Chapter 127: The Wind Suddenly Rises

"Your identity is your weakness, so you don't dare to ask for help. And no one can violate the national law to help you! You only did it for us to see, making us think you had everything deployed, which is why you dared to come alone, and even deliberately put on a fearless appearance. Actually, your biggest reliance is—the certainty that I want to use you!"

Wang Yang had to admit that this woman had some skills, actually being able to point out his bottom card so quickly. However, now was not the time to panic, and he began to quickly think about changing his strategy.

The woman yawned and continued: "It's a pity you were wrong about one thing, which is that you are not that important. I can choose to use you, or I can choose not to use you. Perhaps you should be glad that I want to use you, because if I didn't, I would directly—destroy you."

The woman's voice slowly turned cold, and the evening wind suddenly rose.

At this time, the day was about to dusk, the branches were dark, the windows were scattered, and the willow catkins were chaotic!

In gambling, there is a strategy called "bluffing," which is to increase the bet or even risk everything when you have no cards to intimidate the opponent, making them not dare to follow the bet.

This move is very useful, but the weakness is also very obvious, that is, once the opponent dares to follow to the end, it is a total defeat.

Wang Yang was now facing this situation.

He couldn't be tough anymore; if he was, he would collapse.

Since he was seen through as having no cards, he had to change to a strategy for having no cards.

Smart people always like to calculate everyone's feelings, so the best way to deal with smart people is to let them think they have calculated everything.

Wang Yang decided to follow the plan.

"What exactly do you want to do?" He withdrew his smile and appropriately showed some apprehension.

From the moment Wang Yang entered this courtyard, he had been tit-for-tat and had never asked what the other party wanted to do. Asking this question now actually represented a signal of weakness.

The woman said: "You have to ask yourself first, do you want to live or die."

Wang Yang put on a cautious and fearful expression, and even his voice lowered a few degrees: "Naturally, I want to live."

"Very good. From now on, I am your master. I will help you cover up your identity and ensure you continue to have your noble clan dream, but you must obey my orders, do you understand?"

Oh my god!

I am a young man of the new era who grew up under the red flag, heard about the liberated serfs singing, and can recite the twenty-four-character core socialist values backward. You still want to be my master? Why don't you go to heaven?!

"Either answer, or die." The woman's tone was relaxed, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

Details determine success or failure!

Wang Yang suppressed his breathing, made a reluctant appearance, and said in a hoarse voice: "Understood."

The woman ordered sternly: "Step back seven steps."

Wang Yang stepped back as ordered.

"This is where you stand. Remember, you are not allowed to step within seven steps of the house door again."

"Okay."

"Lower your head. From now on, you are not allowed to raise your head when talking to me."

Pushed to this point, if it were someone with insufficient depth or a sensitive temperament, they might already feel greatly humiliated.

But Wang Yang was at a life-and-death juncture, his mind entirely focused on surviving and breaking the situation, and he had no time to consider whether it was humiliating or not.

Secondly, his mentality had always been very stable. As Su Shi said well, "If an ordinary person is insulted, they draw their sword and fight; this is not enough to be called brave." True great bravery is "to be faced with a sudden event without being surprised, and to be insulted without reason without being angry," because "what they hold is very large, and their ambition is very far."

Thirdly, and most importantly, Wang Yang was using strategies to lower the woman's guard step by step, not truly submitting. With his modern thinking, even facing an emperor, it would be difficult for him to develop that kind of "servant recognizing a master" mentality, let alone this mysterious woman.

So Wang Yang could lower his head without any worries. But in order to confuse the woman, he deliberately made a resistant and rebellious appearance, but because he was held by his fatal weakness and had no other choice, he stiffened his neck and lowered his head slightly.

"Lower it more." The woman ordered.

Wang Yang performed wildly. After a struggle, he slowly lowered his head, his shoulders slumped, his eyes dim and lusterless, as if he had suddenly lost all spirit and completely given up hope of resistance.

The woman smiled and asked: "Seeing Lian San, do you think our talented scholar Wang is much more obedient?"

"Yes. Master teaches well."

The woman said faintly: "It's not that I teach well, but that he is showing weakness."

Wang Yang's heart tightened, and he deliberately raised his head suddenly!

"You can show weakness, you can hide your clumsiness, you can be respectful on the surface while scolding me in your heart, these don't matter. All I want is your obedience. My control over you comes from the absolute disparity in strength, from the fact that I hold your life in my hands. If you fantasize about playing any double-dealing or counter-attacking, then I welcome you to try, but I only give you one chance. Remember, only one chance."

One chance, I remember.

"Now, lower your head." The woman's voice was cold, as if a god from the nine heavens were issuing an order to a mortal.

This woman is a bit terrifying.

Even with Wang Yang's tough psychological quality, he still felt a heavy sense of oppression.

This oppression was even greater for Wang Yang than when the Prince of Badong was angry.

Because no matter how unreliable the Prince of Badong's behavior was, he was still wearing the title of the Langya Wang clan. Even if the Prince of Badong had the heart to kill, he couldn't slaughter him at will.

But in this woman's eyes, his impersonating a noble clan was a capital crime. Whether he lived or died was all in her thought.

What was even more terrifying was that she had seen through his thoughts several times! If they were to fight fairly, Wang Yang wouldn't dare to say he would definitely win, let alone now that he was in a completely disadvantaged position!

Wang Yang lowered his head, his mind rapidly thinking of countermeasures.

The woman's voice sounded again: "I ask, you answer. At yesterday's banquet, what did the Prince of Badong say?"

"He didn't say anything, nothing more than some polite words."

"What are the polite words?"

"There are many polite words."

"Learn them for me to hear."

"I don't remember clearly."

"If you don't remember clearly, what use are you to me?"

You really treat yourself as a master?!

Wang Yang's anger rose from his heart, and he raised his head to look at the figure behind the bead curtains.

The woman raised her eyebrows: "Seeing Lian San, teach him the rules."

The feminine man walked to Wang Yang's side and said gently: "Young Master Wang, offend."

Wang Yang's heart tightened, and he subconsciously took a step back: "What are you going to—ah!"

The feminine man's movements were as fast as lightning. His long, pale fingers were like iron pincers, instantly grabbing Wang Yang's wrist and twisting it backward violently!

Piercing pain spread throughout his body like an electric current!

Wang Yang's face turned pale instantly, feeling as if the tendon connecting his arm and shoulder was about to break!

"Let... let go! I remember... it... now!" Wang Yang was sweating profusely from the pain, and even his voice was incoherent.

The woman didn't ask what the Prince of Badong said, but instead asked: "Do you know the rules?"

Wang Yang gritted his teeth: "K... know..."

"Do you remember what the Prince of Badong said?"

"I remember! I remember every sentence!! Let go first!!"

The woman gave an order.

The feminine man released Wang Yang, still submissive, lowering his head and retreating to his original position.

"Tell me." The woman said leisurely.

In just this short while, Wang Yang was sweating profusely from the pain, feeling as if his entire arm wasn't his own. He rubbed his arm, steadied his mind, and said:

"The Prince came in, the first sentence was: 'Oh, everyone is here!' The second sentence was: 'Who is that seat for, why is it empty?' No, I said it wrong, the second sentence was 'Everyone, long time no see!' The third sentence was asking why the seat was empty, the fourth sentence was 'Yin Zhizhong, I heard you got Ge Hong's secret book on bedroom arts, so you took a fifth concubine, is it true...'"

Wang Yang learned only some jokes from the wine table, not a single serious one. He learned them in great detail, one sentence after another, full of nonsense. The woman frowned more and more as she listened. When Wang Yang learned the twelfth sentence, the woman scolded: "Enough!"

Wang Yang said: "I haven't finished learning yet."

"You have a good memory."

"You flatter me."

"Pick the important ones to say."

"Banquet chatter, what is important?"

"Is there none? The Prince of Badong complained that Huashan County belongs to Yongzhou. And said 'If it were before, how could there be Yong and Ying provinces, only Jingzhou.' Is there none of this sentence?"

Knowing so clearly and still asking...

"There are these two sentences."

"Then why didn't you say so?" The woman's voice was cold.

Wang Yang answered earnestly: "These two sentences should be after the sixty-fifth sentence, I haven't learned them yet."

——————

Note: I know some students want to see the protagonist blessed with luck, taking off on the spot, enemies suffering losses immediately, and minions coming up to submit quickly. It is easy to write a brainless fast-paced story, but the interesting dimensions will be reduced a lot. Wang's family foundation is too thin, his identity is fatal, his opponents are not weak, and the water in Jingzhou is deep. These all determine that his path upward will not be easy.

But if one can turn the tide against the wind and thunder on the ground while being surrounded by strong enemies and being held by fatal weaknesses, that is a true hero! Those who crouch for a long time will fly high. Although the enemy army is numerous and surrounded by thousands, it may not be impossible to open a path. Let's see how Wang breaks the formation!

(As for abusing the protagonist, that's even more impossible, I don't have that hobby! But there will be powerful enemies, and there definitely will be!) ===== CHAPTER 128 =====