Chapter 155 Chen Zhili Surrenders, the True Contents of the Secret Box

The fifth round of attacks.

Lin Chen's Shadowless Thunder Blade slashed down from the upper right, the blade's glow grazing the underside of the beam on the basement ceiling, knocking down a shower of stone fragments.

Director Yan Tie met it with his left palm, a cyan-white Protective Aura spreading across his palm to form an arc-shaped barrier, catching the blade's edge.

The shockwave from the collision shattered two more stone slabs beneath their feet; debris flew in all directions from between them, hitting the stone walls of the grain trough and bouncing back, rolling across the floor.

The web between Lin Chen's thumb and forefinger burned from the impact; the hilt spun in his palm before he clamped his five fingers around it.

Director Yan Tie's Protective Aura barrier shattered by a third this time, the cyan-white light dispersing from the break and lingering in the dark basement for two breaths before extinguishing.

Both men stepped back.

The sound of rubble grinding beneath their boots rang out.

Director Yan Tie's breathing grew heavier by half, but his stance remained unbroken. His arms hung at his sides, palms facing down, as Protective Aura seeped from his fingertips, leaving a thin layer of white frost on the ground.

Lin Chen's Golden Core hummed within his Dantian; he had already exhausted over sixty percent of his True Qi.

His blade was held horizontally before him, its dark golden glow flowing along the blade's surface, a shade dimmer than when the fight began, but the blade's tip remained steady, still fixed on Director Yan Tie's chest.

"Five rounds now."

Director Yan Tie's voice rolled out from between his teeth, his breathing steadier than Lin Chen's.

"To be able to hold out until now at Mid-stage Core Condensation, you are the first."

Lin Chen did not reply; he rubbed his thumb along the side of the hilt and shifted his feet forward by half an inch.

The sound of weapons clashing came from the other end of the basement.

Shen Yue and thirty men had cornered four Ministry of War special agents at the entrance of the west wall; blade light crisscrossed against the stone walls, the dull thuds of close-quarters combat ringing out one after another.

Official Chen Zhili cowered behind the four special agents, his back against the stone wall, his hands trembling violently within his sleeves.

His gaze swept from the battle on Shen Yue's side, across the rubble-strewn open space between Director Yan Tie and Lin Chen, and then over to the east wall exit that Sun Qi and his men had blocked off.

He could not advance.

He could not retreat.

His Adam's apple bobbed twice; sweat streamed down his temples, dripping onto the collar of his gray shirt and soaking into several dark spots.

"Director Yan Tie!"

Official Chen Zhili's voice rushed over from the other side of the stone wall, breaking into several fragments.

"We can't leave! They've blocked all the paths!"

Director Yan Tie did not turn his head, his gaze still fixed on Lin Chen's blade tip.

Official Chen Zhili pulled his hand from his sleeve, clutching a thumb-sized porcelain bottle in his palm. The red wax sealing the mouth was tight, and there were no markings on the bottle.

His fingernails scraped at the red wax on the bottle's mouth, wax shavings falling from between his fingers.

"Thank you for your care over these past few days, Director!"

His voice pitched up half an octave, a trembling, broken quality in his throat.

"But I cannot drag you down with me anymore!"

"I surrender!"

The red wax on the bottle's mouth had been scraped away.

A black pill rolled out from the bottle, which he pinched with his fingertips and brought toward his mouth.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.

In that instant, he flashed to the side, breaking away from his standoff with Director Yan Tie. He pushed off the rubble with the tips of his toes and leaped two zhang across the room.

The black abyss blade flipped.

With the end of the hilt facing forward, the dark golden glow retracted from the blade, leaving only the iron hilt to trace a short arc in the darkness.

Official Chen Zhili's fingers had just brought the pill to the edge of his lips; before he could open his mouth, he took a hit to the chin.

The base of the blade's iron hilt struck the side of his jawbone with precise timing.

Neither too heavy nor too light.

His teeth clattered shut, his jaw muscles spasmed, and his head snapped back, the back of his skull hitting the stone wall. His eyes rolled up, and his body slid down along the wall base.

The black pill rolled from his fingertips, bounced twice on the stone slab, and rolled into a crack.

Official Chen Zhili slumped to the ground, his head lolling on his shoulder, and fell silent.

Shen Yue turned back from the west wall, seeing Official Chen Zhili collapsed on the ground; she spun her blade in her hand.

"Alive?"

"Alive."

Lin Chen's voice came from behind the hilt as he turned his steps back toward Director Yan Tie.

Director Yan Tie stood where he was, not taking advantage of the gap while Lin Chen rescued the man to launch an attack.

His gaze swept over the collapsed Official Chen Zhili, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching.

"It wouldn't matter if he were dead."

He ground the rubble beneath his boot and turned his body halfway toward the east wall exit.

He intended to leave.

Lin Chen saw it clearly: Director Yan Tie's mission was never to save Official Chen Zhili's life; the document box was the only thing he truly needed to take.

Director Yan Tie's figure darted toward the east wall, his speed thirty percent faster than before. Protective Aura surged from his feet, and every step he took on the stone slabs cracked the ground.

But when he reached a spot three zhang from the east wall exit, his feet nailed to the spot.

Shen Yue and Sun Qi stood on either side of the secret passage entrance, their blades crossed, sealing off the stone corridor that was less than four feet wide.

Sweat still hung on Shen Yue's forehead, and her arms were trembling, but she did not budge an inch from her position.

Sun Qi leaned his back against the stone wall; the map he had been holding was tucked back into his waist at some point, and both his hands were clasped on his blade hilt, his knuckles taut.

Director Yan Tie stopped and turned his head to glance at the other exit.

He Jian's figure was already blocking it.

He held his narrow short blade horizontally across his chest. Blood seeped through the white cloth on his left arm, but he stood steady, the blade edge pointing at Director Yan Tie, its cold sheen unmoving in the darkness.

Three practitioners of the Meridian Opening Realm blocked the two paths.

If Director Yan Tie wanted to force his way through, a single breath would be enough to send them all flying.

But Lin Chen had already caught up from behind him.

The tip of the black abyss blade pointed at the center of Director Yan Tie's back, the dark golden glow spreading along the blade to its very tip, casting a golden rim around the surrounding rubble.

Director Yan Tie turned back to face Lin Chen.

The basement was silent for two breaths, save for the sound of water dripping from the stone walls onto the ground.

One drop.

Another drop.

"I was sent by the Ministry of War in the capital."

Director Yan Tie's voice sank to the very bottom of his throat, each word carrying a chill as it ground against his teeth.

"If you detain me now, it is tantamount to breaking with the Imperial Court."

His hands hung at his sides, palms down, Protective Aura still circulating at his fingertips, ready to condense into an attack at any moment.

"Nangong Xiong cannot protect you."

"You are a Inspector; if you lay a hand on a Director of the Secretary Zhang Hongji, and this matter reaches the capital, you will lose both your official hat and your head."

Lin Chen's blade tip hovered toward Director Yan Tie's chest, the dark golden glow illuminating the distance between them clearly.

He spoke.

"Since you were sent by the Ministry of War, I must keep you even more."

Director Yan Tie's fingers tightened slightly at his sides.

Lin Chen's voice pressed against the stone walls, every word heard clearly.

"Only with you in my hands will the capital seriously sit down to negotiate, rather than directly sending people to seize everything."

He rubbed his thumb along the hilt.

"If you leave, the Ministry of War will be able to swallow this case whole by tomorrow."

"Whether it is Official Chen Zhili's confession or the document box, everything will enter internal review procedures, and not a single word will leak out."

"Only if you stay will the Ministry of War have any misgivings."

"Because they do not know how much more I have in my hands, nor do they know what you have already said."

A cold light pressed down into the depths of Director Yan Tie's eyes.

He stared at Lin Chen's face for three breaths, the muscle at the corner of his mouth twitching.

He Jian's narrow short blade had already pressed in from the other side, the edge pointing at Director Yan Tie's throat, less than two feet away.

"Try moving and see what happens."

He Jian's voice squeezed out from between his teeth, every word carrying Killing Intent.

Director Yan Tie's gaze shifted back from He Jian's short blade and landed on Lin Chen's face.

His fingers slowly splayed at his sides, the Protective Aura receding little by little from his fingertips.

His Aura dropped by twenty percent, but his stance did not loosen, his spine held straight.

"You bet correctly."

His voice was so low that only those within three feet could hear it.

"But can you afford the price of your bet?"

Lin Chen did not reply.

He withdrew his blade tip from Director Yan Tie's chest and turned to look at the collapsed Official Chen Zhili.

"Shen Yue."

Shen Yue ran over from the secret passage entrance, her steps crunching on the rubble, her knees still weak, but she had already reached out and turned over Official Chen Zhili's robe.

An inner pocket was sewn into the lining of the gray shirt, the fabric bulging.

Her fingers reached into the hidden pocket and felt a hard box.

A copper-skinned document box.

Palm-sized.

The opening was sealed with a layer of tin foil, and there were two crossed scratches on the lid.

Shen Yue presented the document box to Lin Chen.

Footsteps came from the basement entrance.

He Jian brought Liu Buyu in from the entrance.

Liu Buyu held the document box in his arms, a brush handle still tucked behind his ear, breathing heavily.

He fished a copper key from under the document box and handed it to Lin Chen.

"This was searched from Wang Chongyuan's scabbard."

His fingers trembled on the key.

"It should be able to open it."

Lin Chen took the key and inserted it into the keyhole on the side of the document box.

The copper key turned half a circle in the lock.

A click.

The tin foil seal split at the seam.

The lid flipped open.

The lamps were already extinguished; in the basement, only the residual dark golden glow from Lin Chen's blade illuminated the contents of the box.

A stack of thin papers, neatly folded, rested on top of a sheepskin-covered booklet at the bottom of the box.

Shen Yue leaned in to take a look, her breathing pausing for a beat.

The thin papers were remittance vouchers, with dates ranging from six years ago to last month; each line marked the amount of silver and the recipient's code name.

Lin Chen took out the thin papers, set them aside, and picked up the sheepskin booklet underneath.

He flipped to the first page.

Names were densely packed; each line was divided into four columns: official position, name, total bribes received, and associated case number.

His finger slid down from the first line.

Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

Director of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Revenue.

Secretary of the Autumn Assizes Office, Ministry of Justice.

Names were listed one after another, from the first page to the fifth; the official positions climbed all the way from department heads of various ministries.

The first line of the sixth page.

Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Zhao Wenyuan.

The last line of the sixth page had a name with only three characters, no official position column, and only four characters written in the remarks.

Imperial Attendant.

Shen Yue's hand slid down from the hilt, clenching into a fist and then relaxing.

Sun Qi's shoulder leaned against the stone wall; his mouth opened, then closed.

He Jian's short blade retracted half an inch from in front of Director Yan Tie's throat.

His gaze shifted from the booklet to Lin Chen's face, his throat bobbing once.

Liu Buyu's brush handle fell from his ear, bouncing twice on the rubble.

He did not pick it up.

The basement was so quiet that only the sound of water seeping from the stone walls remained.

Lin Chen closed the booklet and handed it to Liu Buyu.

"Make ten copies."

Liu Buyu reached out to take it, his fingertips trembling as they touched the sheepskin cover.

"Send two copies separately to Nangong Xiong and the Secretary Zhang Hongji."

Lin Chen's voice was very low, each word delivered from the bottom of his throat carrying weight.

"Send the remaining eight copies through the usual channels."

"Use civilian fast horses, depart tonight, and distribute them to the various prefectures and the capital."

Liu Buyu held the booklet in his arms, clamping both hands over the cover, his knuckles protruding beneath his skin.

"Inspector, if this list is sent out…"

His throat tightened, and he swallowed.

"The entire Imperial Court will explode."

Lin Chen's gaze shifted from Liu Buyu's face to the unconscious Official Chen Zhili on the ground, and then to Director Yan Tie, who stood motionless three zhang away.

"Keep Official Chen Zhili, and keep the document box."

His thumb paused for a breath on the edge of the black abyss blade's scabbard.

"This is the only bargaining chip we have in our hands right now."

Director Yan Tie stood where he was, hands hanging at his sides, his gaze fixed on the stack of remittance vouchers in Lin Chen's arms.

There was no anger on his face, no impatience, only a silence that was cold to the bone.

That silence was more chilling than any threat.

He spoke, his voice so soft that it could only be heard by pressing against the stone wall.

"Do you know what the names on the third page of that booklet mean?"

Lin Chen withdrew his hand from the scabbard and turned to walk toward the basement exit.

His boot soles ground over a patch of rubble, the sound crisp and short.

He did not slow his pace as he passed by Director Yan Tie.

"It means that they will not be able to sleep starting tonight."