Chapter 160 Yan Tie's Deal, the First Clue to the Blood Order Mystery

The dungeon door opened, and the damp air rushed out first.

A brazier was placed beside the door, the charcoal burning dim, casting red light across the iron bars and throwing shadows in layers.

The guards saw Lin Chen enter and retreated to both sides, clasping their fists. Their boots stepped on the wet bricks with muffled sounds.

Director Yan Tie sat in the corner of the innermost cell.

His hands were locked in iron chains that dragged from his wrists to the floor, the other end fastened to two iron rings in the wall. After the fierce fight in the basement during the day, he had no new injuries, but his robes were covered in lime and bloodstains.

He sat with his back straight.

He held himself with the posture of someone waiting for tea in a side hall of the Military Post Station.

Lin Chen stopped outside the iron bars.

Zhou Tie stood to his rear left, his iron spear leaning against his shoulder, his left arm in a sling.

He Jian stood on the right, his right hand resting on the short blade behind his waist.

Director Yan Tie looked up.

"Lin Chen, you have finally decided to come."

Lin Chen looked at him without responding to the pleasantry.

Director Yan Tie was not annoyed; he moved his wrists, dragging the chains across the floor for half a foot.

"I want to make a deal with you."

Zhou Tie's brows furrowed.

He Jian spoke first: "You don't have much left to sell, so don't set your price too high."

Director Yan Tie glanced at him.

"What I'm selling isn't just information; it's a way to survive."

He Jian laughed, a short, cold sound.

"When someone from the Ministry of War talks about a way to survive, I always feel like they're selling coffins."

Zhou Tie couldn't help but mutter: "Coffins require cash on delivery, and his tab is long overdue."

The guards outside the cell door almost laughed but quickly straightened their faces.

Director Yan Tie ignored them, staring only at Lin Chen.

"The Blood Token on Hou San's body... its origin is not clean."

Lin Chen finally spoke.

"Terms."

Director Yan Tie said: "I will tell you where the Blood Token came from. You must guarantee that after I return to the capital, I will not be disposed of on charges of betraying the Ministry of War."

Zhou Tie's face darkened.

"You are in our jail, and you're still bargaining for charges?"

Director Yan Tie said: "If I don't bargain, the day I return to the capital will be the day I die."

He Jian said: "You are a Department Director of the Ministry of War. Secretary Zhang Hongji was still cleaning up your mess earlier today."

Director Yan Tie's eyelids twitched.

"Secretary Zhang Hongji cannot protect me."

When these words were spoken, the prison corridor fell silent for a moment.

Lin Chen stood outside the iron bars, his hand resting on the hilt of his black abyss blade.

"Did you give the Blood Token to Hou San?"

"No."

Director Yan Tie answered quickly.

"When I came to Nanyang Prefecture, I only brought the copper token of the Investigation Department and the transfer order from the Ministry of War. The Investigation Department has no authority to issue something like the Blood Token."

Lin Chen asked: "Where did Hou San get it?"

Director Yan Tie looked at the brazier.

The charcoal crackled, sparks popping out half an inch before falling back into the ash.

"Before he left the capital, someone met with him privately."

"Who?"

"Someone from the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War."

Zhou Tie's hand gripping the spear tightened.

He Jian looked at Director Yan Tie: "Speak clearly. The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War is the first name on the secret list. By pushing the Blood Token onto him, are you trying to get us to kill for you, or to block a blade for you?"

Director Yan Tie raised his eyes.

"I am only stating facts. That line is not managed by Secretary Zhang Hongji, nor does it belong to the Investigation Department of the Ministry of War."

Lin Chen said: "Who does it belong to?"

"The private System within the Left Vice Minister's residence."

When Director Yan Tie spat out these words, his speaking speed slowed down.

"In name, they are field agents of the Ministry of War, but in reality, they only listen to a private seal from the Left Vice Minister's residence."

"Personnel, horses, silver, and travel permits for the Military Post Station all go through secret accounts."

"Hou San was not Secretary Zhang Hongji's man; he was forced in."

Zhou Tie sneered.

"Forced in, specifically to cause trouble for you?"

Director Yan Tie looked at him.

"Specifically to serve as a blade for when things spiral out of control."

The dampness in the prison corridor grew heavier.

Lin Chen did not interrupt.

Director Yan Tie continued: "The Blood Token on Hou San's body can do more than just mobilize the three hundred light cavalry of the Linjiang Military Post."

"The Blood Token also seals a password."

He Jian's hand paused on the hilt of his short blade.

"What password?"

"An order for temporary military takeover."

Director Yan Tie said: "The bearer of the token goes to the Military Post Station, reports the password, and the Linjiang Military Post must send troops."

"After entering the city, the three hundred light cavalry follow the orders of the Blood Token, temporarily suppressing the City Defense Battalion of the Governors Mansion."

Zhou Tie's expression was ugly.

"Suppress the City Defense Battalion? With just one token?"

Director Yan Tie said: "By the secret wartime regulations of the Ministry of War."

He Jian cursed: "Nanyang Prefecture is not at war."

"The secret wartime regulations do not ask if there is a war in the region; they only verify the authenticity of the token."

Director Yan Tie looked at Lin Chen.

"This is the most troublesome part of the Blood Token."

"Once it is taken to the Military Post Station, the station only recognizes the Blood Token, not Governor Nangong Xiong."

"If the City Defense Battalion tries to stop them, it becomes a local resistance against the Ministry of War's military orders."

Zhou Tie knocked the butt of his spear against the ground.

"A good scheme. First, let the Military Post Station enter the city, then force the Governors Mansion to act. If the Governors Mansion doesn't act, the Patrol Division is surrounded by cavalry; if the Governors Mansion acts, the capital has an excuse to take over Nanyang Prefecture."

He Jian said in a low voice: "This isn't mobilizing troops; it's digging a pit."

Director Yan Tie said: "That's why Hou San is dead."

Lin Chen looked at him.

"Who killed him?"

Director Yan Tie shook his head.

"If I could name the person, I wouldn't be trading this for my life."

Lin Chen said: "Guess."

Director Yan Tie was silent for a few breaths.

"The person who could kill Hou San at the entrance of the Military Post Station must have cultivation at least in the Late stage of Condensing Dan. Hou San was injured, but his vigilance remained; an ordinary Martial Artist in the Meridian Opening Realm could not get close to him."

Zhou Tie said: "What about the guards of the Linjiang Military Post?"

"No fighting was heard, no blade marks were seen, no palm prints were found."

Director Yan Tie said: "That is the problem."

"The killing was clean, and taking the token was even cleaner."

"Hou San was carrying the Blood Token, but after he died, the token disappeared, yet his body was left at the entrance of the Military Post Station."

"This wasn't silencing a witness; it was sending a message."

He Jian asked: "To whom?"

Director Yan Tie answered: "To Secretary Zhang Hongji, to Governor Nangong Xiong, and to you all."

Lin Chen tapped his finger on the scabbard.

"How many people in Nanyang Prefecture are capable of this?"

Director Yan Tie said: "No more than five."

Zhou Tie immediately asked: "Names."

Director Yan Tie glanced at him but did not answer.

He Jian said coldly: "You sure know how to leave a tail for your deal."

Director Yan Tie said: "If I give you the names, you will go investigate them tomorrow."

"Whoever you investigate will make a move."

"If they make a move now, Nanyang Prefecture might not be able to hold them off."

Zhou Tie stepped forward half a step.

"Stop trying to scare us."

Lin Chen raised his hand.

Zhou Tie stopped.

Lin Chen looked at Director Yan Tie: "I cannot give you the guarantee you want."

There was no surprise on Director Yan Tie's face.

Lin Chen continued: "Whether you die after returning to the capital is not my concern. The charge of betraying the Ministry of War is not something that can be determined by Nanyang Prefecture."

Director Yan Tie's eyes sank.

"Then the deal is off."

Lin Chen said: "But I can guarantee one thing."

Director Yan Tie did not speak.

Lin Chen said: "As long as you are in Nanyang Prefecture, you will stay alive and intact."

"Before the investigation team from the capital arrives, no one will be able to drag you out to pass judgment."

Director Yan Tie stared at him for a long time.

"You are using Nanyang Prefecture to protect me for a stretch."

Lin Chen said: "I am protecting the case."

Director Yan Tie's wrist turned slightly, and the chains slid against the brick floor.

"That is enough."

Zhou Tie said in a low voice on the side: "Inspector, this guy really made a killing just by saying a few words."

Lin Chen looked at Director Yan Tie.

"He hasn't made a killing yet."

Director Yan Tie's eyelids twitched.

Lin Chen said: "Write down the appearance of the Blood Token, the method of sealing the password, and the characteristics of Hou San's contact."

"If you miss a single word, everything you said tonight will be recorded as just complaints."

He Jian turned and ordered: "Get pen and paper."

The guards delivered pen and paper a moment later, passing them through the iron bars.

Director Yan Tie took the pen; his wrists were pulled by the chains, so he wrote slowly. The tip of the pen landed on the paper, scratching out rows of small characters.

Zhou Tie leaned in to look but was grabbed by the back of his collar by He Jian.

"How many secret codes do you recognize?"

Zhou Tie was expressionless.

"I'm just seeing if his handwriting is ugly."

He Jian said: "No need for that. Look at the state he's in; his handwriting won't be any better."

A round of stifled laughter rose again in the prison corridor.

Director Yan Tie's hand paused for half a breath, but he ultimately did not look up.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the paper was passed out.

Lin Chen took it and read it by the firelight.

The Blood Token was three inches long, with a black iron base; the front was engraved with the secret patterns of the Ministry of War, and the back had a piece of silver wire hidden in the sealing wax.

The password was divided into two parts: one part reported by the bearer, and one part verified by the Military Post Station officer.

Hou San's contact had half of his left ring finger missing, spoke with a capital accent, and had a burn scar behind his right ear.

Lin Chen folded the paper and tucked it into his sleeve.

Director Yan Tie said: "You had better investigate quickly. The Blood Token is already lost, and whoever took it may not use it immediately."

Lin Chen asked: "Why?"

"Because he is waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

Director Yan Tie looked at him.

"Waiting for Nanyang Prefecture to fall into chaos first."

Lin Chen did not ask further.

He turned and walked out.

Zhou Tie followed for two steps, then looked back at Director Yan Tie.

"You said there are no more than five people in Nanyang Prefecture who could kill Hou San. What if we find out there's a sixth?"

Director Yan Tie said: "Then you should be even less able to sleep."

Zhou Tie clicked his tongue.

"You capital people really waste a lot of lamp oil when you talk."

He Jian patted his shoulder.

"Let's go. If you keep listening, your arm will have been bandaged for nothing."

After exiting the dungeon, the night breeze crept in from outside the courtyard wall, blowing away the damp smell on their bodies.

Sun Qi had already been called over; his clothes were buttoned wrong, and he was still clutching half an unfinished pancake in his hand.

"Inspector, has something happened?"

Zhao Gang poked his head out from behind.

"Swallow that pancake before you ask, don't choke to death before the case is solved."

Sun Qi stuffed the pancake into his bosom.

"I didn't choke."

Lin Chen handed the paper to him.

"Send secret agents to the Linjiang Military Post overnight to investigate the traces around Hou San's body."

Sun Qi unfolded it and took a look, his drowsiness vanishing.

"Blood Token?"

"Focus on three places."

Lin Chen said: "The position where the horse stopped before Hou San died, his wrists and collar, and the people on duty at the entrance of the Military Post Station that day."

Sun Qi nodded.

"Should we move against the people at the Military Post Station?"

"Don't."

Lin Chen said: "Observe first, do not alert them."

Sun Qi put the paper away.

"I will make the arrangements myself."

Lin Chen looked at Shen Yue again.

Shen Yue had just come from the side courtyard, her blade hanging at her waist, her hair tied with a cloth band, and dark circles under her eyes.

"Check the city gate registry."

Lin Chen said: "In the last three days, every Martial Artist at the Ningdan Realm or above who entered or left Nanyang Prefecture, not a single one missed."

"Also, have the secret agents check inns, medical clinics, horse stables, and weapon shops."

Shen Yue asked: "If we find someone in the Late stage of Condensing Dan, should we watch them or arrest them?"

"Watch them first."

Lin Chen said: "Without my order, no one is allowed to act."

Shen Yue nodded and turned to leave.

Zhao Gang watched her back and muttered in a low voice: "This night is never going to end."

He Jian said: "You can go to sleep."

Zhao Gang glanced at him: "You want me to sleep, so I'm definitely not going to."

He Jian said: "Then go and refill that charcoal brazier at the dungeon entrance."

Zhao Gang's face darkened.

"You really don't know how to chat."

Lin Chen ignored them and walked towards the Main Courtyard.

He Jian followed, lowering his voice.

"Inspector, how much of Director Yan Tie's words can we believe?"

Lin Chen did not stop his pace.

The courtyard lights were sparse, and the lamp in the distant Archives Room was still lit. Liu Buyu was asleep on the table, his crooked shadow visible on the window paper, with case files pressed under his hand.

Lin Chen walked through the corridor, his voice falling into the night.

"Every word he said is true."

He Jian looked at him.

Lin Chen added: "But the part he didn't say is what's truly deadly."