Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1666 - 1659: Jufeng Pass

Chapter 1666: Chapter 1659: Jufeng Pass

"An unbearable responsibility, huh..."

"People must bear responsibility for what they do. I can say without hesitation that whatever happens to this world has nothing to do with me—I’m simply doing what I ought to do from the heart. If that’s the case, then does my promise carry any credibility?" Cheng Ziang patiently explained.

"I don’t fully understand what you’re saying, but, well, you do make sense. Whatever you want to do, as long as you think it’s right, then go ahead." Hun Jiansi said with a smile.

"Then you better do the work only you can do, Miss Spy. You’re the bridge between us and the Imperial Court." Cheng Ziang said while looking at her.

"Why is it that you can tolerate those who harbor hostility toward you?" Hun Jiansi couldn’t help but ask.

"Harboring hostility might simply mean they don’t understand us, or maybe they just look down on us. But in either case, it doesn’t warrant calls for bloodshed, for annihilating them. Our principle has always been to make more friends and fewer enemies. To this day, we still uphold that principle." Cheng Ziang shrugged as he spoke.

"Then, I wish you success." Hun Jiansi said sincerely.

"Mm, thank you." Cheng Ziang nodded his head.

"All right, I feel much better now. I should be the one thanking you, for talking with me about all this." Hun Jiansi put away her smile and said seriously.

"It’s nothing. You can come to me anytime—easing a young woman’s worries is an irrevocable mission of mine." Cheng Ziang said with a teasing tone, half-jokingly.

"Really?" Hun Jiansi’s eyes sparkled again with a look of expectation.

"Uh... yes!" Cheng Ziang scratched the back of his head and nodded awkwardly.

"Alright, you’d better go get some sleep—I imagine you’re tired." Hun Jiansi said.

"What about you?"

"I’ll sit on the windowsill and keep watch by the moonlight. You don’t mind, do you?" Hun Jiansi asked.

"Of course not. Then I’ll go sleep."

Cheng Ziang nodded and turned back to the bed. He didn’t appear worried that Hun Jiansi might attack him under the cover of night.

For one, he trusted Hun Jiansi’s character, believing she had already become his friend and wouldn’t harm him. For another, even if Hun Jiansi did decide to act, she wouldn’t get the chance. Liseya, who had been quietly protecting him all along, would never let her descendant come to harm.

After all, as a demigod, Liseya was nearly invincible in the East Continent, let alone against Hun Jiansi, who wasn’t even a Cultivator. If Hun Jiansi as much as entertained the thought, Liseya would annihilate her instantly, probably without leaving a trace.

But Hun Jiansi made no moves. She simply sat by the window. Hearing the steady breathing from deeper within the room, she gazed again at the moonlight and let out a quiet sigh.

After resting for one night, the Advance Team didn’t linger longer and continued their journey northward.

With Baiyang Yu and Lady Lanxiu bidding them farewell, the team departed Tianguan Town under the escort of Qi State militia and passed through Tianguan. They embarked on the mountain road heading north.

By heading further north, after another two days’ journey, they would reach the pass guarded by the Anxiang family. This strategic pass blocked the way out of the mountains into the plains. The Anxiang family controlled it, ensuring that the wild tribes of Qi State had no chance of entering the main plain to the north.

After two days of travel, they finally arrived at the imposing gorge-fortress nestled between two towering cliff faces: Jufeng Pass.

The pass was just as difficult to assault as it was to defend; it served as a crucial transport hub connecting Hua State to the Qi State Plain.

Jufeng Pass, translated from the language of Kyushu, means a fortress so strong it could defy even the southern winds from entering the northern plain.

Of course, such an idea is implausible—it’s more about the "defiance" than the "wind," rejecting those who seek to spy upon the Qi State Plain from here.

Logically, such an important fortress should be garrisoned by Imperial forces. However, the reality was that the Imperial Court didn’t have the authority to manage it. The true rulers of this mighty pass were the Anxiang family’s Nine Thousand Battalion.

They had restored and fortified the pass to block any intrusion from the Qi State tribes that might threaten their interests. The Anxiang family’s soldiers had established a comprehensive defense system around Jufeng Pass. Indeed, the Advance Team had not even reached the gates of the fortress before encountering one of these advance sentinel units.

On the forested mountain road, their carriage suddenly came to a halt, and everyone stood on guard. Over twenty Anxiang soldiers surrounded them cautiously, maintaining a safe distance while keeping vigilant eyes on the Advance Team.

Cheng Ziang scanned his surroundings, observing the soldiers. They wore light armor, and their primary weapons were polearms. However, each soldier had a curved blade tucked at their waist.

Although Qi State’s mountain region wasn’t quite southern territory, it was mostly hot. In such conditions, heavy armor was impractical. Thus, whether it was the Anxiang troops or the Qi State tribes’ militia, they typically wore light armor or rattan armor and kept their outfits as lightweight as possible, balancing defense with the need for comfort.

Furthermore, long polearms could become a liability in forested terrain, so most soldiers carried short weapons as secondary arms. If their polearms proved ineffective, they could immediately draw their waist-blades for combat.

These soldiers stared intently at the Advance Team, their expressions fierce—a clear sign they had likely seen battle and amassed rich combat experience.

Among them, Cheng Ziang keenly noted that the lead soldier seemed unremarkable, yet his temples were full—an indication that suggested he was a Cultivator. Given the Anxiang family’s status, Cheng Ziang reasonably suspected this person might belong to their clan.

"Who goes there?" Just as Cheng Ziang was lost in thought, the lead soldier cautiously approached and asked.

"We’ve come from the west, seeking passage eastward to pay tribute to the saints," Cheng Ziang replied.

He almost let slip, claiming to hail from the Eastern Tang Dynasty—it felt essentially the same.

"The west? Are you people of the Huayu Family? How rare. The Huayu Family actually dares to take this pass to Shengyuan Prefecture. Don’t they usually cross through Jiangzhou?" The man squinted, muttering as though to himself.

"No, we’ve come from much farther west," Cheng Ziang clarified.

"Farther west? So, you’re of the Ghost Race? Though you don’t match their stature..." The man continued to murmur thoughtfully.

Most of the Advance Team wore masks resembling those of the Ghost Race, which naturally led to the assumption. Still, considering the market for Ghost Race masks in Kyushu, the man quickly dismissed the notion.

Interestingly, when Cheng Ziang mentioned coming from "farther west," the man didn’t think of Fengyu but instead jumped straight to the Ghost Race.

It seemed that Fengyu didn’t hold much significance in this region—they remembered those who had delivered bitter lessons more vividly.

"Have you heard of the Saints?" Cheng Ziang tentatively asked.

"Saints? Never heard of them," the man shook his head vigorously.

His gaze fell upon the carriage and furrowed his brow. "What’s in the carriage?"

"Let me see." The man said, preparing to climb aboard.

"Lord, no! If you disturb the Saints, we’ll all suffer the consequences," Cheng Ziang exclaimed in alarm, rushing to stop him.

"Hmph. If you won’t let me check, you must be spies from the wild tribes."

Seeing Cheng Ziang’s reaction, the man instinctively grew wary, retreating a step while smoothly pulling out the curved blade hanging at his waist. His voice was sharp and demanding.

"Absolutely not. Please, Lord, investigate thoroughly." Cheng Ziang gestured to calm him, speaking earnestly.

"If you’re not spies, then let me see what’s inside the carriage." The man barked.

"Lord, I beg your understanding—we cannot expose the Saints to anyone." Cheng Ziang gestured in frustration, pleading.

With the Advance Team’s current strength, even without Liseya’s help, they could easily eliminate all present in five turns or less. However, such an action would serve no purpose.

After all, they needed to cross the entirety of Qi State Plain, which was all Anxiang territory. Despite hearing plenty of negative rumors about the Anxiang family, the team still wished to avoid antagonizing them.

At this stage, the Advance Team entered Kyushu as a diplomatic delegation—it wasn’t appropriate to act as they had before, rushing into combat at the drop of a hat.

If it had been their initial journey into the Otherworld, the Advance Team would have started a battle by now. But with nearly ten years of experience under their belt, they were no longer so impulsive.

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