Chapter 837: Chapter 284: When the Time Comes, All Parties Join Forces
Seeing Qing Chi agree to Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo) without hesitation, Qing Yan felt shaken for the first time—entrusting military power directly to Qing Chi, is it really reliable?
Ning Zhuo felt his scalp tingle, momentarily speechless.
Qing Chi stared at him, her lips curling into a radiant smile.
A wave of guilt surged in Ning Zhuo’s heart.
This was the first time he encountered something like this.
Previously in Liangzhu Country, even though Mu Lan had schemes against Ning Zhuo, they were primarily focused on the bigger picture and benefits. The girl before him was very much emotionally invested.
“Sigh! I’m relying on Jiao Ma’s identity to deceive her, that’s wrong.”
“But this concerns the century-old scheme of the Lord of Wangchuan, my mother’s last wishes, the safety of the entire White Paper Immortal City. At this critical moment, I cannot reveal my identity, Qing Chi’s role is becoming increasingly important!”
Ning Zhuo sighed inwardly: “I can only temporarily let Qing Chi down. When this ghost tide recedes, I’ll explain the truth to her and apologize.”
Qing Chi was far less reliable and steady than Mu Lan; she was still too young.
Ning Zhuo contemplated and decided to keep it a secret for now.
He looked towards Li Xiangshang and Qing Yan, pondering his words, preparing to explain his choice to the two of them.
Despite Qing Chi’s complete obedience to Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo), winning over Li Xiangshang and Qing Yan was still extremely necessary.
Previously in Liangzhu Country, Ning Zhuo might have thought controlling Qing Chi equaled indirect control over the army.
But after the great war in Liangzhu Country, Ning Zhuo’s perspective and experience had greatly expanded, giving him firsthand understanding—a general is just a prominent part of the military force.
The main component of military power is still the broad base of soldiers.
Securing Qing Yan’s support is truly gaining recognition for this nascent army.
Winning over Li Xiangshang would let him continue assisting Qing Chi in forming this new army.
Ning Zhuo began: “Among the three military strategies, Paper Money Yin Soldiers are the most expensive. You get what you pay for; expensive means there is reason for it.”
“From my viewpoint, the greatest advantage of Paper Money Yin Soldiers is their ability to traverse Yin Yang realms. This capability should be quite practical.”
“Yin and Yang realms are mutually isolated. When the new army faces encirclement and is in a desperate situation in the Mortal World, they can escape to the Netherworld to regain life.”
“Similarly, when pursuing ghosts in the Netherworld and in urgent need of rest, they can return to the Mortal World to reorganize leisurely.”
“Choosing this direction gives the new army complete freedom in advancing and retreating, holding absolute initiative!”
“Especially in the Yin Tide Black Swamp, the separation between Yin and Yang is not so distant; this is practically the new army’s home ground.”
“What do you think, isn’t this good enough?”
The crowd hesitated.
Ning Zhuo’s reasoning was not enough to convince them.
Qing Yan bluntly stated: “This is just speculation, not a definitive answer. If the new army cannot quickly transition between the Yin Yang realms, then this key capability becomes a useless appendage.”
“Look, those Yin Soldiers outside the city, aren’t they coming from the Netherworld?”
“They aren’t even Yin Soldiers yet they can achieve this through the Netherworld River.”
His words were quite reasonable, but Ning Zhuo silenced him with one sentence: “Even if transitioning between the two realms is slow, choosing this ensures the Qing Family’s main forces won’t be trapped in White Paper Immortal City.”
“The ghost tide is becoming increasingly fierce, maybe this Immortal City will eventually be overthrown.”
“So, having such a military strategy at least preserves the Qing Family’s bloodline.”
Qing Chi’s eyes gleamed: “Little Ma, you’re so smart, thinking of this.”
Qing Yan: “You forget, the Lord of Wangchuan’s power is very enormous, comparable to the Cultivation Kingdom. Here in the Mortal World, we are only facing part of his military. In the Netherworld, we may directly confront this Transforming Spirit Level being.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head: “The Lord of Wangchuan is a prestigious sovereign, not easily encountered.”
“This is just a possibility.”
“But if we choose Paper Money Yin Soldiers, at least everyone will have a card up their sleeve for escape, won’t they?”
Qing Yan fell silent.
Li Xiangshang was already convinced: “That makes a lot of sense. I now believe this direction is the most correct choice.”
Qing Yan looked at Ning Zhuo: “So, Jiao Family boy, do you want your Jiao Family to participate in this new army and secure a path for escape?”
Ning Zhuo’s expression froze slightly.
Ning Zhuo’s true intent in choosing Paper Money Yin Soldiers was to have this cavalry enter the Netherworld at crucial moments, reaching the altar, helping him fulfill his mother’s last wishes, and disrupting the Lord of Wangchuan’s century-long plot.
But he couldn’t speak of this directly.
He hadn’t even shared this secret with the White Paper City Lord.
Qing Yan’s interpretation was entirely reasonable.
Ning Zhuo promptly nodded, agreeing in turn: “It’s like that. This ghost tide is genuinely different from the past; the Yin Soldier army is growing. We must consider our family and friends, don’t we?”
Qing Yan nodded: “If the Jiao Family joins the army, and endorses Qing Chi to continue as general, then I agree!”
“With a trump card for self-preservation, at the final moment, we surely won’t share a common fate with White Paper Immortal City. Thus, we cannot seek support from the White Paper City Lord.”
“The biggest difficulty now lies here—where do we acquire such resources?”
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly, took out a Storage Bag, and handed it to Qing Yan: “Lord Qing, please take a look.”
Qing Yan accepted the Storage Bag, opened its opening, Divine Sense explored inside, facial expression immediately showed shock.
The resources here are enormous!