It has always been difficult to unify because of the existence of swamps and miasma, which formed a protective shield between various tribes, making unification by force more difficult.
Therefore, for so many years, Nanzhao has been in a state of division.
Today, the five strongest tribes have five surnames, which are also the surnames of the tribes.
The five major tribes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are equally powerful, and they have become the five kings of Nanzhao.
The remaining tribes either remained neutral or chose to be dependent.
But unlike Dahao's centralized power, each tribe in Nanzhao still retains the absolute rule of its leader.
The only way to gain dominance over other tribes is to conquer and invade.
Everything of the defeated tribe, including the people in the tribe, will become spoils, property, and slaves of the victorious tribe.
This is the most rudimentary and barbaric system.
It's no wonder that for the people of Dahao, Nanzhao is a barbaric land, and the people are not civilized.
The guide told Ning Qingyan that the five major tribes of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth in Nanzhao were located in different directions. They were on guard against each other and guarded each other.
"Miss, let's find someone and go back quickly."
"The Nanzhao barbarians have no reason to say, not to mention that we were still at war before. If they discover our whereabouts, I am afraid these barbarians will swoop in like flies smelling the smell of blood."
There was a bit of nervousness in the guide's words.
He was also a scout in the Ning family army. He also knew Nan Zhao very well and was a capable person.
Otherwise, Ning Yan would not be assigned as a guide for Ning Qingyan.
The tone of his voice now seems inconsistent with his identity.
However, Ning Qingyan knew that it was because of her presence.
The guide's worries and fears were actually because he was afraid that something might happen to the old general's only granddaughter.
Ning Qingyan's guess was correct. The guide was under a heavy psychological burden at the moment.
I always feel that since the old general sent him to serve as a guide for the eldest lady, he must keep the eldest lady safe no matter what, find her as soon as possible, and return to the border town together without causing any complications.
But in fact, what he didn't know, and what finally reassured Ning Yan was that the reason why Ning Qingyan was in danger was that he knew that Ning Qingyan had something in his hands.
Although he didn't know why this ancient beast would rely on his granddaughter, one thing he was sure of was that there was something wrong with him, and Nanzhao couldn't trap his precious granddaughter.
"Miss?" Seeing Ning Qingyan's delay in answering, the guide called out again.
"Yeah." Ning Qingyan nodded perfunctorily.
At this moment, no matter what she said, it would be meaningless.
The most important thing is to find someone first!
However, after discovering these marks, Ning Qingyan had a vague guess in her mind...I am afraid that those more than a hundred people are not peaceful owners. After discovering that they appeared inexplicably in Nazhao, they may be planning to do something.
Go back later.
Otherwise, why does the mark left behind not point in the direction of Dahao Border City, but instead point to the territory of Nanzhao?
"Master Ning!" Ning Qingze led the search team back.
Sure enough, the clues he brought back further confirmed Ning Qingyan's previous guess.
"Follow me first." Ning Qingyan made the decision immediately.
After a short rest, the group continued to set off according to the signs.
On the way, Ning Qingyan did not forget to say to the guide, "You have to pay attention to which big tribe is in the direction we are going."
…
Shifang, who was packed up and thrown back to Zhongdu by Ning Qingyan, met a secret agent from the palace on the way.
It should be said that the spy recognized him as a servant serving King Ding.
There were other experts sent by Zhao Zheng to protect Zhao Yun. Shifang was more responsible for taking care of Zhao Yun's food and daily life.
However, when they came to the Southwest Territory, those masters who were secretly protecting him were left behind by Zhao Yun, leaving only one person from Shifang to serve him.
The purpose of the secret agent was to find out what happened to King Ding in the southwest.
At this time, when they met Shifang, they immediately stopped Shifang.
The spy leader personally interrogated Shifang and sent two more spies to continue to the southwest.
"Is everything you said true?" The spy leader frowned after questioning Shifang.
Shifang nodded: "Yes! I didn't tell any lies. Before I left, I took a special look and found that the Forest of Wuwu was really gone. It just disappeared out of thin air overnight."
"Before this, many people disappeared in the Forest of Wuwu, and both the prince and the princess went to look for them."
"Later, the princess came back, but there was no trace of the prince. The princess told me that the prince had returned to Zhongdu!"
"But how could the prince return to Zhongdu alone?"
"I think the princess is lying to me. Something must have happened to the prince. You are here just in time. Come with me back to the southwest to find the prince!"
After Shifang spoke, his tone became anxious.
The spy leader looked at him with a strange expression and said, "Princess Ding did not lie. Prince Ding has returned to Zhongdu."
"Huh?" Shifang looked shocked.
Seeing his reaction, the spy leader fell silent.
It seems that Shifang probably doesn’t know much. If they want to find out what happened to Prince Ding, they may have to ask Princess Ding!
…
What happened in the Southwest Territory was not kept secret from Zhongdu for too long. Almost as soon as Ning Qingyan arrived in Nanzhao, some forces in Zhongdu had already received the news.
In a dark secret room, a cold voice with suppressed anger slowly sounded.
"Who can tell me whether the sudden disappearance of Wuwu Forest overnight is related to the secret realm?"
"..."
In the darkness, there were only a few breathing sounds of varying severity, but no one could answer his question.
"Humph! A bunch of trash." The person who spoke did not know what he had done, causing the sound of shattering to resound in the secret room.
"Master, calm down!"
In the darkness, there was finally a response.
However, such a response is extremely useless and cannot appease someone's anger.
When the anger was about to reach the edge of explosion, a hesitant voice finally sounded——
"Master, the Forest of Wuwu cannot disappear out of thin air. Something must have happened. Indeed, it is most likely related to the secret realm. Then Ning Yan went to the Southwest Realm, will he discover anything about the secret realm, or even...
…obtained the secret realm?”
"Go on." The anger in the darkness seemed to have subsided a little.
However, everyone inside did not dare to take it lightly.
Because they all know that behind such calm, there may be more terrifying things hidden.
"...Or, maybe, we can send people to the southwest territory..."
…
In the Nanzhao area, Zhao Xingmeng and others, who were unfamiliar with the place, made very slow progress.
They are also well aware of the consequences once they are exposed to Nanzhao, so they act very carefully.
So much so that when Ning Qingyan found them, they had not been close to any Nanzhao tribe...