Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 428-427 The History of the Eastern Continent
Having chosen to speak out what had been weighing on his mind, Fang Youliu no longer held back.

He took a deep breath and spoke his mind.

"Actually, I noticed a while ago that something was wrong with you."

He tapped his temple: "You seem to have become much more 'normal'."

“The mad worm is no longer mad. At first, I thought it was a good thing, so I didn’t mention it to avoid upsetting you again.”

"But it only dawned on me today that you haven't become normal, you've become depressed."

“I don’t know what happened to you, but what you did today, although it seems to be just for revenge, is more like an emotional outburst to me—making Xu Liansheng kill Zhao Mumu, who had a deep relationship with her, is an extreme method.”

"This actually symbolizes a kind of pathological mentality. Compared to this, I feel more at ease with your 'abnormal' nature."

"Nothing."

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand and denied it outright, saying insincerely, "I'm perfectly normal."

But only he knew what was going on in his own life. Feng Xiuhu knew very well that Fang Youliu had hit the nail on the head—his emotions had indeed been affected recently.

The reasons are both simple and complex.

Because of erosion.

Last time in Menglin, Feng Xiuhu's probing questions provoked Shi, and apart from the time at Caiyi Temple when Shi had to speak up to remind him, the two had no further communication.

It's a strange feeling, like a young couple having a fight, neither willing to back down first, yet forced to share the same roof in an awkward situation.

It was both embarrassing and uncomfortable.

So during this period of time, Feng Xiuhu always tried to find something else to do, pretending to be busy, showing that he didn't care, and at the same time distracting himself.

Shi remained silent, and although they lived in the same room, it was as if they were living separately.

Feng Xiuhu just didn't expect Fang Youliu to be so perceptive, and that he had actually seen through the clues.

Feng Xiuhu didn't want to talk about this anymore, so he abruptly changed the subject: "If you can leave, leave as soon as possible. I've had enough of this wretched place. Every day I'm either crossing a bridge or preparing to cross a bridge—where are we going next?"

Fang Youliu picked up the map from the coffee table, unfolded it, and explained to Feng Xiuhu while gesturing: "Continue north."

“Normally we should cross the Tianpu River directly to the county town north of the river to stay, but I plan to take a slightly longer route.”

Fang Youliu moved his finger to a certain spot on the map: "Let's go to Zizai City first."

Feng Xiuhu looked closely and saw that the place Fang Youliu was pointing to was located slightly east of Qianyu City and Tianpu River.

Free City.

The place name sounded pleasant, and Feng Xiuhu asked curiously, "Why do you want to go here?" Fang Youliu smiled faintly, "Const mentioned this place in his journal. At that time, he was unable to go to Zizai City due to problems with his travel plans, and he expressed his regret in writing in his journal, so I want to go and see it for him."

Feng Xiuhu stared at the map, barely able to make out the terrain: "...This place looks like a mountain?"

Fang Youliu smiled and shook his head: "To be precise, it is a valley, surrounded on all sides, with only one road leading in—and this road was only opened up later."

“I have read relevant documents in the academy. It is speculated that the earliest people to come to the valley were during the period of division at the end of the Sheng Dynasty. They moved in to escape the war and then multiplied and lived there in isolation until the Yong Dynasty when they were rediscovered and able to make contact with the outside world.”

When it comes to historical knowledge, Feng Xiuhu is completely clueless, his blank stare making him look like an illiterate: "Which dynasty is Shengdai? And when is Yongdai?"

Fang Youliu sighed and smiled wryly, "You dare to impersonate the academy dean with this? Well, at least you look like you came from the bottom city now."

Feng Xiuhu remained unfazed: "I studied science."

Fang Youliu didn't understand, so he had no choice but to explain: "As I mentioned before, the first unified dynasty in the Eastern Continent was Da Zhao, and the establishment of Da Zhao is also regarded as the beginning of the Fifth Era."

"No dynasty can last forever; this is the inevitability of history, even the Great Zhao Dynasty, which was personally created by Xi Jun, is no exception."

"In the end, Da Zhao was replaced by Da Cang, and Da Cang was overthrown by Da Sheng—which is what I just mentioned as Sheng Dai."

"Shengdai was a short-lived dynasty. After a brief period of unification, it quickly split internally and eventually evolved into two states, Beizhen and Nanyu, with the present-day Heishui River as the boundary."

Fang Youliu pointed to Yu'ai Prefecture, located below the Blackwater River on the map: "It is worth mentioning that the name Yu'ai Prefecture originated from Nan Yu. Legend has it that when the Yu Kingdom was defeated, many officials in the court jumped off the cliff here and died for their country. Their noble spirit turned into the mist over Yu'ai Prefecture, which has not dissipated for thousands of years."

"The first residents of Zizai City migrated here during the period of Wansheng's separatist war."

Fang Youliu continued, "There were no winners in Beizhen and Nanyu. In the years of war, they were dragged into an irretrievable state of exhaustion, which also caused the people to suffer unspeakably. Rebellions broke out in various places, and finally a new flower was born from the decay - Da Ning."

"Unfortunately, this dynasty wasn't very lucky. Da Ning took over this land, inheriting the mess left by Bei Zhen and Nan Yu. But if it had governed diligently, Da Ning had the potential to become a prosperous dynasty—but as I just said, it was unlucky. Looking back at all the dynasties in the Eastern Continent, the Ning dynasty was the one most prone to natural disasters."

"State affairs can be planned, but natural disasters can be controlled. The fate of Da Ning was gradually exhausted by the frequent disasters, and in the end, the national strength could not be sustained and it perished in the rebellion of the vassal kings."

"After the Ning Dynasty, a country called Da Jing pacified the world and made the Eastern Continent prosperous again. However, after a long period of prosperity, people become accustomed to comfort and fail to see the crisis hidden beneath the prosperity."

"A swift and precise coup d'état changed the country's masters."

"Da Yong replaced Da Jing, but fortunately, this change of power did not have a great impact on the people."

"Zizai City was also discovered during this period. After the coup succeeded, many armies across the country still resisted the rule of Dayong and intended to restore the Dajing regime—of course, by this time they were already being called rebels."

Fang Youliu pointed to the location of Zizai City: "A small-scale battle to quell the rebels once took place here. At that time, the Dayong army suffered a defeat and accidentally discovered a narrow crevice leading into the valley while being pursued. In the end, the Dayong army used the terrain here to turn the tide and also made contact with the residents of the valley."

"When the Emperor of Dayong learned of this, he believed it to be an auspicious omen from heaven, and it also represented that the heavens recognized his legitimacy to the throne. Therefore, he announced the battle to the world and personally named the place Zizai City."

(End of this chapter)