Chapter 51: The Imperial Mentor Enters the World, Founding of the Great Xia Dynasty

After leaving the Cloudstream Immortal City, Jiang Xiuyuan and his companions journeyed southward, entering a vast plain. The spiritual energy here was relatively sparse, unsuitable for large sects to settle, which gave rise to a unique civilization—a realm where mortals and cultivators coexisted.

The largest dynasty on this land was called the Great Xia.

Unlike other realms that revered cultivators as gods, the Great Xia dynasty held a more nuanced attitude toward cultivation sects. They respected the strong but did not blindly follow them; they provided resources yet also established strict laws to regulate the behavior of cultivators within mortal territories.

All of this stemmed from the founding monarch of Great Xia—Xia Qiyuan.

He was a legendary figure. Born into a cadet branch of a fading minor kingdom, amid chaotic times, with nothing but mortal strength, he forged alliances and waged battles north and south. In just thirty years, he unified the plains and established the vast Great Xia dynasty.

Jiang Xiuyuan found himself intrigued by this man. In a world dominated by cultivators, for a mortal to achieve such feats, his intellect, courage, and strategy must be extraordinary—reminding Jiang of the First Emperor he once served millennia ago in the Central Plains.

Thus, he brought Jiang Yiyi and Jiang Xiaobai to the Great Xia capital—Tianqi City.

Tianqi City was grand and imposing, its walls towering a hundred zhang high, inscribed with defensive runes crafted by mortal artisans and low-level talisman masters. Though these runes could not withstand high-level cultivators, they were enough to deter petty criminals and assert the authority of the throne. Within the city, mortals and scattered cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages lived together in orderly harmony. Cultivators ran shops or served as guest officials, all bound by the Great Xia Code issued by the dynasty. Those who violated these laws faced severe punishment from the “Demon Suppression Bureau.”

The Demon Suppression Bureau was an institution founded single-handedly by Xia Qiyuan. Comprised of cultivators loyal to the royal family and martial experts, it specialized in handling affairs related to cultivators and acted as a sharp sword hanging over all cultivators within the realm.

“Father, this emperor is quite interesting,” Jiang Xiaobai said, sitting by the window of a tavern, gnawing on roasted chicken while watching the armored officers of the Demon Suppression Bureau pass by on the street. “He seems... unafraid to offend those in cultivation.”

“He’s not unafraid; he simply understands how to balance power,” Jiang Xiuyuan replied, sipping the mortal-brewed rice wine, his gaze deep. “He incorporates scattered cultivators into the system, granting them status and resources to counterbalance unruly sects. He vigorously promotes the welfare of millions of mortals, winning their hearts. This ‘popular support’ becomes his most solid backing. If a sect wants to challenge him, they must consider whether they’re willing to bear the immense karmic consequences of toppling such a prosperous dynasty.”

Jiang Yiyi pondered, “To leverage mortal power to shift the rules—that is the mark of a true sovereign. Father, did we come here to meet him?”

Jiang Xiuyuan smiled faintly. “I want to see just how far a mortal’s ambition can reach.”

Three days later, news spread throughout Tianqi City.

An elderly white-haired man calling himself “Mr. White Deer” began lecturing at the Jixia Academy in the eastern part of the city. His lectures did not touch cultivation techniques but focused instead on mundane studies—astronomy, geography, agriculture, irrigation, and governance strategies.

At first, only a few attended. Yet every scholar and official present was captivated by his profound knowledge and lofty insights. He explained the movement of stars and could accurately predict the solar terms for the coming year; he proposed an unprecedented “water containment and sand attack” method for irrigation; he spoke of governance, directly addressing the current flaws in the Great Xia court.

The news quickly reached the imperial palace.

Xia Qiyuan, a vigorous emperor in his prime, flashed a sharp glint in his eyes after hearing his trusted ministers’ report.

“To see the benefits and faults of Great Xia so clearly from outside the court—this man is no ordinary person,” he mused before ordering, “Prepare my carriage. I shall meet this ‘Mr. White Deer’ in person.”

When Xia Qiyuan arrived at Jixia Academy dressed in plain clothes, accompanied by guards, Jiang Xiuyuan was in the middle of a lecture on education.

“...The grand plan of a nation lies in nurturing its people. Nurture not only the nobles and princes, but all the people under heaven. When the people’s wisdom is awakened, the nation’s strength grows. When farmers understand the seasons, artisans master mathematics, merchants grasp ethics, and soldiers embody loyalty and courage, what cause would Great Xia have for decline? What enemy would dare challenge us?”

Jiang Xiuyuan’s voice was calm yet every word struck like a gem, awakening all who heard.

Standing at the back, Xia Qiyuan listened quietly, his heart stirred by turbulent waves. He had pushed reforms for years and deeply understood the critical importance of awakening the people’s intellect but lacked a comprehensive theory or method. This old man’s words seemed to open a new door for him.

When the lecture ended, Jiang Xiuyuan packed away several bamboo scrolls and, as if unaware of the emperor in the crowd, turned to leave.

“Sir, please wait!” Xia Qiyuan stepped forward through the crowd and bowed deeply to Jiang Xiuyuan’s retreating figure.

Jiang Xiuyuan turned calmly to face him.

“I am Xia Qiyuan, Emperor of Great Xia. May I ask your honorable name and origin?” Xia Qiyuan’s voice was loud and sincere.

“A wild man, nameless and without surname. Your Majesty may call me ‘White Deer,’” Jiang Xiuyuan replied lightly.

Xia Qiyuan’s eyes burned with intensity. “Your talent surpasses thousands of my strategists. I have come today to invite you to leave your reclusion, enter the court, serve as imperial tutor, and assist me in... founding an unprecedented Great Xia golden age!”

Officials and guards behind him paled at the proposition. The imperial tutor was the emperor’s teacher, a position of utmost prestige. For His Majesty to promise such a role to a mysterious old man was extraordinary.

Yet Jiang Xiuyuan shook his head. “Your Majesty knows well what price you ask when inviting me.”

“Speak freely, sir! If I can provide it—gold, treasure, high office, even noble titles—I will not hesitate!” Xia Qiyuan declared boldly.

“I want none of those.” Jiang Xiuyuan raised one finger. “My price is three questions. If you can answer them, I will accept.”

“Please, ask!” Xia Qiyuan urged.

Jiang Xiuyuan looked at him slowly and asked, “First question: If one day, a cultivation sect oppressed your people and their power far exceeded yours, what would you do?”

Without hesitation, Xia Qiyuan answered, “I would first seek diplomacy under Great Xia law. If they refused, I would unleash the full might of the Demon Suppression Bureau. If still defiant, I would wager the fate of the nation itself—though I die, I will not regret! My people, I will protect!”

Jiang Xiuyuan nodded and continued, “Second question: If one day your people, driven by livelihood, clashed with a neighboring country and your people were at fault, how would you respond?”

Xia Qiyuan furrowed his brow, paused thoughtfully, then said, “I would investigate the truth. If my people were wrong, I would punish them according to law and offer apologies and compensation to the neighbor. No favoritism. A ruler must have a heart broad enough to encompass all under heaven and the fairness to discern right from wrong. Covering for one’s own only causes a nation to lose its moral standing.”

A trace of approval appeared in Jiang Xiuyuan’s eyes as he asked the third question: “Third question: You wield thunderous power to enact reforms, offending old nobles and alarming sects. You awaken the people’s mind, no longer willing to endure ignorance. All you do challenges the existing order of this world. Are you afraid of failure? Afraid that history will brand you a ‘tyrant’?”

This question struck at Xia Qiyuan’s deepest fear.

He fell silent, staring into Jiang Xiuyuan’s seemingly all-seeing eyes. After a long pause, he took a deep breath, his eyes blazing with unprecedented resolve.

“Afraid!” he admitted candidly. “In the stillness of night, fears assail me. But what I fear more is that a hundred years hence, Great Xia remains a flock to be led by sects, my millions still mired in ignorance and poverty! Compared to that, my personal success or failure is insignificant!”

“If I can open peace for all generations, I am willing to bear this burden. Though faced by millions, I will march forward! As for how history judges me, that shall be left to future generations!”

His words struck with the weight of thunder.

Jiang Xiuyuan applauded and laughed.

“Well said—‘Though faced by millions, I will march forward!’” He nodded slightly to Xia Qiyuan. “Your answers satisfy me. From this day forth, I shall be the imperial tutor of Great Xia.”

That day, the Great Xia dynasty welcomed a white-haired imperial tutor. No one knew his origins, only that he was a scholar with wisdom as deep as the sea.

Under his guidance, a profound transformation swept across Great Xia.

Jiang Xiuyuan did not directly involve himself in governance. Instead, he illuminated the path whenever Xia Qiyuan faced doubts. He established a more perfect system for selecting officials, opening upward mobility for the humble; he planned a nationwide irrigation network, ensuring fertile lands were free from drought and floods; he compiled new legal codes, skillfully balancing the interests of the throne, nobles, sects, and commoners.

Jiang Yiyi and Jiang Xiaobai were adopted by Xia Qiyuan and granted the titles “Princess of Literary Virtue” and “Princess of Spiritual Wisdom.” Jiang Yiyi assisted Jiang Xiuyuan in organizing classical texts and perfecting the education system. Jiang Xiaobai, with her innate charm and knowledge of strange tales, became Xia Qiyuan’s “all-seeing eye and all-hearing ear,” helping him understand the people’s hardships and the undercurrents of the martial world.