Chapter 9: Turning Their Scheme Against Them, a Trap Within a Trap

"Talk it out? Then let me see what you have to say." "These are matters for servants. As a Young Master, you have no reason to quibble over them. Besides, you already beat him half to death…" Dylan Weedy cut Troy Warburton off. "I'll have my servant kill you, then have him take his own life. They're only servants, after all. There's no need to make a fuss." "Shaun, pick up the knife and stab him to death. Then slit your throat." "At your command, Young Master!" Shaun Sinjen picked up the dagger embedded in the floor and thrust it toward Troy Warburton without hesitation. "Help me! Someone, help me!" The brawny man guarding the gambling den rushed over, only to be sent flying even faster when Jade Jauncy shoved him away with both palms. Even the experts of the Martial World whom the Warburton family had hired for a fortune could not withstand a single exchange with Jade Jauncy. The dagger drew closer, and Troy's men together still could not defeat Jade. With no other choice, Troy surrendered. "Dylan, you win. Tell me what you want, and I'll meet your terms." Dylan smiled faintly. He waved Shaun back, then dragged Troy over to the gambling table. "Open the dice cup first, so you can't accuse me of cheating. You open it!" Troy lifted the dice cup. The three jade dice inside showed one, two, and three, a low roll. "One thing at a time. You owe me ten thousand taels of silver for the game. We'll settle that later. As for trying to assassinate me, asking for compensation isn't unreasonable, is it?" "Not at all. Just tell me what you want, Dylan." Dylan glanced around the gambling den and laughed. "I want this place!" "What did you say? Clearwater Court? You've lost your mind! I'm telling you, that's impossible!" Troy Warburton was so agitated that he nearly started cursing. Dylan knew it was impossible as well. Clearwater Court was the Warburton family's largest source of income, bringing in a fortune every day. That did not include the money the Warburton family secretly obtained through bribery, embezzlement, and other illegal dealings. So why had Dylan dared to make such a demand? Because it was a common negotiation tactic in later generations, known in psychology as the Door-in-the-Face Effect. By making an extreme demand first, one forced the other party to accept a more moderate condition psychologically. "Since Young Master Warburton doesn't want to compensate me…" "Shaun, stab him to death, then slit your throat!" "At your command, Young Master!" Shaun raised the dagger again. Troy's face turned ashen. "Dylan, we're practically family. How about I just pay you?" "Fine. Quentin Luet's gambling debt is canceled. On top of that, you'll pay me fifty thousand taels of silver for emotional distress…" Before Dylan could finish, a shriek came from the doorway. "No! Don't!" A middle-aged man in his thirties held a dagger and drove it viciously toward the chest of Quinn Cadden, the Warburton family's live-in son-in-law and the Top Scholar. At the critical moment, one of the Warburton family's experts, whom Jade had kept outside, grabbed a nearby wine jar and hurled it at the attacker. The dagger's trajectory shifted and struck Quinn in the shoulder instead. "Ah!" The features on the pretty boy's face twisted together as he let out a scream like a stuck pig. The middle-aged man yanked out the dagger and stabbed again, this time aiming for Quinn's throat. By then, the Warburton family's guards had arrived. They slashed through the tendons in the man's wrists and ankles, then subdued him. Aurora Duffus, the Madam, hurried over and threw her arms around the middle-aged man. "Young Master Warburton, he's my cousin. He isn't right in the head. Please, let him go. I'll pay all of Top Scholar Cadden's medical expenses." "Vile wench!" Quinn clutched his bleeding shoulder and kicked Aurora hard in the face. "I, Quinn Cadden, am the current Top Scholar, one of the Emperor's personally‑honoured examination graduates! Drag this dog outside and butcher him. Aurora Duffus failed to discipline him, so slap her a hundred times!" Aurora pinned her hopes on Dylan and Quentin. She dropped to her knees and repeatedly struck her forehead against the floor. "Young Masters, for the sake of our old acquaintance, please save me! Please!" Quentin Luet curled his lip in disdain. "You're just a Madam. What kind of damn friendship could I have with you? Deal with your own mess." Dylan shook his head. He remembered that, years ago, he had once helped Aurora by chance. Afterward, whenever Troy Warburton set traps for him, Aurora had subtly warned him more than once. Unfortunately, Dylan had been too foolish to understand what she was trying to say. "Add one more condition. Let Aurora and her cousin go." Troy hurriedly replied, "Then the fifty thousand taels becomes thirty thousand." "Fine!" Troy waved his hand, and the guards released Aurora and her cousin. "Remember this, Aurora. You owe me a favor worth twenty thousand taels." The fifty thousand taels had been too much. Troy would never have paid that amount. After haggling, thirty thousand was the most he could be made to give. Letting an Old Madam and her cousin go free, or even injuring a pretty boy son-in-law, meant nothing to Troy. It meant nothing to Dylan either. They had simply used the incident to give each other a graceful way out. With the ten thousand taels in silver notes he had won and the thirty thousand taels in compensation, Dylan proudly turned to Quentin. "Was I badass or what?" With his gambling debt wiped clean, Quentin gave him a thumbs-up. "What else can I say, Dylan? You're the most badass man in the capital." "All your food, drinks, and entertainment today are on me!" "Let's go listen to music at a Brothel…" The two had just started to leave when Troy hurried over. "Dylan, your luck is hot today. Why stop gambling?" "I just don't feel like it. Unless you want to win back the compensation? Beg me. Beg me, and I'll keep playing." "That… all right. Dylan, I beg you." As the saying went, even an honest magistrate could amass a hundred thousand taels in three years. Several tens of thousands of taels meant nothing to the Marquis of Brocade's Manor, but they were a serious matter for a third-generation heir like Troy. At best, the elders of his family would give him a thorough scolding. At worst, the incident would leave a blemish on his claim to inherit the title. "Quentin, this Little Bastard doesn't seem very sincere." Quentin nodded. "I agree. Little Bastard made me bark like a dog last night." "Tit for tat, Little Bastard. Bark twice, and I'll keep playing with you." Troy's face darkened. Shadows gathered in his eyes as his fists clenched at his sides. After a long hesitation, he finally barked twice. "Woof! Woof!" "Dylan, are you satisfied?" Dylan reached out and patted Troy on the head like he was petting a dog. "Little Bastard, that bark was perfect. The capital really is full of talented ventriloquists. Ha-ha!" They sat down again. Dylan waved, and Shaun placed the Jade Leaf Game on the table. "Cockfight!" "Fine!" The gambling den's second manager came forward. He was a fat, middle-aged man with the look of a Smiling Tiger. After shuffling the cards, he dealt three to Dylan and three to Troy. Cockfight was the earliest form of Animal Chess played with Leaf Game cards. Over time, its rules had evolved into something resembling three-card Poker on earth. Dylan held a pair of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, equivalent to a pair of jacks in Poker. Troy's highest card was the Divine Marshal of the Sacred Warrior, one of the Four Great Marshals, equivalent to a queen in Poker. Only the Smiling Tiger and Dylan knew what the cards truly were. "My luck's good today. Let's keep the stakes small. I won't look at my cards. Five hundred taels, blind." Troy glanced at the Smiling Tiger. When the dealer lightly touched the Tortoiseshell Thumb Ring on his left hand, Troy matched the five-hundred-tael bet. When Troy called the third bet, the Smiling Tiger rubbed his nose. Troy took that as his cue and looked at his cards. "My luck is terrible today. I'm out." He threw his cards back to the Smiling Tiger, and Dylan happily gathered the silver notes. Before the second game began, Dylan pointed at Quentin. "Cockfight isn't fun with so few players. You should join us. I'll cover your wins and losses. You're just here to fill out the table." Troy smiled and pointed at Quinn, whose shoulder had been bandaged. "Since the Young Master has spoken, brother-in-law, you should play too. I'll cover your wins and losses." From the second game onward, either Quinn had the higher hand or Troy did. There were also frequent Coolers where Dylan and Quentin lost by the narrowest margin, until the thirty thousand taels they had won earlier were gone. Quentin wiped the sweat from his brow and whispered into Dylan's ear, "Dylan, there's something cursed about these cards. Should we quit? The thirty thousand was a windfall anyway. If it's gone, it's gone…" "No. We play this to the bitter end!" Dylan's emotions had clearly run hot. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was visibly on tilt. Troy gave the Smiling Tiger a meaningful glance. The dealer understood immediately. He dealt Dylan three Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, or jacks, while Troy received the mythological Three Divine Marshals: Radiant Fire, God of Wealth, Eastern Guardian, or queens. Quinn and Quentin each received a straight. *What a Cooler. They're getting ready to close the net.* Dylan kept betting blind for several rounds. Then all four players looked at their cards and began placing bets. Timid Quinn folded after exchanging a secret glance with Dylan. Quentin was about to fold as well, but Dylan stopped him. Dylan walked over to Troy and draped an arm around his shoulders. "Brother, I'm out of money." "How much do you need?" "Fifty thousand taels." Troy knew he was certain to win, but he pretended to hesitate. "Fifty thousand taels isn't a small sum. What do you want to use as collateral?" "What do you want?" "I want her." Troy pointed at Jade Jauncy. Earlier, that heavyset woman had single-handedly defeated all the Warburton family's bodyguards. Troy knew she had to be at least a Master of the Martial Way. He coveted her badly. With such an expert at his side, not only would his personal safety be guaranteed, but she could also give him a decisive advantage in the future competition to become head of the family. "Jade and I are as close as siblings…" Dylan paused, then added, "You'll have to sweeten the deal." Troy held up one finger without hesitation. "One hundred thousand taels of silver!" "Fine. Sign the contract." As Dylan signed Jade Jauncy's Deed of Sale, he swiftly switched out the cards in Troy's hand.