Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1653 - 1646: Wild People in Qi State

Chapter 1653: Chapter 1646: Wild People in Qi State

In Qi State, apart from the Anxiang Clan, there were also many native residents. Among them, those who could coexist peacefully with the Anxiang Clan were generally the ones whose ancestors had been thoroughly subdued and had obediently accepted the Anxiang Clan’s status as the dominant family of Qi State.

However, not everyone could accept the Anxiang Clan’s rule. To many, these outsiders occupied their land, slaughtered their people, and shared an irreconcilable enmity with them.

These people, referred to by the Anxiang Clan as "wild people," mostly hid in the mountains of Qi State. While developing their own power, they planned for the day they could launch a counterattack and completely drive these outsiders away.

In barren mountains and treacherous waters arose resilient people. Due to years of traveling through steep mountains and rivers, the wild people of Qi State were incredibly agile, making them ideal sources for mountain troops. Many sects even ventured to the remote mountains of Kyushu to recruit these wild people and train them as cultivators of Banshan techniques.

The Anxiang Clan had gathered superior forces several times to purge these wild people, but each attempt ended in defeat, costing them soldiers and losing face. This thoroughly dissuaded the successive patriarchs of the Anxiang Clan from attempting to annihilate the wild people.

The wild people were not truly wild; their kin were scattered across Kyushu. In fact, some years ago, when the Imperial Court was forming a new army, they specifically went to these remote mountain areas to recruit wild people.

However, this move further exacerbated the tension between the Anxiang Clan and the Imperial Court, pushing the Anxiang Clan uncontrollably toward aligning with the Wu Family.

The Advance Team intended to traverse Qi State, sparking concern from Hun Jiansi, who voiced her worries to Cheng Ziang.

Although the Anxiang Clan had not explicitly declared their allegiance to the Wu Family, their actions had made it abundantly clear. Hun Jiansi feared that if the Advance Team traveled via Qi State, the Emperor’s Sect might not be able to sufficiently protect them.

Her suggestion was to proceed through Jiangzhou to the plains, and if possible, take the sea route north. This would not only be more convenient but also bypass the harsh obstacles of Qi State.

After internal deliberations, however, the Advance Team decided to adhere to their original plan to travel through Qi State, even if it meant direct confrontation with the Anxiang Clan.

The reason for this choice lay with Luo’er, who wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the overall situation in Kyushu, including the current state of each region and their attitudes toward the Imperial Court.

Such insights could only be gathered during the journey, but if they opted for the sea route, they would have to rely on Leviathan for answers. The temperamental creatures posed a risk—even with a demigod accompanying the Advance Team—it was not guaranteed that Leviathan wouldn’t capsize their ships.

Luo’er could faintly sense that the conflicts within Kyushu had already escalated to a point where quantitative changes were on the verge of triggering qualitative transformation. The cultivation system under the Wu Family’s dominance was being gradually eroded by the Cabinet government led by the Wen Family.

The Wen Family tested the limits of the Wu Family step by step. If the Wu Family yielded, the Wen Family advanced further, initiating the next round of probing.

First came the conversion of local governance into centralized administration through the appointment of officials. Then followed the changes in the treatment of the Demon Clan individuals within Kyushu, gradually removing the chains that had bound them.

The liberation of the Demon Clan was the Wen Family’s boldest yet most covert reform effort. This reform touched upon the lifeblood of Kyushu society—any upheaval would trigger widespread chaos and potentially disrupt the entire Dongsheng Empire.

Luo’er had previously thought that the people of Kyushu were unwilling to abandon their cultivation-centric social evaluation system.

But after encountering Huayu Ting, Luo’er changed his perspective. Huayu Ting, the hope of the Huayu Family, willingly married Fei Yu, a member of the Demon Clan, and brought forth descendants incapable of cultivation.

From this, it became evident that there were indeed some individuals across Kyushu who, despite being part of the cultivation system themselves, disliked the evaluation framework it represented.

Some were like Huayu Ting; as long as they were with the ones they loved, even if their offspring would never gain cultivation abilities, they were undaunted.

To change the inertia of a nation or even a civilization, political systems alone were insufficient. Thus, Luo’er speculated that the Wen Family had enacted changes in other realms as well.

A nation’s components generally comprised politics, military, and culture.

Politically, Dongsheng’s Cabinet government was the epitome of Kyushu’s new structure, representing civil governance.

Militarily, the reforms within the Dongsheng Empire were equally prominent. To mention one aspect, the commander system alone was noteworthy.

This system directly stripped the Wu Family of their real control over the military.

During the West Outer Heaven war, Luo’er distinctly felt that the Dongsheng Empire’s military was essentially led by civil officials. As representatives of the Wu Family, the generals had no real authority to lead—they were under the Marshal’s firm control, embodying the Wen Family’s influence.

However, neither politics nor military reform could explain Huayu Ting’s behavior. This left only one plausible factor: changes in cultural and ideological realms.

The Advance Team had previously believed the phenomena unfolding in Kyushu stemmed from political and military reforms led by the Wen Family. But upon reflection, these reforms clearly did not account for Huayu Ting’s actions.

Huayu Ting’s transformation likely originated from shifts in cultural and ideological thought. However, regarding Kyushu’s ideological exploration, the Advance Team had yet to delve deeply, leaving them with scant clues.

After bidding farewell to the Huayu Family’s household guards, the Advance Team’s carriage officially left Hua State and entered the mountainous regions of Qi State. While there were still official roads in the mountains, they were exceptionally rugged and challenging to navigate.

The Advance Team even considered abandoning their carriage altogether, switching to lightweight travel and utilizing advanced mobility devices to traverse this stretch of mountainous terrain.

Ultimately, they resolved to persevere without giving up their carriage. After all, Luo’er was a saint—if even a saint resorted to advanced mobility transfers, their painstakingly maintained reputation would be utterly ruined.

After traveling through the mountainous terrain for ten days, they finally covered most of the route, with only a small segment remaining before they could transition to Qi State’s plains and river network.

To Cheng Ziang’s surprise, Hun Jiansi endured the hardships alongside them, following them through the mountain trails. Yet, due to her low presence, most members of the Advance Team were almost unaware of her existence, merely noticing Cheng Ziang muttering to himself from time to time.

"I warned you long ago not to take the northern route through Qi State, but you wouldn’t listen. Did you really think Qi State’s mountains and rocks were something to trifle with?" Hun Jiansi gasped tiredly, voicing her complaint.

"And I told you many times not to follow us, yet you refused to listen," Cheng Ziang glanced at her and shook his head.

"If I didn’t follow, I’d be derelict in my duty," Hun Jiansi said stubbornly.

"You’ve already failed, haven’t you?" Cheng Ziang rolled his eyes. "Your tracks have long since been exposed; the entire envoy knows you’re trailing us. What secrecy is left to speak of?"

"They can’t detect me."

"But I can!"

"Still, you won’t have the heart to tell them."

"I’ve already informed them; the saint has chosen to let you off. Did you truly think he wouldn’t notice your movements?" Cheng Ziang sighed.

"Doesn’t that mean you owe me no kindness at all?" Hun Jiansi asked, her tone slightly disappointed.

"Why would you want to owe me kindness?" Cheng Ziang replied helplessly.

"Because then we’d have a connection," Hun Jiansi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

"I didn’t expect you to be so childish. I thought people in the Jianghu were much more mature," Cheng Ziang sighed again.

"What do you mean? I am mature—just not when it comes to you," Hun Jiansi pouted.

"So you’re pretending to be foolish in front of me?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"Not pretending—you’re too clever. It spares me the need to think," Hun Jiansi said, tilting her head.

"Trouble... How did I end up tangled up with you..." Cheng Ziang lowered his head deeply.

"Because you spotted me so effortlessly; naturally, I have to stick to you," Hun Jiansi said matter-of-factly.

"You seem rather pleased with yourself. What if I wanted to harm you?" Cheng Ziang’s expression turned cold, his eyes suddenly sharp as he stared at her.

"W-well, you could try..." Hun Jiansi blinked nervously, appearing somewhat flustered.