Chen Ping'an entered Bamboo Scroll Lake through Green Parasol City again, and just like last time, he temporarily left his horse at an inn. He then went to that same small alley and visited the same steamed bun shop, buying four cheap but delicious meat buns. However, business at the shop seemed much worse than half a year ago, with the young shopkeeper appearing listless and sighing again and again. Chen Ping'an munched on the meat buns as he went to the ferry station and found his boat, sweeping it clean before rowing it back to Cyan Gorge Island.0

New Year was just around the corner, and compared to last year, the state of Bamboo Scroll Lake was even more miserable than that of the steamed bun shop. There had been three bouts of heavy snow at the end of last year, causing the spiritual energy of Bamboo Scroll Lake to increase noticeably. Because of this, even the cultivators who were extremely apathetic toward New Year celebrations were able to enjoy a delightful New Year. 0

However, they had never imagined that things would take a turn for the worse so quickly, with the one thousand or so islands including Cyan Gorge Island all needing to give up more than half of their wealth before the year was even over. They needed to pay tributes to the heavy cavalry commanded by Great General Su Gaoshan of the Great Li Empire. Some islands that had good relationships with the Luminous Vermilion Empire or its vassal states, such as the Stone Brush Nation and the Plum Glaze Nation, were truly suffering unspeakable pain. Not only were they dealt a severe blow, but they were also unable to please either side of the conflict.0

The most terrifying thing was that Millet Grain Island's Tan Yuanyi, White Fish Island's Tian Hujun, and Guest Elder Yu Gui joined forces to bring together all of the islands that had earth immortals among their elders — for example, the earth immortal couple from Oriole Island — once again forming an alliance. There was no conflict or argument this time, and everyone...0