Chapter 119: Lu Hanwen's Deduction

Qinglin had sensed Lu Hanwen's arrival early on, but she merely looked up at him once before continuing to lean against Feng Zi.

Lu Hanwen understood that this was how Miss Qinglin greeted him, and he had long since grown accustomed to it.

Feeling the movement beside him, Feng Zi, who had been lost in thought, finally raised his head.

Only then did he belatedly realize that the hour-long tribal training had ended, and everyone had returned to their respective posts.

Feng Zi tilted his head in confusion and asked subconsciously:

"That's strange, Brother Hanwen... didn't you go to patrol the surroundings with Fellow Daoist Qingyang this morning?"

Having said this, he looked toward the tribal gate again and saw Li Shou and Qingyang leading a team of youths to begin their daily patrol.

Regarding this question, Lu Hanwen answered candidly:

"I understand. I have been pondering some questions about this world recently and discussed them with Brother Li Shou.

"Therefore, I had Brother Li Shou ensure that Qingyang and Xia were kept away, specifically so I could communicate with you two alone."

Hearing Lu Hanwen put it this way, Feng Zi immediately became serious, and even Qinglin's interest was piqued.

At this moment, everyone in the tribe had their own duties, making this a convenient place for discussion.

He immediately patted the roof beside him, signaling for the other to sit over.

Lu Hanwen understood immediately, sat down beside Feng Zi, and got straight to the point:

"According to our previous deductions, this should be the Tianyuan Jie of the ancient era, or perhaps even further back. Right?"

To this, Feng Zi nodded in agreement and added:

"Yes, based on the current situation we have encountered, I have sufficient reason to believe that this should be the Tianyuan of the primordial period.

"But the information we possessed at the time was too scarce, and we couldn't figure out exactly where we were..."

As he spoke, Feng Zi gradually stopped, clearly having realized the purpose of Lu Hanwen seeking him out.

He looked at the other in surprise and asked incredulously: "In other words, do you know where we are now?"

Lu Hanwen nodded slightly, but still provided a "disclaimer": "According to the consistent deduction between Brother Li Shou and myself, there is at least an eighty percent probability."

But after that, the other did not answer Feng Zi immediately, but first threw out a question:

"But first, I want to ask Brother Feng Zi a question—do you know where the Zhenbei Dao, where our hometown is located, actually is? And what kind of places are around it?"

Clearly, Lu Hanwen was demonstrating his basis to Feng Zi by way of questioning.

But regarding the world he had lived in for nearly twenty years, Feng Zi actually did not have much understanding—

Previously, he was just the son of a farmer and had no channels for information; even if he had the heart, he was powerless.

After thinking it over, Feng Zi could only reply: "I don't know much; I only know that Zhenbei Dao is located in the northernmost part of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the northern border is the 'Battlefield'.

"But other than that information... I know nothing at all."

Regarding this answer, Lu Hanwen was mentally prepared and did not make things difficult for Feng Zi, explaining concisely:

"I don't know much about Tianyuan, but I do know something about the Great Xia Dynasty."

Feng Zi immediately understood and said in disbelief: "You mean, we are still within the borders of the Great Xia Dynasty?"

To this, he felt it was all just too coincidental.

Upon hearing this, Lu Hanwen only nodded slightly and said: "To the south of Zhenbei Dao, there is an extremely vast plain, which is... the Jiuhe Pingyuan!"

In an instant, this statement, heavy with information, struck Feng Zi's heart like thunder, leaving his mind blank.

But a moment later, he regained his composure and asked subconsciously:

"But this is not conclusive evidence. Tianyuan is too big; there may not necessarily be a second 'Jiuhe Pingyuan' in this world."

To this, Lu Hanwen nodded candidly: "Yes, there is no conclusive evidence. This is also the reason why I did not tell you before.

"But the experiences of these past few days coincide with the information about the Great Xia Dynasty in my memory, making me unable to help but feel suspicious."

"What do you mean?" Feng Zi asked, frowning calmly.

Seeing this, Lu Hanwen did not keep him in suspense and poured out all the information he knew:

"In the administrative system of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Jiuhe Pingyuan is divided into two 'Circuits', north and south; the north is the Mu He Circuit, and the south is the Wuhe Circuit."

Feng Zi did not speak, but signaled for Lu Hanwen to continue:

"In the long history of the Great Xia Dynasty, the southern Wuhe Circuit has nothing special about it.

"But the northern Mu He Circuit is the fifth 'Circuit' directly under the imperial court, besides the Jingji Four Circuits.

"The reason is none other than that this is the place where the Great Xia Dynasty rose to power, and Mu He City, as its capital, is also the Northern Capital of the Great Xia Dynasty!"

Mu He, Mu He... The moment he heard this name, Feng Zi had to admit that he had already formed some unpleasant associations:

As the name suggests, the jurisdiction of the Wuhe Circuit is the basin of five great rivers, so the Mu He Circuit governs the basin of the four northern rivers.

But the Mu He Circuit was not called the "Four River Circuit" or the "Northern Four River Circuit"—

It is evident that in the eyes of the high-ranking officials of the Great Xia Dynasty, and even that Emperor, the status of the Mu He is far higher than the other three great rivers!

Linking this to the fact that the capital of the Mu He Circuit is Mu He City, it is hard for Feng Zi not to let his imagination run wild.

What's more, the chieftain of the Mu He Tribe... just happens to be named "Xia"!

Thinking of this, Feng Zi felt it was incomparably absurd:

Is it that he shaped the history of Tianyuan, or did he inadvertently become a "pawn" pushing the history of Tianyuan?

Feng Zi did not know, nor was he willing to admit it.

He pondered for a moment and finally asked a very nonsensical question: "Brother Hanwen, tell me, is this possible?"

Lu Hanwen clearly understood this inexplicable question, but he did not know how he should answer either, and could only shake his head helplessly.

Feng Zi also understood that faced with such a difficult problem, even he did not know how to answer, so how could Lu Hanwen answer for him?

But what he understood even more was that no matter what the future held, he had to keep moving forward.

After all, he could not sit and wait for death, nor could he ignore those who needed help.

"No matter what the truth is, just make a choice that does not betray your own heart," Feng Zi thought to himself.

However, apart from this, there was another question lingering in his heart: "Wait, there is still one more question—"

"If this place really is the Mu He Circuit of later generations, in other words, our hometown... is located in the present-day Yanglu Gulin?!"

Hearing this question, Lu Hanwen also replied with a strange expression: "Although it is very incredible, it seems that is indeed the case."

After pondering for a moment, Feng Zi said with feigned ease:

"Very well, we are already facing too many problems, one more difficult question won't make a difference; let me think this over carefully."

Since he had already said so, and he himself had no further information, Lu Hanwen stood up to take his leave.

Not until the other person's figure had gradually walked far away did Feng Zi's expression gradually turn gloomy.