The spring rain, carrying the lingering fragrance of acacia blossoms from the trees lining the courtyard, lashed against the eaves of the Henglu Si Xuan Iron Hall. The sound, like a barrage of iron pellets striking jade, was sharp and insistent. Just as Yue Tingzhou had leaned his mud-stained oiled-paper umbrella against the corridor, the pain from his poisoned wound flared up – a gash from a poisoned steel dagger sustained during a street fight in the southern district, which hadn't yet healed. Two enforcement disciples, their Xuan Iron badges glinting, approached and seized his shoulders. The cold metal of the badges seeped through his damp spring tunic, and without a word, they escorted him into the Hall of Discipline. Above the entrance hung a plaque of black ebony wood inscribed with the words "明察秋毫" (Ming Cha Qiuxiao), meaning "to discern the smallest flaw." The candlelight flickered in the drafts seeping from under the eaves, casting dancing shadows on Shen Liren's stern face. On the table before him lay a half-written confession, the ink still wet. He had used his usual old-style wolf-hair brush, the pen worn smooth with use. The vermilion ink had bled slightly on the rice paper, and beside it were the confidential reports depicting Yue Tingzhou and Zhu Hanli fighting in the southern district. Yue Tingzhou stood before him, hands clasped, appearing submissive, but in reality, he was subtly channeling the thirteenth layer of the Jingtan Technique. His hearing, amplified by his inner energy, instantly detected eight distinct breathing patterns behind the pillars and beside the side curtains. Each breath was accompanied by the faint tremor of a Xuan Iron badge, indicating the presence of elite enforcers. He knew that even the slightest hesitation in his words would result in his meridian channels being blocked. The coldness from the Xuan Iron pillars radiated through the soles of his shoes, numbing his ankles. The sound of the rain drumming on the eaves masked the rustling of the disciples' clothing. Yue Tingzhou's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of silver-grey light flashing on Shen Liren's cuff – it was a Xuan Iron badge, the pattern indistinct. Before he could make it out, Shen Liren's voice, harsh and cold like the northern dialect, boomed out, "Yue Tingzhou, do you know why you are here?" He bowed in the standard disciple's greeting, his tone impeccably polite, "My humble self is ignorant, please enlighten me, Chief Inspector." Shen Liren snatched the confidential report and tossed it onto the floor in front of him. The paper clearly depicted him supporting Zhu Hanli, avoiding a hidden dart. The report bore the crimson stamp of the Intelligence Department. "You were dispatched to investigate the Wan Jing鏢局 (Wan Jing鏢局), a trading firm, but why did you assist Zhu Hanli in combat, defying direct orders?" Yue Tingzhou glanced at the image, his fingertips unconsciously curling, causing a twinge of pain in his left wound. His expression remained calm. "According to the regulations, I was indeed sent to investigate. I encountered assassins from the Heavenly Mandate faction on my return, and I merely assisted in repelling them. It's not a case of collusion. The Wan Jing鏢局 is a contact for the investigation, and if I were to stand idly by while they were killed, it would hinder the investigation." As he spoke, his peripheral vision remained fixed on the Xuan Iron badge on Shen Liren's cuff, which was now visible again. The intricate pattern of double-headed falcons was identical to the markings on the waist badge of the assassin he had encountered in the southern district – the same markings that belonged to Xie Wuchen. A faint, cool fragrance, reminiscent of snow-covered pine needles, emanated from Shen Liren, a scent identical to the one left by Huo Qingya during a previous encounter. Yue Tingzhou felt a chill run down his spine, colder than the Xuan Iron pillars, a sharp, piercing coldness that clenched his stomach. He clenched his fingernails, digging them into the flesh of his palm. His inner energy surged through his meridians, almost triggering the poison in his left arm, but he suppressed it with force. Shen Liren tapped his fingers on the table, his voice devoid of warmth, "Within three days, sever all ties with Zhu Hanli. Publicly renounce your engagement, and hand over the fragment of the Heavenly Mandate's death warrant that you seized from the assassin." "Otherwise, your identity as an intelligence agent will be revoked, and you will be reported as an accomplice of the Heavenly Mandate faction. The whereabouts of everyone at the Wan Jing鏢局 will also be reported to Xie Wuchen." Yue Tingzhou feigned hesitation, his Adam's apple bobbing as he appeared to struggle with a difficult decision Yue Tingzhou hurried to the street corner and quickly took off his half-dried outer robe, draping it over the icy shoulders of Zhu Hanli. Having ingested the paralyzing herb for three months, she had been standing in the rain for half an hour, and her shoulders and back were stiff. The tip of his finger, holding the oil paper package, was damp from the scattered rain, feeling as cold as shards of jade pulled from a freezing pool. "It's still warm," he said, referring to the sesame cake from Lao Pu in the southern part of the city. "I added the osmanthus flower flakes you mentioned." Zhu Hanli's southern accent was softened, and the oil paper package was slightly wet from the rain, making the outer layer of wax sticky. As soon as it was opened, the sweet fragrance of the warm rice cake wafted to his nostrils, mixed with the smell of moss in the rain, which effectively suppressed the lingering smell of the Law Enforcement Division in his throat. Just as Yue Tingzhou took the cake, he heard the sound of boots splashing in puddles from the alley entrance, mixed with the crackling of burning pine resin from torches, and the crisp sound of the Law Enforcement officers' rulers hitting their belts, which could be heard from a distance. He grabbed Zhu Hanli's wrist and pulled her into the abandoned mountain shrine at the alley entrance. The wooden door creaked shut, just blocking the orange and red light. A thick layer of dust covered the offering table, and a swipe of a finger would leave a full fingerprint of dust. A bundle of dried grass was piled in the corner, and the musty smell of dust permeated the air. Yue Tingzhou peeked through the crack in the door and saw the Law Enforcement officers holding torches as they walked down the alley. He breathed a sigh of relief and threw the Third-Grade Secret Agent badge on the offering table. The dull sound of the iron striking the rotten wood was almost half the weight lighter than his previous Third-Grade badge, and it felt empty in his hand. "Shen Lirui and Xie Wuchen are colluding," he said in a low voice, the itchy sensation of the rough edges of the forged document still lingering on his fingertips. The familiar cold fragrance of Shen Lirui, the same as that of Huo Qingya, still lingered at his nostrils. "I used a forged "life-giving" voucher to deceive them. Now, with the Third-Grade Secret Agent rank, all my movements are being monitored by the Law Enforcement Division, and I am not allowed to leave the capital. The infiltration of the "Heavenly Mandate" has reached the highest level of the Law Enforcement Division. In the future, not only must we be wary of Xie's people, but we must also avoid the eyes and ears of our own sect." This statement, essentially a promise of progress in the investigation, advanced the three-year-old case by a full one percent. The fog surrounding the old case of the Wan Jing鏢局 seven years ago finally began to clear. Zhu Hanli hummed in response, not too surprised. She unconsciously fiddled with the silver abacus at her waist, the rattling of the beads a habit she couldn't break when she was thinking. Her fingertips paused, and she reached into her sleeve to pull out a卷 of宣 paper that was damp from the rain. The edges of the paper were soft and wrinkled, and droplets of cold rain were still clinging to it. "I knew something was amiss," she said, "My scouts, whom I arranged three days ago, discovered this at the Liuyun Tea House in the western part of the city. Take a look." Yue Tingzhou unfolded the宣 paper, and the tips of his fingers touched the soft pulp, causing his pupils to suddenly shrink. It was a rubbing of a seal, depicting Shen Lirui sitting in a window seat at the tea house, with a copyist from Xie Wuchen's faction, Ding Xueqiao, sitting opposite him. The玄 iron badge on the cuff of Shen Lirui's sleeve was identical to the Xie Wuchen exclusive identifier on the waist badge of the dead assassin, not a single detail, even the smallest missing "cloud" pattern, was different. At the bottom, a copy of a confidential letter was attached, with a vermilion seal, the private seal of the Chief Operating Officer of the "Heavenly Mandate". The vermilion ink seeped into the soft paper, appearing vividly red. He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms, causing a slight pain. His sect, which he had served loyally for seven years, the mentor he revered as a father, was actually a pawn of Xie Wuchen. No wonder the evidence chain for the Wan Jing鏢局 case seven years ago was incomplete, no wonder he had made no progress in his investigation for three and a half years, it turned out that from the "Are you crazy?"祝寒梨's voice suddenly rose, and she quickly lowered it, "Xie Wuchen's private residence is protected by seven layers of spiritual locks, and the Frost Falcon team led by Huo Qingya is on constant patrol. With your current cultivation level being monitored and suppressed, going in would be suicide." "Shen Lichi probably thinks I've been obedient and cut off contact with me. He won't be on guard at the banquet three days from now. This is the only chance." Yue Tingzhou's tone was very calm. "We only have twenty-six days to release the algorithm of the mother scroll. We can't afford to waste time." 祝寒梨 remained silent for a while, then took out three specially made Xuan iron signal flares from her arms and handed them to him. The outer shell was cold to the touch. "Red means ambush, blue means success, and yellow means retreat." Shama Aishi has ten archers hidden on the roof of the private residence. I've sewn a lock-picking tool into the lining of your cloak. It can break three layers of spiritual locks. The remaining four layers depend on your own Stillwater Art." Just as Yue Tingzhou was about to respond, the sound of the night patrol team's drums suddenly came from outside, *dong, dong, dong*, three beats, which was the signal for city-wide curfew. The two immediately extinguished the dry grass fire they had lit for warmth and hid behind the offering table, waiting until the footsteps faded away before they came out. The rain was still falling, dripping on the tiles of the dilapidated temple. Just as Yue Tingzhou was about to open the door, a hidden communication talisman in his sleeve suddenly became hot. He took it out, and the faint golden characters on the talisman slowly appeared, only a short line: "The banquet will be cancelled in three days. Xie Wuchen will be present in person." Yue Tingzhou's fingertips paused, and he handed the communication talisman to 祝寒梨. She glanced at it, and her movements of manipulating the abacus suddenly stopped, and the beads on the abacus all returned to their original positions with a clatter. The two looked at each other, and they both saw the seriousness in each other's eyes. They had originally calculated that Shen Lichi would cancel the banquet, and they only needed to avoid his eyes. However, they didn't expect Xie Wuchen to attend in person. This meant that in the play three days from now, they not only had to avoid Shen Lichi's eyes, but also had to avoid the all-powerful and resourceful Chief of the Heavenly Book. If they revealed even the slightest flaw, not only would the Yue and Zhu families be immediately listed on the blacklist of rebels, but even the last chance to secretly investigate would be completely ruined. In the depths of the rain, an informant of the Heng律司 was holding a newly copied confidential report of the two's meeting, his fingers tracing the words "infiltrate the private residence three days later." The Xuan iron badge on his sleeve corner flashed a cold light in the reflection of the torch. Their entire plan, from the moment it was decided, had already been leaked.