Heaven's Silence

Chapter 57 – Persuade

It was a simple truth.

Did Chun Qiong not know?

How could he not know?

Yet he would rather choose to comply with everything that lord demanded, hoping that in the end, he could exchange his merits and hard work for a shred of trust from that lord, rather than show any defiance or resistance.

He didn't dare.

"The courage of a calf is temporary, but the ferocity of a tiger is constant. When you mock me, do you realize how childish you are, how narrow your vision is?"

"Do you know who that lord you speak of really is, what means and power he possesses?"

"You know nothing, just boasting here!"

Chun Qiong, though he had sheathed his sword, suddenly grabbed Wen Chaoshen by the collar. At this moment, he no longer saw himself as the Magistrate of Kuhai County, but merely as a passerby in a heated argument.

Wen Chaoshen gripped the other's arms, pressing down firmly, and coldly said to the agitated Chun Qiong:

"Boasting?"

"Let me tell you, Chun Qiong, your life is the most important thing you have!"

"No matter what you want to do, what ambitions you have, who you want to protect, if you lose your life, you have nothing!"

"Liu Jinshi's body is right there, look at him, do you want to become like him?"

Chun Qiong retorted indignantly:

"I'm not like him!"

Wen Chaoshen, his blood boiling, couldn't care less about offending him, not backing down an inch:

"Not like him?"

"Let me tell you, if you keep going like this, not only will you become Liu Jinshi, but there will be a third, a fourth..."

"People just say one thing, Liu Jinshi's whole family is dead, and you all got driven to this godforsaken place, aren't you the same?"

"To them, you're nothing!"

Chun Qiong was stunned by Wen Chaoshen's scolding, veins and redness climbing up his neck and face. He exerted force with his arms, lifting Wen Chaoshen and slamming him against a wall pillar, gritting his teeth:

"I'm nothing!"

"But I'm still better than you, a useless refugee without parents!"

"Even if you really uncovered some secrets, so what?"

"Do you think you can arm-wrestle with someone who holds immense power with just that little bit of information?"

"Is your brain filled with sand or water? I've never seen such a fool like you in my life!"

Wen Chaoshen squeezed out a voice from his throat, retorting:

"Chun Qiong, you're the fool!"

"If he really didn't care, Liu Jinshi wouldn't be dead!"

"When a high and mighty figure stoops down to crush an ant, it proves he's compromised!"

"To make such a person compromise, it's either immense profit or an even more terrifying threat!"

"There must be checks and balances within the power structure of the Qi Kingdom. If he had absolute power, would he bother with Liu Jinshi?"

"The smaller Liu Jinshi's status, the more it proves that the secret he held posed a great threat to that lord!"

"Do you understand?!"

He had never argued with someone in such a low, intense tone before.

But this victory was crucial for both Wen Chaoshen and A Shui.

From those fake letters, Wen Chaoshen sensed an indescribable danger. He knew it was difficult to completely disentangle himself from A Shui.

But whether it was Lu Chuan or the White Dragon Guards, the waters were too deep, and they were unrestrained forces of the Martial World, a mix of good and bad, coming and going as they pleased. Wen Chaoshen couldn't handle negotiating or cooperating with them.

A Shui was certainly a sharp and intimidating sword, but only Wen Chaoshen knew she had very serious injuries, some from weapons, others left by experts. Even though she had trained with the Ageless Spring, these injuries wouldn't heal in a day or two, requiring long-term rest.

If she really encountered a siege by experts, she wouldn't survive.

Therefore, if Wen Chaoshen wanted to continue investigating, he needed Chun Qiong.

The last few hoarse curses seemed to awaken the irrational Chun Qiong. He lost strength in his hands, stepped back a few paces, and sat down on a bench at the edge of the corridor, staring blankly at the ground.

The breeze was already cold.

Both were only focused on catching their breath, silent.

After an unknown period, Chun Qiong propped himself up on his knees, leaning against a stone pillar with difficulty, and asked Wen Chaoshen:

"How did you discover that bottle of poison?"

This question, this look, already indicated his compromise with Wen Chaoshen.

The latter showed a smile.

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"For that, I have to thank Liu Jinshi."

"That guy was a ruthless man in the truest sense, willing to sacrifice his own family to bite back."

He recounted how Liu Jinshi had hidden the poison that day, only omitting A Shui's involvement.

After hearing this, Chun Qiong vaguely guessed why A Shui had come to examine Liu Jinshi's body earlier.

But this guess made his heart throb violently, almost jumping out of his throat.

"Judging by your expression, you seem to understand."

Wen Chaoshen said calmly.

"Liu Jinshi knew that his inexplicable suicide would arouse suspicion from above, and he was determined to fight back, so the thing that the lord in the Royal City wanted to destroy was likely preserved by him in some form."

"That night, he was watched by people from the Wangchuan River. Although they were later diverted, Liu Jinshi didn't have much time. He was a man who couldn't fight, with no cultivation, and couldn't have gone far."

"So this secret is either in his residence or... in his body."

"Magistrate Chun, I must say, your intuition is really accurate and saved your life."

"If you had simply closed the case and handed over the files and Liu Jinshi's body, who knows what kind of trouble would have erupted."

Chun Qiong slowly raised his head, surprise in his eyes:

"How did you know I was going to hand over Liu Jinshi's body?"

Wen Chaoshen retorted:

"Otherwise, why did you embalm him?"

"To keep him for company?"

A hint of obscure fear flashed deep in Chun Qiong's eyes.

But this trace of fear, unseen by anyone, disappeared in an instant.

In the empty pavilion, he asked a question in a trembling voice, the same one A Shui had once asked:

"Wen Chaoshen, what did you used to do?"

Wen Chaoshen replied calmly:

"Me? I used to be a scholar."

"What kind of books did you read?"

"All kinds."

The two stared at each other for a moment, then Chun Qiong slowly stood up, dusting off his clothes.

"The Liu Jinshi case has dragged on too long. The city guard of Guanghan City is urging me, the files and his body must be handed over by noon tomorrow."

"You brought that woman to see me today, you can have one last look at his body."

Saying this, he cast a sharp glance at Wen Chaoshen.

"As for the rest... I can consider what you said, but I need to ensure you're trustworthy."

Wen Chaoshen smiled:

"I'm like you, wanting to survive, and I have no choice."

"If I had a choice, maybe I wouldn't have come to you today, but to Lu Chuan or the White Dragon Guards."

"Coming to you isn't to help you, it's to help myself."

Chun Qiong turned and left, his back and hair looking somewhat disheveled.

"There will be many eyes in the county city after dusk. Her martial skills are high, so be swift when coming over, and don't bring trouble."

...