Seizing Evidence Amid Peril

Late at night, most of the Servant Compound's dwellings had already extinguished their lamps.

Only the lanterns of a few night patrol disciples swayed lazily through the distant alleyways.

Liu Er had already been thrown into prison, and the small steward's courtyard where he once lived had long been sealed off for investigation. A sect seal was pasted across the gate, and the courtyard stood desolate; ordinarily, no one would come here. According to the Heavenly Stele's deduction, the middleman with a birthmark on his left ear was hiding in this very courtyard.

Shen Yuan kept close to the shadows of the buildings, using the optimized lightness footwork from the deduction. His steps made almost no sound as they touched the ground.

After avoiding two rounds of patrolling outer sect disciples, he silently made his way to the outer wall of Liu Er's former residence.

The wall was not especially high, only about fifteen feet. Shen Yuan looked around to make sure no one was nearby, gripped the top of the wall with both hands, and lightly flipped over it, landing soundlessly inside the courtyard.

Weeds overran the yard, and fallen leaves carpeted the ground. A faint, yellowish glow from an oil lamp seeped out from inside the house. Through the paper window, two shifting silhouettes could be seen.

There really were people inside!

Shen Yuan softened his steps, crouched as he approached the window, and pressed his ear against the wall. The conversation within drifted faintly into his ears.

"Is everything ready? Senior Brother Zhao Kun sent word that once midnight arrives, every note and token must be burned clean. Not a single trace can remain." A deep male voice spoke.

"Don't worry. The exchanged notes, as well as the spare imitation of the storeroom access token used to frame Wang Dong, are all in the wooden box. Once the time comes, one fire will turn them to ash." Another voice answered. It belonged to the middleman Wang Dong had described, its slightly rising ending highly distinctive. "What a pity. That Wang Dong fool took the bait so easily. As long as Shen Yuan gives up the inner sect test, everything will be fine. If Shen Yuan refuses to cooperate, Wang Dong will spend the rest of his life ruined in prison."

"That kid Shen Yuan is stubborn. He may not compromise so easily."

"And what if he doesn't? The witnesses and physical evidence are all complete. If he merely talks, who will believe him? Even if Elder Zhang wants to favor him, without evidence, he cannot overturn this case. Once all the physical evidence is destroyed, there will be no proof left."

Every word of the conversation inside fell clearly into Shen Yuan's ears.

Shen Yuan slowly clenched his fists.

The Heavenly Stele's deduction had been completely correct. The notes and imitation token in that wooden box were the most crucial irrefutable evidence to clear Wang Dong's name.

Should he rush in and seize them directly?

Shen Yuan rapidly weighed the pros and cons.

The two men inside were not highly cultivated, only at the Body Tempering Fourth or Fifth Layer. With his Body Tempering Sixth Layer strength, taking them down would not be difficult. But if the fight made any noise, it would draw the patrol disciples over. If the other side panicked and set the wooden box ablaze, destroying the tokens on the spot, all his efforts would be wasted.

He could not force his way in. He could only outwit them.

Shen Yuan's gaze swept over a corner of the courtyard. A pile of dry branches and straw lay there, along with broken clay jars Liu Er had once used to store odds and ends.

A plan immediately formed in his mind.

He quietly retreated to the corner by the wall, grabbed a handful of dry straw, took out the firestarter he carried with him, and tossed a small smoking bundle of straw through the ventilation opening of the rear window into the side room behind the house.

The straw smoldered without producing flames. Thick smoke quickly spread from the side room and seeped through the cracks of the door toward the main house.

"What's that smell? Smoke!" One of the men inside noticed something was wrong, his voice suddenly tense.

"Not good! Where's the fire?"

The two men hurriedly stood up, pushed open the main room's door, and rushed outside to inspect the fire. The middleman clutched the wooden box tightly to his chest, not daring to let go of it for even a moment.

The smoke grew thicker and thicker, making the two men cough repeatedly. Their vision was obscured by the haze, and they could not see the darkness of the courtyard clearly.

Now!

Using the smoke as cover, Shen Yuan shot out from the shadow beside the house like a ghost.

True Subduing Tiger Fist—he restrained all of his fist force, seeking not to injure, but only to subdue them swiftly.

Thud! Thud!

His fists struck the pressure points at the backs of their necks with precision.

"Urgh!"

With two brief muffled groans, the men did not even have time to cry out. Their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed limply to the ground, unconscious.

The entire process caused no major disturbance.

Shen Yuan bent down and snatched the small ebony box from the middleman's arms.

The wooden box felt heavy in his hands. He quickly flipped open the lid.

Several notes were neatly stacked inside, bearing Zhao Kun's written instructions for arranging the frame-up. There was also an imitation storeroom access token, and even a note recording the reward promised to the middleman.

All the evidence was finally in his hands!

The massive weight hanging over Shen Yuan's heart finally lifted.

With these things, Wang Dong's injustice could be completely cleared.

Just as Shen Yuan was about to put away the wooden box and swiftly leave the place—

A sudden burst of chaotic footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. Torchlight illuminated the entrance as bright as day.

"Something's wrong inside! Surround it! Don't let anyone escape!"

The voices of a large number of law enforcement disciples suddenly rang out!

Shen Yuan's heart sank.

Why had a law enforcement squad suddenly come here?

Then he understood in an instant. Zhao Kun was meticulous. He had anticipated that someone might come looking for evidence tonight, so he had arranged for a squad of law enforcement disciples to lie in ambush outside. The moment any disturbance occurred inside the courtyard, they would immediately close in and make arrests.

Although Shen Yuan had not shouted when he made the smoke, it had drifted out of the courtyard and been noticed by those waiting outside.

With a loud bang, the courtyard gate was kicked open. More than ten law enforcement disciples holding torches and weapons poured into the small yard. Their blazing torches lit up the entire courtyard.

Shen Yuan stood in the center of the yard. Two unconscious men lay at his feet, while he held the ebony evidence box in his hand. Caught red-handed, he had instead fallen into an encirclement.

The leading law enforcement captain wore a cold expression as he pointed his longsword at Shen Yuan.

"Shen Yuan! You trespassed into a sealed steward's residence late at night and injured two sect disciples. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Under the torchlight, countless sharp gazes fixed firmly upon Shen Yuan.

The situation had reversed in an instant.

The other side outnumbered him. If he fought them directly, it would only confirm the charges of breaking into a private residence at night and assaulting others. Even with the evidence in his hands, they could turn the accusation back on him, leaving him unable to defend himself.

Shen Yuan's mind raced as he searched for a way to break the deadlock. The wooden box in his hand was Wang Dong's entire hope. He absolutely could not let the other side take it. If the box was confiscated and destroyed, everything would vanish like a bubble.