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墨書 Inktalez
Cui Ming collected the cards, then changed his posture and took a small yellow flower he had casually picked from the roadside, placing it on the bed. He spoke to the flower earnestly, "Don't be angry; this is important. Be good." After saying this, he didn't look at Beiyue, stood up, and left the room, gently closing the door behind him as he returned to his own room.
Beiyue picked up the flower and smiled to herself. She walked to the bathroom, closed her eyes in front of the mirror, and after a moment of contemplation, opened them again. She extended her fists forward and said, "I have a flower in my right hand." Beiyue had always resisted being cared for by others because it softened her heart. This was partly due to her belief in seeking the truth and partly because of her warrior's conviction. During her training with the Six Elements, her father had told her that this knife was the best weapon he had ever forged in his life, named Qianren. It stood firm like Qianren; only those who were strong-hearted and rejected all distractions could unleash its full power. Any excess emotion would only lead to weakness and mediocrity.
Her feelings had not changed since meeting Cui Ming until Li Qing joined them, causing a slight shift in her personality... It was truly unwise to travel to Twilight City with Cui Ming; what she needed was a strong will, not anything else. While closing her eyes, Beiyue silently hypnotized herself and then opened her eyes, stating, "I don't like being cared for; I hate all emotions." The Beiyue in the mirror appeared calm and composed, her eyes innocent and unwavering. Her tone matched her words as if she were stating a fact. Perhaps it was indeed a fact, Beiyue told herself.
...
When Beiyue got up early to wash up, Mi Xiaonan was already in Cui Ming's room. Practitioners didn't need much sleep; Beiyue dared not disturb them, but Cui Ming could.
This was their weekly lesson; today Mi Xiaonan would learn about emotion and reason.
"I spit," Cui Ming said. "If I spit on your face and the other person shows no intention of apologizing while looking at you with disgust and disdain, what would you do?"
Without thinking, Mi Xiaonan replied, "I would hit him."
"He runs away."
"I chase him."
"And then you get surrounded and ambushed."
Mi Xiaonan clapped her hands in realization: "Insulting him, trampling on him, looking down on him—everyone has their pride. They will act impulsively, especially if they are not weaker than me or even stronger; they will definitely pursue me relentlessly."
"This is called a provocation strategy," Cui Ming said. "The highlight of this tactic is that even if the opponent doesn't fall for it, you incur no loss, while they feel extremely frustrated inside. Because if they don't fall for it, they can't be sure whether it's a provocation or not."
Mi Xiaonan nodded. "Just like you, me, and Li Qing with Flower Card. If Li Qing doesn't engage with you, you won't show him your cards, driving him crazy as he guesses."
"Indeed, a teachable moment," Cui Ming remarked. "To use a provocation strategy, you must first know yourself and your opponent. Let's start asking questions: how can we make Beiyue pursue you?"
Mi Xiaonan pondered for a long time. "I don't know, maybe spit at her? I think both the spit and I would get thrown away by her."
"Provocation isn't just about angering the opponent; what we're talking about here is more like mind control, leading them to follow you. It doesn't necessarily have to make Beiyue angry; curiosity works too. Beiyue isn't curious about ordinary matters, but if you tell her, 'I have news about your father, at this location and time, let's meet alone,' do you think Beiyue would come?"
"She would," Mi Xiaonan answered confidently. "Beiyue wouldn't pass up a rare clue."
From this, it could be inferred that capturing Beiyue's Lord of Quiet City would require intelligence, but she was definitely not cunning enough. However, it couldn't be mentioned to Mi Xiaonan; he was currently naive and confused—saying too much might reveal too much. Cui Ming then asked, "How can we trap Jayce?"
Mi Xiaonan thought for quite a while. "Yesterday I heard that the Ye Family would come to pick up Jayce. The first method could be impersonating someone delivering a message. The second method relies on understanding his character; if we tell him that the Ye Family was ambushed and seriously injured, he would definitely rush over immediately."
"That's not good; he will go, but there's a chance we might go together. How can we make him go alone?"
Mi Xiaonan pondered for a long time and shook her head.
"It has to be an ordinary person—a woman, a beautiful woman," Cui Ming said. "A car accident, an injury—right now there are four of us in one car; if a bloodied woman approaches us, someone will definitely get out of the car. So under normal circumstances, Jayce has a considerable chance of driving alone to take the woman to the hospital. The second method involves his sister; after spending a day getting to know him, we can understand his feelings for her. Kidnap his sister and then demand to meet with him alone. The third method is to attack his bodyguard; yesterday the driver died, and he cares about that. If he separates from his bodyguard at that moment and the bodyguard gets attacked—without killing him but injuring him—that's when we notify Jayce. Even if Jayce arrives with us, he'll find a way to transport the injured to the hospital; he won't abandon anyone. So the best chance is to get all the injured into the car and ambush him on the way to the hospital..."
Mi Xiaonan nodded repeatedly. "Utilize kindness, exploit weaknesses, leverage strengths. Without ruthlessness there are no desires; as long as someone is human, they will have weaknesses."
Cui Ming said, "One last question: how do you plan to deceive me?"
“Cui Ming, are you joking?” Mi Xiaonan thought for a moment and said, “For example, if someone ambushed me and told you I was injured, would you believe it?”
“Then I would know it’s a trap. I would think you were indeed hurt, but not dead, and that you managed to get the message across, which clearly has ulterior motives,” Cui Ming replied after some contemplation. “But for you, I would still come.”
Mi Xiaonan felt touched immediately. She turned away to wipe her tears and asked, “What if the bad guys demanded you exchange places with me? Otherwise, they would kill me.”
“So extreme? We could negotiate,” Cui Ming pondered for a while. “I think such a dire situation is unlikely to occur. Or let’s put it this way: I might survive without going to you, but if I do go, one of us will definitely die…”
Just as he said this, there was a knock at the door. Mi Xiaonan jumped up and tiptoed to open it. It was the waiter, who said, “You two, the prince is already in the restaurant and has asked me to invite you both down for breakfast.”
…
Beiyue had already arrived at the restaurant. Besides Beiyue and Jayce, there was another person present. He was handsome and imposing, with an air of authority that commanded respect without anger. His clothing matched his face—sharp and defined. His demeanor bore a resemblance to Beiyue’s early years; he sat still like a statue. The difference was that while Beiyue’s silence often led others to overlook her presence, this man exuded an aura akin to Mount Tai; his mere proximity made his presence felt.
The man was quite young, around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, yet he possessed a dignified demeanor. He had a weapon wrapped in cloth beside him, just like Beiyue’s. Judging by its length, it was a Greatsword—perfectly suited for someone of his stature. Cui Ming could envision him charging into battle, unstoppable.
This was a warrior with a hint of military bearing. If he wasn’t mistaken, he should be the person sent by the Ye Family to assist Jayce—only one had come. This either indicated that the Ye Family did not value Jayce highly or that they had great confidence in this man.
“Let me introduce you,” Jayce said. “Cui Ming, Mi Xiaonan—this is Yellen.”
Before Jayce finished speaking, Yellen stood up straight and took a large step forward when introduced. He extended both hands to shake hands with Cui Ming and Mi Xiaonan.
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