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

Seeing that everyone had expressed their opinions, Sun Fan began to explain the plan.

"We're not going to the four major families, nor the Blood Blade Sect. We're going to Jingzhou."

"Jingzhou?" Red Wolf was taken aback. "Isn't that the prefect's territory?"

"Yes." Sun Fan nodded. "And that prefect is the person we're looking for."

He began to explain.

"The prefect of Jingzhou is named Ling Tuisi. On the surface, he is an official appointed by the imperial court, but in reality, he is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He imprisoned Ding Dian not to uphold the law—but to find the secret of the Liancheng Jue."

"Liancheng Jue?" Du Ming seized on the key phrase, "What's that?"

"A treasure trove," Sun Fan said. "The treasure left behind by Emperor Liang Yuan is priceless. Ling Tuisi would sacrifice anything for this treasure."

"Rumor has it that Mei Niansheng, the previous generation's top righteous martial arts master, possessed the key to Emperor Liang Yuan's treasure."

"And the last person he met before he disappeared was Ding Dian."

"Ding Dian lived in anonymity for many years."

He thought that given enough time, people in the martial arts world would forget him and this treasure.

"But he overestimated the power of time and underestimated the allure of money."

"Lin Tuisi, this so-called prefect, even went so far as to have his daughter seduce Ding Dian in order to find out the whereabouts of the treasure."

"He had planned everything, but the one thing he didn't expect was that Ding Dian was very tight-lipped, and his daughter was far kinder than him. After learning her father's intentions, she did not hesitate to threaten suicide, disfigure herself, and refuse to marry anyone else."

"He could only lock Ding Dian in jail and torture him day and night, hoping to force him to reveal Ding Dian's secret."

"But Dingdian is a tough guy; if he doesn't want to talk about something, no one can make him."

"So," Sun Fan looked at everyone, "we won't side with either side. We're going to do one thing—help Ding Dian escape from prison."

Dong Dahai frowned: "Helping Ding Dian escape from prison is going against Ling Tuisi. Ling Tuisi is an official appointed by the imperial court, and he has soldiers under his command. There are only a few of us..."

"There's no need for a direct confrontation," Sun Fan said. "The reason Ding Dian can't get out isn't because he can't beat the jailers. It's because he doesn't want to get out."

"Why?" Du Ming asked.

"Because he could see Ling Tuisi's daughter's flowers every day from his cell," Sun Fan said. "He stayed to protect her."

Everyone fell silent.

Sun Fan continued, "We don't need to confront Ling Tuis head-on. We just need to do one thing—make Ding Dian feel that there are more important things outside than guarding the tomb."

"What is it?" Red Wolf asked.

"Revenge," Sun Fan said. "Ling Tuisi killed the woman he loved and ruined his life. But he's Ding Dian's father-in-law, so it's hard for him to do it."

"But there are some hatreds he can't let go of."

He stood up: "We need an identity so that we can enter Jingzhou openly and legitimately and get close to Ling Tuisi."

Du Ming thought for a moment: "We can disguise ourselves as traveling martial artists and seek refuge with Ling Tuisi."

"No way," Sun Fan shook his head. "If we join Ling Tuisi, we have to take his orders. He wants us to deal with the Blood Blade Sect. Should we go or not?"

Du Ming was taken aback, then he understood.

"What should we do then?"

Sun Fan thought for a moment: "We need an identity that Ling Tuisi wouldn't dare to easily give orders to."

"What's your identity?" Red Wolf asked.

Sun Fan's lips curled slightly: "A scholar."

Everyone was stunned.

"Scholars?" Red Wolf looked incredulous. "Which one of us looks like a scholar?"

"There's no need to pretend," Sun Fan said. "Ling Tuisi came from the imperial examination system and values ​​the identity of scholars the most. If we pass through Jingzhou as traveling scholars, he will not only not order us around, but will also treat us well."

"But we're not scholars," Du Ming said with a wry smile.

"We don't need to be real scholars," Sun Fan said. "We just need the title of a scholar. I've looked it up; scholars in this era like to associate with martial arts practitioners and also enjoy traveling. All we need to do is get a few scholar's robes, prepare a few books of poetry, and pretend to be reading on the road. When we get to Jingzhou, someone will naturally spread our word."

He looked at Mu Xue'er and said, "Your handwriting is quite good. Copy down a few poems on the way, and when you get to Jingzhou, show them to others. Among scholars, these are the most important things."

Mu Xue'er nodded.

Red Wolf still felt it was unreliable: "But our appearance..."

He pointed to his own face, then to Dong Dahai's scar.

Sun Fan smiled and said, "There are ugly people among scholars too. The key is not appearance, but demeanor. When you get to Jingzhou, speak less and smile more. Leave the talking to me."

"However, we still need to work on our appearance a little. We can't look too young, because there are some things that young people can't do."

He paused, then added, "There's one more thing—when we arrive in Jingzhou, we're not going to find Ling Tuisi. We're going to have Ling Tuisi come to us."

Du Ming's eyes lit up: "You mean...?"

"What do scholars like to do when they arrive in a new place?" Sun Fan asked.

"Visiting a friend?" Red Wolf asked tentatively.

"No," Du Ming shook his head. "It's about writing poetry. Writing it out and letting people see it."

Sun Fan nodded: "That's right. When we get to Jingzhou, we'll go to the best restaurant first, order the best food and wine, and then—Mu Xue'er, you can write a few poems on the wall."

Mu Xue'er was taken aback: "Write a poem? What kind of poem?"

Sun Fan thought for a moment and read a few lines aloud:

"If life were only as beautiful as our first meeting, why would the autumn wind bring sorrow to the painted fan?"

"Old friends' hearts change so easily, yet people say it's the old friends' hearts that are fickle."

Mu Xue'er's eyes lit up: "What a wonderful poem!"

Although Honglang and Duming didn't understand poetry, they still felt that these few lines sounded extraordinary.

"Who wrote this?" Mu Xue'er asked.

"I copied it from the internet," Sun Fan said. "Just keep writing, and once you're done, people will naturally spread it."

He paused for a moment: "Ling Tuisi is a scholar. If he hears that a scholar has written a good poem in a restaurant, it will definitely attract his attention. Then we will have a reason to approach him."

"And then what happens after you get close to him?" Dong Dahai asked.

"After getting close to him, we looked for an opportunity to contact Ding Dian in prison," Sun Fan said. "Ling Tuisi is a suspicious and greedy man; he won't let strangers into the prison. But the prison belongs to the government, not him personally. With so many prisoners under its jurisdiction, we can always find a pretext."

He looked at the crowd and said, "I'll find a way to get into jail. You all wait outside for my news."

"You're going in alone?" Dong Dahai frowned.

"Too many people will only make things worse," Sun Fan said. "Ding Dian is a very wary person. He's been fooled by Ling Tuisi for years and won't easily trust anyone. If I go alone, it will be easier to make him lower his guard."

Du Ming thought for a moment: "Then what are we going to do outside?"

"Wait," Sun Fan said. "Wait for my news. In the meantime, keep an eye on Ling Tuisi's every move. If the fierce tiger comes to Jingzhou, tell me immediately."

He paused. "There's one more thing—do you still have everything we brought when we entered the secret realm?"

Everyone checked their personal storage space.

Red Wolf brought several bottles of pills, Du Ming brought a pair of iron gauntlets, Mu Xue'er brought several hidden weapons, and Dong Dahai brought a folding gun.

Sun Fan nodded: "We have enough supplies. We can buy a few more scholar's robes and a few books of poetry along the way, and that will be enough."

He looked at everyone: "Any more questions?"

Red Wolf hesitated for a moment: "Squad leader, I have another question."

"explain."

"That Ding Dian you mentioned... will he really help us?"