Chapter 144 Political Strangulation, the Governor's Office's Counterattack

Instructor Qi Boyuan stood at the courtyard entrance.

His gaze shifted from the back of Lin Chen's hand, which was resting on the hilt of his blade, to his face. His lips moved slightly, but he swallowed his question.

Lin Chen folded the letter, tucked it into the innermost layer of his sleeve, and turned to walk toward the Archives Room.

Zhou Tie followed for a few steps.

"Inspector, if the impeachment memorial is sent via 800-li express, how many days will it take to reach the capital?"

"Five days."

Lin Chen pushed open the door to the Archives Room. His boots crossed the threshold, and his palm pressed down on the cover of Escort Officer Lu Qingshan's diary on the desk.

"By the time Censorate receives the memorial and their reply returns to Nanyang Prefecture, it will take at least ten days."

Zhou Tie planted his iron spear on the ground, the butt tapping against the stone tiles.

"Half a month?"

"A half-month window."

Lin Chen sat down behind the desk, his gaze falling on the morning light that had fully brightened outside the window. He tapped his fingers twice on the desk.

"But Wang Chongyuan won't just wait for this single card to be played back."

Zhou Tie leaned his iron spear against the corner and pressed his hands onto the edge of the desk.

"Are there moves in the dark?"

Lin Chen didn't answer. He dragged the document box from the corner of the desk, flipped through the supplementary pages of the case file, and closed it again.

"Tell Liu Buyu to prepare a full copy of the case files. We're going to the Governor's Mansion at noon."

Noon.

The light in the study of the Governor's Mansion was dim. Only half of the curtain was drawn, allowing a narrow strip of sunlight to cut through the gap and land on the corner of the ebony desk.

Nangong Xiong sat behind the desk with a sheet of paper spread out before him. The handwriting was neat; it was a copy of Wang Chongyuan's impeachment memorial.

Lin Chen and Liu Buyu stood before the desk.

Liu Buyu held the copper-clasped document box in his arms; its surface was wiped clean, and the copper clasp was fastened tight.

Nangong Xiong pushed the copy of the impeachment memorial forward two inches and pointed his finger at a certain line.

"Wang Chongyuan claims in this memorial that you broke into the Wang Family Outer Residence at night, abducted the servant Zhang Erzhuang, and injured the Wang Family member Third Young Master Wang Chengye."

He looked up, his gaze landing on Lin Chen's face.

"He didn't mention a word about Blood Nourishing."

Lin Chen took a half-step forward, took the document box from Liu Buyu, opened the copper clasp, and pulled out the case files one by one, spreading them across the desk in front of Nangong Xiong.

"The injury examination records of the four survivors from the Blood Nourishing villa."

He pushed the first one over.

"The list of items from the stone chamber: medicine bowls, copper pipes, leather straps, iron rings, and wooden tablets carved with dates."

The second one.

"The location markers and preliminary descriptions of the three dried corpses."

The third one.

"The testimonies of Zhang Erzhuang and Third Young Master Wang Chengye."

The fourth one.

"Zhou Huaiyi's corroborating evidence."

The five case files were lined up on the desk, the ink on the pages still damp with the humidity of last night.

Lin Chen withdrew his fingers from the last case file, the veins on the back of his hand settling. His voice landed on the strip of light on the desk.

"Governor, Wang Chongyuan is impeaching me for trespassing."

He paused for a beat.

"My response is that beneath that house, four children were imprisoned and drained of blood for eight years."

Nangong Xiong's hand reached for the first case file, flipping open the cover, his gaze scanning from top to bottom.

Injury examination record. Zhang Xiaoyan, female, approximately fifteen years old.

Over four hundred needle scar marks on her body.

Multiple areas of sclerosis in the veins of both arms.

Weight less than sixty percent of normal peers.

Severe anemia.

Nangong Xiong's finger paused on that page for three breaths, the pad of his finger pressing against the edge of the paper with enough force to leave a faint indentation.

He closed the case file.

"Enough."

These two words were delivered from the bottom of his throat, sinking and rolling through the stone walls of the study.

He stood up and walked to the rosewood cabinet beside the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a sheet of blank official stationery and the Governor's seal.

"First, this office will immediately dispatch a counter-impeachment memorial to the capital, attached with a full copy of the evidence for the Blood Nourishing case, sent via 800-li express, traveling the same route and speed as Wang Chongyuan's."

The ink pad touched the bottom of the seal, and the vermilion red left its first mark on the blank official paper.

"Second, issue a search warrant for the Wang Family Main Residence, to be executed within three days."

The second sheet of official paper was pulled from the cabinet, and the seal fell again.

"Third, mobilize two hundred men from the City Defense Battalion to cooperate with the Patrol Division, led by Commander Han Yong."

The third seal.

The three official documents, stamped with the bright red Governor's seal, were pushed to the front edge of the desk by Nangong Xiong, the vermilion ink still glistening with moisture.

Lin Chen reached out and took the search warrant and the mobilization order, folding them and tucking them into his robe.

Liu Buyu noted down the format requirements for the counter-impeachment memorial on his notepad, his pen tip racing across the paper.

Lin Chen turned to walk toward the door, his boots just touching the threshold.

"Lin Chen." Nangong Xiong's voice came from behind.

Lin Chen turned back.

Nangong Xiong stood beside the desk, sunlight falling on his right shoulder through the gap in the half-drawn curtain, cutting his silhouette into two halves of light and shadow.

"Wang Chongyuan is at the Core Formation Late Stage, and he has Attendant Zhao Wuya under him."

His gaze shifted from Lin Chen's face to the black abyss blade at his waist, then back to his face.

"I've given you the search warrant, but when you enter the Wang Family Main Residence, are you sure you can come out alive?"

Lin Chen's right hand rested on the scabbard of the black abyss blade, his five fingers gripping the hilt, his palm pressed against the texture of the leather-wrapped cord.

"Attendant Zhao Wuya had his chest injured by me last night; he won't be able to recover his full strength within three months."

His voice remained steady and level, each word planted firmly.

"Wang Chongyuan alone cannot stop me."

Nangong Xiong stared at him for two breaths.

The only sound in the study was the faint rubbing of fabric as the curtains were stirred by the draft.

Nangong Xiong took a bronze token from the innermost layer of the desk drawer, the face of the token engraved with the serial number and mobilization authority of the City Defense Battalion.

He handed the token over. "Commander Han Yong's two hundred men aren't enough. Take this to the City Defense Battalion and mobilize another hundred."

Lin Chen took the token; the bronze surface was cold, its weight pressing into his hand.

He tucked the token into his robe, bowed to Nangong Xiong with clasped hands, turned, and stepped over the threshold.

Liu Buyu followed behind, clutching the document box. Once they left the study corridor, he quickened his pace to catch up with Lin Chen.

"Inspector, the search warrant says to execute within three days. When do we move?"

Lin Chen did not turn back, his boots treading across the blue bricks of the Governor's Mansion corridor, his voice trailing behind him. "Tomorrow."

Returning to the Main Courtyard of the Patrol Division, Lin Chen summoned all core personnel into the Archives Room.

Zhou Tie, Zhao Gang, Shen Yue, He Jian, Sun Qi, Instructor Qi Boyuan, and Liu Buyu—the seven of them filled the small space of the Archives Room.

Lin Chen spread the search warrant and the mobilization order on the desk, the two official papers stamped with the bright red Governor's seal unfurled before everyone.

Zhao Gang's eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing, his tongue pushing against his cheek. "Tomorrow? Doesn't the search warrant say within three days?"

Lin Chen's finger pressed on the edge of the Governor's seal at the bottom right corner of the search warrant.

"Wang Chongyuan has two paths now." He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the seven people one by one. "Either run." "Or destroy all the evidence and fight to the death."

He withdrew his finger from the search warrant and curled it over the edge of the desk. "Regardless of which one he chooses, the faster we move, the better."

He Jian's left arm was wrapped in fresh white cloth; his wound had healed for the most part, his elbow could bend and extend, and a narrow short blade hung at his right waist. "I can go."

Lin Chen glanced at him and didn't refuse. "Deployment."

He pulled an outer perimeter map of the Wang Family Main Residence from under the table, marked with charcoal, and spread it out next to the case files.

"Commander Han Yong will take three hundred men from the City Defense Battalion to surround the four sides of the Wang Family Main Residence and not let a single person enter or exit."

His finger pointed to the four directions—east, south, west, and north—on the map. "Zhao Gang."

Zhao Gang took a half-step forward, his scabbard bumping against He Jian's elbow. "Take fifty men from the Patrol Division and seal off all of the Wang Family's external shops, livery stables, grain depots, and pharmacies. Don't leave a single gap."

Zhao Gang grinned, showing half a canine tooth. "Understood."

"Zhou Tie, He Jian, come with me to search from the main entrance."

Zhou Tie's iron spear swayed on his shoulder, and he patted the shaft.

"Shen Yue." Shen Yue straightened up from the door frame, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. "Take your men and enter the secret passage from the direction of the Hunters Shack, and block all exits of the Wang Family's underground tunnels."

Shen Yue nodded.

"Sun Qi, the iron gate you jammed shut last night is still there. You are most familiar with the secret passage; assist Shen Yue."

Sun Qi replied, his facial bandages changed to fresh ones, the scab at the corner of his eye still flushed red.

"Liu Buyu, stay with me the whole time. Bring pen, paper, and the document box. Whatever we find, record and seal it on the spot."

Liu Buyu hugged the document box a bit tighter in the crook of his arm.

"Instructor Qi Boyuan, you guard the Main Courtyard. Not a single thing can happen to Zhou Huaiyi and the children."

Instructor Qi Boyuan thumped his wooden spear on the ground, his voice dull. "Rest assured."

With the deployment set, everyone dispersed one after another.

Only Lin Chen remained in the Archives Room.

The door was bolted from the inside, and the curtains were drawn tight, leaving only the flame of the oil lamp at the corner of the table to cast a flickering patch of light on the stone wall.

Lin Chen closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into his Dantian.

The Golden Core hovered in the center of the Qi Sea, the luster on its surface trembling slightly as True Qi circulated.

Eight thousand points were channeled into the Golden Core in one breath.

Under the impact of that immense energy, the luster on the surface of the Core vibrated violently. Within two breaths, the volume of the Golden Core expanded by a full circle, the surface patterns rearranged, and the density of the True Qi surged from the inside out.

Under the impact of the True Qi, the walls of the Meridians emitted a fine tremor. The layer of obstruction was pierced through the moment the Golden Core's quality leaped, and a new True Qi channel was opened beyond the twelve main meridians.

The heat within the Dantian surged up from the abdomen, rushed through the chest cavity, poured into the limbs, and finally, a wisp of white Qi overflowed from the Baihui acupoint on the top of his head, dissipating into the air of the Archives Room.

Deep within his mind, a notification sound rang out.

[Cultivation Breakthrough! Host's current cultivation: Core Formation Middle Stage.]

[Golden Core quality improved, total True Qi doubled, protective True Qi can be projected three feet outward.]

[Current accumulated usable points: 10,500 points.]

Lin Chen opened his eyes.

His palms pressed against the desk, his fingers spreading and then curling, feeling the True Qi in his Meridians, so full it was overflowing, dancing at the tips of his fingers.

Core Formation Middle Stage.

The gap in Realm between him and Wang Chongyuan had shrunk from a full major stage to half a stage.

The aura that overflowed during the Breakthrough seeped out through the cracks in the Archives Room window and dispersed in the courtyard.

Instructor Qi Boyuan was walking past from the other end of the corridor with his wooden spear on his shoulder; his footsteps slowed for a beat as he passed the window.

He turned his head to glance at the tightly closed doors and windows of the Archives Room, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched, and he suppressed the upward curve of his lips.

He gripped his wooden spear three times tighter, resumed his stride, and walked toward the side courtyard.

At the same moment. The back courtyard of the Wang Family Main Residence, in a secret chamber.

Four eternal bronze lamps were embedded in the stone walls, the light illuminating the secret chamber brightly.

In the center of the stone platform stood three white jade bottles, their mouths sealed with wax, date labels stuck on the bottles; the most recent one read five days ago.

Wang Chongyuan stood before the stone platform, his fingers pinching one of the jade bottles, his thumb rubbing over the edge of the date label on the bottle.

His complexion was two shades paler than usual, the dark circles under his eyes extending from his cheekbones to his temples, standing out sharply under the light of the bronze lamps.

The Blood Nourishing villa had cut off its supply.

Without fresh living blood being poured in, the progress of his Blood-Devouring Essence Condensation Technique had stalled, and even started to regress.

He tucked the three jade bottles into his sleeve, his boot grinding against the stone floor with a soft sound as he turned.

Second Young Master Wang Pei was kneeling at the entrance of the secret chamber.

On his forehead was still the red mark left from kneeling in the Main Courtyard last time; the color had faded, but it hadn't completely disappeared.

"Father, Attendant Zhao's chest injury will take at least three months to heal. Everyone at the villa has been lost, and both Zhang Erzhuang and Third Young Master Wang Chengye have been taken away by the Patrol Division."

Second Young Master Wang Pei's voice squeezed out from his prostrate position, every word pressed to the bottom of his throat. "What do we do now?"

Wang Chongyuan walked over from the side of the stone platform in the secret chamber, his boots treading past the stone tile where Second Young Master Wang Pei was kneeling, and stopped at the door frame.

"Seal off all secret passages in the Main Residence."

His voice bounced around the secret chamber, the echo short and sharp. "Transfer everything in the underground secret chamber to the hidden compartment in the ancestral hall."

Second Young Master Wang Pei's shoulders tensed.

Wang Chongyuan did not look at him, his gaze falling on the end of the dark corridor outside the secret chamber.

"And then, deal with all the people from the seventeen impeachment petitioners that we still have under our control."

Second Young Master Wang Pei's knees knocked against the stone tiles, his whole body leaning forward two inches. "All of them?"

His voice rose a notch, then he hurriedly suppressed it. "Father, that's seven people."

Wang Chongyuan turned around, looking down at the sweat-drenched scalp on the back of Second Young Master Wang Pei's head.

"Dead men don't talk."

When this sentence landed in the secret chamber, not even the flame of the bronze lamp flickered.

Wang Chongyuan retrieved a long box from behind the hidden wall in the deepest part of the secret chamber; it was made of black lacquered wood with a copper lock fastened in the center of the lid.

He fished out a key to open the copper lock and lifted the lid of the box.

A long sword lay inside the box.

The blade was pitch black, the scabbard engraved with the Wang Family crest, and the edges of the copper fittings were worn with a dim luster of time.

He took the long sword out of the box and weighed the scabbard in his palm; the weight was the same as it had been twelve years ago.

"If Lin Chen dares to come tomorrow."

He hung the long sword at his waist, the copper clasp clicking into the slot on the side of the scabbard with a soft sound. "I will meet him personally."

Second Young Master Wang Pei knelt on the ground, watching the black-scabbarded long sword at his father's waist that hadn't seen the light of day for twelve years. His Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he didn't dare say another word.

Late at night. Main Courtyard of the Patrol Division, the courtyard gate was knocked three times.

Urgent, uneven intervals, the third knock twice as heavy as the previous two.

The brother on night watch had just pulled back the latch when Shen Yue's figure squeezed through the crack in the door, her boot soles covered in mud and withered grass debris, her hand clutching a crumpled note, the edges of the paper stained with blood.

It wasn't her blood.

She crossed the courtyard, her footsteps changing from a run to a charge. When she reached the door of the Archives Room, she slapped the door panel with her palm. "Inspector!"

The door opened from the inside. Lin Chen stood at the doorway, the black abyss blade still hanging at his waist, his fingers curled around the hilt.

He saw the blood-stained note in Shen Yue's hand, his gaze sinking half an inch.

Shen Yue handed over the note, her chest still heaving, every word squeezed out from between her teeth. "Tao Donger has escaped from the pharmacy."

Lin Chen took the note; the bloodstain had blurred half a line of text, and the remaining characters were crooked and written in great haste.

"She is being hunted, covered in blood, and is now hiding in a ruined temple west of the city."

Shen Yue's hand hung by her side, her fingertips still trembling. "Inspector, Wang Chongyuan has already started silencing witnesses."

Lin Chen's thumb rubbed over the patch of dried blood on the note, his gaze shifting from the bloodstains to Shen Yue's face.

"How many people are chasing her?"

"My informant says at least three, all carrying blades, chasing from the back door of the pharmacy."

Lin Chen folded the note, tucked it into his sleeve, raised his hand to press on the black abyss blade, and stepped over the threshold. "Call Zhou Tie."

His boots trod on the stone tiles of the courtyard. The morning light had not yet arrived, but the moonlight had already faded; the darkest period between heaven and earth wrapped the entire Main Courtyard in deep darkness.

Wang Chongyuan had made his move. A day faster than he had anticipated.