"History is written by the victors, and only Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian is reliable. I never imagined that the Sima family would make such a great decision to go into seclusion," Qin Mu sighed.
"Thank you, Lord Marquis." A voice rang out, and Qin Mu shifted his gaze from Li Chunfeng to look at Sima Quan, who had already approached them. Sima Quan was looking at Meng Ziyi, presumably introducing them. The highest-ranking were Luo Cheng and Princess Changning, followed by Yuan Tiangang, Meng Ziyi, and Zhiyuan. However, Princess Changning's identity hadn't been officially revealed; only those familiar with her knew. Therefore, Yuan Tiangang and the others had made some arrangements before bringing Sima Quan over.
"A masterpiece of historical writing, a lament without rhyme, Sima Qian allows future generations to remember and learn from history, and he deserves everyone's respect," Qin Mu returned the greeting.
"Your Excellency's praise is truly unforgettable for the Sima family," Sima Quan said, bowing deeply.
Although historians held a unique and independent position, in the eyes of others, they were only slightly stronger than ordinary aristocratic families, far inferior to Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. If Qin Mu were merely a marquis or a prince consort, such praise would only please Sima Quan. However, Qin Mu was a great Confucian scholar. A great Confucian scholar using a phrase that can be described as a masterpiece of historical writing, a lament without rhyme, not only highly praised the Records of the Grand Historian but also compared it to the Lament for the Departed. This would undoubtedly greatly enhance his reputation.
Although historians are dedicated to their work, they are never averse to gaining prestige. After all, without prestige, how can their writings be recognized by others?
"You're too kind. I was just telling the truth. Without historians to record history, how would later generations know about events from thousands of years ago? Passing down information through QQ is just a few words or two, and we don't even know if they're accurate. Like this time, if our ancestors had left records, we descendants would definitely have an easier time dealing with it," Qin Mu said, quickly helping Sima Quan up.
Sima Quan looked at Qin Mu and felt as if he had met a kindred spirit. His eyes shone, and he was so excited that he almost grabbed Qin Mu and wouldn't let go. If there weren't many other people who hadn't been introduced yet, he would have loved to have a long chat with Qin Mu.
After a brief introduction, it was both a chance to get acquainted and to understand each other, since everyone would be fighting together for a long time to come. Qin Mu didn't act rashly; since he was on someone else's turf, following instructions was the best course of action.
The battle was brutal; in the short time since their arrival, more than ten people had already been injured and forced to withdraw from the fight. Three ferocious beasts fell, and then more than ten more arrived, making the battlefield increasingly fierce. Qin Mu and his group did not rest; those not engaged in combat watched the battle, observing the beasts' fighting styles and how the earlier arrivals dealt with them.
On the battlefield, they nimbly drew the attention of the ferocious beasts, allowing others to deliver the fatal blow. However, the beasts' defenses were too high, making them difficult to kill in one strike. Even a blow that was enough to severely injure a beast couldn't kill it. Moreover, being injured made them even more ferocious, and many people were injured because they couldn't avoid the enraged beasts in time.
Fortunately, everyone here is highly skilled, requiring no training, and their teamwork is remarkably seamless. And before each ferocious beast, there is a top-tier expert present. Further afield, Taoists, Buddhists, and Confucians are providing support and assistance to those ahead.
After watching for half an hour, everyone became serious. The danger of the battle exceeded expectations. Even the most skilled experts could be injured while killing a single ferocious beast.
The only good news is that the beasts are beasts, not humans! People can take turns going up, and the injured and exhausted will be replaced immediately, with medical personnel providing treatment from the rear.
"Why not send more people up to kill them quickly, so they can have more time to rest?" someone asked doubtfully.
"We've tried this method before. Although it allows for more rest time, we don't know if more ferocious beasts will appear soon. If we consume too much energy and can't recover in time, we might easily lose our position."
At first, we focused on killing every ferocious beast that appeared. But one time, just as we had killed thirty beasts, more than fifty appeared. In the end, we managed to kill them all at the cost of more than two hundred people being injured and more than ten people dying in battle.
"So after that, we'll assign suitable people to kill the beasts based on their size, while the rest of us will rest and rotate, to ensure we have enough strength to deal with any sudden changes," Sima Quan explained.
"This...this is really..." someone was speechless.
The feeling of being forced to passively defend and wait for others to attack is quite unpleasant, since no cultivator cultivates for the purpose of defense.
After settling into the camp, Qin Mu, as one of the representatives of the imperial court, participated in the meeting. Before their arrival, the camp commanders were mainly the renowned Confucian scholar Wei Ting, the Buddhist monk Tianbao Zen Master, the Mohist Xiangli Wuwei, and the historian Sima Zhengying. Qin Mu knew Wei Ting quite well, as Wei Ting had been the youngest renowned Confucian scholar in the Tang Dynasty before him. He was also a close friend and supporter of Li Jiancheng, but was tricked by Li Shimin and demoted from Chang'an, only to be recalled in the first year of the Zhenguan era.
"Currently, the imperial court has 30,000 troops stationed in the rear. This serves two purposes: first, to ensure the supply of food and medicine to the front lines, and second, to act as the last line of defense. If we fail, they will fight to the death to buy time."
"There are 1,200 people from the major families, 860 from the Buddhist family, and 300 from other families. Adding the skilled fighters you brought, that brings us close to 5,000. You could say we've gathered half of the top experts outside the imperial court. If we can't stop them, a catastrophe will be inevitable for the people," Wei Ting explained.
"Have you found out where the ferocious beasts came from? They couldn't have just appeared out of thin air, could they?" Luo Cheng asked.
"It really did appear out of nowhere. As you all know, this place was originally guarded by Cihang Jingzhai. They were the first to discover the large number of ferocious beasts and fought desperately to stop them until reinforcements arrived. Of the more than 500 people in Cihang Jingzhai, most of them died in battle, and the rest were all wounded and are still recuperating," Zen Master Tianbao said with his hands clasped together.
"It seems there's more than just isolation; there's also a seal. The world has undergone tremendous changes, and the earth has merged. However, the seal should still exist and hasn't been completely broken," Yuan Tiangang said thoughtfully.
“Master Yuan is right, that’s what we thought too, but we haven’t found where the seal is or how to seal it. Now that almost every family has someone here, I wonder if any of your family’s records contain any information about it?” Wei Ting asked.
"No! I asked before and searched through a lot of books, but there is no record of this." After exchanging a glance, Yuan Tiangang slowly shook his head and said.
"It seems we can only find the cause by going there ourselves," Wei Ting said with some disappointment.
"Yes, now that reinforcements have arrived, we can send people to find the cause. This time we will definitely be able to penetrate deep into the heart of the territory and seal the ferocious beast," Zen Master Tianbao said solemnly.
"Then let's discuss it and see which people would be more suitable to go," Wei Ting agreed.
"Those who understand formations must go, but we will encounter a huge number of ferocious beasts on the way, so the number of people cannot be too small!"
"Ferocious beasts can detect the presence of other living beings from a great distance. We must minimize the chances of being discovered, reduce the time spent fighting on the way, and maintain our strength until we reach the sealed land."
"Let's each submit a list first, and then we'll tally it up."
The discussion was underway, and the participants were all experienced experts. They didn't need to say much to understand what needed attention and who was the most suitable person to talk to.
Qin Mu didn't participate in the discussion. When Yuan Tiangang mentioned historical records, he suddenly remembered an event recorded in the *Wei Liao Zi*. Xu Fu had once visited Tianshan, and shortly after returning, he betrayed his sect and murdered his master. Could this be related to a ferocious beast?
Qin Mu only skimmed through the book "Wei Liao Zi" without studying it. To put it bluntly, he treated himself like a human scanner, absorbing the knowledge before studying it later. The secret manual, however, remained with Qin Qiong.
What Qin Mu needed to do now was to retrieve his memories from his mind and examine them! Images flashed through his mind, ignoring anything related to cultivation, and focusing only on miscellaneous notes and narrative explanations.
"Huai Dao, Huai Dao, what are you thinking about?" Qin Mu suddenly heard someone call his name and quickly regained his composure. He saw that everyone was looking at him.
"Sorry, I suddenly thought of something and got a little distracted," Qin Mu said apologetically.
“I forgot that you, Huai Dao, also have a lineage. Have you thought of something?” Yuan Tiangang tapped his forehead and said.
Qin Mu was too young, and being a Confucian scholar, with Li Gang as his teacher, people subconsciously overlooked the fact that he practiced both Confucianism and Taoism. When Yuan Tiangang asked others about the records in the classics, he also forgot to ask Qin Mu.
"I've thought of something, but I don't know if it will be useful to us," Qin Mu nodded slightly.
"It's alright. Whether it's useful or not, it's always good to learn more," Yuan Tiangang said with a smile.
"According to our sect's records, there is a kind of immortal tree deep in the Tianshan Mountains that withers once every hundred years. After withering, it will be reborn like a phoenix from the ashes! The reborn immortal tree can dispel evil energy. The more times the immortal tree is reborn, the better its effect. I don't know exactly how good it is," Qin Mu explained.
He guessed that this kind of thing, which was specifically recorded in the secret manual, was left by Wei Liaozi to deal with Xu Fu. It was a fierce aura, which was also possessed by ferocious beasts. Once it hurts a person, it is difficult to get rid of it on its own.
"Hmm! This information is very useful; it allowed us to fight without restraint. But does anyone know where we can find the Undying Wood?" Wei Ting asked, looking at the people from the northwest.
“The Immortal Tree should be what we Buddhists call the Nirvana Tree. Throughout history, eminent monks have chosen to be cremated with the Nirvana Tree after their passing. There are still some in the temple. I will have someone send them over as soon as possible,” Zen Master Tianbao said thoughtfully.
"Please draw a picture of the Nirvana Tree, Zen Master, and I'll have someone look for one nearby," Wei Ting said, bowing respectfully.
"No problem!"
,,,,,,
Leaving the main tent where they were discussing matters, Qin Mu went to find Han Chen, an indispensable medical expert. Upon arrival, Han Chen immediately began treating the wounded. The most troublesome aspect of ferocious beasts is their malevolent aura. For the injured to be treated, this aura must first be dispelled. This destructive aura, like a persistent leech, can only be dispelled by top-tier experts; ordinary experts can only suppress it. This is where external intervention is necessary.
Medical practitioners, Taoists, and Buddhists all possess the ability to expel malevolent energy. However, to expel malevolent energy from another person's body without harming them requires utmost care, which is naturally quite taxing. Therefore, the healer is more exhausted than the injured, as wounded individuals are constantly being brought in. Malevolent energy also has another characteristic: if it is not removed quickly, it can slowly grow stronger. The longer it is delayed, the more difficult it becomes to treat, thus necessitating prompt intervention.
When Qin Mu arrived at the rear camp, although it was late at night, he saw a scene of bustling activity. He watched as Han Chen used a silver needle to force out a scarlet aura, then waved it away before letting the others take over and help bandage the wounds.
Looking around and seeing that the room was almost empty, Han Chen, with a hint of weariness in his eyes, then asked Qin Mu, "So? Have you reached a conclusion?"
The two stepped out of the tent, and Qin Mu recounted the details of the meeting.
"That's how it is. We might need to go and scout things out together in a couple of days."
"Just as I expected, it's really a headache."
“Yeah! This guy is completely irrational, can’t communicate, and doesn’t know fear. It’s all about fighting to the death.” Qin Mu said, rubbing his forehead.
"There's another reason we have to eliminate it: the malevolent energy. If it lingers in the human body for a long time, the person will become like a ferocious beast, losing their reason," Han Chen said, frowning.
"Is there no antidote?"
"No, I haven't had time to look yet. My teacher has already gone into the mountains. He wants to see if there are any medicinal herbs here that can counteract the malevolent energy," Han Chen said, shaking his head.
Where poisonous creatures live, there are usually antidotes. Qin Mu nodded silently, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let's dissect the ferocious beasts and see if we can find them."
Han Chen understood Qin Mu's meaning: the antidote would appear where the poisonous creature lived, but it could also appear on the creature itself. Even if it couldn't remove the malevolent energy, it might still possess other medicinal properties.
The two were already used to dissections, and soon a ferocious beast carcass was brought over. These "what ifs" were truly useless to humans, because they were full of malevolent energy, and even the strong fur and bones could not be used. If they spent a lot of effort to remove the malevolent energy and then use the fur, it would be a completely thankless task.
The malevolent aura emanating from the beast's corpse showed no sign of weakening. This kind of lingering, persistent energy was the most troublesome thing, so the camp's current solution was to pile up the beast corpses, burn them, and then try to deal with the remaining malevolent aura. Qin Mu, however, had an idea. Since the Undying Tree could suppress the malevolent aura, they could transplant a few trees and let the Undying Tree slowly dissolve it.
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