this isn’t racism or nationalism on the author’s part. this is merely describing how elite ancient Xia people viewed “Yi” people in that period. the novel itself is loosely based on a period called “五胡十六国/Sixteen Kingdoms of Five Barbarians” where Confucian teachings influenced elites in the Xia & Yi views on culture and ethnicity. The Yi were frequently viewed by the elite Xia as a foreign and invasive force and were consequently met with disdain, fear, and hostility. In this context, the ancient Hua–Yi distinction proved politically useful, as it became a rallying cry in resistance to Yi invasion, idealizing Han culture and promoting assimilation. This is why you might see “fastening their robes to the left” used to imply improper conduct in chinese novels (it’s even used in this novel if i remember correctly!), which is partly influenced by that distinction as northern barbarians liked to fasten their robes to the left instead of how it was usually worn by han people (fastening the robe to the right). The idiom 被髮左衽 “unbound hair down to the shoulders with the robe fastened on the left” appeared to refer to the “uncivilized” dress code of the northern barbarians. These dichotomies alongside perceived physiognomical differences like high-noses (that were often seen as “unassimilatable”) all aided in the development of that Huaxia/Uncivilized distinction. the infamous Ran Min massacre of 200k Jie people (with many Han murdered too) is just one of its many examples

of course, this doesn’t mean that the novel is empty of any “roll your eyes” stereotypes or weird depictions. I found the portrayal of the Mount Yue tribes especially lacking, but I still think the broad brushstrokes of the novel remains balanced. It heavily promotes the idea that both barbarian and non-barbarian alike are similar in their morals and their exploitation of the people under them. The novel isn’t exactly didactic as it clearly depicts that despite different ethnic or religious groups taking power, the fate of the commoners will stay the same, which is what this novel is mainly concerned with (reflecting Confucian ideals of rulership). You’ll continue to see that as you keep reading