The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

"After a month in Champa, the elixir of immortality still hasn't been found. In the end, they were driven out by Eastern Wu. It seems that the northwestern territory of Qi will belong to Eastern Wu."

"The Eastern Wu went all the way across the Liang Kingdom to save the City of Freedom."

"To be precise, it traversed the former territory of the Yan state. At that time, the Chu state also used the former territory of the Yan state to besiege Ziyou City."

"What did the Liang Kingdom gain by destroying the Yan Kingdom's royal family ten years ago? The troops of Qi, Chu, and Eastern Wu could move freely within its borders. Taxes couldn't be collected, and the people there suffered for nothing, constantly being harassed by various armies."

"Yes, Liang is having a hard time now. Originally, there was Wei between Liang and Northern Liao as a buffer zone. Although Wei was small, it was not enough to cause two great powers to clash head-on. Now that Northern Liao has directly destroyed Wei, I think they are going to take action against Liang."

"I think the Liang Kingdom is not worried about the war in the north, but instead wants to go south and confront the Qi Kingdom."

"The State of Qi is now reaping what it sowed. Which state doesn't want a share of the spoils? Even the Western Shu is preparing to launch an eastern expedition."

"I heard that the Nanzhao Kingdom next door originally wanted to go north and get a share of the pie from the Qi Kingdom, but suddenly went south to deal with the Nanyue Kingdom instead."

"After the death of that great general ten years ago, the Southern Yue Kingdom has become weak, and the surrounding countries are probably eyeing it like wolves and tigers."

"That's right. To the north of Nanyue is Xishu, to the northeast is Nanzhao, and to the northwest is Meng. To the east and west of the southern part of Nanyue is the sea, and there is only an island nation called Nanping to the south. Except for Xishu, which looks down on this wild land in the south, the other three countries are probably planning to divide Nanyue up."

"In recent years, Western Shu has been constantly launching westward expeditions, even reaching the Black Sea on the western continent. Later, they were unable to defeat the western continent in naval battles and had to temporarily retreat. This time, however, they are going to attack Qi. I'm afraid the world will fall to Shu."

"The unification of the world is the general trend, but Western Shu may not necessarily win the world. Western Shu only knows how to conquer the world but does not know how to govern it. I heard that the people in the places conquered in the western continent are full of resentment, and Western Shu has to enfeoff local lords to govern them. After a few generations, won't it still lose the world like the Yan Kingdom back then?"

"The Yan state's policy of enfeoffing feudal lords was well-received, but it was only later that the Yan state became incompetent and alienated other states, ultimately leading to its destruction by the Liang state."

"The unification of this world still depends on the wise ruler of my Southern Han."

……

After listening to the conversation at the next table for a long time, Luo Yifei and Qi Yuan had finished all their food.

“Let’s go upstairs and rest. This is just the surface situation; there are actually undercurrents beneath the surface, and no one can guess where the future will lead,” Qi Yuan said to Luo Yifei.

Qiao Zhi had actually told him all this over the past few nights; Luo Yifei just wanted to hear how the common people viewed the state of the world. But thinking about it carefully, those who could afford to eat at the inn were certainly not ordinary people; they were probably either officials or merchants.

Luo Yifei and Qi Yuan went upstairs together and entered the guest room. As dusk fell, the people eating downstairs gradually dispersed, and the chatter slowly subsided.

……

Night had fallen, and the bright moon hung high in the sky. The group gathered in Qi Yuan's room, secretly discussing how to arrange the rest of their trip.

Qi Yuan offended many people in the Southern Han Dynasty when he was traveling around, and now that he has entered the Southern Han Dynasty again, he will inevitably be retaliated against.

After discussing with Lin Quan at Mount Emei, Qi Yuan decided to split into two groups upon arriving in Nan Han. One group would use Qi Yuan's name to attract attention, while the other group, led by Qi Yuan, would head to An Island at the South Gate of Nan Han.

Perhaps only by reaching An Island can one find peace.

After much discussion, the group decided that Ji Mi, Wei Er, and Qiao Zhi would go eastward along the Southern Han border to draw enemy fire. The rest of the group would follow Qi Yuan and continue southeast towards An Island.

The discussion focused on whether the three of them were enough to draw attention, and which team Luo Yifei should join.

Early the next morning, Ji Mi, Wei Er, and Qiao Zhi set off eastward in two carriages, stopping at large cities and counties along the way. When they were checked at the city gates, Ji Mi used Qi Yuan's household registration certificate and travel documents. Throughout their journey east and then south, Ji Mi would use Qi Yuan's identity.

In the afternoon, Luo Yifei finally obtained the household registration certificate. Such speed was naturally due to the money he had spent on bribes. Qi Yuan paid for it all, and they agreed that Luo Yifei would repay him later when he had the money.

Qi Yuan had already started using Ji Mi's household registration certificate and began to refer to himself as Ji Mi.

Qingwei and Huaxi also disguised themselves as men. After the group was ready, they bought a carriage, which was driven by Sanmu, with the others crammed inside. This carriage was much smaller than the one they had taken from Mount Emei to Wanfeng Lake in Qi, and even with three fewer people, it was still somewhat crowded.

Before dark, the group left Lanxi County and arrived at the village closest to it. The village was called Hongjia Village, and most of the villagers shared the surname Hong and were related by blood.

Qi Yuan, along with Qingwei and Huaxi, checked into a family's home. Sanmu, Bili, and Luo Yifei spent the night in a carriage.