Otherworld Advance Team-Chapter 1779 - 1772: Passing Off Fish Eyes for Pearls

Returning to his residence, Cheng Ziang was quite troubled. After being threatened by Huayu Xuan, he felt restless and constantly worried that this guy would secretly report him.

Unexpectedly, the flaws they exposed when stepping onto the East Continent would carry over to Kyushu years later. What exactly happened within the Dongsheng Empire’s royal family, and why does the Wen Family fear Feng so much, despite her being part of the royal family?

Since Feng joined the Advance Team, she has always been regarded as family by them. Under the care of Luo’er and others, she transitioned from ignorance to maturity and has long become an indispensable part of the Advance Team.

Moreover, most importantly, Feng is his father’s junior sister, equivalent to his martial aunt, so he has no reason to ignore her plight.

Feng certainly cannot be handed over to the Wen Family or the royal family. At this stage, the only viable option seems to be removing those aware of the facts.

But upon deeper thought, this option seems even more unreliable because Hun Jiansi had already informed him that Huayu Xuan is a member of the Gongxin Association, which is essentially the deep state of Dongsheng Empire. Eliminating such a person could have unimaginable consequences on the Dongsheng Empire’s situation, something Cheng Ziang doesn’t dare to contemplate.

People are nodes in a social network, with each node connecting to several or dozens of other relevant nodes, forming a so-called interpersonal network.

Once a node is forcibly removed, the entire operational network falls into paralysis, taking a long time to mend.

And one of the Advance Team’s principles is to interfere as little as possible in Dongsheng Empire’s political affairs. If killing Huayu Xuan leads to changes in Dongsheng Empire’s political landscape, that’s a burden Cheng Ziang cannot shoulder.

Aside from these reasons, there are also some secondary ones. Huayu Xuan is Huayu Ting’s brother, and the relationship between Huayu Ting and the Advance Team is quite good. If he rashly kills her brother, Cheng Ziang wouldn’t know how to face Huayu Ting.

In his distress, Cheng Ziang chose not to inform the other members of the Advance Team about this matter. He felt that sharing this unsolvable issue with others would only add to everyone’s troubles without offering any help.

Now that Luo’er has proactively stepped into the spotlight, Cheng Ziang believes there’s no need to inform him about everything. If he can solve certain issues himself, it should be done while everyone else remains ignorant.

Leaving Ichuan Fei Mansion, Luo’er and Feng boarded a carriage heading towards their residence. Once the carriage started moving, Luo’er extended his hand towards Feng.

Seeing this gesture, Feng immediately understood and opened her clenched fist, revealing two green leaves clasped in her palm. Because she had held them for too long, the leaves had withered slightly.

Luo’er picked up the leaves, rubbed them between his fingers, then brought them to his nose to sniff. He asked slowly, "Weren’t you discovered?"

"No!"

Feng shook her head vigorously, then hesitated for a moment before biting her lip and saying, "Come to think of it, Ichuan Fei seemed to have an expert by his side!"

"Did you feel it?" Luo’er asked.

"Yes, the aura of a strong person." Feng nodded seriously.

"Are you worried about me?"

"A bit..." She lowered her head, kept silent for a moment, then looked up again and asked, "If there is a conflict, should I take action?"

"Why do you ask that?" Luo’er asked, puzzled.

"Because you said that taking action easily exposes my identity. Basically, if the opponent’s level is slightly higher, as soon as I act once, I’ll be exposed once." Feng said worriedly.

"Just use the Western Continent swordsmanship."

"But, this is Kyushu after all, the cultivators’ domain. If it’s just swordsmanship, would it be enough..."

"Don’t worry, I still have Fula with me. If there’s real trouble, just let her handle it," Luo’er reassured.

"But she’s just support, she can’t kill..."

"I can kill," Fula’s abrupt voice appeared before them, stating firmly, "If it’s for Luo’er, I’ll do whatever is necessary."

"It shouldn’t come to that," Luo’er said, "After all, the Wen Family is composed of respectable people. They won’t resort to violence without reason."

Suddenly thinking of something, Fulajie’er spoke up, "By the way, the Wen Family seems to be very apprehensive about Little Fengye’s identity. Why is that?"

"I’ll ask the Emperor Wu when I meet him. If Feng is truly a member of the royal family..."

"I don’t want to leave the Advance Team." Feng showed a look of fearful unease.

"The decision is yours. We just want to ascertain your identity," Luo’er comforted. ƒreewebɳovel.com

"Bailong Feng, what a nice name," Fulajie’er muttered to herself, arms crossed.

"I’m going to the palace for a while, so you shouldn’t come with me to avoid unnecessary trouble," Luo’er continued.

"But..."

"Don’t worry, there’s Fula."

"Indeed, there’s me!"

Seconds after Fulajie’er finished speaking, Luo’er suddenly began to cough violently, so he immediately removed the green leaf from under his nose.

"Luo’er, are you alright?" Fulajie’er asked nervously.

"Don’t worry about me, I’m fine," Luo’er waved it off, swallowing, and then with a solemn expression said, "This isn’t Long Tanxiang, it’s Seven-consecutive Grass from the West Outer Heaven."

"Oh!"

Both Fulajie’er and Feng gasped in unison.

"The Beast Head Tribe are experts in herbal medicine, and they once said that Seven-consecutive Grass and Long Tanxiang are almost identical in appearance. The difference is that Seven-consecutive Grass has a spicy smell if inhaled for a long time, whereas Long Tanxiang does not." Luo’er raised the green leaves in his hand, speaking seriously.

"That explains it."

"Ichuan Fei, being the Emperor’s Sect’s recorder, documents the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures needed for royal cultivation. Yet he plants fakes in his own garden. Luckily, I remembered this little episode from West Outer Heaven," Luo’er said with a faint smile.

"Why plant Seven-consecutive Grass in his garden?" Fulajie’er couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"Can’t you see? He doesn’t want the Emperor Wu to raise his level. Otherwise, with his skills, getting a few Long Tanxiang wouldn’t be a problem at all."

As he spoke, Luo’er squinted his eyes, lost in brief contemplation, "Now I’ve suddenly got a bold idea."

"Let me guess," Fulajie’er thought for a moment and then tentatively said, "The Emperor Wu’s inability to raise his level—is it due to his own poor aptitude, or is someone sabotaging and hindering the Emperor Wu’s advancement?"

"Exactly, you’re beginning to understand me more," Luo’er praised.

"Hehe, after all, I’m your close confidante," Fulajie’er bashfully said with hands behind her back.

"What does that mean?" Feng asked, puzzled.

"It means, if it’s the first case, then Ichuan Fei is speaking true, and he truly doesn’t want the Emperor Wu to mess around but rather to maintain his health. After all, a change in Emperor Wu could also affect the Wen Family’s control."

"But, if it’s the second case, then things become serious. What is Ichuan Fei’s real motive for limiting the Emperor Wu’s advancement? Remember, the Emperor Wu is his uncle by marriage, so even if the Emperor Wu advances, it should only benefit him, not harm him."

"But it might affect the Wen Family Cabinet’s control," Fulajie’er interjected.

"Yes, it’s possible," Luo’er nodded in satisfaction, "Could it be that the Wen Family needs a low-level Emperor Wu to facilitate their rule? Since the Dongsheng Empire is still a monarchy rather than a constitutional monarchy. Even if the Emperor Wu is somewhat useless, he can still influence governance."

"Your title of National Teacher was forcefully given by the Emperor Wu," Fulajie’er added.

"So that means even the current Emperor Wu can interfere with some decisions of the Cabinet. What would happen if the Emperor Wu’s level was elevated?" Luo’er inquired.

"Can I share my thoughts?" Fulajie’er raised her hand to ask.

"Sure, go ahead."

"The Dongsheng Empire has conflicts between literature and martial arts, naturally opposing each other. The Wu Family only respects strength, whereas the Wen Family only needs a figurehead. Thus, if the Emperor Wu lacks combat capability, he cannot earn the Wu Family’s recognition and sides with the Wen Family. However, if the Emperor Wu’s level increases, it means he would gain the influence over the Wu Family, which equals to..."

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel