Chapter Fifteen: Journeying North of the Desert

  Wishing a speedy recovery to our compatriots affected by the Ya'an earthquake, and paying tribute to those who have gone to the disaster area for rescue! (Also, if any book friends know of a reliable and convenient way to donate to a relief fund organization, please leave a comment in the review section. Thank you!)

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  Ling Moyun left the Shaolin Temple grounds, galloping north on horseback, crossing the Yellow River, and heading towards the northern grasslands. Along the way, he ate wind and drank dew, resting at night and traveling at dawn, his hardships not to be spoken of to outsiders.

  In ancient times, traveling long distances was not only arduous but also fraught with danger. Encountering thieves and bandits was a common occurrence. Without some skill in self-defense, one might easily fall prey to misfortune. Those who dared to travel far were either merchants familiar with the roads, martial artists from the jianghu, or high-ranking officials with escorts. Ordinary people would not venture out unless they had some unavoidable and pressing reason to do so.

  It is precisely because of this that in ancient society, once a relative or friend was about to embark on a long journey, people would often be extremely sad and reluctant to part ways. If it were a literati or traveler, they would inevitably have to recite poetry to bid farewell and express their emotions. It's not that these ancient people had overly rich emotions, but rather the risks of traveling far away were simply too great, with not only separation from life but also possibly death.

  It's just that at this time, Ling Muyun's martial arts had already made some progress. Although he couldn't be considered a top-notch master, he was already above the second-rate level. As long as he was careful and guarded against those notorious tough guys, he could travel freely in the Jianghu world. So, although Ling Muyun also encountered some bandits who were tempted by his elegant attire and generous spending on the way, they were all easily dealt with by him, and didn't delay his journey. After more than a month of traveling, he finally arrived at the Mongolian grasslands.

  Ling Yun thought that after entering the grasslands, he would easily find Guo Jing. However, upon entering the grasslands, he discovered that things were not as simple as he had imagined. At this time, Mongolia was still in a backward nomadic civilization period, making a living by herding and following water and grass to reside, unlike the Central Plains where one would encounter towns every certain distance. Often, no human figure could be seen for several consecutive days. Having no choice, Ling Yun could only hunt for food and sleep in the wilderness, with hardships that cannot be described in words.

  Of course, Ling Muyun also gained something. The arduous journey and harsh environment also stimulated the potential of Ling Muyun's body to a certain extent, and his physical strength was greatly improved. Especially his original weakest point, Neigong, had a solid foundation laid by the Nine Yin True Classic's Easy Tendon and Bone Tempering Chapter, and after practicing the Nine Yang Divine Skill, his internal power made rapid progress during this period, several times stronger than before when he fought with Yin Zhiping and Zhao Zhijing, and was already at an advanced level.

  Although the increase in strength made Ling Yun very happy, it couldn't dispel his anxiety about not being able to find someone. He was lucky enough to encounter a Mongolian tribe, but because Ling Yun didn't understand Mongolian, they couldn't communicate effectively. Simple things like eating and borrowing a place to stay could be communicated through gestures, but more complex questions like asking for directions were difficult to explain, and after gesturing for half a day, it was still unclear, and he wasn't able to find out any news about Guo Jing's whereabouts.

  Helpless, Lingyun had to hold back his anxiety and gave some money to one of the herding families as a deposit for accommodation, temporarily staying in this tribe. At the same time, he also learned Mongolian from these Mongolian herdsmen while solving the problem of food and shelter. The experiences of the past few days since entering the grasslands had made Lingyun clearly aware that if he didn't solve the problem of not being able to communicate, he would be unable to take a single step on the grasslands. Forget about finding Guo Jing, it would be good if he wouldn't starve to death.

  It's okay, Ling Muyun's memory has increased greatly since he crossed over, and he also learned Mongolian quickly. After living in the tribe for more than a month, he was able to communicate with people in daily life using Mongolian. Once the problem of language barriers was solved, Ling Muyun didn't want to stay any longer and bid farewell to continue searching for Guo Jing's whereabouts.

  It's not easy to find someone in the vast grasslands, otherwise, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan wouldn't have searched for years on the vast desert grasslands before finally finding Guo Jing and his mother by chance.

  Fortunately, Ling Mu Yun was familiar with the original work and knew that Guo Jing was currently in the Mongolian Kheshig Khanate where Temujin was. In recent years, Temujin had been constantly at war, annexing numerous tribes, dominating the northern regions, and his reputation had spread far and wide, already showing signs of being a leader among leaders. He was a mighty lord praised by everyone on the grasslands, so it wasn't difficult to gather information about him. Before long, Ling Mu Yun found the location of the Mongolian Kheshig Khanate's settlement.

  Upon arrival at the destination, Ling Mu Yun looked around and saw that the pasture stretched as far as the eye could see. On the vast grassland, groups of cattle, sheep, and horses were grazing or galloping freely under the watchful eyes of the herders. In the center of the grassland, on a wide and flat area, stood rows upon rows of Mongolian yurts, numbering in the tens of thousands. The scene was bustling with many people moving about, creating a lively atmosphere.

  "This Kereyid tribe is so large, it seems that the population may not be less than 800,000 to 1 million. With the characteristics of a nomadic nation, at least 20,000 to 30,000 archers can be gathered. Temujin has already become a force to be reckoned with!"

  Ling Mu Yun took in the scenery of the grasslands, silently marveling to himself. No one among his peers understood the grandeur and magnificence of Temujin's future better than he did. "Let all places covered by the blue sky be the pastureland of the Mongols." This was his bold declaration. And indeed, he had done just that, spending most of his life in conquests, unifying Mongolia before embarking on a series of grand campaigns: subjugating Western Liao, sweeping away Khwarezmid Empire, defeating Jin Dynasty, and annihilating Western Xia... He single-handedly forged the vastest empire in Chinese history - the Mongol Empire, revered by generations of Mongols!

  Genghis Khan was indeed a great leader for the Mongols, as he led them to create a vast and powerful empire that almost brought the Mongols to the pinnacle of the world in this era.

  But for the people of other ethnic groups, he was a real devil. His series of conquest wars brought humiliation and bloody slaughter to the people of all ethnic groups. Wherever he went, he plundered and killed, and if there was resistance, he would often massacre cities. The degree of cruelty and brutality was rare in ancient and modern times. The great Han nation also failed to escape this disaster. The Southern Song Dynasty, which had been isolated in the south, finally fell under the iron hooves of the Mongolian cavalry established by him. The Han nation was completely destroyed for the first time in history and became an object of arbitrary oppression and enslavement by the Mongols.

  It was for this reason that Ling Muyun felt a sense of awe after seeing the mighty power of the Khitan tribe, because it marked that Temujin, this brilliant and yet heinous man, had laid a solid foundation for his future grand ambitions. Ling Muyun seemed to have already seen the rise of a powerful empire that would make both Europe and Asia tremble...

  Just as Ling Muyun's thoughts were flying, he suddenly heard a commotion from the direction of the tribe. He looked up to see many men and women riding horses out of the tribe, all rushing in one direction. Ling Muyun followed the direction of those people's rush, and saw that not far from the tribe, there was a cliff about dozens of feet high. In the air above the cliff, a group of large eagles were fiercely fighting, with one side being around twenty black-feathered eagles, and the other side being two white-feathered eagles with exceptionally sturdy bodies. The Mongolians who rode horses out of the tribe were originally going to watch the excitement.

  "A white giant eagle? Could it be——"

  Ling Muyun's heart suddenly stirred, and he thought of something. He spurred his horse's belly with both feet and galloped towards the cliff where the eagles were fighting.

  As he rushed to the foot of the cliff, Ling Muyun found that there were already dozens of people at the foot of the cliff. They all looked up and watched the fierce battle between the white eagles and black eagles in the sky. Many people shouted out loud, mostly cheering for the two white eagles. Some even called the white eagles "divine birds". When they saw the white eagles gaining the upper hand, they cheered and jumped with joy. When they saw the white eagles falling behind, they became anxious and worried, even more tense than if they were on stage themselves.

  Originally, the grasslands of northern Mongolia were home to many species of birds of prey, but most were gray or black in color, with white being a rare sight. However, this pair of white eagles that fought against the black eagles not only had a rare pure white plumage, but also an unusually large body size, at least twice as big as ordinary eagles, making them a rare species. Even the Mongolians who lived on the grasslands all year round were deeply amazed and considered these two white eagles to be "divine birds" blessed by heaven. Some ignorant people even worshipped them like gods, offering sacrifices and prayers. Therefore, when they saw the two white eagles fighting against a group of black eagles, most Mongolians supported the white eagles unconditionally.

  Unlike other Mongolians, Ling Muyun did not focus on the two eagles fighting in mid-air, but instead looked around cautiously, because if he remembered correctly, in the original book, Guo Jing was here to meet Ma Yu for the first time, receive two white eagle cubs and start receiving Ma Yu's teachings, and obtain the internal skills of Xuanmen.

  As expected, Ling Muyun soon discovered that a young man and woman were riding a fine horse together from afar.

  The young man and woman were not dressed in a common way, both wearing sable coats and wearing brocade hats. At first glance, they didn't look like ordinary families. The young man looked like he was sixteen or seventeen years old, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a honest face. The girl was younger, about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a round face and white skin, her eyes shining brightly, she could be considered a rare beauty among the Mongolian people.

  Ling Moyun's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself: "Dressed in luxurious attire, matching the age, these two people should be Guo Jing and Huang Rong."

  At this moment, a small team of horses rushed over. The leader was a middle-aged man wearing a sable coat and a golden knife at his waist, with an extraordinary demeanor. Beside him were two people who wore the same brocade hat and sable coat, resembling him in appearance. One was a 16 or 17-year-old young man, and the other was a 23 or 24-year-old youth. Alongside these three, there were over ten men, each with a sword at their waist and an arrow on their back, looking fierce and powerful, clearly seasoned veterans of the battlefield.

  Ling Muyun's heart skipped a beat at the sight, his eyes instantly locked onto the burly man at the forefront: "Could he be Temujin?"

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