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墨書 Inktalez
The thick smoke of Azure Dragon Square turned Morning Star into Blood Eye. As I rode over the shattered tiles, the scorching air lifted my veil. The charred beams resembled giant beasts, Skeletons piercing the sky, while remnants of unburned account pages floated in the air, faintly revealing the Cinnabar seal of Yongchang Grain House—this was the imperial merchant entrusted by the court to transport Disaster Relief Grain to the northern rivers.
"Your Highness, be careful!" Zi Juan suddenly grabbed my sleeve. Just half an inch in front of my embroidered golden boots, a crack in the ground oozed black water, and a pungent smell of saltpeter mixed with the stench of corpses rushed toward me. I crouched down and picked up a bit of brown powder, rubbing it between my fingers; the ratio of Sulfur to natron was identical to that used by the Ministry of War's Firearms Division.
Not far away, from deep within the ruins came the sound of clashing iron. Eighteen Black Armored Guards were using their weapons to clear away debris. Suddenly someone exclaimed, "This corpse is suspicious!" I lifted my skirts and hurried forward; the charred corpse's right hand was gripping tightly onto an Azure Brick, with a severed finger adorned by a Liujin Chilong Ring—exactly like the one worn by the assassin last night.
The hand wearing the Liujin Chilong Ring was clawing at the stone crevice, pointing toward the location agreed upon in yesterday's blood letter. The path of this Dark Channel coincided perfectly with the Imperial Map presented by Cui Lyu, where Sulfur residue had formed a three-inch thick layer.
I crouched again and rubbed some more brown powder between my fingers; the ratio of Sulfur to natron matched exactly with that of the Dark Channel sediment layer.
"Fetch ice water." I tore off a piece of cloth to cover my mouth and nose. When cold water splashed onto the charred corpse's chest and abdomen, an indigo tattoo suddenly appeared among the scorched flesh: a two-headed serpent entwined around a Dripping Blood Curved Blade, marking it as belonging to an assassin from Southern Liang Kingdom. But what was even more puzzling was the thick callus at the tiger's mouth on its left hand—an indication that this person had been a scholar who held a brush for many years.
Zi Juan suddenly tugged at my sleeve. Following her terrified gaze, I saw that within the corpse's gaping mouth lay half a wax seal glimmering faintly. As I used a silver hairpin to extract it, the commander of the Black Armored Guards suddenly drew his sword three inches: "Your Highness, this item should be handed over to Dali Temple..."
A chill ran through me as I saw his blade flash; I severed the Jade Tally on his hilt and stepped on it as it fell to the ground, crushing the wax seal beneath my foot. The silk cloth soaked in medicine revealed Cinnabar script under morning light: "On the day of Jingzhe, at three quarters past You hour, guards change at Xuanwu Gate; three long and two short partridges cry."
"Send orders to the Nine Gates Supervisor." I tossed the secret letter to a Dark Guard behind me but noticed ink suddenly appearing on its back—the second layer of hidden text revealed only when heated. It depicted a winding Dark Channel with twelve red crosses, precisely matching Cui Lyu's complete Imperial Map obtained at such great cost. When I saw that some red crosses overlapped with six government offices, an icy dread shot up my spine.
"Elder Sister is quite interested." Chu Tiankuo crushed half a charred bone under his patterned boots; behind him, Dali Temple's men had surrounded the ruins completely. "Why must you personally investigate this? Why not hand over evidence to..." His gaze lingered on the secret letter in my hand like a wolf catching scent of blood.
I suddenly pointed toward the southeast corner: "Prince, can you smell Dragon's Blood Incense?" Seizing his momentary distraction, I released a hidden dart from my sleeve that shattered a jar behind some remaining walls. Over twenty unburned secret letters fluttered like white butterflies; one landed right on his golden-threaded robe—its signature bore Southern Liang National Seal’s Cinnabar mark, vibrant and dripping.
Chu Tiankuo’s expression changed drastically as he lifted his foot to crush it; I threw out silver threads that wrapped around his ankle: "Prince, be careful; this may be tainted with Bone Dissolving Powder." At that moment, Dali Temple’s Deputy Pei Huai Jin arrived with his men; he wore dark official robes embroidered with silver lines depicting a mythical creature that exuded authority amidst smoke and dust.
"I am ordered to investigate," he declared as he unfurled a bright yellow scroll. His gaze narrowed when it swept over Chu Tiankuo’s robe corner where the secret letter lay. "I request Second Prince accompany me to Dali Temple for discussion."
I watched coldly as Chu Tiankuo was "invited" onto a carriage but turned only to meet Pei Huai Jin’s meaningful gaze. Under pretense of receiving secret letters, he slipped a cold object into my palm—it was half a blood-stained Tiger Talisman that fit perfectly with what I had obtained last night.
On our way back to the palace, fine rain fell outside the carriage curtain. As one corner was lifted by the wind, it revealed the dark eaves of Xingbu Prison—the place where assassins had been interrogated three days ago—now seemingly echoing with mournful crows.
"Your Highness, your hand..." Zi Juan suddenly exclaimed in alarm as she hurriedly wrapped my burning wrist with her handkerchief; those Lan Wen patterns writhed like living creatures under her touch. I jerked my hand back; somehow my palm had revealed indigo Lan Wen patterns. In my previous life when I had been forced to drink poison wine, I had seen such strange designs—only then they had covered an enemy's hand.
It must have been from touching that wax seal which contained Thousand Mechanisms Tether poison. This secret poison from Southern Liang Kingdom would flare up during full moons; its antidote required finding its creator.
Thunder rumbled outside, snapping me back to reality; this year’s first spring thunder came unusually early. I crushed an antidote vial in my grip, letting shards cut into my palm. Since Southern Liang Kingdom sought to fulfill their Jingzhe agreement, let this scheme burn even brighter—after all, those who have been reborn fear nothing more than mutual destruction.
As time pointed toward Shen hour, I stood before an ice mirror watching as blood water in a bronze basin grew darker and darker. Suddenly mist covered the bronze mirror; fragmented images emerged: A man wearing a Bronze Demon Mask buried Venom Worms into a girl’s Heart—the pattern on his boots matched exactly what Chu Hengdi wore today.
The reflection twisted abruptly as memories from my past life gnawed at my nerves like venomous snakes: In Southern Liang Kingdom’s palace dungeon, someone had also drawn such Lan Wen on my wrist. The man wearing a Bronze Demon Mask once said: "On Jingzhe day, I shall come for Venom King."
A sudden sting shot through my fingertips as green plum blossoms in an azure porcelain vase wilted rapidly. Petals fell onto fragments of secret letters; upon contact with blood they revealed new writing: "Midnight You Shi, Imperial Ancestral Temple Underground Palace." This was written in Southern Liang Kingdom’s sorcery script visible only to those afflicted by Thousand Mechanisms Tether.
I tore open my clothing; Lan Wen on my Heart had coalesced into an ouroboros symbol. When Zi Juan entered carrying medicinal soup, ripples in her bowl formed arrows pointing directly toward Northeast Pillars of Coiling Dragons—where hidden chambers sealed by previous emperors lay concealed.
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