The most elite squad of orcs from the Eagle Clan became Xu Zifan's personal guard. Xu Zifan chose them because they were incredibly convenient and fast. Wherever they wanted to go, terrain was no problem; they could simply fly there, and it was very safe, with no risk of attack from other tribes or wild beasts. Therefore, Xu Zifan increasingly traveled with the Eagle Clan orcs. With his favor, the Eagle Clan quickly integrated into the life of the Wise City.
With the convenience of the Eagle Clan and the precise scanning of Shao Hua, Xu Zifan began to refine the map, explore unknown territories, and search for more people and resources. Another summer arrived, and he encountered the Lion Clan in a distant forest. As he rode his giant eagle, circling in the air, the Lion Clan orcs spotted him. One orc immediately transformed into human form and roared at him, "Who are you? What are you doing in our territory?"
Xu Zifan said loudly, "I am a wise man from the City of Wise Men, from the far north. I have only mistakenly entered your territory today."
"Come down and talk! Come down!" The lion-clan beastman was very domineering. With his roar, the nearby beastmen all ran over, staring at Xu Zifan with predatory eyes.
Xu Zifan patted the eagle-clan orc, "Kana, let's go down."
"My lord, we have never dealt with the Lion Clan before. We've heard that they consider themselves the kings of the forest and never take other tribes seriously. It will be dangerous for us to go down there," Kana said cautiously, watching the orcs below.
Xu Zifan took out the Xuan Iron Fan from his spatial storage and held it in his hand. "Don't worry, it's alright. Let's go down."
"Yes, Wise One." Kana flew in a circle in the air, then swooped down, bringing Xu Zifan down to the open ground in front of the Lion Clan. After Xu Zifan landed, he transformed into human form and stood beside Xu Zifan as a guardian.
The lion-clan orc stepped forward, sized up Xu Zifan, and raised his chin, saying, "What is the City of Wise Men? What are the wise men? You're from the north, what are you doing here?"
Xu Zifan stroked the black iron fan with his fingers, remaining silent. Kana answered the lion clan's question, "The Wise One was sent by a god from heaven. The tiger and leopard clans of the north have received instructions from the Beast God; obeying the Wise One's commands will ensure their survival. The Wise One possesses boundless wisdom, providing us with more food, warm houses for winter, and a sturdy city to defend against enemies—the Wise One's City. Now, more than a dozen tribes from the north have joined the Wise One's City. This time, the Wise One has come south to find more useful things and, incidentally, to see if any other tribes have joined the Wise One's City."
"The Beast God's instructions?" The lion-clan beastman sneered. "We lions have never believed in the Beast God. If praying to the Beast God were effective, why would so many people have died? Sending a sage from the heavens is even more inexplicable. What are you going to teach them? You, a weak and frail female, wouldn't happen to..."
Xu Zifan clenched his left hand, grasping a spirit stone in his palm. He drew upon the spirit stone's spiritual power to activate a talisman, which he then affixed to the dozen or so lion-clan beastmen in front of him. Not only were they rendered immobile, but they also instantly lost their voices, finding themselves horrified to discover that they could utter nothing!
Xu Zifan walked through them with his hands behind his back, looked at them one by one, then returned to stand in front of the leading lion-man, a smile playing on his lips. "I am a wise man, not a weak and delicate female. Wise Man's City no longer relies on hunting for survival. We capture a lot of prey and raise them ourselves, letting them reproduce and multiply until we have an endless supply. Eventually, we won't even need to hunt anymore. We've also found edible plants to cultivate, so we have an endless supply of fruits and wild vegetables without having to go out to forage. We also have medical skills and medicines; we can heal those injured while hunting, and we can also heal those who are delirious with high fever. We even have our own writing system, like this."
Xu Zifan pretended to take something from his sleeve, but actually took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his spatial storage. He unfolded it and showed the orcs the text written on it. "This describes how to treat a person whose bones have been broken by wild beasts. The people of Wise City can read it, and they will pass on this method and improve it. You say you don't believe in the Beast God, but you must think you are the kings of the forest on your own. Can you do better than us?"
Xu Zifan put away the bamboo slips and walked up to an orc with an injured arm. He examined the wound and said, "Tsk tsk, the wound is already festering. Do you have a high shaman? Did he tell you that this kind of injury can only be treated by waiting? If you're lucky, it will heal; if you're unlucky, this arm will be useless."
Xu Zifan shook his head, took out a packet of medicine powder, applied it to him, and put the powder in his hand, saying, "Apply the medicine once every night before going to bed, and it will scab over in ten days and heal quickly."
Xu Zifan walked back to Kana's side, gestured for Kana to transform into beast form, and mounted the giant eagle. "The Lion Clan is far from us. If you sincerely wish to join the City of Wise Men, you can migrate there. We still have other places to explore, so we won't stay any longer. Kana, let's go."
As Kana took to the sky, Xu Zifan waved his hand, removing the talisman from the lion-orc's body. The lion-orc roared and chased after Xu Zifan and his companions, but the eagle in the sky couldn't catch up at all, and soon he lost sight of Xu Zifan. The lion-orcs looked at each other, until the injured orc broke the silence first, "Anyway, he's already applied the medicine, so why not try it? If it works, it means what he said is true, and at least the medicine is much better than ours."
"Yes, and he's incredibly powerful. He controlled us all in an instant, and we couldn't even speak. This is definitely a divine ability. Maybe the Beast God didn't abandon us and specially sent a wise man to teach us something?"
"Let's test the medicine first. If it works, we'll go see what that City of the Wise is all about!" the leading orc concluded.
They absolutely must visit any place, no matter how good it may seem.
Xu Zifan explored a few more areas before flying back to the City of the Wise with Kana. The city now boasted a blacksmith's workshop, where strong orcs forged ironware. Guards standing watch and patrolling the city walls were equipped with bows and spears. The fields were also laden with iron plows, sickles, hoes, and other tools, making work much easier. The school and workshops were bustling with activity. Xu Zifan walked back to the Hall of the Wise from the city gate, satisfied with the lively atmosphere. He had doubled the size of his map this time and didn't plan to venture out himself again. He intended to teach others everything he could, allowing them to develop further.
Mengya, Sada, and Mowen greeted him at the entrance of the Temple of the Wise. They looked him over and asked, "Are you alright? Did anything happen on the way?"
Xu Zifan waved his hand, "I'm fine. I encountered the Lion Clan tribe and told them about the existence of the City of Wise Men. I don't know if they will come. Nothing else."
"The Lion Clan? They're very savage, I heard it from my elders." Fang thought for a moment, a little worried.
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Then let's strengthen our defenses. If they come with ill intentions, let's show them our strength in the shortest amount of time and avoid unnecessary damage."
"Okay." Mengya immediately went to make arrangements; he was in charge of the security of the entire Wise City. Now they not only had bows and arrows, but also catapults and eagles, so there was nothing to fear, as long as they were prepared.
Just as Fang said, the Lion Clan was truly savage. They spent two months traveling to the City of the Wise, and their first reaction wasn't to offer goodwill or observe, but to storm the city and see what it was like inside. Naturally, they became the first enemy to enjoy the fruits of their arrows and catapults. Before the city gates even opened, baskets of stones rained down, throwing the Lion Clan orcs into disarray. Many were wounded. Then, the soldiers on the city walls drew their bows and fired arrows, without even transforming into their beast forms, and utterly routed the Lion Clan!
The Lion Clan, who always considered themselves kings, suffered a crushing defeat outside the gates of the Wise Man's City. In the end, the Lion Clan Chief had no choice but to bow his head and beg for mercy for the safety of his people. Only then did Xu Zifan stand on the city wall and say to them, "Because of your unfriendly behavior, if you want to be treated the same as everyone else, go and mine first. You will build your town in six months."
With the Forest King's surrender, it seemed the button for the orcs to submit had been pressed. Powerful tribes like the Lion, Tiger, Leopard, and Wolf tribes had already submitted; what other tribes would dare harbor any other thoughts? Even if they did, they couldn't defeat the increasingly powerful army of the Wise City.
The beastmen were progressing rapidly, thanks to Xu Zifan's advanced knowledge, which allowed them to skip many stages of development. Their lifestyle was now largely similar to that of ancient times. Once the wolf tribe's punishment period ended, Xu Zifan had them build a small town near the mines and sent reliable people to manage it. This was the first town spun off from Wise City. From then on, any new tribes that arrived would establish small towns not far from Wise City. This was unavoidable; Wise City had limited space and couldn't accept new tribes indefinitely. They could only send people to manage them and teach them the same things. Therefore, Wise City became like a capital city, and also the most heavily fortified.
As time went by, more and more people came to join him, and more and more towns and cities sprang up. Xu Zifan appointed the chieftains of each tribe as officials and assigned his trusted people to important positions. Within five years, his kingdom finally took shape. Mengya, Mowen, and Sada were all entrusted with important responsibilities and became his key ministers. Having experienced more, they matured and no longer showed any interest in pursuing their own interests. Their relationship with Xu Zifan became more and more like that of brothers, and they gradually let go of their feelings for each other. After all, life is not just about love. Developing a kingdom together was more exciting, and their bond became even stronger.
After that, Xu Zifan rarely appeared in public. He had the construction team build a large library, collecting all the usable knowledge from the Shaohua database, copying it onto bamboo slips, and placing it in the library for everyone to study. He would guide them on what they knew, and let them figure out what they didn't know on their own. The knowledge was there; whether they could grasp it depended on themselves.
Throughout his life in the orc world, his kingdom faced several beast tides and natural disasters, all of which he led his people to overcome. There were two internal rebellions, both of which he suppressed with his army. He didn't use his own methods, but rather wanted to teach his people to become independent and fight for themselves. Although his life had its ups and downs, overall, he did a very good job as "emperor." He even unified the continent at the age of sixty, subjugating all known tribes. At that time, the material life of the people was somewhat like that of the Tang Dynasty, with exquisite fabrics, gorgeous ornaments, all kinds of delicious food, and a plethora of entertainment.
People who experienced the city's construction have high regard for Xu Zifan. They are always grateful to him, as he has truly changed their lives, even better than he promised.
When Xu Zifan was eighty-eight years old, he felt that his life was coming to an end. He appointed Sada as king, personally arranged everything, and then bid them farewell and left. When he passed away, Sada, Mengya, and Mowen stayed by his bedside, and ordered everyone else to observe a moment of silence outside.
Sada, as if joking as usual, held Xu Zifan's hand and said with a smile, "Big brother, I always thought we would be together forever, but I never expected you to leave so soon. I've never called you big brother before, you know, we all like you, how could I call you big brother? But today I'm willing to call you big brother. You've been like a big brother to us, teaching us so much, sheltering us from the wind and rain, always caring for us, and never giving us any unwarranted fantasies. You're such a good big brother. I can't have any more expectations now, so you are my big brother. Big brother, don't worry, I won't let you down."
Xu Zifan smiled weakly, "Whether you call me or not, I'll treat you all..."
He was like a younger brother.
Mo Wen leaned against the headboard, looking at Xu Zifan, his voice low and surprisingly devoid of its usual coldness, "Big brother, have you painted any more pictures of us all these years?"
Xu Zifan nodded, his fingers twitching, and a painting of five blessings appeared beside the bed. Each of them depicted their current appearance, along with a group photo of the four of them, all in human form. This was a gift he had quietly drawn to give them after realizing his health was failing.
Mo Wen blinked, wiping away the tears in her eyes, and smiled, saying, "That's good, at least we can still see you in the painting. Actually, when you left, you went back to heaven, didn't you? You're different from us, which is why your lifespan is so short. Are you going back to where you came from?"
Xu Zifan nodded again, "Yes, so don't be sad. I'm just going where I'm supposed to go. I won't die."
"Then we can rest assured, brother. Don't worry about us. You always said that the experience is the most important thing, and we've been through enough together for these decades. Now that we're separated, don't worry about each other anymore. Start your new life in heaven. If marriage is possible there, find someone who treats you well and live happily." Mo Wen had never said so much in one go before. He smiled, shook Xu Zifan's hand, and gave his seat to Meng Ya.
Mengya was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Choosing to follow you was the best decision I ever made. Brother, I will protect the kingdom you built until I die."
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "I believe you will manage the kingdom well. I'm just going to another place. Don't be sad. Take good care of yourselves and live well. I also hope that your brotherhood will not change. Kingdoms will eventually divide and unite. It's not a big deal. If anything happens, don't blame yourself. Just do what you should do."
Sada patted his hand and laughed, "Alright, don't worry about it. From now on, these are things we should be worrying about. We'll always be brothers, and we won't fight over anything trivial. Don't worry."
Xu Zifan glanced at them one last time, smiled, closed his eyes, and left this world. Only after he was truly gone did Sada and the others stop smiling, and tears they had suppressed for so long finally streamed down their faces. Decades seemed like a long time, but in retrospect, it felt like the blink of an eye; the person who taught them knowledge and guided them through countless hardships was gone. They didn't know if Xu Zifan's claim that he had returned to heaven was true, but they preferred to believe it was, because it meant that Xu Zifan would continue to live on in another place.
With him gone, they allowed themselves this moment of vulnerability, quietly venting their grief in their rooms. Half a day later, they composed themselves, opened the door, and emerged as three high-ranking leaders once again. They methodically handled Xu Zifan's funeral arrangements, each becoming more assertive and serious, managing the country. Their leader was gone, but the nation he had built would continue.