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墨書 Inktalez
Cui Xiaoman's scream pulled Lin Dahe back to reality. Zhou Liangzhang's dagger was just three inches from his throat, and in the cold light, he could see the character "Chuang" engraved on the hilt—indeed, it was 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 the eyes of everyone present. By the time the dust settled, he had vanished without a trace.
"You can't escape." Zhao Zongqi picked up the dagger with a cold smile. "With this piece of evidence, we can report it to the commander..."
His words were abruptly interrupted by a sudden blast of a horn. In the distance, dust rose along the official road as a squadron of cavalry raced toward the village. The leading figure held aloft a flag bearing the blood-red character "Jiao," which pierced everyone's eyes.
The phosphorescence of the mass grave flickered in the dusk as Lin Dahe crouched low, weaving through waist-high weeds. Every few steps, he glanced back anxiously. The hour was late, yet Cui Xiaoman had yet to appear. He pulled out a notebook from his pocket, its embroidered cover glinting faintly as he flipped to the front page—he noticed that the small characters had turned an eerie crimson at some point.
"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?" Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, 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." Cui Xiaoman pulled out a ceramic jar from her bosom. "Doctor Li's madder juice turns red when it meets alkali." She dipped her fingers in the liquid and drew several crooked symbols on a gravestone; they looked exactly like those in Mad Old Woman's vegetable cellar. "The county office posted a new notice this morning—planning to remeasure your family's land."
Lin Dahe's heart skipped a beat. The system interface suddenly unfolded, showing Zhou Liangzhang leading people toward his home. Cui Xiaoman grabbed him and dove into the bushes, pulling out a bundle from a dirt pit concealed by weeds: "Put this on."
Inside the bundle were patched brown clothes and an old straw hat. Just as Lin Dahe tied his belt, he heard Cui Xiaoman gasp—she was staring at the still-active system interface.
"This... this glowing stone tablet..."
"A feng shui compass from the Western Regions!" Lin Dahe fumbled for a piece of nitrate stone for cover. "It can measure earth energy!"
Cui Xiaoman shot him a skeptical glance before suddenly pointing at a red dot on the interface: "Zhou Liangzhang is bringing four Yard Officers, and..." She squinted at the moving markers, "Aunt Ma is carrying a basket—this can't be good!"
In the Lin family's courtyard, Zhou Liangzhang was striking a boundary stone with an abacus: "The county magistrate has ordered that all boundary disputes must be remeasured!" He unfurled an official document stamped with a large red seal, nearly poking Lin Dahe in the face.
Lin Dahe pretended to bow in fear but kept his gaze 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 the character for "six" in "the sixth year of Chongzhen," which should have been upward-stroked but was instead straight as a ruler.
"Student obeys." He performed a deep bow and discreetly signaled to Cui Xiaoman, "Please wait a moment while I fetch some 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; Peddler Zhang said he saw him enter the inspection office..."
"We don't have time." Lin Dahe pulled out half a blue brick from behind the water vat. "Do you recognize this?"
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