Chapter 376: The Endgame

May 22nd.

Early in the morning, the entire investigation team from the provincial capital arrived at the Stop-Gong General Headquarters.

"Lord Yan."

Ding Ding Zhuowen, the current Chief of the Datong Prefecture Stop-Gong General Headquarters, led a group of officials to personally welcome Yan Yan Shijin and the others at the main gate.

"If there was anything, you could have just given us a heads-up; why come in person?"

Ding Ding Zhuowen asked with a smile.

Yan Yan Shijin's expression was solemn: "I heard that the case has made breakthrough progress and the evidence collected is sufficient to close it, so I came over to take a look. If we can close the case sooner, we can return to report our duties sooner."

His words caused the group of Stop-Gong General Headquarters officials behind Ding Ding Zhuowen to show expressions of surprise.

Who didn't know that the investigation team had come specifically to cause trouble? They would usually stay as long as they could, so why had the sun risen from the west today? They were actually taking the initiative to urge progress and wanting to close the case early?

"Haha, Lord Yan is right, but this case is complex and has wide-reaching implications. We are still missing a few key figures, so I'm afraid closing it now might be difficult."

Ding Ding Zhuowen said with a smile.

This statement also caused many officials behind him to look astonished, beginning to wonder if they had misheard.

How had everyone's roles reversed overnight?

"Is that so? Then let me see what is still missing."

"Very well, please, Lord Yan."

As they spoke, the two groups entered the Stop-Gong General Headquarters building together.

A short while later, the news reached Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru.

"My lord, Lord Ding is doing his best to stall as you requested, but I'm afraid he won't be able to hold out for long, and..."

In the office, the secretary reported to Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru.

"Speak plainly."

Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru looked at the documents in his hand, remaining composed.

"Moreover, the officials below are very confused by Lord Ding's actions. If we force a delay, I fear it will cause unrest."

The secretary said cautiously.

It was no exaggeration to say that since the day the investigation team arrived in Datong Prefecture, the entire Datong Prefecture officialdom had barely had a good night's sleep!

When the investigation team began to exert pressure, resulting in several imperial court officials and over a dozen subordinates being imprisoned, this sentiment reached its peak.

From second-tier subordinates on down, almost all officials in Datong Prefecture were hoping for the provincial investigation team to leave as soon as possible.

So now, when the investigation team had taken the initiative to say they could close the case early, the big shots above were demanding intentional delays; this would surely cause complaints and unrest among those below!

Officialdom ultimately relies on people to get things done. No matter how great the power, if one loses the hearts of the people and lacks support from below, it is merely a castle in the air.

Therefore, Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru issuing such an order now would inevitably do more harm than good.

This was also the reason he had told Qu Xun earlier that he was "riding a tiger and unable to dismount."

"I understand. Tell everyone to do their best to appease those below."

Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru said to the secretary.

"Yes."

The secretary turned and left.

More than half an hour later, Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru received a call from Ding Ding Zhuowen:

"Yan Yan Shijin has taken his people and left."

"How did it go?"

"We couldn't stall for long. The other side had people participating in the case from beginning to end; they know no less than we do. Now the evidence is ironclad. Zhang Shiyi and Shangguan Xiao are the masterminds. It's just that we haven't caught any significant Western spies yet, but there is certainly no problem with closing the case."

"Good, thank you for your hard work."

"My Lord Protector, give me a straight answer: how long do you intend to drag this out?"

"Old Ding, we have already lost this round. Now we are just trying not to lose too much."

"... Alright, I understand. I will do my best."

Not long after hanging up, Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru received another call:

"My lord, the investigation team has gone to the Inspection General Headquarters!"

"I know."

Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru hung up the phone expressionlessly.

Yan Yan Shijin was showing off his power in the most blatant way!

The other side was likely planning to take the investigation team to 'tour' all six general headquarters in Datong Prefecture today, creating panic and thereby exerting immense pressure on Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru.

After a moment of silence, Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru picked up the phone and made a call:

"Have you made things clear with them?"

"My lord, I have."

"What was their attitude?"

"They should have realized it by now, and they expressed their gratitude to us."

"Good."

Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru hung up.

Wu'an University.

In the dormitory, Li Fei had also just finished a call; it was from Xia Xia Huan.

Xia Xia Huan had stated clearly on the phone that Yan Yan Shijin had taken the investigation team to the Stop-Gong General Headquarters today to demand a swift conclusion, but had been stalled.

Besides that, the investigation team had also demanded to investigate the Green-Faced Mountain Villa and the Qingyuan Property Management Company in Xingcheng, but had been blocked there as well.

As soon as Li Fei heard this, he understood that Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru and the others were trying to curry favor with him.

Now that they had realized this was a trap set by the provincial capital, they had sent someone to make things clear to Li Fei:

Don't hate us if you want to hate someone; we are just taking the fall for others.

If it were the Li Fei from before his breakthrough, he certainly wouldn't have been qualified to make a Protector like Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru act this way.

But his speed of breaking through realms was the fastest in history, he had received the highest level of attention from Wu'an University, and he had been taken as a student by Shi Caiming.

Plus, there was the Green-Faced Ghost King in the background.

Such a combination was enough for Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru to strive for.

Hostile relationships in the political arena are sometimes just this dramatic.

The day before yesterday, Li Fei had just received a copy of "The Tragedy of Heaven's Pride," and today he had become the object the other side was desperately trying to win over.

Li Fei actually admired Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru's decisiveness.

The other side might not have as much information as he did, but they were able to make a decisive judgment, reach a decision, and minimize their losses as much as possible.

However, this was already the limit of what Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru could do.

Expecting the other side to overturn the verdict for Shangguan Xiao was impossible.

They could not allow the investigation team to stay in Datong Prefecture for months to slowly overturn and retry this case.

Even if he agreed, the entire Datong Prefecture officialdom would not!

Stalling for a few days to ensure the Green-Faced Ghost was not implicated was the most Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru could do.

In the dormitory, Li Fei sat in his chair, closed his eyes, and forced himself to calm down.

He began to review the entire matter bit by bit:

Zhang Chen Zongyang was killed, it was discovered to be related to Western spies, the Iron Blade Sect was sealed, the investigation team arrived in Datong Prefecture, the Iron Blade Sect was destroyed...

A moment later, Li Fei opened his eyes abruptly:

"Retaliating against the teacher is definitely not the ultimate goal of the person behind the scenes; they must have other motives. But the destruction of the Iron Blade Sect should not be taken lightly in any case. What if the Iron Blade Sect itself was also one of their targets?"

Li Fei realized that because he had focused all his attention on Shangguan Xiao's imprisonment, he had overlooked one point: the destruction of the Iron Blade Sect.

He had subconsciously felt that the Iron Blade Sect was implicated and used as a scapegoat.

But if the person behind the scenes had spent over a decade meticulously planning this trap, would they really have overlooked such an important variable as the Iron Blade Sect?

A major martial arts sect like the Iron Blade Sect, with Gu Vanguard Commander as a dignified Martial Arts Master—in terms of influence and value, they were actually far, far stronger than Hao Yi!

"What if the Iron Blade Sect and Gu Vanguard Commander were also among the main targets of the person behind the scenes?"

Li Fei tried to shift his perspective.

Thinking this way, he suddenly realized that many things were connected:

He had received a mission from the Inspection General Headquarters, and 'fishing' had hooked Chen Xiang, that special-grade lecturer from Wu'an University.

Later, it was discovered that Chen Xiang was colluding with Western spies and had tried to kill Li Fei with the help of a martial arts gym.

And that martial arts gym belonged to the forces of the 'Blade King.'

Just like that, the Iron Blade Sect and the Western spies were formally linked.

Afterward, Zhang Chen Zongyang was assassinated, and it was discovered that he had the aura of an 'Outlander' from the West lingering on him.

The Iron Blade Sect had just been linked to Western spies, and then Zhang Chen Zongyang died, and it was related to Western spies, which led to the Iron Blade Sect being sealed...

As Li Fei thought about it, his back suddenly felt a chill.

If all these deductions were correct, it meant that he had already fallen into the other side's chess game from the very beginning!

The person behind the scenes had used over a decade to lay out the board, and by the time Li Fei arrived in Datong Prefecture, it was actually already in the endgame stage.

And Li Fei had become the first move in the other side's endgame.

"To ensure the Iron Blade Sect was implicated, two people were key..."

Li Fei stood up abruptly, walked to the table, picked up the phone, and called Lu Lu Mengyang:

"I want to see Xia Xia Huan, now!"

More than an hour later, Li Fei rode the dark gold "Red Qilin" to a teahouse.

Because the investigation team was currently at the General Inspection Academy, Xia Xia Huan chose to meet Li Fei outside.

Li Fei was quickly led into an elegant room and met Xia Xia Huan.

"Lord Xia, is Chen Xiang, the special-grade instructor from the Martial Academy who previously plotted to harm me, still at the General Inspection Academy?"

As soon as Li Fei entered the room, he got straight to the point and asked directly.

Xia Xia Huan was startled, not understanding why Li Fei had suddenly asked about this.

However, since Li Fei was now a target that the Garrison Commander wanted to win over, he was naturally extremely polite and replied:

"He is."

"What was the result of the initial investigation?"

Li Fei continued to ask.

Back then, Xia Xia Huan had said he would definitely give him an explanation, but it had later fizzled out.

Xia Xia Huan coughed and looked at Li Fei: "Chen Xiang is very tight-lipped and has never revealed any useful information. As for the other suspects, since they are all instructors at the Martial Academy, it is not convenient for us to investigate them directly, so we haven't found any results yet."

"I want to know the files of all the other suspects, and besides, I want to see Chen Xiang."

Li Fei put forward his request.

If the Iron Blade Sect and Gu Vanguard Commander were also targets of the mastermind, then Chen Xiang was the key figure in this scheme.

Because it was Chen Xiang who uncovered the connection between the Iron Blade Sect and the Western spies.

What if he had hesitated when he first received the mission to kill Li Fei?

What if he hadn't chosen to use the power of the martial arts hall to kill Li Fei, but had done it himself instead? (Note 1)

Therefore, Li Fei concluded that this Chen Xiang must be a key figure!

"This..."

Xia Xia Huan hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Fine, after the investigation team leaves the General Inspection Academy, I will take you over."

Since Senior Bian Senior Bian Jingru was already making a great effort to win over Li Fei, he didn't have that many concerns anymore.

"Many thanks, Lord Xia!"

Li Fei bowed to him.

"Hahaha, Little Fei, no need to be so polite. Come to think of it, you can be considered one of our own at the General Inspection Academy."

Xia Xia Huan smiled and tried to close the distance with Li Fei.

Unfortunately, Li Fei was in no mood to exchange pleasantries with him slowly, so he continued to ask:

"Where is Master Qi Qi Yiming from the General Justice Academy now?"

It was this Master Qi, who refined tracking magic treasures and was most skilled at tracking, who had said he sensed some aura similar to that of an exotic beast on Zhang Chen Zongyang's corpse, which was why the Datong Prefecture side had speculated that this was a murder committed by Western exotic people.

Qi Qi Yiming's reputation had resonated throughout Feng Province for decades, and he was even very famous in other provinces. From time to time, government offices in other provinces would invite him to assist in cases, so no one doubted the conclusion he reached.

And logically speaking, besides Western spies, who else would be insane enough to murder a seated official?

Western spies were the ones with the most motive.

So this matter logically led from Zhang Chen Zongyang to the Western spies, and then to the Iron Blade Sect.

But Li Fei had obtained part of the truth from Feng Feng Sanniang last night. Judging by the level of hatred Feng Feng Sanniang had for the Zhang family, would she have missed out on something like killing Zhang Chen Zongyang?

Li Fei felt that this woman would most likely choose to do it herself and personally push the Zhang family into the abyss; only then would she feel the pleasure of revenge.

And if Zhang Chen Zongyang was killed by Feng Feng Sanniang that night, then the Western exotic people were a non-existent entity.

Then the conclusion that Qi Qi Yiming had reached back then was problematic!

"Master Qi Qi Yiming?"

Xia Xia Huan was startled, "He was borrowed by the provincial capital over a month ago to handle a case, and he hasn't returned yet."

Li Fei narrowed his eyes.

Now he could basically conclude that his speculation was correct, just waiting to see Chen Xiang.

Xia Xia Huan was, after all, in intelligence, and at this moment, he also sensed some clues from Li Fei's questions.

"Could it be that there is a problem with Qi Qi Yiming? Then wouldn't this case of Zhang Chen Zongyang have been... from the very beginning?"

Xia Xia Huan's expression was uncertain.

In the elegant room, neither of the two continued to speak, each immersed in their own thoughts.

After waiting for more than thirty minutes, a subordinate from the General Inspection Academy knocked on the door and entered, telling Xia Xia Huan that the investigation team had already left the General Inspection Academy.

"Let's go, I'll take you over now."

Xia Xia Huan said to Li Fei.

So the two quickly stood up and left the teahouse.

More than ten minutes later, Li Fei's "Red Qilin" drove into the General Inspection Academy.

Xia Xia Huan led him into the dungeon and arrived at the cell where Chen Xiang was held.

"Open it."

Xia Xia Huan ordered directly.

After the cell door was opened, the person inside also moved and sat up from the ground.

At this moment, Li Fei could hardly recognize that the person before him was the special-grade instructor who had once taught him wrestling and grappling.

Chen Xiang wore a prison uniform covered in filth and bloodstains, and one could hardly find a patch of intact skin on his body.

This peak Qi Transformation realm martial artist now had an aura as weak as an ordinary person's.

When Chen Xiang saw Li Fei, he was stunned for a moment.

"Teacher Chen."

Li Fei stepped into the cell, came before Chen Xiang, and then suddenly drew the Ghost-Slaying Blade from his hand.

This action gave Xia Xia Huan behind him a fright, and he hurriedly shouted: "Little Fei, what are you doing? Put the blade away quickly!"

Li Fei ignored Xia Xia Huan; he held the Ghost-Slaying Blade against Chen Xiang's neck, looked into the other's eyes, and said seriously:

"I don't have much time left, so I will only ask the following questions once. If you don't answer, I will kill you directly!"

Note 1: When I wrote the plot of Chen Xiang killing Li Fei, some readers questioned why Chen Xiang had to trick Li Fei into going to the martial arts hall to kill him; wouldn't it have been more convenient to do it outside? Now the explanation is given.

In the future, when everyone encounters similar plots, don't rush to criticize; what if it's foreshadowing?

(End of chapter)