On the afternoon of the third day, when Lu Chen compared a transport receipt marked with "Jia Zi Qi Bai San Shi Er" with the handover record of the guards at Eternal Stability Gate on the west side of Capital City at the same time, his gaze suddenly froze.
The receipt records that a batch of bones of exotic beasts from the Southern Frontier were transported by the Ye Family caravan at 3:45 PM on the seventh day of the previous month, entering the city through Eternal Stability Gate and being delivered directly to the East Warehouse of the Demon Suppression Division Bureau.
However, the guard records at Eternal Stability Gate on that day show that there was no record of any large cargo convoy marked as belonging to the Ye Family entering the city between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM!
There were only a few small-scale merchant caravans.
The timing and scale don't match!
He immediately found several other recent documents related to the transportation of tributes from the Ye Family and cross-referenced them.
Soon, three more documents with similar contradictions in time or route were discovered.
These four documents with obvious problems all ended up in the hands of one person— Supervisor Chen the Archives Bureau, who was responsible for the final review and stamping!
Supervisor Chen...
Lu Chen still remembers his shifty eyes and his eagerness to distance himself from the situation.
The clues pointed to him.
That night, past midnight.
A dark figure, almost blending into the night, silently scaled the wall of a house in the back alley of the Demon Suppression Division Bureau.
It was Lu Chen.
He activated the < Black Tortoise Breath Concealment Art >, his aura almost completely disappearing, like a true ghost. He bypassed the simple warning talismans in the courtyard and arrived at the study window.
His Divine Sense, like mercury spilling onto the ground, silently infiltrated the room.
The study was simply furnished with a bookshelf, a table, a chair, and a lamp that was always on.
Supervisor Chen was not in the room.
Lu Chen released a wisp of true True Qi from his fingertips, which shook open the window latch, and his figure slid in like smoke.
He went straight to the bookshelf and scanned it carefully with his Divine Sense.
Soon, on the third shelf, behind several thick volumes of the " Great Zhou Code," he discovered an extremely well-hidden mechanism.
Gently turn an inconspicuous decorative wooden carving next to it, and the bookshelf silently slides open a little, revealing a hidden compartment in the wall behind it.
The hidden compartment was small, containing several gold ingots, a small stack of silver notes, and... several unsigned secret letters.
Lu Chen took out the secret letter and quickly browsed it.
The contents of the letter confirmed his suspicions.
Using his position, Supervisor Chen assisted the Ye Family in transferring the demonic offerings marked as research materials to several transit points in the city before they were officially stored, through forged documents and routes. The final destination was none other than the Royal Hunting Grounds!
One of the letters ended by mentioning that the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven was imminent, and that the last batch of essential goods must be delivered on time at the usual location at 5 PM seven days from now.
Royal Hunting Grounds!
Grand Ceremony of Offering Sacrifices to Heaven!
Seven days later!
Just as Lu Chen tucked the secret letter into his pocket, the study door was violently flung open!
" Lu Chen! It really is you, you ungrateful stray dog!" Supervisor Chen stood at the door, his face twisted and ferocious in the dim light, all traces of his usual amiable demeanor gone. "From the moment you started inquiring about the West City Goods Store, I knew you had ill intentions!"
His eyes flashed with murderous intent, and before he could finish speaking, a short sword gleaming with a cold, dark blue light shot out like a venomous snake, aiming straight for Lu Chen's throat!
This sword strike was incredibly fast and had a tricky angle. True Qi was concentrated at the tip of the sword, producing a faint sound of air being torn apart, clearly demonstrating the cultivation level of the late stage of the Meridian Opening Realm!
He had been hiding his true strength all along!
Lu Chen was prepared and became alert the moment the door was kicked open.
He used the < Shadow Demon Trace Steps > technique, his figure drifting backward like a ghost. At the same time, he pointed his fingers like a knife and delivered a hand chop with sharp Wind Thunder True Qi, slashing towards Supervisor Chen's wrist holding the sword.
Supervisor Chen seemed to have anticipated his dodge, and instead of withdrawing his sword, he became even more ruthless, disregarding everything and adopting a life-or-death stance. His left hand formed a claw, silently grabbing towards Lu Chen's Dantian!
The fingertips were black, clearly indicating the presence of a deadly poison!
Bang! Sizzle!
The two sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
Lu Chen's hand strike, though delayed, landed first, striking Supervisor Chen's right wrist bone with a cracking sound as the bone shattered!
The short sword clattered to the ground.
But Supervisor Chen's left hand also firmly gripped Lu Chen's lower abdomen and clothes!
Although Lu Chen's muscles tensed up at the crucial moment, and his Black Tortoise True Qi automatically protected his body, dissipating most of the force and preventing his Qi Sea from being grabbed, those dark fingernails still scratched his skin!
A chilling, tingling sensation instantly spread along the wound!
The skin around the wound immediately turned black, and the black color was spreading rapidly!
"Heh heh... cough cough..." Supervisor Chen clutched his broken wrist, staggering backward and crashing into the doorframe. Blood spilled from his mouth, but he laughed maniacally. "Useless... Lu Chen... this Bone-Eroding Powder travels on blood, directly attacking the heart... you're finished..."
Lu Chen felt the rapidly spreading numbness and the loss of life force within his body, his eyes turning cold.
[System, remove the poison and repair the damage!]
[Instructions received. Expel the Bone-Eroding Powder Poison toxin and repair bodily damage. Estimated to consume 45 years of the Demon Devil Lifespan.]
[The remaining Demon Devil Lifespan seven hundred years.]
The pure life energy, like a raging flame, instantly swept through the area eroded by the toxins.
The spreading blackness faded at a visible speed, the numbness subsided rapidly, and the wound even began to scab over.
The maniacal smile on Supervisor Chen's face froze instantly, replaced by utter terror and disbelief. "No... impossible! This poison..."
Lu Chen gave him no further chances. In a flash, he was in front of Supervisor Chen. With swift fingers, he struck several acupoints on Manager Chen's body, intending to capture him alive and extract more information from him.
However, a desperate glint flashed in Supervisor Chen's eyes, and he gritted his teeth.
"Long live the Ye Family..."
A thin line of blood, as black as ink, trickled down from the corner of his mouth. His eyes bulged out, his body convulsed violently a few times, and then he fell completely silent.
His breath ceased, and his pupils dilated.
He committed suicide by poisoning himself!
So decisive!
Lu Chen frowned as he watched Supervisor Chen's body rapidly turn black.
The Ye Family's control over their subordinates is incredibly strict!
He quickly searched the study, and after confirming that there were no other valuable clues, he cleaned up any traces he might have left behind, disappearing silently into the night as he had come.
Outside the window, the night deepens and the dew grows heavy.
The Royal Hunting Grounds, the grand ceremony to worship Heaven, only seven days remain.
The final, most important item...