Martial Arts Secret Realm: Only I Can Know the Plot?

Chapter 148 Under the Tree

Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the long table and making the cold teacups gleam. He stared at them for a moment, then suddenly reached for his own cup, took a sip. The tea was completely cold, bitter and astringent. He frowned, then put the cup down.

"Put Tie Fusheng's matter aside for now," he said. "Keep an eye on Wushelou. The temporary suspension of the kill order doesn't mean it's revoked; they could reinstate it at any time. Continue investigating Sun Fan's case. I need to know who's behind this, and I need to be quick."

Fang Qing and Zheng Mingyuan nodded at the same time.

"There's one more thing." Zhao Tieshan stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to everyone. "Tie Fusheng was wanted by the Martial Alliance back then because he was running a dark martial arts school—a kind of 'breeding poison' training, bloody drills, and he didn't care about human life."

"For years, the Martial Alliance's attitude towards him has been one of non-acknowledgment, non-contact, and non-cooperation." But now, for the sake of a student, he single-handedly stormed the Unforgivable Tower.

"His threat level needs to be reassessed."

He turned around and looked at everyone present.

No one answered. Zhao Tieshan didn't wait for their reply either, and waved his hand.

Meeting adjourned.

Jiangcheng. Ginkgo Lane.

Sun Fan stood in front of Gate 17, staring at the mottled wooden door for a long time.

The door was an old-fashioned wooden door, painted a dark brown, the paint cracked to reveal the grayish-white wood underneath. The door knocker was made of brass, rusted and greenish, like a moss-covered eye. A faded couplet was pasted on the lintel: the first line read "Peace and safety year after year," the second "May all your wishes come true year after year," and the horizontal inscription "Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things." The handwriting was crooked and messy, like a child's. He remembered that his predecessor had written it during the Spring Festival when he was eight years old; his father had said it was well-written and kept it on the front door for a year without tearing it down.

He took the key out of his pocket, inserted it into the lock, and turned it. The lock clicked open.

Pushing open the door, a damp, musty smell of air rushed out. The courtyard was quiet; so quiet you could hear the fallen leaves rustling on the ground. The ginkgo tree was still there, taller than I remembered, its branches spreading out like a giant umbrella, sheltering half the courtyard. The ground beneath it was covered with a thick carpet of golden leaves, rustling softly underfoot.

Sun Fan stood in the center of the courtyard, looking up at the ginkgo tree.

The ginkgo tree in winter is bare, without leaves, only grayish-white branches, like a pencil drawing, simple yet powerful lines. Sunlight shines through the gaps in the branches, falling on his face in dappled patterns. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. The air smelled of earth, fallen leaves, and an indescribable scent that belonged to "home."

He opened his eyes and looked down at the ground beneath his feet. The patch of land under the ginkgo tree was slightly higher than the rest of the area, not very noticeable, but he could tell. Someone had dug a hole there, filled it with soil, and then covered it with a layer of fallen leaves.

He crouched down and brushed aside the fallen leaves with his hands. The soil was loose, easily broken apart, indicating that someone had recently disturbed the area. It wasn't dug by the previous inhabitants—they dug several years ago, and the soil should have been compacted long ago. It was someone else who dug here more recently.

Sun Fan's heart skipped a beat.

He stood up, walked to the small shed in the yard where odds and ends were stored, and found a rusty shovel. The wooden handle of the shovel was covered in dust and felt a bit prickly to the touch. He returned to the ginkgo tree and began to dig.

One shovel, two shovels, three shovels. The soil was loose, and digging was effortless. He dug less than a foot deep when the shovel hit something with a dull thud. He threw the shovel aside, squatted down, and began to dig through the soil with his hands.

Wrapped in an oilcloth.

It wasn't big, about the size of a shoebox, wrapped in several layers of tarpaulin and then taped. Sun Fan lifted the package out of the soil, placed it on the ground, untied the tape, and lifted the tarpaulin. Inside was an iron box, rusty but not completely rusted. He opened the lid of the iron box.

There was only one thing inside.

a letter.

The envelope was made of yellow kraft paper, with the words "To Sun Fan" written on it. The handwriting was his mother's, delicate and neat, each stroke carefully written. He recognized this handwriting; in his past life's memories, every note and letter his mother wrote to him was in this handwriting.

Sun Fan took the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it.

The letter had three pages, densely covered with writing. He leaned against the ginkgo tree and began to read it.

Fan'er:

By the time you read this letter, your parents will probably be gone. Don't look for us, and don't be sad. This was our own choice, and it has nothing to do with you.

You've always wondered what your parents do for a living, why they're always so secretive, and why there are always strangers coming and going from their house. I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you before. Now, it's time for you to know.

Your parents aren't ordinary martial artists. We're secret agents for the Martial Arts Association, specifically responsible for investigating and tracking forces that use the resources of secret realms for illegal activities. This work is dangerous, so we've kept it from you. We hope you can live a normal life, study, practice martial arts, make friends, and grow up safely.

But we were wrong. They still found us.

In the autumn of the 61st year of the New Calendar, we intercepted an important intelligence report that someone had discovered clues to a possible legendary manual in a secret realm codenamed "Secret Realm Ninety-Nine".

Legendary manuals, you know what that means. It's something that can turn an ordinary person into a top master (provided they can master it), it's the capital that allows a force to dominate a region, it's something that someone would do anything to seize.

Following this lead, we uncovered a shocking fact: this secret realm had been secretly controlled by a mysterious force.

They laid a trap in the secret realm, waiting for unsuspecting martial artists to fall into it.

They are experimenting with human lives to develop strategies.

This is explicitly prohibited by the current Wushu Association!

Once someone discovers the whereabouts of the legendary manual, they will intercept the intelligence, kill to silence witnesses, and claim the clues for themselves.

We uncovered just the tip of the iceberg regarding this force, but it was too late. They discovered we were investigating them and started hunting us down. Your parents aren't afraid of death, but we're afraid you'll be implicated.

We've hidden all the evidence and clues related to this force. We buried it under the ginkgo tree in the yard, waiting for the day you can come and take it.

Fan'er, your parents are so sorry. It was our mistake to leave you to face all of this alone. But we believe in you, we believe you've grown up, we believe you're capable of protecting yourself, and we believe you can get to the bottom of this.

You must remember the following information.

Secret Realm Ninety-Nine, codenamed "Kunlun". Danger level: Unknown. Entry requirements: Unknown. Mission content: Unknown. Everything known is unknown, because this secret realm has never been officially developed. However, according to our intelligence, this secret realm hides a legendary internal energy cultivation technique—the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

The Nine Yang Divine Skill is a legendary internal energy technique that is extremely yang and powerful. Once mastered, it grants inexhaustible internal energy, immunity to all poisons, and indestructibility.