Silence, a silence where no one spoke. No matter how drunk the crowd was, they were suddenly stunned by this thunderbolt of news. Of course, the most shocked among them was Zhan Bie. He never imagined that after leaving the city for just a day and two nights, the neighboring country that should have held out for at least six or seven days had already fallen. For some reason, images of the Yellow Sky Wild Army’s strange banner and the red and blue dancing girls flashed through his mind. It was too terrifying. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he suddenly felt it difficult to breathe.
“The Yellow Sky Wild Army, quite a few of you must have heard this name! Whether you believe it or not, Ma Sui, a great nation of two hundred years, has changed dynasties. A bandit king has seized power, and the country has been renamed Fen Tian!” The old man looked at the quiet crowd below and continued slowly, “Its leader, Ruo Wen, rose to power in the northern desert, rampaging across three thousand li, becoming the hegemon among bandits. The monthly loot he plundered could support a small nation for ten years. Later, he gradually moved south, growing in strength along the way. Because he came in a straight line, the first political entity he encountered was Ma Sui. With just four thousand men, he swept across Ma Sui’s borders, causing Heyan to fall in just ten days. The neighboring countries didn’t even have time to send aid.”
The old man paused here to cough a few times. Seeing that no one below spoke up, he slowly sighed, “Ah… Now, going to Fen Tian is like coming to Xueyuan. You don’t need any pass, and no one cares where you’re from or what you’re going to do. As long as you’re brave enough and willing to risk your life, that’s all that matters. It’s been only a day since Fen Tian was established, and already many people have made their way in, hoping to strike gold. There, you can take whatever you want by force. If you can’t win in a fight, you can steal. Even killing someone isn’t against the law.” As he spoke, the old man took the tea handed to him by the waiter nearby. After a few sips, he continued: “Don’t ask how this old man knows all this. What does it matter to me what happens in the world? I’m just an observer, content to watch, and happy to talk. ‘Heaven and Earth are not benevolent, they treat all things as straw dogs; the sage is not benevolent, he treats the people as straw dogs.’ These are the words of the ancients. Today, I consider myself half a sage. If you have questions, don’t ask the gods above or the ghosts below. Just sit here, bring a pot of hot bitter fragrant tea, and I, Shi Ji Sou, will tell you everything I know, holding nothing back!” The old man finished speaking and leisurely drank his tea as if the national catastrophe he had just described was nothing more than a passing breeze.
“You’re Shi Ji Sou?”
“Shi Ji Sou Rong Huo?”
Several knowledgeable guests exclaimed in surprise.
The owner of Guangtiao, being a man of broad connections, was shocked to realize that Rong Huo, a figure known to all, had been begging for tea at his door for seven consecutive days. He hurriedly brought out a pot of fine tea himself to serve him.
“I’ve long heard of your great name, but I only knew you traveled widely. I never imagined such an extraordinary person would grace my humble establishment! This is the finest bitter fragrant tea, please enjoy it to your heart’s content!”
Rong Huo and Rong Ruo were from the same school, both having served the thirty-third king of Yunpei, Na Qida. From Na Qida’s start of wandering the great desert until his return to the Yunpei palace, spanning over twenty years, these three men had traveled across the world. They authored the extraordinary book “Great Desert Collection,” recording the world’s affairs and discussing the fires of chaotic times. They also wrote a 50,000-word overview of the history of dynasties that existed on this land a thousand years ago. Because a thousand years later, the land had turned into a vast desert, it was called the Celestial Dynasty of the Desert.
After Na Qida’s death, the brothers Rong Ruo and Rong Huo successively left Yunpei to wander the world. Within two years, Rong Ruo passed away, leaving Rong Huo as the sole keeper of the world’s history. Estimated to be over seventy years old, he was widely known as “Shi Ji Sou” (The Old Historian).
Rong Huo stood on the platform, appearing outwardly at ease, but his eyes occasionally glanced at the black-robed gentleman sitting in the middle. The gentleman still wore a mocking smile, his gaze cold, casually drinking ba liquor. Two cups of such strong liquor could knock down a large man, but now, after about ten cups, the black-robed gentleman’s face showed no sign of drunkenness. He remained steady and composed, like Mount Tai standing before them.
Rong Huo lowered his eyelids slightly, and after a moment, he took a breath and began speaking again.
“Let’s continue. You all now know that the most outrageous of all is Fen Tian and the one named Ruo Wen can hardly be seen as an ordinary bandit. Without demonic cruelty, how could he control his fierce generals who are like wolves and tigers? Don’t you agree?”
The crowd looked at Rong Huo, and many nodded in silent agreement.
Rong Huo smiled with satisfaction and habitually stroked his beard. “Then I must ask, can any of you name someone who could be his match?”
Hearing this, everyone frowned. “King Na Zhan of Yunpei?” This was the only answer they could think of.
Pffft! Rong Huo laughed exaggeratedly, almost spitting out the bitter fragrant tea he had just drunk.
“This is why merchants lack fresh insights. They only look at short-term power comparisons. Let me tell you, the one who can match the wildest man must be the most domineering one!”
This statement caused an uproar among the crowd. Wasn’t Na Zhan already the most domineering?
Zhan Bie, listening to the old man’s words in the corner, felt one shock after another. As a reckless youth, how could he understand the chaos of the world, the many conspiracies and complex connections behind it? Like the other guests, he now listened intently to Shi Ji Sou’s words, afraid to miss even half a sentence.
Rong Huo sniffed and looked straight at the black-robed gentleman sitting in the middle of the hall as if speaking directly to him.
“Gentlemen, the chaos of heaven is but a storm, but human chaos stems from intoxication with power. Be it for profit or hegemony, in the end, some will gain and some will lose. Rong Huo can’t say much more today, but I’ll leave you with one reminder: The heart of the wild flow rises from the northern desert, and the army of Tiandu is by no means righteous!”
With these words, Rong Huo stepped down from the platform, ignoring the complaints from the crowd. He said no more and limped back to sit beside the black-robed gentleman!
However, the one who found his words most unacceptable was Zhan Bie. Excited and angry, he rushed over and grabbed the old man, shouting, “You’re talking nonsense. Tiandu has sent troops to aid Guhuo, to quell the Yellow Scourge’s rebellion. How can they be an unjust army?”
Although Rong Huo was grabbed by the shoulders, his expression remained incredibly calm. He just looked at the black-robed gentleman.
After a while, no one said anything more. Zhan Bie felt a chill in his heart, his thoughts suddenly becoming confused. He realized he had been wasting time here. He abruptly released Rong Huo and quickly threw down a few silver ingots. “Waiter, settle the bill!” With that, he ran out.
He had to reach Yunpei quickly. The chaos in the desert far exceeded King Gucha’s imagination. If he could meet Na Zhan sooner, perhaps there would be a greater chance of quelling the rebellion. His mother was still in Guhuo. Now that Ma Sui had fallen, Guhuo was truly in grave danger. Thinking this, he ran faster, wishing he could instantly appear in the Guanghan Palace of Yunpei.
“Foolish child!”
Rong Huo muttered to himself, looking at the doorway where Zhan Bie had disappeared. “Foolish child, if Tiandu hadn’t turned a blind eye, how could the Yellow Sky Wild Army have possibly fought its way to Ma Sui?” He then turned back to look at the black-robed gentleman. He chuckled twice before saying, “Don’t you agree? Northern Tranquility Heavenly King — Huo Qing Yun!”
Tiandu.
Tiandu was established over three hundred years ago, being the only political entity with a history comparable to Yunpei. Due to its territory being in the relatively barren north, its overall strength was weaker. It was also the country with the fastest royal succession among the five great nations, having had over seventy kings and regents to date. Since the year 320, when the seventy-fourth king, the Northern Tranquility Heavenly King Huo Qing Yun, ascended to the throne, he gradually implemented a policy of isolation. Apart from sending representatives to attend the political nation assembly each year, there were few diplomatic arrangements. He even rejected all marriage alliance requests from slave nations. Over the past ten years, Tiandu has become the most mysterious country in the great desert.
Qing Yun turned his head to look at the withered old man beside him and drained another cup of wine.