Chapter 370: Chapter 278: Second Storage Treasure_3
In a room not far from this dyehouse, a man who had lost his outer robe and whose face resembled Cui Xing lay on the ground, motionless.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered; a piece of clothing was thrown inside. The shadow approached Cui Xing, fed him something, then left the room.
In no time, Cui Xing’s body on the ground shuddered a few times, and then he awoke.
"I..." Cui Xing felt a severe ache in his head, "Wasn’t I supposed to help the old man get the box? How am I here..."
"Quick, over there, they ran that way." Voices came from outside.
"Not good!" Cui Ye suddenly realized something was wrong.
"..."
Outside the village, Zhuge Rui’s hasty escape didn’t go unnoticed by the Regent’s Mansion. More than ten Inspectors rushed out in pursuit.
Feeling a bit dizzy, Cui Xing put on his robe and took the opportunity to leave the room, pretending nothing happened as he approached Cui Ye.
On Cui Ye’s side, due to Zhuge Rui’s escape, Zhong Yang lost interest in further interrogating him, waved his hand broadly, and led people in pursuit.
Cui Ye turned to look at Cui Xing.
"S...sir..." Cui Xing shivered and stammered.
"Useless!" Cui Ye saw clearly now— the item was gone!
The account books and letters inside the metal box were his backup plan, evidence to protect himself if those above him decided to turn against him. How could he have known that it would turn into a weapon against himself?
The account books and letters were both bargaining chips and death warrants. Once exposed, the figures above him would lose their positions, and he, as head of the Camp Repair Department, would lose his head.
"Did you see who it was?" Cui Ye asked, restraining his anger.
As long as the contents weren’t public, there was still a chance to salvage the situation.
"I...I didn’t see clearly... The person was masked..."
"Useless!" Cui Ye was furious.
"..."
...
In a hidden spot outside the village, Chu Ming concealed himself, observing all that transpired within. When he saw Zhuge Rui fleeing with the metal box, his eyes grew deeper.
The Cui Xing who retrieved the box at the dyehouse earlier was actually his disguise; the real Cui Xing was just an ordinary person and would have been discovered by the Regent’s Mansion before even entering the dyehouse.
This was done to give Zhuge Rui a push, allowing him to smoothly take the metal box under the Regent’s Mansion’s nose.
And inside the box were various evidences of Tang Xuan’s crimes: abuse of power, corruption, and more...
Some were originally hidden by Cui Ye in the box, while others were found in the Purple Cloud Sect elder’s wrist guards.
Now that Zhuge Rui had acquired the box, he could proceed to the next step.
Calculating the time, Xiao Wen should not be far from the fabric village.
...
"Hyah!"
On the official road to the fabric village, two fast horses galloped, ridden by Xiao Jianxin and Xiao Wen.
Dust kicked up, they didn’t stop even for a moment.
"Hyah!"
With a serious expression, Xiao Wen increased the speed again.
On the other side.
With great speed, Zhuge Rui distanced himself from the Regent’s Mansion Inspectors in no time after obtaining the metal box.
Only Supervisor Zhong Yang and a tracker Inspector barely kept up, but the distance was ever-widening.
At this rate, Zhuge Rui would soon shake off the pursuit.
Having traveled another three miles, Zhong Yang and the Inspector could no longer capture Zhuge Rui’s figure or aura.
Zhuge Rui breathed a sigh of relief, about to exit the dense forest onto the main road pretending to be an ordinary traveler, when he sensed a familiar aura on the road.
Removing his mask, changing out of his black clothing, he emerged from the dense forest onto a small path, then from the small path onto the main road.
In the distance, he saw an older man in white riding a horse leisurely.
Is this how you rush?
Zhuge Rui’s heart should have been filled with joy over obtaining the metal box, but inexplicable anger surged forth instead.
If he hadn’t had the foresight to arrive at the fabric village first, the case would have been snatched away by the Regent’s Mansion.
However, anger aside, he knew how to prioritize things.
For the case documents, he was secondary; the young master was primary. To complete the task, he needed to involve Chu Ming.
"Lord Chu."
Taking a few steps forward, Zhuge Rui intercepted Chu Ming.
Lord?
Passersby turned their heads, staring at the young man in white on horseback.
The youth was merely sixteen or seventeen, but he had already attracted considerable attention with his presence alone.
If they weren’t on the main road, with its crowds and prying eyes, those with ill intentions might have already made their move.
A single ’Lord,’ combined with Zhuge Rui’s faintly emanating late-stage Meridian Unlocking Realm aura, frightened quite a few into cold sweats.
Chu Ming reined in his horse, looking down.
"Guard Zhuge." He had a look of delight on his face, "How did it go?"
Zhuge Rui raised his head, enduring the horse’s rough breathing and gently patted the package on his back.
In the package was the disguised metal box.
"Evidence?" Chu Ming acted as though he spoke without a filter.
Evidence?
Passersby all heard it.
But thinking the youth was a ’Lord,’ investigating and gathering evidence seemed normal, prompting some smart ones to discreetly distance themselves, lest they attract trouble.
Zhuge Rui looked at the youth, his tone low: "Lord Chu, can we discuss this after returning?"
Upon finishing, he was about to mount the horse.
"Wait."
Two men sharing a horse, what’s that about?
Chu Ming dismounted first, blocking Zhuge Rui’s path.
"What are we waiting for?" Zhuge Rui was anxious.
Though he had already shaken off the Regent’s Mansion’s pursuit, delaying longer might lead to their investigation of all passersby.
"Let me have a drink," Chu Ming took out a water bottle, drinking slowly.
"You?!" Zhuge Rui, seeing the youth’s unhurried manner, was instantly enraged.
Chu Ming remained unconcerned, took a few sips, then offered the bottle to Zhuge Rui: "Want some, Guard Zhuge?"
"I’ll pass... Hmm?"
Zhuge Rui was about to mount when he heard a ’rumbling’ sound from the direction of the capital; it was the sound of horses galloping wildly.
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