The Inside Story

Yazi originally means to glare angrily; the saying "Yazi must be retaliated against" means that if someone glares at you, you will get back at them. The reason this Dragon Son was named Yazi is quite obvious.

"A debt of gratitude for a single meal must be repaid, and a grudge for even the smallest offense must be avenged." This describes someone who embodies both virtues, like Fan Sui and Fa Zheng. It does not mean that Ya Zi embodies both virtues; Ya Zi is merely the latter.

The Dragon Son Yazi is fierce, brave, and bloodthirsty. To put it more kindly, he is a slayer of evil spirits, and those who suffer his revenge are always bad people. Therefore, it is not wrong to call him Auspicious Beast.

But who is the bad guy?

Does the phoenix, which once clashed and fought with its father, count? If it weren't for the aftermath of that dragon-phoenix battle, Torch Dragon might not have perished in the Immortal-God Calamity.

In the eyes of the Feathered People, the Phoenix is an incredibly kind and benevolent Holy Lord; in the eyes of Liusu, the Phoenix is "not a good thing"; and in the eyes of Ya Zi, the Phoenix is of course a bad person.

Nobody is wrong. People have different perspectives and different outcomes, that's all.

Qin Yi recalled overhearing the sea monsters' conversation, where they mentioned that the Fifth Great King were unhappy about the Feathered People's temporary suspension of their mission to fight the Netherworld. It was also the Fifth Great King who sent the sea monsters to cause trouble in the River Styx.

It loves to cause trouble... Could its dissatisfaction with the Netherworld be because of the phoenix? It's also a phoenix.

Still holding a grudge?

Then we can move the grudges back further, it's not just about this... You sent a siren to kill my woman!

That said, given the Yazi's attributes, it should be very strong. The fact that it's only ranked fifth among the Dragon Son is somewhat surprising to Qin Yi. Normally, someone with this attribute wouldn't be considered number one, so it's strange that the Qiu Niu is first. Could it be that their cultivation is also related to their State of Mind?

"The Fifth Great King have always harbored resentment towards the Phoenix Clan, including the 'Raven.'" An'an said in a low voice, "It has never liked the Feathered People either. It was alright at first, because the Feathered People always respected the Dragon Son and obeyed his orders, so they were considered one of their own. The other Kings also respected the Feathered People, so even if it disliked them, it wouldn't show it. It would just keep a straight face and not associate with the Feathered People."

Qin Yi said, "And this mission for the Feathered People to fight against the Netherworld was issued by it. The Feathered People's postponement is a slap in its face?"

"More or less... This at most only increased discontent, it's not the final straw." An'an said, "The real issue is that the Feathered People have been determined to welcome Feng Yu back for tens of thousands of years without ever giving up. And this time they actually did bring her back... The Fifth Great King believe that the Feathered People are ultimately not one of their own."

Qin Yi paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

This is getting to the point; it perfectly captures the characteristics of a petty leader.

The trait of being vindictive might be acceptable for a chivalrous knight-errant, who is open-minded... but for a leader, this trait can easily turn into pettiness and a lack of tolerance.

The Feathered Ones are straightforward; they only do what they believe is right, without considering the possibility of arousing suspicion... This falls under the realm of politics, which is not something the Feathered Ones are good at.

"Why would you Clam Clan know so much about such things?"

"Because..." An'an said with some difficulty, "A few days ago, the Nine Great Kings came to our door, asking us for the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Pearl..."

The dog raised an eyebrow, looking like it wanted to eat.

Qin Yi glanced at it sideways, speechless. "What's the significance of this bead?"

An'an said, "This pearl is incredibly powerful, representing the essence of the entire ocean. If a tsunami were to occur, threatening everyone's survival, this pearl could stabilize the sea. It is the culmination of the lives of countless ancestors of our Clam Clan, and it is our clan's most precious treasure."

Qin Yi said, "It's really strange that such a treasure wasn't stolen and is still in your Clam Clan."

An'an shook her head. "The Dragon Son are not the powerful forces of the demonic path. If they were to seize the treasures of every race, it wouldn't just be a problem for our Clam Clan, but for all races to feel insecure and become disunited. They haven't reached that point yet. Moreover, the Nine Kings are all different and have a mutual restraint. There are people who would rather do something that could cause the entire Sea Clan to fall apart than dare to do it."

"So you're asking me to borrow it?" Qin Yi asked. "It can affect the Jianmu tree, right?"

"Yes... its main function is to control water and block the hydraulic circulation inside the Jianmu tree."

That makes sense... Jianmu is a tree, and trees naturally need a water cycle inside, otherwise they will wither. The Sea-Stabilizing Divine Pearl may not be able to affect the entire Jianmu, but it can certainly block the water element between a branch.

This is the "root cause of the problem".

An'an continued, "This formation also incorporates the power of sea monsters, arranged around the core of the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Pearl. This transforms the 'stabilizing' and 'suppressing' properties of the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Pearl into a disruptive and absorptive force. It interferes with others' judgments and also causes a certain degree of distortion and damage to the internal structure of this branch. Even if it stops thereafter, the winged people will find that this branch is difficult to restore to its original state, always weaker and withered than others."

Qin Yi nodded, having clarified the process.

The trigger for everything was indeed the phoenix feather, what the Pixiu wanted, and what provoked Yazi's dissatisfaction. Of course, the most important thing at the end of the day is that the Feathered People have always recognized the Phoenix as their master, which is a major taboo. It's already quite an achievement that there hasn't been any trouble for tens of thousands of years, and this time, the phoenix feather finally ignited the fuse.

Firstly, the Pixiu wanted to obtain the phoenix feathers, and used this method to force the feather-wielding people to give up the phoenix feathers, perhaps even handing them over and being indebted to them for curing their illness.

It was later discovered that the "Sacred Tree affected by the Phoenix Feathers" was difficult to restore to its former state and required special treatment. At this point, Ya Zi appeared, offering either favors or conditions, all based on the goal of saving the Sacred Tree and subjugating the entire Winged Human Race.

Since it was originally the work of its siren subordinates, it was naturally easy for it to "cure" the problem.

Pixiu wants treasures, while Yazi wants to completely sever the winged people from the phoenix and make them obediently become its subordinates.

The two hit it off immediately and made this decisive move to eliminate the root of the problem.

The details may not be so simple, but the general idea is as follows.

No wonder the siren said that the ownership of the phoenix feather was "still uncertain," they had already devised this wicked plan back then.

The key item is the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Pearl of the Clam Clan, so it's inevitable that the Clam Clan will know some of the inside story. While they may not know the details, that doesn't prevent intelligent people from meticulously analyzing the Unraveling the Cocoon.

An'an is like a clueless pillar when it comes to learning music, but she's actually quite clever and quick-witted when it comes to this.

"I say all this out of fear of the Taotie, but ultimately, An'an doesn't want the kind-hearted Feathered People to suffer, nor does she want you, sir, to be wronged." An'an bowed and said softly, "I hope you won't let An'an down and won't reveal to the King that it was the Clam Clan who leaked this information."

It's actually quite difficult. If the Dragon Son knows she's here, he'll inevitably suspect that she leaked the secret.

If the Dragon Son suspects you, he doesn't need evidence. He can distance himself from and bully the Clam Clan without any psychological barrier, making life very difficult for the Clam Clan.

Qin Yi knew he had indeed somewhat harmed the Clam Girl this time... Even if he completely distanced himself from the Clam Clan in public, it wouldn't make a difference...

"There will be a way. I'm here, so they won't bully you."

An'an shook her head slightly, her expression somewhat somber, and gave a soft smile, "An'an takes her leave."

Qin Yi looked up at the Sky Curtain and took a deep breath.

"Let's go, dog, it's time to beat someone up. Let's see how that big-mouthed, anus-less bastard compares to you!"