Outmaneuvered

Song Qingshu was left speechless. "Fine, then just treat him as a spy."

"A spy indeed!" Ding Dian's eyes lit up, and he pinned Di Yun down for another brutal beating.

"Miss Ling is dying!" Feeling somewhat guilty that his careless remark had gotten Di Yun beaten up, Song Qingshu had no choice but to bring out his ultimate move.

"What!" Ding Dian truly stopped. He rushed over with a savage expression. "What did you just say!"

"Would you have let him go if I hadn't said that?" With the cell bars between them, Song Qingshu was not afraid of him charging out. "This foolish kid really has had a hard life. He was thrown in here only because—perhaps Ling Tuis thought you might tell him your secret, and that this foolish kid would be easier to deal with than you."

After so many years together, Ding Dian had long since figured that out. Seeing Song Qingshu address Ling Tuis by name, he snorted. "Who are you?"

"I'm a great benevolent man who saves the suffering. I couldn't bear to watch you two suffer so miserably, so I came to bring you a little warmth." Song Qingshu looked over their wretched state: their collarbones had been pierced, and they were filthy from head to toe... Thinking of their fates, he could not help sighing.

"Hmph! What trick is Ling Tuis playing now?" Ding Dian was wary of everything at this point.

"Ling Tuis?" Song Qingshu laughed disdainfully. "Great Hero Ding, how about we make a deal?"

"Get lost!" Ding Dian could not be bothered with him at all. Knowing Miss Ling was safe, he sat back down coldly.

"You really think I care about your Liancheng Jue?" Song Qingshu smiled. "To be honest, I've long known the secret of the Liancheng Jue that all of you have been fighting over."

"Heh, trying to fool a child?" Ding Dian gave a dry laugh.

"You don't believe me?" Song Qingshu rose to his feet. "I can tell you the secret of the Liancheng Jue. You can see whether it differs from what you know."

"Go on, then." Ding Dian shot him a suspicious glance.

Song Qingshu gave a bitter smile and lowered his voice. "Great Hero Ding, I know you haven't lost your martial arts. Please listen carefully—are there any other people within several yards? If Ling Tuis's men hear this, I'm afraid I'll end up sharing your fate. My meridians are completely severed, and I no longer possess any martial arts, so I must trouble you to listen carefully."

Ding Dian could not make heads or tails of this. He closed his eyes and carefully investigated the surroundings. "Speak. Within thirty yards, there is no one besides the three of us."

Song Qingshu glanced at Di Yun. "There are some things he is better off not knowing. It would actually protect him." Ding Dian frowned, but still casually struck Di Yun's Sleep Acupoint.

Only then did Song Qingshu breathe a sigh of relief and reveal the secret of the Liancheng Jue. As expected, Ding Dian's expression changed drastically. He stared at him intently. "How do you know that?"

"You don't need to worry about that." Song Qingshu spread his hands. "Now you should believe I'm not one of Ling Tuis's people, right?"

"Then why did you come looking for me?" Ding Dian was deeply puzzled.

"Didn't I say we were making a deal?" Song Qingshu held out his hand. "Quick, take my pulse and see whether your Divine Light Scripture can heal me."

Hearing his words, Ding Dian immediately understood. After lightly checking his pulse, he uttered two words: "It can."

Song Qingshu finally set his mind at ease. "If you ask me, Ling Tuis is truly an idiot. If he had simply told his daughter to demand the Liancheng Jue from you as a betrothal gift, how could you possibly have refused?"

Ling Tuis judged others by his own standards. He assumed everyone in the world was like him and feared revealing even the slightest hint that might make Ding Dian wary. How could he have known that, in Ding Dian's eyes, his daughter was far more important than any treasure?

Hearing Song Qingshu's words, Ding Dian suddenly felt he had found a kindred spirit, and his expression softened. Little did he know that Song Qingshu was deliberately trying to get close to him.

"But now that I know his true face, there is no way I'll hand over the Liancheng Jue." For all these years, Ding Dian had harbored a knot of resentment in his heart. He spoke through gritted teeth.

"I never asked you to hand over the Liancheng Jue." Song Qingshu chuckled. "The deal between us has nothing to do with Ling Tuis."

"What deal?" Ding Dian finally showed a trace of interest.

"I'll make sure you and Miss Ling, two lovers, can finally be together. In return, you'll heal my meridians. How does that sound?" Song Qingshu fixed him with a burning gaze.

Yet Ding Dian showed none of the joy Song Qingshu had expected. Instead, he let out a long sigh. "Do you know why I've willingly remained trapped here all these years?"

Song Qingshu's heart skipped a beat. "Why?"

"First, my martial arts were not yet complete back then. Even if I wanted to escape, I could not have broken free from this prison of copper and iron." Ding Dian gave a bitter smile. "Second, even if I escaped, it would have been useless. Shuang Hua would not go with me. I might as well stay here, where I can at least look from afar at the chrysanthemums she places on her windowsill to ease my loneliness." Ding Dian gazed affectionately through the small cell window toward the distant building.

"Why wouldn't she go with you?" Although Song Qingshu knew the general course of events, he was completely in the dark about these details.

"I don't know either." A trace of tenderness appeared on Ding Dian's face. "She is a well-bred young lady. It is only natural that she would not want to elope with a man under such unclear circumstances. Besides, Ling Tuis forced her to swear such a vicious oath." As he spoke, Ding Dian's expression turned savage.

"What oath?" Song Qingshu was rather dismissive. It's only an oath. Why were ancient people all so ridiculously stupid?

"Her father threatened her with my life and forced her to swear that she would never see me again for the rest of her life. Otherwise, her mother's soul beneath the earth would suffer torment day and night." Ding Dian nearly crushed his teeth.

"With your life?" Song Qingshu's expression grew strange. "Even if she refused, Ling Tuis would not have killed you."

"That is precisely what makes him so vicious!" Ding Dian slammed a palm against the wall, leaving a handprint behind.

Song Qingshu muttered to himself. This was going to be difficult.

As though he knew what Song Qingshu was thinking, Ding Dian said, "If you can truly persuade Shuang Hua to flee far away with me, I can teach you the Divine Light Scripture."

Song Qingshu happily slapped his chest. "Fine, leave it to me. I'll first sound out Miss Ling's intentions, then we can discuss how you'll teach me the Divine Light Scripture." Thinking that he finally had hope of turning things around, Song Qingshu was beside himself with joy and hurried outside.

Watching Song Qingshu's somewhat crazed retreating figure, Ding Dian gave a cold smile. The Divine Light Scripture? Without twenty years of effort, could you possibly learn it? Ding Dian could not be blamed for deceiving him. He had suffered enough from the ugliness of human nature and no longer trusted anyone.

When Song Qingshu arrived outside Miss Ling's small building, guards stopped him. "Lord Ling has ordered that no one but himself may see Miss Ling."

Displaying a command token, Song Qingshu said, "Lord Ling instructed me to act as I saw fit within the estate. Everyone is to cooperate with me. I assume you have received the notice as well."

The two guards exchanged looks and still hesitated. Song Qingshu could not be bothered with them. He directly pushed aside the sabers blocking his path and strode up the stairs.