Chapter 377: Chapter 10 Junior Sister Xu’s Poor Acting Skills
“Is the king afraid?”
In the belligerent life of the Zhurong Clan, nobody had ever spoken such words to him—so much so that everyone began to quietly sneak towards the entrance of the tent, ready to rush out and flee for their lives once Zhurong got into trouble.
However, Zhurong merely put down the table he was about to lift, stared blankly at Qiu Changtian for a moment, and said coldly,
“Three sentences.”
“If you can’t persuade me in three sentences, you’d better be ready to be done for!”
Xu Yinglian frowned imperceptibly, thinking how vulgar Zhurong spoke? Always referring to himself as “your father,” as if everyone else was his child.
Qiu Changtian was not frightened because he knew the Witch Clan favored body refinement and thus revered a barbaric ethos. Although the language was coarse, it did not mean the other party was truly angry.
“The king has already made up his mind, yet he still asks for everyone’s opinion. If it’s not fear, what else could it be?” Qiu Changtian spread his hands and laughed, “Gonggong and the king must fight, can’t do it along the big river, and can’t be at the end of the river, the East Sea, so isn’t it necessary to be at its source, the Kunlun Mountains?”
Zhurong walked over expressionlessly. He was already over nine feet tall, and now looking down high above Qiu Changtian, he seemed even more fierce and intimidating.
But Qiu Changtian remained calm and continued,
“To meet the enemy near the Bright Palace in Kunlun may seem absurd, but there is some rationale behind it.”
“Firstly, the terrain of the Kunlun Mountain Range is steep, and although there are big rivers, they are only limited to a few mountain areas.”
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“From the source of the river to the Bright Palace, there is a vast range with no water source, which can effectively restrict the movements of Gonggong’s subordinates.”
“No water?” Zhurong sneered, “Isn’t this sweeping snowstorm water?”
“Snow and ice are not the same as water,” Qiu Changtian replied with a smile, “If the king has the upper hand, he might melt the mountain snow into water sources by attacking with fierce fire on a large scale… but if the king already has the upper hand, why worry about these unfavorable factors?”
“Gonggong also has divine skills,” Zhurong said slowly, “capable of summoning water sources from the world’s lakes and seas to attack.”
“That is the second advantage,” Qiu Changtian said calmly, “The plateau elevates from east to west.”
“If Gonggong summons water from the east to attack, the water will naturally flow towards the lower land to the east, forcing Gonggong to constantly maintain his divine secret skill, thus diverting much of his attention… Where else on the mainland has such favorable terrain?”
“Lastly, by meeting the enemy in Kunlun, we all know that the Bright Palace is right behind us, so we have no choice but to fight to the death, with one heart and one mind. On the other hand, Gonggong, having traveled a great distance, crossing most of the Divine Land, will easily be cut off from retreat upon defeat, with all fearing for their lives,” Qiu Changtian concluded, “With this, how could Gonggong not be defeated?”
Zhurong was silent for a long time, then suddenly burst into wild laughter, slapping Qiu Changtian’s shoulder heavily,
“Good! Very good! This strategy is brilliant!”
“It is clearly the king’s own strategy,” Qiu Changtian grunted in pain, shaking his head with composure, “I am only here to help the king reaffirm his resolve.”
Xu Yinglian was shocked to her core. My brother is actually so eloquent?
How infuriating! If he had used even half of his talent in flattering Zhurong on me, why would I be mad at him to breaking point?
With his flattery subtly delivered, Zhurong indeed began to regard him with increasing approval; this young man was not only talented but also knew how to play along!
He turned to the old man and said,
“Xu Liancheng, your son is quite capable.”
“Thanks to the king’s praise,” Xu Liancheng immediately bowed and scraped deferentially, grinning, “My unworthy son is crude and uninformed, making unfounded remarks. Please forgive him, great king.”
Seeing his servile and flattering demeanor, a trace of displeasure flashed in Zhurong’s eyes, but he casually waved his hand, indicating that the others could leave the tent.
Next, he would summon his advisors and close ministers to discuss the details of the battle.
No sooner had Qiu Changtian left the door than he was grabbed by the neck by Xu Liancheng and dragged to the Phoenix Clan’s side.
Xu Yinglian was speaking with a noblewoman when she learned that the noblewoman was in fact the mother of “Feng Tong,” the character she was portraying.
Though the noblewoman spoke with a sharp and biting tone, Xu Yinglian, with her Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart, could easily hear that she was actually considering Xu Yinglian’s interests at every turn. She immediately soothed her mother with patience, saying,
“Mother, you need not worry about me being with a member of the Human Race and facing grievances in the future. First of all, the Xu Family’s influence is not significant, so naturally, they wouldn’t dare to treat their daughter-in-law poorly after the marriage. Xu Qiu is also not a very overbearing person.”
“Secondly, Xu Qiu has received the king’s appreciation, so his future prospects are boundless. Why should you be preoccupied with his identity as a Human Race member?”
“If he can achieve merit this time and the king personally grants us marriage, the clan will definitely not have any objections.” The noblewoman replied with a sigh, “Otherwise, even if I agree to your union, you still have to get past the clan elders.”
“Don’t worry, Mother,” Xu Yinglian said with a slight smile, “as long as Mother does not object, we will handle everything that follows.”
After all, this was only an Illusion Domain. Getting through it was all that mattered.
“Eh, Feng Tong,” the noblewoman suddenly said in confusion, “you seem much more mature than before. I thought you would throw a tantrum like you used to.”
Xu Yinglian just smiled without saying a word.
She had never been a spy and naturally lacked any professional dedication. What did it matter if “Mother” was suspicious? It was merely an Illusion Domain, after all.
Qiu Changtian looked on from the side, feeling his blood pressure rising… Is this how you’re supposed to play a character in an Illusion Domain?!
So lax! Far too lax!
This time, let Senior Brother teach you what “acting” really means!
He followed Xu Liancheng over quickly and, upon looking up and seeing Xu Yinglian’s face, his own face conveyed a three-part relief of stepping out of a tent, a four-part joy of seeing a lover, and a three-part nervousness of meeting a prospective mother-in-law for the first time.
The noblewoman had never seen such a complex yet vivid expression, and for a moment, she was also stunned.
Fortunately, Xu Yinglian promptly broke the awkwardness, saying with a smile,
“Qiu Ge, have you arrived?”
This call of “Qiu Ge” almost made Qiu Changtian spit blood.
What if Feng Tong doesn’t usually address Xu Qiu like that? Wouldn’t that give them away?
His gaze swept quickly over the elder and the noblewoman, and seeing no special reaction on their faces, he managed a forced smile.
Xu Liancheng, seeing that his son didn’t clamor as usual with something like “I will bring happiness to Feng Tong,” also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said,
“Madam Feng, my son has troubled you…”
Before he could finish distancing himself from the matter, he heard Madam Feng speak languidly,
“Xu Liancheng, I have no intention of meddling too much in the younger generation’s affairs. I trust my daughter’s judgement in choosing a partner, but convincing me is useless. The key is to persuade our clan.”
“My son is audaciously overestimating himself, how dare he aspire to marry into nobility…” Xu Liancheng was still sweating when he heard Madam Feng turn to Qiu Changtian, saying,
“Qiu Ge, I’ll just call you that for now.”
“Based on the Xu Family’s status, it certainly doesn’t match our clan. But since Feng Tong has confidence in you, and just now you managed to impress the king with a few words, your union isn’t entirely hopeless.”
“If you can distinguish yourself in this war, the king will surely reward you greatly. At that time, you just refuse all other rewards and ask for the king’s grant of marriage. Then the clan will have nothing to say.”
Qiu Changtian listened silently, surprised in his heart.
So the objective to pass the Illusion Domain quest had appeared?
Junior Sister Xu’s poor acting skills—unexpectedly, she had actually stumbled upon the key!