Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 211: Chapter 158: Harvest! A Match for Ten Thousand

Wan Ze looked at him, pulled something from his pocket, and tossed it over.

Sun Beixi caught it reflexively.

It was a black communicator.

”Is this... from those damn foreigners?”

He saw the foreign language on the communicator and quickly put two and two together.

Wan Ze nodded. ”The message hasn’t been sent back yet. We can use this window of time. We still have a chance.”

Sun Beixi clutched the communicator, took a deep breath, and his mind started racing.

He wasn’t an idiot. He knew what he had to do next.

But there was something else on his mind, more important than what came next.

’This expert is helping me so much... I’d be a real scumbag if I didn’t repay him with everything I’ve got!’

He gritted his teeth.

’I’ll list that property as soon as I get back.’

’Liquidate it and give the cash to him!’

...

Wan Ze took Sun Beixi back to Lingyun Manor.

The manor was even quieter at night than during the day, with only the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.

The lights in the study came on again, spilling a small patch of brightness into the courtyard.

Wan Ze took out his communicator and called Professor Song.

It rang twice before the other end picked up.

”Professor Song, sorry to bother you. The situation has changed, and time is short. Would it be too much trouble for you to come back?”

There was a second of silence on the other end. ”Understood. I’m on my way.”

Less than ten minutes later, a horse-drawn carriage stopped at the manor’s entrance.

Professor Song walked in quickly, carrying his old leather bag. His face was expressionless, but his steps were more hurried than usual.

Entering the study, he placed the bag on the desk, took off his glasses to wipe them, and put them back on. ”What’s happened?”

Wan Ze briefly explained what had just happened, omitting the detail about the killing. He only said that someone had come looking for them, the Ancient Volume had been exposed, and they had to decipher the location as quickly as possible.

After listening, Professor Song didn’t ask any more questions. He just nodded. ”Then let’s begin.”

He sat down at the desk, opened the Ancient Volume to the last two pages, and brought over his stacks of notes, spreading them out on the table.

Wan Ze sat down beside him. The two exchanged a look and began their work.

The remaining obscure characters were even more difficult than the previous ones.

Professor Song flipped through his notebooks one by one—comparing, eliminating, speculating, and then disproving his own theories.

Wan Ze sat to the side, looking through other materials, occasionally offering his own perspective or adding details Professor Song had missed.

”The left half of this symbol looks a lot like the variant for ’mountain’ on page thirteen,” Wan Ze said, pointing to a character.

Professor Song leaned in for a closer look and nodded. ”Right. But the right half... see, this curve is the same as the simplified form of ’water.’”

”Between mountain and water?”

”That should be the meaning.”

”Continue?”

”Yes!”

The two buried their heads in their work again.

Time ticked by, second by second, minute by minute.

The night outside grew deeper, but the light in the study remained on.

Sun Beixi sat in a chair in the corner, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

He watched the two of them—exchanging words, flipping through books, writing, frowning, nodding—completely unable to get a word in. All he could do was wait anxiously.

He didn’t know how long it had been, only that his butt had gone completely numb from sitting.

Finally, Professor Song put down his pen, let out a long breath, and leaned back in his chair. He took off his glasses, his face showing unconcealable exhaustion, but a smile played on his lips.

He turned his head to Wan Ze. ”It’s a good thing you were here. Otherwise, this would have been a huge problem.”

Wan Ze also put down his notes. After several hours of intense mental exertion, he too felt a bit worn out.

”These last seven characters were mostly guesswork, but it should be close enough.”

The moment Sun Beixi heard this, he shot up from his chair and rushed over to the desk.

”You deciphered it?” His eyes lit up.

He looked down at the stack of manuscript paper on the desk. The contents of the last two pages had been translated, covered in densely packed writing.

But after staring at it for a while, his excitement slowly faded into confusion.

”Um... these are all place names from the Yanli Kingdom. Isn’t that going to be hard to find? Even if we search through ancient records, it would take forever, right?”

Wan Ze stared at the lines of text, then picked up a pen and circled a section on the manuscript.

”Look here. This place name refers to ’a high ground at the confluence of two rivers, with its back to the mountains and facing the water.’”

He then took a map out of a drawer and pulled up the map of Holy City.

”The place names from two thousand years ago are definitely different from today’s, but the geographical features won’t have changed. A confluence of two rivers... that’s south of Holy City, where two rivers merge.”

His fingertip moved up slightly. ”And the high ground with its back to the mountains and facing the water would be here.”

Then he looked up at Professor Song.

Professor Song was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they both smiled at the same time.

”You thought of it too?” Professor Song asked.

Wan Ze nodded.

Professor Song shook his head, a sense of wonder in his voice, his gaze filled with undisguised admiration.

”Wan Ze, you are without a doubt the most versatile genius I have ever met.”

Wan Ze smiled. ”You’re too kind, Professor Song.”

”It’s not flattery.” Professor Song waved his hand, his tone turning serious. ”Think about it, how old are you? I won’t even mention your talent for the Martial Dao; I don’t understand that stuff. But when it comes to ancient script, you started from scratch and reached this level in just a few days... Your comprehension, memory, and logical reasoning are all top-notch.”

He paused, a complex emotion showing in his eyes.

”I’ve been in this field for decades and have seen many talented young people. Some have great comprehension, some have excellent memories, and some are willing to work hard. But you’re the first one I’ve ever seen who possesses all of these qualities at once.”

He leaned forward slightly.

”Wan Ze, if you’re willing to undergo systematic study and training, your future achievements will certainly surpass my own. Who knows...”

He smiled. ”Maybe you could even help me find the Imperial Mausoleum.”

Nearby, Sun Beixi was completely dumbfounded.

His mouth hung open as he looked from Professor Song to Wan Ze, his mind a total blank.

’The Imperial Mausoleum?’

’Isn’t that just something from legends?’

He stared at Wan Ze, his eyes filled with adoration. He swallowed hard a few times, suddenly feeling like a good-for-nothing slacker who was completely out of place here.

’He’s the expert for a reason!’