Chapter 73

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Chapter 73: On Your Side

Getting Changyi to let Ji Yunhe out was impossible at this point.

"Then let me meet the courier who delivered the letter."

Luo Jinsang showed some concern over her health. "But it's so late..."

"We can't afford any delays." Ji Yunhe did not clarify, but it was obvious what she meant. Time was too valuable, both to her and to the big picture...

Changyi finally agreed. "Bring him in."

Meeting the courier in the back would be too unorthodox, so for the first time in half a month, Ji Yunhe was allowed beyond that screen.

Changyi sat behind the desk, Ji Yunhe was seated to his left, and Kongming and Luo Jinsang stood behind her.

In a few moments, a graceful woman slowly walked into the room. She first gave a salute to Changyi, then turned to Ji Yunhe. "Master Warden, I've heard a lot about you."

The woman was not a human, as she was covered in demonic aura. Ji Yunhe had never seen her before in the Demon Valley, but to be sent here as an emissary, Lin Haoqing must have trusted her a great deal.

"You know me?" Ji Yunhe asked.

"The Valley Master often mentioned the Master Warden. He even made a portrait for me to see."

That was a bit interesting.

Lin Haoqing often mentioned Ji Yunhe to her, and also drew a portrait? If people did not know better, they would think Lin Haoqing had some strange thoughts about Ji Yunhe.

The monk raised his eyes and glanced at the one sitting behind the desk. Changyi's mouth looked stern but his eyes were unreadable.

Ji Yunhe smiled. "I didn't know my relationship with the Valley Master was this good?"

"Of course it is good. You weathered the storms with him and overcame obstacles to help him become the Valley Master..."

Ji Yunhe was shocked. She surveyed the female demon in front of her. Could this demon be talking about the killing of Lin Canglan and his demon slave? Ji Yunhe never thought Lin Haoqing would one day share this secret with someone else.

Or... was she not an outsider?

"You are Lin Haoqing's...?"

"Demon slave. My name is Siyu."

So Lin Haoqing had raised a demon slave of his own now...

"Your Highness," Siyu turned her head and said to Changyi, "my master does not intend to be an enemy of the north. As long as Your Highness is willing to return the Master Warden to our Demon Valley, his army will immediately retreat."

He really did come for her.

"Return to the Demon Valley?" Changyi looked at Siyu with an icy stare. "Is it to return to the Demon Valley, or to the imperial court?" Before Siyu could respond, Changyi continued, "It doesn't matter, no one can take her away from here. Neither your Valley Master, nor the princess."

Siyu spoke again, "Your Highness, why add casualties in vain? You know the current situation and the concerns between the three sides, no one wants to make another move at this moment."

"Is that so?" Changyi's face was intimidating even without his jiaozhu. "The Northlands is not the imperial court, nor is it a demon master stronghold. The people who come here have nothing to lose but a chance to survive. If the Grand Master's house makes it impossible for us to exist, then we will fight them to the end. And if your demon masters want to get involved and help them, then you are also enemies of the north. You want to talk to me about our concerns?"

Changyi paused then continued.

"The people of the north have nothing, no concerns and no burdens. If you want to fight, then we will fight. There are no conditions and no compromises to be made. Handing over Ji Yunhe will not happen. Handing over Kongming will not happen either. We will never hand over anyone who is sheltered by the Northlands."

The room fell silent.

Ji Yunhe looked at Changyi and felt like he had become a real lord.

He was once submerged in the abyss, and now, he had become a dragon soaring in the nine skies.

Eventually, Siyu bowed down. "I understand, Your Highness. Excuse me for my intrusion, farewell."

After she left, Kongming and Luo Jinsang continued to stand in silence for a while. The monk seemed less hostile when he finally spoke to Changyi again. "The battle with the demon master army will not be easy. Even if we win, there will be a third force waiting to pick at our broken pieces. You should plan ahead for when the court and the Grand Master's house send their troops."

Then he took Luo Jinsang and also left.

Ji Yunhe walked up to Changyi under the dim candlelight. "Changyi."

"I know what you're going to say. Don't want to hear it, go back inside."

He had been blocking her words repeatedly today, Ji Yunhe felt both frustrated and funny. "You know what I am going to say again?"

"Just things like how you don't want to be sheltered by the north and such." He put down the pen in his hand. "Ji Yunhe, others here are free to come and go as they please, you are not..."

"I knew that's what you were going to say, but that wasn't what I wanted to say. You got me wrong again."

The word "again" took Changyi by surprise. He laughed and said sarcastically, "Right. How can a demon guess the mind of a demon master."

Ji Yunhe ignored him and picked up his pen, then she drew a line on his paper. "This side is the Demon Terrace, this is the demon masters' blockade."

Ji Yunhe pointed to the line and explained.

"Lin Haoqing blocked all the routes coming north, whether by land, air, or the river. His formation is bound to be arranged horizontally. If there are powerful demons blocking the airways, then there have to be powerful demon masters there pulling the strings. And the same goes for the river and land. Due to the suppression of the imperial court over the years, there are only eight notable demon masters outside of the Grand Master's house that are strong enough to control demons of that level. The Demon Valley has three. Lin Haoqing is their leader overseeing everything, so he will definitely not go to the front line to master demons. Snow March went to the islands overseas, so she naturally will not help them either. And I..."

Ji Yunhe smiled. "This time, I am on your side."

Changyi lifted his head and saw her withered face staring at him with a smile. Her eyes twinkled like stars, as if no amount of time and suffering could wear down her confidence and pride.

The candle light flickered between them as they looked at each other in silence. Changyi did not understand why she was on his side, but he did not want to spoil the moment by asking her either.

However, Ji Yunhe turned away from his gaze. She made six dots on the line she drew earlier. "In order to fully block the northern border, there have to be two powerful demon masters overseeing air traffic since the sky is such a wide open space. For the remaining three, one's probably assigned to the river, and two to guard the land. The rest of the demon masters are likely forming a line here. Wherever there's movement, they'd be able to signal one of the five powerful demon masters for support." Ji Yunhe went on, "A strike on those five is the key. As long as we take down one person from the air and one from the ground, Lin Haoqing's blockade will fall apart on its own."

Ji Yunhe put down the pen and Changyi asked, "How do you know they will definitely arrange it this way?"

"This is the most logical arrangement, plus..." Ji Yunhe smiled, "I know Lin Haoqing."

The moment she said that, the corners of his lips fell.

Ji Yunhe, however, was too preoccupied to notice.

"Once the line is broken, Lin Haoqing is bound to send people to cover it. At that time, we should assemble an elite force and launch a full on assault, but only attack a corner. Make sure to take them by surprise, then withdraw right afterwards. The aim is not to defeat them, but to frustrate them and damage their morale." Ji Yunhe kept analyzing, "I doubt the demon masters really want to fight with their lives. As long as they know we have the determination and the ability to win, they will be divided among themselves. By then we will be able to force them off with minimal casualties."

Ji Yunhe turned her head to look at Changyi. "Well?"

"Doable," he said. "We will choose someone tomorrow..."

"Wait," Ji Yunhe interrupted him. "The power of the five key demon masters is not to be underestimated. I am not exaggerating, when Lin Haoqing and Lin Canglan were both fighting the jade phoenix back then, if either me or Snow March were to help them wholeheartedly, it wouldn't have been impossible to keep her from escaping. So… Changyi, capturing two of them is not to be taken lightly. We have to make sure nothing goes wrong. I think it is best that you and Qing Ji each take a target..."

Changyi narrowed his eyes before she even finished.

"Ji Yunhe, you've really put a lot of thoughts into making me take back my jiaozhu."

Ji Yunhe smiled. "They need someone to lead them."

Changyi thought for a moment then agreed. "I can go personally, but I will return within an hour."

So... this jiaozhu would only leave Ji Yunhe's body for one hour? An hour was still better than none. It should be plenty of time for her to talk with the woman in her dream.

"When are you planning to go?"

"Tomorrow."

Ji Yunhe frowned, "The time is so tight, will you be able to convince Qing Ji?"

"No problem, no problem! Leave it to me!" Luo Jinsang suddenly ran in through the door again.

Ji Yunhe was startled. "Why are you still here?"

"I was going to wait for this fish to leave and then talk to you for a while, and then… I heard everything."

Ji Yunhe laughed and looked at Changyi. She was too weak to detect Luo Jinsang at the moment, but him too? This fish might not have his jiaozhu, but his senses were still very keen.

"I can swindle that big bird tomorrow and invite her out to play. Once we are on the road, I will force her to get that target even if I have to drag her by the hair."

Ji Yunhe said, "If Qing Ji hears this, she will beat you to a pulp."

Luo Jinsang laughed and scratched her head. "So this fish pearl, how do we get it out? Do we have to cut open Yunhe's belly?"

Changyi replied, "However she got it, then however she will return it."

Luo Jinsang turned her head and asked Ji Yunhe, "How did you get it?"

Ji Yunhe abruptly thought of that day...

The temperature of his lips, the softness, and the unique smell of his body... All the sensations instantly rushed back into her mind.

She stiffly turned her head away. "Just a touch..."

"Touch where?"

"... I'm a little tired, I'm going to nap for a while, you can go."

Ji Yunhe practically pushed Luo Jinsang out of the room. When she turned back, she saw Changyi holding a book behind the desk. It blocked half of his face, but not his smiling eyes.

They looked soft and fuzzy, tickling at the tip of her heart.

She walked past him without saying anything.

The candle light danced, casting out into a room full of tender warmth.

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