Qinghe Nie Sect; Discussion Conference: Lan Qiren Pov.

The discussion regarding the exchange program was running very smoothly, thanks to the cooperativeness of the northern sect leaders. Lan Qiren was relieved and felt extremely grateful for the level of maturity as well as patience the northern cultivators had despite the blatant disrespect they had shown them. Honestly, he was both extremely embarrassed and disgusted with how the Eastern cultivators had conducted themselves this entire time even before the discussion conference.

Like Sect Leader Jiang he also had the chance to read the contents of that blasphemous shameless excuse for a missive. He had stumbled on some of the drafts when he went to visit the elders in their office.

That day a strong wind happened to pass by through the open windows and cause the neatly organized documents to scatter around the room. To prevent the room from becoming a complete mess, Lan Qiren immediately shut the windows. Once he did he inspected the scattered papers lying on the ground and sought to reorganize them to their rightful orders. As he was checking through the papers to see which belonged to which pile, the drafts landed in his hands. Lan Qiren had no intention of reading or sneaking a peek at the contents at first as it was not only rude but an invasion of privacy.

Although it was true that he was worried especially with the way how some of the elders and council members had reacted, he had trust that they were sensible enough to not write something crude or dismissive. The Jin Elders were the most troublesome but even they would not be able to do anything under the watchful eyes of the other sect's elders. Wanting to make sure there would be no mistake in the reorganization he proceeded to read the drafts promising himself he would punish himself afterward (as he was still breaking the rules despite the good intentions).

However, he became horrified the moment he did. He couldn't believe his eyes at first and had to reread the draft two times over again to be completely certain. This missive... no not a missive... horrendous piece of writing if one could even call it that... was one of the most blasphemous shameless disrespectful things he has ever read. Not once in his many years of acting sect leader had he seen something like this... Lan Qiren immediately sought out the elders right after this to demand an explanation. However, by then it was already too late and the missive had already been sent.

Lan Qiren could only carry his head and stomach once he learned of the fact. He knew that some of the Lan Elders were against inviting the Northerners but he had believed they would remain impartial as they always had and would set aside their personal feelings for the sake of the clan. He had not expected for them to be so blinded in their prejudice against them to allow such monstrosity to be passed.

He was honestly baffled by the elder's actions. Sure Lan Qiren had his own reservations about the rumored Northern Barbarians but even then he wouldn't have gone this far... He was deeply ashamed of the elders for their arrogance and shamelessness...

Even if the northerners were not the rumored barbarians they are depicted to be, even the most benevolent of people would be furious at that missive. It would not be strange for them to reject their proposal much less come to the discussion conference. This could even be a cause for conflict and rightly so! What were the elders thinking about starting a war with another region!?

Lan Qiren could only curse himself at his uselessness and pray for Guanyin that the latter would not happen.

When he heard that the northerners accepted the invitation to the discussion conference he had honestly expected the worst. Even if the northerners had accepted it did not mean they had pardoned them in fact it would mean the opposite. He had no doubts in his mind that the northerners were here to personally come to take revenge for the blatant disrespect and insults hurled towards them by the Eastern Great Sects. He honestly couldn't blame them if they did though...

So he came here to the discussion conference expecting the worst. However, the northerners completely betrayed his expectations (thank heavens). They were nothing like the barbarians told in the ancient folk tales. On the contrary, they were the complete opposite. They were not only well-mannered and courteous but also very understanding people. Not once did they blame them or hold them responsible for the disrespect and unreasonable hostility conducted by them. Instead, they dealt with them calmly and patiently. The only time they truly lashed out was when someone had directly challenged them like the Jin cultivators which were completely reasonable and within their right.

(Nobody needed to know how delighted and overjoyed he was that somebody put those pompous arrogant fools in their place. He internally cheered and applauded the Qian Sect Leader for making that normally loose-lipped philanderous Jin Guangshan bow down and apologize to her.)

When they apologized to them and explained the reason for their 'childish remark' as they liked to call it Lan Qiren was genuinely baffled. While he was aware that certain groups designated their leaders like the monks and nuns of the temples (due to their practice of celibacy), it was rarely heard of from cultivation clans. They would often choose immediate and direct descendants of the clans not only to keep the bloodline pure but to carry on certain traditions that can only be carried through the blood. Cultivation clans often had many secrets and techniques that were unique to their own. To guard their secret against leaking out to others, it was vital to keep it within a certain amount of people. Hence the bloodline needed to be prioritized in many cases especially in the case of the procession.

Surely, a clan as old as the ancient clans would have even more secrets. Do they not mind sharing it with strangers? Do they have no care of their knowledge being spread around? Yes, knowledge should be accessible to all that is something Lan Qiren would agree with but to this extent? Do they not mind the consequences of divulging such a precious piece of secrecy to others?

On top of it would such a method not cause even more internal strife and conflict in the sect? Successions in the cultivation clans were extremely complicated as it was even with a fixed heir in place. There were many political struggles that took place with the legitimacy of succession, sibling rivalry, relatives' influence, divisions, the amount of power that would be subsided to which side, and so on. Why complicate it even further and create even more reasons for strife? Multiple candidates and competition would only spell disaster for the sect. This is exactly why they have these inheritance policies in place.

He had many questions and doubts about the Northern Sect Leaders but decided to keep within his heart. After all, it was important to respect the custom of others and rude to force one's will upon others. They were not in cloud recess and these people came from a faraway region that had a vastly different culture. It was only natural that certain customs would not fit well with the easterner's ideology.

The Northern Sect Leaders also had not commented regarding their own customs and had done what they could to respect them. So, it would only be right to respect theirs in return especially after the disrespect they had shown them during their introductions (if they could even call it that no thanks to the Jin Sect Leader). Ultimately like the other Sect Leaders, he decided to reign in his thoughts on the matter and focus on the discussion.

Despite the worries Lan Qiren had, he had unexpectedly genuinely found himself enjoying conversing with the northerners. He particularly enjoyed talking with the Qian Sect Leader whom he found to be an intelligent and sharp-witted woman with a good sense of humor. He was surprised to find that she was also a profound philosopher and passionate researcher despite her warrior-like appearance. She pursued knowledge with great interest and drive. Her vast knowledge of various subjects fascinated him and being a passionate scholar of the four arts himself he couldn't help but admire her. So, how could he not enjoy talking with her?

The other Eastern cultivators and elders (other than the ones who still held disdain towards them) who were there also slowly started opening up to the other northern cultivators to the point where they had initiated their own conversation with them. The younger generation who were more forward began asking them all kinds of questions about the stories of the legendary mystical lands. Most of them turned out to be true much to the joy and amusement of all the cultivators of the room (including him). After all, no matter what they thought about the northerners there was no denying that everyone had at one point dreamed about it as children especially if they were cultivators.

Talking with the northerners made him feel young again. It made him reminiscence of a simpler time in his youth where all he could think about was pursuing knowledge like the Qian Sect Leader standing before him.

He tried to hold down the solemn feeling how he wished his brother would be here to hear about this with him... His brother equally loved the old folktales just as much he did and would always look forward to hearing about it from their master who loved the story just as much they did... So, many things have changed since then... When did such an exciting tale become such a sad one? When did such a fond memory turn into such a bitter one? Where did the brother he loved and respected go? Since when did he become replaced with such a lifeless ghost with dead eyes that reflected only darkness? Why did such a caring man who always stood by him turn into a negligent father who had no interest in his own children? There were so many questions he wanted to ask that his brother refused to answer... Leaving him to carry all the weight... Maybe that was why he never told these stories to his nephews... Because it was too painful and reminded him of better times and hope for a future that never came to be...

Lan Qiren shakes his head it was no use thinking about how things could have been. Things are as they are and there was no way to change them. If he were to deny the things before him now, he would be denying the existence of his nephews. That was the last thing he absolutely wanted to do. He loved his nephews dearly and doesn't have a single regret about raising them. He feels sad about not giving them the family they deserved and knew full well that he was just a poor replacement. However, he can say with confidence that he poured all his love and pride onto his nephews.

He knows it may never be enough, but he did the best he can, which he will continue doing. The more all the reason that this discussion conference needed to succeed at all costs and with the direction it was going in Lan Qiren was hopeful.

He was right to, as the northerners had expressed their intentions to accept the proposal. They believed it was a good opportunity for the young disciples to have the chance to interact with people from foreign regions that they were not accustomed to and give them more foresight of the world before them. It was also a great chance to prepare them for their inevitable departure from the sect in the near future as part of their training. Lan Qiren learned was an old tradition of the ancient clans carried on since its founding much to the amazement and disbelief of many cultivators in the room.

They readily accepted their conditions regarding the proposal from the time, place (which was to be held in Gusu of course), people, etc. In return, he and the other sect leaders had also accepted their conditions which were very few.

One of them was regarding when visiting their territories. The northerners had pleaded with them that they emphasize the dangers of the northern territories to their disciples and bid them make sure they would listen to the northern cultivators at all cost lest they want to face the consequences. In particular, the Senlin territory (where the northerners had decided to hold their part of the program) was filled with plants and beasts that have rare and magical abilities. The beasts were easy to tell at a glance since most of the time they were larger than their normal counterparts or had unique appearances that differed from them. However, some of the plants were very inconspicuous and looked rather similar to any other ordinary plants or herbs growing in the area.

He and the other may have frozen a bit when they had heard about an incident where a foreigner had ignored their warnings and ended up being bald for 3 entire days from inhaling the pollens of the Tu Hua flower after mistaking them with azalea flowers... The Bai Sect Leader also did a similar thing when he first visited the territory and ended up mewing for the rest of the evening after accidentally mixing up the plant with another one he had planned to collect for research. Truly, only the natives of the Senlin had the ability to discern which types were dangerous or not. According to them, at least one incident happens whenever someone comes to visit their territory and while they are used to dealing with them they cannot 100 percent assure them of their wellbeing. If a disciple comes across a very deadly plant and they are not able to treat it on time they could at best end up dealing with the ailment for years or at worst become crippled...

Hearing that every sect leader had assured the northern sect leaders that they would thoroughly lecture their disciples regarding the dangers of these things and make certain that they would not touch anything before asking the northerners about it.

The Senlin Shao Sect Leader sighed a huge breath of relief and thanked them at that.

It was also decided that each of the great sects of the north and east would at least send two senior disciples each from the respective sects to accompany the junior disciples during their stay in the two regions. Both the eastern and northern cultivators held concerns over sending the young disciples to an unknown faraway region with little to no relations. They did not have enough reasons to fully trust one another yet. They could not be certain whether the other would ensure the well-being of the young disciples or take advantage of them.

The northerners accepted this decision with no qualms although the same could not be said for the easterners. Some of the great sect elders were greatly appalled and wanted to reprimand the northerners for their blatant distrust of them as well as insulting the integrity of the Eastern cultivators. The northern cultivators calmly responded that as they had explained in their initial introduction that they had no intention of disrespecting the Eastern cultivators and that this was not a matter of trust but a simple standard procedure when visiting foreign regions. This procedure was not only to ensure the disciples well being but also to ensure that the peace between the two regions would be kept.

For example, if the disciples were to cause any kinds of trouble outside of their respective regions there was a chance it could easily be turned into a huge political feud regardless of their thoughts or intentions on the matter. It would not be a problem if the matter only involved the individual but this was rarely the case. Visiting guests (aside from travelers or rogue cultivators) often came carrying the names of their clans on hand. There was a case a few decades back when a southern monk had been injured in an accident in the Western Region which nearly dragged the two regions at war with one another. The temple the southern monk belonged to at the time had accused the Western cultivation sects of purposefully sabotaging the monk due to the fear of their religion's growing influence on the lands. When the cultivation clans denied the accusation subsiding its absurdity, the monks grew furious and nearly evolved into a political feud.

It only calmed down once the head monk of the Hai Yang Temple, the most influential temple in the Southern Kingdom, and the great western Shu He Yan Sect intervened on the matters. They forced both parties to stand down on the matter until the incident could be fully investigated along with a third neutral party member. Once the results of the investigation came out and it was revealed that it had truly been merely an accident that the monks had overly exaggerated, did the monks finally subside? The monks were forced to apologize later on, but being the wrongful party in the matter was subjugated to a full-on investigation and punished accordingly to disturb the peace.

These kinds of incidents would occur from time to time and were only suppressed thanks to influential powers at the time. However, there were some cases where these negotiations failed and were forced to use military strength to quell the parties involved. So, in order to prevent such incidents, a countermeasure was put into place. This was one of them. It did not matter how long they have known each other or how strong of an alliance they had, all of them were subjugated under this and were expected to follow it.

However, even after this long explanation, the eastern cultivators refused to back down. It was only when the Bai Sect Leader subtly reminded them of the rudeness shown to them by the Jin Clan cultivators, did they finally shut their mouths. Lan Qiren wanted to slap himself for the audacity of the Eastern Cultivators.

The northerners had gone their way to explain their reasons which were totally logical in his mind only to refute it for the sake of their ridiculous pride. It made Lan Qiren want to question the Eastern cultivators 'Who in the world do they think they are?'

In that small moment, he found himself wanting to hunch into the corners again from all the shame and embarrassment. The northerners were far more courteous and mature-headed than any of these foolish people were. Sect Leader Nie was right, they were the ones that should be learning from them and not vice versa.

Perhaps the Northerners were onto something when they decided on the custom of choosing their sect leaders. If not then, now he can see the reason why these people were chosen for their positions. These people's ability to remain calm and level-headed under such pressuring and the discriminatory atmosphere was truly astounding. Nothing the Easterners would throw at them could deter them.

He was somewhat jealous of them...

"Then I guess we have come to an agreement regarding the exchange program?" The Senlin Shao Sect Leader gestures with his hand

Lan Qiren nods in reply "Yes, I believe we have. Now that we have reached an agreement as per the program each great sect will form 2 groups of 5 junior disciples and 2 senior disciples to send to the respective regions for the duration of 6 months. The first group will be sent at the beginning of spring and return at the end of summer, while the second group will be sent at the beginning of fall and return at the end of winter. During the program, the disciples will be expected to follow as well as respect the rules and customs of the respective sects. The Sect Leaders and masters must emphasize the importance of this and properly discipline them regarding their visitation. As it will be vital that they listen and follow the commands of the masters in the sects to prevent any kind of misfortunate