Martial Arts Showdown: My Wife Asked Me to Be the Champion

Chapter 6 Peony, Alchemist, Triple Disguise

Feng Qiwu is a very pure person.

Thieves steal gold and silver jewelry either to indulge in debauchery or to show off their skills, but Feng Qiwu is an exception; he simply loves "money".

Having been in the business for over twenty years, Feng Qiwu had stolen at least four or five hundred thousand taels of gold and silver. However, he hid the jewels under his bed and never spent a single penny of them.

Wearing tattered clothes stained with oil and eating leftover chicken heads and duck butts from other diners, "Yan Jiansheng" seemed quite generous compared to Feng Qiwu.

How do you get someone like that to talk?

Xu Qingya held his palm upright like a knife, and with a light slash, he cut open the belly of the roast goose. The next second, pearls, jade, gold and silver jewelry scattered on the ground with a clatter.

How could a miser who would risk his life to save money possibly abandon his treasure and run away? Feng Qiwu's life savings were all hidden inside the bellies of these thirty-nine roast geese.

Under Feng Qiwu's horrified gaze, Xu Qingya picked up a jade thumb ring, crushed it into pieces with a "crack," and then picked up a pair of jade bracelets.

"A jade thumb ring, worth three thousand taels!"

"Crack!"

"A single mutton-fat jade bracelet is worth approximately seven thousand taels of silver; a pair would be worth twenty thousand taels!"

"Crack! Crack!"

"A jade landscape plaque—the material and craftsmanship alone could fetch five thousand taels of silver even in a pawnshop!"

"Crack!"

Feng Qiwu's eyes shifted from anger to terror, and then from terror to despair. He felt as if his heart had been stabbed more than three thousand times, a pain a hundred times worse than being torn apart a thousand times.

"Wow! This is valuable! It's a Bagan specialty, a golden-red jadeite, a priceless gem. A piece this big could buy seven or eight houses!"

Xu Qingya picked up a blood-red phoenix hairpin, waved it in front of Feng Qiwu, gripped the hairpin with four fingers, pressed the head of the hairpin with his thumb, and applied slight pressure with his fingers.

Seeing that the phoenix hairpin was about to be crushed, Feng Qiwu's last bit of willpower was completely extinguished: "No! Don't break my precious treasure! I confess! I confess!"

Xu Qingya gave Zhui Ming a wink.

Zhui Ming picked up Feng Qiwu and shouted, "Tell me everything you know! If you dare to utter a single lie, I'll smash all this treasure into pieces!"

Xu Qingya has a "plot advantage" and is more sensitive to the secrets of the martial arts world. When it comes to chasing murderers and solving cases, the Four Great Constables, who are famous throughout the world, are obviously more skilled.

The Four Great Constables each have their own strengths.

Ruthless is adept at analyzing case files and unraveling mysteries.

Iron Hand is good at making friends and relentlessly pressuring his opponent.

Cold-blooded is good at confronting things head-on and risking his life for their own.

Zhuiming's greatest skill is tracking!

A tracking technique that is both miraculous and uncanny!

If Zhuiming finds even the slightest trace, he will relentlessly pursue you like a ghost in a hanging boot, and you will find it difficult to escape his pursuit, no matter how far you search.

Soon, Zhuiming interrogated him and learned what had happened.

According to Feng Qiwu's confession, two months ago, his identity was exposed by two mysterious people who hired him to steal children, earning him three hundred taels of silver each time.

Feng Qiwu had been a thief for over twenty years, and his skills in scaling walls and leaping across rooftops were ingrained in his very being.

First, they would use the pretext of delivering roast duck and roast goose to scout the location, then release sedatives, grab people, and hide the children in the delivery cart, disappearing without a trace.

The transaction method is also "food delivery"!

Outsiders can see the roast goose hanging on the cart and smell the aroma of the fat wafting in the wind, but who would pay attention to the greasy, wet burlap sack on the cart seat?

Zhui Ming had suspected the Six and a Half Hall, the Beggars' Gang branch, and the Snake King, but he never imagined that the one who kidnapped the child was Mai Lao Guang, who ran a roast meat shop.

Zhui Ming gave a thumbs up: "Brother Xu, how did you find him? That old bastard is ten times more cunning than a fox; the Six Doors have been chasing him for over a decade!"

Xu Qingya bent down and gently patted Doubao'er's head: "Among the kidnapped children, one of them comes from a family that makes custom sachets."

I've heard that this shop specializes in making sachets for the wives of high-ranking officials and nobles. The spices they use are very exquisite, with a light yet lingering fragrance.

Since the child has been exposed to cosmetics since childhood, it is inevitable that he will pick up the scent of sachets. This afternoon, I went to the child's parents and asked for a piece of clothing for him.

Doubao found Mai Laoguang by the smell of the clothes. He was the last person to have contact with the child. I probed him a bit and discovered his inconsistency.

At this point, Xu Qingya analyzed: "Tracing targets by scent is Doubao'er's specialty, but it only found Mai Laoguang, not the child!"

This shows that the mastermind locked the child in a place filled with cosmetics and floral scents, where the greasy smell clashed with the cosmetic smell, and the cosmetic smell blended with the cosmetic smell!

I have two guesses.

First, brothels; second, gardens.

In March, the main flowers are peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and peonies, with peonies blooming most beautifully.

Third Brother, I've long heard of the famous Luoyang Peony Festival. I wonder how many businesses in Luoyang deal in it? And whose peonies bloom the best?

Zhui Ming nodded in agreement: "Brother Xu, we're on the same page. This case of missing children seems more like evil forces collecting 'training materials'."

The late emperor was obsessed with immortality and favored alchemists, which led to the gathering of countless evil spirits and wicked people in the capital.

After His Majesty ascended the throne, he severely cracked down on sorcerers. These sorcerers broke up into smaller groups, disguised themselves, and fled.

When the late emperor was in power, these people were high and mighty living gods, surrounded by attendants and living in luxury.

They can't bear a hard life.

Based on my observation, most of these "immortal masters" enjoy indulging in refined pursuits, especially in gardening.

Let's search in shifts.

I'm going to check out a few peony gardens in Beijing.

"Keep searching by scent, little brother. It doesn't matter if you can't find them; just attract their attention. This is the capital; they won't dare to cause too much trouble here!"

Xu Qingya said in surprise, "It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. It is not surprising that these wicked people stay in the capital, fantasizing about making a comeback."

But, as Third Brother said, this is, after all, the capital city. The emperor despises sorcerers the most. How could they dare to commit a crime at the risk of being torn to pieces?

Zhui Ming sneered: "It's very simple! It's because these demons can't suppress the backlash from their cultivation methods. Most of the cultivation methods of evil and heretical sects are eager for quick success and have serious side effects."

Practicing unorthodox methods is like climbing a bottomless cliff by pulling yourself up with a rope. At first, the speed is incredibly fast, but when your strength is exhausted and you look down...

Zhui Ming didn't say much.

Xu Qingya nodded to indicate that he understood.

—Walking a tightrope over a cliff, there's no turning back!

Zhui Ming escorted Feng Qiwu back to the Six Doors, waking up the constables who were about to go to sleep to work overtime. Zhui Ming couldn't afford to pay overtime, but he could treat them to roast goose rice.

Feng Qiwu generously sponsored thirty-nine roast geese.

Feng Qiwu watched helplessly as the gold and silver jewelry he had painstakingly collected was accounted for and put into storage, and even the roast goose was divided up and eaten by the constables. He was so angry that his eyes rolled back.

"Chasing Life, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

Feng Qiwu rolled her eyes and fainted.

Zhui Ming shrugged indifferently.

—Old Cui has never seen a ghost before!

Even as a ghost, Old Cui is still a ghost messenger. He'll arrest you once as a human, and he'll arrest you again as a ghost!

The next morning, Xu Qingya bought some gifts and went to Tingxuelou to visit Yang Yan, firstly to build a relationship, and secondly to use Yang Yan's network of connections to find the mastermind behind it all.

Yang Yan has a "two-sided" identity.

One way she appears is as "Yang Yan," the head of the Yang family, who mainly runs restaurants, silk, and dock transportation businesses—a truly wealthy woman.

Secondly, she appears wearing a mask as "Fairy Jinghong," the head of Linglong Pavilion, the biggest intelligence dealer in the black market, and also runs seven underground banks.

Actually, she has another identity.

Pan Youdi, a direct disciple of Guantao Pavilion!

A stunningly beautiful woman surnamed Pan used a bamboo pole to hit Ximen's apprentice from the second floor. Every time she thought about this chance encounter, she felt a chill down her spine.

As the biggest intelligence broker in the capital, Yang Yan's intelligence network is well-known. Before Xu Qingya even arrived at Tingxuelou, Qin Nanqin was already waiting at the door.

"Greetings, Young Master Xu!"

"May I ask your name, young lady?"

"My name is Qin Nanqin. Young Master Xu, Miss was still talking about you last night. If you hadn't come this morning, I would have gone to fetch you. I don't want to see Granny Cai!"

"Qin...Nan...Qin?"

Is there anything wrong with this name?

"What a beautiful name!"

Xu Qingya turned her head away, slightly embarrassed.

If it were Shuang'er, Xiao Zhao, or Zuo Shi, Xu Qingya might have teased them a bit, but this is Qin Nanqin! Xu Qingya doesn't want to be bitten to death by a poisonous snake in the middle of the night!

Qin Nanqin smiled and said, "Young Master Xu has just arrived in the capital. He first captured Tian Boguang, then killed the Azure Blood Twins, and last night he also captured Feng Qiwu and found out about the evil heretics."

My young lady said that any evil spirits or heretics who encounter Young Master Xu will be in deep trouble!

Xu Qingya waved his hand: "It's just a small matter, not worthy of such praise. We martial artists should be righteous and chivalrous, this is just our duty."

"What do you mean it's just part of your job?"

"The wandering knight-errant originated from the Mohist school during the Spring and Autumn period. The Mohist school had ten principles, one of which was chivalry, also known as chivalry, which gradually developed into the knight-errant..."

The two walked and talked, and the short distance took them the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Qin Nanqin pointed to an exquisite warm room and took Doubao with her.

Xu Qingya straightened his clothes and pushed open the door to enter!