Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

The extended business van drove smoothly on the road as Lin Ning, Su Yunjin, and Xie Ruoxi stealthily sized up Anna and her two older cousins in the back seat.

"An international friend," as Yan Yu had said, should refer to the youngest one. The other two appeared to be in their thirties or older, making it seem unlikely for Yan Yu to call them "friends"... Besides, this one had talked to Yan Yu before getting on the van, and despite their conversation taking place outside, how could it have eluded the eyes of those inside the vehicle?

Anna was also covertly observing these three "southern little potatoes."

Though the girls from the south were petite, each had her own distinctive charm. Lin Ning had an innocent look, Su Yunjin was serene, and Xie Ruoxi... Xie Ruoxi didn't have much of a presence; if anything, she resembled a timid young girl who hadn't yet grown up, daring only to sneak peeks at her blonde hair through the reflection in the window.

Since no one was acquainted, there was no conversation.

But this was no obstacle for Anna, who silently took out her phone and sent a message to Yan Yu:

"Won't you introduce me to these companions in your car?"

Yan Yu sent back a link.

Though the Zhenhai Team didn't have an official website, that didn't stop fans from creating fan sites. The profiles of all the Zhenhai Team members, including their names, places of origin, photos, occupations, and abilities, were clearly presented on the site.

Using the photos on her phone screen for comparison, Anna was finally able to confirm that the girls seated in the front were indeed official members of Yan Yu's Team.

Sure, they had appeared during the Three Isles Treasure Ship Secret Realm live stream before, but with the number of Rikoku Cultivators in the double digits, she couldn't remember every face.

"Who's the one by the window?" Anna continued to type, asking about Xie Ruoxi's identity with a subtle tension in her mood.

Fearing that Yan Yu would suddenly reply with "My girlfriend," she wasn't sure she could stop herself from falling apart.

"The author of this webpage," replied Yan Yu, "the agent who manages my fans for me."

Anna then completely relaxed, stuffed her phone inside her bosom, and showed a look of immense relief.

Looking left and right, Sophia and Maria exchanged worried glances after seeing their cousin hug her phone and laugh foolishly after finishing the chat.

They had intended for their cousin to use her charm to persuade Yan Zhanlong to agree to help the Amur witch group, but looking at her now... it seemed more likely that she was the one who'd been silently conquered.

Since the relationships on both sides were unfamiliar, there was silence in the van until they reached the villa, where everyone quietly got out.

Back home, large suburban villas are considered big houses only the wealthy can afford, yet it's different abroad. The two older cousins were not impressed by the grand villa, instead recognizing a different issue.

"Do they live together?" asked Sophia of Anna, "The Dragon Slayer and other women?"

Anna's face suddenly darkened: Don't remind me! Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

Okay, since they were all team members, living together wasn't such a big deal. There were many young men and women in the city co-living in shared houses, with separate bedrooms but communal living rooms. This didn't necessarily imply they had an intimate relationship... She tried hard to convince herself not to be suspicious.

As soon as they entered the villa, Lin Ning headed towards the kitchen and said:

"I'll go cook."

"Please have a seat, I'll make some tea for you," Su Yunjin said with a graceful smile.

"Would you like some snacks?" Zhao Yuanzhen asked Anna, who after meeting her had finally remembered Anna's identity and had a pretty good impression of the blonde girl, hence she was willing to share her treasured snacks.

"Thank you," said Anna with a nod.

Everyone took a seat on the couch, sitting in silence.

Sophia and Maria were signaling to Anna with their eyes, and after Anna took a deep breath, she began to speak to Yan Yu:

"Actually, the purpose of our business trip was to seek you out..."

She didn't shy away from the presence of the other girls, but proceeded to explain in detail the external threats and military crises currently faced by the Amur witch group.

Chen Lingyun listened with a smile and whispered to Yan Yu via private transmission:

"What's the situation with this past life thing?"

"You're so smart, can't you guess?" Yan Yu directly countered her.

After a moment's contemplation, Chen Lingyun guessed the answer right away.

Lu Country had adhered to a strategy of keeping a low profile for a full sixty years, and although the initial intent was to prevent triggering the vigilance and jealousy of the Western world and to secure a precious period for accumulating national strength, the price naturally was a strong political inertia within the country— "Never provoke a border dispute lightly."

From the conservative party's perspective, whether it's the Amur Witch Circle or the Giliya Bear People, both are forces that carve up the North. Who wins and who loses in the end doesn't have much to do with Lu Country... Even if one were to consider the ramifications if Lu Country were to send troops, what would the Rakshasa officialdom's reaction be?

Could it ruin the strategic cooperative relations between the two parties? Would the Western world see this as a signal of Lu Country's intention to expand its influence abroad?

As long as these questions remained unanswered, the conservatives had grounds to oppose, and ultimately, the affair was unlikely to succeed—now was a republican era without an emperor, and without a consensus among the civilian officialdom, even the prime minister couldn't act arbitrarily.

Of course, with Yan Yu sharing his premonition advantage, Chen Lingyun naturally could use the fact that "Anna becomes an important figure in the future" as the basis to guess that in a past life, Lu Country chose to refuse to lend a hand, while the Amur Witch Circle eventually won against the Giliya Bear People, and might even have defeated other extraordinary forces in the region, eventually unifying the entire Northern Lu Plate—then, what their attitude would be towards the southern neighbors who stood by and watched them die, one needn't hold any expectations.

"This matter is difficult to manage." Having thought through the cause and effect, Chen Lingyun answered concisely, "I won't be able to persuade my dad."

Chen Tianming had no premonition advantage regarding the future, how could he be convinced that the Amur Witch Circle could grow into a giant of the North? Impossible, there are absolutely no signs of it now.

"In that case," Yan Yu plotted for her, "you put Flying Sword to your neck and tell your dad, 'Either support sending troops or lose your beloved daughter,' and your dad will definitely be persuaded by you."

"Hehe." Chen Lingyun treated it as if she hadn't heard and instead said, "Why try to find a way to persuade my dad to support sending troops? I think a more reasonable approach is, 'Letting the Amur Witch Circle know that my dad supports sending troops, but he's unable to overcome the opposition.'

Yan Yu fell silent for a moment, suddenly taken aback in his heart.

Wow, that's pretty low!

With Chen Lingyun's words, of course, Yan Yu also immediately understood: first, it would be very difficult to make Lu Country send troops, and even if, after much toil, they succeeded, having the Amur Witch Circle owe them a favor, this favor would be owed to Lu Country as a whole—how could he secure such a deal when it would erode Chen Tianming's credibility and let the conservatives also profit?

That's not a viable deal.

But if they feigned support for sending troops and then failed because of conservative opposition, they would have paid much less in the end. Once the Amur Witch Circle truly became the giant of the North according to the timeline of the past world, Chen Tianming could take the opportunity to dredge up old grievances, seriously damaging their reputation... That would be making a killing!

"You really dare to say that!" Yan Yu couldn't help but angrily rebuke Chen Lingyun through telepathy, "Lu Country must have the Amur Witch Circle owe them a great favor so that in the future there's a possibility of signing a peace treaty between the two sides; but if you go about it as you suggest, the result would be only your dad benefits, and how many people on the northern border will suffer for it?

Have you thought about that?"

"I know." Chen Lingyun said leisurely, "But it's impossible to send troops, you know that too."

"How is it impossible?" Yan Yu scoffed, "Go kill yourself."

"No way~"

"Why not? It's not like you actually have to die, just put on a play to scare your dad."

"The key is why should I do that? My dad isn't a fool; he will definitely be suspicious."

"Then you can pledge sisterhood with Anna, become sworn sisters, so that you have ample motive to help her."

"Rather than me going to him," Chen Lingyun suddenly said, "it would be better if you talked to him, which would still have some possibility of success."

"Why?" Yan Yu didn't understand.

"Because the value that the identity of Yan Zhanlong can provide is much greater than you think," Chen Lingyun said meaningfully.

While the two of them were secretly discussing strategies through telepathy, Anna, who had no idea about their conversation, saw that Yan Yu had remained silent for a long time, took his reticence for embarrassment about declining, and simply clenched her teeth, stood up, and said:

"Sorry, this matter is truly making things difficult for you—just forget I mentioned it."

After speaking, she didn't pay attention to the expressions of her two cousins, but simply turned around intending to leave.

How could Yan Yu let her leave under a misunderstanding? He quickly called out "Wait," stretched out his hand to grasp her wrist, and tried to pull her back.

However, Anna was much lighter than he had anticipated, and when pulled, she stumbled backward directly into his embrace.

At that moment, whether it was Chen Lingyun smiling without a word, Zhao Yuanzhen carrying snacks, Su Yunjin coming over with tea, Xie Ruoxi who was playing with her phone, or Lin Ning who just happened to turn her head from the kitchen...

Their gazes all instantly sharpened.