Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1317 - 1310: Fierce on the Outside, Timid on the Inside

Chapter 1317: Chapter 1310: Fierce on the Outside, Timid on the Inside

This battle concluded in another fashion, with the soldiers being defeated first, rather than the generals. After Cheng Ziang and Tangmo joined forces with the Demon Clan’s vanguard to deal with these generals, the entire battle situation had already entered the final stage.

In addition to pursuing the Dongsheng army, the members of the Demon Clan did not spare those conscripts lingering in the villages. The two could only express their helplessness about this, because they truly had no power to stop these atrocities of the Demon Clan soldiers.

After two successive battles, the Demon Clan soldiers’ perception of the Advance Team had greatly improved; they no longer questioned their capabilities. Upon returning to camp, the Demon Clan soldiers even brought a roasted wild beast for the team to eat, as a gesture of gratitude for their assistance over the last couple of days.

Two consecutive days of intense attacks had caused severe damage around Wufeng City, so on the third day, the Demon Clan army decided to rest temporarily, also to disrupt Dongsheng’s military deployment and avoid being ambushed by their mobility forces.

However, it was quite dangerous for the large army to be stationed only about a dozen kilometers from Wufeng City, so after discussing with the Demon Clan’s commander, Cheng Ziang and his group decided to once again infiltrate Wufeng City to ascertain the attitude of that Dongsheng commander, to prevent the Demon Clan army from being encircled.

Thus, after some preparations, the Advance Team set out for Wufeng City under the cover of night. Upon reaching the city outskirts, they resorted to the usual method; Feng and Fulajie’er entered the city to establish contact with Xuan on behalf of Cheng Ziang and the others.

Due to the attacks over the past two days, the patrol density in Wufeng City had obviously increased. It took Fulajie’er quite a while to find a relatively secluded spot to enter the city.

Although Feng was from Kyushu, he still needed to be extremely cautious within the city because a curfew had been implemented. If discovered by patrolling soldiers, it would cause considerable trouble.

However, as he had visited once before, Feng found his way much more easily this time, not wandering aimlessly like a headless fly as before, but quickly arriving at Xuan’s residence.

After climbing over the boundary wall, Feng entered Xuan’s living quarters once again. Concerned about revealing his presence, Feng did not dare to extend his perception to search but used Fulajie’er as the vanguard instead.

Xuan’s living quarters’ window was still lit, indicating he had not yet gone to bed. Feng quietly pushed open the door and slowly walked into the room, his movements appearing easy and natural.

At that moment, Xuan was sitting at the table, absorbed in reading a book. Noticing the flicker of candlelight, he subconsciously lifted his head and then spotted the abruptly visiting Feng.

His surprise did not show on his face; seeing Feng, he instead smiled and shook his head, saying, "Next time, please knock before entering."

From this, Feng could also tell that Xuan was indeed not a Cultivator; otherwise, how could he possibly have been unaware of his own entrance?

"You know why I’m here," Feng said expressionlessly.

"I know. I’ve seen your performance these past two days. Not bad at all; in two days, we’ve lost over a hundred generals. The progress is quite rapid," Xuan said with a smile.

"Do you plan to send troops to encircle us?" Feng started to convey Cheng Ziang’s question.

"Heh," Xuan chuckled upon hearing her question and, while looking at his fingers, casually responded, "You know, in a situation like this, taking the initiative might yield some gains, but the cost of failure is also severe. Playing defensively certainly yields no gain, but at least there will be no mistakes."

"I need a precise guarantee. Don’t try to give me the runaround," Feng said coldly.

"I’ve told you before that I would use generals to organize a mobile patrol force. If you get caught by them, that would just be your bad luck. But judging from the situation these last two days, you seem quite clever, popping up here and there," Xuan said, still smiling.

"In addition to this mobile force, are you considering deploying troops from inside the city to pursue us?" After a long silence, Feng continued to inquire.

"My stance has been quite clear; I can’t take that responsibility. The Imperial Court has already dispatched a new commander to West Outer Heaven. Before they arrive, as long as Wufeng City is held, that would be a great contribution," said Xuan, maintaining his smile.

"I hope you understand that this cooperation is only for resolving the conflict in West Outer Heaven. Since your enemy is the generals, I don’t want you to create unnecessary complications. Let’s complete this task together, instead of plotting against each other," Feng conveyed Cheng Ziang’s words, even imitating his tone.

"Of course, but we should also be clear that we are still enemies, so if we meet on the battlefield, we shall still fight each other. You have no objections to that, right?" Xuan asked.

"No, if I encounter you on the battlefield, I will be the first to slay you," Feng said coldly.

"Hehehe..." Hearing Feng’s threat, Xuan laughed instead, shaking his head as he said, "Well, I’ll have to be careful then, lest you kill me."

"You’d better know it," Feng didn’t smile.

After laughing, Xuan gave a slight bow and then looked at Feng and said, "Princess, as a temporary ally, I offer you a piece of advice. Since you were raised in the Western Continent, don’t go east. That world is quite dangerous; don’t blame me for not warning you."

"I am no princess!" Feng said icily.

"Yes, yes, yes, but others don’t see it that way," Xuan shrugged as he spoke.

"I have my own family; they will protect me," Feng declared with confidence.

"That’s for the best, but let me address you as ’Princess’ for the last time. If I run into you in Kyushu, I won’t go easy on you," Xuan’s tone carried a hint of threat.

After a moment of silence, Feng spoke again, "Why are you afraid of me going to Kyushu?"

This question was raised by Cheng Ziang because he was genuinely curious why Xuan knew Feng and even referred to her as ’Princess.’

"That’s none of your concern. If you don’t go to Kyushu, then don’t meddle in our affairs," Xuan rejected the question without hesitation.

"And if I insist on going?" Feng asked, staring at him.

"You are only a few people; how can you stand against the Dongsheng Imperial Court? Our confidants fill the entire court; if you dare step half a pace into Kyushu, don’t blame me for disregarding past sentiments," Xuan maintained his seemingly amused expression, his tone increasingly threatening.

"Thank you for the advice," Feng said.

"You’re welcome!" Xuan shrugged as he spoke.

"I’ll ask one last time," Feng continued, "are you certain you won’t send troops from the city to surround and exterminate us?"

"As long as the General hasn’t eliminated the designated number, we remain allies. I am always honest with my allies; you can trust me on this," Xuan responded.

"Alright," Feng nodded, then took out his pendant from his pocket, tossing it to him while saying, "I didn’t give it to you when we last met; this time I’ll give it to you together. All three times, all returned to you."

"Actually, this could be considered the second time, as we still have one more opportunity to meet," Xuan said, looking at the pendant in his hand.

"There must be principles when conducting affairs," Feng remarked.

"Alright, then do we still have a chance..." Xuan just lifted his head, only to find that Feng had already disappeared. His face, which had been sporting a jesting smile, immediately turned ice-cold as he stared unwaveringly at the pendant in his hand.

Through communication with Xuan, the Advance Team had a general understanding of the Dongsheng army’s internal attitude, and they felt more reassured about their next actions.

However, this contact also presented a new question for the Advance Team: why was Xuan so afraid of Feng going to Kyushu?

While his tone was predominantly threatening, analyzing all he had said, one could clearly sense that he was actually fearful of something. The more seriously he treated Feng, the more palpable his inner unease became.

Combining the identity of ’Princess’ that he mentioned, the team conjectured that it was very possible that an imperial political coup had taken place within the Dongsheng Empire and that Feng was a key factor in that coup, which was why Xuan was so fearful of her.