Three days.
In merely three fleeting days, an invisible tempest swept through the darkest, most hidden corners of the Thang Long Imperial officialdom. The rumor that Vice Minister of Personnel Vuong Tung had begun to confess, detailing a "death list" targeting only low-ranking officials, was no longer just a rumor. It had transformed into a Damocles' sword, an executioner's blade hovering by a thread over the necks of all those whose hands were stained.
Chaos ensued. Some hastily sold off their ancestral estates, preparing to flee. Others surreptitiously sought out rival factions, hoping to sell out their former master in exchange for a path to survival. The intricate web of alliances that Marquis Vinh An had spent decades building now faced the peril of collapsing from its weakest links.
And while the rats frantically scrambled for an escape route, the fierce tiger backed into a corner had finally decided to strike.
At Marquis Vinh An's Estate, within a gloomy secret chamber.
"Marquis, we can hesitate no longer!" Trieu Phuong, who had been temporarily released following the Gathering Treasures Pavilion incident, knelt on one knee, her voice brimming with anxiety. "If we allow Vuong Tung to truly open his mouth, or allow Tao Chinh to continue using this pretext to sow discord, I fear our grand enterprise will..."
Marquis Vinh An said nothing. He merely stood quietly before a military map, his eyes threaded with bloodshot veins. He knew he was left with no other choice. The opponent's stratagem of "Borrowing a Corpse to Resurrect a Soul" was far too insidious. Even knowing full well that the grand prison of the Six Gates was undoubtedly a trap at this moment, he still had to jump in. Because Vuong Tung knew far too much.
"A corpse," he murmured, his voice as cold as glacial ice. "Will never know how to speak."
He turned around, looking toward a black shadow kneeling silently in the corner of the room. "Shadow One, are you ready?"
The black shadow raised his head, revealing a face devoid of any expression, resembling a lifeless puppet. Yet the aura radiating from his body was incredibly sharp and deadly. Mid-Foundation Establishment stage! This was one of the strongest, most absolutely loyal deathsworn secretly nurtured by Marquis Vinh An.
"This subordinate is ready to receive your command."
"Excellent," Marquis Vinh An said. "Tonight, at the Hour of the Rat. I care not what methods you employ. I only demand a single result." He ground out every word. "Vuong Tung must be silenced forever."
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Six Gates.
The atmosphere was incredibly placid. Tao Chinh sat leisurely sipping tea, playing chess with an uninvited guest. Tran Kien, in the identity of Ve Nhan.
"Did you deduce that he would strike tonight?" Tao Chinh placed a black piece on the board, shattering Tran Kien's formation.
"It was not a deduction," Tran Kien replied, calmly placing a white piece elsewhere to salvage the board state. "It is because he has no other choice. A wounded beast will always bite at the nearest trap it sees. Furthermore, tonight features a waning moon and thick clouds; it is the most opportune time to act in the shadows."
"Are your preparations complete?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency," Tran Kien said. "The net is cast. We merely wait for the big fish to swim in."
He was not anxious in the slightest. He knew the grand prison of the Six Gates, known as a place "with an entrance but no exit," was no longer a prison tonight. It had been transformed into a meat grinder, personally garrisoned by Tao Chinh and the most elite experts of the Six Gates. Anyone daring to step inside would pay a catastrophic price.
Yet, for some unknown reason, a vague sense of unease lingered in his heart.
Was Marquis Vinh An truly restricted to such a simple chess move?
Night. The Hour of the Rat.
Frigid winds howled through the dark alleyways of the capital. The grand prison of the Six Gates, a fortress of iron and stone situated deep underground, was terrifyingly silent.
Suddenly, from all four directions, dozens of black shadows resembling bats glided soundlessly across the rooftops, converging upon the prison. Leading them was Shadow One. They were all elite deathsworn; their cultivation bases were at least at the late Qi Condensation stage.
They did not assault the main gates. Dividing into four squads, they simultaneously attacked the four weakest structural points of the prison, which they had scouted out in advance.
BOOM! BOOM!
Dull explosions resounded. The sturdy stone walls ruptured, and they flooded in like a tide of black ink.
But what welcomed them were not panicked jailers.
Rather, heavy iron nets plummeted from the heavens, accompanied by dozens of the Six Gates' experts, personally led by Black Crow, who had been lying in wait!
"You rats of Marquis Vinh An! You've finally shoved your heads into the snare!" Black Crow roared, brandishing his ghost-head saber. "Kill without mercy!"
A brutal, blood-soaked battle erupted within the very bowels of the grand prison. The clash of weapons and agonizing shrieks echoed endlessly. Though the Marquis's deathsworn were formidable, having fallen into an ambush and being completely surrounded, they were rapidly overwhelmed.
But Shadow One, the leader, showed no desire to join the fray. His objective was incredibly clear. Like a venomous arrow, he slipped through the chaos, darting straight toward the deepest cell block. The place where Vuong Tung was held.
"Stop him!" Black Crow bellowed.
But Shadow One was at the Foundation Establishment stage, his movement technique phantom-like; no one could impede him.
He shattered the door of the final cell. Inside, Vuong Tung sat trembling, his face overcome with absolute terror.
"The Marquis has sent me to see you off on your final journey," Shadow One said coldly, raising the dagger in his hand.
But at that exact moment, a sigh suddenly echoed from the dark corner of the cell.
"I have been waiting for you... for quite some time."
Shadow One turned his head in horror. From the shadows, a towering figure draped in purple official robes slowly stepped forth.
Tao Chinh!
The master of the Six Gates was personally here, awaiting the biggest fish.
"You..." Shadow One froze. He knew he had failed.
"Commit suicide," Tao Chinh said, his tone placid. "I can grant you an intact corpse."
Shadow One let out a sinister sneer. He said nothing. Abruptly, he circulated the entirety of his remaining spiritual energy within his body to its absolute limits.
"Not good! He intends to self-detonate!" Tao Chinh's expression changed, and he moved to intervene.
But it was too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An earth-shattering explosion erupted from deep underground, causing the entire Imperial Capital to tremble.
Within his manor, Tran Kien, who had been sitting before the chessboard, abruptly snapped his eyes open. He felt the tremor; he sensed the terrifying aura of that self-detonation.
The ominous premonition in his heart had become a reality.
Self-detonation? Incorrect! He shot to his feet. A deathsworn, no matter how loyal, would never choose such a meaningless self-detonation! His objective was not to kill Tao Chinh! His objective... was concealment! To act as a smokescreen for another operation!
He bolted from the room, raising his head to gaze toward the distant Imperial Palace, which was shrouded in the night.
That old fox, Marquis Vinh An... his true chess move was not at the grand prison!
He realized with absolute horror. The "silence the witness" plot at the grand prison was merely a theatrical play! An unimaginably exquisite stratagem of "Making a Feint to the East while Attacking in the West"!
While the complete attention of the Six Gates, Duke Dingguo's Estate, and the entire capital was focused on the grand prison, Marquis Vinh An's true target...
Was the Imperial Palace!
Was Trinh Lam Vy!