This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

After a moment of distraction, the mysterious symbols in Daji's eyes slowly disappeared. She stared at Xiao Xingchen with a serious expression, her voice echoing in her mind.

"Why would you ask that? If you want to die, go find a place to jump into the river yourself, don't harm others, okay?"

Daji's words carried a hint of anger, which made Xiao Xingchen's heart sink.

"What exactly happened? Why is Lan Beitang..."

"It cannot be spoken, it cannot be uttered; those four words are taboo, and anyone who utters them will be erased."

Seeing that Xiao Xingchen wanted to continue asking questions, Daji quickly stopped her.

"The moment you asked the question, a mysterious force tried to erase our memories of that time. Lan Beitang has already forgotten your question, but this little bit of mystery can't erase my memories. So my momentary lapse in concentration was a struggle against that mystery. Stop asking questions and put away your curiosity. Those four words have a profound impact, and it's not something you can explore right now."

"It's that serious?" Xiao Xingchen was also shocked, realizing that this world seemed to hold many mysteries.

"What's so serious? What are you talking about?"

Lan Beitang looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression, a fleeting look of confusion crossing his face. It was as if something had happened, but it also seemed like his imagination; a contradictory feeling arose within him.

"It's nothing, let's keep going."

Xiao Xingchen acted as if nothing had happened, but inwardly he was extremely cautious. What could this mysterious power be? He couldn't even say a word.

The fact that the four characters "皇天后土" (Huang Tian Hou Tu) had such a profound origin greatly piqued his interest.

Could there really be gods? As an atheist, he was terrified by his own conjecture; otherwise, how could he explain the unspeakable and ineffable?

This is something only gods and spirits in movies could do. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but want to speak, but Daji's voice immediately appeared.

"Shut up! If you say another word, I'll shut you up. Those are things you shouldn't be asking about. Knowing too much isn't good for you."

"I...I was just curious,"

"Curious my foot! Let me tell you, those words just now involved not only mystery but also endless terror. Do you know how terrifying the people behind those forbidden words are?"

Daji felt somewhat powerless, but at the same time, she also really wanted to know why Xiao Xingchen had suddenly asked about those words.

These words are taboo even in the Nine Heavens. Where did Xiao Xingchen hear them?

"Okay, then I won't ask anymore."

In fact, Xiao Xingchen had already made up his mind at this point. Since Houtu was involved in something terrifying, then this Poetry Immortal Gathering would probably be...

After all, later generations referred to this gathering of poets as the Houtu Festival, even using the name Houtu. One can imagine how outrageous this gathering of poets must have been.

He secretly resented Xiao Jianren's ignorance; such a significant event had only been mentioned briefly without any further information, leaving him at a loss. If he knew the full details of the incident, he could make preparations in advance and properly investigate what the Houtu Sacrifice truly was.

However, a thought flashed through his mind: although this world was beyond words and speech, there were quite a few descriptions of Heaven and Earth from his previous life.

Perhaps some clues can be found in those records, but this will take time. He believes that by combining his past and present lives, and based on the fragments of Xiao Jianren's memories, he will definitely find some crucial clues.

"Hey, look over there, who's that?"

The three had already spotted the gates of Yong'an City when Lan Beitang suddenly pulled them back to reality, because a tall ceremonial guard was already waiting beneath the city walls.

It seems they are welcoming someone.

"Is this a welcome for the three of us? Haha," Lan Beitang joked.

Xiao Xingchen looked up and saw more than a dozen enormous carriages lined up neatly on the distant road. The towering banners were distinctly different from those of the Great Qian Dynasty, especially their bright red color, which made them visible from dozens of miles away.

"These must be people from other countries who have come to participate in the Poetry Festival. Do you recognize that character?"

A classical Chinese character appeared in their field of vision, and he asked Lan Beitang directly.

Clearly, Lan Beitang had also seen that word. He nodded slowly and spoke with a somewhat solemn tone.

"This is a blood-written banner from the northern wilderness; the tribes of the wilderness have arrived,"

"Hmm, the wilderness?"

Xiao Xingchen looked puzzled.

"You didn't know?" Lan Beitang asked in surprise.

"I just came from a small mountain village and I'm not familiar with the situation in this world. Is this wilderness really that powerful?"

"Amazing? More than amazing," Lan Beitang exclaimed, then began to tell Xiao Xingchen about the history of the Wilderness.

Of the four regions of the Great Qian Dynasty—east, west, south, and north—the Northern Region is undoubtedly the most arduous. Not only is its environment harsh, perpetually covered in ice and snow, but it also borders the wilderness, where war is a constant threat.

Although the Dali Kingdom once reached the gates of Yong'an City, it was not the primary enemy of the Daqian Dynasty. The only nation that could cause such a thorn in the side for successive emperors of the Daqian Dynasty was the Manghuang Kingdom.

Because whether it's the enemy states like Dali or Da Yan, to some extent, they, like Da Qian, have Confucian temples and moral education. Wars with these states can still be considered wars between humans. But the Wildlands are different; fighting them is like fighting wild beasts.

The living conditions there were appalling; people would stop at nothing to survive. Ethics and morality were practically nonexistent there, and calling them beasts wouldn't be an exaggeration.

The Great Qian Dynasty only knows that the Great Li Kingdom attacked Yong'an City a hundred years ago. If it weren't for the emergence of Xiao Jianxian, the Great Qian Dynasty would have been destroyed long ago. But no one knows why the Great Li Kingdom attacked this place.

"Why?" Xiao Xingchen was very interested in this history. What Lan Beitang said was exactly what he desperately wanted to know, because only by confronting these historical truths could he find traces of the other time travelers.

"Before that, the Great Qian, Great Li, and Great Yan, together with the Western Regions, launched a joint campaign against the Wilderness. The three most powerful countries on the continent, together with dozens of small countries in the Western Regions, mobilized millions of troops to go to the Wilderness. Guess what the result was?"

"How about it?"

"While not completely wiped out, very few remained; it was a crushing defeat."

"Wilderness is that powerful? Taking on multiple opponents at once?" Xiao Xingchen was also shocked upon hearing this. No matter what world it is, someone who can take on multiple opponents in a national war is incredibly powerful.

"Alas, according to historical records, that battle turned the entire Northern Ice Plains red, with ruins and severed limbs everywhere. Blood rivers flowed all the way into the Great Qian territory, staining several major rivers red. You can imagine how tragic it was. After this battle, the Great Qian's foundation was completely depleted."

"So the Dali took advantage of the situation and attacked Yong'an City?" Xiao Xingchen guessed.

"That's part of the reason, but historical records indicate that it wasn't just because of that. It seems that after the crushing defeat by the Manghuang, a rift appeared within the allied forces. Daqian angered Dali, causing Dali to point its sword at Yong'an. However, the specifics of what angered Dali at that time are not recorded in the historical books."

"I understand. History books are written by people, and as long as they are human, they will definitely erase some sordid things. That's normal. But what about the wilderness?"

At this point, a trace of sorrow flashed across Lan Beitang's face.

"The internal strife of the Great Qian Dynasty, the betrayal of the Great Li, the withdrawal of the Great Yan army, and the fall of the Western Regions led to a great victory for the Manghuang people, who then penetrated thousands of miles into the Northern Regions, committing atrocities of burning, killing, looting, and plundering, turning the Northern Regions into a living hell. Countless people died tragically under their iron hooves. There were even rumors that the Manghuang people ate the people of the Great Qian Dynasty. Women were raped at night and cooked during the day. Babies were a staple food on their tables at that time. If it weren't for the appearance of Xiao Jianxian, the Great Qian Dynasty would have ceased to exist after that incident."

"Human cannibalism?"

Xiao Xingchen looked at the massive ceremonial procession again, and for some reason, a piece of history came to mind: the Five Barbarian Invasions of China. How similar it was!