On the Road

Beyond the Hundred Thousand Mountains, plains and lakes gradually appear, creating a diverse and colorful landscape.

In the "Geography of the Nine Provinces", the Southern Frontier can be roughly divided into two major regions: "Hundred Thousand Mountains" and "Extreme Abyss". These two names represent two powerful forces that dominate the Southern Frontier.

The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons and the Gu Clan.

Why is there no mention of the cuisine of Southern Frontier in the "Geography of Kyushu"?

Mu Nanzhi sat cross-legged on a rock by the stream, holding a blue book and reading intently.

Miao Youfang and Hongying were in charge of preparing the food, while Bai Ji waited for her meal on the side.

"Then you should ask the Confucian sage."

Xu Qi'an sat down beside her and said with a smile, "Perhaps the Confucian sage didn't like gourmet food."

The "Geography of the Nine Provinces" was written by the Confucian sage after traveling throughout the nine provinces for three years. It is a relatively simple record of the mountains, landforms, river distribution, and folk customs of various places in the nine provinces.

The later "Great Feng: Geography" was written by a descendant of Confucian School in imitation of the Confucian sage.

Mu Nanzhi believed it to be true and said:

"However, the records of the mountains and rivers, as well as the scattered tribes, are quite detailed."

As she looked at it, her lips suddenly twitched:

"What kind of barbarians are these?"

There are countless tribes in Southern Frontier, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand people, scattered throughout the Southern Frontier like stars in the sky.

Their customs were very strange; in Mu Nanzhi's eyes, they were simply uncivilized barbarians.

Xu Qi'an took the "Geography of the Nine Provinces" and looked at it intently. It said that there was a tribe called "Dog God" 320 miles west of the Southern Frontier border. The tribe had a custom that after men and women came of age, they had to marry a monster called "Horned Dog" and become partners.

They lived together from then on, hunted together, and were bound together in life and death.

Xu Qi'an looked further down and discovered that this monster, called the "Horned Dog," was characterized by being social, intelligent, and fierce.

They lived in the area surrounding the "Inugami" tribe.

"This is nature's choice."

Xu Qi'an stood up, holding a book in one hand and the other behind his back, adopting the posture of a schoolteacher, and began to explain to Mu Nanzhi:

"The birth of any custom and culture is related to the surrounding environment. It can be said that the environment determines the culture. For example, the agriculture of the Central Plains and the nomadic life of the northern barbarians are determined by their environments."

Mu Nanzhi only half understood what she heard, and frowned as she asked:

"So, their marriage to the horned dog was also caused by the environment?"

"The book says that 'horned dogs' are monsters that are naturally aggressive and intelligent, making them excellent companions. You can think of it as living together."

"Then how do they reproduce?"

Mu Nanzhi blinked, feigning an innocent and naive expression.

Before they knew it, the topic had taken a slightly suggestive turn. Xu Qi'an chuckled and said, "I knew you were most curious about this."

Mu Nanzhi instantly lost her composure, blushing and spitting out a curse, unable to keep up the act any longer.

"I think this is more of a respectful form of taming. Horned dogs are intelligent and have a high level of understanding, unlike ordinary dogs, so they cannot be tamed. After coming into contact with us in the Central Plains, the Dog God tribe discovered that 'marriage' was a very solemn ceremony, so they imitated this ceremony to show respect for the horned dogs. And the horned dogs accepted this ceremony."

Xu Qi'an offered his own assessment: the concept of marriage here might differ from that of marriage understood by the people of the Central Plains.

"Then turn back three pages."

Mu Nanzhi said.

Xu Qi'an turned three pages forward as instructed. The pages described a tribe called "Pan" whose chief had the power to take away a newlywed woman's virginity when they got married.

"It can't be determined by the environment, can it?" she said, hands on her hips.

Xu Qi'an stroked his chin and asked in return, "Do you know the power structure of a lion pride?"

Mu Nanzhi shook her head.

"When a male lion rules over a group of females, it kills all the cubs of the previous mate when it first takes control. The same principle applies to the first night," Xu Qi'an argued confidently.

"Imagine, if one of these brides were to give birth to the chieftain's child, then his bloodline would continue. This has little to do with the environment, but it is related to the instinct of living beings to reproduce; branching out is an instinct of living beings."

He wasn't making this up. The customs of living beings are inherently related to their environment and instincts; that's why they say that the environment shapes the people.

Simple proverbs contain the most essential truths about biological evolution.

Mu Nanzhi thought for a moment, reluctantly accepted, and then said:

Turn back eight pages.

Xu Qi'an flipped back eight pages. The tribal customs described there stipulated that when a son turned eighteen, he had to challenge his father. If he lost, he would be kicked out of the house; if he won, he would inherit everything from his father, including his father's daughters and his own younger siblings.

"I can't make this up anymore! I've never even been in contact with those tribes, how am I supposed to know the origins of their customs?" Xu Qi'an mentally ranted.

"Wait a minute, why are all these tribes you remember so strange?"

Xu Qi'an looked at her suspiciously.

Mu Nanzhi felt she had been outmaneuvered. Her lips trembled slightly, and she turned her head away guiltily, pretending to look at something else.

"It's precisely because it's strange that it leaves a deep impression."

No, you remind me of a saying I heard in my past life, "Even goddesses like to watch romance dramas." Xu Qi'an muttered to himself, tossed the "Geography of Kyushu" aside, and then took out the fragment of the Earth Book.

[Three: Lina, are you and Lingyin still on the ship? When will you reach Qingzhou?]

Riding on the Red Tassel Guardian, he would reach the Gu Clan in less than five days. Considering that the Gu Clan was also a barbarian tribe and would certainly not be hospitable, bringing a local with him would help reduce conflict.

[5: I'm in Yuzhou. I was in Yuzhou yesterday.]

Lina replied.

So fast? Xu Qi'an was taken aback: [Three: Who brought them to Yuzhou?]

The canal transport couldn't be that fast, and Lina was a member of the Gu clan, even more uncouth than a martial artist, so she couldn't possibly control flying on a sword.

[5: We met Erlang's teacher on the ship and went to Qingzhou with them. The day before yesterday, Erlang and his brother kicked Lingyin and me out of Qingzhou.]

Did you two steal his food? Xu Qi'an replied via telegram:

[Do you know the way?]

[Five: Xu Ningyan, you underestimate me. Erlang once gave me a Mnemonic: North is up, South is down, West is left, East is right, and charge south with all your might.]

Good heavens, it even rhymes! Xu Qi'an saw Li Miaozhen jump out to deliver the message:

[Second: If you get lost, just ask a passerby. South of Yuzhou is the Southern Frontier. You visited Yuzhou when you came north to the capital, you won't forget, will you?]

[5: Probably not.]

Lina said.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society raised a question.

[Part 3: How long will it take you to get from Yuzhou to Southern Frontier?]

[5: If you don't get lost and don't get scammed, you can reach your destination in seven days and seven nights carrying the Lingyin.]

Huff. Xu Qi'an let out a helpless sigh and sent a message:

Don't pay attention to strangers. If you have any trouble, feel free to contact me. How's my Lingyin?

[5: Able to eat, sleep, and drink normally; no problems.]

Yes, Master Jinlian once said that Lingyin has a very strong fate. Xu Qi'an was about to put away the fragments of the Earth Book when he suddenly saw Li Lingsu sending a message:

Gentlemen, how do you command a force of three hundred men?

Xu Qi'an knew something was wrong at a glance and sent a message asking, "[What did you do?]"

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society waited silently for Li Lingsu's reply.

[Seven: I didn't do anything special, just forbade them from robbing the poor, from raping women, from plundering caravans—all evil deeds were forbidden. I also forbade them from leaving the village and regularly distributed rice and grain to them.]

After gathering refugees, Li Lingsu settled in an abandoned village.

[Seven: They were fine at first, but after a few days, they started plotting to assassinate me.]

[Second: You idiot, you're imprisoning them. How do you usually manage these people?]

[Seven: Lack of Management]

[Second: Fool, you have to train them, neither managing them nor restricting their freedom. If they don't assassinate you, who will they assassinate? Fine, later you can send me a private letter, and I'll teach you how to manage a team.]

After the Heavenly Sect's Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix finished speaking, Chu Yuanzhen said:

[I have gathered a thousand refugees here, and the training has begun to show results. In a few days, I plan to take them to Qingzhou to participate in the war. One more thing, according to a group of refugees under me who escaped from Jiangzhou, there are also people in the Jianghu over there who are gathering refugees and robbing merchants and gentry.]

[Second: Was it a coincidence that the young emperor didn't heed Xu Ningyan's suggestion?]

[Four: Your Highness, what do you think?]

Chu Yuanzhen directly confronted Huaiqing.

[One: It was done by someone I sent.]

Huaiqing readily admitted it.

[Part 1: Ningyan's plan was very effective. I appointed twenty trusted men to gather displaced people and plunder local gentry and wealthy households. The court received daily reports of rampant banditry, but according to secret reports I received, the situation in various places has actually become much more stable.]

This stability is only relative to the past. With the manpower she sent and the efforts of the Heaven and Earth Society members, it is impossible to suppress the entire Central Plains refugee population.

However, it must be said that Xu Ningyan's plan was immediately effective.

By plundering local gentry and merchants to support displaced people, and by robbing one household to support a hundred, the local area will quickly become stable.

The cost was that doing so shook the ruling class of a prefecture or county.

If the bandit leader is a local hero, then the rule of the Great Feng Dynasty is in grave danger.

However, when the bandit leader is one of their own, only the lower and middle-class ruling class, such as the gentry and prominent families, are sacrificed.

Huaiqing continued to send the letter:

[Chu Yuanzhen, if your troops have initially established discipline, then stockpile provisions and prepare to march west. The same goes for you, especially Li Miaozhen; I know that leading troops is your forte.]

[It would be best to head west now, gather refugees along the way, and form a force.]

[Two: Why? Why should I listen to you?]

Without saying a word, the heroine Feiyan started arguing.

Chu Yuanzhen sent a letter saying: [I understand Your Highness's meaning. Now that war has broken out in Qingzhou, how could the Buddhist School, which supports the rebels in Yunzhou, remain silent? Sooner or later, they will send troops to Leizhou.]

Huaiqing continued, "[At that time, the imperial court will be fighting on two fronts, and with internal troubles on top of that, it will be forced to shrink its battle lines. The allied forces of Yunzhou and the Buddhist School sect will push the battle lines all the way to the capital.]"

Li Miaozhen suddenly realized what was happening and was taken aback.

She was a strong commander, but lacked strategic vision. She always believed that Qingzhou was the most important part of the war and neglected the Buddhist School.

[Six: At that time, who knows how many innocent civilians will die in the war.]

Master Hengyuan had no choice but to send a letter.

Xu Qi'an sent a message saying, "[The Buddhist School will not send a large army to the east; at most, they will only conduct small-scale harassment.]"

[1: How can we tell?]

Huaiqing sent a letter questioning the matter.

[Part Three: I did a trivial thing in the Southern Frontier. I fought with the Second-Rank Arhat Asura, broke the seal on Shenshu, and formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. Recently, the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons will attack the Buddhist School forces in the Hundred Thousand Mountains to reclaim their old territory. You'll have to wait for news.]

A moment of silence fell within the Heaven and Earth Society; the atmosphere was eerily quiet.

[Seven: You fought a second-rank Arhat and successfully broke that divine seal?]

Is this a trivial matter? Li Lingsu's mentality collapsed. Wasn't Xu Qi'an supposed to be sealed away? When did he grow to the point where he could fight against a second-grade Arhat?

Last time in Jianzhou, he almost died at the hands of a second-rank Rain Master. His strength was far inferior to that of a second-rank Rain Master.

[One: Is this true? You really allied with the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons? The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons is going to war with Buddhist School to reclaim its former territory?]

Huaiqing asked three questions in a row, which was enough to show how much her emotions were fluctuating at that moment, especially for the aloof and noble princess.

"Xu Ningyan really never disappoints," Li Miaozhen thought to herself.

[Four: Excellent! In this way, I can head south with peace of mind to support Qingzhou. Using the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons to restrain Buddhist School is the best option at present. Many people can think of this method, but only you Xu Ningyan, can truly establish a connection with the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons.]

[Six: Amitabha! Lord Xu has saved countless lives this time.]

After ending the group chat, Xu Qi'an put away the fragments of the Earth Book and noticed that Mu Nanzhi had taken off her embroidered shoes, and her delicate, fair feet were splashing happily in the stream.

These feet were only slightly larger than Xu Qi'an's palm.

The skin was delicate and smooth, without calluses, perfectly proportioned, with rounded toes and pink soles. This was not a foot, but the most perfect work of art in the hands of a master.

The allure of the Flower Goddess lies in her near-perfection; her temperament, appearance, and figure are all exquisite. Speaking of which, the Imperial Preceptor should be seeking me out for dual cultivation by now, so why hasn't he contacted me? Oh no, he might be offline; he can't find me.

Xu Qi'an was startled and suddenly realized what was happening.

The Bureau of Astronomy in the capital.

Luo Yuheng rode on golden light and landed on the Eight Trigrams Platform.

The supervisor sat at his desk, eyes closed, like a statue.

Luo Yuheng glanced at it and realized that it was just a shell; the Primordial Spirit was long gone.

She descended the steps, closed her eyes to sense for a moment, and went straight to the alchemy room on the seventh floor.

In the vast alchemy chamber, a group of white-robed Warlock were busy at work, muttering complaints under their breath:

"Another war has broken out, damn it!"

"Yes, yes, they've started mass-producing magical Law Artifact again. These Law Artifact are soulless; it's an insult to us Alchemist."

"Only esoteric knowledge like bio -Alchemy is what we should pursue."

"Senior Brother Song, why don't you lead us to break away from the Bureau of Astronomy and establish our own sect? Let's create an Alchemist cult together."

Song Qing cursed, "Do you want to be thrown into the furnace by the supervising teacher and burned as firewood?"

He paused for a moment and said, "Non-Self replace the supervising teacher in the future."

Luo Yuheng entered the alchemy room, his voice clear and melodious:

"Is there no one left in the Bureau of Astronomy?"

When Song Qing saw Luo Yuheng, he was stunned and thought to himself, "Who are you? When did you appear?"

Luo Yuheng frowned slightly. "Luo Yuheng."

"Ah, Your Excellency, the Imperial Advisor!" Song Qing suddenly realized.

Looking at the man with heavy dark circles under his eyes, Luo Yuheng almost suspected that he was playing hard to get. Was there really a disciple of the Supervisor who didn't recognize her?

On the contrary, she knew Song Qing and had seen his portrait.

"Where is Xu Qi'an? I can't find him with my communication jade talisman," Luo Yuheng said, frowning.

"Young Master Xu hasn't visited the Bureau of Astronomy in a long time. Since entering the martial world, I've rarely seen him."

Song Qing glanced at Luo Yuheng's stunning beauty, finding it less captivating than his own experiments, and then turned his attention back to fiddling with the equipment, saying:

"I have no way to contact him either, but Senior Brother Sun has a sound transmission conch that matches the conch in Young Master Xu's hand. If we find Senior Brother Sun, we can find Young Master Xu."

"Yes, Senior Brother Sun should be in Qingzhou right now."

After he finished speaking, he looked up and found that the Imperial Advisor had disappeared.

"Senior Brother Sun, that's the Imperial Advisor."

An Alchemist nearby exclaimed in amazement, "She's absolutely stunning!"

Song Qing said irritably, "Don't even think about it. That kind of woman isn't someone you can even be interested in."

The Alchemist said unhappily:

"Senior Brother Song, you're doubting my devotion to Alchemy. I've already sworn to dedicate my life to Alchemy and never marry. What I want to say is, let's create a female body for Young Master Xu, modeled after the Imperial Preceptor."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding Alchemist all echoed his sentiments:

"What a brilliant idea! With Young Master Xu's lecherous nature, he'll be overjoyed and unable to get out of bed, holding her day and night."

"Brilliant! This way, Young Master Xu will give us the remaining half of the blue book."

"But wouldn't that anger the Imperial Advisor?"

"What's there to be afraid of? We have the supervising teacher to protect us."

P. S.: Late but here! I took a short nap in the middle of the night, but couldn't stay awake any longer. Next up is the chapter about paying off debts, so I'll continue writing. Also, please vote with your monthly tickets!