The traitor collapsed on the ground, his eyes bulging, and black blood mixed with white foam gushed from his mouth. The pungent smell of bitter almonds exploded in the air, like an invisible nail. 岳停舟 crouched down and turned up his sleeve. The fragments of the signal bead had already scattered, but a half-burned piece of paper was still caught in the seam of the traitor's right index finger. The edges of the paper were charred, and one could vaguely make out the words "March 27th... Shen hour... Crane Pavilion." 祝寒梨 took out the sealed letter from his arms—the wax seal was intact, bearing the familiar蟠龙纹 of the Tianming Book Bureau. Her fingertips brushed over the raised patterns, and the cool touch crept up her fingers. "Open it," said 岳停舟. 苏玄清 stood three steps away, the hem of his Qingbu robe being whipped up by the wind. His gaze fell on the sealed letter, then shifted to the darkening sky outside the hall. "霍青崖's people," he said, his voice heavy, "saw the signal." "Seeing it doesn't mean they can open it," said 岳停舟, taking the letter and using the tip of a short dagger to break the wax seal. The paper was unfolded. The first line of text stopped his breathing— "The forged mother scroll has been prepared, the patterns are 97% identical to the original, but the 'blood oath' is missing. On the day of the public discussion, bring the fake scroll to the meeting, and accuse岳 and 祝 of using the 'scroll verification method' they claim to be private techniques, and counter that they forged the true copy of the Tianming Book. At that time, the endorsement of Dan Ding Pavilion will become false evidence, 苏玄清's hundred-year reputation will be ruined, and the two of them will have no chance to turn the tables." 祝寒梨 leaned in to look, her shoulders tense like a drum. There was another line of small writing below: "If 岳 and 祝 have already arrived at Dan Ding Pavilion, the traitor can send a signal to lure 霍's troops to surround the mountain. Surround but don't attack, forcing them to sacrifice their cultivation before weakening their combat strength, and then ambush them on the way down the mountain. Remember: the true mother scroll is still in the Yun Ding Palace, guarded by 沈砺川, it cannot be forcibly taken, only lured into a trap." The air froze. The flames in the cauldron crackled. 苏玄清 slowly exhaled, the breath carrying the bitter scent of cinnabar. "谢无尘... he anticipated that you would come to me for help." "He anticipated," said 岳停舟, folding the letter and putting it in his pocket, "but he didn't anticipate that we could get this letter." "What does it matter if we got it?" 苏玄清 turned around and took a lacquered box from a hidden compartment next to the cauldron. "霍青崖's troops are already surrounding the mountain. You will sacrifice 30% of your cultivation, which will reduce your combat strength to only 70%—no, you are still injured, so it will probably be only 50%. How will you get out?" He opened the box. Inside lay a milky white jade slip, covered with intricate patterns of a cauldron, and warm to the touch. When 岳停舟 took it, he could feel the faint spiritual energy flowing through the patterns—it was the unique scroll verification method of Dan Ding Pavilion, recognized by the entire martial world. "As agreed," said 苏玄清, "three days from now, at dawn, the public discussion will begin. I will publicly display this jade slip to prove the authenticity of the evidence you hold. But there is a condition—" he paused, "you must complete the sacrifice before the public discussion." "How do we sacrifice?" asked 祝寒梨. "Take 30% of your essence cultivation, mix it together, and drop it into the recess at the top of the jade slip. The jade slip will absorb the essence, creating a 'blood oath'—only this oath can activate the scroll verification method, making it recognized by the entire martial world." 苏玄清 looked at 岳停舟, "Once you sacrifice, you will be weakened for at least twelve hours. During that time, if you are attacked, you will have almost no chance of fighting back." 岳停舟 held the jade slip tightly. The warm touch spread from his palm to his wrist, like a silent promise. He looked up: "How long does the sacrifice take?" "Half an hour," said 苏玄清. " “Elder Su.” “Speak.” “To stake the reputation of Danding Pavilion for a century in exchange for your endorsement…” Yue Tingzhou paused, “Is it worth it?” Su Xuanqing didn’t answer immediately. He walked to the furnace and reached out to lift the lid. A rush of scorching medicinal vapor poured out, carrying the bitter smell of ash. Three newly formed pills lay at the bottom of the furnace, their surfaces shimmering with a dark golden pattern. “Danding Pavilion has stood for three hundred years,” he said slowly, “not based on neutrality, but on ‘verifying authenticity.’” He closed the lid, the sound echoing heavily. “We decide the authenticity of the pills. We decide the authenticity of the contract. If we are not even willing to vouch for authenticity, then this neutrality… is nothing more than a veil for the cowardly.” He turned and took out two neatly folded sets of plain blue Taoist robes from the cabinet. The robes were washed pale, but the cuffs and collars were neatly pressed. The soft touch of the fabric, sun-dried, still retained the fragrance of pine. Su Xuanqing handed the robes over: “Put these on. The bloodstains on your clothes will attract unnecessary attention.” Zhu Hanli took the robes. The fabric felt soft and warm against her palm. She looked at Yue Tingzhou, who had already unbuttoned his outer robe, stained with dark brown blood, revealing the sweat-soaked undergarment. There was a fresh tear on his shoulder blade, the edges of the bandage stained with a light red. Su Xuanqing handed over a warm cloth. The cloth was soaked in cinnabar water, and it felt slightly hot against the skin. Zhu Hanli took the cloth and first wiped the dried blood crust from Yue Tingzhou’s face and neck. The warmth soothed his tense shoulders – the fatigue from seven days of fleeing was like a tide rising from his bones. He put on the clean robes. The fabric felt like a second skin against his skin, soft and smooth. The scent of sunlight drifted in through the collar, mingling with the fragrance of pine resin. For a moment, he almost wanted to close his eyes and just fall asleep next to the furnace. But footsteps echoed from outside the hall. They were faint, but numerous – at least a dozen people were moving up the small path from the back mountain. The sound of footsteps was mixed with the faint rustling of metal armor and the taut sound of bowstrings as crossbows were drawn. Su Xuanqing’s expression turned grim: “It’s a scouting party from Huo Qingya.” “They’re coming fast.” Zhu Hanli threw the cloth back into the basin and drew two short daggers from her waist. Yue Tingzhou held her wrist. “I’ll go.” He walked to the door of the hall and peered out through the crack. The night had completely fallen, but on the mountain path, a dozen torches were flickering – the orange glow formed a winding line, rapidly approaching the outer wall of the Elder’s residence. Beneath the torches were scouts wearing standard light armor. Each held a crossbow, the cold steel tips of the crossbow bolts glinting in the torchlight. The leader was a tall, thin figure with a half-iron mask, only revealing a pair of eyes. Those eyes were fixed on the door of the Elder’s residence, like a hawk eyeing its prey. “They don’t dare to attack directly,” Su Xuanqing said softly, “Danding Pavilion is still a neutral ground. Huo Qingya won’t launch a full-scale attack until he receives明确指令 from Xie Wuchen.” “Even a probe attack must be repelled.” Yue Tingzhou pushed open the door. The night wind blew in, carrying the dampness of the mountain vegetation. He stood in the doorway, his right hand loosely clenched – the faint blue aura reappeared on his fingertips, more concentrated this time, like a semi-transparent short blade. The leader of the scouting party saw him and made a gesture with his hand. A dozen crossbows were simultaneously raised, the crossbow bolts aimed at the direction of the door. “Release—” The word “release” hadn’t left his lips when Yue Tingzhou moved. He stepped out of the door, and the faint blue aura in his right hand suddenly extended, transforming into a streak of light that swept across the night sky. The streak of light didn't directly attack anyone, but instead, it swept along the ground – precisely severing the bowstrings of all the crossbows. The crisp sound of breaking bowstrings filled the night. A dozen crossbows were simultaneously rendered useless, and the crossbow bolts scattered on the ground. The scouts were stunned for a moment, but Yue Tingzhou had already charged into the crowd, twisting the wrist of the He channeled his true qi, and the energy coalesced again at his fingertips. But this time, the old wound on his chest suddenly throbbed with intense pain – the price of forcefully stimulating the transformation of energy. A gush of sweet, metallic liquid rose in his throat, and he gritted his teeth to swallow it back down, but a thin line of blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth. The iron-faced scout saw it. He sneered and swung his curved blade towards Yue Tingzhou's neck. The blade moved incredibly fast, whistling through the air. Yue Tingzhou dodged to the side, and the energy emanating from his right hand met the blade – a pale blue light clashed with the dark green curved knife, producing a piercing metallic screech. Sparks flew. The energy was momentarily dispersed, and Yue Tingzhou staggered back two steps, his back hitting the doorframe of the hall. The iron-faced scout pressed his attack, changing the downward swing to an upward thrust, aiming directly at his chest. Zhu Hanli's throwing darts arrived. The darts flew past the iron-faced scout's ear, embedding themselves in the stone wall behind him. The scout's movement faltered, and Yue Tingzhou seized this fleeting opportunity. He grasped the scout's wrist, which held the knife, with his left hand, and with his right hand, he formed his fingers into a sword-like shape, pointing towards the "qi hole" located three inches below the scout's Adam's apple. Before the point of his finger even touched, the iron-faced scout had already released his grip and dropped the knife. He wriggled away like an eel, turning and running down the mountain. The remaining scouts, seeing this, also began to retreat – a group of about a dozen people, dragging their injured companions, vanished into the darkness of the mountain path in the blink of an eye. Yue Tingzhou leaned against the doorframe, coughing up a mouthful of black blood. Zhu Hanli rushed over to support him, her fingertips touching his wrist. His pulse was chaotic, like a ship in a storm. The true qi surged through his meridians, almost tearing them apart. "You can't use your true qi anymore," she said, her voice tight. "If you use it again, your meridians will completely rupture." "I can't... how will we get out?" Yue Tingzhou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Su Xuanqing. Su Xuanqing walked out of the hall, holding the jade tablet. "There's a dangerous path on the back mountain," he said. "Only the elders of previous generations knew about it. The path is very narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass, and the exit is in the Black Pine Forest, thirty miles away. Huo Qingya's people don't know about this path, but –" he paused. "The path is carved into the side of a cliff, with a sheer drop on one side and a deep abyss on the other. Since you will be weakened after the sacrifice, taking that path... carries a great risk." "It's better than running into an ambush," Yue Tingzhou said, taking the jade tablet. The milky white tablet glowed with a warm light in the moonlight. He held it tightly, as if holding a token that led to life. Zhu Hanli also reached out, her fingertips touching the indentation at the top of the tablet – it was smooth and cool, waiting for the injection of blood. "When will the sacrifice take place?" she asked. "Now," Su Xuanqing said, turning to lead the way. "Follow me." The three of them passed through the back of the Elder's Hall and pushed open a hidden wooden door. Behind the door was a descending stone staircase, which led to a small, enclosed chamber. The chamber had no windows, only a long-burning lamp embedded in the wall. The lamp oil was mixed with calming herbs, and it emitted a faint, bitter aroma when it burned. Su Xuanqing placed the jade tablet next to a bowl and retreated to the door: "I will guard outside. The sacrifice requires complete concentration and must not be distracted." He paused and lowered his voice, "But there is one thing you must know immediately – the fake "mother scroll" forged by Xie Wuchen has been escorted by the guard and is being sent to the Wanmen Public Forum by cloud path tonight. You only have six hours." Yue