The road to Jianghu started from the martial arts hall

One hundred thousand mountains.

The vast ancient trees blocked the sun in the sky. Even though it was already December, it was still hot and humid here.

The climate of the Shiwanda Mountains is very different from the four seasons in many other places.

Although the climate here is not as hot as that in the Western Desert, it is still very hot all year round.

"Three years have passed in the blink of an eye."

At the foot of the mountain, he saw a renovated ancient road, and Quezhou sighed casually.

At this time, nearly two years had passed since Fang Xun defeated Yinjiao Zhuwu.

He was wearing a gorgeous white suit with gold patterns, and his temperament stood out from the crowd.

"Master Quezhou, please go up the mountain!"

There are not many mountain people coming and going, and they all greet him warmly when they see him.

In three years, everyone here has adapted to Quezhou's presence. At first, these mountain people were so frightened by his identity that they behaved very reservedly, spoke stutteringly, and dared not breathe too fast.

But over time, I found that Master Quezhou was very approachable. No matter who he spoke to, his attitude was extremely gentle, which made people's nervous mood relax unconsciously.

Gradually, the mountain people were no longer so cautious about the lack of boats and became more easy-going.

The renovated ancient road is surrounded by dense jungle and has towering mountains on both sides. Every few steps, you can see tea stalls set up by nearby Miao mountain people on the roadside. The people inside warmly invite Quezhou to have a cup of herbal tea to cool off.

After Quezhou declined, he walked along the ancient road step by step. After walking about ten miles, he came to the foot of a thousand-foot-high peak and saw a towering city standing on the mountain.

The city is built on the mountain, and its architectural style is rough yet solemn and majestic. This is the Miaojiang royal capital - Lishan City.

Quezhou walked into the city, but the streets here were a bit deserted.

There weren't many people passing by, but they all had a strong aura and it was obvious that they were not weaklings.

Most of them belonged to the upper class of the Miaojiang royal court, but now their faces were gloomy, and after seeing Quezhou, there was a hint of fear in their eyes.

In the past, Lishan City was not prosperous, but it was also bustling with traffic.

But three years later, the population here has been reduced by almost half, and even a group of officials from the Protectorate who came from the south of the Yangtze River to be stationed here have to be added.

To say where these few people went would be another bloody story.

Although the Miaojiang Royal Court has become history and has been replaced by the Southern Xinjiang Protectorate, there will always be some former Miaojiang nobles who are unwilling to accept this and do irrational things out of heat of the moment, right?

Quezhou ignored the complicated looks and greeted the officials from the Protectorate who passed by with a normal expression.

Before I knew it, I arrived in front of a palace in the center of the city.

This was originally a royal palace, but now the plaque has been changed to "Southern Xinjiang Protectorate". A team of Kaiqiao extreme guards stood at the door, on high alert. When they saw Quezhou coming, they immediately opened the closed door of the palace.

With two clangs, the door opened and closed. Quezhou walked all the way and soon came to a side hall.

In the side hall, Xing Shanyan was discussing something with a young man.

When Quezhou arrived, the two men's expressions became complicated, but they immediately calmed down and stood up to greet him.

"Master Quezhou, I wonder what brings you here?" the young man asked.

This young man was tall and handsome, with facial features as sharp as if they were chiseled by a knife and an axe. His face still vaguely resembled that of Xing Shanlie, and he exuded a majestic aura. In the Miaojiang royal family, Xing Shanyan was the eldest princess, and this man was the second prince, Xing Shanzhuo, who was also a master of Zhenwu.

The entire Miao royal court has a strict hierarchy. Only successive Miao kings and their descendants, as well as the high priest of the Witchcraft Temple, the saint, and the Zhenwu strongmen are qualified to obtain the surname Xingshan.

Often the high priest and the saint were direct relatives of the Miao king within three generations.

Other princes and princesses will leave Lishan King City with their subordinates and go to other places, or establish new tribes or join other branch tribes.

As the main line of the Lishan Royal Court, only the strongest can inherit the Xingshan surname and enjoy the best resources.

Other tribes can only be branches, but now this pattern has been shattered.

Facing the two people with mixed feelings, Quezhou said calmly: "It is estimated that the tower will be completed in another month. I will also return to Jiangnan. I came here to inform you that you two should go with me to Jianye to report on your work."

Hearing that Quezhou was leaving, Xing Shanxun and Xing Shanzhuo felt even more complicated.

Since the establishment of the Southern Xinjiang Protectorate, Miaojiang has undergone earth-shaking changes in three years.

Xing Shanzhuo should have succeeded to the throne of King Miao, but now the royal court is gone and there is only an official position of Deputy Protector General, whose duty is to assist the King of Yue in managing the Shiwan Mountains.

At first, the tribes in Miaojiang were in an uproar after receiving the news.

Even if they did not publicly oppose the rule of the Prince of Yue's Palace, they would still try to hinder it secretly.

But before Quezhou could react, Xingshanxun and Xingshanzhuo took the lead in raising their butcher knives.

The blood flowed like a river, and almost half of the Miao nobles died, which made the remaining people silent.

The two men who raised their butcher knives knew very well in their hearts that if they did not take action, when Quezhou took action, all the Miao tribal leaders and their relatives and confidants would become like the aristocratic families in the south of the Yangtze River.

After being brainwashed by "Selfless Brahma Sound", he devoted himself to the construction and development of Jiangnan, worked hard in various positions and served the people.

Xing Shanxun and Xing Shanzhuo were both smart people, and they had to cut the Gordian knot with reluctance.

Within three years, after a major purge of the Miao upper class, Quezhou took up his post and started working with a group of officials from the Prince of Yue's Palace.

Under the powerful military suppression, there were no more major obstacles, and within three years, the Yue Palace's rule over Miaojiang was initially on the right track.

Now that the God's Tower is about to be completed, Quezhou has also returned to the God's Tower to serve as the center of the system. This matter really cannot be done without him.

Xing Shanzhuo and Xing Shanxun are also going to Jiangnan together.

Now, there are only these two Zhenwu masters left in Miaojiang, so of course we cannot relax our supervision over them.

However, Fang Xun felt that sending a Zhenwu master to supervise was a waste of manpower, so he decided to take the two of them directly to Jiangnan and put the person under his nose.

Xing Shanzhuo then asked, "After Master Quezhou leaves, who will take on the position of Protector General?"

Quezhou simply said: "The palace will send officials to take over, so you two don't have to worry too much."

Xing Shanxun and Xing Shanzhuo looked hesitant for a moment, but thinking back on the various changes that had taken place in the past three years and the strength of the Prince of Yue's Palace, they finally sighed.

"Let us get ready and then we will set off with the master. I hope the King of Yue and the Marquis will keep their promises and treat our people well."

Quezhou nodded and said: "As long as the people here don't resist, we will treat them as our own people." (End of this chapter)