The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 132: Outrageous Audacity

The convoy advanced through the wind and rain.

When it reached a fork in the road, the convoy came to a halt.

Two paths lay before them.

The path on the right crossed a wide river. The only way to get across was a rope bridge.

But the rope bridge was ancient and dilapidated. It was uncertain whether it could support the weight of their many carriages and horses.

In comparison, the path on the left seemed much safer.

Li Cheng naturally chose the left path.

His trusted aide whispered a reminder.

"The last convoy transporting disaster relief supplies was ambushed by bandits on the left path."

Li Cheng: "..."

’Why didn’t you say something so important sooner?!’

The aide explained.

"The left path passes through a valley."

"The valley is flanked by rocky mountains, with only a narrow road in the middle for passage."

"The last group transporting supplies was ambushed by bandits in that very valley. They suffered heavy casualties, and all the supplies were stolen."

Li Cheng said with a grim face, "In that case, we’ll take the right path."

’Even though we brought many men this time, swords have no eyes. What if I get hurt?’

’As the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, I cannot afford to meet with an accident in this godforsaken place.’

So, the convoy continued along the right path.

When Li Ji heard of this, he chuckled softly.

"The Crown Prince is rather naive."

Hua Manman was placing a black stone on the Go board. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but grow curious.

"Why do you say that, my Prince?"

Li Ji casually picked up a white stone and said leisurely.

"Both paths, left and right, are necessary routes to travel south."

"If I were those bandits, I would definitely set up ambushes on both roads. That’s the only way to make it foolproof."

Hua Manman was shocked. "Those bandits would still dare to rob us? They’ve got some serious nerve!"

Li Ji: "Anyone who becomes a bandit is naturally outrageously audacious."

He sensed Hua Manman’s thoughts and knew where she planned to make her next move. He placed his white stone directly on that spot.

Just like that, Hua Manman’s entire strategy was thrown into disarray.

She glared at the board, fuming.

"How could you do that? Why did you have to put your stone there?"

Li Ji smiled faintly and said nonchalantly.

"There’s no rule that says only black stones can be placed here."

Hua Manman started to whine.

"I don’t care! You have to take that stone back. Let’s redo this move."

Li Ji raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to take back your move?"

Hua Manman pressed her palms together, begging with pleading eyes.

"It’s just one move! Please let me have this one, won’t you?"

Li Ji chuckled. "In Go, once a stone is placed, the move cannot be taken back. Your actions are hardly befitting of a gentleman."

"I am a woman, not a gentleman."

Under Hua Manman’s relentless coaxing and pestering, Li Ji finally chose to compromise.

He retracted the white stone he had placed.

Hua Manman studied the board for a long time before finally, cautiously, choosing a new spot and placing her black stone.

However, not two moves later, her path was blocked again by Prince Zhao’s white stone.

Seeing she was about to lose again, Hua Manman started whining once more.

"No, no! I made a mistake on this move. I want a do-over!"

Li Ji: "..."

Prince Zhao, who had roamed the world for years, had never imagined someone could take back their moves so shamelessly and matter-of-factly.

Hua Manman picked up the white stone and put it back in Prince Zhao’s Go bowl.

She hesitated again and again before choosing a new spot for her stone.

Li Ji picked up a white stone and looked at her intently.

"No more regrets this time?"

Hua Manman nodded vigorously. "Nope!"

Li Ji moved his stone toward the board.

Just as the white stone was half an inch from the board, Hua Manman suddenly cried out.

"Wait!"

Li Ji’s movement froze.

Hua Manman grabbed his well-defined right hand and smiled fawningly.

"I regret it! I want to redo my move."

Li Ji: "Didn’t you say you wouldn’t have any more regrets?"

Hua Manman deliberately put on a soft, wheedling tone.

"Oh, come on. Your stone hasn’t been placed yet, so it doesn’t count as taking back a move."

Li Ji looked at the white stone in his hand.

It was just a hair’s breadth from touching the board.

’How is that any different from having already placed it?’

Li Ji glanced at his hand, held tightly in hers, and scoffed.

"You’re quite the expert at finding loopholes."

’If anyone else had dared to be so shameless with me, I would have kicked them out a long time ago.’

But now, faced with Hua Manman’s big, beautiful eyes, Li Ji chose to indulge her once again.

’Forget it.’

’The journey is long, and I’m bored anyway. It’s no harm to let her win a few games. I’ll just consider it a way to pass the time.’

After Hua Manman’s repeated shamelessness, she finally managed a difficult win against Prince Zhao.

She cheered happily.

"I finally won!"

In the past, Li Ji had almost never lost a game of Go against anyone.

Now, running into a terrible player like Hua Manman, he was experiencing the rare taste of defeat.

He stared at the disastrous state of the board, and for a moment, he began to question his life.

Seeing his silence, Hua Manman hurriedly tried to comfort him.

"Don’t be sad. Victory and defeat are common in war. You’ll get used to it."

Li Ji: "..."

He was just about to teach this smug little thing a lesson when the carriage came to a stop.

Chen Wangbei’s voice sounded from outside.

"Reporting to the Prince, the rope bridge is just ahead."

Hua Manman pushed open the carriage window and craned her neck to look out. She saw a wide, relentlessly rushing river ahead.

A long rope bridge hung suspended over the water’s surface.

From a visual inspection, the bridge was indeed very old. Some of the wooden planks had fallen off, and it looked extremely unreliable.

Seeing this, Li Cheng couldn’t help but hesitate.

’I can’t swim. If I’m unlucky enough to fall into the river, I’ll surely drown.’

He summoned his aide and asked if there was another way to cross the river.

The aide answered truthfully.

"Normally, we might be able to build a boat to cross."

"But with this wind and rain, the river is far more turbulent than usual."

"A boat would be swept away the moment it entered the water; it would never reach the other side." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Right now, our only option is to cross this rope bridge."

Li Cheng felt extremely uneasy.

But everyone was waiting for his order. He couldn’t delay too long, lest people suspect him of being a coward.

Lin Qingzhi spoke up at the opportune moment with a suggestion.

"Your Highness, why not summon Prince Zhao to discuss this? Perhaps he might have a solution."

Li Cheng was unwilling to ask Prince Zhao for help.

But Lin Qingzhi’s next words made him change his mind.

"If you let Prince Zhao make the decision, then even if something goes wrong while crossing the river, it will be Prince Zhao’s responsibility and have nothing to do with you, Your Highness."

’That’s true,’ Li Cheng thought. ’That cripple Prince Zhao is only useful for this sort of thing now.’

So he nodded in agreement.

Soon, Prince Zhao’s carriage pulled up alongside.

Just like last time, both parties remained in their respective carriages, speaking to each other through the windows.