Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1576 - 1569: Winning People Over with Virtue

Chapter 1576: Chapter 1569: Winning People Over with Virtue

"I’ll go with you. You’re not familiar with this place; it might be easy to get lost," Ah Si said.

"Thanks," Cheng Ziang nodded and spoke with gratitude.

"No need to be polite..." Upon hearing Cheng Ziang’s thanks, Ah Si revealed a satisfied smile.

Under Ah Si’s guidance, Cheng Ziang started tracking the three members of the Demon Clan who had run away. Ah Si was obviously very familiar with the area, or one might say, she had a firm grasp of the three fugitives’ trails. Therefore, it did not take much effort for the two to find those people, taking less than ten minutes.

The two of them hid in a thicket and saw the two Demon Clan men arguing face to face, pulling on the child repeatedly as if they were trying to snatch him from each other.

"I’ve had enough, there was absolutely nothing wrong, and yet you insisted on sending the kid away. If that guy wasn’t so foolish, we wouldn’t have gotten the money," said the Qingqiu Clan man angrily to his companion.

"How dare you blame me? You slapped the kid, almost blowing our cover. If anyone should be yelling, it should be me," the Maoyou Clan man retorted unapologetically.

"Anyway, I don’t want to deal with you anymore. Let’s just part ways," the Qingqiu Clan man said.

"Heh, as if I wanted to deal with you. Just hand the kid over to me, and I’ll leave right away. We can part here, and hopefully, we’ll never meet again in this lifetime," the Maoyou Clan man said with a sneer.

"What nonsense are you spouting? If I give the child to you, what will I do? I am the child’s father," the Qingqiu Clan man argued, pulling the child’s arm forcefully, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Shut up!" the Maoyou Clan man yelled angrily, then glared at the Qingqiu Clan man and scolded, "Stop pretending. Do you even believe the nonsense you spout? Everyone knows you’re dragging this kid along to exchange him for money."

"Then let’s split it fifty-fifty. After we’ve disposed of the child, we’ll go our separate ways," the Qingqiu Clan man suggested.

"That works. We’ll part ways after getting the money," the Maoyou Clan man nodded in agreement to the plan.

"Fine, you let go first, and I’ll take the child to exchange for money," the Qingqiu Clan man said, looking down at his hand.

"It should be you letting go, stop the act, as if I don’t know what you’re thinking," the Maoyou Clan man said bluntly.

"Are you crazy? Given my current physique, do you think I could run away with the child?" the Qingqiu Clan man said with a look of indescribable expression.

"Anything can happen. Who knows if you’ve had a full meal? My stomach is empty right now. If you really wanted to run, could I stop you?" the Maoyou Clan man said, instinctively holding his stomach.

"Fine, we both walk with the child. How about that," the Qingqiu Clan man said with a troubled look, then lowered his head to look at the child and said apprehensively, "We need to exchange him for money quickly, or he’ll starve to death."

"Then why are you arguing with me?" the Maoyou Clan man said angrily.

"You were the one who started it," the Qingqiu Clan man retorted.

"There’s no more need to argue, give the child to me. Out of humanitarianism, I can give you some money," Cheng Ziang said suddenly, and then walked out of the bushes with composure, elegantly pulling out his long knife.

"Manor Lord, how did you..." Seeing Cheng Ziang appear suddenly, both men were greatly shocked.

"I heard everything you two said. The child is not yours; you’re planning to trade him for money, right?" Cheng Ziang spoke in an icy tone, his words measured.

"No, Manor Lord, please let me explain, the child really is mine," the Qingqiu Clan man said, earnestly holding his chest.

"Can you let the child go then? I’d like to hear his opinion," Cheng Ziang said, pointing at the child.

"This..." Upon hearing Cheng Ziang’s words, both men exchanged guilt-ridden glances, instinctively tightening their grip on the child’s hand.

"Wuu wuu..." Feeling the pain, the child screwed up his little face and began to whimper again.

"I said let go, not tighten your grip. Did you not understand what I said?" Cheng Ziang revealed a murderous intent, pointing the knife at them, and said through clenched teeth.

"What should we do..." Sensing Cheng Ziang’s intent to kill, the two men suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and then looked at each other.

"Run, run!" the Qingqiu Clan man suggested in a low voice.

"Can’t move anymore..." the Maoyou Clan man said with a pained expression.

Just as the two of them hesitated, they suddenly felt a sharp pain in their arm that was grabbing the child, causing them instinctively to let go. At this moment, they were astonished to find that the child who was originally by their side had disappeared without a trace.

Three seconds later, Ah Si, like a magician appearing out of thin air, emerged from the bushes where she had been hiding, holding the child in her arms. She walked around to Cheng Ziang’s side, then gently put down the child and stared at him with a smile.

The two of them stared fiercely at Ah Si, obviously stunned by her. When had this woman appeared, and when had she taken the child away?

Thinking about it, they looked down and noticed an open bloody wound on their arm. When they looked up again, they saw a thin, sharp hairpin tucked into Ah Si’s hair.

The dangerous aura emanating from Cheng Ziang made them realize that they certainly couldn’t outrun him. After a brief consideration, both men simultaneously dropped to their knees, knocking their heads on the ground twice as they implored for mercy.

"Although the two of you are detestable, you’re ultimately pitiable." Seeing that the child was safe, Cheng Ziang decided not to resort to violence and slowly sheathed his knife.

"You can’t be said to be entirely innocent; after all, society is the true instigator of evil." Cheng Ziang mumbled to himself, pulled out two silver coins from his pocket, and tossed them in front of the two men.

"My Lord, what is this..." Seeing the gleaming silver coins before them, both men were shocked and overjoyed.

"I know you two haven’t eaten in a long time. Take the money and scram. Don’t commit such immoral acts again; you won’t meet me every time." Cheng Ziang shrugged his shoulders and spoke indifferently.

"Thank you, My Lord, for your grace of rebirth..." After hearing this, both men quickly picked up the silver coins, their voices cracking with excitement.

"My Lord, we shall take our leave first, and leave the child in your care." The two men said, standing up hastily, ready to leave.

"Hold on, I have something else to ask you." Cheng Ziang’s sudden call made the men’s scalps tingle.

"My Lord, do you have any other instructions for us?" The two turned around stiffly and timidly asked.

"Are there people collecting children around here?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"Yes, there are," the men exchanged glances, nodding in response.

"Only children from the Demon Clan?" Cheng Ziang continued to inquire.

"Yes," the men nodded again.

"Do you know who it is, or at least, do you know which clan it might be?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"No, we don’t quite know. It’s all handled by the Housekeeper. Us folks... how dare we delve into others’ backgrounds," the Qingqiu Clan man answered cautiously.

"It might be Huayu... or... Wuting..." The Maoyou Clan man seemed much quicker-witted.

"Oh, is that so?" Cheng Ziang nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, in the Rainbow Government there are only those two famous big clans..." The Maoyou Clan man hesitated as he spoke.

"Alright, I think I’ve got a rough idea. You can go now." Cheng Ziang nodded again and waved his hand dismissively.

"My Lord," the two men exchanged glances, as if they had regained some courage, "If you’re looking to meet someone, we could guide you there."

"What nonsense are you talking about; who said anything about meeting someone? Don’t think I’m like you," Cheng Ziang’s tone suddenly turned icy.

"Yes, yes, we were narrow-minded. Please forgive us, My Lord." The two men hastily knelt down again and knocked their heads on the ground.

"Alright, alright, just go. Don’t let me see you again. Out of sight, out of mind," Cheng Ziang waved his hand impatiently.

After sending the two men away, Cheng Ziang turned around and saw Ah Si staring intently at him. When she noticed his gaze, she revealed a knowing smile.

"Thank you for your help just now," Cheng Ziang said gratefully.

"Don’t mention it; It was just a small matter." Although she said it was nothing, each time Ah Si heard Cheng Ziang’s words of thanks, she couldn’t help but curl the corners of her mouth.