More Bluffing (Continued)

Cheng Xin habitually made a few sarcastic remarks about Military School, then took a few photos of Xin Jia's arm and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll post the photos tomorrow and shame those sore losers. What kind of Military School is so brave and fearless? Bah!"

"No, there's no need for that. It's just a small matter." Xin Jia subconsciously felt that she shouldn't make a big deal out of it.

Cheng Xin shouted, "We have to do this! Let me tell you, based on my years of experience collecting news about school bullying, the more you back down at times like this, the more those scumbags will take advantage of you and bully you even more, because they think they can bully you without paying any price. Only if you stand up for yourself will they not dare to touch you."

Then he turned to Si Ming, "You have to win today. If you lose, my situation and the counselor's situation will become very bad. Not to mention bullying, we will definitely be ostracized. Only if you keep winning will our situation improve. If you can last for seven days, they will even come to curry favor with us. That's human nature. It's the same for all schools of thought."

Si Ming nodded and said, "I understand. I will definitely not let you two down."

Just as he was about to step into the martial arts hall, a huge object was suddenly thrown from behind him. Sensing no hostility, he caught it with his backhand and turned around to see that it was a banner, exactly the same as the one hanging inside the martial arts hall.

He looked up at Yu Shuying, who had thrown the object, and asked, "What's going on?"

"In a big forest, you'll find all sorts of birds. There are quite a few people who think, 'Since we can't win in a direct confrontation, we'll use underhanded tactics to annoy you.' They won't change just because they're disciples of Military School strategists. On the contrary, Military School strategists believe that all's fair in war. If such methods can demoralize the enemy, they'll only be smug about it."

After Yu Shuying approached, Secret Voice Transmission, saying, "As long as you get through today, you won't need to work so hard to conceal your strength. Even if you reveal some of your power, others will find a reason for you to do so."

"Although I don't understand what you mean, it's the same thing I'm doing—just winning."

Si Ming also greeted Hualiu and Si Huaruo, then carried the banner into the martial arts hall.

Upon arriving at the central training ground, they indeed saw that the previous banner had been damaged, and the neon lights on it had even been deliberately rearranged to spell out "Mohist School, get out!"

With a sneer, as if sympathizing with his opponent's actions, Si Ming leaped up, replaced the old banner with the new one, and removed the old one without destroying it, placing it beside the arena.

In the audience, some students with strong self-esteem looked at the banners on the sidelines and found them particularly irritating. Recalling the laughter from earlier, they felt their faces burning with embarrassment and immediately started arguing.

"Who on earth used such underhanded methods? Don't let me find out, or I'll never let them off easily!"

"That's not entirely true. Warfare is based on deception, and the key to victory lies in seizing opportunities and achieving unexpected results. While this approach is insidious, it's not entirely wrong. However, it is indeed a bit embarrassing to be exposed."

"A martial arts duel isn't a battlefield fight. If the opponent challenges us openly and fairly, we should respond with honor and dignity. That way, even if we lose, we can have a clear conscience. What kind of behavior is this, resorting to such offensive tactics? Aren't we afraid of losing face if word gets out?"

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. Losing is truly shameful; as long as you win in the end, what's shameful about it?"

"I'm afraid we won't win, we'll lose both face and morale, and even our undergarments will be stripped bare. In the end, their slogan is very clear: 'Sissy Military School led by Fu Feng.' This is obviously a personal grudge, not directed at our Sun Wu University. Why should we stand up for this troublemaker?"

"That might have been the case at first, but the situation has deviated from its original purpose. At least many people outside the school already know about this and are just waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves. Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to fight. This arena battle is no longer a personal grudge, but a matter of honor and disgrace for all the teachers and students of our school. We have no choice but to fight."

Si Ming stood in the center of the arena, feeling the hostility coming from all directions. He had a feeling of becoming a villainous big bad guy. He had to admit that this feeling was pretty good. No wonder so many people were happy to become villains.

It's difficult to earn everyone's respect, but it's much easier to earn everyone's fear—all it takes is sufficient military strength. In a sense, this proves one's worth and gains societal recognition. Isn't this the goal many people pursue throughout their lives?

Just as he was lost in thought, a man stormed in, shouting angrily, "Si Ming, how dare you lie to me!"

Looking up, I saw Qiu Ze.

Si Ming stroked his chin, roughly guessing what was going on. Although dealing with it all at once wouldn't be a problem, the other party wasn't a student of Sun Wu University. If this set a precedent, students from other schools would join in, which wouldn't be good, as it would make it difficult for him to grasp the assumed strength. So, he pretended not to know and asked, "Brother Qiu, what's wrong?"

"How dare you ask! I believed your nonsense and acted rudely and used foul language in front of Miss Si Huaruo. As a result, not only was I despised by Miss Si Huaruo and called a vulgar person, but I was also punished by my master and made to copy the 'Profound Profound Go Classic' five hundred times. It's all thanks to you!"

Qiu Ze was furious. He raised his hand and drew his sword, his fighting spirit soaring, ready to make a move.

Si Ming shook his head, feigning helplessness, and said, "Brother Qiu, is it that Si Huaruo dislikes rude language, or that she dislikes you using foul language?"

Qiu Ze countered, "What's the difference?"

"Brother Qiu, have you ever heard the story of Dong Shi? It says that once upon a time, there was a stunningly beautiful woman named Xi Shi. Because of a chest pain, she walked through the neighborhood with a furrowed brow. An ugly woman in the neighborhood saw this and thought that furrowing her brow was beautiful. So, when she got home, she also went around the neighborhood clutching her chest and furrowing her brow. The rich people in the neighborhood saw this and kept their doors tightly shut, while the poor people saw this and ran away with their wives and children. The posture was exactly the same, but the results were completely different. Brother Qiu, where do you think the problem lies?"

Qiu Ze exclaimed in shock and anger, "Are you mocking me for being ugly?"

Si Ming feigned fear. "Brother Qiu, why do you say that? I'm sure someone has already commented on your appearance. It's not like I said you're ugly and you actually became an ugly monster. I'm using the example of Dong Shi to mean that blindly imitating others without understanding how to adapt to different people will only backfire."

For example, I'm naturally roguish, so using vulgar language is quite fitting and natural for me. But it's different for you, Brother Qiu. When you swear, don't you feel embarrassed, like you can't bring yourself to say it?"

Qiu Ze paused for a moment, then recalled, "It seems... that's indeed the case."

"That's right! Brother Qiu, a gentleman like you is not suited to using vulgar language. It's not your style at all. If you force yourself to do it, in Si Huaruo's eyes it will just look like Dong Shi, Anomalies in every way. No wonder she won't like it."

"So that's how it is! No wonder Master scolded me for being foolish again!" Qiu Ze suddenly realized, then said with shame, "Brother Si and I are clearly rivals in love, yet you didn't hesitate to tell me your secret. It's one thing to be ungrateful, but to wrongly blame Brother Si is another. I apologize to you and hope you can forgive me."

"Hey, it's good that the misunderstanding is cleared up," Si Ming waved his hand generously. "As the saying goes, a beautiful lady is sought after by a gentleman. The competition between you and me is a gentlemanly contest, which should be open and aboveboard. It was I who had selfish motives and didn't explain things clearly to you, causing you to embarrass yourself in front of a beautiful lady. I should be the one apologizing to you."

Qiu Ze was deeply moved. "Everyone has selfish desires, especially when it comes to love. Brother Si's willingness to be honest with me shows his sincerity. If I were in his shoes, I would never have told my rival about this. In terms of magnanimity, I am far inferior to Brother Si."

At this point, the students in the audience protested and booed.

"Who the hell is this guy? Are we going to fight or not? If not, get down here!"

"Judging from their conversation, they seem to know each other. Could this guy be trying to stall for time?"

"That's possible. This kid is really too cunning. He actually used this method to make sure we wouldn't dare to bully the weak with numbers again."

Hearing the discussion, Qiu Ze blushed and said, "Since it's all a misunderstanding, I'll go down now."

Si Ming, "Since we're already here, why not have a little sparring?"

"Normally, I would gladly oblige Brother Si if he asked. But now that Si Ming has set up a challenge against Sun Wu University, how could I possibly jeopardize your important plans for my own selfish reasons? I will take my leave now. I wish Brother Si a hundred victories, that he may shake Nation of Valor and establish an unparalleled name!"

After Qiu Ze finished speaking, he retreated amidst a chorus of boos, but he did not leave the martial arts hall. Instead, he stood not far from the ring, seemingly cheering for Si Ming.

"How could Go School be so simple-minded? How did he learn those scheming and intrigue-filled chess techniques?"

Si Ming muttered to himself, but before he could think about it further, the second challenger stepped onto the stage. Just by standing there, the opponent exuded an aura completely different from any of his previous opponents.

Looking up, I saw that the other person had deep-set features, as if sculpted from marble, with distinct angles, sharp lines, and eyes like an eagle.