Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 14 Liao Kingdom Spies: A Mystery

A mask can keep out strangers, but it can't keep out acquaintances.

A master like Lu Xiaofeng, who cultivates both inner and outer strength, can recognize Li Zhaoting's aura with just a glance; it is either lively like a babbling brook or calm like the warm sun.

Hua Manlou's aura could not possibly be hidden from him.

Lu Xiaofeng glared at the two of them through gritted teeth.

Li Zhaoting took the initiative to walk over.

"Brother, shall we make a bet?"

"Just bet!"

The stall where Lu Xiaofeng was playing was neither dice nor dominoes, but a "tortoise race" where bets could be placed on each track, with rules similar to horse racing.

The Paradise Pavilion only accepts real gold and silver. Lu Xiaofeng took out twenty taels of silver and casually chose a tortoise. Hua Manlou thought for a moment and then put his fan pendant on the plate.

Every bet is a scam.

There are cheaters in every gambling game.

Cheating is possible even in a tortoise race, especially for martial arts masters, where it's even easier.

By channeling true energy into the track to stimulate the turtle's shell, the turtle can accelerate. Certain special techniques can even create an insulating energy shield.

The Blissful Pavilion does not prohibit cheating.

To be precise, as long as neither party objects to this, they can cheat at will. You can use your palm to stimulate the turtle, and I can use my fingers to flip the turtle's shell.

Seeing someone cheating, Lu Xiaofeng pointed his index and middle fingers at the track, and his pure and refined innate true energy surged towards his opponent like a raging river.

Lu Xiaofeng's opponent was a disciple of the Tantric sect, who was proficient in the method of linking true qi. The six gamblers quickly set up an array, combining the power of the six people into one person.

A new betting game was thus formed.

Let's bet on who will win!
Will the bet winner sweat?

How long can a gambler hold out?

Anything in the world can be used as a gamble. Even if you only have a glass of water, you can bet on which drop of water on your middle finger will fall to the ground first.

The interior of the Paradise Tower is decorated in a very special way that can make guests go into a frenzy. Soon, a large group of gamblers surrounded it, attracting 99% of the attention.

Unbeknownst to them, the figure in the black and gold robes who had first instigated the incident had quietly disappeared.

Lu Xiaofeng is very good at attracting attention.

No matter what situation he was in, Lu Xiaofeng always managed to attract everyone's attention.

Li Zhaoting activated the secret technique of stealth, changing from controlling the sword to controlling the person, completely immersing his essence, energy and spirit in the sword, making himself like a clay puppet.

Knowing that someone was coming to investigate, the owner of the Paradise Pavilion tried every means to defend against Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou, sending them wine, money, and beauties, but he couldn't stop Li Zhaoting.

Li Zhaoting's reputation in the martial arts world consisted of two things: winning a beautiful woman through a martial arts contest and destroying the Gui family of Mount Hua. There was nothing special about him, nor did he have any personal connections.

Who would have thought that Li Zhaoting would come to investigate the case?
Who knew Li Zhaoting was good at investigating cases?

Li Zhaoting turned his clothes inside out, transforming his black and gold robes into night clothes. He concealed his aura and, based on the architectural layout of the Paradise Tower, flexibly moved through the crowd.

The Paradise Tower is hidden inside a mountain peak. Originally a huge cave, it was discovered and repaired by skilled craftsmen, turning it into a den of iniquity.

Mountains, watercourses, and rock formations—these are all guiding symbols, leading Li Zhaoting on his way.

Finance office, storage room, rest room, prison cell, study, kitchen, workshop, printing room.

Li Zhaoting drew a map in his mind.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded in the distance. Li Zhaoting nimbly flipped over and sneaked into the study, hiding on a beam or pillar, and quickly analyzed the layout of the study.

The study is a restricted area, and outsiders dare not enter.

Li Zhaoting can safely remain in hiding.

Three minutes later, Li Zhaoting jumped down, tapped twice next to the bookshelf, and found a hidden compartment.

The hidden compartment contained more than a dozen letters.

These letters are actually... in Liao script!
Liao script?

How could it be Liao script?

Could the Liao Dynasty be behind the Paradise Tower?

Or perhaps the mastermind behind the Paradise Tower used Liao script as an encryption method to transmit information?
wrong!

The Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty had extensive exchanges, and there were countless scholars who were proficient in Liao language. Many academies had special foreign language courses, which were very important elective courses.

No sane person would use such a simplistic encryption method, which means that the Paradise Tower is most likely related to the Liao Kingdom, with a probability of over 98%!
Luzhou, Liao Kingdom, undercover agents, secret agents...

hiss~~
Li Zhaoting gasped.

Li Zhaoting quickly glanced at the contents of the hidden compartment. There were seventeen letters in the compartment, five of which were relatively worn and yellowish-brown, while the other five were new.

The old ones couldn't be taken, and the new ones couldn't be taken either. Li Zhaoting picked out three letters from the ones that were neither new nor old, took them out, and stuffed them with paper of the same thickness.

Having done all this, Li Zhaoting quietly left.

The gambling outside has ended.

Lu Xiaofeng has won a great victory, and the manager of the Paradise Pavilion invites him to the third floor to prepare a honey trap.

...Honey trap dividing line...

At dawn, the guests, who had been reveling all night, left in coffins. Li Zhaoting and Hua Manlou climbed out of the coffins and went to Luzhou City for breakfast.

Hua Manlou was still wearing a white robe.

Li Zhaoting somehow found a fortune teller's outfit, with a fortune teller's sign hanging behind him.

Nine out of ten divinations are inaccurate!

Little Red Head (a type of fried dough), sesame seed cake, Cao Cao chicken, baked rice cake, Wushan tribute goose, Lujiang rice noodles...

Li Zhaoting has lived in Dali for five years and has always had a special fondness for rice noodles. While eating, he said, "Brother Hua, when you come to Dali in the future, I will treat you to the best rice noodles."

What's the best rice noodle dish?

"Of course, it's Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles!"

Li Zhaoting answered subconsciously. The question wasn't asked by Hua Manlou, but by Lu Xiaofeng. At this moment, Lu Xiaofeng's face was full of smugness, showing no sign of fatigue.

The man's expression was mostly because he had just experienced some romantic moments the night before.

Li Zhaoting picked up a chicken leg, stuffed it into Lu Xiaofeng's hand, and looked at Lu Xiaofeng with pity.

"Being a man is really too hard. You can only look but not eat. You were hung up by a beauty all night but didn't get to eat anything. You were left alone in an empty room with Xiao Zuo and Xiao You."

To protect his fragile ego, he had to put on a smug act, as if a courtesan had thrown herself into his arms the night before, and that his life had been incredibly romantic.

tsk tsk~
Lu Xiaofeng, I just did a divination for you. Your eyebrows and eyes are dark and bluish, with a slightly fierce aura, which dampens your romantic luck. You not only have no luck in love, but you won't even face any romantic troubles.

The only thing you can satisfy is your appetite.

Come on, have a chicken leg.

It will make you run faster when you're on the run!

Li Zhaoting shook the signboard behind him.

Lu Xiaofeng gritted his teeth and said, "Your divination is wrong nine times out of ten, and you don't even know a single human word. If you go out and set up a fortune-telling stall, you'll probably get your stall smashed!"

After exchanging a few complaints, the three found a scenic mountain peak and exchanged information in a pavilion.

In this open environment, Hua Manlou's perception was pushed to its limit; he could sense even a mosquito flying near the three of them.

Legend has it that if anyone within a ten-mile radius harbors murderous intent towards Hua Manlou, he will be able to sense it.

"The Paradise Tower is a money laundering place. After the guests leave, the exchanged silver notes consist of ten real notes and one fake note. This mix of real and fake notes effectively reduces the risk."

Lu Xiaofeng took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket.

This is what he won last night.

"I remember the smell of the Paradise Tower."

Hua Manlou gently shook his folding fan.

"The Paradise Tower is related to the Liao people."

Li Zhaoting took out three letters from his pocket: "These were found in the study of the Lord of Blissful Abode. The writing on them is Liao script. Blissful Abode is a secret agent of the Liao Kingdom."

"what?"

"The Liao Dynasty?"

Are you sure it's the Liao Dynasty?

Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou jumped up in surprise.

If one is only after money, no matter what schemes one devises, one can eventually cover it up.

This matter concerns the Liao Kingdom, so we must be extremely cautious.

The relationship between the Song and Liao dynasties needs no further explanation. The two sides fought back and forth for decades until the rise of the Manchu and Mongol Yuan dynasties, which forced them to form an alliance.

The Liao Dynasty was the most important barrier in the north.

If the Manchus wanted to move south, they had to pass through the Liao Dynasty.

The grudges and grievances are so numerous that they could not be explained even after ten days and ten nights.

Let me just tell you one interesting story.

In the Song Dynasty, Empress Dowager Liu ruled from behind the curtain, while in the Liao Dynasty, there was also Empress Dowager Xiao, who held immense power. The two empress dowagers engaged in a power struggle, resulting in hundreds of anecdotes.

The Song and Liao dynasties had been at peace for many years, and it was impossible for them to start a war in a short period of time. Gradually, the conflict shifted from a bloodbath involving millions of soldiers to a situation of infiltration and mutual bribing of each other's key officials.

Empress Dowager Xiao established the "Suppression Office".

Outside of the Imperial City Guard, Liu E established the even more secretive Eastern Depot, staffed by eunuchs responsible for investigating spies.

In addition, the Manchu Qing dynasty's Sticky Rod Office, the Western Xia dynasty's Mingli Hall, and the Mongol Yuan dynasty's Hall of Recruiting Talents, along with countless well-trained imperial spies, quietly infiltrated the Central Plains.

Lu Xiaofeng stroked his mustache.

"Zhaoting, do you understand Liao script?"

“I can only recognize that this is Liao script. To translate the text on the letter, I need a professional. I remember there is a Tianhong Academy in Luzhou. I can go and take a look.”

Tianhong Academy was the largest academy in Luzhou. Bao Zheng and Gongsun Ce studied at Tianhong Academy.

"Leave this to me!"

Hua Manlou put the letters away.

A murderous glint flashed in Li Zhaoting's eyes: "Since this concerns the Liao Kingdom, we must act swiftly and decisively, and destroy the Blissful Pavilion before the enemy can react."

Lu Xiaofeng nodded: "I agree."

Hua Manlou: "I agree too!"

At the same moment, inside the secret chamber of Yunjian Temple, the two major shareholders of Jilelou were having a heated argument.

The Paradise Tower has two major shareholders.

One of them was Qian Laoda, the manager of Datong Money Shop. Without Qian Laoda as an inside man, no matter how ingenious Yue Qing's skills were, it would be difficult to print counterfeit banknotes.

One of them was the famous constable Luo Ma. Seven years ago, Luo Ma secretly imprisoned Yue Qing, falsely claiming that Yue Qing had died of the plague, and made Yue Qing preside over the construction of the Paradise Tower and the carving of printing plates.

Boss Qian's goal is to make money.

He just wants to make money.

Make a fortune, stop immediately, and then take the money to Dali, Yunnan to live the life of a wealthy man.

Lockheed Martin clearly had more to say.

Lockhart could not possibly abandon the Palace of Bliss.

"Bastard! Bastard! You're a bastard! What do you want? Lu Xiaofeng is here to investigate! Hua Manlou is here to investigate too! If you want to die, don't drag me into it!"

Boss Qian slammed his fist on the table in anger.

Luo Ma said in a sinister tone, "Boss Qian, it's easy to get on the ship but hard to get off. Once you're on this pirate ship, you either stay put or I'll treat you to some noodles!"

(End of this chapter)