At the second hour of the morning, the wind, carrying the damp chill from the western burial ground of the city, seeped through the cracks in the windows of the funeral parlor, swirling the dust from the lingering incense on the table. Yue Tingzhou crushed a half of the secret, concealment charm crafted by the Heng Law Enforcement Agency. A faint golden light instantly enveloped him and Zhu Hanli, suppressing their auras to a level lighter than dust – this charm would only last for the duration of a stick of incense. They had to examine the three corpses before the incense burned out, otherwise, even sentinels from the Heavenly Mandate Book, even if three feet away, could detect their presence. The three thin coffins were lined up in the shadows of the northwest corner. Each coffin lid had a half of a crimson Heavenly Mandate marriage contract seal engraved on the upper left corner, like solidified bloodstains in the dim light. As the squeaking of rats scurrying across the rotting wood filled the air, Yue Tingzhou subtly pressed his fingers on Zhu Hanli's wrist, signaling her to remain still. He then used his "Listening Breath" technique to scan the area within a radius of fifteen feet, confirming that there were no hidden sentinels before he stepped forward and pressed on the ring of the first coffin lid, using the force of his fingers to lift it open a few inches. The musty smell of the corpses mixed with the crimson ink of the seals wafted out. He held his breath and channeled his internal energy to dispel the foul air, revealing the clothing of the deceased, which had a golden knife-shaped pattern embroidered on the left chest – it was Zhao Heng, the former vice leader of the Golden Knife Sect, who had publicly renounced the marriage contract a month ago. The fabric on the deceased's chest was torn open, revealing faint green fingerprints embedded in the skin. The indentations of the fingerprints were precisely aligned with the vital points of the chest, and the edges still showed traces of the lingering chill of internal energy, a sign of an internal martial arts technique. He slowly inserted a cold iron autopsy needle into the deepest part of the fingerprints. The cool needle touched the congealed blood, and with a slight turn of his wrist, he determined the time of death to be less than three days. His fingers brushed against the deceased's collar, reaching into a hidden pocket to find a half-shaped iron dart resembling a hawk's claw, with the blade quenched with the unique frost poison of the "Frost Falcon" under the command of Huo Qingya. He deliberately touched a spot of the poison and compared it to the records in his mind. The patterns and the poison were identical. Zhu Hanli leaned closer, her fingertips unconsciously fiddling with the small silver abacus beads hanging from her waist. In a voice so low that it was almost inaudible, she said, "According to the rules of鏢 (dart delivery), this is a blatant piece of planted evidence." Just as Yue Tingzhou was about to nod, the sound of boots crunching on gravel suddenly came from the front door of the funeral parlor – it was a patrol team of sentinels from the Heavenly Mandate Book. He proactively pulled Zhu Hanli further into the shadows of the coffins. His fingertips quickly performed a distracting technique and tapped the coffin lid, creating a faint mist that completely concealed the figures of both of them. The sound of the scabbard hitting the doorframe, less than three feet away from where they were hiding, caused a sharp pain in the wound on the back of his hand, which had been previously cut by a hidden dart. He didn't move, clenched the hawk-shaped dart in his palm, and pressed the knuckles against the cold, hard wood of the coffin, suppressing his breathing to the point where it was barely perceptible. The sound of footsteps finally faded, disappearing into the woods outside the funeral parlor. Yue Tingzhou raised the lid of the second coffin, revealing the corpse of Su Lian, a female disciple of the Cangwu Sect, the second person to renounce the marriage contract last month. The faint green fingerprints on her chest were identical to those on Zhao Heng, and a half-shaped hawk-shaped dart was also hidden in her pocket. He used his "Listening Breath" technique to probe the remnants of their spiritual meridians, both of which were pure spiritual meridians of the seventh rank or higher, perfectly matching the threshold for the Heavenly Mandate Book to collect souls. Even the hollow marks left by the extraction of their spiritual meridians perfectly matched the records in the files he had previously seen. He immediately recorded this screening standard in his mind – it was a core piece of evidence for the algorithm used by the Heavenly Mandate Book. When the lid of the third coffin was opened, the corpse of Lin Yan, the young leader of The two of them silently climbed over the back wall and walked towards the city, stepping on the sparse vegetation of the burial ground. Twilight deepened, and crows in the nearby woods called out three times, startling the dry leaves from the branches. Yue Tingzhou clutched the jade fragment in his arms. The smooth jade, usually warm to the touch, felt like ice against his chest. He knew that all his previous investigations had been wrong – Huo Qingya wasn't the murderer. The real culprit was hidden among those he trusted most, perhaps even Shen Litchuan, who had even handed him the investigative directives. The outline of the dilapidated temple was visible in the woods ahead, and the faint smell of burning grass drifted on the wind. He slowed his pace, waiting for Zhu Hanli to catch up. Their shadows were close together in the dim moonlight, and they didn't speak, both knowing that what they were about to face was far more dangerous than the external pursuit by the Heavenly Mandate Book. The wooden door of the dilapidated temple creaked shut, blocking out the night wind and the cries of the crows. Zhu Hanli scanned the spiderwebs in the corners and the shadows behind the altar, using her fingertips to release a touch of "Frost Falcon" energy to probe every dark corner, confirming that there were no hidden sentries with lingering traces of energy. Then, she took out a flint and lit the dry grass piled in front of the stone altar. The orange flames flickered, licking at the ends of her hair, and the air was instantly filled with the smell of burning grass, mixed with the faint scent of pear blossoms from her clothes, as well as the smell of grave soil and the musty odor of corpses clinging to their clothes, causing a tightness in the temples. Yue Tingzhou reached into his arms and pulled out a chipped, roughly made ceramic bowl. He poured in some coarse tea he had been carrying and unconsciously turned the rim of the bowl three times before sitting down – this was a habit he couldn't break before negotiations. His fingertips were still stained with the crimson ink from the autopsy, feeling cold like ice. Earlier, he had forcibly activated the "Stillwater Technique," which had been stuck at a bottleneck for three years, to identify the true energy attribute of the victim's wound. Now, his meridians were tingling with numbness, but there was a warm, pale green energy in his dantian, which had just reached the threshold of the thirteenth level. He didn't speak, watching as Zhu Hanli took out three "Frost Falcon" throwing daggers wrapped in oiled cloth and placed them one by one on the stone altar covered with dry grass. The cold light on the surface of the iron daggers reflected the firelight, making it seem to tremble. Zhu Hanli reached into her waistband and took out a silver abacus, tapping the beads three times, the sound of the beads clacking together. Her tone was the usual briskness of a courier calculating gains and losses: "According to the镖行 (鏢行 -鏢行, a courier service) rules, evidence seized must be accounted for. These three 'Frost Falcon' throwing daggers are exclusive equipment of Huo Qingya's subordinates. Based on the previous estimates, three lives can be attributed to him." "Tomorrow, we can cast our net and apprehend people. We'll gather the evidence and present it to the Grand Assembly before three days are up, so we can avoid the Yue and Yue clans being labeled as rebellious and having their disciples' cultivation qualifications revoked," Yue Tingzhou said, not interrupting. He swallowed hard, then reached into his arms and pulled out a piece of yellow paper with a pale green fingerprint on it, pressing it onto the stone altar. The energy around the fingerprint was still faintly trembling, it was evidence he had actively collected during the autopsy. Then, he reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out the jade fragment, gently placing it next to the three cold iron daggers. The jade was warm from his body temperature, and a little dust from the victim's hair was clinging to its surface. Moonlight streamed through the leaky windows of the temple, illuminating the serrated edge of the jade. His tone was more polite than usual. The more turbulent his emotions, the more he adhered to the formal tone of the Heng律司 (Heng律司 - Heng Law Enforcement Agency): "Miss Zhu, the previous assumptions were incorrect. According to the evidence, the fatal wounds on all three corpses were caused by the 'Stillwater Technique' at the twelfth level, and Huo Qingya practices the 'Frost Falcon Blade' ice-based martial art. It is impossible for him to leave traces of pale green energy." Zhu Hanli's hand, which was tapping the abacus, stopped, and the silver beads rattled erratically. She looked up, her expression already grim: "The 'Stillwater Technique' is a secret technique passed down by the Heng Law Enforcement Agency. Seven years ago, when I 岳停舟's fingertips touched the jade fragment, a coolness spreading through his fingertips and into his veins, effectively suppressing the throbbing ache in his meridians. "Firstly, ten years ago, he died in the northern border, his remains buried in the frozen ground near Yanmen Pass. Secondly, it is my mentor, Shen Liuchuan. Thirdly... it is me." He lowered his voice when he said the last three words, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of the coarse ceramic bowl. He couldn't possibly be the murderer; during the autopsy, he had specifically provided a sample of his own qi for comparison, and the patterns of qi on the fingerprints were completely different from his. The remaining answer was already clear. 祝寒梨 was stunned for a moment, not speaking. She reached out and took the jade fragment from him. The fragment was still warm from the fire. She gently wiped away the dirt on the surface, and fine carvings were revealed on the断面. She suddenly remembered something and took out the half-piece of Heng Law Enforcement Agency badge that she had found in the祝家 ancestral hall. She placed it against the jade fragment, and the two pieces fit together perfectly. In the recessed area where they joined, there was a tiny "Li" character, Shen Liuchuan's unique mark, only found on his personal jade tokens. 岳停舟's breathing stopped abruptly. The qi he had just broken through to in his dantian surged violently, and his blood vessels felt like they were filled with ice. He froze in place. The image of 沈砺川 hanging a small copper whistle with the same mark around his waist many years ago flashed through his mind. At the time, 沈砺川 held his wrist and said, "Holding this whistle is like seeing me. The Heng Law Enforcement Agency upholds the law above all else and shows no leniency." Now, this fragment of jade appeared in the hair of the deceased, effectively branding his most trusted mentor with the word "murderer." He opened his mouth, but no words came out. The coolness had already spread to the back of his neck. He could even smell the faint scent of ink that lingered on the whistle, the scent of the documents that 沈砺川 had reviewed for years. 祝寒梨 didn't press him about his past with 沈砺川. She gently placed her hand on the back of his hand, which was clenched around the ceramic bowl. Her palm was warm, with a faint metallic scent of silver abacuses. Their fingertips were almost touching. Her voice was soft, not accusatory, but firm, like a镖行 leader sharing the risks: "According to the rules of the鏢行, if the employer betrays, the鏢队 cannot follow the old route and must take a detour. Our previous plans are now completely wrong. 霍青崖 is a scapegoat. The real murderer is behind us. The risk of this transaction has tripled. I, 祝, am staking the entire fortune of my family on you. You must give me a reliable answer." 岳停舟's tense shoulders slowly relaxed. He closed his eyes and opened them again, his expression returning to the calm demeanor of a Heng Law Enforcement Agency undercover agent. He flicked his fingertips, and a newly formed qi symbol from the 静潭 realm fell into 祝寒梨's palm, the pale green light shining faintly: "This is a qi symbol I just formed. Crushing it will send out a signal unique to the thirteenth level of my 静潭 formula, which only 容栖梧, the head of the neutral派, will recognize. According to the law, 沈砺川 is a suspect in a major crime. We need to obtain his travel records for the past six months and compare them with the death times of the three deceased. And..." He paused, remembering that last year, when he went to 沈砺川's study to report on an old case, there was a half-卷 with a crimson cover on the desk, the crimson seal on the cover was the same as the seal for the marriage contract, and at the time, 沈砺川 said it was an old宗卷. Now, it was highly likely that it was a fragment of the mother卷 of the marriage contract. "He may have hidden core evidence we need in his study." 祝寒梨 nodded, clicking her abacus beads, her eyes shining like polished light: "There are twenty-eight days until the万门 public assembly. Three days from now, 霍青崖 will ambush the 万镜镖局. We only have two days. Tomorrow, you will pretend to be a clerk delivering documents and infiltrate the Heng Law Enforcement Agency branch to retrieve confidential files. You have the暗纹 badge of a direct descendant, so it shouldn't be difficult to get in. I will be waiting for you at the tea shop outside. If you don't come out within two hours, He主动 pulled Zhu Hanli into the shadows behind the offering table, using the newly mastered thirteenth level of the Jingtan Art to conceal their breaths. His fingertips tightened around the copper whistle that Shen Litchuan had given him years ago; the cold metal pressed painfully against his palm. He could clearly hear the sound of the whistle, and the rhythm was the exclusive signal used by the Henglu Division to apprehend wanted criminals. Shen Litchuan's people had already reached the entrance of the ruined temple.