who could live for so long? Wouldn't that be tantamount to going against their own descendants?

Although holding an official position means one's bloodline will be tainted with Official Qi and Dragon Qi, becoming intertwined with the Dynastic Fortune, if a cultivator acts rashly, it will create a great karmic Karma, greatly hindering cultivation and making it difficult to Transcendence in the future.

However, if one resigns from their post and returns home, and no more officials emerge from their family, the taint of their Fortune will gradually fade away. After several decades or even a hundred years, they will become just like ordinary people, perhaps with a little more nobility. Ultimately, they cannot outlive cultivators, especially if they encounter those Yazi. For cultivators, revenge is never too late!

Furthermore, some cultivators, having no hope of advancement, become despondent and disregard karmic consequences, resorting to ruthless Karma. This must be guarded against. If they become entangled in Karma and suffer eternal damnation, your own family will ultimately suffer the consequences. Who will you turn to for justice?

Therefore, officials, even when they refute or reject those outside the officialdom, will often leave room for maneuver in their actions, not going to extremes, so as to leave some leeway for their own Lineage.

In fact, many officials, after retiring from office, indulged in nature and befriended Daoist priests. Besides expressing their feelings, they may have also been seeking long-term security for their Lineage.

For these reasons, both for public and private reasons, no one dared to treat Qiu Yan, Meng Qingbin, and others casually. In the entire envoy team, apart from Di Ai, everyone else treated Qiu Yan with great respect, including Zhao Can and Zhong Yan.

If they knew that Qiu Yan not only killed the Left Wise King, but also sealed two of the three saints of Rouluo and injured one, causing Rouluo's forces to lose nearly half their strength, and then promptly communicated with Marquis Xiao Lan of Maishan to lead troops to defeat the Left Wise King's forces, in addition, he also took the opportunity to forge a military classic.

Then this team will not only feel awe towards Qiu Yan, but will be utterly shocked!

Both were heading north after leaving the pass, but they were trapped in Three Rivers and almost lost their lives. If Qiu Yan hadn't stepped in, it would have been uncertain whether they could have even completed their mission. Qiu Yan, on the other hand, made such a show of force all by himself, and the entire court was talking about it, as if they had forgotten about the delegation.

As for the Three Rivers Tribe, needless to say, after the initial shock, they still couldn't forget to verify the truth, so they released several eagles to communicate.

But this communication was extraordinary. It not only confirmed the death of the Left Wise King and the defeat of his Left Wise King's Tribe, with the remnants scattered, but also revealed the plight of the Rouluo Three Saints. The old Khan was so frightened that he almost fainted!

The Rouluo Three Saints are named after Rouluo, but their fame is not limited to Rouluo. Even before Rouluo rose to power, they were already awe-inspiring on the Grasslands. No matter which tribe gained power or became strong, they would worship the three of them and provide them with the Fortune the Black Dragon to help them cultivate.

Such figures are like living gods in the hearts of the Grasslands people. Some tribes simply regard them as their faith, worship them, and entrust them with incense offerings.

However, these three seemingly invincible individuals were defeated by Qiu Yan. Two are now in critical condition, and one is seriously injured and has been forced to retreat to his mountain. Such a commotion is impossible for the Rouluo people to suppress, even if they wanted to!

If Qiu Yan can subdue even gods, just how powerful must he be?

From that moment on, the Three Rivers Tribe's fear of Qiu Yan reached an unprecedented level, leaving them with no other thoughts. Even Sukai Gai, who harbored thoughts of revenge, turned ashen-faced upon learning of this. The old Khan ordered him to be arrested, stripped of his clothes, tied with a bamboo stick, and imprisoned. They were to wait for Qiu Yan to return from the North Sea so they could stage a "pleading guilty with thorns on his back" performance.

For a time, the entire tribe was truly terrified of Qiu.

On the contrary, the second prince, Duolu, remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. However, after such an incident, how could the people of Three Rivers not see that the future succession to the Khanate was already clear?

Sukai, who has offended Qiu Yan, will never be able to ascend the throne. Even if he were to launch a coup and seize power, the people of Three Rivers, who fear Qiu Yan, would not be willing to acknowledge him as Khan, lest they bring disaster upon themselves.

In contrast, Duolu has been trying to mediate between the two sides from beginning to end, and he seems to have a good relationship with Qiu Yan. If such a person were to become Khan, the people of Three Rivers would have a secure future.

The changes within these tribes occurred extremely rapidly; in just one noon, the power structure within the tribes underwent a dramatic transformation, with some gaining and others losing ground.

Following this, the old Khan Yebalu, disregarded his illness and insisted on personally leading the way, while Duolu and the nobles of the Three Rivers accompanied him. However, this time, facing the envoys from the Central Plains again, their arrogance had been completely crushed, and they no longer spoke with confidence.

"The North Sea is located on Ice Plains, where it is cold as winter all year round. The further you go in, the sharper the cold wind becomes. Beyond the North Sea, if you go further north, even if you are wearing thick cotton-padded clothes, you cannot block the cold. Even blood will freeze. Ordinary people cannot set foot there. Only cultivators who have cultivated internal fire can enter."

On the way, the old Khan and many nobles remained silent, but Duolu spoke as usual, walking in front of Qiu Yan and introducing him to the characteristics of the Ice Plains.

Qiu Yan listened to the explanation and nodded, saying, "I see. I've read in books before that beyond the Great Desert and Black Ridge lies a land of ice and snow, where mortals can hardly set foot. So that's why. Even blood freezes there; you can imagine how cold it is. If the blood is frozen, it means there's no warmth left in the body, and death is not far off."

Duolu said, "Indeed, the classics passed down from the Central Plains rarely contain errors or omissions. This shows that the sages of ancient times could achieve what ordinary people could not, and it is now difficult for people to reach them. However, cultivators are not affected. Legend has it that the Ice Palace is located deep within the Ice Plains..."

Qiu Yan shook his head. "Where the ancients could reach, modern people can certainly do as well. We should neither be arrogant nor underestimate ourselves."

At this moment, one of the envoys suddenly swayed, slipped, and almost fell, but fortunately, someone nearby caught him in time.

But upon helping him up, they discovered that although the man was wrapped in a thick animal skin coat, he was ice-cold all over and had clearly caught a chill. Immediately, someone called out, and a nobleman from Three Rivers went over, took a wine flask, and gave the man a sip.

The liquor was strong. In the Northern Desert and Ice Plains, strong liquor was indispensable. It could ward off the cold and generate heat, and in critical moments, it could even save lives. Hundreds of years ago, when the Central Plains dynasty attacked the Grasslands from the north, it planned to take down a tribe that dominated the Grasslands. The defeated army fled north and went straight into the Ice Plains. Because the Central Plains soldiers were unprepared and did not have strong liquor to warm themselves, they suffered heavy losses and had to retreat.

After drinking the wine, the man opened his eyes, and someone patted and massaged his limbs until he recovered. Qiu Yan went over, placed his hand on his chest, and channeled a stream of True Qi into him, dispelling the chill from his body.

"Thank you very much, Compiler Qiu." With the help of his True Qi to dispel the cold, he had fully recovered and quickly expressed his gratitude before standing up.

Zhao Can nearby, first flattered Qiu Yan a couple of times, then sighed, "We've only walked a few steps, and we already feel the biting cold. What a sight it must have been for Lord Su when he was forcibly detained by the Xionbei and forced to graze his livestock here. It's truly heartbreaking to think about."

Upon hearing this, the others also looked somber. Recalling the fate of their ancestors hundreds of years ago, they couldn't help but feel resentment, and their emotions changed slightly. The way they looked at the Three Rivers Tribe members also changed subtly.

At this moment, Duolu spoke up, interrupting the build-up of emotions, saying, "We can see a glimmer of light ahead; we should be almost there."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing his words, everyone couldn't help but look ahead. Through the fierce north wind and ice particles, they indeed saw a glimmer of light in the hazy distance, like sunlight reflected off a bronze mirror.

"Are we really almost there?"

"The place where Lord Su herded sheep!"

"The reflection is like sunlight shining on a bronze mirror; the North Sea must be completely frozen over."

Many of the envoys shared this idea, but when they actually arrived at the water's edge and looked around, they discovered that this vast body of water, located in the heart of the Ice Plains and deep in the snowstorm, was calm and still, not frozen, but crystal clear. With a glance, they could even see fish swimming in the water, and looking further into the distance, the water and sky met at the horizon.

The wind and ice swirled in the sky and on the ground, but the ground was a clear expanse of water. Sunlight shone down, scattering through the layers of snow and ice crystals, creating shifting light and shadow that fell on the water's surface, transforming into shimmering ripples.

"Such a vast expanse truly deserves the name 'sea'!"

"Such a wondrous sight exists in the world?"

"A masterpiece of nature! It's beyond human capabilities!"

Exclamations of praise rang out from the envoys, and some were even inspired to compose poems and inscriptions.

Qiu Yan was not swayed by the beautiful scenery. His gaze swept across the area, and his mind focused. At the entrance of a low-lying cave by the lake, he saw a stone statue and clearly felt that the statue contained indescribable and profound Literary Thought!

ps:

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