The evening breeze of late spring carried the scent of scallions from the old noodle stall at the alley entrance, sweeping through the narrow passage. The cobblestones were still damp from the afternoon's sudden rain, and the coolness seeped through the fabric of the boots, from the ankles upwards, causing the toes to feel numb and stiff. Yue Tingzhou walked half a step behind Zhu Hanli, his fingertips, calloused from years of practice, tracing the frayed edges of the fragment of the marriage contract. He was about to point out that the third line of the fragment, with its celestial stem markings, perfectly matched the sequence in the couple's marriage agreement, when he suddenly felt a sharp tingling sensation in his ears. It was the faint rustling of the dark-colored fabric of the assassins' clothing against the roof tiles, a sound even lighter than the fall of a needle, yet he, with his cultivation to the thirteenth level of the Stillwater Art, could perceive it clearly. He didn't turn around. With a flick of his left wrist, the iron ruler emerged from his sleeve, "唰," and struck three crisp sounds, shattering three blue-green poisoned throwing daggers that were sent back towards the walls, where they embedded themselves, creating three small, blackened holes. The poisonous fumes rose from the holes, touching the moss at the base of the walls, which instantly turned black and curled into charred remains. He simultaneously placed his hand on Zhu Hanli's shoulder, expelling a bit of his internal energy to steady her, pushing her firmly into the dead end of the alley, his dark-colored robes billowing in the wind as he stood firmly in front of her, shielding her. "Protect the fragment. Retreat behind me. Do not move without my command." His voice was steady, like a frozen lake, without a ripple. His fingertips still tingled from the force of the ruler's impact. "Got it, be careful of the poison on the blades. This deal isn't worth it." Zhu Hanli's response was quick and confident, without a hint of panic. Her fingertips had already reached for the heirloom silver mirror at her waist, the knuckles slightly pale from the pressure. The throwing daggers brushed past her ears, carrying the腥甜 scent of poison, causing her throat to constrict and her tongue to feel bitter. Yue Tingzhou pushed his Stillwater Art to its limit, and the internal energy surged through his meridians, exploding outwards. Twelve clear and consistent breaths were heard from the eaves of the houses on either side: the alleyway had been sealed off by three pre-laid steel gates, and there was only a narrow passage just wide enough for one person to retreat through, three feet behind her. Above, on the highest roof, hung a very heavy breath, steady as a mountain pressing down on the alley - it was Huo Qingya, who was setting up a trap, the coolness of the fingertips on the bowstring could pierce a person's skin even from a distance. Twelve assassins in dark-colored clothing simultaneously descended from the roofs, their faces covered with black cloth, revealing only two eyes that seemed to be poisoned. Their steel knives flashed with the same blue-green light as the throwing daggers, and the air around the blades carried the bitter almond scent of poison. Zhu Hanli twisted her wrist, and the silver mirror "啪" emerged, its surface angled to reflect the setting sun in the west, sending a blinding flash of golden light towards the first three assassins. The three assassins instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, revealing their vulnerability. Yue Tingzhou tapped his toes on the cobblestones and darted forward like an arrow released from a bow, using the "Constricting Throat" technique of the Thirteen Techniques. His internal energy burned intensely in his meridians, and the tip of the iron ruler, imbued with a pale green energy, lightly touched the throats of the three assassins, causing three muffled groans. The three assassins collapsed to the ground, instantly lifeless. He flicked his foot, kicking the steel knives that had fallen to the ground towards Zhu Hanli, the hilt landing perfectly in her palm. "Be careful of the arrow from the right." He called out, turning his head and swinging the ruler to block the three knives that slashed from the side. The crisp sound of the knives hitting the ruler echoed, causing cracks to appear in the skin of his tiger's mouth, and blood dripped onto the ruler. The force, angle, and arc of the three knives were identical, as if they had been carved from the same mold. Yue Tingzhou's pupils suddenly constricted - he had seen the same diagonal cut marks on the seventeen corpses of the assassins who had died in the investigation of the Thousand Mirrors鏢局's missing blade case three years ago. These people were not random bandits; they were specifically targeting them, a meticulously planned ambush. 霍青崖 stood on the rooftop, his fingertips resting on the bowstring, having already aimed at 祝寒梨's lower back. Seeing 岳停舟's use of the first three moves of the Heng律 Thirteen Hands, he paused. He frowned and retracted the bow, the string making a faint sound like a mosquito's buzz, but it was still audible to 岳停舟. 霍青崖 took a step back, retreating to the rooftop at the alley entrance, his figure disappearing into the deepening twilight. He didn't fire the arrow, but only left a blurry shadow looming over the entrance, and the resin fragrance from 霍家's unique bowstring lingered in the air, drifting down to touch 岳停舟's nostrils. 岳停舟, holding the captive, retreated to the dead end of the alley, just outside the range of the arrow. He pinched the captive's jaw, using just enough force to prevent him from biting the venom sac hidden in his molars. With his other hand, he pressed on the captive's shoulder well point, and a slight pressure caused the captive to grimace in pain, sweat beading on his forehead and dripping onto the cobblestones, creating small, wet patches. 祝寒梨 stood beside him, leaning against the wall, her left hand on the hidden pocket on her right arm where she kept the fragment, her breathing still a little ragged. The silver mirror in her hand reflected the warm light from the food stall at the entrance of the alley, making the face of the assassin flicker. Blood had already seeped from the wound on her left arm, staining the dark blue fabric of the pocket. The spicy aroma of ginger tea drifted in, mixing with the stench of blood and the damp smell of moss in the alley, creating a strange and unpleasant combination. 岳停舟 looked up at the blurry shadow on the rooftop, his fingertips slowly tightening. The person had clearly calculated their route, deliberately avoiding the main street and taking the alley, and had been watching them for more than three days. This was clearly beyond the authority of an ordinary field operative from the Tianming Book organization, and there must be someone higher up involved. He looked down at the captive, who was gasping in pain, and a coldness surged within him. 祝寒梨 leaned against the brick wall, the pain from her left arm was burning, and numbness crept along the meridians towards her elbow. She tried to clench her hand around the silver mirror, but as soon as she exerted any force, her arm felt like it was weighed down by a thousand pounds, and she couldn't summon any true energy. The mirror drooped to the side, reflecting the light from the food stall and making the captive's eyes unable to open, he could only tilt his head and groan. She tried to circulate a bit of true energy, but the meridians felt blocked, like strings that wouldn't move, and her heart sank – this wasn't ordinary blood-stopping poison, it was a specially made soft-muscle散 from the Tianming Book organization, which would immobilize her for at least three months, effectively crippling her combat ability. 岳停舟 pressed his fingertips on the captive's shoulder well point, the residual energy from the Heng律 Thirteen Hands still radiating heat in his meridians. He exhaled a bit of true energy, and the captive let out a piercing scream. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped onto the cobblestones, creating even larger wet patches. "Who sent you? What is your purpose?" His voice was as cold as the night wind in the alley, devoid of any emotion. The captive spat out a mouthful of blood and his eyes widened: "You dare obstruct the Tianming Book! The Yue family, the Zhu family, your entire clan will be listed on the blacklist and destroyed!" 岳停舟 pressed his fingertips even harder on the captive's shoulder, and a soft "click" was heard as his shoulder bone shifted, causing him to grimace in pain and unable to even scream. 祝寒梨 glanced at the shadow on the rooftop, and heard the faint sound of the bowstring tightening, like a mosquito's buzz, which made her ears ache. "Be careful of the arrow, he can afford to wait, we can't afford to lose this shipment." The numbness in her left arm had already spread to her shoulder, and the fragment of the agreement hidden in the pocket was chafing against her wound. 岳停舟 looked up at the rooftop, and 霍青崖's arrow tip flashed with a cold light, clearly ready to silence them. He pressed his fingertips towards the captive's Tianzhong point, a pressure point on the hand that would cause excruciating pain. The captive finally couldn't hold on, his body trembling like a sieve, and he mumbled: "It's... it's the General Supervisor... Xie..." Before he could ... "Xie Wuchun,字执玄, the highest authority overseeing the Tianming Book," Yue Tingzhou's voice deepened as he touched the cold copper whistle against her hidden pouch. The markings were the unique identifier of the Henglu Department embedded in the Tianming Book. He paused for a moment, then discreetly withdrew his hand. "Our opponent is far greater than we imagined." Wang Laotou, the owner of the noodle stall at the entrance to the alley, hobbled over, leaning on his cane. He was an old acquaintance of the Wanjing鏢局 (Wanjing鏢局), accustomed to the brutal realities of the江湖 (jianghu), and he didn't panic at the sight of the corpses on the ground. He held two steaming bowls of ginger tea, the aroma of ginger mixed with the sweetness of brown sugar, which helped to dispel some of the stench of blood. "Pear Blossom, you're injured, aren't you? Drink this, it will warm you up. It's made with dried ginger, which is very effective at detoxifying." 祝寒梨 couldn't lift her left arm, so Yue Tingzhou brought the bowl to her lips. The heat from the ginger tea flushed her cheeks, and the spicy warmth spread from her throat down to her stomach, chasing away the chill that had settled over her for most of the night. She took a bite of the hot meat bun that Wang Laotou had given her, the aroma of oil mixing with the sweetness of the ginger tea, and she suddenly smiled, her words carrying the characteristic calculating tone of the Wanjing鏢局. "This deal may have been a loss, but once you accept it, you have to see it through. We can't ruin the reputation of the Wanjing鏢局." Yue Tingzhou also took a sip of the ginger tea, the warmth spreading through his meridians, a stark contrast to the coldness of the waist badge in his hand. The sound of the night watchman's梆子 (bangzi) drifted slowly through the air, mingling with the distant barking of dogs, and the stench of blood in the alley gradually dissipated in the night breeze. He traced the "Xie" character etched into the waist badge with his fingertips, and suddenly remembered a case file from seven years ago, a broken piece of jewelry recovered from the site of the Wanjing鏢局 massacre, bearing the same identical pattern. He also remembered the death warrant 沈砺川 had given him three days ago, stating that if he couldn't uncover the truth behind the Wanjing鏢局 case, he would have to present his head. And he also remembered the so-called political marriage he had been ordered to fulfill. It turned out that he had never been investigating a new case, but rather an old grudge that had been buried for seven years. The three-day deadline set by 霍青崖 was like a tightly stretched steel wire, ready to snap at any moment. The fragment of the "life-saving voucher" hidden in 祝寒梨's pouch was slightly warm. The original thirty-five marks of lifespan were already missing eight, leaving only twenty-seven, which shone intensely. They had finally touched the most核心 (core) layer of the Tianming Book, and had, in effect, put one foot in the door of death. He held the cold waist badge in his fingers and suddenly understood – 沈砺川 sent him to this marriage not to forge a bond between the Yue and 祝 families, but to bring him into the open, to use him as bait to lure out Xie Zhixuan.