Chapter 113: The Secret Truth Revealed Behind the Hidden Door, The Decisive Battle Between Right and Wrong Imminent

Lin Shiya and Murong Fu exchanged a glance; no words were needed to reach a silent understanding.

The moment the assassin was drawn toward the hidden door and his silhouette vanished into the darkness, the pair moved like arrows released from a bow, darting toward the seemingly ordinary wall.

As their fingertips touched the surface, a sensation of icy chill spread across their palms. Accompanied by a faint grating sound, the flat wall slowly recessed inward, revealing a narrow entrance barely wide enough for one person to pass through. A cold, stagnant draft wafted out, carrying the faint, musty scent of decay, forcing them to hold their breath.

Lin Shiya stepped inside first, followed closely by Murong Fu. Standing back-to-back, they scanned their surroundings with heightened vigilance. Beyond the door lay a long, narrow corridor with rough, uneven walls. In the dim light of their flashlights, shadows and darkness intertwined, resembling a dormant beast waiting to devour anything that dared enter. They crept forward cautiously, their footsteps feather-light, with only the soft rustle of their robes echoing through the silent passage.

They had expected the hidden chamber to be riddled with traps and mechanisms, but to their surprise, the room at the end was nearly empty. Only a few wooden tables stood there, piled with scattered documents and ledgers. Lin Shiya felt a surge of suspicion; logically, such a concealed location should hold more than just mundane items. She walked to the table and picked up a letter; the handwriting was scrawled and the phrasing cryptic, as if intentionally obscuring something. Opening another ledger, she found dense columns of numbers that were dizzying to behold, yet they seemed to point toward certain illicit transactions.

Lin Shiya frowned, her fingertips gently tracing the pages as she searched for clues. Murong Fu stood guard behind her, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, scouring every corner of the room. At this moment, every movement and every breath they took was executed with extreme care, for fear of alerting the enemies lurking in the shadows.

Suddenly, Murong Fu raised a hand to signal Lin Shiya to stop. He heard a faint sound of footsteps approaching from the distance. Lin Shiya immediately tucked the letter away, straining her ears to listen; she, too, caught the subtle noise. They exchanged a look, both seeing the same vigilance in the other’s eyes.

Just then, a slight commotion occurred, and a familiar figure was shoved roughly into the room, stumbling to the floor. As Lin Shiya examined the ledger and Murong Fu kept watch, a muffled groan broke the silence.

"Censor Zhang?" Lin Shiya recognized him instantly. It was the Censor who had previously been deceived by the villains. He was now in tatters, his hair disheveled and his face etched with terror. Seeing Lin Shiya and Murong Fu, he scrambled toward them as if they were his salvation. "Scholar Lin, save me... I know... I know..." He rambled incoherently, his voice trembling with fear.

Before he could finish, a chaotic sound of footsteps approached, and a group of fierce-looking thugs swarmed into the room, surrounding Lin Shiya and Murong Fu. The thugs brandished sharp blades, their eyes fixed on them like starving wolves.

The leader was a burly man with a thick-necked, cruel face, wielding a gleaming steel saber that sent a chill down one's spine. The air in the room instantly solidified, the tension pressing down like a rising tide. Lin Shiya and Murong Fu stood back-to-back, scanning the thugs; they knew a brutal fight was inevitable. The cramped space was disadvantageous, and with the thugs outnumbering them, the situation was dire. Lin Shiya gripped the letter tightly until her knuckles turned white, her palms slick with sweat. Murong Fu reached toward his waist, where he kept his defensive dagger.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Murong Fu asked, his voice cold and his gaze piercing, attempting to stall for time and find an opening.

The leader sneered, revealing white, jagged teeth. "Don't ask what you shouldn't. Surrender quietly, and you might suffer less physical pain!"

"Hmph!" Murong Fu retorted.

The two sides stood in a standoff, the atmosphere taut like a drawn bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.

Suddenly, Lin Shiya spoke up. "Wait!" Her voice was clear and firm, cutting through the tense atmosphere. "Wait! You claim you are just following orders, but do you know who you are selling your lives for? Is it for the parasites who smuggle arms and embezzle disaster relief grain? Or for the powerful elites who treat innocent lives like grass to be trampled? This ledger contains a clear record of your crimes. Do you really think you can escape justice?"

At these words, a flicker of hesitation appeared on the faces of the thugs. They exchanged glances, clearly shaken by Lin Shiya's accusations. The rescued Censor Zhang, seizing upon this as his lifeline, widened his eyes and stammered in agreement, "Yes! They... they... they are also hoarding weapons privately and killing the innocent! The evidence is all here!"

Taking advantage of the thugs' distraction, he broke free and stumbled behind Lin Shiya, clutching her sleeve as if holding onto his last hope. This unexpected turn of events threw the thugs into disarray, and their tight circle loosened.

Seeing his chance, Murong Fu’s eyes flashed. He leaped like a leopard, lunging at the nearest thugs. His dagger flashed, finding the throats of his foes with precision. His movements were fluid and swift, each strike lethal. Thugs fell one after another, their screams echoing as blood stained the floor.

The assassin, seeing this, could no longer remain a bystander. He roared like a beast and charged into the fray, his sword dripping with murderous intent as he aimed for Murong Fu’s vitals. Metal clashed against metal with a piercing screech, sending sparks flying. The two men moved with lightning speed, each collision charged with immense power. Censor Zhang huddled in the corner, trembling and muttering to himself, clearly broken by the carnage.

The air was thick with the scent of blood, accompanied by the rhythmic clatter of weapons. Lin Shiya watched the struggle with mounting anxiety. She knew this was far from over; it was merely the beginning of a greater storm brewing.

Suddenly, Murong Fu felt a gust of wind behind him. He instinctively dodged, counter-attacking with his blade, but missed. Lin Shiya tried to step in to help, but was blocked by the remaining thugs. She fought to parry their blows, her eyes never leaving Murong Fu.

Though Murong Fu fought with ease, he was worried for Lin Shiya’s safety. In a lull, he caught sight of her and whispered, "Shiya, hold on. I’ll finish these wretches."

Seeing the resolve in his eyes, Lin Shiya felt a sense of calm. She nodded and continued to fend off the thugs, seeking an opening. Her gaze swept over the ledger on the floor, and she suddenly spotted a crucial detail: "Underground secret passage of the Capital Prison, night of the new moon, one hundred thousand taels of silver, ten carriages of weapons, delivery at the Beichen Gate."

Lin Shiya’s eyes lit up. She realized this was likely the villains' final stronghold and the key to uncovering the truth. She quickly whispered the discovery to Murong Fu. "Brother Fu, the ledger mentions a secret passage under the Capital Prison. The situation there may be more complex; we must act now!"

Murong Fu nodded in understanding. He parried a strike, retreated to Lin Shiya's side, and muttered, "Shiya, get ready. We move now."

Before he could finish, a calm, chilling voice echoed from the shadows. "You two are truly brave and resourceful. But did you think you could escape my grasp?"

Dust stirred as a group of men in black filed in, led by the high-ranking, cunning mastermind himself. Lin Shiya and Murong Fu stood back-to-back, facing the encroaching enemies. The letter in Lin Shiya’s hand stood out in the dim light, and Murong Fu’s dagger glinted with cold malice.

Lin Shiya said firmly, "Murong Fu, no matter what, we must see this through to the end!"

A touch of tenderness flickered in Murong Fu’s eyes as he replied, "Shiya, as long as you are with me, I fear nothing."

They shared a smile. Yet, after that brief moment of warmth, the suffocating tension returned. The mastermind approached with a sneer, his eyes filled with threat and killing intent. "I never expected you, Lin Shiya, to make it this far. It is a pity that today, everything ends here for you both."