Chapter 43: The Barbarian Nation, Ancient Court Nation, and Azure Nation

 

“Cap… Captain, there’s a group of barbarian soldiers ahead, about seven of them,” Xuanwu warned somewhat stiffly as they traveled north about thirty li from the city.

 

Why did the word “Captain” feel so awkward to say?

 

Under the night sky, the great grassland was draped in a stage of black silk, silent and desolate in the hazy moonlight.

 

In the distance, a campfire blazed brightly against the darkness.

 

“It’s the sound of hoofbeats, approaching fast! Quick, wake everyone up!”

 

A barbarian soldier warming himself by the fire stood up alertly.

 

“Poof!”

 

As soon as the other barbarian soldier stood up, a pellet of true qi compressed into the size of a soybean hit his body and exploded.

 

The shadow reflected on the white tent nearby was instantly torn in half, and blood spurted everywhere.

 

By the time the six horses arrived at the campfire, the surroundings had been reduced to ruins by countless qi projectiles.

 

Bai Shi’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed his handiwork.

 

“This was just an ordinary scouting party. There’s no useful intelligence here,” Xuanwu said, shaking his head after a quick inspection.

 

“Let’s go. We should try to reach Naluote before dawn,” Shen Yian said.

 

Even without rest, this forced march wouldn’t deplete their energy, but the horses couldn’t keep up. They’d need to change mounts once they reached the barbarian city.

 

The plan was simple: a blitzkrieg. Strike the barbarian capital in peak condition, kill the targets, and withdraw.

 

As dawn broke, a city became visible on the horizon.

 

[Naluote]

 

Once ceded to Great Qing by the barbarians, then reclaimed during Great Qing’s internal turmoil.

 

This was the second-to-last supply point for barbarian merchants entering Great Qing.

 

After a night of hard riding, the six had penetrated deep into barbarian territory.

 

On the streets with their unique foreign flavor, the five men’s attire didn’t draw much attention.

 

Mercenaries were all too common in Naluote.

 

Many merchant caravans would hire additional mercenaries here as temporary guards to ensure safe passage to Great Qing.

 

The rest of the way they will probably encounter grassland bandits that even the barbarians themselves are troubled by.

 

The composition of these grassland bandits was complex, including rebels, mercenaries, and even local factions. They appeared and disappeared on the vast grasslands, specializing in raiding merchant caravans like these.

 

Shen Yian looked around at the distinctive architecture.

 

If he didn’t recall the original story’s content, he might have thought these “barbarians” were the ones once called the “Scourge of God”.

 

In fact, they were not. The “Barbarian Nation” here corresponded to an empire combining theocracy and monarchy, with the main ethnicity being these blonde, blue-eyed people.

 

To the west of the Barbarian Nation lay another empire – the Ancient Court.

 

The two shared nCounty identical historical and cultural origins but split into two nations due to worshipping different “Gods”.

 

The barbarians here believe in “God” and believe that after death they will enter the place where God lives – the realm of God.

 

The Ancient Court people believed in the “God” that is familiar to everyone. They believe that after their death they will go to heaven, where God lives.

 

Thinking about it now, Shen Yian was pretty sure the lazy author had just set it up this way.

 

In the original novel, these two countries were barely mentioned, with little description. The main plot revolved around the love and hatred between the male protagonists and the female protagonists and antagonists.

 

Although their cultivation systems and methods differed, their power levels could be directly compared. It was essentially a clash between East and West.

 

Great Qing had qi, Taoist techniques, and secret methods, along with pills. The Barbarian Nation had battle qi, magic, forbidden spells, and potions.

 

Great Qing’s martial arts world was filled with various sects and factions, while the Barbarian Nation had various guilds and academies.

 

When Shen Yian first arrived, he momentarily thought he had transmigrated into some Western fantasy world.

 

At first, he was hesitant, but after understanding the situation clCounty, Shen Yian was left with just five words:

 

Bah, nothing more than that.

 

“Hey! Are you guys for hire?!” 

 

A merchant caravan leader walked over excitedly after spotting the six of them.

 

He had been eyeing Shen Yian’s group for a while.

 

It couldn’t be helped; E Lai in their team was too eye-catching, like a small giant that was hard to miss.

 

Bai Shi raised his hand and declined in fluent barbarian language: “Sorry sir, we’re already on a mission.”

 

The caravan leader stomped his foot in frustration: “Damn it, I should have hired from the guild.”

 

Shen Yian noticed the tall, magnificent horses tied behind the caravan leader and asked, “Excuse me, are those your horses? Are they for sale?”

 

“Not for sale! These horses are to be presented to the great Barbarian Lord by Count Tess!”

 

“You’re Count Tess’s man?” Shen Yian’s eyes narrowed in a smile.

 

“That’s right! Do you know the Count?” The caravan leader brightened.

 

“Sorry, I don’t.”

 

A few minutes later, six tall, magnificent horses were galloping through the streets.

 

The caravan leader and several members were left lying in a small alley.

 

“Haha! As expected of the boss! This is truly a fine horse! Exhilarating!” E Lai laughed loudly, riding a jet-black steed.

 

Xuanwu was shocked. He thought Shen Yian would negotiate a price, not simply rob them. He had to admit, it was well done!

 

Shen Yian said calmly, “The barbarians, especially those so-called nobles, never had any intention of buying things when they entered our Great Qing territory.”

 

It is impolite not to reciprocate!

 

The exchange between merchant caravans was limited to peacetime, when everyone bought and sold things they didn’t have, paid taxes honestly, and the ruling class turned a blind eye.

 

Once war broke out, it was a fight to the death.

 

The vast, fertile lands of the south should belong to the barbarians – this was an idea ingrained in their bones since ancient times, because their “god” had promised it to them!

 

If you asked where God had promised this, they would pull out their “Divine Scriptures” and tell you loudly that God had written it in his book.

 

In every southern invasion against Great Qing, the barbarian commanders would shout out that famous slogan:

 

“In the name of God, reclaim the land that belongs to us!”

 

Originally, there was a country called Azure between Great Qing and the Barbarian Nation. They once ruled this great grassland but eventually migrated west, unable to withstand the pressure and erosion from the two great nations.

 

After devouring several small countries and a third of the Ancient Court’s territory, they re-established their nation.

 

“That’s right! Hahaha!” Xuanwu joined in the laughter.

 

Among the six, if anyone hated the barbarians most, it would be Xuanwu.

 

He was born in a small ordinary village in the northern frontier.

 

That year, when the barbarians moved south, his village unfortunately encountered a barbarian cavalry raid.

 

All the men and the elderly were killed and hung as a demonstration.

 

The women were also killed after being ravaged by the barbarians, and the children were all taken as slaves, carried away like pigs.

 

Xuanwu had unfortunately become one of them, which was also the reason he learned the barbarian language.

 

If he was in the same state of mind as at that time today, the stimulation of national hatred and family feuds would have been enough to prompt him to go on a killing spree in this barbarian city.

 

Smiling, Xuanwu suddenly let out a sigh, and his expression quickly returned to normal.

 

The six divine horses galloped all the way, not giving the soldiers guarding the city any chance to question them, and rushed out of the city gate and continued to head north.