The Demon-Barbarian Delegation

To conceal his identity, Xu Qi'an did not ride a mare, since a beautiful woman on a magnificent horse like a mare would be easily recognized.

The rain was pouring down as he rode in the Xu Residence's carriage, its wheels rolling as it headed towards the imperial city.

The carriage was blocked outside the gate of the imperial city. When the soldiers guarding the city saw the word "Xu" written on the carriage, they did not dare to be careless and stepped forward to check.

Looking across the capital, there is only one Xu Household that can enter the imperial city. And within this Xu Household, someone has killed a Duke, offending the royal family, the imperial clan, and the noble class.

He absolutely cannot be allowed into the imperial city.

Xu Qi'an lifted the curtain and handed over the official token.

After the soldiers inspected the area, they still refused to let them pass and notified the commander of the Imperial Guard.

Braving the heavy rain, the commander of the Imperial Guard rushed over, took the official token, examined it for a few moments, then looked at the handsome young man sitting upright in the carriage, scrutinized his face for a moment, and said:

"Is Lord Xu on leave today?"

Xu Qi'an did not wear Erlang's official robes, but went out in plain clothes.

Xu Xinnian was a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy, whose office was located within the Hanlin Academy city, granting him the right to enter and leave the city. However, because today was a day off, the commander of the Imperial Guards was asked this question.

The imperial guards are very wary of our family. I'm sure that if it were me alone, even with Huaiqing or Lin'an with me, I probably wouldn't be able to get into the palace. This is a consequence of the incident at the Meridian Gate where they cursed and kidnapped two dukes. He spoke calmly, using Xu Erlang's voice:

"I am going to pay a visit to the Grand Secretary."

After examining the Grand Secretary and the Imperial Guard Commander for a few more moments, the Commander finally nodded and said, "Let Lord Xu in."

The carriage passed through the city gate and entered the imperial city, heading towards the residence of the Grand Secretary.

The Imperial Guards on the city wall watched the carriage depart into the distance; the direction was correct.

After walking for a quarter of an hour, Xu Qi'an said, "Turn left."

The coachman obeyed and changed direction, and the carriage departed from its original route. Under Xu Qi'an's guidance, the coachman, who had never been to the capital before, successfully delivered Xu Dalang to the front of Lingbao Temple with his excellent driving skills.

Xu Qi'an got out of the car with an umbrella, and after being announced by the young Daoist priest guarding the gate, he entered Lingbao Temple smoothly without any problems.

He made sure the carriage entered Lingbao Temple through a side gate, rather than stopping conspicuously at the main entrance.

If that old fellow, Emperor Yuanjing, happens to be here practicing Daoism and sees the carriage, things will be in trouble.

Passing through the halls and courtyards dedicated to the founders of the Human Sect, we arrived deep within the Lingbao Temple. In a secluded courtyard and quiet room, we met the stunningly beautiful female National Preceptor.

Her expression was serene, and her aloof demeanor exuded an ethereal elegance, like a fairy from heaven.

Huaiqing is also a cool and proud beauty, but her temperament leans towards nobility and arrogance, while Luo Yuheng's coolness, combined with her clothing and the bright red cinnabar between her eyebrows, highlights her holiness and ethereal beauty.

At this moment, upon seeing the Imperial Advisor's stunning beauty again, Xu Qi'an's mindset shifted slightly. He thought to himself: She is the woman I would never dare to defile, even in bed.

My next thought was: Luckily, the Imperial Preceptor didn't understand the Buddhist School concept of telepathy, otherwise I might have died on the spot.

Luo Yuheng sat cross-legged at the table, where two cups of hot tea were already laid out.

Xu Qi'an took a seat as instructed, took a sip of tea, and his eyes lit up instantly. "Excellent tea!"

It has a slightly bitter taste upon first sip, lingers on the tongue for three seconds, then immediately turns sweet. After swallowing, the aftertaste remains on the lips and teeth for a long time.

"Pity."

Luo Yuheng shook his head and sighed softly.

"What's a pity?"

Xu Qi'an asked subconsciously.

"This tea was planted by a friend of mine. It only yields one pound a year, and I only get three or four ounces. Unfortunately, she has been missing for a long time, and her whereabouts are unknown," Luo Yuheng said.

Auntie, I feel like there's something hidden in your words.

Hmm, this tea was grown by the princess. I've discovered another clever trick of hers; from now on, I'll lock her in a dark room and not feed her until she grows tea.

Xu Qi'an sighed without changing his expression, "That's indeed a pity."

Luo Yuheng glanced at him lightly, her voice soft but devoid of emotion as she asked, "What is it?"

"I would like to ask about the previous head of the Human Sect and the late Emperor," Xu Qi'an said.

"The matter of my father and the late emperor?"

Luo Yuheng asked in surprise.

"I have checked the late emperor's daily records. Although the late emperor did not practice Daoism, he was quite interested in the methods of immortality. I want to know, did he practice Daoism?" Xu Qi'an asked directly.

Luo Yuheng pondered for a moment, then said, "My father died in a heavenly calamity."

What does this have to do with my question?

"He didn't have to die, but the Supervisor wouldn't allow the Human Sect to move into the Imperial City, which led to my father being consumed by karmic fire and perishing under the Heavenly Tribulation," Luo Yuheng said calmly.

Therefore, the late emperor did not practice Daoism.

Xu Qi'an frowned. The late emperor had not practiced Daoism.

"How's your investigation into Yuan Jing going?" Luo Yuheng asked, her beautiful eyes fixed on him.

Xu Qi'an hesitated for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and asked in a deep voice, "Grand Preceptor, do you know that those who possess destiny cannot live forever?"

Luo Yuheng looked at him, and only at this moment did Xu Qi'an feel that the Imperial Preceptor was truly looking at him and looking at him properly.

"The correct saying is that those who are blessed with good fortune cannot live forever," she corrected.

Luo Yuheng knew about this matter, so she wasn't surprised that Emperor Yuanjing was so obsessed with cultivating Daoism. Xu Qi'an expressed this question.

"There are always people who harbor unrealistic fantasies. There are countless cultivators in the world, and most of them have dreamed of becoming a first-grade master, or even surpassing that grade."

Luo Yuheng said calmly, "Yuan Jing may think he has seen hope, or he may have some hidden motives. As for me, whatever his plans are, what does it have to do with me? I cultivate my path, and he cultivates his immortality."

She knew that Emperor Yuanjing might have secrets, but she didn't delve into them. She was cultivating by borrowing the fortune of the Great Feng, and her relationship with Emperor Yuanjing was one of cooperation. Delving into the secrets of her partner would only lead to a stalemate or even a falling out between them. Xu Qi'an understood the meaning behind the Grand Preceptor's words.

After a moment's thought, Xu Qi'an stopped dwelling on the topic and instead asked, "I used the talisman sword in Jianzhou. How can I contact the Imperial Preceptor now?"

Subtext: Quickly send me another talisman sword.

The talisman sword contains the power of Luo Yuheng's sword strike, making it extremely difficult to craft; it cannot be given away so easily.

That's why Xu Qi'an asked her for it; it was a test.

Upon hearing this, Luo Yuheng frowned and said, "Forging a talisman sword is extremely difficult and cannot be accomplished overnight."

She paused, then said in a nonchalant tone, "I happen to have one left, so I might as well keep it since it's useless."

With a flick of his sleeve, a talisman sword lay quietly on the table.

Xu Qi'an looked at the talisman sword with mixed feelings.

The Imperial Garden.

Attic, observation deck.

Emperor Yuanjing stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the imperial garden in the downpour, and laughed, "Although the flowers in my palace are vying for beauty and are breathtakingly beautiful, they are too delicate and cannot withstand the ravages of wind and rain."

In the rain, clusters of brightly colored flowers bent over, their petals floating with the raindrops.

Behind him, Wei Yuan held a cup of tea, sipping it lightly, and said calmly, "Flowers are meant to please their owners; the softer they are, the more their owners like them. Your Majesty likes their fragility, yet you mock their vulnerability; this is truly unreasonable."

With his back to Wei Yuan, Emperor Yuanjing's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he chuckled and said, "For me, it's enough to cherish the most beautiful flower. Wei Qing, what do you think?"

Wei Yuan gave a forced, insincere smile.

Emperor Yuanjing continued watching the rain and sighed:

"After the turmoil in Chuzhou, the Prince of Huai died in battle, Jili Zhigu perished, and Zhu Jiu also suffered heavy losses, leaving the northern border weak. The Witch God Sect is coming with great force this time. If the northern demon and barbarian territories fall, all the borders of Great Feng from north to east will be surrounded by the Witch God Sect."

"Wei Qing, you are a master of military strategy, what are your thoughts?"

Wei Yuan answered without hesitation, "The court will naturally send troops to support the Northeast, but the benefits we are entitled to cannot be reduced. The northern barbarians have been harassing the border for years. This time, it's the Great Feng's turn to bleed them dry."

Emperor Yuanjing smiled and said, "The Hanlin Academy wants to revise military treatises. I've read them, and they've been revised over and over again without any new ideas. When the barbarian delegation arrives in the capital, I'm afraid they'll laugh at our Great Feng. Minister Wei is a military genius rarely seen in a century; perhaps he could go to the Hanlin Academy and offer some guidance."

Military treatises were part of showcasing "national strength" to the demon and barbarian delegation. The more military treatises a country had, the more Great Feng it had. Their importance was second only to artillery exercises.

The military strategies currently used by the Great Feng are those left behind by the scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy, as well as the "Six Commentaries on the Art of War" written by Zhang Shen, a contemporary great Confucian scholar of military strategy.

On the contrary, Wei Yuan, the universally acknowledged unparalleled military genius, left behind not a single word.

Wei Yuan shook his head.

Emperor Yuanjing was not angry at all, and said:

"The Imperial Academy originally planned to hold a literary gathering at Luhu today, but a heavy rain has prevented it. I intend to have the gathering held by the Imperial Academy after the delegation arrives in the capital. At that time, Minister Wei is welcome to attend."

Wei Yuan then nodded.

Over the next two days, news of the northern war and the barbarian tribes, promoted by the court, began to circulate in the capital, first among the scholar-official class, and then among merchants and commoners.

In an instant, heated discussions arose in official circles, among scholars, in academies, teahouses, restaurants, brothels, and Imperial Academy of Music, creating a frenzy of discussion.

The common people harbored hatred towards the demon and barbarian delegation and opposed the Great Feng's plan to send troops to aid the demons and barbarians.

The common people's love and hate are straightforward and they don't care about the big picture. They only know that the northern barbarians are the mortal enemies of the Great Feng, and that there have been constant large and small wars since the founding of the country six hundred years ago.

To take a recent example, in the months surrounding the massacre in Chuzhou, the northern barbarians constantly harassed the border, burning, killing, and looting.

The aristocratic class, with its broader perspective and greater rationality and objectivity, saw a fierce clash between pro-war and wait-and-see attitudes, unlike the common people who were almost unanimously opposed.

In fact, it wasn't just the capital; when the imperial court decided to send troops, it had already sent official reports to all the prefectures. Before long, the local governments would promote the idea of sending troops and spread the word widely.

Amidst this widespread public discussion, a delegation from the north arrived at the capital's docks aboard an official boat, traveling along the canal.

This delegation, composed of demons and barbarians, consisted of elites from the twelve barbarian tribes and experts from the six Demon Race.

The two leaders were young men, one of whom had white hair and a handsome appearance that was unusual among the barbarians. He always had a smile on his face and his eyes were always squinting.

Pei Manxilou is the eldest son of the leader of the White-Headed Tribe, one of the twelve tribes of the barbarian tribes.

The Bai Shou tribe is known for its wisdom and is considered an anomaly among the barbarians, while Pei Manxilou is an anomaly among anomalies.

He had a deep understanding of Central Plains culture. When the barbarians raided the border of Chuzhou, they took women and food. But he alone did not want food or beauties; he only took books.

He loved books like his own life, including the Four Books and Five Classics, biographies of literati, and even some lighthearted and uninteresting stories.

The other was Huang Xian'er, the princess of the fox tribe of the Demon Race race. She was wearing a leather dress in the northern style, with the hem only reaching her knees, revealing her two slender and straight calves.

Her clothes only covered her vital areas, revealing her wheat-colored skin, rounded shoulders, and taut abdomen, exuding a wild beauty.

Her face was delicate and charming, every smile and frown exuding captivating allure, a contrast to her sexy and wild body, creating a breathtaking beauty.

The women of the fox clan of the Demon Race are the most charming and alluring.

Standing on the deck, the two looked at the Great Feng soldiers waiting at the dock. Huang Xian'er giggled and said, "Bookworm, if we come back empty-handed and can't bring back reinforcements, we'll be in big trouble."

Standing in the river breeze, Pei Manxilou said calmly, "Whether we can bring in reinforcements depends solely on how much we are willing to give."

He gazed at the capital city, squinted, and smiled:

"In the capital city there is Cloud Deer Academy, an academy founded by the chief disciple of the Confucian School sage. Two hundred years ago, when Confucian School was at its most glorious, the whole world submitted to it. Not to mention our divine race, even the Buddhist kingdoms of the Western Regions had to tolerate the Confucian School's reneging on its promises and moving its traditions back from the Central Plains to the Western Regions."

"The capital city has the Imperial Academy, which does not study the Confucian School system. But precisely because of this, scholars have more time and energy to expand their knowledge, covering a wide range of subjects such as astronomy, geography, agriculture, commerce, and industry. If I could move the Imperial Academy's library back to the north, I would never have to go south in my life."

"In the capital, there is Wei Yuan, who is hailed as one of the few great military strategists in the six hundred years since the founding of the Great Feng Dynasty. In the sixth year of Yuanjing, General Dugu, who was guarding the north, passed away. Tens of thousands of our divine race cavalrymen went south to plunder. He only took three months to kill tens of thousands of cavalrymen and make them flee in disarray. Twenty years ago, in the Battle of Shanhai Pass, if it weren't for him, the history of the entire Nine Provinces would have been rewritten."

"In the capital there is a supervisor who overlooks the Central Plains for five hundred years. His thoughts are like the secrets of heaven, unfathomable to gods and ghosts."

"There is a poetry master in the capital, who is hailed as the number one poet in the past two hundred years. Even the Great Feng of the Ming Dynasty two hundred years ago could hardly find a second one like him."

"The capital city, I've longed to visit for so long."

Pei Manxilou let out a breath and laughed, "The capital is full of outstanding people, and I, with my vast knowledge, have finally found a worthy opponent."

The bookworm Huang Xian'er curled her lip and smiled seductively, "Debating with a group of scholars is your business; the women of my Fox Clan are only responsible for defeating the men of the Great Feng in bed."

The delegation included fifty beautiful women from the Fox Clan, each with outstanding looks and graceful figures. Among them were three women with alluring charms who were natural-born beauties.

It is well known that Emperor Yuanjing cultivated Daoism and craved immortality. Although he had abstained from women for many years, he would not refuse a furnace offered to him.

At this moment, Huang Xian'er's beautiful eyes darted around, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, what a handsome human lad!"

A young man dressed in a blue official robe stood on the dock. He had fair skin, bright eyes, red lips and white teeth, and was an extremely rare handsome man.

Pei Manxilou narrowed his eyes, his expressionless expression conveying, "Green robe and imperial edict, a minor official of the seventh rank."

As the official ship docked, the demon and barbarian delegation disembarked. The handsome young man stepped forward and announced loudly, "I, Xu Xinnian, have been ordered to welcome you envoys."

P. S.: A flurry of activity, but the actual word count is only 4000. I thought I wrote 40,000 words; this world is so unreal.