I Can See Your Combat Power

Upon hearing Tang Luo’s words, Du Ting and his two companions’ eyes bulged in astonishment as though they were seeing a phantom. Even Du Sha, who had always maintained a calm demeanor, ignited hope in his eyes.

They were all warriors of the Fierce Realm, well-travelled and worldly, but just one day’s interaction with Tang Luo made them feel as if they had proverbially lived in vain for decades.

The fabled Void Stomach was seldom heard of even in the ancient era where mystic arts were prospering, yet now it appeared tangibly before their very eyes, giving them a surreal feeling.

Tang Luo, who possessed the Void Stomach, was capable of matching a whole trading caravan on his own. To him, a flood was no different than a smooth road.

With the conversation having reached this point, all of Du Ting and his companions’ doubts vanished. They merely felt their faces burning. This was not the first time they had questioned Tang Luo, yet every time their skepticism was met with a formidable counter, which made them feel humiliated in front of a young lad. At first, they might have resisted Tang Luo s commands, but now their only wish was to be obedient subordinates.

“If there are no other questions, let’s go,” Tang Luo said indifferently towards the three men who gave no further response.

Before officially setting off to Lin Chuan for grain procurement, he needed to make a trip back to North Mountain.

Even though a thousand years ago, the saints unified the weights and measures, script, and language of the continent, the process of propagation still brought about problems present in every civilization.

Some Prominent Families, in order to ensure the prosperity and purity of their lineage, had retained much of their ancestors’ culture in addition to allowing intra-clan marriages, with many of them having their own unique internal family language.

For instance, the Tang Clan had been living in Longzhou for a millennium, yet some habits of the Zhongzhou language persevered. These habits eventually evolved into a unique linguistic form as they were passed down from generation to generation.

If the language and script unified by the saints could be considered the official language,” then the dialects that have been passed down locally from generation to generation would indeed be akin to local dialects. Despite the official language’s widespread use, people still held a more profound affection for their hometown dialects.

This, of course, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but for Tang Luo, who was about to embark on a ten-thousand-mile journey, it appeared less than ideal.

For instance, the language spoken by people of Xiling and Clear Water was similar, and so was the language spoken in Clear Water and Shen Ping. The language of Shen Ping and Qutang also had close resemblance. If you asked a person from Xiling to buy vegetables in Qutang City, they would be utterly lost.

And given the linguistic differences spanning three thousand miles along the Lingjiang River, it was clear how stark the linguistic contrast would be between Xiling and the far-off Lin Chuan.

Hence, besides being sharp-witted, mastering various dialects was also an indispensable skill for successful merchants in this era.

You would see a merchant in Chuanyuan speaking Chuanyuan accent, proclaiming himself as a long-returned wayfarer. When he reached Da Lin, he would switch to Da Lin’s accent, talking about how he missed his hometown after ten years away.

It’s said that each member of the Yun Clan in Chaochang was proficient in at least dozens of dialects, ensuring their successful trade activities across Longzhou.

These merchants who had mastered several dialects could blend in wherever they went, making friends easily and encountering fewer difficulties along the way leading to larger profits. They spread their networks of relationships far and wide.

Lin Chuan Plain is located in the central North part of Longzhou, tens of thousands of miles away from Xiling. It could be easily inferred how different the language in Lin Chuan would be compared to that in Xiling.

Aside from the Xiling language and official language, Tang Luo was clueless about other dialects. To facilitate the procurement, he needed to find a merchant within the clan who was proficient in the Chuanyuan dialect, thereby minimizing unnecessary hassles.

Fortunately, the Tang Clan had decades of trading experience and certainly wouldn’t lack such a person. With the flood looming, these family merchants must have been getting bored up the mountain.

At noon, the scorching sun was high in the sky.

Tang Luo, with Du Sha and his three companions, drew a long white streak across the sky, directly descending towards the main peak of North Mountain. Although the guards didn’t recognize Du Sha and his companions, they recognized Tang Luo’s Cloud Piercing Beast, allowing them to tread through the closely guarded restricted airspace above North Mountain as if walking across level ground.

Witnessing Tang Luo landing on the peak of North Mountain without any obstruction, Du Ting wore another astonished expression as though he had seen a ghost again.

Currently, there was no place in Xiling more dangerous than the airspace above the Tang Clan’s territory. The flood had allowed the Mi Clan’s Wind Media Department a greater stretch of leeway. The sky was filled with birds and crows which were Mi Family’s agents, except for the airspace above North Mountain which was devoid of any bird or beast. Birds like brilliant crows or clever sparrows and even smaller creatures like sparrows and hummingbirds were completely obliterated by the Tang Clan.

If there was any place that the Mi Clan’s intelligence network had yet to penetrate, it was these northern mountains. Just by passing through them, they sensed at least a thousand mortal stage cubs hiding within the mountains and bursting out Spiritual Power fluctuations. In other words, from the moment they appeared above North Mountain, they were discovered, and landing peacefully at the peak was only because they recognized Tang Luo’s mount. Originally, they thought his status as clan elder being stripped off was a sign of Tang Luo falling out of favor in the Tang Clan. Now it seemed that Tang Luo’s importance in the Tang Clan far exceeded their expectations.

On the mountaintop, Tang Luo dismounted from the Cloud Piercing Beast, turned to the four men and said, “Stay here and don’t wander off. I m going to find a merchant who is proficient in the Lin Chuan dialect to accompany us. We’ll set off in an hour.”

The four men agreed. Tang Luo nodded and went straight into the North Mountain Academy.

The students originally training in the training ground were now integrated into the Clan Academy. They lived and ate together with the clan school students. This time, he came to find the Mountain Master Tang Kuan and also to borrow the deer control seal from the little boy.

After all, after his mother Xu Shuhui had taken away most of the spirit beasts from the residence, the ones left capable of flying were just the Cloud Piercing Beast and Explosive Flame Deer; the former being Tang Luo’ s own mount while the latter being a gift given to the little boy when he turned nine.

Anyway, since the little boy stayed in the clan school and never went out, borrowing it for a while shouldn’t be a problem.

Tang Luo’s first visit was to the Mountain Master. To this elder who was dedicated to tapping potential in the clan disciples through the art, he held deep respect.

Tang Luo came to the Mountain Master’s study room led by the steward. Tang Kuan, with a look of fear and some resentment on his face, adopted a punishing tone when he saw him coming and chided, “I initially thought that you, nephew Luo, will come to the Academy to earnestly study after the flood. I didn’t expect you to stay at home for months before coming to see Uncle Kuan. You should be punished!”

Before the Five Acre Bid, in order to win the Mountain Master Tang Kuan’s vote, Tang Luo had written a dissertation on educational matters as a bargaining chip.

Actually, that piece wasn’t anything special. It was just him sharing what he thought was better in modern education with Mountain Master Tang Kuan. Originally, he just wanted to earn some favor and support, but this honest scholar saw Tang Luo as a kindred spirit after reading the research and wanted him to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the clan school and work at North Mountain Academy.

The martially devoted Tang Luo naturally declined, but every time he met this Mountain Master afterwards, the latter would warmly pull him aside to discuss educational matters.

“Uncle Kuan, I didn’t come this time to study academics. Instead, I want to borrow someone.”

“Who?”

“I want to borrow someone who is proficient in the Lin Chuan dialect. Tang Luo directly stated his request but noticed a complex expression on Mountain Master Tang Kuan’s face.

Tang Luo was startled and asked, “Uncle Kuan, what happened?

“After the crowning ceremony, the Clan Master asked me to find a merchant who is proficient in the Lin Chuan dialect, and he also told me to remind you to always prioritize safety when you’re out. The Wancheng Treasure Ship can bring back a million lives annually, but it took a thousand years for the Tang Clan to find you, Master Luo.” Tang Kuan revealed a complicated expression on his face as he relayed the words of Clan Master Tang Zhi from the crowning ceremony.

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