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

Three days later, Ding Dian did not come.

Sun Fan waited all night in the villa. The tea went cold and was reheated, then cooled again, until the sky began to lighten, but the figure never appeared.

Dong Dahai kept watch in the shadows all night, only emerging at dawn.

"Maybe he's still thinking about it," he said.

Sun Fan shook his head: "He's not thinking, he's afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"He's afraid I'm lying to him." Sun Fan stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders. "He spent three years in jail, being deceived by Ling Tuisi for three years. He's always had a hard time trusting others, and besides, my story is indeed a bit far-fetched."

"What should we do then?"

"Wait," Sun Fan said. "He'll come back."

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, someone in despair will always want to give it a try.

Ding Dian still didn't come the following night.

Day three, day four...

Dong Dahai began to panic: "Squad leader, we don't have much time left. The Blood Blade Sect will probably arrive in Jingzhou in about ten days, and the four major families are probably preparing as well. If Ding Dian doesn't help..."

"He will come," Sun Fan interrupted him.

How did you know?

Sun Fan did not answer. He sat at the stone table in the courtyard, with three things in front of him—a pot of tea, a dish of peanuts, and a white handkerchief.

The moonlight shone on the handkerchief, and the little chrysanthemum bloomed quietly.

On the fifth night, after the third watch drum sounded, the figure finally appeared on the courtyard wall.

Ding Dian was still dressed the same, still had the same unshaven face, but his eyes had changed. The last time he came, his eyes were deep and unfathomable, like a bottomless well. This time, there was something else in that well—not hope, but something sharper.

Like a sword.

"I've made up my mind." He landed in front of Sun Fan without sitting down.

Sun Fan poured him a cup of tea and pushed it towards him.

Ding Dian did not answer.

"I thought about what you said that day for a long time," he said, his voice more steady than before. "You said you could resolve Ling Tuisi's problems, I didn't believe it. You said you could resolve Shuanghua's inner conflict, I didn't believe it either. But there's one thing you said right—"

He looked into Sun Fan's eyes: "I need a chance for revenge."

Sun Fan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I can teach you the Divine Illumination Scripture," Ding Dian said, "but not now."

"When?"

"When you show me that what you say isn't just empty words."

Sun Fan picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

"How do you want me to prove it?"

"Get Di Yun out," Ding Dian repeated. "If you can get Chu Huai'an in, you can get Di Yun out."

"and then?"

"Then, I will decide whether or not to teach you the Divine Illumination Scripture."

Sun Fan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Brother Ding, do you know how difficult it was to get Di Yun out?"

"I know," Ding Dian said, "that's why I asked you to do it."

He turned around, ready to leave.

"Wait a minute," Sun Fan called out to him.

Ding Dian turned around.

Sun Fan picked up the white handkerchief from the table and handed it over.

"She told me to tell you—'The flowers are still blooming.'"

Ding Dian took the handkerchief, his fingers trembling slightly.

He didn't say anything, turned around and disappeared into the night.

Sun Fan sat by the stone table, watching the moon slowly sink in the west.

"Squad leader." Dong Dahai emerged from the shadows, his expression grave. "Getting Di Yun out is almost impossible. Ling Tuisi kept him locked up next to Chu Huai'an to fish for trouble—to fish for his master Qi Changfa, his senior uncle Wan Zhenshan, and everyone connected to the Liancheng Jue. If we make a move against Di Yun, Ling Tuisi will know."

"I know," Sun Fan said.

"Then why did you agree to it?"

Sun Fan stood up and looked in the direction where Ding Dian had disappeared.

"Dahai, do you know why Ding Dian made this request?"

Dong Dahai thought for a moment: "Testing you?"

"It's not just a test," Sun Fan said. "He's watching—watching whether I'm really different from Ling Tuisi."

"What do you mean?"

"Ling Tuisi will do anything for the Liancheng Jue. He'll use his daughter, he'll use prisoners, he'll use everyone." Sun Fan turned around. "What Ding Dian wants to see is whether I'll do the same thing for the Shenzhao Jing—use Di Yun as a pawn and then discard him."

Dong Dahai paused for a moment, then asked, "So... what are you planning to do?"

Sun Fan did not answer immediately. He walked to the edge of the pond and looked at his reflection in the water.

The moonlight shattered into a silvery white on the water's surface. A breeze blew, causing the shattered silver to shimmer and then gather together again.

"Dahai, you've followed me for so long, have you ever thought about why I'm helping Ding Dian?"

Dong Dahai thought for a moment: "For the Divine Illumination Scripture?"

"The Divine Illumination Scripture is one aspect," Sun Fan said, "but there's another aspect as well."

He turned around and looked into Dong Dahai's eyes.

"I stayed in the last secret realm for a long time."

Dong Dahai nodded; he also had his own guesses.

"Over the years, I've met many people," Sun Fan said softly. "There were good people and bad people. Some good people were rewarded, and some were not. But there's one type of person I've always felt shouldn't have ended up like that."

He looked at the dark city walls in the distance, which led to the Jingzhou prison.

"Ding Dian shouldn't have been imprisoned for three years, shouldn't have watched helplessly as the person he loved was disfigured, and shouldn't have died in the end from a packet of poison. Ling Shuanghua shouldn't have been nailed to a coffin and suffocated to death. Di Yun shouldn't have had nothing, and shouldn't have been betrayed by everyone."

He paused for a moment: "These things, if no one knows, then let it go. But now that I know, I can't pretend I don't know."

Dong Dahai remained silent for a long time.

"Class monitor," he finally spoke, "I don't understand any of what you're saying. But I do know one thing—"

He looked at Sun Fan and said, "I'll do whatever you tell me to do."

Sun Fan smiled.

"Okay," he said. "Then let's do the first thing—get Di Yun out."

"How do I do it?"

Sun Fan took out Ling Tuisi's token from his pocket and waved it in the moonlight.

Use this.

Dong Dahai frowned: "Ling Tuisi's token can only be used to check people, not to release them."

"I know." Sun Fan took the token back. "So I don't need the token. What I need is—"

He paused for a moment: "Give him a reason to release them."

"Or rather, an exchange."

Over the next three days, Sun Fan did three things.

First thing: He went to see Shen Zhaoyuan.

"Brother Shen, I have a favor to ask." Sun Fan sat down in the study and got straight to the point.

Shen Zhaoyuan put down the article in his hand: "Brother Sun, please speak freely."

"I need your help to find a few guards from the Shen family and borrow them for a few days."

Shen Zhaoyuan was taken aback: "Guards? Brother Sun is in trouble?"

"It's not trouble," Sun Fan smiled. "It's about my classmate, Chu Huai'an. He's in jail, and I want to get him out. But I can't do it alone."

Shen Zhaoyuan frowned: "Get it out? How?"