Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1441 - 1434: Twists and Turns

Chapter 1441: Chapter 1434: Twists and Turns

"Of course, in all the battles, we have relied on ourselves, but we also had your help," Zisu nodded as she spoke.

"My warning is here: if there’s nothing else, I will step down now. Take care of yourselves," Cheng Ziang bowed slightly, then left the tent with his men.

"Zisu, what are you afraid of, or do you really care so much about that Western Continent person named Luo’er?" After watching Cheng Ziang and the others leave, Yunji frowned and asked dissatisfiedly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? What I said is the truth, do you think it’s just an excuse?" Zisu grimaced, annoyed.

"As long as we can win the war, I’m prepared to use any means necessary," Yunji stated word for word.

"Then let me ask you, if we offend the Western Continent people, what should we do? Don’t forget, everything we have today relies on the help of the Western Continent people. In the future, we will need their help even more!" Zisu seriously countered.

"They are in West Outer Heaven; where can they run off to? You think they would turn to the Kyushu people? Don’t be foolish; we are the ones in charge now," Yunji stated matter-of-factly.

"Ha, haha..." Hearing her statement, Zisu was so upset that she ended up laughing.

"What are you laughing about? If you have any dissatisfaction with me, just say it," Yunji said, somewhat annoyed.

"Let me ask you a question, can you answer me?" Zisu tilted her head and asked.

"Ask," Yunji nodded.

"You say the Western Continent people came to West Outer Heaven once; doesn’t that mean they could come a second, or even a third or fourth time? If we maltreat the Western Continent people currently in our area, when the next batch arrives, how are we going to explain our actions?"

"As you can see, the Western Continent people have a powerful fleet of airships. Even when facing the formidable Kyushu fleet, only one airship was shot down; the rest all flew away. Why would you think that we are the proactive ones in West Outer Heaven, and the Western Continent people are passive?"

"Our current efforts, to put it unpleasantly, are in courting the Western Continent people. Securing further cooperation, the Western Continent people will eventually come, even if it’s just to save their compatriots stranded in West Outer Heaven. By then, with what military force shall we oppose them?" Zisu raised a long question.

"How do you know the Western Continent people will definitely come?" Hearing her analysis, although Yunji felt somewhat guilty, she still mustered the courage to ask.

"Don’t you understand? The Western Continent people represent the future. They oversee our matters without interfering because they have experienced what we are currently experiencing. Thus, they can guide us with their experience, enabling us to defeat the Dongsheng Empire’s forces. But we cannot speculate on them with our experience, for we have not undergone what they have, and thus we cannot imagine their strength," Zisu earnestly explained.

Yunji bowed her head, silent, clearly persuaded by Zisu’s words.

Zisu sighed and continued, "Western Continent people are just that, independent from us. We have no right to command them, nor touch their property. So, Yunji, for our future, please maintain a good relationship with the Western Continent people and do not covet their wealth or spoil our relationship with them. It’s really unnecessary."

"I understand; thank you for the reminder," Yunji nodded, completely convinced.

"Prepare for martial law; I also think Yichuan Long might launch a large-scale attack, considering this guy is not easy to deal with," Zisu continued.

"Okay, I’ll arrange that immediately," Yunji nodded and said.

Leaving the tent, Yichuan Ying followed closely behind Cheng Ziang, unable to resist her curiosity, "What were you arguing about just now?"

Facing Yichuan Ying’s question, Cheng Ziang turned around without looking at her immediately but looked toward Hu Daoke instead. The latter shrugged his shoulders, signaling him to handle it.

Taking a deep breath, Cheng Ziang seriously said, "They want to use you to go against your brother."

"This..." Upon hearing this, Yichuan Ying’s face changed instantly and she exclaimed loudly, "I won’t go against Big Brother, I would rather die!"

"Ah, truly a genuine family heirloom..." Hu Daoke couldn’t help but tease.

"Stay calm, we’re here, no one will touch you, don’t worry." Cheng Ziang said earnestly, holding her shoulder.

"Really?" Yichuan Ying’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at him, moved.

"Of course it’s true. Since we’ve brought you back, we will be responsible for you till the end. Rest assured, as long as you’re with us, the Demon Clan won’t lay a finger on you," Cheng Ziang said.

"Thank you." Perhaps influenced by the word ’responsible,’ Yichuan Ying’s gaze appeared somewhat dazed.

"Damn, so he’s building rapport, quite skillful," Hu Daoke said, widening his eyes in surprise.

"In any case, we are not going to use you to confront your brother. We’re only targeting the Yichuan Clan. Your brother is a fine man, there are many ways to defeat him without resorting to the most despicable methods." Cheng Ziang continued.

"Do we really have to defeat my brother?" Yichuan Ying again revealed a panicked expression.

"Not necessarily, if your brother accepts the arrangements of the Dongsheng Court and goes to Kyushu to pay homage to the General, even if we wanted to trouble him, we would be beyond our reach. But if he remains obstinate, we are helpless," Cheng Ziang seemed to imply more with his words.

"I will persuade him to leave the West Outer Heaven," Yichuan Ying hurriedly said.

"No, no need, we’ve said we wouldn’t use you against your brother," Cheng Ziang sincerely said.

"I’m doing it for my brother, not because you incited me," Yichuan Ying said.

"Uh... impressive..." Hu Daoke watched silently, eventually raising his thumb in admiration of Cheng Ziang.

This demonstrated not that Cheng Ziang was overly clever, but that Yichuan Ying was really easy to lead in conversation; with just a slight shift in phrasing, she could be completely thrown off.

But what Cheng Ziang said was not merely a formality; he genuinely didn’t want to oppose Yichuan Long. His instincts told him that this was a dangerous opponent, difficult to handle. Hence, it would be better to drive him away rather than defeat him.

"Yichuan Ying, think carefully, your brother might not necessarily listen to you," Cheng Ziang said gravely.

"Actually..." Yichuan Ying pursed her lips, hesitating before saying, "Actually, Yin State has always wanted us to return, not to encroach upon the West Outer Heaven, not just because of my brother. They truly need people. If possible, I hope to bring my brother back to Yin State to acknowledge our ancestry."

"Then why haven’t you gone back?" Cheng Ziang asked curiously.

"Because, because..." Yichuan Ying paused in thought, then said, "because our father dislikes them, looks down on them."

"Looks down on them? The Yichuan Clan is the biggest giant in Yin State, and yet they are despised by a minor aristocratic family from Jiangzhou?" Cheng Ziang found this reason somewhat incredible.

"It’s true, father said..." Yichuan Ying thought again, then slightly furrowed her brows and said, "Father said that Yin State has degenerated, no longer valuing martial strength. The Patriarchs of Yin State have always tightly controlled the Cabinet, serving as the Hundred Chiefs. They actually naively believe that scholarship could be more powerful than cultivation."

"Now I understand your dilemma," Cheng Ziang narrowed his eyes and nodded as he heard her description.

If what Yichuan Ying said was true, then it explained a problem, which was that the Yichuan Clan in Yin State was transitioning from a Cultivator group to a Civil Official group.

The Patriarch of the Yichuan Clan tightly controlling the Cabinet was essentially controlling the Imperial Court’s Civil Official group. And regarding Yichuan Hong, from his encounters, it was evident that he had the typical mindset of a Cultivator, a staunch supporter of the Cultivator group.

The inherent contradiction between the extreme Cultivator and the Civil Official groups was precisely why Yichuan Hong refused to return to Yin State and reunite with the Yichuan Clan of Yin State.