Chapter 439

Wu Mingxiao was stunned, then shocked.

The blood that had been stirred up by the hot wine instantly cooled by more than half, and he immediately sat down to begin circulating his Qi, checking his internal condition.

After a long while, he opened his eyes in confusion.

"Uh, Miss Zhao, there's no abnormality?"

Zhao Ying said coldly.

"If there were an abnormality, it would be too late."

Wu Mingxiao's face turned awkward, and he was somewhat angry.

After all, to him, Zhao Ying was just a woman who had just been rescued. Plus, Gao Lei had left a good impression on him, and being scolded for no reason without any evidence made it hard for him to be convinced.

So he spoke up.

"Miss Zhao, Brother Gao treated us with warm hospitality and even confided all his troubles to us. With such sincerity in making friends, yet we are on guard against him in every way, and even treat him with coldness, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Zhao Ying snorted coldly and remained silent.

Wu Mingxiao became even angrier, and his voice grew louder.

"Miss Zhao, we—"

"That's enough, Little Wu."

Li Miao, beside them, waved his hand with a smile.

"Little Zhao is right. Don't think too highly of Gao Lei; it's better to be on guard against others."

Wu Mingxiao still respected Li Miao, so he immediately subsided, sitting back down feeling aggrieved.

Seeing him like this, Li Miao said with a smile.

"You say Gao Lei is sincere in making friends with us? I don't think so."

"In the Jianghu, if you meet someone and don't state your origins or destination, it means you don't want to tell them. I am the oldest, so he should have been talking to me the whole time, but he insisted on asking you those questions. If that's not looking at you as young and easy to trick, what is it?"

"Besides..."

Li Miao sipped his wine leisurely.

"Next time you run into someone who tells you about their unspeakable troubles the moment you meet, remember this: don't say another word of truth to them, and you'll be fine."

Wu Mingxiao was puzzled upon hearing this.

"Ah?"

"But Brother Li, doesn't saying those things mean they are close to you?"

Li Miao sneered.

"Only when the friendship is there do those words have meaning; otherwise, it's just nonsense."

"There is a tactic at the wine table called 'exchanging deep words with shallow acquaintance'."

"To put it plainly, it's an exchange. First, they reveal their own pain to make you subconsciously feel that you should also make an equivalent exchange. At this point, it becomes easy for them to trick you into revealing things that are hard to get... Most of those at the wine table who call you brother and talk about their troubles after three or five sentences are like this."

Wu Mingxiao suddenly understood.

"Like exposing a flaw when fighting?"

Li Miao nodded with a smile.

"Exactly, the wine table is like a battlefield; that's what it means."

Wu Mingxiao finally understood completely, scratched his head in embarrassment, stood up, and bowed to Zhao Ying.

"Miss Zhao, I was shallow. Thank you for covering for me just now, I... I apologize to you."

Zhao Ying sneered.

"Just don't be stupid again next time."

Wu Mingxiao was no longer annoyed; he had an honest nature and was willing to admit defeat. Knowing Zhao Ying had helped him, he didn't mind a few cold words and sat back down to look at Li Miao.

"Brother Li, then... does Gao Lei have malicious intent toward us?"

Li Miao shook his head with a smile.

"We are setting off tomorrow; if he wants to make a move, it will only be tonight."

"Eat well, sleep well. Whether there is malicious intent, won't we know tonight?"

Having said that, he stood up and returned to the main room.

"Sleep when it's time to sleep; I'll watch the excitement."

With a bang, he closed the door.

————————

The sun set behind the mountains, and the coldness rose suddenly.

The days in early spring were short, and by the time it reached the Hour of the Rooster, the sky had already turned completely dark.

A farmstead was not like a city; it emphasized working at sunrise and resting at sunset, so there was no human sound at this time. The small courtyard where Li Miao lived had also become completely quiet, with only the flickering lamp light in the room casting the shadows of the window lattice onto the ground.

A piece of silence.