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

Sun Fan's fingers gently caressed the rim of the teacup.

His tone was very certain and calm.

Pretending to be drunk, Shen Zhaoyuan was actually very excited.

He recalled his conversation with his father, Shen Huaishan, in the study.

"Zhao'er, this Sun Fan has an extraordinary background. Don't inquire about him. Just show him the utmost respect. If he can impart even a tenth or a twentieth of his talent and insights into the imperial examinations to you, your future success in the examinations will be a piece of cake!"

"As you know, our Shen family has been growing stronger over the years, but since I stepped down, your eldest brother hasn't been able to take over. After all, he wasn't a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and his family background is too humble. It's not easy for him to advance quickly."

"Your second brother is being held down by that old dog Lin Tuisi again."

"The future of the Shen family still depends on you."

"Give him whatever he wants, satisfy all his needs, and he can spend the money in the manor as he pleases."

Now that Sun Fan has said this, it's practically equivalent to him agreeing to give him guidance.

How could he not be excited?

The two chatted for a while longer, when Sun Fan suddenly spoke up.

"Brother Shen," he suddenly said, "I have a favor to ask."

"Brother Sun, please speak freely."

"I would like to meet that scholar surnamed Chu."

Shen Zhaoyuan was stunned: "See him? Why?"

Sun Fan was silent for a moment before speaking: "I had a classmate from my younger days, also from Jiangnan, and surnamed Chu. He went away to study last year and hasn't returned. His family has been searching for him for months, but without any news. When I heard Brother Shen mention that scholar surnamed Chu, I wondered... could it be him?"

"After all, the surname Chu is not that common."

Shen Zhaoyuan hesitated: "This... the prison is Ling Tuisi's territory. Without his token, we can't get in."

"I know," Sun Fan said, "so I don't need to go to jail. I just want to know what that scholar surnamed Chu looks like. If he's my classmate, I'll write home to let his family know I'm safe. Then I'll leave the rest to his family to handle, which would be fulfilling my duty as a classmate. If he's not—then forget it."

Shen Zhaoyuan thought for a moment, seemingly troubled, then suddenly slapped his thigh: "I have a way!"

"What method?"

"There's an old jailer in the garrison, surnamed Liu, who knows my second brother," Shen Zhaoyuan said. "That man was in the army in his early years, and later found a job in prison. We can ask someone to have him paint a portrait of Young Master Chu, and you'll know for sure if it's him or not when you see it."

Although this was not the outcome Sun Fan desired, he still bowed and thanked him, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Shen."

Three days later, Shen Zhaoyuan came to find Sun Fan excitedly.

"Brother Sun, I've found out!"

He held a piece of paper in his hand, on which a human figure was drawn crookedly.

"That scholar surnamed Chu, in his early twenties, of medium build, with a round face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, looks quite honest. This is a drawing by Old Liu from memory. Take a look, isn't he your classmate?"

Sun Fan took the portrait and examined it carefully.

The drawing is rough, but Luo Kuo's features are still faintly visible.

He shook his head: "No. My classmate is thinner and taller than this one."

Shen Zhaoyuan was somewhat disappointed: "Then forget it. But Old Liu also mentioned something strange—"

"What is it?"

"There seems to be a madman next to that young master Chu. He beats up the other inmates in his cell all the time, and it's so noisy that people can't sleep. But recently, for some reason, that madman seems to have calmed down."

Ling Tuisi locked Ding Dian in the deepest part of the house and guarded him with the strictest security, not to punish him, but to protect him—to protect the secret he carried.

"Brother Shen," Sun Fan suddenly said, "I'd like to meet that old man Liu."

Shen Zhaoyuan was taken aback: "See him? What's so special about seeing an old prison guard?"

"I want to ask about something," Sun Fan said, "about what's going on in prison. Just out of curiosity."

Shen Zhaoyuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I'll have my second brother arrange it."

The following evening, Sun Fan met Old Man Liu at a small tavern in the south of the city.

This was an elderly man in his sixties, with gray hair and a slightly hunched back, but his eyes were piercingly bright. He was wearing a worn-out outfit and carrying a gourd of wine. When he saw Sun Fan, he sized him up.

"You're the young master Sun that Master Shen mentioned?"

Sun Fan nodded and poured him a glass of wine: "Uncle Liu, please sit down."

Old Liu didn't stand on ceremony. He plopped down, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good wine!" He smacked his lips. "Young Master Sun, please feel free to ask whatever you need."

Sun Fan poured him another glass: "Uncle Liu, you've worked in prison for twenty years, you've had a tough time."

"What's so hard about it?" Old Liu waved his hand. "It's just making a living. Although Lord Ling is strict, he still pays me every penny I'm owed. It's better than working outside."

"Then..." Sun Fan carefully chose his words, "Uncle Liu knows all the people locked up in the jail?"

"More or less." Old Liu took another sip. "There are twenty-three people in the jail. Some are petty thieves, some are murderers and arsonists, and some are innocent. I remember exactly what each person looks like and what they did."

"And what about the one at the very back?" Sun Fan asked. "Who's locked in that innermost cell?"

Old Liu paused for a moment.

He looked up at Sun Fan, his eyes showing a hint of wariness.

"Why does Young Master Sun ask this?"

Sun Fan smiled, took out a silver ingot from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

"Just out of curiosity."

Old Liu stared at the silver ingot for a long time before finally reaching out to take it and putting it in his pocket.

"That person..." he lowered his voice, "I don't know his name, nor do I know what he did wrong. All I know is that he's been in there for three years. During those three years, Lord Ling interrogated him every few days, always with his men, and every time he came out looking grim."

"No one is allowed into that cell except Lord Ling and his few confidants. The cleaners and food handlers are all Lord Ling's own people. We old jailers aren't even allowed to get close."

Sun Fan nodded: "Then... is there anything special about that person?"

Old Liu thought for a moment: "It is... somewhat special."

"What?"

"He would look out the window every day," Old Liu said. "His cell window faced north, directly over an open space on the city wall. There was nothing there, but he would look at it every day, sometimes for most of the day."

Sun Fan felt a pang of sadness.

That's not an empty lot.

That's where Ling Shuanghua places the flowers every day.

Ding Dian wasn't looking at the empty space, but at the potted flower.

"Anything else?" he asked.

Old Liu thought for a moment and said, "Also... he's in very good health. He was imprisoned for three years and beaten every few days, but I never saw him get sick. Once I went to deliver his food—though I couldn't get close, I caught a glimpse of him from afar—he was sitting in his cell, his face ruddy and full of energy, not like someone who had been imprisoned for three years."

Sun Fan's heart stirred.