FRGNM -Chapter 262 The Land of the Southern Barbarians

“Hmph! Nonsense. You’re from Duanyun? So what? Does that mean Duanyun can decide what other countries’ emperors do?” Ye Niang sneered, backing away continuously. But the barrier behind her blocked her escape—there was no way out.

Qingyi chuckled softly, nodding. “Technically, Duanyun has no right to interfere with Jinshui. But… if Duanyun’s king writes a letter to Jinshui, saying he admires Your Highness, that he holds the prince in high regard, and that the two nations should strengthen their friendship—what do you think would happen?”

Everyone knew the implication: Jinshui was a small nation. For Duanyun, a powerful kingdom, to write such a letter meant the prince must be extraordinary. Moreover, the letter mentioned the prince’s intelligence and capability. Even a foolish emperor would understand the meaning behind it.

The words “Duanyun” seemed to trigger a realization in the person before them. East Yang Ze turned sharply toward Ling Ruoxi and Luo Mingyu, taking a deep breath. His eyes lit up—no wonder the name felt familiar. So that’s it… they were…

“You… hmph! Your Highness, you decide for yourself!” Ye Niang flung her sleeve and shouted angrily. Her right hand behind her suddenly struck the barrier with a “hum,” causing it to tremble and nearly break.

A streak of sword light flashed—but East Yang Ze acted first, piercing Ye Niang with a sharp blade. Coldly, he said, “I only trust the friends who follow me! Those who commit evil deeds will bring destruction upon themselves. This is your fate!”

A Blue-Rank cultivator, and just like that, she was gone. His right hand threw a fireball, reducing her body on the ground to dust.

Yue Ling, facing them, turned pale and quickly raised her hands defensively. “Don’t kill me! I don’t know anything! I don’t know anything!”

“Of course—a fool wouldn’t know much,” Qingyi said calmly, reaching out to touch her. Slowly, he placed his hand on Yue Ling’s head, smiling softly. “Sleep… no one will kill you. You’ll forget all of this, very soon.”

His right hand flicked lightly, a silver needle appearing and gently piercing the back of her head.

Standing and observing the others, Qingyi pinched his neck and said, “Alright. We’ve secured this batch of purple bamboo. Where’s the map? Let’s see where we go next.”

“Let me see.” Silver Wolf reached for the map in Ling Ruoxi’s hands. Looking at the map, riddled with holes, he couldn’t help but chuckle with frustration and shot East Yang Ze a somewhat mournful glare.

Seemingly realizing something, East Yang Ze paused, clearing his throat. “Well… at the time, I didn’t know you…”

“Enough, enough. Go enjoy the beauty, take your wife back. We should leave too.” Qingyi pointed toward the next location. Silver Wolf, however, looked perplexed. “What’s this Tŭcāng Country? Are their houses all warehouses?”

“Tŭcāng Country?” East Yang Ze furrowed his brow. “If I remember correctly, it’s a wild and lawless land. The people are extremely warlike, giving every nation trouble. But they have very few heirs, which is why they don’t invade others. You’ll need to be careful where you go next.”

“Oh? Tell us more,” Qingyi said with interest. Wild lands… could there be purple bamboo there? Why would it venture there? Is there something worth inhabiting?

Shaking his head, East Yang Ze continued: “The people of the southern barbarian lands are notorious for eating humans, so you must be careful. Also, they worship a female deity. Anyone going there cannot wear skirts, including women.”

“A female deity?” Silver Wolf looked at Ling Ruoxi in surprise. “No skirts… so they just wear pants and run around?”

“Of course. If no skirts, then only pants. As for why they worship a female deity… I don’t know. Head southeast from Jinshui, and you’ll find the southern barbarian lands,” East Yang Ze said awkwardly, revealing everything he knew.

Ling Ruoxi tapped the table in thought. Spreading her hands, the two purple bamboos appeared simultaneously, trembling but now restored to their original calm form in her hands.

“Not saying goodbye to someone you care about?” she whispered to the bamboo.

The bamboo trembled, quickly flying toward Bai He. Its cold body brushed her cheek softly. Before Bai He could react, it withdrew, landing back in Ling Ruoxi’s hands. Its purple light spiraled, sending energy into Bai He.

The observers were stunned. The feeling was familiar… as if they’d seen it somewhere, but they couldn’t recall where. Watching the figures vanish, a memory deep inside suddenly surfaced.

The bamboo in the corner stood tall in the wind. She used to sprinkle dew on it, watching it grow day by day, glowing purple. She sang and danced for it, caressing it with pure heart—until it pricked her, leaving her unable to play for half a month. After that, she never saw it again. Slowly, in her memory, the purple bamboo faded, though she continued singing and dancing, unaware that the warm presence remained near her.

The southern barbarian lands were a truly harrowing place.

Nothing grew there. At best, there were withered weeds, as if autumn and winter had arrived. There was hardly anything alive—not even magical beasts.

Along the path, countless bones littered the ground, clearly cooked by humans. Large bones bore human and animal teeth marks. Ahead, a pile of skeletons at least ten meters long had been completely devoured—nothing remained.

“This is strange. In other places, the compass pointer deviates due to magnetic interference. But here, just entering the southern barbarian lands, the pointer can’t find the correct direction, yet we’re not under any illusion spells,” Ling Ruoxi frowned, studying the compass and scanning the surroundings.

Stepping out of the southern barbarian lands, the compass worked normally, showing the bamboo’s direction. But outside, it lost all signal.

The land was bizarre, connected to the outside yet suddenly splitting into two different landscapes. The southern barbarian lands were indeed desolate.

Silver Wolf inhaled sharply, sniffing the air. “These barbarians never bathe, do they? It stinks.”

“The people here survive by raising cattle and sheep. Crops can’t grow on this land,” Qingyi said, smelling the soil and frowning, confirming his observation.

Dust swirled around, with faint wheel tracks suggesting someone had lived here recently but had since left. If they had arrived earlier, they might have encountered them.

“Let’s see… where exactly is the purple bamboo?” Silver Wolf muttered, frustrated. The map only showed “Tŭcāng Country,” with no hint of the bamboo’s location.

Ling Ruoxi frowned. Since entering, her compass was useless, as if in a tropical forest, all mechanical devices failing.

Luo Mingyu frowned, looking ahead. “It’s coming.”

“What’s coming?” The ground trembled slightly. Silver Wolf steadied himself and looked toward the opposite hillside.

From behind came louder noises. In an instant, two mounted groups charged out. Their eyes burned with hostility, staring at the four standing there.

“Yo! So they aren’t from the southern barbarian lands. Looks like some others sneaked in today!” A bare-chested man laughed heartily, taking a swig from his wine jug.

Another man followed, coldly remarking: “Judging by their clothes, they’re from the Central Plains. Perfect—their flesh is fresh and tender. We’ll take them back for steaming, to nourish women in confinement!”

“Uh… don’t eat me! My meat’s sour,” Silver Wolf muttered, grimacing. Fresh from surviving Ye Niang’s cannibalism, now encountering more cannibals?

The men ignored him, pointing at Silver Wolf and Luo Mingyu. “These two look good, plump and fair. If you won’t act, we will!”

“Heh, I’ll take these two too!” a man behind barked, grabbing his horse and charging forward. “The other two are skinny—no meat. These two are tender, good skin, smooth flesh.”

“Addicted to eating already? I swear… I won’t let them eat me!” Silver Wolf swallowed hard and dodged. A long blade sliced past, grazing him, and he turned pale.

Qingyi chuckled softly, amused that Silver Wolf and Ling Ruoxi were being singled out. Smiling, he called out: “Everyone, calm down. We have business here, no time for play. Please, make way.”

“Oh? Business in the southern barbarian lands? To enter, you must defeat us. Want to try?” The large man in front grinned, charging forward, swinging a heavy iron hammer at them.

Another man followed, raising his own hammer to strike Luo Mingyu, whom he saw as the main threat.

Yet the figure standing there remained calm, eyes flickering with light. Five fingers struck simultaneously, intercepting the incoming hammers. Cold light exploded from his eyes, sending the attackers flying from their horses.