Zhang SAN hates smart people because they like to imagine.

"My lord, I do not understand, why are you so concerned about that scholar?"

In a small residence somewhere in the city, Li Xing asked Lu Gaosheng in puzzlement in the hall.

Lu Gaosheng had a deed of transfer with the official seal of the government office next to him. As he looked at it, he said lightly to Li Xing: "Because I suspect he did not come to Tian Ruo City by chance. Rather, he even knows Bai Fang's true identity!"

Lu Gaosheng thought: He bought the shop next to Bai Fang's on the second day after arriving in Tian Ruo City. A scholar almost got beaten to death for helping Bai Fang. There were sporadic footsteps. And there were his first words "ten years of studying behind closed doors".

Especially after seeing that "Serenity" painting today, Lu Gaosheng was even more certain that Zhang San was no mere scholar who only knew how to read books and make a living by selling books and paintings.

Because Lu Gaosheng understood paintings very well.

The painting was very good. Although it only portrayed a back view, it perfectly demonstrated the fearless spirit of a chivalrous hero of Jianghu. But none of Zhang San's many other paintings had such essence.

It showed that Zhang San's own mastery of books and paintings was far from the level of famous masters of books and paintings who could convey spirit with each stroke.

But that Serenity was indeed comparable to paintings by famous masters.

Lu Gaosheng believed that a scholar under 30 years old whose skill did not reach the level of famous masters, even if he had seen some chivalrous heroes of Jianghu and his painting skill was unique, how could he paint a scroll with such spirit without combining it with his own experience?

Li Xing looked at Lu Gaosheng doubtfully. He hesitantly asked: "But my lord, after all, there is nothing actually unreasonable about that scholar."

Hearing this, even Lu Gaosheng had to nod slightly to agree.

Because at present, there were many doubts but no evidence at all.

There were no flaws in Zhang San's words or actions.

But Lu Gaosheng still believed that as long as Zhang San was not an ordinary person, he would inevitably make mistakes. There was no one in this world who could perfectly hide their identity.

Lu Gaosheng sat in the main seat in the hall. Li Xing stood guard beside him. In the center of the hall knelt two men.

One was dressed as a laborer.

The other was dressed as a traveling merchant.

They were the 10th ranked killer Zhang San had seen before - the Twin Wolves.

"Tell me everything that happened that day. Remember, be thorough," Lu Gaosheng said lightly.

The Twin Wolves looked at each other. Even Blood Wolf, the more brutal of the two brothers, did not dare to be negligent in the slightest before Lu Gaosheng, this person completely without martial arts skill.

The two then recounted in great detail the three local ruffians coming to the tofu shop that day and everything they saw and heard afterwards.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Lu Gaosheng gently tapped the armrest of the chair beside him.

The hall was very quiet.

An eerie kind of quiet.

"Strange..." Lu Gaosheng spoke.

Li Xing and the Twin Wolves all now looked towards Lu Gaosheng. They had not noticed anything unusual from start to finish.

Lu Gaosheng asked the Twin Wolves kneeling on one knee: "You two said the scholar appeared just as you were about to make a move?"

The Twin Wolves nodded yes.

The corners of Lu Gaosheng's mouth turned up as he said: "Interesting."

After thinking for a bit, Lu Gaosheng continued: "The bookstore was so close. If he really wanted to help, why did he only appear at the moment you were about to make your move? A coincidence? Or did he see through you two?"

Li Xing frowned doubtfully: "But my lord, that doesn't make sense. If the scholar wanted to protect Miss Bai, even if he saw through the Twin Wolves, why would he need to step forward himself? Letting the Twin Wolves make their move would also achieve the goal, and avoid exposing himself."

Lu Gaosheng asked back: "What if his goal was not to protect Bai Fang, or not just to protect Bai Fang?"

Li Xing was even more puzzled: "Then what was his goal?"

Lu Gaosheng closed his eyes and murmured: "Perhaps the whole thing was arranged by the scholar to find out if anyone was secretly guarding Bai Fang. Or his arrangement was to gain Bai Fang's trust, so he had to appear before the Twin Wolves made their move."

Li Xing doubted: "Does my lord mean the scholar had malicious intent towards Miss Bai?"

"No," Lu Gaosheng said. "It's also possible that there was someone in the crowd that the scholar knew, or someone he had arranged to protect Bai Fang, who was also about to make a move. However, he didn't know about the Twin Wolves beforehand. When he noticed the two as they were about to act, but had no time to notify the other person, he had no choice but to step forward himself, and even allowed himself to be beaten by some local ruffians, to avoid suspicion."

As Li Xing listened to Lu Gaosheng's speculation, he frowned deeply: "Speaking like this, whether the scholar's intent towards Miss Bai was malicious or benign, we have no way of knowing."

Lu Gaosheng smiled confidently and said: "That's not necessarily true. Judging from this scholar's actions, I don't think he harbors malicious intent towards Bai Fang."

Li Xing doubted: "What does my lord mean?"

Turning the jade thumb ring on his right hand, Lu Gaosheng slowly answered: "Think about Bai Fang's background. Those who would have malicious intent towards her are none other than Song YanShi and Tang Li and those powerful ministers from back then. With their power and ruthlessness to kill wrongly rather than let go, if it was their doing, they would not secretly observe by buying a shop near Bai Fang's home, let alone trivial matters like protection. "

When Lu Gaosheng's thoughts reached this point, he continued pondering...

Since it was very unlikely that the scholar Zhang San had malicious intent.

And judging by the timing of his purchase of the shop, he did not randomly choose that tavern. Along with protecting Bai Fang, and that painting of aloof fearlessness and extraordinary bearing, "Serenity".

Then Lu Gaosheng thought of a certain group of people who had been forgotten for a very long time.

Twenty years ago, after Bai ShiXuan was killed, a large number of officers in the Zhennan Army retired and went into seclusion, implying resistance against the court, because they simply did not believe their Commander-in-Chief would commit the crime of treason. Facing the court's handling of the matter, they chose this approach to resist.

Some of them even secretly went to the capital city to assassinate Song YanShi, who controlled the great power of the Zhennan Army after Bai ShiXuan's death and was the biggest beneficiary of Bai ShiXuan's alleged treason.

The result was of course failure.

But the officers who retired back then were the most elite soldiers in the Zhennan Army at the time. Their retirement even caused the Zhennan Army to take a full 20 years to recover its former strength. This showed how important that group of people was to an army.

In the 20 years since, most of them disappeared without a trace. But some did not forget about them, such as Lu Gaosheng.

If this was really the case, it would be the best opportunity Lu Gaosheng hoped to see to increase his own power.

Because power-hungry people, especially people like Lu Gaosheng, would never let slip the slightest chance to expand their wings.

In the court, he curried favor with the Qingliu Party. In Jianghu, he colluded with JinWan Pavilion. And he secretly fostered his own forces, subdued the Twin Wolves and more. All of these were steps Lu Gaosheng had taken in pursuit of power.

And the former top brass of the "Bai ShiXuan"-led Zhennan Army were definitely a huge hidden force between the court and Jianghu.

If he could make contact with that group of people through Zhang San, it would absolutely be an excellent opportunity to grow his own power. How could Lu Gaosheng let it pass?

But the Twin Wolves kneeling on the ground recalled the scholar they saw that day and his wretched state after being beaten, and found it hard to believe he could be someone so deeply hidden.

After thinking it through as well, Kill Wolf spoke: "But my lord, if that person truly has such deep cover, and even my lord cannot discern his true background, and he was able to see through my brother and I before we could make a move, this subordinate dares to guess, perhaps he is not necessarily connected to the Zhennan Army, but rather someone from the underground society!"