Chapter 144: The Secret Language

Managing a vast organization requires absolute authority; without it, such an entity would surely have disbanded long ago. As the Heaven Law Organization, managed by the Baili imperial family, the authority of the Master of Law is not to be challenged.

Liu Ling'er realized that the eight characters they had spoken were the very same ones engraved on the back of the Master of Law token. Her belief that they were indeed members of the Heaven Law Organization grew, so she tucked the token away. "Please, stop kneeling. Sit down. I have some questions for you."

Ma Tianqiong and Mei Long sat on the chairs, feeling incredibly anxious. "Please, Master of Law, ask away. We guarantee we will tell you everything we know, without holding anything back."

Seeing their cautious demeanor, Liu Ling'er felt uncomfortable. "Brother Ma, this is just a conversation, not an interrogation. Could you please stop being so tense? And one more thing—stop calling me 'Master of Law.' I'm not used to it. How about you call me Lady Liu, or Princess Xian?"

"Yes, yes, Master—er, Princess Xian." It was evident that Ma Tianqiong was still nervous, but he seemed much better than his previous trembling state, which satisfied Liu Ling'er.

Straightening her posture, Liu Ling'er said, "Brother Ma, I will be direct. Under whom did you previously serve, and what kind of work did you perform?"

Ma Tianqiong replied respectfully, "We previously served under the Deputy Master, and our task was to gather intelligence. The Ma Family Tea House we have operated all these years served as a hub for intelligence exchange. However, no missions have been issued for several years, and the intelligence-gathering activities gradually ceased."

"Deputy Master? Who is the Deputy Master?" Liu Ling'er was completely in the dark regarding the Heaven Law Organization, essentially stumbling through the fog. Had Ma Tianqiong and his wife not sought her out today, she might have waited until who knows when to truly encounter the organization.

Mei Long interjected, "The Deputy Master was the father of Prince Xian, the former Emperor of the current Eastern Chu Kingdom. Whenever he needed to collect specific intelligence, he would come to our tea house carrying the Deputy Master token. But ever since he passed away a few years ago, we have not received a single mission."

If not for Liu Ling'er accidentally revealing the Master of Law token, the couple would likely have assumed they had been abandoned by the Heaven Law Organization. The fact that the Deputy Master token was in the hands of Baili Xian’s father, combined with what Baili Xian had said while drunk, confirmed that the current Emperor feared not just Baili Xian, but the potential influence of the Heaven Law Organization that he might command.

The Heaven Law Organization had always been an imperial institution, managed personally by each successive Emperor. However, Ma Ling'er, possessing uncanny foresight, knew that Baili Xian’s generation would not receive the inheritance of the Heaven Law Organization. She had hidden the Master of Law token elsewhere and left a letter for Liu Ling'er, who would travel across time to the Yunfeng Continent centuries later, entrusting her with the leadership of the organization.

This hot potato had been forced upon Liu Ling'er by Ma Ling'er, and it was something she couldn't shake off. If Baili Hai ever discovered that she held the organization—even if she was currently a commander with no troops—he would surely eliminate her at the first opportunity.

Sighing inwardly, she realized she had to take things one step at a time. "Brother Ma, Sister Mei, I won't hide it from you: although I possess the Master of Law token, I know very little about this organization. Since you know quite a bit, why don't you tell me everything?"

How she obtained the token didn't matter; serving the holder of the Master of Law token was their ancestral duty, and it could not be violated. Even if the person holding the token were a beggar, they would still have to obey.

Ma Tianqiong and Mei Long shared what they knew. From their account, Liu Ling'er learned a few things, though only a few: first, they were responsible for the intelligence wing, but they only took orders from their superiors—meaning, only those holding the Master of Law token or the Deputy Master token.

When asked if they knew other members, Ma Tianqiong shook his head, saying he did not. The identities of other members were hidden, and everyone performed their own duties without interfering with one another. However, during one mission, he had collaborated with another member, a military officer at court named Hu Bugui, but he had disappeared after Baili Hai ascended the throne.

Through Ma Tianqiong’s description, Liu Ling'er learned that the Heaven Law Organization was spread throughout the Eastern Chu Kingdom and even had traces in other major powers. Each branch was managed by a minor member, and their authority was verified by their unique member tokens and a secret code passed down through generations.

These two requirements were indispensable. Unless one was the Master of Law, in which case simply revealing the Master of Law token allowed one to command anything.

The Master of Law token had been left by Liu Ling'er in a dry well in the cold palace. Although these members knew what the token looked like, they had never seen it in person. That was precisely why Ma Tianqiong and his wife feared that Liu Ling'er would blame them for knowing the Master of Law’s identity but failing to serve.

At first, Liu Ling'er didn't understand what secret code they were referring to, but when Ma Tianqiong produced a yellowed slip of paper and she looked at the sequence of characters, she recalled that she had also found a book and a map in the dry well.

She immediately retrieved the book, matched it against the paper, and instantly found the source of Ma Tianqiong’s characters, as well as the secret code for communicating with him. She had to admit that when Senior Sister Ma Ling'er created the Heaven Law Organization, she had been incredibly thorough. Without this codebook, even with the token, one would likely have no idea how to use it.

The Master of Law token, the codebook, and a map—could there be other secrets hidden within the map? Liu Ling'er opened it. Previously, she hadn't understood the purpose of the numbers one through one hundred marked on it, but now she saw clearly: each number corresponded to a surname in the codebook. The Ma family was the first, and the location marked "Number One" was right there in the capital of Eastern Chu.

Liu Ling'er felt a surge of joy. The fog of doubt in her heart cleared. With the token, the codebook, and this map of the organization’s influence, gaining full control over the Heaven Law Organization was only a matter of time.

She was in high spirits. Even after seeing off the couple, she remained in a joyful mood until someone else came to request an audience.

Boss Hua, the owner of the restaurant, saw that the Princess was in a good mood and chose not to disturb her, standing silently to the side until the servant girl, Xiao Tao, who had come in to pour tea, saw the situation. Unable to bear watching Liu Ling'er lost in her own world, she nudged her arm. "My Lady, someone is here."

Liu Ling'er finally came to her senses. She looked at the fat man standing in the corner, thought for a moment, and realized this must be the restaurant owner who had served them when she accompanied the Empress Dowager around the capital that noon. If she remembered correctly, his surname was Hua.

She gave a dry laugh at Boss Hua. "So it's Boss Hua. I was just thinking about something and didn't notice you come in. What is it? Are those city officials giving you trouble again?"

Boss Hua felt a warmth in his heart. It seemed the Princess actually remembered him. He had thought her previous words about looking into things were just polite pleasantries, not that she had truly taken them to heart. Thinking this, he became even more respectful.