Endless Kowtowing, Rootless Falling Leaves

The others didn't look at the stone statue, but rather at the fish swimming in the water, sighing in admiration.

Three Rivers Tribe then chimed in, "This fish is called the 'North Sea Icefish.' Its exterior is as hard as ice, but once its shell is broken, it can be used. It is delicious and juicy, with smooth flesh. Swallowing it can generate heat and ward off the cold. It can even be used to make wine."

"It really has such an effect?"

The envoys were immediately surprised, and their gazes toward the swimming fish changed.

A quick-witted person immediately said, "In that case, perhaps Lord Su was able to persist for so many years by eating this kind of fish!"

However, as soon as these words were spoken, the nobleman from Three Rivers who had made the introduction looked troubled. "The North Sea Icefish are not easy to catch. They are extremely intelligent and cannot be caught with bait. Moreover, they are very agile and strong. Even a grown man cannot withstand a single impact. In addition, the seawater is icy cold, making it difficult for anyone to catch them with their bare hands."

Someone else added, "Even if you try to catch them with a fishing net, it will be difficult to succeed, because the icefish will swim away before the net even enters the water. Even if they don't have time to escape, they can break through the net with a single dash, so it's completely useless."

Zhong Yan asked curiously, "So, how is this fish caught? Since you know its taste and that it can be used in wine, you must have some experience with it."

As the question and answer session progressed, the slightly tense atmosphere among the group eased, which was exactly what the Three Rivers Tribe wanted. They then readily revealed some of their tribe's secrets.

"Because some members of the tribe have special bloodlines, they can go into the water to keep warm in November and December each year. They also apply a special ointment to their bodies, which attracts ice fish to come to them. The ointment spreads all over their bodies, and the ointment combines with their bloodline to emit a fragrance. If the ice fish stay in the water for a long time, they will lose their strength and be easily captured."

As he spoke, the speaker kept glancing at Old Khan Yebalu, and only after seeing the latter nod secretly did he feel relieved enough to continue.

This theory about constitution is related to the very foundation of Three Rivers, and it once brought disaster upon us, so we must be wary of it.

"Such a thing is true?" one of the envoys exclaimed immediately. "It seems your ancestor must have been an extraordinary person."

This statement is somewhat veiled, actually implying that the ancestor of the Three Rivers Tribe was a cultivator who had achieved success in his Life Cultivation.

This is because when a cultivator reaches the Second Realm of Life Cultivation, they refine Heroic Soul Seven Souls. As long as they refine the Divine Ability soul, a trace of their supernatural Technique Method can remain in their bloodline, and be passed down to future generations, enabling them to do things beyond the ordinary.

The practice of these Three Rivers Tribe using blood to attract fish is not surprising.

In fact, almost every tribe that has risen to prominence on the Grasslands has, to some extent, the ability to inherit the bloodline of Heroic Soul.

However, this bloodline inheritance, diluted with time and generation after generation, inevitably fades into ordinariness. Unless there is another change at the source of the bloodline, it will eventually be lost to history.

The fact that the Three Rivers Tribe can easily utilize their special abilities suggests that their ancestor lived not too long ago, and also indicates that the tribe's history is not very long.

Of course, after the explanation, everyone's ideas about how Lord Su lived back then changed, and they became even more puzzled.

"Actually, this kind of ice fish can be traded with goods from the Central Plains," Meng Qingbin had been listening silently, suddenly spoke up. His words sent a shockwave through the Three Rivers people present. "Things like tea and salt can also be traded."

Hearing this, the nobles of Three Rivers were all excited. Although they were in a remote area, they were not unaware of the abundance of resources in the Central Plains, nor were they unfamiliar with these things. Unfortunately, on the Grasslands, there was generally only one way to obtain these things: through the hands of the Rouluo people.

This is because the trade between the Grasslands and the Central Plains was controlled by the Rouluo. In the early days, the Great Rui government organized formal border trade. Later, as the Rouluo rose to power, they came to plunder, and official trade was banned. However, as long as there is demand, there will be people willing to take the risk, so there is still a lot of private smuggling.

The Meng Clan behind Meng Qingbin, located on the frontier, was also involved in these events. Their words at this time were also intended to pave the way for their Lineage's future.

With the crisis over, his role as an envoy representing the nation became somewhat overshadowed, and Lineage interests were once again put on the agenda.

Human nature is inherently influenced by circumstances, and it's difficult to discern bottom lines and principles until the very last moment.

After thinking for a while, Old Khan Three Rivers said, "We are very grateful for the Three Rivers Tribe's good intentions, but Three Rivers is far away from Great Rui, and we have to pass through many tribes in between, as well as the Rouluo people who are blocking our way. I'm afraid it will be difficult to trade directly with them."

"How could I not know this?" Meng Qingbin smiled slightly. "Now that Rouluo has been severely damaged, once Great Rui and the nobles join forces to defeat the remnants of Rouluo's fertile grasslands will naturally belong to the nobles. How could trade between the two sides be hindered again?"

While striving for his Lineage's interests, this Great Rui Envoy of Rui did not forget his mission. Qiu Yan's actions had already intimidated the entire Three Rivers region. The next step was to draw up a blueprint for them, depicting the bright future after defeating the Rouluo people, thus increasing their enthusiasm.

This is precisely a combination of kindness and severity.

These words greatly appealed to the old Khan Yebalu, but he was not blinded by greed and did not immediately express his opinion. He simply said, "Although Rouluo has lost the Left Wise King, it still has the other three kings and the troops of the Khan's main force. Its strength is still there and it is impossible for it to be defeated in one battle."

"The Rouluo tribe is embroiled in internal strife, and the Left Wise King has been sidelined. They have lost their wings. Even if they are not defeated in one battle, they will be torn apart. The vacated territory will be abandoned by the Three Rivers Tribe, and the court will have to hand it over to other tribes. Your Majesty should think this through carefully." Meng Qingbin did not argue, but said calmly, "Moreover, Rouluo is divided, the various tribes that it forcibly conquered will surely scatter like birds and beasts, and it will collapse on its own without a fight."

These words already carried a hint of threat, telling Yebalu that the Three Rivers Tribe was not Great Rui's only option. This was also an unexpected move by Qiu Yan, which increased Great Rui's prestige and initiative, allowing Meng Qingbin, as a diplomat, to be more composed.

The old Khan felt a chill run down his spine, but he still dared not make a hasty decision. He said only, "Let's discuss this further and talk to the chief envoy when we return to our tribe."

On the other side, after the initial shock, the envoys' gazes finally shifted to the edge of the water, where someone spotted the stone statue and immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"That stone statue is the incarnation of Lord Su, as you Central Plains people say." Duolu had been paying close attention to Qiu Yan's movements and expressions, and upon hearing the exclamation, he immediately spoke up to introduce him.

Is that the place?

Qiu Yan's eyes glazed over for a moment. In his vision, the shimmering lake and the Heavenly Wind suddenly disappeared, replaced by a white Grasslands and a slender figure, draped in animal skin and carrying Ceremonial Staff, walking alone.

However, this scene quickly faded away, and Zhao Can's question echoed in his ears, "That was Lord Su's residence? It was indeed harsh and simple. How vicious the Xionbei were back then! But there was no grass nearby, and the cold wind was everywhere. How did Lord Su herd sheep? What kind of sheep could survive in such a harsh place?"

The Great Yan was an ancient dynasty in the Central Plains that once dominated all directions. At that time, the Xionbei were rising on the Grasslands. The two sides fought each other. The Lord Su mentioned by everyone was the envoy Envoy Su sent by the Great Yan to the Xionbei. Because of the war, he was intercepted by the Xionbei Chanyu and forced to submit.

Many of those who accompanied the Envoy Su could not withstand the pressure and declared their allegiance, but the Envoy Su refused. So the Chanyu imprisoned him and deprived him of food and water.

In his predicament, Envoy Su ate felt and chewed on ice and snow when he was hungry, enduring the hunger for several days without dying. The Xionbei found this amusing and, wanting to mock him, exiled him to the desolate land of the North Sea, making him herd rams, saying that he could only be released when the rams gave birth to lambs.

It was naturally impossible for a ram to give birth to a lamb, and this predicament lasted for decades.

Even after the Great Yan Dynasty paid homage to the Xionbei and drove them away, when the general inquired about the whereabouts of Envoy Su envoy, the Xionbei did not provide any information. It was only later that one of the people who had accompanied the Envoy Su and submitted to the Xionxian revealed a little secret. Unfortunately, by then, the Envoy Su had already passed away.

But this story spread far and wide, becoming a well-known legend and a source of inspiration for many civil officials.

Previously, the old man of Three Rivers said that Lord Su was stubborn and unyielding, and the envoys were so angry because their spiritual support had been insulted!

Then, led by the people of Three Rivers, Meng Qingbin, Qiu Yan and others slowly moved forward. The stone statue was located in a low-lying area, and they had to walk down a slope. The ground was frozen and the surface was covered with ice, making it very slippery. They had to be careful, so they moved slowly.

It took nearly an hour to walk just a few steps. Many people were shivering from the cold, but no one complained. Even Qiu Yan, who could have reached the destination in one go by using the wind, did not use his Divine Ability but walked with the others.

The closer they got, the more solemn the expressions on the envoys' faces became.

Upon reaching them and seeing the stone statue clearly, their hearts were stirred, and their expressions changed.

The stone statue's face was so lifelike that just by looking at it, one could tell it was a gaunt old man, draped in animal skin, holding Ceremonial Staff, facing south as he passed away, his face still frozen with the expression he had before his death.

Regret, longing, and perseverance.

Deep within the ice in front of the stone statue, a few words could be faintly seen; upon closer inspection, they became clear—

I bow my head in reverence, for I have failed in my mission and am ashamed before the nation and its people.

Upon seeing this, all the envoys felt a tremor in their hearts, and an indescribable sadness and sigh arose. The historian in the crowd, having been prepared by what had happened before, took out paper and pen from his bosom to record it, but a cold wind blew and the ink froze first!

Qiu Yan, standing in the crowd, was also moved by the words. He even discovered a trace of True Spirit within them. His mind trembled, and the Yin Spirit within him was drawn away by the spirit in the words and flew out!

The next moment, the light and shadow changed, the wind and snow stopped, and a figure walked out of the stone statue. The surrounding scenery changed drastically. It was no longer hard rock and frozen soil, but turned into a snow-white meadow with grass reaching knee-high.

The person emerging from the stone statue, wielding a Ceremonial Staff, brandished it in the air, but instead of sheep, a flock gathered around...

Wolf!

ps:

Thank you to "Adventurer* Tian Yun" for the monthly pass!