Yefutidaolu

Chapter 278 The Hu People and the Qilin Tribe

After Jin Dafu and Yinmiao finished packing their things, they left together and then met quietly in a secret room in the Jin family home.

Upon meeting, Jin Dafu patted his large belly and said to Yinmiao, "His alcohol tolerance isn't very good, but his cultivation level shouldn't be anything to hide."

“Yes, I also saw what he ate.” Yinmiao nodded: “As a martial artist, he should understand the importance of diet. Therefore, his strong fire energy is weak, while his weak fire energy is strong. Strong fire erodes energy, and energy consumes weak fire. Strong fire disperses energy, while weak fire generates energy. Spicy and sweet flavors disperse and are yang, while sour and bitter flavors drain and are yin. He hasn’t eaten much energy-nourishing food along the way, so he probably hasn’t opened his energy gate.”

"The dish he ate the most was offal, especially the stir-fried tiger offal, which conforms to the principle that the liver is associated with tendons, the heart with blood vessels, the lungs with skin, and the kidneys with bones. The second most popular dish was pickled cabbage and kimchi. He ate pickled cabbage stir-fried with minced meat sixteen times. As the saying goes, the liver is associated with wood and green, and sourness is good for digestion. He probably did not touch fatty cakes, stews, or ghee. This shows that he was not lacking in strength and was just conserving his essence."

"He drank six jugs of wine. Although this Baihua wine is nourishing, it is extremely intoxicating. He became so dizzy after drinking six jugs, which shows that his three orifices of the spirit are not open enough."

Because of this, Miu Zheng spoke eloquently and described in detail the situation at the dinner table.

Obviously, eating... is also a form of probing.

They certainly wouldn't poison the food; that would be too idiotic.

However, by simply adjusting the types of ingredients in the food, we can get the desired results.

Grains nourish, meats benefit, fruits assist, and vegetables replenish. Essence nourishes qi, and qi nourishes essence to enhance complexion; form nourishes flavor, and flavor nourishes form to generate strength. This is what it means.

By observing how a person eats, one can determine their specific condition. For martial artists, it is even possible to observe their cultivation progress and their specific ability to transform food and water.

Observing how much a fierce general eats in a meal is the best way to assess his physical condition.

Before the founding of the Divine Dynasty, there was a valiant general who was disqualified from battle because of a rumor that he "ejaculated three times during a meal." This shows that one's eating habits can indeed reveal their true nature.

"Moreover, judging from these circumstances, he doesn't seem to be planning to hide it from us."

Jin Dafu shook his head. "Don't act rashly. After all, he killed your son. What if something really goes wrong..."

Yinmiao shook his head: "He killed my son, not me. This person probably has no intention of offending me."

"And what about you?" Jin Dafu asked again, "He killed your son, so how do you view that?"

Yinmiao paused for a moment, then said, "As long as the Taotie tribe can survive, then... sons can be born again."

"It sounds like you still have some objections. Sigh, it's alright, it's fine to have some objections. It's okay. Once this matter is over, things have calmed down with the Qilin tribe, and the border is rebuilt, it's not too late to talk about revenge, right?"

"We can't risk the entire Taotie Clan for the sake of one young master," Jin Dafu advised.

Yinmiao nodded: "That makes sense. Well then... let's start planning the border affairs. With the imperial appointment and the letter from the Imperial Academy, we can also free up our hands to deal with the many people who were unwilling to cooperate before."

“That’s true. I’ve made a list. Take a look…” Jin Dafu took out a list.

Inmyo's previous expression vanished instantly, replaced by a look of satisfaction.

Why were they willing to 'fully cooperate' with the students?

That's because the students from the Imperial Academy came down with a mission.

By cooperating with the Imperial Academy students, they could use the authority of the Divine Dynasty to do many things.

Just as Gao Jian had predicted, he couldn't accomplish these things alone; he would inevitably need the cooperation of local forces. (See Chapter 232 for details)

In this way, by taking advantage of the powerful, while helping the students of the Imperial Academy to undertake local affairs, they would exploit the students at every step of the process, layer by layer.

Anyone who dares to resist will be subjected to this banner, which will overwhelm them.

The cold gaze of the Divine Dynasty was not only effective against Gao Jian, nor was it limited to these aristocratic families...

That relentless sense of oppression existed equally in everyone who was qualified to be aware of the power of the Divine Dynasty, from ordinary people to powerful families.

If you gain this favor, you will rise rapidly in your career, and even if you had nothing before, you will instantly become the most powerful person in the world.

Being stared at by that gaze, even just a fleeting glance from the corner of one's eye, would make even a daring and audacious madman like Gao Jian feel terrified and extremely cautious.

They are now using this terrifying, grand gaze, all they need to do is raise the banner... and how they treat insightful opinions today will determine how others treat them.

Everyone will be in awe.

Apart from—those things outside of the Divine Dynasty.

For example, the Qilin tribe.

----------

At this moment, on the grassland, in a large camp.

It's called a grassland, but in reality, these 'grasses' have no vitality whatsoever. They are a special kind of plant, something left behind after the gods left and the world died, something similar to 'corpse spots on the earth'.

In Buddhism, it is called 'Sharp Blade Plain', a plant that spreads from hell.

Among the many hells, there is one called Blade Plain, renowned for its unique cruelty. Those beings liberated from the other hells, finally freed from their previous suffering, walked hopefully towards a beautiful grassland with fresh air. They felt they had finally escaped the sea of ​​misery and would find rest on the grassland.

But when they actually arrive, they discover that those blades of grass are actually sharp iron spikes.

The entire earth was covered with iron spikes that looked like grass but were incredibly sharp. When the left foot stepped on one, the left foot was pierced; when the right foot stepped on one, the right foot was pierced. The pain of having both feet pierced repeatedly continued.

This is 'Sharp Blade Plain', and this is the kind of grass that grows on the barren grassland.

These blades of grass are extremely sharp; stepping on them will pierce through your skin and flesh. Moreover, almost no plants can grow on them; they are devoid of any vitality, because this is a species from hell.

Only this kind of grass can grow in places where heaven and earth are dead and the four seasons do not change.

Legend has it that long ago, this wasteland was a complete desert. However… after the celestial beings descended, the Underworld was developed, Hell was opened by the celestial beings, and reincarnation began. As a result, some things from Hell also emerged, such as Yakshas and Mahoragas, all brought by the celestial beings when they descended. Among them were these kinds of grass leaves.

In a world teeming with life and the cycle of the four seasons, these plants from hell cannot grow. Therefore, within the divine dynasty, except in specially constructed laboratories or grotto-heavens, these plants simply cannot grow; they wither and die instantly under the influence of the seasons' vitality.
In the desolate desert, these grasses grow just as well as those in hell. Although their killing power is much reduced, they can still bring immense suffering to mortals.

But... although the grass of the Sharp Blade Plains causes immense suffering, it also provides the local area with a certain vitality. In fact, one could say that all life on the entire grassland originates from these blades of grass.

Almost no plants can grow in the desert, there are no seasons, and normal creatures cannot survive; only strange beasts can survive.

But to survive, you also need food.

Among the strange beasts on the grassland, some of the herbivores survive by eating these grass leaves.

With the presence of herbivorous plants, predators naturally emerged to eat them... and thus, a unique ecosystem rooted in the blade-like leaves was established.

Therefore, although the grass and leaves of the Blade Plains brought suffering, as long as one can endure this suffering, it is the only chance of survival in this desolate place.

However... it is very painful after all. People living on the grasslands actually have a very difficult life.

That's why they desperately wanted to settle in the Central Plains and come to the place protected by the Temple of Heaven.

Inside this large camp on the grassland at this moment—

A voice came from inside: "Qilin Shen, we've arrived. Are you sure the Divine Dynasty will let the border go for a while this time?"

"Shen" is the title for the leaders of these tribes. Within their own tribes, they are usually called the chief or leader.

Qilin Shen means the leader or clan chief of the Qilin tribe, and is generally a title used by outsiders.

Similarly, Yinmiao, the chieftain of the Taotie tribe, could also be called 'Taotie Shen' by outsiders.

The tribal alliance leader. During their meetings, they would perform a ritual to worship Heaven, known as the Fengshan ceremony. The tribal alliance leader was called "Shen." The character "Shen" connects Heaven above, Earth below, and the two realms in the middle.

Shen prays to Heaven and acts on Heaven's behalf, thus naturally becoming a medium between Heaven and man. This act of petitioning upwards is also called 'Shen'.

Therefore, the word 'application' exists, meaning that the person applying for this identity requests something from heaven, hence the term 'application'.

At this moment, someone shouted "Qilin Shen" in the camp, indicating that people from other tribes had arrived at the Qilin tribe.

Inside the camp, there were about a dozen envoys, all of whom had various tattoos.

There are turtles, dragons, mythical beasts, camels, ducks, tigers, rabbits, and birds. Upon closer inspection, they are all different kinds of strange beasts. For example, that tiger is a 'pig'.

There is a beast that looks like a tiger, has a tail like an ox, and sounds like a dog's bark; it eats people. Its name is Zhi.

The rabbit was a 'hou', a beast that resembled a rabbit with long, pointed ears, only a little over a foot long. Lions feared it, for its roar and urine would cause the animal to rot if it touched their body.

It was immediately obvious that all these people were envoys from other tribes, gathered here to negotiate with the leader of the Qilin tribe.

What kind of momentous event could possibly bring so many envoys and members of the Qilin tribe together here?

This can also be seen from the conversation just now...

These grassland tribes are discussing invading the border.

However, Qilin Shen stood in the center, facing the many tribal envoys.

Qilin Shen was an extremely handsome and heroic middle-aged man. Although according to the Divine Dynasty, he was a 'barbarian', and the grasslands did indeed lack cloth and minerals, resulting in their clothing not being so bright and beautiful, clothes made of finely sewn animal hides and feathers could still be beautiful.

Therefore, he looked very handsome, unrestrained and talented. Although he was dressed in animal skin and feathers, his elegant temperament could not be concealed. Instead, he showed the demeanor of a wise leader. However, although he was a wise man, he was also very strong and muscular. He did not look like a thin and weak scholar.

On his arm was a tattoo that extended to his back, on which was clearly printed a Qilin (a mythical creature).

Qilin Shen stretched his body and faced the envoys from the dozen or so tribes before him, saying softly, "The news has arrived, and I can say it's true, but whether you believe it or not is up to you to decide."

One of the envoys stepped forward; this was the envoy from the Bixie Division. He said, “Qilin Shen, since we have decided to work with you, we naturally have no questions. But so far, there is still no plan, which seems a bit off, doesn’t it? You are a wise man, and we respect the judgment of wise men, but after all… when we fight, we will be at the forefront, so we also need to know the plan of action, don’t we?”

Upon hearing this, Qilin Shen simply smiled and said, "I have already received news from the Divine Dynasty that there was a slight mishap... no, it can't really be called a mishap. The Divine Dynasty sent a student from the Imperial Academy to oversee this matter."

"A student of the Imperial Academy?" The envoys below were immediately taken aback.

The students of the Imperial Academy were mostly talented children of powerful families, representing the will of those families, and they themselves were both intelligent and brave...

Of course, he's just a student of the Imperial Academy, nothing to worry about. No matter how talented he is, his current combat strength is only so-so.

The real issue is that the fact that the Divine Dynasty sent Imperial Academy students here means that Yangjing's attention has been turned to this place, and the Divine Dynasty court has begun to pay attention to what is happening here.

"Are we going to give up? Qilin Shen, what do you think?" another envoy asked.

“Give up? Why give up? This is a once-in-a-century opportunity. We still need to see what kind of person this student is. Maybe… he’s not an enemy,” Qilin Shen said.

"Not the enemy? You mean, the Imperial Academy students will betray us?" One of the envoys asked, somewhat incredulous.

But... what's standing before me is Qilin Shen.

Qilin Shen was a renowned sage.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a traitor to not be an enemy.” Qilin Shen shook his head slightly: “The grassland royal court that the Divine Dynasty imagines is the Divine Dynasty’s greatest enemy, but also our greatest ally.”

"Often, those who exploit disappointment and disparity are the ones who can most effectively strike at the Divine Dynasty itself."

Others seemed to understand but not quite.

(My computer exploded. This chapter is automatically updated. I need to take a day or two off until the new computer arrives. I'm so sorry everyone, it's beyond my control. I apologize.)
(End of this chapter)