The fine, persistent rain of the戌 hour clung to the green tiles, its rustling sound mixing with the thudding of someone knocking at the door, causing the roots of the palm against which岳停舟 braced himself to tingle with numbness. He had just given the accounts clerk, who had regained consciousness from his stupor, a dose of detoxifying medicine. His fingertips were still stained with the clear, bitter mixture of purple perilla leaves and licorice. He immediately pressed his hand against the鲛绡-wrapped hilt of the hidden blade at his waist. The numbness in his left arm, caused by the poison-laced knife wound, spread to the back of his neck. Only a fraction of his normally potent internal energy could be channeled to alleviate the pain and congestion in the old wound. 祝寒梨's fingertips were dusted with the bran from the coarse grain cakes. She quickly shoved the remaining half of a cake into the accounts clerk's hand, tapped the wooden door of the cellar three times in a short-long pattern, the镖局's secret code causing the wood to vibrate, signaling him to hide and remain silent. Her fingertips unconsciously brushed against the copper beads of her abacus, the crisp sound masking the faint scraping sound of the accounts clerk's outer robe against the dirt-covered steps. Her ears twitched, already distinguishing the sounds of footsteps besides those of the officers, and the light scraping sound of iron weapons against the sharkskin sheaths of the guild thugs' blades. "岳停舟, 祝寒梨! Forging marriage contracts and disrupting the guild! Come out immediately to be apprehended!" The gruff voice of the officer echoed through the wooden door, carrying with it the pungent smell of soap and sweat that stung岳停舟's nostrils. He took a step forward, blocking the door, and turned the rough ceramic teacup on the table three times, a habit of衡律司 undercover agents, before placing it down. As he pulled back the latch, his fingertips, still tender from an old wound, felt a sharp pang. Four officers in dark blue uniforms stood outside the courtyard. Behind them, three guild thugs with daggers already held, their finger joints pressed white against the hilts. A shadow flickered on the rooftop, the informant planted by天命书 in Qingyang. The rain glistened on his dark nightclothes, reflecting a cold, damp light. Just as the officers were about to force their way in,岳停舟 raised his hand, displaying a copper waist token. He brushed his fingertips against the thin rust on the embossed characters, and his fingertips instinctively recoiled from the cold. The four characters "衡律司 handling official business" were illuminated by the rain. "According to the law, personnel from the衡律司 conducting official business involved in a case must undergo a public verification process. Forcibly entering private residences to gather evidence is considered dereliction of duty,"岳停舟 said, his voice devoid of emotion. His gaze swept over the thugs, who were itching to draw their weapons. "Anyone present who causes trouble will be treated as an accomplice and taken into custody." The officers' movements paused, and they exchanged glances, clearly not expecting him to have a衡律司 token. A muffled cough suddenly came from the direction of the cellar, like a tiny needle piercing the tense air. The thugs' daggers were drawn halfway. 祝寒梨 stepped forward, the abacus in her hand making a light clicking sound. "We will go to the public hall with you, but if there is no evidence presented, the万镜镖局 will, according to江湖行规, demand compensation for damage to reputation, a triple amount of镖行's deposit, not a penny less." 陆见微 stood on the porch, holding a copper-plated medicine box. She had just touched the lintel to check for traps, her fingertips still stained with the dust from the beam. She received岳停舟's gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly. She pressed her fingertips against the hidden iron latch on the side of the medicine box, increasing the pressure slightly, indicating that she would watch over the accounts clerk in the cellar. 岳停舟 pressed his fingers against the hidden pouch containing the torn page of the seal register. His fingertips brushed against the rough texture of the桑皮 paper, and he knew that谢无尘 had likely already prepared a complete set of false 증거 to present at the public hall, daring to send officers to arrest them. The fine rain fell on the back of his neck, cold like the衡律司 token he carried, and the numbness in his left arm returned, causing his fingertips to tremble. The moment he stepped over the threshold, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the shadow on the roof lighting a match, the flickering light glaring in the rain. It was clearly The killing sticks of the court were slammed onto the bluestone slabs, making a resounding *thump* that numbed the soles of the feet. The force traveled up the shins, through the spine, mingling with the pungent smell of tung oil from the official seals and the acrid odor of burnt incense from the court's writing desk, suppressing the spiritual energy in one's dantian. The presiding judge banged the gavel, and the candlelight flickered, causing the gilded plaque with the inscription "Impartial Justice" to shimmer with a cold light. "岳停舟, 祝寒梨, there is ample evidence, both testimonial and physical. You have forged a marriage contract, disrupting the guild's order. Confess!" An accountant from the guild immediately stepped forward, slapping the spread-out marriage contract on the table, his voice echoing in agreement. The rustling of silver notes could be heard as his sleeve brushed against the edge of the table.岳停舟 deliberately suppressed his cultivation, using only the auditory perception of the Spirit Perception realm to discern sounds. The dull ache from the knife wound on his left arm resurfaced, and he pressed his fingers against the recessed pattern on his waist badge, silently circulating his spiritual energy to suppress the lingering pain. The citizens gathered outside the court buzzed like a disturbed hive, their spittle mingling with the rain, as some loudly criticized the Wan Jing镖局 for its lack of integrity, reminding everyone of the old debt of a lost镖 and now daring to forge official documents. 祝寒梨 lowered her eyes and quickly spun the abacus three times, the thin calluses on her fingertips, worn from years of counting, scraping against the copper teeth. Her face showed no sign of nervousness. She stepped forward, picked up the forged marriage contract, and felt the smooth texture of the powder-coated mulberry paper, which made her fingertips itch—ten years ago, official documents used rough,贡制青檀皮, which could sand off dead skin. She had accompanied her mother on镖 missions to the capital, handling countless official documents with seals, and the difference in texture was stark. "This paper is a 南地 powder-coated mulberry paper that has only been circulating in Qingyang City in the past three years, costing only three coins per sheet. You can all feel it and compare it to the material of the marriage contracts from ten years ago, which were much coarser." She took a half-page of a faded seal register from a hidden pocket, the edges still bearing old blood stains, and held it up to the candlelight for everyone to see: "Furthermore, the regulations for marriage contract seals, issued by the衡律司 in the seventh year of the Tianqi era, stipulate that all official seals must have a half-flower peony pattern engraved in the lower right corner, which can only be seen when viewed against the light. Take a look at the seals on this forged contract. Do you see even a hint of that pattern?" The crowd erupted in a cacophony of voices. Several merchants who regularly dealt with official documents crowded to the front to touch the papers. Indeed, one was rough and abrasive, while the other was smooth. When they looked at the faded page against the light, they saw a faint, almost invisible,朱砂 golden glow. Someone immediately shouted out. The presiding judge's face turned as pale as the cotton used for window coverings, and cold sweat dripped from his jaw onto the gavel, staining a small patch of it with a dark, wet stain. He had believed that the forged evidence arranged by 谢无尘 was flawless. When he received it, he had even carefully checked the age of the ink, but he hadn't expected the other party to produce the original page of the seal register from that era. 岳停舟 stepped forward, displaying his ordinary腰牌 of a衡律司衙役, his voice as cold as ice: "According to Article 7 of the *大雍律·户婚卷*, those who forge official documents to frame innocent people will be punished as the perpetrators. We hereby accuse the Qingyang County衙 of accepting bribes from the 天命书 sect and framing us. We request that the magistrate investigate this matter according to the law, otherwise, we will report this to the superiors of the衡律司, and your position may be at risk." As soon as he said this, the shouts of the surrounding citizens grew louder, some even threatening to tear down the roof of the court. Many small merchants who had long been exploited by the guild were picking up pebbles and throwing them at the steps of the court, hitting the青砖 at the base and chipping them away, all while cursing the government and the 天命书 sect for colluding to harm those in the martial world. The presiding judge was backed into a corner, his official robes soaked through with cold sweat. He could only grit his teeth and bang the gavel, his voice trembling like window paper in the wind: "This Half an hour later, the hot water reached his shoulders and neck, its temperature perfectly easing the stagnation in his meridians. The old injury in Yue Tingzhou's left arm, which had been stiff for most of the day, finally began to loosen. The sulfur mixed with the sweet fragrance of the muscle-relaxing herbs filled the small room, a milky white steam permeating the air. His fingertips brushed against the water-polished bluestone tiles lining the pool, the cool, slippery sensation a stark contrast to the warmth, causing a tingling sensation in his fingertips. Outside, the fine rain pattered against the banana leaves, the rustling sound effectively blocking out the noise of the city, preventing even the slightest sound of his internal energy circulation from escaping. He scooped up a cup of warm ginger tea from the edge of the pool, using his thumb to rotate the blue porcelain cup three times before handing it to Zhu Hanli, who was in the adjacent room. The use of his "Tingxi" realm spiritual power to identify the seal on the document had consumed 20% of his true energy. The old injury caused his entire left arm to feel heavy, as if weighed down by lead. Now, the heat of the steam had opened his pores, allowing the stagnant energy in his meridians to slowly flow and dissipate. When Zhu Hanli took the tea, her fingertips brushed against his wrist, both feeling the warmth of the hot water. They both quickly recoiled their hands. She took out a small silver abacus from her waist, her knuckles flying as she moved the beads three times, the tiny clicking sound of the copper beads filling the air. "The fragment is sealed in a桐油 cloth pouch and hidden close to my body, so it won't be affected by the moisture," she said, taking a sip of the ginger tea. The spicy warmth spread down her throat to her stomach, dispersing the coldness in her meridians. "My mother's private seal cannot be revealed. The livelihood of over 300镖局 brothers depends on that reputation. If it's revealed that the head of the鏢局 family was involved in the original seal and secret accounts, the guild will have grounds to strip us of our鏢旗, and the brothers will have to disband." "According to the law, evidence that has not been verified cannot be disclosed to the outside," Yue Tingzhou said, nodding. He brushed his fingertips over the knife wound on his left arm. The itchy sensation from the swollen wound felt like tiny insects crawling into his bones. He pressed down on the acupuncture points around the wound to suppress the itching. "The three-day period of questioning is sufficient for us to clarify the inconsistencies in the testimonies. Once we find 沙玛阿诗 to restore the blood stains and hidden patterns on the fragment, we can directly submit it to the衡律司 headquarters. This will solidify the evidence chain linking the marriage contract to the "天命书," and we will be one step closer to the clues of the "母卷." Just as he finished speaking, the wooden door of the room was knocked three times: two short knocks followed by a long one, the secret signal of the镖局 sentries. Zhu Hanli's fingertips instantly pressed down on the handle of a small silver pistol hidden in her waistband, her knuckles turning white. Yue Tingzhou also grasped the hidden blade embedded in the bluestone tiles at the edge of the pool, the coolness of the blade spreading from his fingertips to his arm. Then, Lu Jianwei's voice, barely audible, came from outside the door, muffled by the rain: "It's me." The moment the door opened, a rush of cold, rain-soaked air carrying the scent of mud filled the room. Lu Jianwei held up a dark blue oilcloth umbrella, the raindrops from the umbrella's edge splashing on the bluestone tiles with a sharp *pat, pat* sound. She was soaked from the shoulders down, her pants stained with yellow mud, and she was still humming the last few lines of an old folk song – a habit she had before stitching up a wounded person. "Something's happened," she said, her voice fast, like a volley of arrows. "霍青崖's people have arrived in the north of the city. They have your portraits, mine, and Yue Tingzhou's, and they've submitted arrest warrants to the authorities, claiming that we are the murderers of the 行会 officials. They've just confiscated the documents for your questioning hearings, and the three-day period is no longer valid. They will be conducting a city-wide search at dawn." Yue Tingzhou immediately stood up from the pool, the water droplets splashing on the surface, creating tiny splashes. The numbness in his left arm suddenly surged, almost causing him to lose his grip on the hidden blade. He quickly channeled his "Tianyuan" realm spiritual energy to suppress it. He " 祝寒梨 had already tucked the short spear into her waistband, and returned the abacus to the innermost pocket. She brushed her hand against the桐油 cloth umbrella hanging on the wall. The umbrella frame was made of refined iron and could be used as a weapon. "I'll lead the way. The back door of this bathhouse leads directly to a secret passage in the镖局, which connects to the meeting point. It will take less than an hour. The guards along the way are all veteran镖局 employees and won't leak any information." As the three of them reached the back door made of榆木, their fingertips hadn't even touched the cold copper lock when they heard the creaking sound of the door being pushed open from the front. The footsteps of two figures had already crossed the courtyard, and the静音 cotton cloth wrapped around the soles of their boots didn't make a single extra sound. The 霜隼 pattern on the刀鞘 shimmered with a cold, sharp light in the rain. 岳停舟's eyebrows twitched violently – the breathing he had detected using his "Tianyuan" realm spiritual energy was a fake; the opponent had deliberately suppressed their cultivation. These two were at least skilled enough to be in the通脉 realm. The sound of horses' hooves from the north of the city was already close enough to hear the sound of the horses' whips. Even the raindrops carried the metallic scent of玄铁 blades.