The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 488 Secret Communication Style

Fang Yaning's conversation with Zhou Dao quickly reached Yang Xu's ears.

Wu Du couldn't help but feel a little disappointed: "It seems that Zhou Dao's smooth talk is useless. Last time, he only managed to temporarily fool Fang Yaning with his clever words."

Now that this young lady has realized what's happening, she's still berating him just like she did with everyone else.

Yang Xu shook his head: "My junior sister has always been indulged by everyone since she was a child. She has a stubborn and proud personality. How could she possibly change her mind with just a few words?"

If that were the case, she must be faking it, but I know her too well. Ya Ning has never been so scheming.

I expected her to react this way today, but upon closer reflection, it's different this time.

Haven't you noticed? If it were anyone else, even you or me, Ya Ning would just yell at us and send us away. But today, she wouldn't let Zhou Dao leave. She had to yell at him until she felt satisfied.

This shows that Zhou Dao is different in her heart. She may scold him, but she still wants to persuade Zhou Dao to turn against her. Zhou Dao is different in her heart.

This is a good thing. As long as Zhoudao doesn't rush her away, he can keep persuading her, and only through mutual communication can there be a possibility of further progress.

After a moment's thought, Wu Du nodded: "The sect leader is indeed wise. Only by keeping in touch with this young lady can we have a chance to persuade her."

However, this Zhou Dao is quite shrewd. Despite being scolded so harshly by Fang Yaning, he remained unfazed, seemingly ignoring the insults.

I heard that he was still smiling when he left the young lady's room. Master, we must be wary of this man.

Yang Xu nodded, then shook his head: "It's alright. Zhou Dao's talent is mediocre. With his martial arts skills, he probably can't withstand three of my moves."

In our Ming Cult, what matters most in the end is martial arts. No matter how cunning someone like Zhou Dao is, he can't cause any real trouble.

Once there's one, then two; and then a third and a fourth. In the days that followed, whenever they stopped at a place to rest, Wu Chengyu and Fang Yaning would have a conversation.

The first few times, Fang Yaning wouldn't let Wu Chengyu leave and kept scolding him, while Wu Chengyu always smiled and endured it.

Every time Fang Yaning got tired of cursing, Wu Chengyu would respond with opinions such as "living is better than anything else, death brings an end to everything," or "life has many enjoyments, and only by letting go of hatred can one live comfortably."

He was eloquent, describing delicacies from various places, such as Longjing shrimp in Hangzhou, flaky pastries in Suzhou, and the "Three Whites of Taihu Lake" in Wuxi.

Not only did she describe the taste, but she also explained how to cook it in great detail, making not only Fang Yaning but also the eavesdroppers drool.

Or he would talk about the beautiful scenery of various places, the landscape of West Lake, the gardens of Suzhou, and so on. Later, he would even tell Fang Yaning, a young woman, about the songs and tunes of the brothels that made one's bones melt, as well as about Cui Nong, whom he had always admired. Fang Yaning was so embarrassed that she didn't dare to look up, and if she did, she would just roll her eyes at him.

In short, it was a depiction of the beauty of life, used to dispel Fang Yaning's suicidal thoughts of wanting to perish together with Yang Xu. When these words reached Yang Xu's ears, he couldn't help but laugh and scold Zhou Daosheng for his silver tongue, while also understanding why Zhou Daosheng did so, and praising him greatly.

In the days that followed, Fang Yaning seemed to have run out of ideas, and Wu Chengyu had more and more opportunities to chime in. Fang Yaning was no longer able to refute him, and seemed to be gradually accepting Wu Chengyu's point of view.

Thus, the conversation between the two shifted to Wu Chengyu speaking while Fang Yaning listened numbly. At this point, the discussion was no longer about whether or not revenge should be taken, or how wonderful the world was, but rather the topic turned to the greater cause of revitalizing the Ming Cult.

Wu Chengyu listed the current crises of the Ming Cult one by one, and frankly stated that without Yang Xu, the Ming Cult would inevitably fall apart and never have a chance to revive.

Fang Yaning's initial resistance and silence gradually turned into unintentional agreement in her words, as if after a long period of brainwashing, she slowly placed the survival of the Ming Cult above revenge.

All of these conversations were relayed to Yang Xu by that ear, and Yang Xu was delighted to see Fang Yaning's softened attitude.

The power left behind by Fang Yu can only be gradually subdued by Fang Yaning. Yang Xu's rise to power is untenable. However, Fang Yaning's changes have given Yang Xu a glimmer of hope, and he values ​​Zhou Dao more and more.

Wu Du seemed very wary of Zhou Dao, repeatedly advising Yang Xu to be careful of him. However, in Yang Xu's eyes, Zhou Dao was eloquent and capable, and what was rare was that his martial arts skills were weak and posed no threat. Seeing his attitude, Wu Du was helpless.

Unbeknownst to them, the conversation between Wu Chengyu and Fang Yaning had already subtly changed. That ear could only eavesdrop from the outside, but could not see what was happening inside the room. Wu Chengyu's five senses could also prevent others from peeping.

Nowadays, Wu Chengyu and Fang Yaning often communicate by having one of them talk while the other pretends to listen, and at the same time they use water to write words to ask questions.

Wu Chengyu wrote that Fang Yaning should be patient and use Yang Xu as an example to teach her to pretend. When she returned to Bright Peak, she should not rush to find the power left by Fang Yu to rebel, but gradually find some confidants and, without attracting Yang Xu's attention, control a force that can at least protect herself.

In short, we must not provoke Yang Xu's nerves, so that he cannot harm Fang Yaning, only then will we have a chance to take revenge.

Fang Yaning now fully accepts Wu Chengyu's point of view. She just lacks experience in struggle, but she is not stupid. Rather than being imprisoned by Yang Xu and living in constant danger, it is better to pretend to surrender to the enemy. Even if Yang Xu will still be wary of her, she will at least have a certain degree of autonomy.

Fang Yaning then gradually informed Wu Chengyu about the current strength and distribution of influence of the Ming Cult.

In Fang Yaning's eyes, the most powerful and loyal force Fang Yu left in the Ming Cult was the four gates of Wind, Rain, Thunder and Lightning, which belonged exclusively to the cult leader. They were essentially the cult leader's personal guard, except that the strongest of them, Wind, Rain, Thunder and Lightning, had already died in Hubei.

Rain and Lightning had their heads taken by Wu Chengyu's Black Impermanence, while Wind and Thunder were dismembered during Nangong Luan's rebellion.

But the Wind, Rain, Thunder and Lightning sect is not just four people. In fact, each of the four sects has more than thirty people. Only the four strongest people can be given the title of Wind, Rain, Thunder and Lightning. The rest are generally second or third-rate. But together, there are more than a hundred experts.

A personal guard of one hundred second- or third-rate experts was a force to be reckoned with within the Ming Cult; in the Jiangnan martial arts world, they could even be considered dominant. These men were responsible for protecting the leader and guarding the sacred flame on Bright Peak, and were rarely allowed to leave the mountain.

If Fang Yu hadn't been so arrogant as to bring his entire personal guard out, Nangong Luan probably wouldn't have dared to rebel at all.

This personal guard, aside from obeying only the leader's orders, was normally under the command of Fang Yaning, and Yang Xu had no right to interfere.

According to Fang Yaning's deduction, at least half of these people are Fang Yu's die-hard loyalists, and she is confident that she can control them all.

However, Wu Chengyu had no interest in these people. Judging martial arts by second- or third-rate standards could not reflect their true combat strength at all. It was just like how Fang Yaning and A Ku were both top-tier martial artists, but Fang Yaning was easily defeated by A Ku.

The four gates of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, when fighting against an equal number of Beiwei soldiers, would be completely wiped out in no time.

Second- or third-rate martial arts practitioners trained in ordinary martial arts are only about the same in terms of internal strength as the Beiwei Army, who have undergone rigorous special military training and are skilled in formations, and who have cultivated the Murong family's Dragon City Heart Method, Hengjiang Saber, Liefeng Leg, and later Zhenshan Iron Palm. Their actual combat strength is definitely not on the same level.

Fang Yaning's vision was limited after all. She believed that as long as she had these experts, it would be enough to contend with, or even kill, Yang Xu.

Little did she know, Yang Xu would also be very wary of these people, and even if Fang Yaning relaxed her guard in the future, he would not stand idly by and watch Fang Yaning come into contact with them.

Trying to keep so many experts under control on Bright Peak without Yang Xu's notice would only force him to disregard everything and take action against Ya Ning.

This woman never understood that the core fighting force of the Ming Cult, the number one sect in the world, actually lay in the Five Elements Flag.

In a battle between the Wind, Rain, Thunder and Lightning Guard and the Beiwei Army, the Beiwei Army would likely suffer few casualties. However, if they were to fight against the Five Elements Flag Guard, who were skilled in using explosives and special tactics, the Beiwei Army would suffer significant casualties if they were not careful.

Therefore, Wu Chengyu's focus when questioning Fang Yaning was always on the Five Elements Flag.

According to Fang Yaning, the only experts in the Five Elements Flag are the flag master and deputy flag master, who are at most at the lower end of the first-class level or the top of the second-class level. The rest are ordinary soldiers.

Now that the Ming Cult is lying low and not rebelling, the Five Elements Banners, apart from guarding the outer perimeter of Bright Peak, are engaged in monotonous training, and the higher-ups don't pay much attention to them.

The Five Elements Flags were each affiliated with different high-ranking members of the Ming Cult and belonged to different factions.

Taking the Hou Tu Banner and Rui Jin Banner, which went to Hubei to fight the Beggars' Sect, as examples, the Hou Tu Banner was under Nan Gong Luan's command, while the Rui Jin Banner had always followed Yang Xu.

Of the other three banners, the Blazing Fire Banner and the Giant Wood Banner have always obeyed only the leader, Fang Yu. As for the relatively weaker Flood Banner, the banner leader's attitude has always been unclear, and he is more like a fence-sitter, usually very smooth.

As for the four Dharma Kings, the White-browed Tiger King and the Red-haired Bear King have always been Nangong Luan's confidants. Now that they are seriously injured, it would be good if they obediently retired and retired when they returned to Bright Peak. If they were not sensible, they might be killed by Yang Xu. Only the Green-eyed Snake King has always been on the same side as Yang Xu.

After they had shared their thoughts and discussed their plans, and Fang Yaning had completely trusted Wu Chengyu, the Ming Cult group had been traveling for two months and was only half a month's journey away from Bright Peak.

As a result, Wu Chengyu's persuasion of Fang Yaning naturally progressed to the third stage. On this day, Wu Chengyu once again brought up the great cause of revitalizing the Ming Cult, and when he spoke of how hatred could only destroy the old leader Fang Yu's years of hard work, Wu Chengyu was kicked out of the room by Fang Yaning for the first time.

Then, heart-wrenching cries came from Fang Yaning's room. Wu Chengyu stood at the door for a long time, but did not say anything to comfort her until Yang Xu and Wu Du were also alarmed and rushed over.

Wu Du immediately rebuked, "Zhou Dao, the sect leader ordered you to comfort the young lady. What nonsense did you spout that made her so sad?"

Wu Chengyu ignored Wu Du and instead bowed to Yang Xu, saying, "Congratulations, Master. The young lady should be alright now."

Yang Xu narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing no emotion, and simply asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Since the old cult leader passed away, the young lady may have secretly cried quietly in her room, but has she ever cried so loudly like this?"

Yang Xu shook his head: "Junior sister has always been proud, how could she let outsiders know that she lost her composure? In the past, she would rather die than do this."

Zhou Dao smiled and said, "Since the death of the old sect leader, the young lady has been filled with resentment and hatred. The fact that she can cry out loud and vent her emotions shows that she has at least temporarily let go of them. Now, it is finally time for her to make a decision."

Yang Xu nodded: "Use the beauty of the world to dispel my junior sister's will to die, and use the righteousness of the Ming Cult to suppress her hatred. My junior sister has finally let down her guard. Zhou, you did a good job. I was right about you."

Wu Chengyu shook his head: "It's too early to talk about this now. We'll have to see what the young lady does next."

"What do we do now?"

"The only thing we can do now is wait; there is no other way."

After another short while, the crying inside the room subsided. Fang Yaning seemed to have cried herself to exhaustion. After a long while, a weak voice finally came out.

"Senior brother, since you are outside, please come in for a chat."

Yang Xu's expression finally changed, and he muttered to himself, "She finally called me senior brother again."

　Chapter Two is here. Tomorrow is the last day of September, so I'm shamelessly asking for your monthly votes. Thank you everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)