Chaotic World Book-Chapter 459 - 446: Cooperation between the Real and Fake Yue Hongling
Chapter 459: Chapter 446: Cooperation between the Real and Fake Yue Hongling
Sisi picked up the wine pot to pour Zhao Changhe a drink and casually said, "Deep woods shrouded in fog, the air cold, the sky chilly. I remember you used to chug straight from a gourd without warming the wine. Aren’t you used to that? Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Zhao Changhe hinted at a double meaning, "Actually, there’s nothing wrong with burning it either."
It seemed a response to the previous "self-neglect" comment, something Sisi used to take great offense to.
As if she had understood, Sisi blinked, chuckled, and sighed, "Burning the wine is not the norm; most of the time, it’s hidden within the pot, invisible. Neither cold nor hot, drink it or leave it."
Zhao Changhe simply drank in silence.
Sisi said, "Hey, aren’t you afraid I’d poison it?"
Zhao Changhe replied, "Didn’t you say that the Langya Wang family has its ways and can handle poison?"
Sisi’s eyes fluttered playfully, and she laughed lightly, "I have no relationship with you. As a Holy Daughter of a clan, I wouldn’t blink an eye at setting up a Xia person. Don’t trust me too much, or blame me if you get schemed against by me."
Zhao Changhe didn’t follow up on that, instead changing the subject, "Anyway, it’s true that Lei Ao wants me, Wang Daozhong, dead, regardless of your feud with him. Right now, it’s me who wants to deal with him, could you share what you know?"
"He wants Wang Daozhong dead; what does that have to do with you, Zhao Changhe?"
"..."
That’s actually a good point. Strictly speaking, Lei Ao has no cause to offend Zhao Changhe... He doesn’t even know you are Zhao Changhe.
Sisi said indifferently, "You might not know... Lei Ao is not just some local strongman from the Black Miao Clan in Jima Town... He is actually the son of the current Clan Leader of the Black Miao."
Zhao Changhe frowned slightly.
Lei Ao spoke of the matter as being too great, that he had no right to decide, telling him to go to the Cang Mountain stronghold to inquire with the Clan Leader; but in reality, he himself was the Clan Leader’s son. Perhaps, even Li Si’an was unaware of this. It seemed that being sent to Cang Mountain was merely a diversion, planning to secretly kill the real Wang Daozhong on the way there and blame it on internal strife among the Xia people, especially since many had seen Wang Daozhong fight Wuding...
Thinking this, Zhao Changhe was somewhat speechless, "He plans to blame Wuding, and you plan to blame him. You all think Old Wang is an easy target, never considering if you could actually kill him or not."
Sisi hummed, "The abilities of the Miao Region are unlike those in Central Earth... Unless one possesses abilities of the Heavenly List, or like my master, someone from the foremost ranks of the Earth List, we dare not estimate rashly. For the ordinary ranks of the Earth List and Human List, they may not necessarily be able to handle the myriad strange techniques we have here. You’re a bit odd; in that killing array just now, if it had been the real Wang Daozhong, he might well have been trapped already, and even if not, he’d be fighting poison and curses later. Once trapped in my snake formation, he’d have no way to escape."
Honestly, from Zhao Changhe’s knowledge of Wang Daozhong’s capabilities, he might truly have been trapped. Old Wang was strong, but not excessively so; without carrying treasured items like the Qinghe Mirror, he probably wouldn’t have much defense against such unpredictable mystic techniques. Unless his brethren Wang Daoning were to arrive, he might be immune...
Sisi continued to hum, "If I hadn’t sworn not to reveal our secret techniques in Central Earth a year ago, could you have bullied me? With your then Mystical Gate Fifth Layer level of negligible ability..."
Zhao Changhe said sternly, "Can we focus on the main issue?"
Sisi sipped her wine, giving him a sour look, but seemingly not wanting to argue, she lazily leaned back in the soft chair, resting her forehead on one hand in a faux doze, silent.
Zhao Changhe watched her act petulant, and what could he say... Your whims are one thing, but could you cover up that waist you’re revealing? Lying down like this in front of me, with one hand propped up, do you have any idea what kind of a picture you’re painting? It’s not just exposing the waist, with a bit more pull, and the lower hemisphere might be in full view...
When Sisi saw Zhao Changhe wasn’t saying anything for a while, she opened her eyes slightly in surprise and stole a glance at him, but Zhao Changhe conveniently looked down to drink his wine, not looking at her.
Sisi became even more annoyed and deliberately cooed, "Would it be better if I pretended to be Yue Hongling?"
Zhao Changhe replied helplessly, "Stop flirting with me. It’s not genuine, so why bother."
Sisi scoffed, "How do you know I’m not serious?"
Zhao Changhe said, "I do have some self-awareness... Besides, frankly speaking, with Hongling’s disappearance and the Southwest shrouded in mystery, I’m really not in the mood; I just want to get on with the important things... According to what you’ve said, you don’t get along with Lei Ao either, so why can’t we cooperate once more on the matter at hand? When you do get serious, you are always quite reliable."
Sisi pouted, "Haven’t seen you for a year and suddenly you’ve lost your spark... Men should be a bit naughtier, it’s more fun."
Zhao Changhe didn’t take the bait.
What demoness of the Four Symbols Sect, from little tigers to Winged Fire Snakes, none were the real deal; this one was the true Demoness. Her seductive, in-born voice, bold words, the accidental glances of skin, those alluring eyes that sent hearts racing – every part exuded bone-deep temptation. Most men would want to pin her down forcefully and ravage her.
But Zhao Changhe was well aware that this snake was poisonous. Thinking one could easily pin her down was a mistake; she’d surely turn hostile instantly, and one would die without even knowing how.
Fortunately, he had determination.
Seeing that Zhao Changhe was not playing along with the mutual teasing act, Sisi also began to lose interest and finally said lazily, "There has been an undercurrent of unrest among the hundred tribes of the Southwest these days, all revolving around one theme: whether or not to rebel. Some believe that the Xia people have oppressed them to the point of intolerance, with endless exploitation layer upon layer. Moreover, it’s said that fires have broken out all over Central Earth, and Xia Longyuan can’t control a territory so far away. If not now, when?"
Zhao Changhe nodded, "Dispute, some believe... that means there are also those who don’t think so."
"Of course," Sisi said leisurely. "Miao Region is not like the grassland... With such inconvenient roads, even if you rebel, do you expect to be able to fight your way out? Won’t it still end up being autonomous... yet isn’t it autonomous for various tribes already? What’s the difference?"
Zhao Changhe said, "The so-called Provincial Governors?"
"The Provincial Government actually can’t do much; they don’t even have the right to collect taxes. They use the term ’tribute.’ This so-called tribute is voluntarily offered by the tribes, not a regulated system. Stronger tribal chiefs and Clan Leaders can completely ignore the Provincial Governments. So, why do they end up being so oppressed by the Provincial Governments? Is it really the fault of the Provincial Governments or is it the tribal chiefs exploiting the people under the guise of tribute?"
"Hiss..." Zhao Changhe leaned back.
He hadn’t considered this angle before, but upon reflection, it was indeed true. How could the Provincial Governors really have the power to exploit the various powerful tribal chiefs? Conversely, where could it be guaranteed that the tribal chiefs truly represented the interests of their people? Class was the naked truth.
The so-called oppression and exploitation by the Provincial Governments was more likely a scenario where the tribal chiefs and the Provincial Governments were in cahoots, exploiting the common folk. And so, the Provincial Governments were left holding the bag, resulting in unfriendly looks from people whenever Xia individuals appeared.
If this theory held, then the notion that Lei Ao’s so-called quality goods were all exploited and only inferior products were left for foreign trade was obviously false because, in this context of exploitation, Lei Ao himself would benefit the most.
Li Si’an’s expression at that time, I wonder if he believed Lei Ao’s words. He must have seen a lot, most likely doubtful, but then disrupted by Wuding’s action, and the conversation didn’t continue.
Seeing that he understood, Sisi smiled and continued, "Furthermore, those who want to rebel, are they truly unable to tolerate the exploitation? No, they are just using it as an excuse to consolidate the various tribes and seek to become kings..."
Zhao Changhe’s expression turned solemn, "Is there anyone with enough strength to become a king?"
"Personally, we don’t know for sure," Sisi said. "By now, you should realize that the standards of Mystical Gate levels and Secret Treasure count, the evaluation criteria of the Chaotic World List, don’t mean too much here in Miao Region; they can only serve as a reference. This leads to the ability to conceal one’s true strength here in Miao Region; it’s hard to know who is truly powerful."
Zhao Changhe asked, "Without a real powerhouse to lead the call, is such a consolidation possible?"
Sisi looked at him curiously, "I heard that Ba Tu isn’t that strong, yet he united the Southern Desert. In such matters, a strong individual is important, but the overall strength of the tribe is even more so, you should understand better than anyone else."
"You mean, there’s a sufficiently powerful tribal force?"
"There wasn’t one that strong, but when Ba Mountain Sword House joined in, that changed everything." Sisi smiled. "When Wuding came to challenge you at Lei Ao’s place, didn’t you ever think why Wuding knew there were Wang Daozhong’s people in this trading party?"
Zhao Changhe’s expression turned ugly.
It turns out that Li Si’an had fallen right into the spider’s web of the rebels, even discussing with a rebel why the goods given to me were inferior...
In theory, he shouldn’t be in trouble, because even if a rebellion occurred, Lei Ao would still need foreign trade, and a long-term collaborator like Li Si’an would still need to maintain relations. But that was just theory. Once Li Si’an saw through Lei Ao’s façade, Lei Ao would definitely silence him.
Hopefully, Li Si’an was smart enough not to give anything away regardless of whether he noticed something or not. Just laugh it off, do his business, and stay out of everything else.
"I’ve understood the general situation, just one last question..." Zhao Changhe said earnestly, "Where is Yue Hongling?"
The smile on Sisi’s face became teasing, "You’ve been holding onto that question for a long time, haven’t you? Afraid to upset me, you didn’t dare to ask outright, making it seem like it’s related to official business so you could ask openly."
"Uh..."
"Hee... you’re overthinking. What does it matter to Xiang Simeng who you’re searching for – be it Yue Hongling or Tang Wanju?" Sisi said leisurely. "However, the fact that you still consider my feelings somewhat, I’ll give you a pass... You guessed right, the person who tried to assassinate the Provincial Governor was me, and I was setting up a false trail for my sister Yue. At that time, Wuding thought Yue Hongling must be nearby, searching blindly, whereas Sister Yue had already reached Dali. If everything goes as expected, we should receive news of the Provincial Governor’s assassination attempt in a day or two..."
Zhao Changhe blinked.
These two women were really in cahoots... And Yue Hongling had even initiated for Sisi to impersonate her. Where was the Yue Hongling who was furious at Sisi for impersonating her?
And now, Sisi was even calling Yue Hongling sister... The world sure changes fast... freeweɓnøvel~com
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PS: Got drunk last night, and my butt still hurts, and I have to drink again tonight, wuwuwu...
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