The Old Warehouse Passage, Tang San's Last Door

The wind at the academy gates turned cold in an instant.

The Deacon knelt on the ground, still holding the urgent report sealed with red wax.

Xiao Wu was the first to react.

"The Old Warehouse Passage? What kind of place is that?"

The Deacon kept his head lowered.

"Replying to Miss Xiao Wu, it's an old passage left behind when the Soul Hunting Warrant Repository outside the city was abandoned."

"Years ago, the branch hall moved. The old repository was sealed, and so was the underground passage."

"No one goes there normally."

Su Chen took the urgent report and glanced over it.

The edge of the paper still bore creases from being jostled on horseback.

"Who saw him?"

"The West Suburb Patrol."

The Deacon answered quickly.

"They followed him halfway, then found medicinal powder and signs of mechanisms on the ground. Afraid of alerting him, they didn't dare force their way in. They came back to report first."

Shen Zhi stood to one side without saying a word.

His gaze rested on the urgent report in Su Chen's hand.

He had come to deliver an invitation.

Yet the moment he arrived in Nuoding City, he had stumbled into this mess.

Su Chen folded the report and handed it back to the Deacon.

"Have you blocked the roads?"

"The three outer roads have already been sealed off."

"What about the exits to the passage?"

"The Old Warehouse Passage has two exits. The obvious one is guarded. They're still checking the other, an abandoned drainage channel."

Xiao Wu frowned.

"Is he trying to steal a Soul Hunting Warrant?"

"Not only that."

Su Chen looked up at the Deacon.

"What's still usable in the old repository?"

The Deacon answered at once.

"Abandoned cabinets and shelves, old sealing wax, discarded printing plates, and some blank official forms that weren't completely destroyed."

Xiao Wu understood immediately.

"He's not trying to steal a real one."

"He wants to make one himself."

Su Chen gave a quiet hum.

"What Tang San lacks right now isn't a route."

"It's the qualifications."

"If he can't get a real warrant, he'll make one himself."

Shen Zhi finally spoke.

"Could a child forge something from Spirit Hall?"

Su Chen glanced at him.

"Don't treat him like an ordinary child."

"He's nimble-fingered, and he's got nerve."

"Give him an old printing plate and an old form, then find him a guard who doesn't know the trade, and he might just slip through."

Xiao Wu stepped forward.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Su Chen nodded.

"You're coming with me."

The dean heard that and started sweating again.

"His Highness the Holy Son, should the academy send people too—"

"No."

Su Chen cut him off.

"Keep the school gates guarded, and don't let the news spread."

"Especially what happened today. Don't let a single word get outside."

The dean nodded repeatedly.

"Understood, understood."

Shen Zhi raised a hand and straightened the edge of his cloak.

"I'm going too."

Xiao Wu tilted her head toward him.

"Aren't you a teacher from Suotuo City? Why get involved in this?"

Shen Zhi's tone was even.

"Since I've run into this, I should see it through."

"Besides, I want to know just how formidable someone has to be for the Holy Son of Spirit Hall to pursue him in person."

Su Chen didn't object.

"Fine."

"Stay behind us, and don't do anything reckless."

A quarter of an hour later.

The western suburbs of Nuoding City.

The entrance to the Old Warehouse Passage was hidden behind a stone wall that had partly collapsed.

Wet mud covered the base of the wall.

Ash clung to the grass.

Two Spirit Hall Deacons stood guard outside. As soon as they saw Su Chen arrive, they immediately stepped aside.

"His Highness the Holy Son."

"What's the situation inside?"

One of them lowered his voice.

"The lock on the entrance was picked. There are two traps inside."

"One is around the corner. It fires needles coated with a paralytic."

"The other is a tripline. If you hit it, it'll shake down the ash bucket above."

Xiao Wu crouched and examined the faint marks of a thin wire on the ground.

"This guy sure goes to a lot of trouble."

Su Chen took the wind lantern the Deacon handed him.

The rim of the lantern's glass was cold.

Holding it up, he stepped inside first.

The passage was very narrow.

Patches of wall plaster were coming loose, and the air smelled of damp mold and old paper.

Now and then, wood chips crackled beneath their feet.

Xiao Wu followed on his right, her rabbit ears twitching lightly.

"This place smells worse than the Black Market."

Su Chen held the wind lantern farther ahead.

Its dim yellow light crept along the floor.

"Put up with it for a while."

"Someone came through here. The layer of dust is broken."

Shen Zhi walked last, his gaze sweeping over the marks carved into the walls and the footprints on the ground.

"His steps are unsteady."

"He hasn't recovered from his injuries."

"It's not that he hasn't recovered."

Su Chen's voice was calm.

"He's just in too much of a hurry."

They turned the first corner.

Three thin needles were embedded in the wall.

Their tips were blackened.

Xiao Wu glanced down and immediately frowned in disgust.

"Poison again."

"Can't he do anything honestly, just once?"

Su Chen didn't reply.

He only raised a hand and flicked his fingers.

All three needles shot into the wooden board opposite.

Farther ahead, just as expected, a taut cord stretched across the ground.

One end of it was attached to a battered wooden bucket overhead.

Inside the bucket was wet mud mixed with lime.

Shen Zhi's expression finally shifted a little.

"He's got all kinds of tricks."

"If someone like this were let into Suotuo City, he'd cause plenty of trouble."

Xiao Wu looked back at him.

"Now you see, don't you?"

"This guy's full of twists and turns."

They reached the end of the passage.

Ahead stood a half-open iron door.

Beyond it was the abandoned warehouse.

Collapsed wooden shelves, moldy boxes, and dozens of discarded cabinets were piled inside.

Wind poured in through a broken window, making scraps of paper flap and rustle.

It was a little brighter here than in the passage.

And because of that, the traces on the ground were clearer.

Three cabinet doors had been pried open.

Sealing wax, discarded forms, and torn-up old documents lay scattered on the floor.

Xiao Wu hurried over and crouched beside an overturned box.

"Some things are missing here."

The Deacon came up behind her, his face changing.

"Two bundles of blank forms are missing."

"One of the old seal molds is gone too."

Su Chen surveyed the warehouse, his gaze finally settling behind the row of cabinets at the very back.

It was too quiet there.

Even the wind seemed to be blocked.

"Come out."

Su Chen spoke.

The warehouse fell silent for two breaths.

Then someone slowly emerged from behind the cabinets.

It was Tang San.

His complexion was worse than it had been a few days ago, and his lips were pale. Fresh bandages wrapped both hands, and he wore a thin pair of leather gloves over them.

He held a wooden box in his arms.

A roll of blank forms and half of an old seal mold protruded from its edge.

The moment Xiao Wu saw him, her brows knitted together.

"So it really was you."

Tang San didn't look at Xiao Wu.

He stared at Su Chen, his gaze dark.

"You're quick."

Su Chen set the wind lantern on a broken cabinet beside him.

"You're too slow."

"You're going to use this junk to make yourself a warrant?"

Tang San didn't deny it.

"I want to survive."

"Was there anything wrong with taking a Soul Ring and getting stronger?"

Xiao Wu shot back.

"You stole something, and you still think you're in the right?"

Tang San's chest rose and fell.

"The rules are made for those who have a way forward."

"You've blocked every path, so I have to find a door myself."

Su Chen looked at the wooden box in his arms.

"A door?"

"What you got isn't a door. It's a pile of old paper and useless seals."

Tang San's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

Su Chen took two steps forward.

"Starting last night, every Soul Hunting permit in Fasinuo Province was replaced with a new version."

"The old format is invalid."

"The old seal molds are invalid."

"The old wax seal numbers are invalid."

"You spent all night making those, and even a gatekeeping servant could see through them."

The warehouse fell silent, with only the wind still stirring.

Tang San's grip on the wooden box tightened abruptly.

The bandages on the back of his hand pulled taut, bit by bit.

Xiao Wu looked at him, her tone turning a little brighter.

"All that work for nothing, huh?"

Tang San seemed not to hear her.

He only stared fixedly at Su Chen.

"You knew I'd come."

"Yes."

Su Chen answered without hesitation.

"I was waiting for you."

"Don't you always think you can find a way forward?"

"I'll let you go."

"Then you can watch, one by one, as every path closes right in front of you."

Standing behind them, Shen Zhi's brows twitched slightly at that.

For the first time, he truly understood how Su Chen operated.

He didn't charge in head-on to kill.

He drove people into a corner, making sure every step they took had been calculated.

Tang San's breathing grew heavier with each passing moment.

"What exactly do you want?"

"I want you to remember one thing."

Su Chen looked at him.

"You have no right to meddle in Spirit Hall's affairs."

"Stealing, cheating, forging—it's all useless."

"What you're missing isn't a permit."

"It's strength."

Tang San gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse and low.

"You're just relying on your power."

"If you've got what it takes, send all these people away and face me fairly."

Xiao Wu laughed.

"Why do you keep saying things like that?"

"You're the one who stole something, you're the one who forged a permit, and now you want to talk about fairness?"

Tang San's face turned livid.

But Su Chen didn't get angry.

He merely held out his hand.

"Give me the wooden box."

Tang San didn't move.

He even took half a step back.

Not far behind him was another drainage passage, half-collapsed.

Su Chen glanced at it, his smile faint.

"Still thinking of running?"

Tang San suddenly raised his hand.

It wasn't a Hidden Weapon.

It was a handful of gray powder.

The powder scattered, and a pungent, spicy smell immediately filled the warehouse.

Xiao Wu instinctively held her breath and sidestepped.

Shen Zhi raised his sleeve to cover his nose and mouth.

Tang San turned and charged straight for the passage.

He moved even faster than he had a few days ago. Apparently, he'd been forcing himself to train hard these past few days.

But just as he reached the entrance, the air ahead suddenly flashed.

A streak of golden sword light slashed diagonally down from the side.

It didn't strike him.

It struck the path.

With a sharp hiss, the loose stone beam above the passage was cut clean through and crashed down.

Rubble and dust instantly sealed the exit.

Tang San stopped short, forcing himself to a halt.

He turned around.

A golden longsword had appeared in Su Chen's right hand.

Its blade gleamed brightly. The moment the drifting gray powder neared it, the powder silently evaporated.

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.

"That was so cool."

Su Chen didn't answer her.

He advanced with the sword, his steps unhurried.

"I told you."

"You're not leaving today."

Tang San stood before the cave-in, his chest heaving violently.

The blocked wall was to his left, Su Chen to his right, and Shen Zhi and the Deacon behind him.

That was it. There was truly nowhere left to go.

He lowered his eyes to the wooden box in his arms.

Then he suddenly flung it to the ground.

The lid sprang open.

Blank documents, old seal molds, and half a bottle of prepared sealing wax spilled across the floor.

"Take it."

Tang San's voice tightened.

"Are you satisfied now?"

Su Chen walked up to him and stopped.

"Not enough."

Tang San looked up.

"What else do you want?"

"One thing."

Su Chen looked at him.

"Stay away from Xiao Wu from now on."

The warehouse suddenly fell silent.

Xiao Wu had been looking at the old documents on the floor, but when she heard those words, she froze.

Tang San stared at Su Chen, the emotions he'd been suppressing surging up again in his eyes.

"I'm not even allowed to talk to her?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you're rotten."

Su Chen's tone was even.

"Your methods are rotten, and so are your intentions."

"I don't want the trouble of you getting close to anyone."

Xiao Wu didn't argue this time.

She only wrinkled her nose and nodded.

"I agree with that."

Tang San stood where he was, his face turning pale, then green.

After a few breaths, he finally spoke.

"Fine."

"I'll remember that."

Su Chen glanced at him, then turned to give the Deacon an order.

"Collect everything."

"Also, pass down the order."

"Starting today, every Soul Hunting permit around Nuoding City must bear two seals and two signatures."

"Any permit not stamped by both the branch hall chief and the patrol officer is invalid."

The Deacon immediately bowed his head.

"Yes."

Shen Zhi looked at the old seal molds on the floor and suddenly smiled.

"With this change, anyone trying to exploit loopholes over in Suotuo City will have to behave too—not just him."

Su Chen put away the Judgment Holy Sword.

"That's why I said the old rules should be changed when they need changing."

Xiao Wu walked over and nudged the empty wooden box with her foot.

"What now? Send him back?"

Su Chen looked at Tang San.

"Send him back to the academy."

"Keep an eye on him."

"Without my permission, don't let him near any warehouse, apothecary, blacksmith shop, or city gate."

Tang San jerked his head up.

"How long are you going to keep me locked up?"

Su Chen replied coolly.

"Until you understand who you are."

With that, he turned and walked out.

Xiao Wu immediately followed.

As they left the warehouse, the wind rushed in, washing away some of the smell of old paper and poison powder.

Xiao Wu glanced back at Tang San in the warehouse.

"Right now, he looks like a fish that fell into a dry well."

Su Chen didn't look back.

"That's the place he chose for himself."

Xiao Wu blinked.

"Tell me, if Zhou Ling over in Suotuo City finds out you're busy cornering someone in Nuoding City, will he still dare to keep setting up the arena?"

Su Chen walked on, the sole of his boot crushing a dry twig.

"He'd better dare."

Just after they stepped beyond the stone wall, another Spirit Hall Deacon hurried over to meet them.

In his hand was a newly arrived urgent letter, still sealed with the wax stamp of the Suotuo City branch hall.

"His Highness the Holy Son."

"Some new information just came in from Suotuo City."

"Zhou Ling changed the rules of the assessment."

The Deacon paused, lowering his voice.

"He specifically named Xiao Wu. He said that if she didn't dare step onto the arena three days from now, it would count as Nuoding Academy conceding defeat first."