The Great Yan Imperial Court has spies all over Jiu Province, so they naturally know about the major changes happening there.
After the Sky Piercing River flowed backward, Emperor Wuping soon learned about it, and the Great Yan Imperial Court was also aware of the Kunlun Mountain cliffs that appeared near Tongtian Mountain in the Northwest Prefecture.
There are actually more than one or two strange objects from another world.
"In the border area between Zhong Province and Nan Province, there are mountains appearing that are different from those in Jiu Province… They didn’t just appear suddenly; they are like mirages, seeming to exist but not really there… " Emperor Wuping said as he browsed through the reports, his brow gradually furrowing.
"A few days ago, a woodcutter accidentally wandered into the mountains while collecting firewood and returned several days later to report that he met a barbarian tribe that worships ancient gods and demons…"
"Later, several skilled Flying Fish Guard members followed the woodcutter’s directions into the mountains, but they could not find any traces at all…"
After Emperor Wuping finished reading the document, he looked at Founding Emperor Yan.
For such strange matters beyond his control, he always had to rely on the wisdom of the founding emperor.
"Why are you looking at me? Are you the emperor or am I the emperor?" Unexpectedly, Founding Emperor Yan didn’t care at all and strode out of the palace, acting like a carefree manager again.
………………………..Walking through the lush forests and fields, crossing the rushing waters of the great river.
In front of him, between the mountains, lay a small flatland where a magnificent grand city stood proudly.
The city walls were tall and thick, and the entire grand city looked like a giant beast resting among the mountains beneath the clouds.
If it weren’t for the sign saying "Yan City" hanging from the city gate tower, Qiao Mu might not recognize it at all.
After spending three years in the human world, Qiao Mu had returned to Yan City, but that was three years ago; now it was a full fifty years later.
The city walls were clearly renovated and rebuilt, and the whole Yan City no longer resembled the way he remembered it.
Many people were coming and going in Yan City, and the pedestrians were lined up outside the city gate to enter.
Qiao Mu did not use his skills to jump over the city wall and enter the city; instead, he stood in line just like everyone else.
In this long line, there were more martial artists than he remembered. Most of those he could see were well-built, lively young and middle-aged martial artists.
They were not all handsome men and beautiful women, but most martial artists had better figures, with fewer extremes in weight, and they all seemed full of energy.
"The increase in the number of martial artists is probably related to the promotion of crops like Seven-colored Spiritual Rice," Qiao Mu guessed.
Over the years, eight great Immortal Gates have been destroyed.
The Seven-colored Spiritual Rice produced in Qingming Medicine Valley of the Xuantian Sect is just one of them; the other Immortal Gates should have similar spiritual plants. Compared to other spiritual herbs and grasses, spiritual rice can be considered the least effective type of spiritual plant.
The only two commendable qualities are its mild nature and high yield. Even if ordinary people can consume it, over many years, it can help replenish energy and slightly improve their health.
This kind of spiritual rice is not very useful for cultivators; usually, only lower-level cultivators consume it, or it is used for raising spiritual beasts and serving fairy servants in their caves.
"Having only spiritual rice is not enough; a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice. Even if there is rice, without a skilled cook, there’s nothing that can be done."
"Training in martial arts requires years of persistence; it is never an easy task. Therefore, among ordinary people, there cannot be many martial artists in an exaggerated way."
The increase in the number of martial artists relies more on the promotion of Lingmi.
The improvement in the spirit and posture of martial artists is greatly attributed to the Qiao family’s martial arts, led by the "Human Path Sutra."
This Qiao family martial art is actually supplementing the path of ordinary martial arts, filling in the gaps that the old martial world could not address.
At this moment, Qiao Mu had entered the city with the group. He wandered around aimlessly, without any particular purpose, and his gaze casually fell on the people walking on the streets and the surroundings.
The walls of Yan City were obviously repaired and rebuilt, but the marks that Qiao Mu had left on the gate tower had begun to fade; however, they were still recognizable and clearly had been maintained.
"The killer is Qiao Sen from the Qiao family!"
Some tourists from outside looked up at the blurred writing on the gate tower and read it aloud.
"The killer is Qiao Sen, but who is the one he killed?" the tourist from outside murmured.
"It’s the Lord of Yan City, Guo Yan, from more than fifty years ago!" A friendly local person replied, casually pointing to a stone tablet below the nearby city wall.
"Look, the story of the Qiao Sen family and the reasons behind it are all carved on that stone tablet."
The visiting tourists approached the stone tablet and, after reading it, exclaimed in wonder:
"What a big grudge they must have to set up a stone tablet and explain the reasons behind it."
"Oh, so Guo Yan is just a 6th rank martial artist, but now he is connected to a member of the Changsheng Qiao family. Is he trying to make a name for himself in history?"
"That’s true," several locals responded with laughter.
Fifty years is a long time for an ordinary person.
But for the locals of Yan City, even the relatively younger ones, most of their elders had experienced struggles with the Guo family, so they had heard many stories about Guo Yan.
"There’s even more than just the reasons mentioned; that stone tablet is too small to hold everything. There’s a big one nearby that talks specifically about Guo Yan’s crimes."
The enthusiastic locals pointed to the side, where there was a larger stone tablet. It had words written on it about a young master who openly seized beautiful women, whipped his way through the streets, caused trouble, and rode around wildly.
"…This grudge is really huge!" The tourists were also shocked.
"That’s right, it’s truly a blood feud. Even after fifty years, it won’t be forgotten," a local who understood the twists and turns interjected.
"The person who set up this stone tablet is Mr. Bai, who runs a tea house in Yan City."
"I heard that his family used to suffer because the young master from the Guo Yan family once beat him, causing a miscarriage. Isn’t that a blood feud…"
"Oh, Mr. Bai is here…" The chatty local stopped talking.
But Qiao Mu’s gaze swept over, and he saw a familiar middle-aged man turning the corner of the street. He was dressed elegantly but appeared like an old farmer.
"Old Huang?" Qiao Mu thought to himself, knowing it wasn’t him.
When Qiao Mu first met Old Huang, he was already in his forties, considered middle-aged, but looked older, especially with his big yellow teeth that showed whenever he smiled at anyone.
Fifty years is a very long time for an ordinary person. Old Huang had limited skills, and if he were still alive, he would not look like this.
Especially after looking closely, the difference from his memory became even clearer.
The "Boss Bai" walking towards him looked much younger; he resembled Old Huang somewhat, but when he smiled, a set of relatively neat white teeth could be seen.
As the saying goes, poor people look at the eyes, while rich people look at teeth. In troubled times, the poor struggle to survive, so who cares about their teeth? Therefore, many soldiers like Old Huang have bad teeth.
Old Huang had it worse; in fact, even though his last name was Bai, he was given the nickname "Old Huang," which referred to his dark, rotten teeth.
Even later, when Wang Songhe took charge of Yan City and recognized the story of "Hero Courage Soup," he valued Old Huang and helped him live a better life, but those big yellow teeth still lingered.
The person in front of him was different.
Just like the Old Huang from Qiao Mu’s memory, he walked down the street smiling at everyone, showing his teeth, looking very friendly.
Even more noticeable than the difference in tooth color was that Boss Bai stood up straight when he smiled; he lacked the obsequious attitude Old Huang had back then.
The white-haired boss looked to be around forty, but it was clear he still had a young heart. He was carrying a birdcage as he strolled along the street, and when he spotted a graceful woman from behind, his eyes lit up. He walked over to chat with her.
"Sister, what brings you to Yan City?"
The woman he called "sister" had a lovely figure and a soft profile. Her skin was as smooth as cream, and she looked to be just in her twenties, at the prime of her beauty.
Although the white-haired boss called her "sister," she was not offended. She turned to look at him, examined him up and down, and frowned, saying,
"You’ve aged a bit. I always told you to practice martial arts; it might help you look younger and live longer."
The white-haired boss laughed and replied,
"Sister, among our siblings, you are the only one with great talent and understanding in martial arts. You have become the famous heroine of Nan Province, ‘Qingsi Han Spear.’"
"I have practiced, but I haven’t quite grasped the secret like our father did. I only have the family martial arts… and those are not too bad." As they talked, they walked towards the courtyard in the inner city.