Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 229 Drawing a circle on the ground to imprison himself, Li Zhaoting only needs three breaths...

"Who is the undercover agent, and where is the evidence?"

Xue Zhi "urgently" hugged Qin San.

Qin San stared coldly at Xue Zhi, babbling incoherently as if his mind was clouded by excessive blood loss, though in reality he was perfectly clear-headed.

Excessive blood loss can indeed affect the brain, but Qin San had long passed that stage. He was seriously injured and on the verge of death, in a state of "last gasp of life".

"You...are...you..."

Qin San mumbled something, making only background noise.

Xue Zhi could easily distinguish background noise because it concerned him. On a noisy street, it was difficult to hear the sounds around him, but if someone suddenly called his name, he would subconsciously turn around.

This is not "hearing".

This is the brain's ability to distinguish information.

Xue Zhi raised his head, looked around, and saw the doorman had gone to the government office to find Shen Rong. There were no outsiders around, and a cold, murderous look appeared on his face: "Hand over the evidence now!"

Qin San looked at Xue Zhi with a mocking expression.

What can threaten a person who is near death?

Try to lure them with benefits?

Torture and interrogation?

That's all utter nonsense!
Why would a person on the verge of death care about these things?
It should be noted that to explain the case to Shen Rong, the prefect of Jinling, one should go to the prefectural government office. However, Qin San's injuries were too severe, and he could not make it to the prefectural government office.

To be able to utter those two sentences before death was already a blessing from heaven, giving him a moment of respite before death.

Xue Zhi looked troubled.

What he needs is not to silence them, but evidence.

Evidence is the most important thing.

Just then, Shen Feiyan and Miss Wang heard the noise and rushed over. The Shen family was originally a martial arts family, specializing in lightness skills and hidden weapons. Twenty years ago, Shen Rong abandoned martial arts for literature and was fortunate enough to pass the imperial examination.

Shen Feiyan is Shen Rong's only daughter. She has loved martial arts since childhood and has become very skilled. She admires the dashing Miss Wang and the two quickly become best friends, often sparring in the training ground.

Shen Feiyan arrived incredibly fast, but she was still a step too late. Qin San was exhausted, and his last moments of lucidity had run out. He could only muster his last bit of strength to grab Shen Feiyan's sleeve hard.

Xue Zhi saw it clearly.

Shen Feiyan was so focused on Qin San that she didn't notice the bloody handprint on her sleeve. She stamped her feet in frustration, exclaiming, "How could such a huge secret be... Oh dear!"

Miss Wang sneered, "Feiyan, the two of us will stay here and watch his body. No one is allowed to approach the body. Please ask Li Zhaoting to come and examine the body."

What if an assassin attacks?

"The Li residence is just two streets away. Li Zhaoting will arrive in three breaths at most. Even if Zhongyuan Yidianhong launches an assassination, it's impossible for him to kill both of us at the same time in three breaths, especially you, Feiyan. If you encounter an assassin, run away immediately and don't worry about me, understand?"

Miss Wang has a very loud voice.

This is not a conspiracy.

This is just a case of someone using someone else's power to intimidate the assassin!
The martial arts world of Jinling is Li Zhaoting's territory.

Before carrying out an assassination, the assassin needs to calculate whether the commission paid by the employer is enough to buy his life.

Xue Zhi's eyes dimmed.

He did have the idea of ​​making a move just now, and he was confident that he could severely injure Shen Feiyan with one move and kill Miss Wang with two moves if he ambushed her. However, while he was confident that he could silence her in three breaths, he could not destroy the evidence.

That's how a sense of security comes about.

This is the basic ability of a "master of the martial arts world".

deterrence!

No need to lift a finger, just a name is enough to make people back down, and everyone will give me face!

Not long after, Shen Rong arrived.

Li Zhaoting and Feng Suzhen were invited over by the doorman.

"Lord Shen, we..."

"Young Master Li, please come to the study for a chat."

Shen Rong looked at Miss Wang and said, "I would like to trouble Chief Escort Wang to guard the body. Before we come out, you can stop anyone who approaches the body. If they insist on getting close, you can shoot them dead."

"Would this be considered a security escort business?"

"Commission of one hundred taels! Deposit of one tael!"

"Shunfeng Escort Agency will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Miss Wang didn't want to get involved in government affairs, and Shen Rong, being very perceptive, immediately hired Shunfeng Escort Agency.

Miss Wang toyed with the silver ingot, looking at Xue Zhi with a half-smile. In her mind, she recalled the detective stories Li Zhaoting had told her when they were escorting goods. Li Zhaoting had once said that the simplest way to find the murderer was eight words: "Stir up trouble and you'll be confused."

The more urgent the behavior, the greater the suspicion.

Xue Zhi's behavior was highly illogical.

He was too hasty, too impulsive, and too nervous. He didn't seem like a fierce general on the battlefield, nor a high-ranking official who could keep his emotions in check. He seemed more like a bandit.

Miss Wang is a bodyguard, and she knows bandits best.

The murderous intent and killing intent in Xue Zhi's eyes were exactly the same as those of a bandit; she was absolutely certain she hadn't misjudged him.

Li Zhaoting, Feng Suzhen, and Shen Rong went to the study.

Li Zhaoting turned around, smiled sweetly, raised his hand and flicked out a sword aura, leaving a sword mark on the ground.

Draw a circle on the ground to make a prison!

If an assassin launches a surprise attack, it will trigger the remaining sword intent on the ground. The sword intent must be broken before the assassination can be carried out. When Cheng Huaixiu fought Li Shengnan, Li Zhaoting used this method to screen the audience.

This directly led to Yu Canghai's mental breakdown.

This indirectly led to the extermination of the Songfeng Temple of the Qingcheng Sect.

……

"Lord Shen, what's going on?"

"This matter is somewhat related to Young Master Li."

"related to me?"

"Young Master Li broke through the Sunflower Sect and discovered that the Sunflower Sect was plotting a rebellion. The imperial court sent people to investigate the case. The secret agent of the Imperial City Guard in charge of the investigation is my student, Qin San, whom you just saw. He found some clues."

"Did you correspond with him?"

“Yes! Qin San sent me two letters. One letter said someone was using my seal to stamp passes, facilitating the transport of military equipment. The other letter said there was a mole among me, and I should be careful of those around me.” “Do you have any suspects?”

"Yes, I will handle these matters."

What did Qin San say before he died?

"He told the doorman that Nanjing was hiding rebels and Manchu spies, and that the spy was right next to him."

"Lord Shen, what do you intend to do?"

"Knock on the mountain to scare the tiger, beat the grass to startle the snake."

"Appreciate further details."

"The last people Qin San came into contact with were the doorman, my daughter, Chief Escort Wang, and Xue Zhi. To be honest, I suspect Xue Zhi is a Qing Dynasty spy. My daughter and Chief Escort Wang are innocent, so we can ask them to be the bait."

Shen Rong joined the army in his youth and possessed a deep-rooted iron-blooded aura. His every move exuded a murderous aura, and once he found an undercover agent, he would personally capture the traitor.

Li Zhaoting knew he couldn't speak carelessly.

Between Shen Feiyan and "Chief Escort Wang," there were some who were purely good friends, and some who had five children together. It's hard to say which Chief Escort Wang it was.

Feng Suzhen asked, "What plan do you have?"

"I secretly spread the word that Qin San hid the secret letter on my daughter and asked Chief Escort Wang to escort her to the capital to deliver the letter to Mr. Zhuge. This matter is quite dangerous and may require the help of Young Master Li."

"Where morality lies, duty cannot be shirked."

Li Zhaoting exuded a strong sense of righteousness.

Feng Suzhen rolled her eyes at Li Zhaoting and analyzed the loopholes in Shen Rong's plan: "Lord Shen, what if the undercover agent is indeed Xue Zhi? He sees things most clearly. Besides, if my husband is accompanied by bodyguards, I'm afraid none of the seven strongest assassin organizations in the martial arts world would dare to take the job."

Shen Rong smiled and said, "The incident happened suddenly, and Xue Zhi may not have been able to see it clearly. I had my daughter press a bloody handprint on her sleeve and had the maid wash the clothes to show that Qin San grabbed a handful of blood from my daughter's sleeve before he died."

Li Zhaoting said, "Lord Shen is quite the schemer!"

Of all things, the worst thing is to overthink it!
Xue Zhi was not sure if Qin San had left any clues before his death, but Shen Rong's vague and contradictory information led Xue Zhi to fill in the gaps in his imagination.

Xue Zhi would actively fill in the complete process in his mind.

If the undercover agent wasn't Xue Zhi, the other party would definitely come to inquire about the information. After being relayed three times by the maid, servant, and Shen Feiyan, who could judge whether the information was true or false?

The more you imagine it, the more fearful you become.

When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood.

When the real is made to appear fake, the fake also appears real.

The three of them whispered among themselves and quickly began writing a script.

The script was fresh off the next morning.

Shen Feiyan, the only daughter of Shen Rong, the prefect of Jinling, had a conflict with Wang Zhenwei, the deputy chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Shunfeng镖局 (escort agency). She said she wanted to deal with Shunfeng镖局 and was willing to pay a reward of five hundred taels of silver to send her personal sachet to Daxiangguo Temple.

Why was it sent to the Daxiangguo Temple?

No reason.

The young lady is throwing a tantrum; she can go wherever she wants!
Shunfeng Escort Agency had just opened and couldn't possibly turn away business, so they could only take on Shen Feiyan's escort missions.

noon.

The bodyguards set off for the capital.

Since the items being transported were sachets, not large or valuable items that could be carried by the person, Shunfeng Escort Agency only dispatched three escorts and seven porters.

The head镖师 (chief escort) Miss Wang personally escorted the goods.

There are rules for escorting small items.

The sachet must be placed into the mechanical wooden box under the watchful eyes of everyone, and it can only be opened upon reaching the destination.

The sachet was Shen Feiyan's personal item, and since it was inconvenient for Wang Zhenwei to transport it, Miss Wang carried it herself. When verifying the sachet, Xue Zhi stood not far away and watched.

He saw bloodstains on the sachet.

He recalled that last night, Shen Feiyan's personal maid was carrying a basin of clothes, washing them while complaining. Xue Zhi casually leaned over and asked a few questions in a low voice. He discovered that these were the clothes Shen Feiyan had worn during the day, with black and red bloody handprints on the sleeves. Such marks were very difficult to wash off.

No wonder the maid complained.

The two scenes connected in Xue Zhi's mind.

Before Qin San died, he used his last strength to slip a secret letter to Shen Feiyan. Because Shen Feiyan was ordered to guard Qin San's body and could not leave, she did not have time to change her clothes, which caused the bloody handprint to congeal into a blackish-red color.

The so-called quarrels, temper tantrums, and sending sachets were all deceptions, with the aim of delivering a secret letter to Zhuge Zhengwo and asking him to handle the matter.

Xue Zhi felt he had discovered the truth.

He decided to rob the caravan halfway through its journey.

oh~~
It's truly terrifying to imagine things in your head.

Xue Zhi overlooked one thing.

If Qin San really left a secret letter, Shen Rong will definitely arrest him once he sees it!

This is a very obvious flaw.

Li Zhaoting and Feng Suzhen disguised themselves as escorts and hid in the Shunfeng Escort Agency's caravan. The two whispered among themselves, and Feng Suzhen keenly discovered this fatal flaw.

It could very well result in all your efforts being in vain!

Li Zhaoting waved his hand: "Madam, if Xue Zhi discovers a loophole, he will come up with a 'reasonable' explanation in his mind to convince himself."

For example, Shen Rong used a long-term strategy, deliberately leaving Xue Zhi behind, hoping to use him to lure out the mastermind.

Replacing Xue Zhi with another name would have the same effect.

Anyone would think that way.

Because they were hoping to get away with it.

Rebellion is a crime punishable by the execution of the entire family.

The reasons I just gave them time to make amends. If they hadn't gotten away with it, and Shen Rong had to handle things strictly according to the law, guess what would have happened?

To survive, to convince themselves, to grasp at straws, this couldn't be a loophole; it had to be a conspiracy. They just happened to be playing along.

If I'm not mistaken.

The bandits are almost here.

They will hire many skilled people.

(End of this chapter)