Start with a red name

While the high priest and his disciples were still agonizing over whether the sea buckthorn fruit had turned into a sand pear, Geng Xuan had already put that matter aside and started dealing with another "minor matter".

Looking at Fan Qi and Zhang Shaohe, who had taken the initiative to request an audience, Geng Xuan said in a slightly teasing tone:
"I thought you had all left."

After bowing deeply, Fan Qi smiled wryly and said:

"Please stop teasing us... We valued what we had too much and wanted too much... The facts prove that even without us, you were still able to easily take over the Xuanyou and You provinces."

We are not as important to you as we thought.

At this point, Fan Qi sighed, his expression quite somber and disappointed.

After a while, he spoke again:

"Let's not talk about conditions or anything like that. We're not in a position to discuss that with you right now."

At this point, I shamelessly come to your door, hoping for nothing more than to find a job here and earn a living.

They speak so humbly and pitifully, but if you peel back the layers, the purpose is fundamentally no different from before.

However, Geng Xuan was already very satisfied.

They all just wanted to make a living here. Last time, they wanted to get a share by "investing," but now they've given up on that hope.

With this attitude, Geng Xuan achieved his goal.

Geng Xuan immediately nodded and granted Fan Qi's request.

Fan Qi, who had been prepared to be thoroughly ridiculed, could hardly believe that his goal had been achieved so easily, and looked on with a look of astonishment.

It wasn't until Geng Xuan inquired about the Black Wind Army's next strategic direction that Fan Qi spoke up, and Zhang Shaohe added to it, that the two men's mindsets gradually changed.

After gradually correcting the two men's mindset, Geng Xuan introduced them to Song Mingzhu, Liu Mu, Yu Hou, and others, allowing them to fully understand the current situation of the "Black Wind Army" while discussing more specific strategic plans with the others.

In this process, the "bargains" they hold will naturally come into play.

As for whether to hold nothing back or to reveal some while concealing others, Geng Xuan didn't care.

This only affects the size of their "rice bowl" and does not hinder the overall situation.

This is the source of Geng Xuan's confidence and self-assurance.

Soon, the High Priest of the Holy Mountain added a significant weight to his confidence with concrete actions.

After careful consideration, the High Priest of the Holy Mountain not only accepted the nearly eradicated "Story of the Green Emperor," but also, to avoid causing too much internal mental upheaval, he took the initiative to propose a temporary halt to the spread of the story.

"...Let's do what needs to be done first, and then deal with it slowly at the end."

The high priest of the Holy Mountain spoke in a veiled manner, and his intention was exactly the same as that of Haq.

On the one hand, those who can follow along into the "new era" will be gradually transformed, from easy to difficult.

On the other hand, those who are stubborn and inflexible, destined to fall behind, are worn down through continuous and brutal battles.

Originally, no matter how "careful" one was, achieving Geng Xuan's goal would inevitably involve a "stormy sea".

But now, with the high priest of the holy mountain's active cooperation, if handled properly, it is indeed possible to accomplish this "quietly and without making a sound."

Because the transition is gradual, the "Canglang believers" group will experience the least disturbance and pay the lowest price.

The biggest cost is that the originally "golden and spotless" high priest of the holy mountain will become filthy and foul-smelling.

The "Holy Mountain lineage" has accumulated prestige over countless generations, which will be greatly depleted in this process, and may even turn from positive to negative.

Perhaps this self-inflicted wound went too deep, exceeding her limit of endurance. From the moment she appeared until she left, Shuna could only follow him closely, unable to make any extra movements or speak, remaining unusually well-behaved throughout.

Geng Xuan could only glimpse the turmoil in her heart from her changing emotions. The High Priestess of the Holy Mountain's choice earned Geng Xuan's heartfelt respect.

He even introduced Hak, Pema, Monto, and others to him, so that they could cooperate with his actions.

After these matters were settled, the entire Black Wind Army, and indeed the entire Xuanyou and You provinces, from the sand people's water fortresses living along the Hang River to the bitterly cold northern tribes, began to operate like gears on a giant machine.

Geng Xuan himself, on the contrary, found himself with more free time again.

He no longer concern himself with those increasingly complicated and trivial administrative tasks.

He even skipped the regular briefing process.

……

At Geng Xuan's request, the original "Water Gate Army" camp, located east of the "throat waterway" and easily connecting the two prefectures, was moved nearly 600 li to the northeast.

Due to water shortages, a large number of troops were scattered and stationed in four or five surrounding settlements of the local people.

The reason Geng Xuan suddenly made this "fuss" was not because these sand tribe settlements were anything special.

The special place is in the nearby wilderness.

……

The group traveled through the vast wilderness.

Leading the way, Zhang Shaohe parted a large clump of low bushes in front of him, gazed into the distance at the gently undulating wilderness, and suddenly his spirits lifted. He exclaimed, "It should be just ahead!"

As he spoke, he leaped out and headed towards the distant wilderness.

The crowd following behind him kept up, peering out curiously.

In their eyes, the monotonous wilderness showed no difference whatsoever.

Even so, these people would at most exchange glances and make eye contact, but would not say much.

Geng Xuan, who was following the crowd at a leisurely pace, gradually fixed his gaze, which had been moving left and right, in a certain direction.

The surrounding wilderness resembled a diseased skin disease on the earth, with sparse weeds scattered here and there, and the occasional low shrubs were also underdeveloped.

The ground undulates gently, with large, exposed, and scattered stones everywhere.

And in the direction where his gaze was fixed, at first glance, there was no obvious difference from the rest of the place.

As they approached rapidly, the group reached a low-lying area, and more and more people began to notice the difference between this place and the others.

Ahead, the rocky ground was slowly sinking.

This sinking is very gentle, not violent at all. From a high altitude, it looks like a very shallow and very large plate.

At the lowest point of the earth's subsidence, which is also the center of this "earth plate," there is a three-tiered platform made of square boulders, resembling a dish being served.

These three-tiered platforms are not particularly impressive.

Sparse weeds and trees still stubbornly grow in the crevices of the rocks.

If you don't look closely, you might even overlook its existence.

However, before his gaze even locked onto the three-tiered platform, Geng Xuan had already determined the special nature of this place.

Because of the unusual ripples it emitted, it entered his field of vision first.

"Found it, this is the Xuanzhou Altar," Zhang Shaohe said. (End of Chapter)