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墨書 Inktalez
Indeed, after the flood receded, the water flowing from the filtration channel was clearer than ever. The system indicated that all parameters met drinking standards, while a bright red countdown timer stood at [55:07:33].
Just as everyone was expressing their gratitude to the Mad Old Woman, Lin Dahe's system interface suddenly flickered violently: [Emergency Alert: Zhou Liangzhang has bribed the County Magistrate with twenty taels of silver, accusing you of illegally mining Nitre!]
He was about to warn everyone when hurried hoofbeats echoed from the village entrance. The One-Armed Veteran shoved him into a pile of hay, saying, "It's the Inspection Office! They’re armed!"
Cui Xiaoman quickly grabbed a spinning top floating on the water and handed it to him. "Take the waterway! Hurry!"
Lin Dahe's last glance before diving into the channel caught sight of a constable’s gleaming waist knife and Zhou Liangzhang triumphantly holding up a crimson official document with a seal.
The chill from the water seeped into his bones. Lin Dahe held his breath and let the rushing current carry him toward the abandoned mill. After drifting for over a hundred paces, he grasped a cluster of exposed tree roots and struggled to climb ashore. The spinning top in his hand had swelled from soaking, and a faint red liquid seeped from its wood grain—like tree sap soaked in blood.
In the distance, he could hear the rough shouts of constables. Through the gaps in the reeds, he saw five Yard Officers in dark uniforms searching house by house. The leading County Magistrate wore a green official robe, and the crane on his chest insignia had been worn smooth, rendering its pattern unrecognizable.
"Sir! Over here!" one Yard Officer suddenly burst out from Lin Dahe's home, holding high that jar of Nitre.
The County Magistrate squinted his triangular eyes and pinched some white crystals between his fingers. "Illegal mining of saltpeter carries eighty lashes and exile for three thousand miles." His gaze suddenly fell upon the filtering device in the courtyard, and his brow furrowed. "This black powder..."
"Your Excellency, it's Bai Cao Shuang." Lin Dahe stepped out from behind the haystack, deliberately letting his wet clothes cling to him. "A family recipe for purifying water."
The County Magistrate's mustache twitched. "Nonsense! The Compendium of Materia Medica states that Bai Cao Shuang is soot from cooking stoves; it cannot be such a coarse substance!"
"Please see clearly, Your Excellency." Lin Dahe bowed deeply. "This is the Zhuge Military Water Filtration Method left by Wolong. During his southern campaigns, it was precisely this method that purified toxic waters."
A glimmer of greed flashed in the County Magistrate's eyes. The system promptly displayed information about him: [Chen County Magistrate, a scholar obsessed with strange techniques and particularly fond of collecting ancient texts and secret recipes.]
"Oh?" The County Magistrate's tone immediately shifted. "Can you demonstrate?"
Lin Dahe retrieved a bamboo tube and a ceramic bowl to publicly demonstrate the filtration process. As murky water transformed into clarity, the County Magistrate even took a sip himself, exclaiming, "It truly has an aromatic flavor!" He suddenly lowered his voice. "I’ve heard you can use Nitre to make ice?"
"Just a minor skill..." Lin Dahe caught sight of the One-Armed Veteran signaling to Cui Xiaoman. "If Your Excellency doesn’t mind my humble abode..."
"Let’s go!" The County Magistrate flicked his sleeve, and two Yard Officers immediately seized Lin Dahe and escorted him inside.
In the main room, Lin Dahe sprinkled Nitre into a water vat. The white crystals churned and dissolved in the water, quickly forming frost on the vat's walls. The County Magistrate watched intently, oblivious to how his official robe was getting soaked.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" He reached out to touch the frost. "Back at Elder Yan's residence..."
Before he could finish speaking, the One-Armed Veteran suddenly stumbled in. "Your Excellency! There’s something unusual happening at the ancestral hall!"
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