"Chief of the Heavenly Institute, empty talk is easy for anyone, but if you say the money is demanded by Lord Heavenly Emperor, does that make it so? Show the docunt, if it truly bears the Celestial Court's seal, I'll gather the funds even if I have to bankrupt myself," said Chi 118, who, after all, was an old hand at this, not so greenhorn who could be duped by a few honeyed words.
He deftly defused the crisis Lin Shen brought with him.
"There is no docunt," Lin Shen said indifferently.
Chi 118, of course, knew there couldn't be any docunt and taunted, "No docunt from the Celestial Court is fine, you say Lord Heavenly Emperor needs the money, then there must at least be an imperial order from him, right? Just show the Heavenly Emperor's seal and no matter how much you ask for, I won't even frown."
"There isn't one of those either," Lin Shen replied.
Bang!
Chi 118 slamd his hand on the table and rose abruptly, pointing at Lin Shen with a stern face and barked, "You, Dean of the Celestial Master Institute, have neither official docunt nor imperial order, yet you wave the banner of Lord Heavenly Emperor, tarnishing his reputation, our Celestial Race cannot tolerate the existence of such a shaless scoundrel.
Don't think that just because you are the Dean of the Celestial Master Institute you can bully others with impunity. I, Chi 118, live with integrity and despise those who do all evil in the Heavenly Emperor's na the most. Even if it costs my life, I will report this to the Celestial Court to vindicate our Lord Emperor..."
Chi 118 knew, of course, that Lin Shen couldn't possibly have anything on hand; the money he demanded was the sort that couldn't stand the light of day, let alone any official docunt or imperial order, there couldn't even be a record of the transaction.
Emperor Tianshu was a man both greedy and vain, he could indulge in greed, but he could not afford to be labeled a corrupt ruler.
That's exactly why Chi 118 had the confidence to pressure Lin Shen, flipping the situation against him.
This combination of cutting and counterattacking startled Kong Chuan and Tian Xin, their faces paled, knowing if Chi 118 really took this matter to the Celestial Court, not only would the Heavenly Emperor not protect Lin Shen, but he'd likely be the first to get rid of him.
"Young... still too young... to think he tried to use such tactics against Chi 118... and now it's being used against him..." Kong Chuan felt Lin Shen was in a checkmate scenario and couldn't see any way out of it.
"Brilliant... truly brilliant... Lord Chi is indeed a master... I am utterly in awe..." Lin Shen said, clapping his hands.
"Chief of the Heavenly Institute, no matter what you say now, it is useless. I, Chi, will not be swayed by this ploy. I will report this to the Celestial Court to clear our Emperor's na. You may leave now," said Chi 118 with a resolute air, standing up to depart with great dignity.
Kong Chuan and Tian Xin exchanged looks, unsure of what to do at the mont.
Lin Shen, however, was not at all flustered, and with a backhand gesture, he summoned a fan, which instantly transford into nurous Light Swords, scattering throughout the room.
"Chief of the Heavenly Institute, are you intending to fight?" Chi 118 halted in his tracks, looking coldly at Lin Shen.
In his view, Lin Shen had already beco irrationally angry, and the more irrational Lin Shen was, the better it was for him.
An irrational person would make more mistakes, giving him more levers to control Lin Shen, making it hard for Lin Shen to die even if he wanted to.
Moreover, if it ca to a fight, why would he be afraid of Lin Shen, an Ascender? Even if Kong Chuan intervened, he had contingencies in place.
Besides, he didn't believe Kong Chuan would be so irrational as to break the rules. Lin Shen, the hotheaded youngster may dare to act rashly, but Kong Chuan should know better than to join in the folly.
Lin Shen waved his hand, the Light Swords flew across the room, but they didn't attack Chi 118. Instead, they demolished a few items within the room.
After destroying those items, the Light Swords all returned to Lin Shen's hand, reverting to the form of a Folding Fan, the glow disappearing without a trace.
Chi 118's expression changed slightly, realizing that the items Lin Shen destroyed were the room's surveillance devices, which he had kept as a counterasure against Lin Shen.
Lin Shen was able to pinpoint all the surveillance, hidden and visible, causing Chi 118 to wonder if there was a mole in his ranks, for how else would Lin Shen know the location of all the monitoring devices.
Chi 118 was about to say sothing with a cold expression, but Lin Shen preempted him.
"Lord Chi, do you recognize this?" Lin Shen reached out for a scroll and unrolled it in front of Chi 118.
Chi 118 focused on it and saw a portrait of a Celestial.
"This is... Lord Heavenly Emperor's self-portrait..." Chi 118 had not reached his position without good reason; although the Celestial in the portrait didn't quite resemble Emperor Tianshu, the style of the painting along with the calligraphy and seals on it were enough for him to recognize the artist.
"Lord Chi has a discerning eye," Lin Shen comnded.
Chi 118 imdiately understood what Lin Shen ant and sneered, "You think you can use this to pressure ? Let tell you, you're mistaken. Unless you have an imperial decree from the Heavenly Emperor or an official docunt from the Celestial Court, nothing you bring will be of any use."
"Lord Chi, I never intended to use this to pressure you," Lin Shen said, holding the edges of his self-portrait. "I'll give you ten seconds to think about it. Give the money, and I'll leave. If you don't, I'll tear it up right now."
As he spoke, Lin Shen began to count down.
"Why the hell should I care if you destroy Lord Heavenly Emperor's self-portrait?" Chi 118 initially thought Lin Shen had lost his mind. Tearing up the portrait was none of his business. But as he spoke, his complexion changed.
"You're trying to fra ?" Chi 118 felt like his lungs were about to burst with anger, realizing what Lin Shen was planning.
"Ten..." Lin Shen remained unmoved, simply starting to count down.
"Do you think anyone will believe you?"
"Nine..."
"When you tear up the self-portrait, what benefit does that bring you? Even if they believe you, you'll still be punished for handling things poorly and for damaging His Majesty's portrait," he reasoned.
"Eight..."
"You... you can't be so shaless..." Chi 118 was both angry and outraged.
It was clear that Lin Shen intended to set him up. If Lin Shen ripped up the self-portrait here, he could then assert that Chi 118 was the one who had torn it.
Chi 118 could even imagine what Lin Shen would tell the Heavenly Emperor.
Lin Shen would certainly say he had brought the Heavenly Emperor's self-portrait to him, Chi 118, asking for money and that not only did Chi 118 refuse to pay, but he also arrogantly destroyed the portrait.
Chi 118's mind raced with the countless treacherous accusations that Lin Shen could invent against him.
"Seven..." Lin Shen continued to count emotionlessly.
"By handling things this way, even if you report to Lord Heavenly Emperor, I might not be in trouble, but you will undoubtedly be dood," Chi 118 declared sternly.
"Six..."
"You..."
"Five..."
"Think carefully, if the painting is torn, no matter what happens to , you will be severely punished, and your life will be at risk."
"Four..."
"I don't believe you'd really dare to tear it," Chi 118 said through gritted teeth.
"Three, two, one." Lin Shen sped up the count, rushing through the last three numbers almost instantaneously, then reached out his hand to tear.
"Don't tear it... I'll give..." Chi 118 rushed toward Lin Shen, wailing.
Lin Shen stopped his hand, and Kong Chuan blocked Chi 118. Chi 118 saw a small tear already at the edge of the self-portrait; if he had been even slightly slower in speaking up, the painting would have probably been torn.
Cold sweat beaded on Chi 118's forehead as he ca to a realization. This newly appointed Chief of the Heavenly Institute was a ruthless character who was unreasonable, had nothing to lose, and didn't play by the rules.
"Lord Chi, you can't bla ," Lin Shen said with a smile. "Lord Heavenly Emperor tasked with this job. If I fail, death is the sa outco for . Since death is inevitable either way, I might as well have company on the road to the underworld, don't you agree?"
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