Good and Evil Are Repaid in the End; Returning to the Homeland Through Yan-Zhao

"Thank you for your help, editor!"

Finally, led by Old Kai, everyone shared their last thought.

Qiu Yan, whose thoughts aligned with the Five Paths of Order, replied, "No need for thanks. This is what you deserve. If anyone should express gratitude, it should be me, Qiu, thanking you."

As the words faded, the heroic spirit departed.

The past is gone, and a new life will come. Their actions in this life will bring them wealth and well-being in their next life, but the rewards will not be limited to the next.

As the "Northern Frontier Gazetteer" circulates in the future, it will carry the thoughts of all living beings and make their Fortune grow even stronger. Of course, these things do not necessarily have to wait until the next life. It is only because everyone dies that such an arrangement is made. If there is still life, there will naturally be retribution.

In this life, everything will eventually be rewarded.

As the heroic spirits entered the river, the five Human Path Order connected to them also separated from them again. However, as the heroic spirits ascended to heaven, Samsara, and were further immersed in the River of Forgetfulness, these Human Path Order became tainted with a lot of the aura of the Netherworld. Some of them showed faint signs of change, seemingly about to merge with the river water, and even showing a tendency to spread into the Netherworld.

The Netherworld is blank, like a blank sheet of paper, making it easy for the world to be colored by one's own colors.

This is a temptation, enough to entice even Grand Confucian.

However, Qiu Yan did not waver in the slightest. When he fought Lü Liang, he used his Three Bodies in unison to Human Path Invasion the Netherworld with the power of humanity, which severely injured Lü Liang. However, he was eventually driven away by the giant hand that stretched out from the River of Forgetfulness.

Now, the same trick has been used again; the giant hand has already appeared, but it is entangled in Karma. However, Qiu Yan does not think that everything is fine now, and remains cautious.

This time, as he sent the heroic spirits into Samsara, he also gathered information about the interaction between the Netherworld and Human Path, which was enough for him and an unexpected gain.

Therefore, as soon as these five Order appeared, they immediately returned to the seal, which then turned and left the Netherworld.

Almost simultaneously with the disappearance of the seal, the river churned, and the gushing memories turned into steam, flowing over and emitting a plague-like aura, enveloping the place where the seal had been, but there was nothing there anymore.

"They ran fast enough, which shows they know what's good for them. The starry sky is boundless, but I have no mind to explore or investigate it all, so let it be. The most important thing right now is to stay alert, after all, someone is trying to break through to that realm, this is not the time to be distracted..."

In the river, a vast flow of consciousness circulated, while deep in the sky, the river water that had surged past now fell with a "whoosh," like a torrential rain. The Karmic Thread that had spread everywhere had once again disappeared.

"This time, sending off the fallen heroes brought quite a few unexpected gains."

In the Mortal Realm, Qiu Yan and Meng Qingluo left the tent. The cleanup work was handled by a specialist, so he didn't need to worry about it. However, as they walked, Qiu Yan recalled the scenes of the Netherworld he had captured through the Human Path Order.

"That giant hand appeared once before, during my fierce battle with Lü Liang. Its reappearance this time, while astonishing, is not entirely unexpected. But what about the enormous object that appeared at the same time as the Karmic Thread? And what kind of being is hidden in the River of Forgetfulness?"

Thinking of this, he had a thought, and the seal of return appeared in his Heart Fire. After collapsing, it split back into Order, turned into nothingness, and returned to heaven and earth, but still left a strange aura, ethereal and heavy, seemingly there and not there.

This aura is a change resulting from the combination of Order and the aura of the Netherworld.

Sensing the aura, Qiu Yan felt a sense of familiarity. When he fought Lü Liang, the giant hand attacked and left behind a trace of black energy when it dissipated. Qiu Yan had captured it and investigated it, and the essence of it was similar to these strange auras.

"Could there be a derivative relationship between the two? I have obtained and utilized that black energy, but I have not been able to comprehend its essence. If I can start from this strange aura, perhaps I can unlock its mysteries and find out the truth."

As he pondered, he gradually became absorbed in his thoughts, losing interest in his surroundings.

Beside him, Meng Qingluo followed with a smile, but there was an undisguised doubt in his eyes. Qiu Yan's abilities, so he did not ask any questions.

In fact, as members of the Meng Clan, Meng Qingluo and Meng Qingbin are quite different in age, but they are of the same generation. Meng Qingluo is Meng Qingbin's cousin and someone the Meng Clan is preparing to cultivate. This time, his arrival at Qiu Yan's army was facilitated by many people, and Meng Qingbin secretly helped to make it happen, which shows how much importance they attach to him.

After the mission to Three Rivers, the entire Meng Clan paid special attention to Qiu Yan, regarding him as a potential ally. Meng Qingluo was there to pave the way.

He still remembered the instructions his cousin Meng Qingbin gave him before he was about to leave: not to act impulsively, to observe more and ask less, to contact Qiu Yan, and to try to learn some skills from him.

For the past two months, Meng Qingluo has put this advice into practice and has indeed benefited greatly. Whenever he has some questions, he asks Qiu Yan, who patiently answers them, explaining things in simple terms and profound in meaning, which has actually improved his knowledge.

This is why Meng Qingluo's impression of Qiu Yan changed repeatedly, from initially coming to obey orders to later developing increasing respect for him.

In fact, after Qiu Yan became the top scholar, he entered the Hanlin Military Pavilion and rarely went out. He did not socialize much with other officials. People only knew that there was such a person, but they did not know his specific personality. Occasionally, there would be rumors that he was aloof.

When he went on a mission to Three Rivers, he gathered classic texts, demonstrated brilliant strategies, and exerted his power over Three Rivers. In the end, he liberated the slaves and conquered various tribes. This series of events truly overwhelmed the officials of the court. Unconsciously, they each began to form their own impressions of Qiu Yan. Most of them regarded him as a reclusive and unapproachable Military School and Confucian General.

When Meng Qingluo first arrived, she also had this impression, but her opinion gradually changed later.

"There are still some young officials in the court who are secretly jealous of Qiu Yan. They think that although he is outstanding in Military School, he may not be remarkable in other areas. They are waiting for him to make a name for himself after he returns. But now it seems that they have only brought shame upon themselves."

Thinking of this, he recalled the group of students in Three Jin who were waiting to "seek guidance" from Qiu Yan. Most of them were invited by the Meng Clan to create a stir and express goodwill, which could be considered as catering to their preferences.

According to the Meng Clan, Qiu Yan will give lectures for two days. Even if the content is useless, they will make those people look like they have gained a lot.

In fact, the Meng Clan had long heard about Qiu Yan's farming and lecturing in Eastern Capital. However, seeing is believing, and Aristocratic Clan like theirs would not do anything without certainty. Since they wanted to be on good terms with Qiu Yan, they could not afford to be negligent in the slightest.

"I wonder what will become of that lecture..."

With this in mind, Meng Qingluo threw herself into the final tasks over the next few days.

Although Qiu Yan had plans to return to the Central Lands, he had an army under his command and couldn't just leave, otherwise the army would completely collapse. However, starting over from scratch wasn't too difficult.

The first step is to return and then hand over the army. Qiu Yan and Lord Shi of the Governor-General's Residence had already discussed and devised a plan for this. A general will take over. All Qiu Yan needs to do is lead the troops to the Northern Frontier Great Rui.

Just then, an imperial edict arrived, ordering Qiu Yan to return to the capital to receive his reward. Ran Lian, Fu Yong, and others were also mentioned, but they were not allowed to enter the capital, as it was said that there were national affairs to attend to and they had other important tasks. However, the edict granted them all official positions, which not only did not disrupt the morale of the army, but also boosted it.

The court had also made a decision regarding the arrangements for Shi Jin and the others. The court officials did not agree with letting them enter the pass, so after some discussion, it was decided to let them settle in the Northern Frontier as vassals and allow them to establish their own camps.

Shi Jin and the others were delighted with this result. Nowhere else could compare to the freedom of being on the Grasslands and making their own decisions. Of course, out of courtesy, Shi Jin still sought Qiu Yan's opinion, but the latter remained silent.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the group had already approached the Northern Frontier, but at the last moment, another unexpected event occurred: a group of people charged over, presumably having heard the news and lying in ambush to intercept and kill them.

However, although the incident was sudden, Qiu Yan had a contingency plan. The group did not gain any advantage and suffered heavy losses. However, Qiu Yan's men also changed their route according to the plan.

The appearance of this intercepting force was merely a harbinger. In Qiu Yan's calculations, once the news leaked, the entire journey south would be fraught with danger. To avoid trouble, changing course directly was the most ideal solution.

Thus, they originally planned to enter the pass through Yanmen, but had to turn east and take the Hebei Circuit into the Central Plains.

After changing their route, the journey was indeed peaceful, and the group arrived at the border military town without any major incidents. Generals who had received prior notice were already waiting there, and in accordance with the orders of the Privy Council, they handed over military power to Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan did not hesitate at all. He knew that during the handover of military power, his every move, word, and even his expression and glance would be recorded and transmitted back. Being decisive would avoid any unforeseen complications.

Military power has always been a sensitive topic. When he was on the Grasslands, no matter what he did, it wouldn't affect the Central Plains. But once he entered the pass, things were no longer simple. A civil official who clings to military power is not a good thing when he doesn't have enough influence and reputation; it will bring disaster upon himself.

After relinquishing his military power and bidding farewell to Ran Lian and the others, Qiu Yan gave each of them a brocade pouch, telling them to open it only in life-or-death situations, before gracefully departing.

Then, members of the Meng Clan came to accompany him and drove him to the Imperial City. However, the journey would take them through Three Jin, so the Meng Clan's arrangements would not be in vain.

However, upon entering Hebei Circuit, what Qiu Yan saw and heard along the way completely changed his State of Mind.

Hebei has been suffering from a severe drought for three years!

The scene was one of utter devastation!

P. S.: Thanks to "Wan Xia Xia La" and "Anonymous Nameless" for the donations!

Thank you "orisun" and "rfkaka" for the monthly votes!