Chapter 92: News from the Far East (Part 2)

This time, George was truly scared, yet he also felt a shocking, wild joy. Unlike the feeling of listening to legends before he transmigrated, the speaker today spoke as if this were common knowledge everyone knew. Cultivators of the ‘Dao’ who could move mountains and overturn seas truly existed in this world. Although George wanted to call them Immortals, there was probably another name for them in this world.

“A name is just a name, shaped by the environment and human thoughts. Rules or paths might be similar, but expecting them to have exactly the same name is truly a wild dream. Let’s first understand the power of the Jade Emperor and the Nine Walkers. These two great Deities lead faith systems that cover several countries. Just the faith of the Flying Dragon Empire alone would make all the Deities of the Western Continent feel envious and jealous.” After mocking himself harshly in his heart, George silently chanted the Tao Te Ching and controlled his blood and energy to calm himself down. He touched his chin with a puzzled expression and asked, “So, the Jade Emperor and the Nine Walkers can be said to be the highest-ranking Deities in the East! How strong are they exactly? Can you give an example? How powerful are the ‘Three Heavenly Venerables’?”

This time, it took a while before Wang Qinian even pulled out a few more hairs from his beard before giving his own opinion: “If you want specific details, I, a mere mortal, truly do not know. But generally speaking, the Jade Emperor and the Nine Walkers should both be stronger than the Elven Supreme Deity. As for the ‘Three Heavenly Venerables’, they have always been mysterious. Even though I have had many connections with that school, I have only heard their names. However, their existence tells the world that the path to immortality is not just one single road.”

“The path to immortality is not just one single road?” George looked at Wang Qinian with a teasing expression, but his heart felt greatly relieved. Years of doubts vanished in an instant, giving him a feeling of clouds parting to reveal the sun. ‘Years of persistence were finally not in vain. This world does have the existence of the ‘Dao’. I just don’t know what differences there are between this ‘Dao’ and the ‘Dao’ in my original world.’

“My Lord, please do not look at me with that kind of eyesight. It makes me feel creepy inside. If you truly want to know the secrets of that path, you must go and search for the scriptures you will obtain in the future. As for me, although I was lucky enough to witness the vastness of that road, I had to leave my hometown before I could truly step onto it.” After letting out a series of sighs, Wang Qinian showed a cunning smile again. “Although I love those cute Gold Coins, as a merchant, I will never sell what I do not have.”

Could you imagine what a farmer from northern Shaanxi looks like when acting cute? Anyway, George himself was disgusted by it. But he still pretended to be calm and asked, “From what you said, it seems quite difficult to enter the path on your own.”

“It is indeed quite difficult. If my Lord wants to give up now, it is still in time,” Wang Qinian said while stroking his beard.

“I like challenging things. But speaking of this, you mentioned earlier that the southern provinces of the original Flying Dragon Empire were one of the main faith areas of the ‘Path of Realization’. Plus, looking at the location of the Earth Dragon Kingdom and the fact that it split from the Flying Dragon Empire, the ‘Path of Realization’ probably played a significant role in this, right?” George casually picked up a clay cup from the counter, playing with it as he asked with great interest.

“My Lord is as sharp as ever! Back when the Flying Dragon Dynasty was jointly suppressing the ‘Path of Realization’ with the ‘Path of Enlightenment’, a large part of the temple monk-soldiers and monks escaped into the mountainous areas in the northwest, even up to the Horse-Running Plateau. There, they united with the cultivators who protected them and local Nobles to fight against the Flying Dragon Empire, and they established the Tebert Kingdom. In the first few years, the Flying Dragon army successfully invaded Tebert several times, but in the end, they suffered heavy losses and casualties under the resistance of the brave Tebert warriors. Now, that place is a completely independent kingdom with a unity of politics and religion.” As he spoke, Wang Qinian’s expression became increasingly grim. “However, a small number of members managed to escape in time, or perhaps some did so out of a desire for revenge. The six southern provinces were the basic power base of the ‘Path of Realization’, where their influence was deeply rooted. With the instigation and help of these remaining members, the southern Nobles, who were already dissatisfied with the court, rebelled. They established the later Earth Dragon Kingdom.”

Hearing this, George slapped his thigh: “I said, since there is the Tebert Kingdom, why not find a way to buy scriptures from them?”

“Do you think I didn’t want to? Tebert has no access to the sea and is landlocked. How could we trade with them? Besides, if there really was an outlet to the sea, I would have escaped to Tebert long ago. Why would I be here?” Wang Qinian finally caught a flaw in George’s argument and quickly glared at him with a look of contempt.

George completely ignored Wang Qinian’s gaze. He put on a humble, inquiring expression and asked, “Since both are kingdoms established by the ‘Path of Realization’, why do you seem to have completely opposite attitudes toward Tebert and the Earth Dragon Kingdom?”

“Of course, they are different. The mountainous areas in the northwest were originally unclaimed lands, and the Horse-Running Plateau was even more of a gathering place for foreign tribes. In a way, this was expanding territory. The six southern provinces, however, were the essence of the Flying Dragon. Starting a rebellion there without the ability to change the world and sweep across the Divine Land is nothing more than splitting off and staying in a corner. More importantly, although Tebert is relatively poor in material wealth, it is well-governed, and the people’s lives there are quite stable. But for hundreds of years, the Flying Dragon and the Earth Dragon have been in a state of war. Although both sides often fight and then stop, the border provinces of both countries have suffered great destruction due to this endless fratricidal war. Bones lie everywhere, and few people live there. Add to that the civil unrest of the past few decades which has made the people’s lives unbearable. Who is responsible for the suffering of those Commoners?” Wang Qinian surprisingly spoke a long string of great principles with great emotion. Looking at him, he seemed like a middle-aged or elderly angry youth from before he transmigrated. Old in body, but young in heart, with passion still burning.

George felt very strange: “Don’t the monks and cultivators of the ‘Path of Realization’ inside the Earth Dragon Kingdom do anything about it?”

“No matter what organization, there will always be some scum. Those with true ideals and perseverance mostly went to Tebert. Those left in the Earth Dragon Kingdom either seek pleasure or have special purposes. Even the group that originally instigated the Earth Dragon rebellion mostly left after the Earth Dragon Kingdom shifted to a defensive stance and went to Tebert.” There was a hint of helplessness in Wang Qinian’s words, after all, he had once dreamed of becoming a member of the ‘Path of Realization’.

‘The situation in the Far East is always much messier than I imagined! If I really plan to go there to take a look when I travel in the future, I must prepare thoroughly. Otherwise, it will really be like throwing a meat bun at a dog, with no return.’ Having found an answer in his heart, George decided to finalize the main purpose of his visit today: “This is really irresponsible. So, from now on, what is the fastest time for the goods to arrive?”

“So, you agree? Then I need to think about this carefully.” Wang Qinian first showed a surprised expression; he simply could not keep up with George’s jumping train of thought. Then, he looked down and counted on his fingers.

Soon, Wang Qinian gave his reply: “Two years. Even at the fastest, it will take two years. For a cargo ship, a single round trip takes nearly a year. Plus, due to the cyclical nature of the fleet’s round trips, it is not as if they can receive news and act immediately after an order is placed. There is also the time needed to collect the goods. Two years is a fairly safe estimate.”

Although George knew Wang Qinian was telling the truth, waiting for a full two years was still a bit of a torment for him. After all, he had not yet reached that state of being able to forget his feelings. He put down the porcelain cup he was playing with and said casually, “Then we really have to wait a long time! Forget it, I’ll just wait. There is no faster method anyway. But Old Wang, since your ancestors were generals, you must have collected many cultivation methods from the army, right?”

Hearing this, Wang Qinian’s face suddenly turned pale white. It seemed like he was about to grab a weapon and start a fight.

Seeing the other party like this, George put on a rogue-like expression and said: “Don’t get angry. I am not asking for your family’s secret techniques. I heard that generals in the Flying Dragon Empire keep some private soldiers and generals. Your ancestors were generals with titles, so the things they prepared for their private soldiers and generals should be better than ordinary mass-produced goods! I only want these. You set a price. If it is suitable, I will take a look at how the martial arts of the Flying Dragon differ from ours.”

Wang Qinian breathed a sigh of relief, looked down to think about something, and then shook his head with a bitter smile: “Hundreds of years have passed. Even if my descendants preserved them as best as we could, many scriptures were still lost. Plus, when I escaped from the Flying Dragon, I could not possibly take a huge pile of secret manuals with me. Besides, I do not practice martial arts in that area myself, so I have no memory of them. Therefore, even if I wanted to make money from you in this regard, it is impossible.”

‘It looks like I really have to wait this time. But I am not some chosen one of a Plane, so it is impossible for everything to go smoothly.’ George sighed and said, “Forget it, then add this item to the list of books to be collected.”

“But if you truly want it, there are other ways,” Wang Qinian said, rolling his eyes and showing a weird smile.

George knew he had been tricked by Wang Qinian again, but now was not the time to consider that. He pretended to be surprised and shouted loudly, “I knew you had good stuff in your hands.”