After leaving the Ten Thousand Mountains territory, plains, and lakes began to appear more frequently, forming diverse terrain.

In the “Geographic Records of the Nine Provinces,” the Southern Border could be broadly divided into two main regions: the “Ten Thousand Mountains” and the “Extreme Abyss,” names representing the two great powers dominating the Southern Border.

The Demon Nation and the Gu Tribe.

“Why doesn’t the ‘Geographic Records of the Nine Provinces’ mention Southern Border cuisine?”

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

Miao Youfang and Guardian Hong Ying were in charge of preparing food, while White Ji lay nearby waiting to eat.

“You’d have to ask the Confucian Sage about that.”

Xu Qi’an sat down beside her and smiled: “Maybe the Sage wasn’t a foodie.”

The “Geographic Records of the Nine Provinces” was written by the Confucian Sage after traveling throughout the Nine Provinces for three years, briefly recording the mountains, terrain, river distributions, and local customs of each region.

The later “Geographic Records of Great Feng” was written by Confucian descendants imitating the Sage.

Mu Nanchi believed this and said:

“But it records the terrain and scattered tribes in quite detail.”

As she read on, her mouth suddenly twitched:

“What kind of barbarians are these?”

The Southern Border had countless tribes, ranging from several hundred to thousands of people, scattered throughout the region like stars across the sky.

Their customs were very strange—in Mu Nanchi’s view, they were simply uncivilized barbarians.

Xu Qi’an took the “Geographic Records” and looked carefully. It described a tribe three hundred and twenty li west of the Southern Border called the “Dog God” tribe. This tribe had a custom where after coming of age, men and women had to marry creatures called “Horned Dogs” as life partners.

From then on, they lived together, hunted together, and shared life and death.

Reading further, Xu Qi’an found that these “Horned Dogs” lived in packs, possessed human intelligence, and were fierce and combative.

They lived in the areas surrounding the “Dog God” tribe.

“This is natural selection.”

Xu Qi’an stood up, holding the book in one hand and placing the other behind his back, assuming the posture of a teacher to educate Mu Nanchi:

“The birth of any custom or culture is related to its surrounding environment. You could say environment determines culture. For example, our Central Plains’ farming and the northern demon barbarians’ nomadic lifestyle are determined by the environment.”

Mu Nanchi only half-understood, frowning:

“Then, their marriages with Horned Dogs are also caused by the environment? Why?”

“The book explains—these ‘Horned Dogs’ are combative by nature and possess human intelligence. They’re undoubtedly excellent partners. Think of it as living together.”

“Then how do they reproduce?”

Mu Nanchi blinked, deliberately putting on an expression of innocent ignorance.

The topic has unconsciously turned a bit colorful… Xu Qi’an chuckled: “I knew that’s what you were most curious about.”

Mu Nanchi instantly broke character, blushing as she spat “hmph” and couldn’t maintain the act.

“I think it’s more like a respectful form of taming. Horned Dogs have human intelligence and considerable wisdom, unlike ordinary dogs, so they can’t be tamed normally. After contact with our Central Plains, the Dog God tribe discovered that ‘marriage’ was a very solemn ceremony, so they imitated this ritual to show respect to the Horned Dogs. And the Horned Dogs accepted this ritual.”

Xu Qi’an gave his judgment—the marriage here might be different from how Central Plains humans understood marriage.

“Then turn back three pages.”

Mu Nanchi said.

Xu Qi’an complied, turning back three pages. It described a tribe called “Pan” where the tribal chief had the right to take a new bride’s first night when young couples married.

“This surely wasn’t determined by environment,” she said, hands on her hips.

Xu Qi’an stroked his chin and asked: “Do you know the power structure of lion pride?”

Mu Nanchi shook her head.

“One male rules a group of females, and when a new male takes over the pride, he kills all the previous leader’s cubs. This first night right follows a similar logic.” Xu Qi’an argued convincingly:

“Think about it—if any of these brides bear the chief’s offspring, his bloodline continues. This isn’t so much about the environment as it is about creatures’ instinct to reproduce. Propagating the species is an instinct of living beings.”

He wasn’t making this up—creatures’ customs are indeed related to both environment and instinct. That’s why they say the soil shapes the people.

Simple folk sayings contain the most essential truths about biological evolution.

Mu Nanchi thought for a moment, reluctantly accepting this, then said:

“Turn back eight more pages.”

Xu Qi’an turned back eight pages to find a tribe whose custom required sons to challenge their fathers at eighteen. If they lost, they were banished; if they won, they inherited everything from their father—including his daughters and their own younger siblings.

I can’t bullshit anymore, I’ve never even met these tribes, how would I know the origins of their customs… Xu Qi’an mentally complained.

“Wait, why do you remember all these particularly strange tribes?”

Xu Qi’an looked at her suspiciously.

Mu Nanchi felt outmaneuvered, her small mouth stammering as she turned away guiltily, pretending to look at scenery elsewhere:

“It’s… it’s just because they’re strange, so they left an impression…”

No, you remind me of that saying from my previous life about “even goddesses watch educational romance films”… Xu Qi’an thought to himself, tossing aside the “Geographic Records” and taking out the Book Fragment.

[Three: Li Na, are you and Ling Yin still on the boat? When will you reach Qing Province?]

Riding with Guardian Hong Ying, he could reach the Gu tribe within five days. Considering the Gu tribe was also barbaric, they certainly wouldn’t be hospitable—bringing a local would help reduce conflicts.

[Five: I’m in Yu Province, arrived yesterday.]

Li Na replied.

So fast? Xu Qi’an was startled: [Three: Who took you to Yu Province?]

River transport couldn’t be that fast, and Li Na was a crude Force Gu tribe member, even more unrefined than martial artists—she couldn’t possibly control sword flight.

[Five: We met Second Brother’s teacher on the boat and went to Qing Province with them. The day before yesterday, Second Brother drove me and Ling Yin out of Qing Province.]

Did you two steal his food… Xu Qi’an wrote back:

[Do you know the way?]

[Five: Xu Ning Yan, you underestimate me. Second Brother taught me a rhyme: North up, South down, West left, East right, charge South with all your might.]

Impressive, it even rhymes! Xu Qi’an saw Li Miaozhen jump in:

[Two: Just ask for directions if you get lost. Yu Province south leads to the Southern Border. You passed through Yu Province when you came north to the capital, you haven’t forgotten, right?]

[Five: Probably not.]

Li Na said.

The Heaven and Earth Society members expressed doubt.

[Three: How long will it take you to get from Yu Province to the Southern Border?]

[Five: If I don’t get lost, and if no one tricks me, carrying Ling Yin and running for seven days and nights should do it.]

*Sigh*… Xu Qi’an exhaled helplessly and wrote:

[Don’t trust strangers. Let me know if you have any trouble. How’s my Ling Yin?]

[Five: She eats well, sleeps well, drinks well—no problems.]

Mm, Daoist Jin Lian did say Ling Yin had a tough constitution… Xu Qi’an was about to put away the Book Fragment when he saw Li Lingsu write:

[Everyone, how does one command a force of three hundred men?]

Xu Qi’an knew immediately something had happened and wrote: [What did you do?]

The Heaven and Earth Society members silently waited for Li Lingsu’s response.

[Seven: I haven’t done much, just prohibited them from raiding poor civilians, banned them from harming villagers, stopped them from robbing merchant caravans—forbade all evil deeds. I also don’t allow them to leave the village and distribute rice and grain to them regularly.]

After gathering the 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.]

[Two: Fool, you’re imprisoning them. How do you usually manage these people?]

[Seven: I don’t…]

[Two: Idiot, you need to train them. If you don’t manage them but restrict their freedom, who else would they try to assassinate? Never mind, message me privately later, and I’ll teach you how to manage troops.]

After the Young Phoenix of the Heaven Sect finished speaking, Chu Yuanzhen said:

[I’ve gathered a thousand refugees here, and training is showing initial results. In a few days, I plan to lead them to support the Qing Province. There’s another matter—according to some refugees who fled from Jiang Province, there are also martial artists there gathering refugees and raiding merchants and gentry.]

[Two: Didn’t the young emperor reject Xu Ning Yan’s suggestion? Is this a coincidence?]

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

Chu Yuanzhen directly questioned Huai Qing.

[One: This was arranged by me.]

Huai Qing admitted frankly.

[One: Ning Yan’s strategy is very effective. I’ve assigned twenty trusted people to gather refugees and raid wealthy households. The court receives daily reports of bandits running wild, but according to my secret reports, various regions have become more stable.]

This stability was only relative to before—with just her people and the Heaven and Earth Society members’ efforts, they couldn’t possibly contain all the Central Plains refugees.

But undeniably, Xu Ning Yan’s strategy showed immediate results.

Raiding the wealthy to support refugees—one household could support hundreds, quickly stabilizing the local area.

The cost was that this approach undermined the ruling class at the county and prefecture levels.

If the bandit leaders were grassroots heroes, the Great Feng court’s control would be precarious.

But when the bandit leaders were their people, only the local gentry class of middle and lower-tier rulers was sacrificed.

Huai Qing continued:

[Chu Yuanzhen, if your troops have basic discipline, then stockpile supplies and prepare to move west. The same goes for all of you, especially Li Miaozhen—I know leading troops is your strength.

[It’s best to head west now, gathering refugees and building forces along the way.]

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

The Flying Swallow heroine immediately objected.

Chu Yuanzhen wrote: [I understand Your Highness’s meaning. Now that war has broken out in Qing Province, how could the Buddhist sect supporting the Yun Province rebels remain idle? They’ll attack Lei Province sooner or later.]

Huai Qing continued: [When that happens, the court will be fighting on two fronts plus internal troubles, forcing us to contract our lines. The Yun Province and Buddhist allied forces will push the front to the capital.]

Li Miaozhen suddenly understood, startled.

Though strong in leading troops, she lacked strategic vision, having always considered Qing Province the war’s focal point while overlooking the Buddhist sect.

[Six: By then, who knows how many innocent civilians will die in the flames of war.]

Master Hengyuan wrote helplessly.

Xu Qi’an wrote: [The Buddhist sect won’t launch a major eastern campaign now, at most small-scale harassment.]

[One: What makes you say that?]

Huai Qing questioned.

[Three: I did a minor thing in the Southern Border—fought with the Second Rank Arhat Asura, broke Shen Shu’s seal, and allied with the Demon Nation. Soon, the Demon Nation will attack the Buddhist forces in the Ten Thousand Mountains to reclaim their ancestral lands. Wait for the news.]

The Heaven and Earth Society fell silent, the atmosphere growing eerily quiet.

[Seven: You fought a Second Rank Arhat and successfully broke this Shen Shu’s seal?]

Is this what you call a minor thing? Li Lingsu was shocked. Wasn’t Xu Qi’an supposed to be sealed? When did he grow strong enough to face a Second Rank Arhat?

Last time in Sword Province, he had nearly died at the hands of the Second Rank Rain Master, his strength far below the Second Rank level.

[One: Is this true? Are you allied with the Demon Nation? The Demon Nation will go to war with the Buddhist sect to reclaim their territory?]

Huai Qing asked three questions in succession—for the usually cold and dignified Princess, this showed how greatly moved she was.

This fellow Ning Yan truly never disappoints… Li Miaozhen marveled internally.

[Four: Excellent. Now I can head south to support Qing Province without worry. Using the Demon Nation to contain the Buddhist sect is the best current option. Many might think of this solution, but only you, Xu Ning Yan, could establish contact with the Demon Nation.]

[Six: Amitabha, Master Xu has saved countless lives this time.]

After ending the group chat, Xu Qi’an put away the Book Fragment and noticed Mu Nanchi had removed her embroidered shoes and was happily splashing her feet in the stream.

Xu Qi’an suddenly remembered something important and became alert.

…

In the capital, at the Astronomical Bureau.

Luo Yuheng descended on a beam of golden light onto the Eight Trigrams Platform.

The Director sat before his desk, eyes closed, like a statue.

Luo Yuheng’s keen eyes noticed this was just a shell—his spirit was long gone.

She descended the stairs and, after sensing briefly with closed eyes, went directly to the seventh-floor alchemy room.

In the vast alchemy room, a group of white-robed artificers worked busily, complaining:

“War again, damn it!”

“Yes, yes, mass-producing artifacts again. Such artifacts have no soul—it’s an insult to us alchemists.”

“Only profound knowledge like biological alchemy is worthy of our pursuit.”

“Senior Brother Song, why don’t you lead us to leave the Astronomical Bureau and establish our sect? We could create an alchemist school.”

Song Qing cursed: “Do you want the Director to throw you in the furnace as firewood?”

He paused, then said: “Unless I replace the Director someday.”

Luo Yuheng entered the alchemy room, her voice cool and pleasant:

“Is no one left in the Astronomical Bureau?”

Song Qing saw Luo Yuheng and froze, wondering who she was and when she had appeared.

Luo Yuheng frowned slightly: “Luo Yuheng.”

“Ah, ah, Divine Teacher…” Song Qing suddenly realized.

Looking at the man with heavy dark circles under his eyes, Luo Yuheng almost suspected he was playing dumb. Among the Director’s disciples, there was one who didn’t recognize her.

Though she recognized Song Qing, having seen his portrait.

“Where is Xu Qi’an? My communication jade token can’t find him,” Luo Yuheng frowned.

“Master Xu hasn’t come to the Astronomical Bureau in a long time. Since he entered the jianghu, I’ve rarely seen him,” Song Qing only glanced once at Luo Yuheng’s stunning face, decided his experiments were more interesting, and returned his attention to his apparatus, saying:

“I can’t contact him either, but Senior Brother Sun has a communication conch that pairs with Master Xu’s conch. Find Senior Brother Sun, and you’ll find Master Xu.

“Mm, Senior Brother Sun should be in Qing Province now.”

When he looked up after speaking, he found the Divine Teacher had already disappeared.

“Senior Brother Sun, so that was the Divine Teacher,” a nearby alchemist said, clearly enchanted. “She truly is devastatingly beautiful.”

Song Qing said irritably: “Forget it, that kind of woman isn’t for you to pine after.”

The alchemist said unhappily:

“Senior Brother Song, you doubt my devotion to alchemy? I’ve sworn to dedicate my life to alchemy and never marry. What I meant was, let’s create a female body for Master Xu modeled after the Divine Teacher.”

When this was said, the surrounding alchemists all agreed:

“Great idea! Given Master Xu’s lecherous nature, he’ll be overjoyed, unable to leave her bed day and night.”

“Brilliant, then Master Xu will give us the remaining half of the blue book.”

“But wouldn’t this anger the Divine Teacher?”

“What’s there to fear? We have the Director to cover for us.”