Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 283: Smooth-Talking Tactics

In the early morning, Chu Tianyu walked on the streets with Ao Xue. Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts. Ao Xue, unusually, kept her head lowered and said not a word, while Chu Tianyu was still deep in the report Yun Qing had just given him…
After listening to Yun Qing’s report, many of the details matched Chu Tianyu’s initial suspicions, and the questions that had been lingering in his mind were gradually resolved. It turned out that the Tian Sheng and Ming Yu sects had existed since ancient times. Their origins and exact locations were untraceable. Since records began, the first rule in each sect’s teachings had been to regard the other as a mortal enemy, with their disciples obligated to eradicate them.
Moreover, the two sects followed different philosophies and practices. Ming Yu relied on the evil and deathly energies of the world, while Tian Sheng focused on the path of nourishing energy through blood and emphasizing natural forces. This led to vastly different behaviors among their members, and outsiders naturally categorized them as belonging to the “good” or “evil” sides.
Over the years, countless battles between the two sects had taken place, some even threatening to overthrow the imperial court. Eventually, during some unknown generation of Qing Tian and Shi Tian, seeing the heavy casualties among their disciples and how the conflicts had severely impacted the survival of both sects, they agreed to a ceasefire treaty. The treaty stipulated that the superpowered individuals of each sect—Ming Yu’s Tian Huan and Tian Sheng’s Sheng Xue—would no longer participate in worldly conflicts and instead focus on seclusion and cultivation. Qing Tian and Shi Tian also agreed to refrain from using destructive powers in battles, in order to protect their respective foundations.
For hundreds of years after this treaty was signed, peace reigned between the two sects. It was not until now that Tian Sheng, under the surveillance of the Zhan family, detected signs of Ming Yu’s activities. They sent Ao Xue and her sister Ning Shuang ahead to investigate using Ning Shuang’s ability to sense any energy in the world, to determine whether Ming Yu’s people were indeed involved in interfering in worldly affairs.
Chu Tianyu was involved in most of what happened afterward. The situation was actually quite simple, but the initial confusion left him utterly bewildered. This was mainly because, first, the Zhan family’s covert revenge attempts created chaos, and second, his elder brother colluded with Ming Yu’s forces to manipulate business and noble families, distracting Chu Tianyu and making everything seem far more complicated than it was.

Last night was truly worth it—understanding the whole story of this incident left Chu Tianyu in high spirits, free from the gloomy feelings that had weighed on him for days. Breaking through that darkness was like welcoming the sunrise; the sense of relief was indescribable. Especially since he also avenged Nian Ran and weakened the Zhan family’s influence the previous day, giving Chu Tianyu even more freedom to act as he pleased.

With the Zhan family’s power, the forces of the legitimate world, and the interference of the Dragon Soul, it might have seemed impossible to deal with them, but it certainly wouldn’t have been as easy as it was now. After all, from Chu Tianyu’s perspective, he didn’t want to draw in numerous legitimate forces and government agencies over this matter—real-world political constraints were simply too many!

Although Chu Tianyu no longer needed to keep a low profile, there was no reason to make a fuss and reveal all his strength just to solve the problem quietly.

……

“Where are we going now?” Ao Xue couldn’t help but lift her head and look at Chu Tianyu, who was deep in thought, and ask first.

Ao Xue’s words interrupted Chu Tianyu’s thoughts, making him want to slap himself—how could he get so absorbed in his thoughts that he forgot about her?

Actually, Chu Tianyu’s decision to take Ao Xue with him wasn’t impulsive. To be honest, his performance in front of Yun Qing and the others earlier, though others might not have noticed anything suspicious, one person did—Ao Xue!

Chu Tianyu had thought hard about this. If it were based on intuition, he believed Ao Xue wouldn’t reveal his true identity to her master. Assuming they hadn’t recognized each other, Chu Tianyu felt somewhat confident. But reason told him the risks involved were far too great!

If he were acting alone, it might have been different, but now he had many people tied to him, not to mention the large number of people involved. Especially since Ao Xue knew he was the third young master of the Chu family, this made it even less possible for Chu Tianyu to pretend not to know her or ignore her.

He would never allow the same tragedy to happen to the Chu family as had occurred to the Tai family—no matter how small the possibility, he wouldn’t tolerate any risk!

So, Chu Tianyu used his fake identity as the Holy Lord to take Ao Xue with him as a precaution.

As for what to do with Aoxue, Chutianyu still hadn’t decided yet. From the beginning, Aoxue had recognized him, but she hadn’t shown any signs—not even in front of her master, when he was pretending to be the Holy Lord. This made Chutianyu feel grateful, but it also made it harder for him to figure out how to deal with her.

Thinking of this, Chutianyu decided to speak in a casual tone, “Heh, you little girl, daring to talk to this Holy Lord in such a tone. Are you afraid I’ll punish you?”

“Hmph, stop it. If I didn’t expose you, would you have gotten away with it?” Influenced by Chutianyu’s joking tone, Aoxue indeed relaxed and retorted in an annoyed manner.

“Expose what?” Chutianyu blinked, feigning ignorance playfully.

Aoxue rolled her eyes at Chutianyu’s cheekiness and said irritably, “Of course, your fake identity! Hmph, it was so amazing back then—making people kneel, making them report to you…”

“That’s unfair! I admit I asked them to report, but I never said they had to kneel. It was all your idea!” Chutianyu raised one hand, looking solemn as if swearing an oath.

“Still trying to deny it? I’m not talking to you anymore!” Aoxue pretended to be angry, turning her head away and quickening her steps, trying to put distance between them.

Chutianyu was no longer some inexperienced newcomer. He was well-versed in these kinds of flirtatious interactions and petty tantrums. With a light tap of his toes, he floated upward like willow fluff and reached Aoxue’s side. Gently taking her hand, he held it without waiting for her to resist. Soft words slipped out of his mouth, “Okay, okay, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have pretended to be someone else and made Miss Aoxue kneel and suffer. Nor should I have gone to some warehouse in the middle of the night, meddling like a dog chasing a mouse—bestowing merits on you all and dealing with those Sky Illusionists…”

Aoxue had originally wanted to break free from this shameless guy’s grasp, but hearing Chutianyu’s words, which seemed self-reproachful but were actually meant to boast, made her burst into laughter. After giving him a glare, she seemed to forget that her hand was still in his grasp and said casually, “Hmm, I know. It’s all thanks to you, Young Master Chu. We owe our lives to you. Well then, do you want me to be eternally grateful and serve you as your servant?”

“No need. Just giving yourself to me is enough!” Chutianyu almost blurted out these words. Good thing he held back!

Chu Tianyu suppressed his thoughts and changed his wording, saying, “As long as Miss Aoxue isn’t angry and doesn’t put on that sad face for me, I’ll be grateful!”
“Smooth talker…” Aoxue retorted angrily.
“No, I haven’t eaten yet today!” Chu Tianyu said innocently.
“…” Aoxue was speechless.
“Hehe, speaking of breakfast, I’m really hungry. How about I take you to a great breakfast place? Their fried dough sticks and soy milk are absolutely authentic. I guarantee you’ll want one and think of having two, and one bowl and think of having two bowls. What do you say?” Chu Tianyu’s voice was full of temptation.
Aoxue remained silent, but she unconsciously followed Chu Tianyu.
…
Chu Tianyu’s flirtatious tactics quickly brought the two closer, eased the awkward atmosphere from earlier, and helped them move past the emotions from the previous night. This allowed Aoxue to temporarily forget about questioning why Chu Tianyu happened to be there that night and why he had to deal with the Zhan family and other issues.
Chu Tianyu had learned this strategy from his grandfather. He remembered his grandfather once telling him a simple rule: “Talk about ‘affection’ first, then handle matters!”
But the “affection” his grandfather referred to wasn’t love—it was emotional connection or friendship. In his grandfather’s words, when dealing with matters in China, the most important thing was to build relationships. As long as you could establish a connection, things would be much easier!
Now, Chu Tianyu applied this skill flexibly, elevating the concept of building relationships to something almost like romantic feelings. Just like the subtle relationship between him and Aoxue at that moment, if he hadn’t used this strategy and instead let Aoxue ask questions based on her doubts, some things would have been difficult for Chu Tianyu to explain. Even if he had explained, it might not have achieved the same effect and could have deepened Aoxue’s misunderstandings.
But now, thanks to Chu Tianyu’s casual words, Aoxue’s thoughts had already drifted toward youthful romance, leaving no room for her to consider other matters.
Even if she remembered later, her way of thinking might be different. As the old saying goes, girls are emotional! It’s likely she would naturally take Chu Tianyu’s side and think from his perspective without needing further explanation.