Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 315 The current emperor, is he?
As a descendant of Qi Jiguang's army, the stigma she has heard most over the past thirty years is the label of "treason."

What they longed for most was for someone to acknowledge the achievements of Qi Jiguang's army back then. In the fight against Japanese pirates, Qi Jiguang's army was victorious in every battle and protected countless coastal people.

Chen Zhan's words, "Resisting the Japanese is always the right thing to do," warmed her heart more than any promise.

Her hand holding the Miao sword slowly lowered, the blade returning to its sheath with a soft "clang," indicating that she had made up her mind.

"Very well! As long as you can clear the name of the Qi Family Army, the descendants of the Qi Family Army will be at your disposal!"

Seeing that she had agreed, Zhou Miaoyun breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but whisper, "But...but the matter of overturning the case involves a wide range of issues. Are you really confident, young master?"

Chen Zhan lightly touched the relic with his fingertip, and the relic was put into his sleeve: "Leave this matter to me, and we will know the outcome within a month."

"What does Senior need me to do?" Ding Baiying sensed from Chen Zhan's tone that she didn't need to be involved in the matter of exonerating him.

"After King Chakravartin's death, some of Black Stone's assassins were arrested, and the organization fell apart. You are here to gather Black Stone's assassins together and prevent them from causing trouble in the capital. Wait for my instructions."

"You can get the Embroidered Uniform Guard to cooperate with you, use this token, and go find Shen Tong."

"I understand."

When Chen Zhan left the inn, it was already dawn.

After entering the city, he first went to the Northern Garrison Command. None of the acquaintances were there, but he knew that the people from both the Northern and Southern Garrison Commands had gone to the Eastern Depot.

The Eastern Depot was located north of the Imperial City, with towering high walls and green bricks covered in a perpetually damp and cold atmosphere. Its area was so vast that it was almost equivalent to half of the Beijing Garrison's drill ground.

The Eastern Depot controlled the imperial prison.

The prison walls were covered with watchtowers, and the former Eastern Depot agents had been completely replaced by the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Figures in black flying fish robes moved swiftly through the corridors, and the guards were extremely strict.

Xu Long stood with his hands behind his back in front of the door of the secret chamber deep inside the prison, his face somber.

Since taking over the Eastern Depot, he had sent his trusted agents to search every nook and cranny of the Eastern Depot's offices, warehouses, and even the imperial prison. But after more than a day, not only had they not found a second Buddha relic, but they hadn't even found the slightest clue related to the relic.

Shen Tong followed beside him, his brows furrowed: "My lord, this outcome was probably expected. That old fox Wang An is as meticulous as an iron barrel; he must have hidden such a treasure as the Buddha Relic very well."

Xu Long snorted coldly and kicked open the wooden door of the secret room: "But he can't possibly carry the relic with him. After the battle at Guangyuan Temple, his remains were not even completely preserved. The relic must be hidden somewhere, we just haven't found it yet."

The two entered the secret room, dismissed the guards, and planned to discuss the next steps in their search behind closed doors.

The secret room still retained the scent of Wang Ansheng. A half-cup of cold tea sat on the table, and the ink in the inkstone had dried up. Everywhere exuded a desolate loneliness as the man was gone.

"In my opinion, we should start with Wang An's private residence." Shen Tong had just spoken when he caught a glimpse of a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) standing in the shadows of a corner.

"Who told you to stay? Get out!"

Xu Long followed the gaze and saw that the Imperial Guard not only did not respond and retreat, but instead slowly walked out and sat down at the table in the center of the secret room.

He was carrying a heavy package, and his movements were as relaxed as if he were in his own mansion.

Xu Long was instantly enraged. He gripped the hilt of the Seven Star Sword so tightly that it creaked, and shouted sharply, "You have a lot of nerve. Which commander are you under?"

He had been in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for many years, and his authority was ingrained in his very bones. Ordinary guards dared not even breathe loudly when they saw him.

But the person in front of them seemed oblivious, and even leisurely placed the package on the table with a dull thud. His gaze calmly swept over Xu Long and Shen Tong, without the slightest fear.

Shen Tong's heart sank suddenly as he realized something was wrong. This person was wearing the uniform of the Northern Garrison Command's Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he had seen almost all of the Embroidered Uniform Guards of the Northern Garrison Command before. This person looked to be under thirty years old, but he had never seen him before.

The air in the sealed room froze instantly.

Xu Long's anger was suppressed by surprise and doubt. His hand never left the hilt of his sword, and his voice was icy: "Who exactly are you?"

Chen Zhan watched Shen Tong slowly move forward, almost reaching the door, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't be nervous. Aren't you looking for me? Commander Shen, don't you recognize me?"

Chen Zhan used his true face, without changing his appearance or wearing a mask, so Shen Tong had never seen him like this before.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, Shen Tong froze and stopped moving towards the door.

"Senior Chen? What's going on here???"

"The injury is healed."

"Senior, you obtained the Buddha's relic?" "That's right."

As Chen Zhan spoke, a blood-red relic was easily placed on the table, causing Xu Long and Shen Tong to widen their eyes.

"Wang An too???"

Chen Zhan didn't speak this time, his gaze falling on the package that had been placed on the table.

The two of them were stunned.

Xu Long and Shen Tong's eyes were fixed on the package on the table. The case file submitted by the Eastern Depot clearly stated that Wang An's body was headless.
At that moment, the two of them immediately knew what was inside the round package, but neither dared to reach out and touch it.

The head of the Eastern Depot, a master of the Tongxuan realm, who had held immense power in the court for decades, was killed by this seemingly young man who appeared to be under thirty.

Shen Tong was the first to come to his senses. He had dealt with Chen Zhan several times and knew that Chen Zhan was not the kind of person who would kill innocent people indiscriminately.

He lowered his voice, his tone tinged with helplessness and caution: "Senior, it is really inappropriate for you to be in the prison now... The entire capital is being searched by imperial guards for the 'ferocious beast,' and if word gets out, it will be a huge problem."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhan simply nodded and said, "Yes, it's alright."

His words were not arrogant at all; he was simply stating a fact.

With his injuries healed and his martial arts prowess further enhanced, he can now condense the Dragon-Snake Blood Armor and transform into the Taotie True Form. In addition, with the unsealed Buddha Relic in hand, there are very few who can rival him in the world.

Xu Long and Shen Tong were speechless for a moment, unable to find any rebuttal.

Chen Zhan had no intention of dealing with the two of them. He directly retrieved the relic, glanced around the secret chamber, and said bluntly, "I am not here today to reminisce. You are looking for another relic of Wang Anzang, and that is why I am here as well."

Xu Long's pupils contracted sharply, and his grip on the sword tightened even more: "How do you know there's another relic?"

"Wang An's methods can't be hidden from you, so do you think they can be hidden from me?"

Shen Tong and his companion exchanged a glance, then, without hiding anything, asked directly, "We've searched the entire Eastern Depot, but we haven't found any clues. Does senior know where it is?"

Chen Zhan shook his head. Killing Wang An was too satisfying, but he also knew that torture was not very effective against a ruthless figure like Wang An, and it was impossible to get any information out of him through torture.

"Does Wang An have no close relatives or friends? No disciples or family members?"

If Wang An hid the relics, it would be almost impossible to find them by simply searching; you couldn't find them even if you dug three feet into the ground.

Xu Long pondered for a while, recalling the life of the ruthless Wang An. He entered the palace in his teens, served several emperors, and only became the Grand Eunuch and controlled the Eastern Depot when the Wanli Emperor came to power.

At his age, he has no children, and his early relatives have long since passed away.

Before Xu Long could finish thinking, Shen Tong spoke up: "Wang An is ruthless and heartless. If we're talking about people he's close to, there are only two."

Chen Zhan looked over, and Xu Long also looked over in surprise, wondering what was going on.

Shen Tong added, "In his early years, he had taken in many adopted sons, but most of them were lackeys and he didn't care about them. There was only one person who was always by his side. He was extremely skilled in martial arts and now held great power."

"Who?"

"Liu Ting, the General of Yunnan".

"Liu Ting is Wang An's adopted son???" Xu Long asked incredulously.

Liu Ting was the General of Yunnan and the commander-in-chief in the early stages of the Ming-Burmese War. He achieved a great victory at Yaoguan and recovered many of the southwestern chieftain territories occupied by the Burmese army.

He was a high-ranking official in the court and also commanded troops in the field.

But the fact that he was actually Wang An's adopted son in his early years was something even Xu Long, a veteran official of several decades, didn't know.
Chen Zhan nodded: "Is he still in Yunnan?"

"That's right, but Wang An has been dead for four days. The news should arrive soon, and he'll most likely be returning to the capital."

"Where's the other person?" Chen Zhan asked.

"This..." Shen Tong hesitated to speak, and looked at Xu Long.

Xu Long's lips twitched, and he thought to himself, "This is going to get me killed!"

"The current emperor, is that right?" Chen Zhan asked with a smile.

(End of this chapter)