The Eternal Way-Chapter 100: Tang Dynasty

"Song Kingdom? Why ask about that?" Jing Yan frowned.

"It's nothing, just that I've never left Great Deer Kingdom before, so I was curious about the customs and people of Song Kingdom," Li Qi said with a smile.

"Alright, but we're still patrolling. Let's chat when we set up camp tonight," Jing Yan replied.

Li Qi nodded; this was exactly what he had expected.

From these two days of interaction, he already knew Jing Yan's personality.

It matched Jian Yi's perfectly.

Upright, stubborn, but not hard to get along with—just overly serious, making it difficult to work alongside her.

Facing someone who doesn't lie, follows rules strictly without any flexibility, indeed makes conflicts more likely, and she is quite formidable in those conflicts.

No wonder others call her "Tiger Lady."

She seemed to take everyone and everything seriously, pouring all her effort into every task, especially into swordsmanship, dedicating all her energy, love, and something else unidentifiable. In short, she had honed herself as sharp as a sword.

The two continued their patrol, and the day passed peacefully without even encountering any wild beasts.

However, they did come across several mountain harvesting teams.

These teams initially observed from afar, assessing the situation of the caravan.

But after Li Qi appeared, they dispersed one by one.

Becoming bandits in the mountains was easy, but they still needed to consider their strength.

Facing a ranked expert, taking action would be unwise; the two sides were on entirely different levels.

This was the benefit of hiring Li Qi—though it seemed peaceful, dangers lurked everywhere. Without protection, dozens of carts of goods would have been long gone.

After a peaceful day, Li Qi finished his meal, spoke briefly with Rabbit, then headed toward Jing Yan's cart.

Jing Yan was practicing her sword skills.

Every move was precise, focused, almost losing herself in the practice, with only the sword existing in her mind and hands.

Such concentration, such dedication.

No wonder Shen Shuibei said she would definitely achieve great things. With some talent, it would be hard for her not to succeed.

Having Shen Shuibei personally point out her weaknesses was equivalent to receiving guidance from a fifth-rank expert, an invaluable opportunity that could potentially elevate her to eighth rank.

A good deed, forming a positive connection, an early investment.

In Li Qi's estimation, he couldn't avoid the conflict between Great Deer Kingdom and Song Kingdom. Understanding the situation now and building connections in Song Kingdom would be beneficial later.

Li Qi waited until she finished her current set, watching her slowly sheath her sword before approaching him.

"You want to know about Song Kingdom?" Jing Yan walked toward Li Qi, getting straight to the point.

Without any small talk, her directness gave Li Qi a slight headache.

Used to dealing with various personalities, encountering someone so straightforward was somewhat... uncomfortable.

But it was also a good thing.

"Not that complicated, just wanted to understand the customs and people of Song Kingdom. I heard you recently finished a war with Tang Dynasty. What's the current situation like?" Li Qi asked.

As they sat beside the ox cart, they began their conversation.

"The war? That was three or four years ago. It didn't affect the common folk much. Only high officials and powerful shamans were crushed effortlessly, barely causing any ripples," Jing Yan recalled, explaining to Li Qi.

"... The war didn't affect civilians?" Li Qi was taken aback.

"Tang Dynasty conquered all of Song Kingdom within three days, breaking through three states in one day. What impact could there be?" Jing Yan smiled bitterly. "People like us, at ninth rank, are considered experts in the martial world, but in Tang's army, we'd merely be squad leaders. There are hundreds of them in one army, and the Tang Dynasty has more than one army. So, the battlefields never reached the ground."

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She looked up, seemingly fearful yet reflective, saying, "That day, there were ten suns in the sky, eclipses covered five stars, meteors flew and fell, military qi rose like clouds over mountains, dragons and tigers roamed the heavens, countless strange phenomena."

"After a day, everything returned to normal. Except for high officials replaced by Tang generals, shamans by Daoist priests, and local witches turned into Taoists, everything else remained unchanged. Even within the Jing family, there was little disruption, life went on as usual."

Jing Yan's account made Li Qi's head hurt.

This sounded like a completely different level of combat...

But, in the Tang Dynasty's eyes, the Song Kingdom was probably just that.

In his own world, it wasn't much different—a special forces unit from a major country could easily overthrow a smaller nation's government.

"What changes happened afterward in Song Kingdom?" Li Qi asked further.

"There were changes... For example, cracking down on corruption, integrating all scattered sects into the Song Dao Alliance under official jurisdiction, establishing laws that must be strictly followed, and punishing violators according to law. To establish authority, even a sixth-rank Mountain God was executed."

"One of Song Kingdom's Five Great Mountains, the West Mountain God, achieved sixth rank, his body spanning five thousand miles. He refused to follow Tang laws, regulating local climate as before, demanding human sacrifices from villagers instead of benefiting them. A Daoist priest killed him on the spot, shattering his mountain roots, refining his body into a 'Five Mountain Seal'."

"That Daoist priest then enshrined a fallen Tang hero as the new Mountain God, granting him the Five Mountain Seal, allowing him to receive local offerings and become the new West Mountain God of Song Kingdom."

"Since then, Song Kingdom's governance has been clear, its people living in peace and prosperity. Additionally, the government started public schools, requiring children aged six to fifteen to attend, providing food instead of charging tuition. They need to study for three years: learning characters in the first year, laws in the second, and rites and music in the third, before graduating."

"If natural disasters occur, cultivators intervene, adjusting the climate to ensure abundant harvests. If man-made disasters happen, armed forces immediately handle the perpetrators, punishing them according to law."

"Moreover, numerous devices flowed in, created by practitioners of Rationalism. They explored the principles behind objects, creating many peculiar items, such as the 'Mirror Flower Water Moon'. It looks like a simple round mirror but can project scenes thousands of miles away, allowing distant entertainment viewing or conversations with another half-mirror holder. These have become popular in Song Kingdom, though they're too expensive for me to afford."

"So, after three years, Song Kingdom... is much better off than before," Jing Yan reflected, answering honestly.

Li Qi listened, stunned.

Wow!

Tang Dynasty is incredibly advanced!

What happened to being the villain?

How civilized!