[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-34":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon Lies Hidden",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2289332,4477,"Chapter 34: The Dawn of Humanity","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-34",34,"\u003Cp>After the ancestral worship ceremony ended, classes began the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before dawn, Xiang Weiyuan had already washed and dressed, heading to the small square at the valley’s mouth to wait. The classroom was in Qisi Hall, thirty li from the valley; every morning at a fixed hour, a carriage would arrive to pick up new disciples and take them to Qisi Hall—if you missed it, you had to go on foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Xiang Weiyuan reached the square, he saw several carriages already parked. The horses pulling them were all pure white, towering beasts with shoulders five feet high, their hooves exhaling faint clouds of spiritual energy. Each carriage bore a different emblem, indicating its destination. Xiang Weiyuan quickly found the carriage bound for Qisi Hall, verified his identity with the driver, and boarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This carriage stood two zhang tall, like a moving pavilion, its interior spacious with rows of seats capable of holding fifty people. After Xiang Weiyuan boarded, others gradually climbed aboard; once over twenty had boarded, no more were allowed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When everyone was aboard, the Daoist closed the doors and drove the carriage away from the square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as they left the valley, Xiang Weiyuan felt as if someone had stamped hard on his chest—his body pinned firmly against the back of the seat, immobile! The scenery outside the window blurred past at incredible speed, yet the carriage itself remained unnaturally steady, only trembling slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan barely recovered from the pressure when the carriage jolted suddenly, hurling his body forward involuntarily. Fortunately, his reflexes were swift—he grabbed the back of the seat ahead and held on tight, preventing himself from crashing into it. But the other children were not so lucky; some didn’t react in time and slammed headfirst into the front seats, their foreheads and faces already swelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within moments, screams and cries erupted throughout the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the screams, the scenery outside shifted again, revealing a three-story pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage door opened, and the driver smiled: “We were pressed for time today, so we drove a bit fast. Tomorrow, if anyone’s late again, we’ll drive even faster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A boy with a swollen forehead grumbled: “A mere driver acting so arrogant? And Tai Chu Palace is stingy—what kind of junk carriage is this? Not even a wind-riding array installed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist only smiled, pretending not to hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy was about to speak again when his companion clamped a hand over his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan stepped down from the carriage and saw before him a pavilion with the inscription “Qisi Hall.” The courtyard of Qisi Hall was serene; beside the wall grew a cluster of emerald bamboo, leaves lush and dripping with vitality, from which faint spiritual vapors rose intermittently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan followed the other disciples into Qisi Hall and saw rows of desks, one of which glowed with his name—he walked over and sat down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When all had settled, a young Daoist with a smile entered from the side—it was the very driver. He stepped to the front and said: “I am Feng Chutang. Over the coming year, I will teach you the History of the Human Race.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy who had just been shouting froze in shock, instantly lowering his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tai Chu Palace placed great importance on this concentrated instruction, assigning only teachers of exceptional caliber. It was said several of the younger instructors were geniuses destined to become True Persons. Even the most prestigious clans sought to win their favor, never wishing to offend them unnecessarily. All noble-born disciples had been warned by their elders before class: make a good impression on the teachers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Feng Chutang paid no mind to the incident on the carriage. He said: “Our human history stretches back thirty thousand years…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earliest recorded human history dates back thirty thousand years; before that, no records exist. At the time, humans were a minor tribe among countless others, scattered across what is now the eastern Lu Province and Hedong Province, occupying only a few commanderies, surrounded by hostile races.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, humans were weak. Many foreign tribes didn’t merely raid borders to burn, kill, and plunder—they ate humans and sacrificed them. Thus, the first chapter of the Human History is titled “The Foreign Tribes,” covering the first two hundred thousand years of human existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Chutang’s voice was soft and soothing as he recounted ancient human secrets. As he spoke, lifelike images appeared before the lecture hall: a man, a woman, and two children. They resembled humans but were taller and more robust—the man stood a head taller than Feng Chutang, the woman his height. The boy was marked as ten years old, already as tall as an adult human; the girl, six, equivalent to an eleven- or twelve-year-old human child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their most striking features were gray eyes, long pointed ears, and four fingers on each hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These are the Hanhai Liao tribe—commonly called Liao people. Many texts refer to them as Northern Liao, but that’s inaccurate. The Liao do not live only in the north; they also inhabit the northeast and east. Their tribes are countless, like stars in the sky, with nine kingdoms bearing royal titles. Today, their borders with our Great Tang stretch one and a half million li—making them the foreign race with which we are most entangled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In ancient times, all of humanity was seen by the Hanhai Liao as a minor tribe. Occasionally, they would send troops across the border to seize grain and supplies; only when met with resistance did they slaughter. If humans willingly surrendered goods, they were usually left unharmed. Thus, many chose to pay tribute for safety. Sometimes, Liao nobles hunted for sport—then human tribes had to send a group of warriors into a designated hunting ground to serve as prey. They could flee or fight; if they survived, they were rewarded.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many students in the hall grew furious. Most came from noble families, proud and haughty; hearing this dark chapter of ancient history was unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Chutang’s voice carried something new: “The Hanhai Liao did not eat humans or slaughter indiscriminately. Human women were considered ugly to them, so sexual violence was rare. In the first tens of thousands of years, because many human tribes regularly paid tribute, the Hanhai Liao gradually came to regard humans as vassal tribes and offered them protection. Without the Hanhai Liao’s initial protection, humanity might never have survived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Compared to other foreign races, the Hanhai Liao were the most generous and gentle toward humans. Though we were inferior, we could still live. Thus, our ancestors endured humiliation, survived, and multiplied—until the great war between the Wu Yu tribe and the Hanhai Liao erupted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the time, our territory lay on the border between the two tribes, not strategically vital. Moreover, our tribe then had several True Persons—our strength was not negligible. We could not expand, but we could defend. So the Hanhai Liao entrusted this frontier defense to us and withdrew their main forces westward. They never expected us to open our borders and let the Wu Yu tribe march straight through, cutting off the Liao army’s rear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone, including Xiang Weiyuan, was stunned. History was his strength—he asked: “Master, didn’t the Wu Yu tribe always sacrifice humans to heaven?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1215,"2026-06-20T03:38:27.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1040c5ea3762f57c0c5b1317cb4545e7f15cbc50a7b5dacdb89106cf8ddfd9bb","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-35","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-33",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]