A Visit to Bamboo Mountain

Bamboo Mountain Academy, where the woods were lush and the jade-like scenery exquisite.

"Sure enough, this is a fine place!"

After passing through the mountain gate, Qu Shan was immediately drawn to the place's distinctive style.

The buildings here were all brick and tile houses, with bluestone paths laid between them. The overall style resembled the Huizhou architecture Feng Xu had seen in his previous life.

It was not quite so refined, though; the details were somewhat rough.

He had originally wanted to build it in the style of Suzhou gardens, but considering how wild and unruly the children of the Great Wilderness were, he feared they would wreck the place. That was why he had decided to keep it simple.

After entering the academy, the scent of books and learning washed over them.

Even from several hundred paces away, they could hear the students reading aloud.

They were merely simple fables, without any ornate prose.

In every class, one student stood at the lectern and recited while the rest read along. The teachers moved back and forth between classrooms, correcting any mistakes immediately.

When Feng Yuqi saw the leaders of the five major tribes surrounding someone, with even Feng Xu attending to him attentively, she knew the envoy had arrived and hurried out to greet him.

"And this is?"

Qu Shan asked.

"Greetings, Lord Qu. I am the vice principal of Bamboo Mountain Academy, responsible for its daily management and instruction."

Feng Xu had sent someone yesterday to notify her and tell her to prepare in advance.

There was not much to prepare, really. They had merely extended the morning reading session.

"What is the purpose of this academy?"

Qu Shan asked.

"The academy is a place for cultivating talent for the tribe. At present, it mainly teaches literacy and trains lower-level administrators for the tribe."

The academy had strict academic requirements for its students. Not only did they need to speak fluently and recognize over a thousand characters, but they also had to meet standards of moral character.

Those who failed to meet the requirements could not graduate. Graduates were guaranteed employment.

The other four surrounding tribes had also sent many children here to study.

To them, whether the children actually learned anything was secondary. The main benefit was being spared the trouble of disciplining them.

All children were given names upon enrollment so they could be distinguished from one another.

Feng Yuqi led everyone through the academy.

"Are these the characters?"

Qu Shan flipped through the teaching materials, finding them wondrously profound.

To someone who had never learned writing, they were as incomprehensible as a heavenly book.

Feng Yuqi took out a beginner's textbook and taught him a few characters.

Qu Shan learned them at once and could even draw inferences from them.

Having personally experienced the usefulness of writing, Qu Shan became engrossed in it and dragged Feng Xu into the courtyard to learn characters.

Feng Yuqi led the other chiefs onward, comparing the changes of recent years and asking about the studies of students from each tribe.

To keep the children from causing trouble, Feng Yuqi specifically warned the most mischievous ones not to disturb Feng Xu and Qu Shan in the courtyard.

Under Feng Xu's guidance, Qu Shan studied for an entire day and successfully mastered the basic thousand characters. Even his lunch was brought to him by Feng Yuqi.

"The one who created writing was truly a remarkable talent."

Qu Shan was deeply shaken. Writing concerned the inheritance of knowledge.

Not only the Human Race—even the entire Primordial World likely needed such a thing.

Feng Xu gave Feng Yuqi a look, and she immediately understood.

"This was created by the principal. These teaching materials were also written by the principal, then copied out by the students themselves."

The palest ink was better than the best memory.

There were not many people who could read and write yet, and the tribe's demand for books was low. Feng Xu had thought that having the students copy them out themselves would deepen their impressions, so he had not developed printing.

"Where is the principal now? I would like to meet him."

"What unfortunate timing. The spring work has just ended, and the principal has gone out to recruit new students."

Feng Yuqi replied.

Qu Shan's gaze swept over the two of them, leaving him with mixed feelings.

Night had fallen, so they would rest at the academy for the day.

Qu Shan was assigned a private room. Several chiefs shared one room, while Feng Xu, Lin Feng, and the others squeezed into a small house together.

"Feng Xu, what sort of important figure came today? Why are the chiefs taking him so seriously?"

Lin Feng was the first to ask.

"This man is an envoy from the Central Wilderness Tribe, a Late Heavenly Immortal. You'd all better behave yourselves and stop causing trouble."

Feng Xu warned them solemnly.

"So powerful? Then what is he doing here?"

Jiang Ming looked out the window, shut it, then turned back and asked.

"I don't know. I haven't asked yet. But we have already settled an order, and the trade will take place in two months."

Feng Xu wanted to cultivate in peace, but the people around him kept chattering and asking questions without end.

He pushed open the door and stepped outside, only to see Qu Shan standing there, about to knock.

"Lord Qu, what brings you here so late?"

"Feng Xu, I would like to speak with you."

What could two grown men possibly have to talk about in the middle of the night?

Though Feng Xu was puzzled, he still followed Qu Shan to the roof of the teaching building.

"I have already spoken with Feng Sui. He told me that after leaving the Central Wilderness Tribe, he lived a hard life. Many people died in the jaws of Fierce Beasts and the Demon Race, while many tribes vanished without a sound."

Qu Shan spoke quietly, as though he did not wish to disturb those resting nearby.

"Feng Xu, what do you think of the Great Wilderness leader's relocation order?"

"I am merely an Earth Immortal from the borderlands. How could I understand such matters?"

Feng Xu did not answer. Commenting on one's superior was practically a death trap.

If he praised him, others might think him a flatterer. If he criticized him, he would offend people.

Without knowing the relationship between the lord and the envoy, Feng Xu did not dare say too much.

"Do not worry. I will not report it to the lord. Speak freely."

Qu Shan looked at Feng Xu, his eyes carrying a trace of expectation.

"To the west lies the threat of the Heavenly Wolf Demon Race. The lord's actions were meant to preserve the sparks of the Human Race and prevent everyone from being wiped out at once."

"Everyone knows that. I want to hear your own thoughts."

Meeting Qu Shan's expectant gaze, Feng Xu finally spoke.

"Though the lord's actions had deeper intentions, the timing was wrong. All manner of Demon Beasts occupy the Great Wilderness, while the Human Race is weak. If they scatter, they will struggle to survive. It has only been less than a hundred years since the Holy Mother created the Human Race, and the Sage's lingering might remains.

Demons capable of exterminating the Human Race still dare not act. Resources should be concentrated for development. Only after gaining a certain level of strength should we consider preserving sparks of the race."

Qu Shan raised his head and gazed westward, letting out a deep sigh.

"You know only one side of it. You do not know the lord's true intention. Back then, the Human Race of the Great Wilderness lived together in concentrated settlements. Though they did not fear ordinary Demon Beasts, once their numbers grew, internal chaos erupted everywhere. The lord exhausted himself over it, yet never saw any results."

Qu Shan wrote and drew on the ground, sketching out the rough distribution of the Human Race.

"Later, the lord suppressed them by force. Things improved somewhat, but conflicts still arose repeatedly. So the lord invoked the Heavenly Wolf Demon Race and scattered the Human Race under the pretext of preserving sparks of the race.

The strong remained in the central region to resist the Demon Race's invasion, while the weak scattered in all directions. The Central Wilderness Tribe's population plummeted, and only then did it enjoy peace for several decades."

So that was it. There had been such hidden circumstances behind what happened back then.

But why tell me this?

"Then have you come because the population of the Great Wilderness has grown? Do you intend to first inspect the development of each tribe, then decide whether to scatter the people again?"

Feng Xu guessed.

"That is not the case."

Qu Shan's expression suddenly turned grave.

"In recent years, conflicts between the central Great Wilderness and the Demon Race have steadily increased. Some time ago, Demon Beasts carrying Baleful Qi appeared in various places. These beasts are bloodthirsty and crazed, fiercer than the Baleful Demons we have seen before, and they spread far more quickly. I came here precisely to track the Baleful Demons."

Feng Xu suddenly understood.

So those swarms of bees had come from the central Great Wilderness. He immediately told Qu Shan everything about them.

"Not bad. You actually managed to deal with the Baleful Demons this way. You have saved me quite a bit of effort."

Qu Shan looked at Feng Xu and revealed the true reason he had sought him out tonight.

"War will soon break out in the central Great Wilderness. Feng Xu, are you willing to follow me to the Central Wilderness Tribe and contribute your strength to the Human Race? A talent like you should go to a larger stage."