Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 15 Coercion, Blame-shifting, Spy, General

"Loma, don't think I don't know about your shady dealings. I'll fight you to the death!"

Boss Qian angrily overturned the table, glaring at Luo Ma with a surge of anger. His blood was boiling, his face was flushed, and white smoke was rising from his head, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.

Locke calmly arranged the table, squinted at Boss Qian, and smiled slightly, like a venomous snake using a smile to conceal its fangs.

"Brother Qian, you've been in this business for so many years, but you can only be a branch manager. Do you know why?"

You are too greedy, too reckless, and too foolish.

In this world, good people don't die, bad people don't die, only fools die!

Were you threatening me just now?
You are solidifying my resolve to kill you.

I'll give you three chances. If you can't quell my murderous intent, I will definitely kill you.

"Brother Qian, please!"

Lockhart still had a smile on his face. He was quite muscular, with a big beer belly and a very standard round face. Logically speaking, he should be cutely chubby.

However, when Loma laughed, the venom, treachery, and ferocity that rivaled that of a poisonous snake sent a chill down one's spine.

Boss Qian involuntarily took two steps back.

I was indeed too impulsive just now.

No matter how many cards you hold in your hand, you should never say these words. If you don't say them, you'll understand without saying them. But once the words are spoken, it's almost certain that you'll be silenced.

Lockheed Martin will not let any threat go unpunished.

The people behind Lockheed Martin are even less likely to let him go.

Boss Qian said slowly and deliberately, “Over the years, I have kept a secret ledger of all the money we have spent on business and external expenditures, and it is all recorded very clearly.”

"One sentence!"

“Last March, a strange man won 50,000 taels of silver at the casino. Last April, the same strange man came to the Pleasure Pavilion to gamble again and won 120,000 taels.”

"Two sentences!"

"After that, he never appeared again because he died in a bandit attack. That's a mistake. I caught him. You're right, I'm greedy for money. I wanted to steal the money back, and then I accidentally discovered some secrets I shouldn't have known. These secrets will get me silenced by you, but they will also serve as my lifeline!"

"Three sentences!"

Loma gripped the sword hilt with his right hand.

Boss Qian sat in his chair, sprawled out, his chest exposed, signaling to Locke that it was time to make a move.

"Ha~ Haha~ Hahahahahaha! Boss Qian, Boss Qian, you really have some skills!"

“Loma, I did all this for money. I just want to live a life of luxury with the money I’ve made over the years. I’m going to Dali right now and will never return to the Central Plains.”

"Where are the ledgers and the people?"

“After I leave for a day and a night, my confidant will tell you the address, Lockhart. I know you have many experts behind you, experts who cannot be exposed.”

"When are you leaving?"

"Two days later."

"You're taking away the Paradise Tower's inventory?"

"Life is important, but money is more important."

Boss Qian stood up and strode away.

In a fit of rage, Loma drew his sword and smashed the table.

Luo Ma has always looked down on Boss Qian, thinking that Boss Qian is a greedy and reckless person who only cares about money. Boss Qian is indeed a greedy person who bites and never lets go.

Not long after Boss Qian left, a flash of sword light appeared in the study, and a figure dressed in coarse linen clothes and plain attire quietly appeared in the study.

Loma immediately knelt down to pay his respects.

"Your subordinate greets the General."

"How are things going?"

"Your subordinate is incompetent. The Hua family has already discovered the counterfeit banknotes. They hired Lu Xiaofeng to investigate, and he has found the Paradise Pavilion. What's next is probably..."

"Waste! Waste! Waste!"

"General" kicked Lockhart away.

Loma slammed against the wall with a "thud" and took a full half minute to slowly fall back to the ground.

Espionage work is very expensive.

Building an intelligence network requires money.

Money is needed to bribe certain important figures.

Cultivating beauties or preparing certain items according to the target person's preferences still requires money.

The Paradise Tower is the largest den of iniquity in the area, a place for intelligence gathering, money laundering, information exchange, and bribing powerful figures in the martial arts world; it is the most important money bag.

Now, due to the greed of some people and their lack of rigor and meticulousness in doing things, the Paradise Tower has been exposed.

What the "general" found even more intolerable was that the plan to use counterfeit banknotes to bring down the Hua family and thus affect the national treasury had only just begun and had not yet yielded any results.

Thinking of this, the "general" became even angrier.

How many clues did Lu Xiaofeng find?

"Reporting to the general, I had Wu Yan impersonate Yue Qing's daughter. This should mislead Lu Xiaofeng. No matter how Lu Xiaofeng investigates, he can only find out about Boss Qian."

"What do you mean by 'should be'? Are you making assumptions? Assumptions are the mother of failure! I want to hear concrete plans, not assumptions!"

"Three days! I only need three days. This matter will be settled in three days, and I will offer the heads of Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou, two outstanding talents of the Central Plains, as interest!"

"Three days, you only have three days..."

The sound grew softer and softer, almost imperceptible. Loma cautiously looked up and found that the "general" had already left the study, leaving only a faint sword intent behind.

"Lu Xiaofeng! Hua Manlou! Boss Qian!"

Locke wiped away his cold sweat and clenched his fists!
……

"Lu Xiaofeng, have you found any clues?"

Luo Ma glared angrily at Lu Xiaofeng.

Lu Xiaofeng has been poisoned by the "Three-Day Heart-Destroying Powder" and only has two days left to live. Luo Ma is not afraid of Lu Xiaofeng going berserk. At worst, they will die together. Do you have the guts?

Lu Xiaofeng would certainly not seek death, much less share a life-or-death situation with Luo Ma, because Lu Xiaofeng had never taken the Three-Day Heart-Destroying Powder, only the Heart-Blooming Pill. The Heart-Blooming Pill: prepared by Hua Manlou, taken around the Dragon Boat Festival, clears heat and removes dampness, leaving the body fragrant.

It's roughly equivalent to... health supplements!

Lu Xiaofeng rolled his eyes: "How much information do I need to find to be considered acceptable? Find a counterfeit silver note workshop? Find the location of the Bliss Tower? Lead you guys to break into the Bliss Tower?"

Luo Ma sneered, "Lu Xiaofeng, I think you don't want the antidote for the Three-Day Heart-Destroying Powder! You have no bargaining chips, so obediently help us investigate this case!"

Lu Xiaofeng shrugged: "The counterfeit banknote printing workshop is in the Paradise Tower. The Paradise Tower is the largest and most luxurious den of iniquity in the area, making it very suitable for distributing counterfeit banknotes."

Where is the Bliss Pavilion?

I'll tell you tonight.

"Why night?"

"Because the Paradise Tower is open at night!"

"Lu Xiaofeng, don't try to be clever!"

"My life is in your hands, how could I possibly resort to tricks? Where's my antidote? You don't have the antidote, do you?"

Lu Xiaofeng's voice suddenly turned shrill: "A friend of mine told me that if someone poisons you, you should feed them your blood so that they will be poisoned as well."

"you you you……"

"Coincidentally, the Three-Day Heart-Destroying Powder is a stomach poison; ingesting it will cause poisoning. I'd like to know, if you were poisoned by the Three-Day Heart-Destroying Powder, do you have an antidote?"

Lu Xiaofeng suddenly flicked his index and middle fingers, and a drop of blood splattered onto Luo Ma's lips. Luo Ma took two steps back, hurriedly wiped his mouth, and was in a flustered state, covered in sweat.

Lu Xiaofeng left triumphantly.

Loser went to find Hua Manlou, feeling utterly dejected.

The Three-Day Heart-Destroying Powder was given to him by Hua Manlou. He only gave him the poison, not the antidote. Luo Ma never intended to give Lu Xiaofeng the antidote and never mentioned it.

Now they've created their own trap and can only reap the bitter fruits of their actions.

Where is Hua Man Lou located?
He was at Tianhong Academy.

Li Zhaoting at Yunjian Temple.

Yesterday, while strolling around, Li Zhaoting analyzed the layout of the buildings and determined the location of the printing workshop to be in the meditation room in the backyard, using leprosy as a cover.

Most people would run away as fast as they could when they hear "leprosy" and would never go near it.

Even if the four great constables of the Six Doors come to investigate the case, these pitiful patients will soften their hearts and interfere with their judgment. A gentleman can be deceived by reason.

Yue Qing truly deserves to be called the senior brother of the Lu Ban Divine Axe Sect. The Blissful Pavilion, the Cloud Temple, the printing workshop, and the secret passage were all designed by him. He is definitely a civil engineering genius.

Li Zhaoting even discovered more than twenty deadly traps in the meditation room of Yunjian Temple. This was not something his master taught him; it was Li Zhaoting's innate keen intuition.

If one had to find a source, it would be the mysterious energy residing within Li Zhaoting's meridians, constantly tempering his physique and enhancing his aptitude.

Inside the meditation room, Xia'er fainted. The so-called "mother" she was taking care of was actually a man, Yue Qing, who had been imprisoned by Luo Ma for seven years.

Xia'er is not Qian Laoda's daughter.

Xia'er is Yue Qing's daughter.

Lockhart imprisoned Yue Qing.

Boss Qian imprisoned Yue Qing's daughter to keep Luo Ma in check and to threaten Yue Qing into cooperating.

Li Zhaoting said in a deep voice, "Yue Qing, I already know the whole story. I only want one thing: the blueprints for the Blissful Pavilion's mechanisms. This is your last chance."

Yue Qing said, "Why should I believe you?"

Li Zhaoting held up two fingers: "I can make Yue Qing die forever, and I can let you and your daughter settle down in Dali and never bother you again."

"I have done many wrong things."

"So, if you don't make amends, this matter will be hard to let go of. Yue Qing, the complexity of this matter is beyond your imagination. Don't be stubborn."

"Can you make the decision?"

"Hua Manlou can vouch for me. You should trust the character of the Seventh Young Master of the Hua family, right?"

"The blueprints are in my head."

"Say it once, and I can remember it."

"Young master, you are skilled in mechanical arts?"

"Understood."

"I hope you will keep your promise, young master."

"Li always keeps his word."

Li Zhaoting gently closed his folding fan.

As expected of a treasure from the Southern Tang Dynasty, this folding fan is very comfortable to hold, making Li Zhaoting love it.

Time passed by minute by minute.

The plan is being implemented step by step.

Boss Qian wanted to run away with the money.

Lockhart wanted to shift the blame to Boss Qian.

Lu Xiaofeng wanted to find out the truth about the case as soon as possible.

Hua Manlou went to Tianhong Academy to find a translator for the Liaoning language.

Li Zhaoting silently recorded the blueprints for the mechanism.

Yue Qing closed his eyes and began chanting prayers.

Yunjian Temple is half hell and half paradise. When Yue Qing was in the "paradise", he occasionally heard eminent monks chanting sutras and learned some Buddhist concepts.

If he hadn't received Buddhist teachings to alleviate his depression during his imprisonment, he might have died from depression.

The sun sets in the west, and the stars fill the sky.

As night falls, the Bliss Pavilion opens for business.

Lu Xiaofeng lay inside the coffin.

The Kunlun slaves carried the coffin and threw it off the cliff!
(End of this chapter)