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墨書 Inktalez
Cui Xiaoman's scream pulled Lin Dahe back to reality. Zhou Liangzhang's dagger was merely three inches from his throat, and in the cold light, he saw the character "Chuang" engraved on the hilt—it was indeed the standard issue of the Chuang Wang Army!
Zhao Zongqi's dart and Cui Xiaoman's sickle arrived simultaneously. Zhou Liangzhang was struck on the wrist, and the dagger clattered to the ground. The scoundrel took advantage of the rolling motion to grab a handful of dirt and fling it into everyone's eyes. By the time the dust settled, he had vanished without a trace.
"He won't escape." Zhao Zongqi picked up the dagger with a cold laugh. "With this piece of evidence, we can report him to the commander..."
His words were interrupted by a sudden blast of a horn. In the distance, dust rose along the official road as a troop of cavalry galloped toward the village. The leading figure held aloft a flag bearing the blood-red character "Suppress," which stung everyone's eyes.
The phosphorescent flames of the mass grave flickered in the twilight as Lin Dahe crouched low, weaving through the overgrown grass that reached halfway up his body. Every few steps, he glanced back anxiously. The hour had passed, yet Cui Xiaoman had yet to appear. He pulled out a notebook with an embroidered cover from his pocket and flipped to the front page in the dim light—he noticed that the small characters had inexplicably turned a strange crimson color.
"Don't move!"
A cold blade suddenly pressed against his neck. Lin Dahe stiffened but heard muffled laughter behind him. As he turned around, Cui Xiaoman had already nimbly retreated three steps, waving a wooden knife stained with mulberry juice.
"With such little courage, you think you're a demon?" The corners of her mouth curled up mischievously, her hair adorned with dried grass, resembling a little ghost that had just crawled out of a grave.
"What is this...?"
"A trick to deceive the eyes." Cui Xiaoman pulled out a ceramic jar from her bosom. "Doctor Li's madder juice turns red when it meets alkali." She dipped her finger in the liquid and drew several crooked symbols on a tombstone; they matched exactly with those in Mad Old Woman's vegetable cellar. "The county office posted a new notice this morning—saying they will remeasure your family's fields."
Lin Dahe's heart skipped a beat. The system interface suddenly unfolded, displaying Zhou Liangzhang leading people toward his home. Cui Xiaoman tugged at him, pulling him into some bushes and dragging out a bundle from a dirt pit covered by weeds. "Put this on."
Inside the bundle were patched-up brown clothes and an old straw hat. Just as Lin Dahe fastened his clothing, he heard Cui Xiaoman gasp—she was staring at the still-active system interface.
"This... this glowing stone slab..."
"A feng shui compass from the Western Regions!" Lin Dahe fumbled for a piece of Nitre for cover. "It can measure the earth's energy!"
Cui Xiaoman shot him an incredulous glance before suddenly pointing at a red dot on the interface. "That Zhou Liangzhang has four Yard Officers with him, and..." She squinted to identify moving markers, "Aunt Ma is carrying a basket—this can't be good!"
In Lin's family courtyard, Zhou Liangzhang was tapping on boundary stones beside the drying ground with an abacus. "The county magistrate has ordered that all boundary disputes must be remeasured!" He unfurled an official document bearing a large red seal, nearly poking it into Lin Dahe's face.
Lin Dahe feigned terror as he lowered his head, but his gaze was glued to that official seal—the color was glaringly bright, lacking the stable luster of genuine cinnabar mixed with gold powder. Even more suspicious was that in "Chongzhen Year Six," the last stroke of "six" should have been upward but instead was straight as an arrow.
"Student obeys." He performed a deep bow and seized the opportunity to signal Cui Xiaoman discreetly. "Please wait a moment, let me fetch a measuring rope."
In the kitchen, Cui Xiaoman was drawing a simple map on the wall with charcoal: "The One-Armed Veteran went toward the county town this morning; Huo Lang Zhang said he saw him enter the Inspection Office..."
"We're out of time." Lin Dahe pulled half a blue brick from behind a water tank. "Do you recognize this?"
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