Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1397 - 1390: Falling into a Trap

Chapter 1397: Chapter 1390: Falling into a Trap

After all, being born into a major country, Cheng Ziang had grown up watching the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confront foreign media, and was naturally very sensitive to this kind of diplomatic insult. So as soon as he entered the living room, he immediately spotted the problem.

In fact, Zisu seemed somewhat numb to this tactic and had not raised enough guard. If she hadn’t noticed and sat down, then when she faced the old man across the negotiating table, she would inexplicably feel as though she were inferior, which is actually a classic psychological attack.

Cheng Ziang felt that, in such diplomatic settings, one had to be constantly mindful of their words and behaviors to avoid falling into the other side’s trap and suffering losses without even realizing it.

The ancient story of Yan Zi’s visit to Chu follows the same principle. It might seem trivial to others, but for Cheng Ziang, these minor losses were absolutely unacceptable.

Moreover, taking ten thousand steps back, it was the Demon Clan who held the initiative, not these aristocratic families. So during negotiations with them, there was absolutely no need to present an inferior attitude; on the contrary, these aristocratic families ought to be the ones actively trying to ingratiate themselves.

Judging from the current situation, it was clear that this old man had no intention of having a good talk with the Demon Clan, so he started off by trying to intimidate Zisu. However, Cheng Ziang’s response was simple and crude; if the negotiation table was nothing but disorderly, then it was better to just flip the table over and see who would be the most embarrassed.

At the same time, he drew his weapon as a warning to the other side not to mess around. With knives and guns within ten paces, it would be easy to deal with the opposition.

Before long, Yichuan Yong had people bring the same type of chair as the old man’s and placed it in the original spot. Only then did Cheng Ziang’s tense nerves relax.

Simultaneously, having been alerted by Cheng Ziang, Zisu also became much more cautious. She slowly sat down on the newly brought chair, staring directly at the old man.

"I am truly sorry for my poor hospitality, for having neglected you all," said the old man, noticing Zisu’s gaze and bowing slightly with a somewhat hoarse voice.

"I hope there won’t be a second time," Zisu replied to the old man’s unrepentant apology with a faint cold smile, not intending to genuinely accept his apology.

Zisu’s remark once again made the atmosphere awkward. After a pause, the old man gently shook his head, then spoke earnestly, "I am Yichuan Hong, the Patriarch of the Yichuan Clan of Jiangzhou."

"Jiangzhou Yichuan Clan... Heh..." Upon hearing the old man’s statement, Cheng Ziang couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh, muttering in Chinese.

Once he knew that the Jiangzhou Yichuan Clan was merely a collateral branch of the Yichuan Clan of Yin State, Cheng Ziang hadn’t planned to hold them in high regard. If it had been the Yichuan Clan of Yin State negotiating with them, he might have been a bit more cautious, given that this aristocratic family could influence the decisions of the Dongsheng Court. But the Jiangzhou Yichuan Clan was just a minor branch, benefiting only from their distant relations in Yin State, with hardly any real power to speak of.

Yichuan Hong, squinting his eyes and staring intently at the smiling Cheng Ziang, to be honest, found Cheng Ziang’s smug smile extremely annoying. However, seeing the genuinely happy smile on his face, Yichuan Hong became somewhat wary, feeling that these people came from no ordinary background.

"My name is Zisu, sister of Ziyu, the Leader of the Maoyou Clan, currently in charge of diplomacy," Zisu introduced herself calmly and unhurriedly.

"I wonder, Young Mansion Zisu, what important matters have you come to discuss this time?" Yichuan Hong asked deliberately playing dumb.

"Superior Lord Yichuan, we are all sensible people, why not put things frankly on the table instead of hiding and hedging our words?" Zisu looked at him and got straight to the point.

She addressed Yichuan Hong as Superior Lord because, although he was the Patriarch of the Jiangzhou Yichuan Clan, he held no official post at the Dongsheng Court, thus ’Lord’ was the term used. And because of his age, he was given the highest form of address, hence Superior Lord.

In fact, in such an initial meeting, to avoid misunderstandings, Zisu should have addressed him as Manor Lord. But she had already investigated Yichuan Hong’s background before coming, so using Superior Lord also served as a reminder that she was well aware of his little schemes.

"Heh heh..." Hearing Zisu’s words, Yichuan Hong laughed, and after a long silence, he nodded and looking up at her, said, "Well then, let’s have a good talk."

From the moment they entered the city, Zisu and these people had been conversing in Kyushu language. Fortunately, Cheng Ziang and his companions had been forcibly required by Luo’er to learn Kyushu language before; otherwise, in this situation, the three of them could only look at each other helplessly, clueless about what Zisu and the other party were discussing.

"The Demon Clan intends to propose a ceasefire to the Yichuan Clan, and I’m aware of your influence. You have your people in the Dongsheng Court, so we don’t wish to offend you." Zisu straightened up and leaned back in her chair, looking down on Yichuan Hong with a lofty gaze.

In fact, Zisu had already understood that, as a collateral family to the Yichuan Clan in Jiangzhou, they had no right to demand anything from the main family in Yin State, and the main family in Yin State would not start another war for a distant collateral relative in West Outer Heaven.

She was merely flattering Yichuan Hong to dull his judgment. If they could reach an agreement, all the better; if not, they wouldn’t lose out since they were only making a show of force and hadn’t intended to negotiate peace with the Yichuan Clan.

"If your Demon Clan people are willing to cease hostility, we would naturally welcome it; however, shouldn’t such a matter be discussed with all three great aristocratic families at the same time?" Yichuan Hong, seemingly unfooled by her ruse, asked cautiously.

"Superior Lord, it’s the Yichuan Clan we care about, not the Zixia Clan or the Dangyang Family. We can get along peacefully with the Yichuan Clan, but we absolutely cannot let the Zixia Clan and the Dangyang Family off the hook," Zisu stated righteously.

"Heh heh heh, ’When the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold,’ Young Mansion Zisu. If you bypass our Yichuan Clan to deal with the other two great aristocratic families, once they are all destroyed, how could our insignificant Yichuan Clan fend off the Demon Clan’s army?" Hearing Zisu’s response, Yichuan Hong revealed a fox-like gaze and chuckled mischievously.

"Then... What does the Superior Lord mean..." Zisu feigned hesitation as she inquired.

"Either negotiate with all three aristocratic families or not at all, just like that," Yichuan Hong replied with firm confidence.

"That’s rather difficult..." Zisu’s face showed difficulty.

"Young Mansion Zisu, forgive my frankness, but you all don’t really care about the relationship between Jiangzhou’s Yichuan Clan and Yin State’s Yichuan Clan, right? Because you know that we can’t possibly ask for help from the main house," Yichuan Hong revealed Zisu’s thoughts with an impassive expression.

Faced with Yichuan Hong’s questioning, Zisu rubbed her nose, expressing neither agreement nor denial.

Standing behind Zisu, Cheng Ziang squinted his eyes, observing the atmosphere of the scene. He could distinctly feel that, although Zisu seemed to be in an awkward position, her demeanor remained unruffled, as if she had anticipated this outcome all along.

"I cannot decide on such a matter by myself; I must go back and report before proceeding," Zisu hesitated for a moment as if starting to back down, then suddenly changed her tune, continuing, "But, I have come here with great difficulty, and I don’t wish to leave empty-handed..."

"What do you propose, Young Mansion?" Yichuan Hong asked.

"Well then," Zisu inhaled deeply, adopting a resolute expression and said, "Although we haven’t reached any agreement this time, we can still make some concessions to each other. I will order the Demon Clan army to pull back and keep distance from your people. Correspondingly, you should also make some concessions. I hope, before our next meeting, both our armies can maintain a relatively peaceful stance. How does that suit you, Superior Lord?"

"Good, that is exactly what I would wish for," Yichuan Hong considered, then, stroking his beard, nodded and spoke.

"I hope then, at our next meeting, all three aristocratic families will gather here, agreeing to peace in West Outer Heaven," Zisu expressed her respectful stance.

"That would be perfect," Yichuan Hong revealed a satisfied smile.

Zisu was well aware that, although Yichuan Hong appeared composed, he was more eager for peace than anyone else; after all, the Yichuan Clan would be the first to bear the brunt should the Demon Clan army launch an offensive. Any chance of peace would be supported by him without hesitation.

However, he failed to realize that his seemingly cautious stance, driven by an excessive pursuit of peace, had fallen into the trap that Zisu had laid out well in advance.