The Yan Kingdom was also a great nation. Although the people of Great Yong habitually called their northern neighbor Southern Yan, its official name had always been Great Yan. The "southern" designation had arisen because the country had moved its capital south, creating a distinction between north and south. But this was still a Great Yong usage, though it might have influenced some people of Yan as well.
Yi Shuyuan roamed the skies, his long sleeves fluttering as he used Wind Control, lending him an air of graceful freedom. Something of the spirit of a white crane in flight seemed to linger about him. As they traveled, he told Stoneborn about Southern Yan.
"Great Yong was founded three hundred years ago, but if you consider Southern Yan as part of the Yan Kingdom's entire history, it has existed for over four hundred years. So quite a few people of Yan have a natural sense of superiority toward Great Yong."
Stoneborn frowned. Young as he was, his sense of belonging as a native of Great Yong left him somewhat unhappy, but his perspective as an Immortal Cultivator told him this was perfectly normal.
Hui Mian nodded in agreement.
"From what I saw when I wandered around Southern Yan before, that's certainly true!"
Apart from the few people he knew, much of Yi Shuyuan's knowledge of Southern Yan came from books and hearsay, though there were some things he could confirm.
"Before Great Yong was founded, warfare raged everywhere, and the Yan Kingdom tried to seize the opportunity to attack southward. The gains and losses during that period were complicated, and it's one of the reasons for the longstanding enmity between Great Yong and Great Yan."
As he spoke, Yi Shuyuan looked at his disciple.
"Stoneborn, you grew up in Great Yong