You'd better behave yourself

When Fang Duobing entered the flower hall, everyone inside looked at his unfamiliar face, dressed as a young swordsman. A man sitting on the railing put away his wine pot, swayed over to him, and stroked his mustache.

"Oh, this young hero looks unfamiliar. Are you here for the feast too?"

Although Fang Duobing guessed that "eating a banquet" was a slang term used in the underworld, he didn't know what it meant. Then he noticed that everyone in the flower hall was staring at him, and if he didn't answer, it might cause unnecessary trouble.

"That's right, but who are you?"

"You don't even know who I am, yet you dare to come to this feast? Well then, this old man must inquire: what time did you set off, and which shortcut did you take?"

"We set off the day before yesterday, naturally taking the official road."

Before he could finish speaking, the person who asked the question jumped back a step and assumed a defensive stance. The others also stood up and pointed their weapons at Fang Duobing. A great battle seemed imminent when a voice came in.

"The bamboo whistles and panpipes are making noise. This friend is also listening to music in the same room as us. The accents from the south and north are indistinguishable. This young man is just a simpleton who doesn't work in the fields much and doesn't understand the jargon. Why do you all make such a big fuss?"

Fang Duobing was overjoyed to see Li Lianhua walk and talk into the flower hall. However, he did not greet her. Upon hearing this, the others breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was a false alarm, they were naturally unhappy.

"Pah, since when does meatheads deserve to be served at a banquet? What bad luck."

However, some people didn't believe it, especially the one who jumped out first. After taking a sip of his drink, he said, "You say it's Meathead, so it's Meathead? Tell me what time you set off and which sidewalk you took?"

"They set off at the 20th watch, taking the secluded path."

"You're quite the veteran. Since it's a secluded path, may I ask if you're carrying a banner, and what words are on it?"

Li Lianhua glanced at everyone, his expression becoming somewhat arrogant. "Carry the golden banner," he said. As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at him in surprise, wanting to hear him continue. This was exactly the effect Li Lianhua wanted.

"Four words left in front of the Minglou Pavilion of the Imperial Mausoleum in southern Beijing thirteen years ago."

As soon as he finished speaking, most of the people present bowed to Li Lianhua, saying, "We pay our respects to Senior Su Shou Shusheng. If we have offended you, please forgive us."

Li Lianhua didn't respond, but continued to look at them. The first one to jump out quickly bowed again, "I didn't expect that you would also come out of seclusion, senior. I am Ding Yuanzi, a disciple of the Liujin lineage."

"Junior Qiu Tuo, copper-headed."

"The younger generation, Duan Hai, left behind this calligraphy."

"My name is Ge Pan, from the Shanmao lineage."

"My brother Zhang Qingshi and Zhang Qinghu are disciples of the Tianlou lineage, and we have long heard of your great name."

Fang Duobing pondered the events unfolding before him, a question creeping into his mind: Could Li Lianhua really be a tomb raider, and a major one at that?

Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, Ding Yuanzi looked at the person by the window who hadn't uttered a sound the whole time and coughed.

"Ahem, Gu Fengxin, Senior Su Shou also walks the solitary path, so hurry up and come over to pay your respects."

Gu Fengxin glanced at Li Lianhua, then turned to look at the garden outside: "Not interested." Ding Yuanzi, who had been humiliated, snorted and then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Lianhua.

"Senior, this Mr. Gu is a self-taught monk who doesn't know the rules. I hope you won't take offense."

These words seemed to be an explanation for Gu Fengxin, but in reality, they were just a reiteration of how Gu Fengxin had offended Li Lianhua. However, Li Lianhua was not about to fall for his trick.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just here to eat. I don't need to make any connections. Please make yourselves at home."

After saying that, he led Fang Duobing away from the flower hall. In a deserted corridor, Fang Duobing quickly walked a few steps and stood in front of him.

"Li Lianhua, what did you mean by what you just said?"

"That's the jargon of tomb raiders. You've followed me all this way, so you should know what kind of place this is, right?"

"Of course I know that there is a black market outside Weizhuang and a gathering place for tomb raiders inside. Someone discovered a large tomb and set up a tomb raiding operation here. I just don't understand why they attacked me just now."

"That's because you said the wrong thing. When you asked how many years you've been in the business, you meant you were asking which sideline you've taken, which faction you belong to."

"Oh, is that what you mean?"

"What do you mean 'ah'? Tianlou means finding a burial site by observing celestial phenomena, Shanmao means finding a tomb by observing the terrain, Yimo means finding treasures by following ancient books, and Liujin means finding clues by following the funerary objects that have come to light."

As for copper tips and fire tongs, those are minor techniques and not worth mentioning. Of course, some people have found great tombs using them, but that's just good luck and should be considered separately.

"But you didn't mention anything, insisting you were on the official road. In jargon, the official road means the government office, and you're their mortal enemy. Of course they'd take action against you."

"I see. What does 'single-family path' mean then?"

"They are self-taught, work alone, have no faction, and rely entirely on their skills to enter tombs. Generally speaking, they all have some blood debts on their hands, which is why they dare not provoke me."

"So when they ask you if you carried the banner, they're asking if you have any murder cases against you?"

"She's quite smart."

"Thirteen years ago, the imperial tombs south of the capital were robbed, and twenty-three guards were killed. The thieves even arrogantly left the four characters 'Su Shou Shu Sheng' in front of the Ming Tower. The emperor was furious and issued an imperial edict to capture the thieves, but they have not been brought to justice to this day."

"It seems you're quite familiar with the court's case files, so I impersonated someone famous to sneak in and make it easier for you to investigate. It's mainly for your benefit."

"You said you wanted to visit the black market, but you ended up in the inner courtyard. That imperial edict was a secret order from the court. How did you know about it, Li Lianhua? There's definitely something wrong with you. Or are you that Su Shou Shusheng (the scholar with delicate hands)?"

"Don't point your finger at me, you're so disrespectful. Since you're so familiar with the imperial archives, you should know that the scholar with delicate hands is named Qi Zhiyuan, and that he has a birthmark on his forehead. Do you see me with one?"

"There are many ways to cover up birthmarks in the martial arts world. Besides, that happened thirteen years ago. Who knows what happened in between? Li Lianhua, you had better convince me, or I won't hesitate to take you to Baichuan Academy for trial."

"My dear young hero Fang, this is why I don't want to be with you. Before, you called me the Medicine Demon, and now you call me the Scholar with Delicate Hands. Can't I just be an ordinary person?"

"I only believe what I see, Li Lianhua, you better behave yourself."

"Do you know why the imperial court couldn't catch him? Because he died, and I buried him myself. Back then, I saw him seriously injured and on the verge of death, so I kindly took him in at the Lotus Pavilion. To express his gratitude, he told me about his past."

He told me all that slang and underworld jargon, and I wrote it all down. I never thought it would come in handy today. Anyway, that's it, believe it or not.

"Then you still haven't answered me, why did you come to the inner courtyard?"

"Because some people are stupid, they don't understand anything, yet they still tried to barge in. Sure enough, they were almost attacked by the mob. If I hadn't arrived in time, do you think things would have turned out well today?"

After being thoroughly berated by Li Lianhua, Fang Duobing felt somewhat embarrassed. "Li Lianhua, since you're already here, and it's not safe here, how about we cooperate again?"