Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1415 - 1408: Skillfully Using a Folk Remedy

Chapter 1415: Chapter 1408: Skillfully Using a Folk Remedy

"I don’t need your persuasion, and I certainly don’t want to be a bookworm who can only talk about those laughable principles in the face of strong enemies," Yichuan Ying said resolutely.

"Please put aside your prejudice against scholars," Cheng Ziang said sternly, "the more knowledgeable people are, the more they know how to respect the learned and defer to the virtuous; the more ignorant people are, the more they know how to be arrogant towards others. Your prejudice very plainly shows that this viewpoint is correct, and if you always hold a bias against scholars, then even if you become a cultivator, you are merely for show, not worth mentioning."

He didn’t give Yichuan Ying a chance to retort, but continued, "You always think that scholars are inferior, but have you ever thought about how the Dongsheng Empire was established, and what it relied on? It relied on brains! Brute force is certainly important, but brains are even more important. Those with courage but no strategy are nothing but brutes, and those with strategy but lacking in martial ability are not necessarily weak."

"Speaking of this war, the bureaucratic system of the Dongsheng Empire is supporting the empire’s expedition to West Outer Heaven, from the mobilization of soldiers to the distribution of supplies, and then to the deployment of the military structure. Everywhere you can see the influence of civil officials, and yet you actually think that scholars are just a bunch of weaklings. They are the true warriors, they don’t even need to do the killing themselves, just a bit of thinking, and countless brainless cultivators will fight and die for them!"

Cheng Ziang’s words undoubtedly stung Yichuan Ying, after all, although she was not a cultivator, her heart was with the cultivators, and she had long considered herself part of their ranks. Cheng Ziang was insulting cultivators as brainless, which was the same as calling her dumb, although the reality was precisely that.

However, with her lack of knowledge, her ability to distinguish was naturally not as good as Cheng Ziang’s, who had already obtained his Scholar degree. To know that they have been through the torture of exam-oriented education from a young age, not to mention how extensive their knowledge is, their words of insult are structured and varied, not repeating for even an hour.

The benefit of reading is being able to expand one’s horizons and accept new things. No matter what, Yichuan Ying found it difficult to accept the concept that scholars were more formidable than cultivators, but Cheng Ziang and his peers easily accepted the concept of the Cultivation system of the Dongsheng Continent; this was the most apparent difference between the two sides.

The conversation between the two fell into a long silence. At last, Cheng Ziang suddenly pulled out a dagger from his waist and, under Yichuan Ying’s horrified gaze, he cut the ropes on her hands.

"I’m too lazy to tie you up, anyway, you can’t escape," Cheng Ziang said as he sheathed the knife.

"Aren’t you afraid I might take advantage of your rest to harm you?" Yichuan Ying asked cautiously.

"Do you see that girl over there?" Cheng Ziang pointed behind him at Feng without turning his head, then said, "As long as you dare do anything improper, she will chop off your hand right away. Those plump fingers of yours are quite cute; it would really be a shame if they were cut off."

Hearing his threat, Yichuan Ying shuddered and curled up, hugging her knees and falling back into silence.

"Listen well, Yichuan Ying," Cheng Ziang said earnestly, "whether you believe it or not, I just want to tell you a fact, which is that your father and your brother plan to sell you for the benefit of the family. They are much more cultured than you. Not only are they cultivators, but they have also read books and are much cleverer than you. If you still can’t see the situation and foolishly think that you’re sacrificing for the family, then you’re just too stupid."

"As long as I’m caught by you, whether I’m dead or tortured, the family will benefit," Yichuan Ying said this, but she appeared somewhat disheartened.

"I’ve said it before," Cheng Ziang suddenly raised his tone, "everyone has their value, it’s not that if one path doesn’t work out, life is completely over. You’re a normal person with self-awareness; why would you sacrifice yourself for the so-called family? What have you gained? Your family doesn’t consider you at all; to put it unpleasantly, they would lose you just as they would lose a dog. This is the result of what you have traded your life for. Maybe someone will remember you, but then what, don’t you want to live a stable and peaceful life?"

"I... I..." Cheng Ziang’s words were persuasive, and after he stopped speaking, Yichuan Ying’s eyes began to turn red again.

"Think about it, how many times in history the invasions into West Outer Heaven have ended in failure. If the Dongsheng armies can’t defeat the Demon Clan, let alone the three great aristocratic families. Your failure is almost certain, do you really want to be cannon fodder in a war doomed to fail, to die meaninglessly like a stray dog?"

"You’re only in your teens; you have plenty of youth left, and you have not seen the mundane world yet, are you really willing to die here? Taking your prejudice and arrogance with you and leaving this world forever?" Cheng Ziang continued to challenge.

"I... I... I don’t..." Yichuan Ying’s tears started falling, and she began to babble incoherently.

"If you really think that way, then I’ll grant your wish today. We’re decent people, we don’t want to torture you, so we’ll just have to let you die," Cheng Ziang said as he drew the razor-sharp Kedal metal longsword from its scabbard and placed the flat of the blade against Yichuan Ying’s neck.

Facing Cheng Ziang’s action, Yichuan Ying seemed somewhat confused, just standing there staring at him, motionless.

"Even though killing you would mean your father’s plan succeeds, we have plenty of ways to break the game. It’s just a pity, you’re so young, and you’d have to die early," Cheng Ziang continued to apply pressure.

"Don’t, don’t, don’t!!!"

Pushed to the brink by Cheng Ziang’s pressure, Yichuan Ying finally reached her breaking point. She started off muttering in a low voice, then suddenly raised the volume, crying out loudly, "Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die ahhhhh!!!"

Seeing her fall apart, Cheng Ziang revealed a knowing smile. He withdrew the knife from Yichuan Ying’s neck to avoid cutting her and used the opportunity to cut the ropes binding her feet.

"Yichuan Ying, I won’t kill you, let’s be friends instead, if you don’t mind," Cheng Ziang sheathed his sword and offered his hand.

Yichuan Ying, while sobbing loudly, looked at Cheng Ziang through tearful eyes, appearing somewhat at a loss. After a long moment of stunned silence, she reached out her hand, which Cheng Ziang immediately grasped.

"Thank you..." Yichuan Ying stared dully at him, speaking with a hoarse cry in her voice.

"You’re welcome. I’m glad you could come around," Cheng Ziang replied with a smile and then removed his hood and mask to reveal his stern and beautiful visage.

"You’re not from the Demon Clan..." The moment she saw Cheng Ziang’s face, Yichuan Ying’s eyes widened with shock, and she asked in surprise.

"I’ve said from the start that I’m not," Cheng Ziang replied with a shrug, wearing an innocent expression.

Yichuan Ying gazed quietly at him, then suddenly, perhaps out of shyness, she quickly lowered her head and averted her gaze, her cheeks starting to become faintly pink.

Cheng Ziang was not surprised at all by the change in Yichuan Ying’s attitude, it was, in fact, all within his expectations.

Stockholm Syndrome is a condition where the victim may develop affection for the aggressor, even helping the aggressor willingly.

The method Cheng Ziang had used was the Stockholm Syndrome technique. He skillfully utilized the threat of death to coerce Yichuan Ying, but pulled back just as she was on the verge of collapse, causing her to develop profound feelings for him, and thus becoming his companion.

Just now, his grandiose display was actually a means to continuously apply pressure on Yichuan Ying, forcing her to the edge of collapse. Then, as she was about to break, he promptly relented and expressed his hope of becoming friends with her, a request that Yichuan Ying naturally found difficult to refuse.

As said before, Yichuan Ying is almost an illiterate, and such a simple person would find it extraordinarily hard to survive in a deceitful and cunning world.

What Cheng Ziang was doing was merely making use of her, which was already a very good outcome. If she had fallen into the hands of some other villains, who knows what fate she might have suffered.

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