Someone's Behind the Door, Xiao Wu Almost Got Her Home Raided

The sword light descended.

The half-open inner door exploded on the spot.

Wood splinters, door bolts, and paint chips flew inward all at once.

Xiao Wu was just about to rush forward, but Su Chen had already raised his hand and pulled her back.

"Don't get too close."

The words had barely left his lips.

Swish, swish, swish.

A cloud of black needles burst from behind the door, dense as a black rain.

"I knew there was something shady!"

Xiao Wu cursed, yet her reaction was not slow in the slightest; with a tap of her toes, she had already retreated half a step thanks to Su Chen's pull.

Su Chen swept the Judgment Holy Sword horizontally in his hand.

Cling, cling, cling, cling.

A rapid series of metallic sounds erupted.

The black needles all struck the blade, bouncing off to embed themselves into the walls.

A few needles pierced the wooden pillars, causing gray smoke to rise instantly as the edges sizzled and turned black.

Xiao Wu took one look, and a chill ran down her spine.

"It's poisoned too?"

"How else would it be a contingency plan?"

Su Chen stepped through the door.

Behind the door was not a dark room.

It was a deeper, narrow corridor.

At the end of the corridor stood a black shadow, holding a palm-sized black box in one hand and a tinderstick in the other, just about to ignite a thin ledger.

"Who are you burning that for?"

Su Chen's voice had barely faded before he had already charged out.

The person opposite clearly hadn't expected the first round of needle rain to fail to stall them; his expression shifted, and with a flick of his wrist, he threw the tinderstick directly toward the ledger.

Xiao Wu was faster than him.

She darted across the floor, twisted in mid-air, and snapped her toes against the tinderstick.

Sparks flew, hitting the wall and extinguishing.

"Trying to destroy the evidence?"

Xiao Wu landed and lifted her chin.

"Did you ask me first?"

The black shadow did not answer.

He retreated sharply, a short blade sliding from his sleeve into his palm, and he slithered along the wall like a snake.

His movements were insidious and slippery.

Xiao Wu was about to pursue, but Su Chen had already issued a warning.

"He has a second one in his right hand."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu forced her body to swerve.

Sure enough.

The man's left sleeve flipped, and a shorter, thinner blade grazed past her cheek.

If not for Su Chen's timely warning, that strike wouldn't have been a graze—it would have been a throat-slitting.

"Do you people in Suotuo City all love to hide a few tricks up your sleeves?"

Xiao Wu was truly angry now.

She hated this kind of thing the most.

Afraid to face things openly, relying entirely on underhanded tactics in the shadows.

The man still remained silent.

With one strike missed, he retreated again, but his target was neither Xiao Wu nor Su Chen.

It was Xu Tinglan.

Xu Tinglan stood on the outer side of the corridor, still holding the ledger. Seeing the man rush toward her, her eyes didn't even flicker; she simply took half a step back.

She didn't retreat very quickly.

Because she couldn't be faster.

Yet she did not panic.

Because Su Chen had already arrived.

Bang.

Just as the man lunged halfway, Su Chen kicked him squarely in the side of the waist.

The kick was heavy.

So heavy that the man's entire face contorted, his body slamming sideways into the wall with such force that the narrow corridor shook.

The black box slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

The ledger fell as well.

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.

"Nice!"

She didn't hesitate for a second, already pouncing forward to finish him off.

She had truly gotten into the rhythm of fighting now.

Lowering her shoulder, closing the distance, twisting her waist, and hooking his leg.

Just as the man tried to push himself up against the wall, Xiao Wu was already pressed into his chest, driving her right arm upward and sweeping his left leg, flipping him over completely.

Boom.

He slammed into the ground.

The sound of the impact made the corridor tremble once more.

"Run, then."

Xiao Wu pinned his shoulders, her eyes gleaming.

"Weren't you quite the jumper?"

The man finally made a sound.

It wasn't a cry of pain, but a grit of his teeth.

"Get lost!"

His throat sounded as if it were filled with gravel.

Su Chen walked over and looked down at him.

The face was not unfamiliar.

He was exactly one of the two external Deacons on tonight's list.

He had appeared in the Banquet Hall earlier, standing at a distance with a low presence.

But now that his face was pressed against the floor, it was clear.

The moment Han Su saw him, the last trace of color drained from his face.

"Chen Sun."

The two words squeezed out of his mouth as if ground between his teeth.

Xiao Wu laughed the moment she heard it.

"You know him?"

"Well, you can't claim you're not acquainted this time."

When Chen Sun heard Han Su call his name, his gaze turned vicious in an instant.

He didn't look at Su Chen, nor did he look at Xiao Wu; he stared fixedly at Han Su.

"Useless trash."

The muscles on Han Su's face twitched violently.

"You—"

"Shut up."

Su Chen stepped on Chen Sun's wrist.

Crack.

The bone didn't break.

But the thin blade hidden in his sleeve fell straight out.

Xiao Wu looked down and clicked her tongue.

"So there really was a second one."

"No, wait, counting the one from before, that makes three."

"Are you the reincarnation of an armory?"

Chen Sun broke into a cold sweat from the pain, yet he still didn't groan.

This was no longer the stubbornness of an ordinary Deacon.

It was more like that of a desperate outlaw.

Xu Tinglan walked over, bent down to pick up the black box from the floor, and gathered the thin ledger that had nearly been burned into her arms.

She flipped through it, her expression finally sinking.

"This is the one."

Xiao Wu tilted her head.

"What?"

"The External Transfer Original Ledger."

Xu Tinglan raised her eyes to look at Su Chen.

"What he took wasn't just accounts."

"There is also a list of names."

Lu Ming had been kneeling on the ground trembling, but upon hearing the words "list of names," his face turned deathly pale.

"Don't, don't flip to the back."

Xiao Wu immediately turned around.

"What, is there really a ghost in the back?"

Lu Ming's lips trembled.

"That isn't a manifest."

"It's people."

At this, even Shen Zhi's expression changed.

He strode over, took the External Transfer Original Ledger from Xu Tinglan's hands, and flipped to the last two pages; he only had to read a few lines before his breathing grew heavy.

"Han Su."

His voice turned cold.

"You used the branch's quotas for black-market transfers?"

Han Su opened his mouth, just about to speak, but Chen Sun laughed first.

That laughter was stifled in his throat, sounding wretched to the extreme.

"You only just figured it out?"

"It's too late."

Su Chen's gaze turned icy.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Sun looked up, blood staining the corners of his mouth, his eyes chillingly sinister.

"More than one ledger was sent out tonight."

"There were also two children."

The corridor fell silent.

Xiao Wu's eyes turned cold to the extreme in an instant.

She despised this kind of thing the most.

It was even more disgusting than playing dirty.

"Children?"

"You even sell children?"

Han Su finally panicked.

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

"I only transferred people, I didn't—"

Bang.

Su Chen backhanded him, the slap landing directly on Han Su's face.

This strike wasn't flashy; it was simply solid.

It sent half of Han Su's face twisting to the side on the spot, blood seeping from his gums.

The entire room went quiet.

Even Han Su was stunned for a moment.

He probably never imagined in his entire life that one day, he would be slapped like a dog in front of so many people.

Su Chen stared at him, his voice dropping low.

"You had better think clearly before you speak."

"Every extra word you waste now adds another debt to your tab."

Han Su's chest heaved violently, his face cycling between shades of red and white, yet he didn't dare talk back.

Xiao Wu felt a surge of satisfaction, nearly clapping her hands.

"Should have slapped him sooner."

Xu Tinglan had already flipped to the final pages of the original ledger, her finger pausing on a single line as her expression grew increasingly cold.

"Two spots."

"One male, one female."

"Registered as external attendants, but their actual destination is blank."

Shen Zhi snatched the ledger away, scanned it for a few moments, and his voice dropped low.

"They leave the city at the Hour of the Dog today."

"They are taking the cargo route on the west side of the branch hall."

Xiao Wu immediately looked at Su Chen.

"Can we catch them?"

Su Chen did not answer immediately.

He first looked down at Chen Sun.

Chen Sun curled his lips, as if wanting to laugh.

"Going to chase them now?"

"There are three carriages leaving the city."

"And three different roads."

"Guess which—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Su Chen kicked him squarely in the chin.

Thud.

Chen Sun's head slammed hard against the ground, his vision went black, and the rest of his words were kicked right out of him.

Xiao Wu found the sight quite pleasing.

"That's for playing coy."

Su Chen crouched down and fished a thin wooden token from Chen Sun's robes.

The edges of the token were stained with a bit of blood; the front was carved with a tiny character for "West," and the back featured a faintly pressed black line.

The moment Xu Tinglan saw the token, she spoke up.

"Black Cargo Route Branch Token."

"Having this means he is responsible for the west line."

Shen Zhi continued.

"The west line leads to the Old Salt Road; ten miles out, there is a junction connecting to the post road and the wild ravines."

"If we pursue now—"

"No need for 'ifs'."

Su Chen stood up and shoved the wooden token directly into Shen Zhi's hand.

"Take the people from the Legal Department, seal the branch hall, and continue the raid."

"Xu Tinglan, leave the original ledger and come with us."

"Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu stood at attention immediately.

"Here."

"Come with me to hunt them down."

"Right!"

She answered quickly, her eyes bright.

But as she took a step, the soreness in her thighs flared up, and her figure swayed slightly.

It was subtle.

So subtle that others might not have noticed.

But Su Chen saw it.

He reached out and caught her, pulling her steady.

Xiao Wu's lower back collided with his palm, and her breathing skipped a beat.

"Still acting tough?"

Su Chen looked down at her.

The tips of Xiao Wu's ears turned red instantly.

"I, I'm not acting tough."

"Your legs are shaking like that, yet you're still stubborn."

"I can still fight."

"Fight my foot."

Pinned under his gaze, Xiao Wu felt her heart hammering against her chest.

The hallway was packed with people.

Yet, Su Chen didn't let go of her in the slightest.

She had intended to snap back at him, but the moment she recalled him saying "come with me to chase them," that spark of anger and urgency suddenly melted into a different, chaotic kind of heat.

She bit her lip and whispered a retort.

"Then carry me."

As soon as those words left her mouth.

The hallway went quiet for a moment.

Even Xu Tinglan looked up.

Xiao Wu realized what she had said, too.

She had just been quick-tongued, wanting to choke him up a bit.

But once it was out, she realized the tone was all wrong.

Her ears burned bright red, and she immediately added, "I, I was just joking."

Su Chen looked at her, ignoring the comment.

The next second.

He bent down, hooked one arm under her knees and the other around her waist, and scooped her up into his arms.

Xiao Wu froze completely.

"Su Chen!"

"What are you doing!"

"Saving time."

Su Chen walked toward the exit with her in his arms, his tone absurdly flat.

"Didn't you say you wanted to chase them?"

"Then be quiet."

Xiao Wu's entire face turned crimson, even her neck heating up.

She wanted to struggle.

But Su Chen's arms were as steady as iron, and he held her so naturally that struggling would only make it look like she was throwing a tantrum.

The hallway was lined with people.

If she really started thrashing about, that would be truly embarrassing.

In the end, she could only bury her face and grit her teeth, whispering, "Just you wait."

Su Chen glanced down at her.

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for me to hold a grudge."

"Then take your time holding it."

Xiao Wu almost laughed in frustration.

This guy, really.

He was infuriating.

And... he made her heart race in a way that left her flustered.

Xu Tinglan stood where she was, watching their backs disappear at the end of the corridor. Her fingers pressed lightly against the edge of the External Transfer Original Ledger, and she finally turned to look at Shen Zhi.

"Are you going or not?"

Shen Zhi put away the Western Front Wooden Token, his expression having turned completely cold.

"I can't go."

"I must seal this place off first."

He glanced at Han Su, then looked down at the unconscious Chen Sun on the ground.

"However, the two of them going is enough."

Outside the corridor, the night wind rushed in all at once.

The lights of the Suotuo Branch Hall flickered on the stone steps like a shivering sheet of gold.

Su Chen carried Xiao Wu down the steps and headed straight for the stables.

Xiao Wu finally couldn't hold it in anymore; she looked up and glared at him.

"Do you really not intend to put me down?"

"Wait until we're on the horse."

"I can get on myself."

"Your legs are still weak right now."

"Who's weak—"

The words had barely left her lips when she saw Su Chen come to a halt.

At the entrance of the stables, a moon-white figure leading a black horse stood waiting.

Xu Tinglan had arrived ahead of them, though it was unclear when.

She held more than just one horse.

There was also a light carriage already fitted with reins.

She glanced at Xiao Wu in Su Chen's arms, her gaze pausing for a moment before she spoke softly.

"The West Salt Road is not easy to travel."

"If you ride horses, you won't be able to catch up if the cargo wagons change routes."

"Take this."