Chapter 70: and ===GLOSSARY===

On Yin Tiesheng's transaction list, the stone mine boss Luo Weilin worth 1.2 million and the nickel mine boss Xu Yunfeng worth 2.8 million were merely the tip of the iceberg.

Yin Tiesheng's book assets amounted to over 95 million.

Adding his luxury homes and cars, his total assets exceeded 100 million—where did he get all that money? Just from knowing how to write a few characters?

Never mind that his calligraphy isn't all that.

Even if his calligraphy truly reached the pinnacle, it would be impossible to amass that much money. There are many famous calligraphers domestically, but few who have gotten rich from calligraphy.

As everyone knows:

A true calligraphy master usually faces an embarrassing reality: while alive they can't make money, but after death a single character is worth a thousand gold.

Because only after a person's death do their works become a non-renewable scarce resource.

If a calligraphy master could get a thousand gold per character while alive, it's likely they have a patron. People aren't buying the characters; they're spending money to buy favors and your influence.

Yin Tiesheng himself knows very well what kind of person he is.

But he refuses to admit he's a nobody in the calligraphy world, which concerns not only his own face-saving project but also his daughter's life and death.

Not only must his daughter not die.

He himself also doesn't want to die.

After struggling for most of his life, he finally became a master with assets over 100 million.

He hasn't had enough of the good life, and a pretty young lady is still waiting for him to be generous; he certainly doesn't want to go report to King Yama this early.

But Lin Dongfan's anti-corruption broadsword can really kill people.

Yin Tiesheng is very clear:

If he doesn't say something today, Lin Dongfan will certainly not let him off easily. He wants to stay alive, and Lin Dongfan likewise wants to achieve merit, to step on his corpse to climb higher.

In this game, how should one preserve one's life in a prosperous age while striving to gain fame among the feudal lords?

This question became Yin Tiesheng's focus of thought. The fame-seeking calligraphy master Yin Tiesheng Yin Tiesheng timidly stretched out five fingers before Lin Dongfan and Jian Sining: "Each of you this number, give me a way to live, okay?"

The master's way of doing things is generous; his mind is filled with the social directive that money can make ghosts turn millstones.

This left Lin Dongfan and Jian Sining looking bewildered.

Jian Sining curiously asked: "This number…… what number is it?"

"I'm not a petty person either." Yin Tiesheng thought Jian Sining and Lin Dongfan had already been moved, and he boldly spread his five fingers: "After this number, at least six zeros."

5 million!

This huge number, accompanied by a string of exclamation marks, loomed in the minds of Jian Sining and Lin Dongfan like a soul-stunning vision, leaving them wide-eyed.

Yin Tiesheng laughed: "With your measly salaries, even working yourselves to death for a hundred years might not earn this amount—it's enough. With this money you could have a house and a car and retire right away."

Lin Dongfan silently pulled out his phone.

He opened his stock account and displayed the account number before Yin Tiesheng: "Please help me count how many zeros are after this."

"One, two, three, four…"

As he counted, Yin Tiesheng's face turned ashen.

He shifted his gaze to Jian Sining: "Do you also have six zeros?"

"I don't have six zeros, but I have this." Jian Sining pointed with her pen holder at the emblem on her chest, solemnly warning Yin Tiesheng: "Bribing judicial and law‑enforcement personnel carries an extra penalty!"

That warning caused Yin Tiesheng's confidence to plummet into the eighteenth level of hell.

But Yin Tiesheng still wanted to struggle a bit more.

He turned his gaze back to Lin Dongfan: "Your account only has…?"

"Read my lips."

Lin Dongfan moved his lips without sound, spitting out the two words "idiot".

Yin Tiesheng seemed not to understand the lip‑reading, furrowed his brows, and urged Jian Sining again: "The badge can't be eaten, you should think it over too—I'll likewise give you an eight‑figure sum."

Jian Sining frowned upon hearing that.

She turned her head toward Lin Dongfan: "Senior Brother, Master Yin seems to be past cure, beyond help; shall we try silver needles? Let's give it another rescue attempt."

"We must try; life is indeed precious."

Lin Dongfan unfolded the packet of silver needles and took out one that was 7.5 cm long.

That slender silver needle, glinting faintly under the desk lamp, not only embodies deep TCM foundations but also startles Yin Tiesheng's sensitive nerves, making his pupils contract sharply.

At this moment.

Yin Tiesheng not only recalled the quack doctor Old Zhang who stabbed people to death without compensation.

He also recalled a line from last year's Spring Festival Gala skit: "When a person dies, the money isn't spent."

With no psychological preparation whatsoever, this heart‑wrenching tragedy crashed into his head with a bang. In this wicked world, which scoundrel invented the term 'suicide to avoid punishment'?

Too much!

In this era of rule of law, how can such a term exist? It's utterly lawless!

Yin Tiesheng roared inside, his eyes filling with turbid tears.

His gaze swept over Lin Dongfan and Jian Sining, his voice trembling with tension: "Don't just threaten me with this thing at the slightest disagreement; you are educated civil servants, how can you act like petty street thugs, using such low‑class tactics? I feel you let down the emblem you wear on your chest, truly."

"Are you instructing us on how to do our work?"

Lin Dongfan replied in surprise: "You're already past cure, and we can't stand by and let you die. Now we want to step forward righteous‑handed to save lives—how does that let down the emblem on our chest?"

"Sorry, it's my foul mouth—I underestimated your sense of justice."

Yin Tiesheng's turbid tears were about to spill, making him look utterly pitiable.

He looked pleadingly at Lin Dongfan and Jian Sining: "You don't even want an eight‑figure sum—what do you want then? Give me a hint, okay? I'm really confused."

"We want to hear the truth." Lin Dongfan pressed: "If you're not ill, then stop talking nonsense—just say what you have to say; can you do that?"

"Yes, we must."

Yin Tiesheng firmly gave his answer.

Lin Dongfan stared directly into Yin Tiesheng's eyes: "Then tell me, at that calligraphy and painting auction last October, why did Wang Minjuan, the boss of Eternal Sand Group, spend five million to buy your work?"

Your question is too sharp, it's a bit painful.

Yin Tiesheng lifted his handcuffed hands and wiped his tears.

With his head lowered, wiping as he spoke: "I think it's because my calligraphy work is good, worth that price. However, there's another version of this matter; I'm afraid that if I tell you, you won't believe me……"

Go ahead and say it; let's hear it.

Lin Dongfan waited eagerly.

Having dried his tears, Yin Tiesheng's emotions also steadied a bit.

He lifted his head and glanced at Lin Dongfan and Jian Sining: "When Wang Minjuan was developing the Green Bamboo Ridge project, a forest fire broke out. She wanted to use my connections to have Dai Fengnian suppress the truth about the fire."

After all that, it's just that it has nothing to do with Yin Qiurong? You're spouting nonsense.

Lin Dongfan pointed the silver needle in his hand at Yin Tiesheng.

Yin Tiesheng shuddered all over from fright, stammering: "Really… I'm telling the truth; if you don't believe me… you… take my phone over, there's a recording……"

Go, get his phone over here.

Lin Dongfan gave Jian Sining a look.

From the day he was detained, Yin Tiesheng's phone, along with some personal belongings, have been sealed in a plastic bag, to be kept by a dedicated officer.