49: Chapter 49 Ning Hongxiu has made her move! (Part 2)

After a moment of surprise, Ning Hongxiu chuckled, "Banner Master Zhao, do you really think I would believe you?"

Zhao Zilong was not at all surprised by Ning Hongxiu's words; he had not expected her to believe him right away.

He gazed at Ning Hongxiu's impossibly beautiful face and said slowly, "Princess Ning, you are actually a decent person."

Hearing Zhao Zilong suddenly change the subject and start complimenting her, Ning Hongxiu was very surprised. This was unexpected; what kind of trick was Zhao Zilong trying to pull now?

Having witnessed Zhao Zilong's methods—someone who would drink drugged wine himself just to knock out his opponent—she had never seen such a person before.

Zhao Zilong was too ruthless; he was the type of person who would even attack himself if he had to. That was what Ning Hongxiu thought.

Right now, to achieve his goal, offering a disingenuous compliment or even several seemed to be nothing difficult for Zhao Zilong.

However, she could not take it seriously.

For that reason, Ning Hongxiu merely chuckled.

Zhao Zilong was somewhat surprised by Ning Hongxiu's reaction. He had thought that if he complimented her, she would be very happy, or even if she said nothing, she would at least give him a knowing smile. What was the meaning of this chuckle?

Was she mocking him?

Fine, it seemed he had no credibility whatsoever in Ning Hongxiu's eyes. Since that was the case, he would have to be even more sincere to win her over.

Zhao Zilong said with a serious face, "That night, Princess Ning, you snuck into my home. Although Cai Wenjing appeared later and suddenly attacked you, you could have actually killed me, but you did not. That was when I knew you were a good person who did not want to kill the innocent."

"It is just that our positions are different, and you had no choice, right?"

Ning Hongxiu's eyes sank slightly. She was quite surprised; she had not expected that he had actually realized she had spared his life that night.

"Banner Master Zhao, you do not need to use flowery words to flatter me; that will not work on me."

Although Ning Hongxiu was somewhat surprised and even slightly moved, she could not take Zhao Zilong's bait now, or she felt she might fall into his trap.

Zhao Zilong was too terrifying; he looked honest and upright, but he was incredibly shrewd.

Zhao Zilong said, "Princess Ning, I said those words with sincerity; how can you call it flattery? Have you never wondered why you were able to escape from Cai Wenjing that night after I identified your fatal points?"

"Because it was precisely because you spared my life that I, Zhao, decided to return the favor and let you go."

"Banner Master Zhao, you can save such nonsense for a three-year-old; do not bother telling me, I will not believe it."

This time, Ning Hongxiu truly did not believe Zhao Zilong; the man was too good at bluffing.

Zhao Zilong said, "Princess Ning, do you remember which acupuncture point I told Wenjing to strike with her first sword thrust that day?"

Ning Hongxiu was quite cooperative and said, "The first strike was the Tianshu point."

Zhao Zilong asked again, "And the second strike?"

Ning Hongxiu said, "Yingxiang."

"And the third?"

"Tiantu."

"And the fourth?"

"Zhongwan."

"And the fifth?"

"Quchi."

Ning Hongxiu remembered correctly; all her answers were correct.

After hearing Ning Hongxiu's answers, Zhao Zilong could not help but chuckle softly. His tone was gentle but carried a hint of skepticism as he asked, "Princess Ning, if it were you, where would you have struck with the fifth sword to ensure the opponent could not dodge and would be injured?"

Ning Hongxiu said, "Given the flow of the moves, I naturally know, but what is the point of you asking this?"

Zhao Zilong said slowly, "Princess Ning, besides these five fatal points, there are five others, and I, Zhao, happen to know them all. Among the other five, two could have served as the target for the fifth sword strike."

"For instance, Zhangmen, or Qihai."

"The Zhongwan point is on the abdomen, just like Zhangmen and Qihai. Yet, at the most critical moment of Wenjing's attack on you, I told her to strike your Quchi point. That is clearly a point on the left arm, which is extremely difficult to hit and makes it hard to change moves. You are a smart person, Princess Ning; surely you understand what I mean?"

After hearing Zhao Zilong finish this sentence, Ning Hongxiu, as a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist, immediately understood and could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

It was true. If Zhao Zilong had told Cai Wenjing to continue attacking her Zhangmen or Qihai points after the strike to her Zhongwan, she would certainly have been injured and likely captured.

And she clearly remembered that Zhao Zilong had shouted for her to be struck at the Quchi point, which had given her a chance to catch her breath, allowing her to escape successfully.

Thinking about it now, it really was true that Zhao Zilong had shown her mercy.

Viewed in this light, everything Zhao Zilong had said earlier was true; he had not been bluffing her.

It was her stereotypical impression of Zhao Zilong that made her think he was playing tricks.

"Princess Ning, do you understand now?"

Zhao Zilong had been observing Ning Hongxiu's reaction, and he could see that she had believed his words.

In truth, Zhao Zilong was indeed bluffing Ning Hongxiu. The reason he had not told Cai Wenjing to strike Ning Hongxiu's Zhangmen or Qihai points that night was simply because he was only a First-Grade Martial Artist, and when it came to choosing martial arts moves, he naturally could not compare to a high-ranking martial artist.

That night, he had misjudged the situation.

But what did a misjudgment matter?

Now, at least, it could be used to bluff Ning Hongxiu, making her mistakenly believe that he had intentionally let her go.

In this way, would the relationship between them not soften, and would he not be able to gain her trust?

In the past, when he worked in sales, he was well-versed in sales techniques and used them quite well—otherwise, he would not have become a sales manager. It was only later, when destiny called and he found himself in this position, that he stopped working in sales.

Ning Hongxiu was now staring at Zhao Zilong with a serious expression, but she did not speak.

Zhao Zilong met her gaze, not daring to show any sign of abnormality for fear that she would spot a flaw in his story.

Finally, Ning Hongxiu blinked, and then slowly asked, "Since you, Banner Master Zhao, realized that I did not wish to take your life, and you intentionally let me go that night, why did you move against me today?"

She had fallen for it. Zhao Zilong felt a secret joy, but he did not show the slightest bit of it on the surface.

He sighed slightly and said, "To be honest, Princess Ning, I was forced into a corner and had no other choice."

As he said this, Zhao Zilong took Ning Hongxiu's portrait out from his bosom.

Seeing the woman in the portrait, it was none other than herself. It was as if it were a real person; to say it was just a good likeness would be an understatement—it was identical, drawn with vivid realism.

Ning Hongxiu's expression rippled with emotion.

Zhao Zilong said, "I drew this when I was interrogating Lin An earlier, so when I saw you at the Qingyang County Literary Society, I recognized you immediately."

"At that time, I knew the poetry gathering at the Qingyang County Literary Society must have been a trap set by you, to deal with the Princess."

"I also knew deeply that once you, Princess Ning, made a move, there would be a clash between our sides, and casualties would be inevitable."

"I, Zhao, did not want such a thing to happen, so I did not expose you, Princess Ning. In the end, I had no choice but to have Commander Xu find an opportunity to put sleeping powder in the wine, using that method to settle the matter."

"You carry sleeping powder with you at all times?"

Ning Hongxiu asked, puzzled.

Zhao Zilong said, "It is quite a coincidence; there is a pharmacy right next to the Qingyang County Literary Society that sells sleeping powder, and Commander Xu went to buy it on the spot."

Ning Hongxiu nodded. It was fortunate that he did not carry sleeping powder on him; otherwise, she would have to be careful in the future.

Ning Hongxiu said, "But, looking at it now, in the end, you, Banner Master Zhao, still chose to sacrifice me."

Zhao Zilong said, "Princess Ning, that is wronging me. When did I ever choose to sacrifice you?"

Ning Hongxiu said, "You captured me. Whether I confess or not, I will inevitably face death, while you will be credited with a meritorious deed. Is that not sacrificing me? Banner Master Zhao, no matter how flowery your words were earlier, the facts are right before our eyes."

Zhao Zilong said, "But what if I were to tell you, Princess Ning, that I intend to let you go in the end?"

"You would let me go?"