Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest.

Chapter 145 Let Old Liu suffer

After returning to Jinling, what greeted the Zhenhai team was not a commendation meeting or any cash rewards, but the confidentiality regulations of this secret realm.

"This rule is very important. You must remember it firmly," Instructor Qi Changping emphasized repeatedly. "Especially you, Yanyu. Don't let anyone know just to show off."

"What do you mean by pretending to be cool?" Yan Yu asked in confusion, "If strength is what defines coolness, then I don't see the need for me to pretend..."

"Okay, stop it." Qi Changping also had a headache and held his forehead. "I'm not kidding you. From now on, whether friends or family ask, or media reporters come to interview you, you must never mention this secret realm incident."

"So how do I put it?" Lin Ning asked, "'I don't know' or 'I can't say'?"

"Just say 'military secret, no comment'." Qi Changping replied.

"Okay." Everyone nodded and signed the confidentiality agreement.

"Everyone else can go now." Qi Changping said to the girls, then looked at Yan Yu, "Go to the principal's office."

"I understand." Yan Yu said.

Every time after playing in the secret realm, Li Weiguo would call him to the office to chat, which was almost becoming a routine in the team.

He walked to the administration building with ease and walked up the stairs quickly. When he was near the principal's office, he suddenly heard the mellow and deep voice of a middle-aged man:
"...Well, don't worry. Okay, Nannan, I have my own ideas."

Yan Yu frowned immediately, feeling that things were not going well.

Hey, who's talking in there?
He knocked on the principal's office door and heard the voice say:
"Enter."

When Yan Yu pushed the door open, he saw a middle-aged man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, who had just hung up the phone.

The other person had regular facial features, and the details between his eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Chen Lingyun. He was dressed neatly and straight, his hair was combed meticulously, and he had a thick mustache and beard (in the modern Lu Kingdom of this dimension, beards are still considered beautiful). Just by looking at him, you could tell that this man was definitely mature, steady, and shrewd.

Or to be more precise, Chen's father, the head of the Chen family, Mr. Chen of Mount Tai, Chen Lingyun plus, Chen Tianming, the second-rank official of the Jianghai Governor, is the middle-aged man in front of him.

"Sit down." Chen Tianming looked at Yan Yu and waved his hand.

There was always a chair in front of the principal's desk, and Yan Yu was very familiar with it. He pulled the chair over and sat down without saying a word.

Chen Tianming took out the tea from the cabinet and asked casually:

"Would you like some tea? I roasted this tea myself and brought some for Lao Li."

"Okay." Yan Yu nodded.

Chen Tianming made some tea and brought a cup to Yan Yu.

Yan Yu was not polite and took it up to drink slowly. He saw Chen Tianming sitting on the principal's chair and said:
"You fought well this time. Not only did you annihilate the enemy monks, you also captured the core of the Changbai Mountain Secret Realm, and by the way, you overwhelmed the Dingbei Army."

"It's my duty." Yan Yu nodded.

"Indeed." Chen Tianming placed his hands on the table, interlacing his fingers elegantly. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Why keep it a secret? Can you guess why?"

"It must be due to international diplomatic considerations." Yan Yu replied.

The reason why he revealed his prophetic advantage to Chen Lingyun was, firstly, because he knew the despicable woman inside and out and was sure that she would never say anything nonsense outside, and secondly, he wanted to use her intelligence channels to verify his own judgment.

But Chen Tianming is completely different. This man is a political animal, and it is best to avoid getting involved if possible.

The so-called "talking deeply to someone you just met" has always been a taboo throughout history... The reason why Chen Lingyun was an exception was only because he had a very close relationship with her, and Yan Yu was 100% sure what kind of person she was at heart.

"Hmm..." Chen Tianming dragged out his voice, revealing a meaningful look of scrutiny, "You could say that."

"Yan Yu, do you usually pay attention to the international situation?" He looked at Yan Yu's expression carefully.

"No." Yan Yu denied categorically, "I never do politics on the keyboard."

"That's such a shame," Chen Tianming said casually, "I think it's better for young people to learn more about current affairs."

Only someone of your level would say such things... Yan Yu couldn't help but secretly complain. Chen Tianming stared at Yan Yu for a long time, and finally continued:
"The geopolitical situation in East Asia mainly refers to the triangle relationship between China, the US, and China, and its root is the overall confrontation between China and the US in the Pacific region."

"Our long-term strategy in this region is to remove Sakura High from Mitch's alliance system and prevent the formation of the first island chain. Achieving this goal is very difficult because we are becoming increasingly powerful overall, which can easily make Sakura High feel threatened and more inclined to side with Mitch."

"The reason why the Changbai Mountain Secret Realm is required to be kept secret is to eliminate international friction with Goryeo. I hope you and your teammates can understand this."

"Of course." Yan Yu naturally agreed, "I'll just pretend that I haven't fought in this secret realm."

"Yes." Chen Tianming nodded and continued, "After returning home, that Korean cultivator will claim that he defeated the Lu Kingdom team and captured the secret core of Changbai Mountain."

"We will publicly deny this, but since the secret realm of Changbai Mountain is strictly sealed by the Lu Kingdom, it will appear to the outside world that we cannot develop it. There will definitely be a lot of international rumors, and people will be more inclined to believe that Goryeo has taken Changbai Mountain... Speaking of this, you won't go on foreign forums, right?"

"Climbing over the wall is illegal." Yan Yu reminded calmly.

You're fishing here with me, right?

"That's fine, but people still try to climb over the Great Firewall despite repeated bans, so you can't be sure who will use this to badmouth you in the future," Chen Tianming said slowly. "But... a momentary quarrel of arrogance doesn't mean anything. Whoever laughs last is the winner. Besides, you're all still young, and there will be plenty of opportunities for glory in the future."

"Yes, yes." Yan Yu agreed repeatedly and understood Chen Tianming's intention of talking to him this time.

After all, from the team's perspective, they clearly wiped out all the Korean monks and captured the Changbai Mountain secret realm, but the Korean side claimed that they won, and they couldn't compete with them in international public opinion. It was just as frustrating as if the Dragon Boat Festival was successfully nominated for World Heritage by others.

lose!
But Yan Yu ultimately had the advantage of foresight. He knew that this fake Park Changmin would eventually become the Goryeo Sword God. Leveraging his high reputation and superior status in China, he enjoyed the full support of the nation's resources, yet ultimately could not defeat the Lu Kingdom in international competition. Considering that he now had leverage over the Lu Kingdom, many of his past life's outrageous deeds made sense. Changmin Oppa, you wouldn't want your country, its people, and your vast fans to know about our secret collaboration, would you?

By simply abandoning the unused secret realm of Changbai Mountain, the Lu Kingdom successfully capped the upper limits of Goryeo's top cultivators, effectively eliminating them from future geopolitical competition. This remarkable operation had already achieved half of the East Asian strategic goal that had eluded them for decades.

Win! Win big!

Of course, if we put the facts aside, Yan Yu himself still doesn't like this method.

After all, the older generation always believed in the idea of suffering first and then happiness; as long as the future held a happy and fulfilling future, it didn't matter if they endured now. But Yan Yu wasn't used to that style—if he had to choose, he'd just pound Korea and Sakura Empire. You can't beat me and Mitch together? Then I'll take on Mitch too, and I'll kill you all!
What do you mean by "bitter first, sweet later"? I want sweet first, sweet later! I want to win in the future, and I want to win now. I fucking want to win from beginning to end!

"Since we have to keep it secret, can we keep it a little more thorough?" Yan Yu asked, taking the initiative to suggest, "For example, we can also erase the record of our Zhenhai team's battle this time?"

"You don't want to be publicly recorded as a defeated army, right?" Chen Tianming smiled faintly, instantly understanding Yan Yu's intention. "If that's the case, then the Dingbei Army will have to shoulder the bad reputation alone... But yes, your contribution to the Liufen Pagoda under the Qiantang River may not be mentioned, but the country will definitely remember it."

"Then I have no objection." Yan Yu nodded rather reservedly, thinking to himself, Old Liu, I'm really sorry this time.

Anyway, you lost our bet. It's a loss if you lose to me, and it's a loss if you lose to Goryeo. Just bear the humiliation and bear the burden. It's like being patient for the country, right?
"Now that we've finished our business," Chen Tianming stood up and continued pouring tea for Yan Yu. "Let's talk about something else."

"What do you think of Lingyun's performance in the team?"

"Very good, very good." Yan Yu replied, "She performed her duties perfectly."

This was not a perfunctory statement. Chen Lingyun's performance as a deputy was indeed perfect. In his previous life, he became the captain mainly because he lacked strength and could only rely on his brain to make up for it. He often gave people a sense of vulnerability, as if he was "showing off all over the field and then being killed by a punch."

"That's good." There was no joy or anger on Chen Tianming's face, only calm contemplation.

After a while, he took a sip of tea and asked slowly:

"The domestic team is going to expand on a large scale. What do you think if I transfer Ling Yun away from you and let her build her own team and take charge?"

"I fully agree." Yan Yu said seriously.

"Oh?" Chen Tianming laughed in surprise, "I thought you would ask me to keep her."

"That's not necessary," Yan Yu said bluntly. "For the country, sending Chen Lingyun to lead a new team will help train more elite cultivators, which is the best overall benefit. But for her, staying in my team will help her improve her strength faster, which is the best personal benefit."

"I have no interest in either of these two options, so I fully support both. As for your choice, that depends on your starting point, whether you intend to act as a superior or as her father."

Chen Tianming's expression remained unchanged. After listening to Yan Yu's words, he smiled faintly and said slowly:
"You're wrong about one thing: as the most elite top-level cultivator, improving her strength as quickly as possible is also part of the national interest."

When Yan Yu heard him say this, he immediately guessed the answer:
This old Deng has no intention of transferring his worthless daughter away. He is just playing tricks here to test me!

(End of this chapter)