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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 could see 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.
"You can't escape." Zhao Zongqi picked up the dagger with a cold smile. "With this piece of evidence, we can report 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 rushed toward the village. The leader held aloft a flag with the blood-red character "Suppress," which stung everyone's eyes.
The phosphorescence of the mass grave flickered in the twilight as Lin Dahe crouched low, weaving through the overgrown grass that reached half his height. With every few steps, he glanced back anxiously. It was already past dusk, yet Cui Xiaoman had yet to appear. He took out a notebook with an embroidered cover from his pocket and flipped to the front page in the dim light—he noticed that the ink of a small line had inexplicably turned a strange crimson.
"Don't move!"
A cold blade suddenly pressed against his neck. Lin Dahe stiffened, but he heard muffled laughter from behind him. In an instant, when he turned around, Cui Xiaoman had nimbly retreated three steps, waving a wooden knife stained with mulberry juice.
"With that little courage, you think you're a demon?" The corners of her mouth curled up high, and with some dry grass tangled in her hair, she looked like a little ghost who had just crawled out of a grave.
"What is this...?"
"A trick to deceive the eyes." Cui Xiaoman pulled out a clay jar from her clothes. "Doctor Li prepared this madder juice; it turns red when it meets alkali." She dipped her finger in the liquid and drew several crooked symbols on a tombstone. To her surprise, those symbols matched exactly with those in Mad Old Woman's vegetable cellar. "The county office posted a new notice this morning—saying they want to remeasure your family's land."
Lin Dahe's heart skipped a beat. The system's holographic screen suddenly unfolded, showing Zhou Liangzhang leading people toward his home. Cui Xiaoman tugged at him and dove into the bushes, dragging out a bundle hidden beneath the overgrown grass: "Change into this."
Inside the bundle were patched brown clothes and an old straw hat. Just as Lin Dahe tied his clothes, he heard Cui Xiaoman gasp—she was staring at the still-active holographic screen.
"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 earth energy!"
Cui Xiaoman shot him a skeptical glance before suddenly pointing at a red dot on the screen: "That Zhou Liangzhang is accompanied by 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 courtyard, Zhou Liangzhang was tapping on boundary stones next to the drying ground with an abacus: "The county magistrate has ordered that any disputes over land boundaries must be remeasured!" He unfurled an official document bearing a large red seal and nearly poked Lin Dahe in the face.
Lin Dahe pretended to look fearful as he lowered his head, but his gaze was glued to that official seal—the color was glaringly bright, lacking any of the stable luster that genuine seals made with vermilion mixed with gold powder should have. Even more suspicious was that in "Chongzhen Year Six," the last stroke of "Six" should have been upward but instead lay flat like a ruler.
"I obey your command." He performed a deep bow and took advantage of it to signal Cui Xiaoman discreetly. "Please wait a moment while I fetch a measuring line."
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 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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