"Zhou Huai didn't write this sentence."
Li Sanshun flipped the map over and pointed to the line of scraped-off writing.
The oil paper had been stored for six years. The original ink had seeped into it, turning brownish. The words "Don't trust my father" were written in fresh ink, and ash from Grey Feather Talisman Paper clung to the scrape marks.
Someone had been inside Zhou Huai's quarters.
They hadn't found the hidden compartment, but they'd discovered that the identity token could open it. So they left scratches and added a sentence to the back of the map.
Their aim was simple.
Lure Gu Qinghe to the cliff, then make her suspect Gu Changyue.
"The imperial envoy borrowed the West Mountain pass token to go to the cliff too." Gu Qinghe put away the map. "He left before we did."
Li Sanshun looked at the North Mountain disciple who had brought the report.
"When was the pass token borrowed?"
"Half an hour ago. It was registered under Bai Cheng, who's in charge of the envoy's documents."
Another Bai.
Bai Chongshan had the Law Enforcement disciples guarding the Questioning Dao Platform, but Bai Cheng had already made his move.
"Zhao Rui, seal off the three paths down West Mountain."
Gu Qinghe handed him Zhou Huai's identity token.
"Don't bring anyone else from the Law Enforcement Hall. Use only the North Mountain disciples."
Zhao Rui took the token and left through a side gate with two others.
Li Sanshun and Gu Qinghe headed for West Mountain.
The old mine had been sealed for more than a decade, and no one had maintained the mountain path for years. The farther they went, the more rubble littered the way. Abandoned mining frames stood on either side, their wooden beams black with damp and their iron hooks covered in rust.
Beyond the first abandoned checkpoint, they found several fresh footprints.
The tracks led deep into the old mine.
Gu Qinghe took out the West Mountain pass Array Disk and opened the sealed stone gate. They had gone only a few dozen yards when the mine tunnel ahead came to an end.
A huge pile of rocks blocked the way, with freshly cut branches stuffed into the gaps. The dirt was still damp. Someone had clearly sealed the passage in a hurry.
"Bai Cheng's trying to buy time."
Li Sanshun pressed a hand against the rubble. Earth-Element Qi slipped through the cracks. The stones at the top slid aside, revealing a narrow passage.
They turned sideways and squeezed through.
The tunnel beyond split into three.
The map marked the cliff to the left, but the footprints on the ground went right.
"He's trying to lead us the wrong way."
Li Sanshun crouched and sniffed the air at the fork.
The right-hand path smelled of dirt and sweat, and its footprints were fresh.
But a trace of pine resin lingered on the left, and half a scrap of gray paper clung to the rock wall.
[Detected lingering pine resin.]
[Detected lingering Grey Feather Talisman Paper.]
[Time since residue was left: within half an hour.]
Bai Cheng had taken the left path first, then doubled back using Grey Feather Talisman Paper, leaving footprints on the right.
"Left."
They followed the abandoned mine tunnel. In less than fifteen minutes, they came upon traces of Earth Fire.
The rock walls were blackened, and chunks of iron littered the ground. Several old rails ran into the heart of the mountain, ending at a collapsed stone door.
A character, Ding, had been carved beside it.
They had found the Ding-Character Furnace.
Li Sanshun took out half a Blood Token. The black flakes along its broken edge were the same color as the iron fragments beside the rails.
Gu Qinghe found an abandoned furnace tag by the entrance.
The tag bore a date from six years ago.
Ding Furnace, Blood-Vein Black Iron.
Three hundred and seventy jin fed into the furnace.
Three hundred and twelve jin taken out.
Fifty-eight jin were missing.
"Someone took Black Iron of the same origin from here." Gu Qinghe turned over the tag. "The half Blood Token was probably forged here too."
Another mine tunnel lay behind the Ding-Character Furnace, its exit opening onto the West Mountain cliff.
They passed through it, and a mountain wind blew toward them. Mist drifted below the cliff, and half of a broken guardrail stood at the edge.
Six years ago, Zhou Huai had fallen from here.
The dirt at the edge had been freshly disturbed.
Bai Cheng had been here.
Li Sanshun circled the cliff but found no one. Gu Qinghe took out the map and compared it against the red line.
The line didn't end at the cliff's edge.
It ran along the cliff before ending halfway down the rock face.
"The account is below the cliff, not at the bottom."
Gu Qinghe gripped the guardrail and leaned out to look.
Three zhang down the cliff face was a protruding stone ledge. Vines hid the ledge, and a narrow foothold path had been cut into the rock beside it.
They climbed down the path.
Halfway down, several boulders came crashing from above.
Li Sanshun pressed himself against the cliff and raised a wall of earth. The boulders slammed into it and tumbled to the bottom.
Gu Qinghe drew her sword and cut away the vines.
Behind them lay a severed rope.
Bai Cheng had cut the rope ahead of time and piled rocks above it. If anyone stepped on the loose foothold, the boulders would come crashing down.
"He left only a short while ago."
After examining the cut, Gu Qinghe continued downward.
At the far end of the ledge was a hole barely tall enough for a person. Several chunks of ore lay inside, with an iron box buried beneath them at the very back.
White powder covered the box.
Li Sanshun leaned close and sniffed.
[Detected Spirit-Fixing Powder.]
[Sealed for: six years and three months.]
[Spiritual energy within remains intact.]
The Spirit-Fixing Powder marked on the map had finally been accounted for.
The iron box had been hidden in the cliff for six years. Although Bai Cheng had found the ledge, he hadn't had time to open it.
Gu Qinghe brushed away the dust. Two seals appeared on the box.
One belonged to Zhou Huai.
The other belonged to Gu Changyue.
Her hand stopped over the lid.
"My father knew about this account book."
"Open it first."
Li Sanshun took out Zhou Huai's identity token and fitted it into the notch on the left. Gu Qinghe used the Gu family seal art of the Law Enforcement Peak to undo the seal on the right.
The iron box opened.
Inside lay a ledger for the mining furnaces, wrapped in oilcloth.
The first half recorded the Ding-Character Furnace's inputs and outputs. On the page for six years ago, someone had folded over the entry for Blood-Vein Black Iron.
Seventh day of the sixth month.
Fifty-eight jin of Black Iron of the same origin taken for repairs to the West Mountain Law Enforcement Token.
The document bore Gu Changyue's private seal.
But someone had scraped off the name of the person who handled it.
Gu Qinghe kept flipping through the ledger.
The next page held an inspection record written by Zhou Huai.
Gu Changyue's Law Enforcement Token wasn't damaged and had never been sent to the Ding-Character Furnace for repairs. The document used to claim the Black Iron was a forgery, and the private seal had been taken from a discarded file three years old.
Farther on was an order to seal the furnace.
On the eighth day of the sixth month, six years ago, Gu Changyue had discovered that fifty-eight jin of Black Iron were missing from the Ding-Character Furnace. That same day, he had ordered the furnace sealed and told Zhou Huai to secretly investigate the source of the document used to claim the metal.
Gu Qinghe stared at the order to seal the furnace.
The seal pattern, hidden mark, and Law Enforcement spiritual energy all matched.
Gu Changyue hadn't diverted the Black Iron.
He was the one who had ordered Zhou Huai to investigate the ledger.
"The signature on the cliff-fall case file could be fake too." Li Sanshun flipped to the end. "Someone stole Gu Changyue's old seal and diverted the Black Iron. After Zhou Huai found out, they lured him to the cliff, then forged the case file to close the matter."
Gu Qinghe took a thin sheet of paper from between the ledger's pages.
Two handlers' marks were on it.
One belonged to the Ding-Character Furnace supervisor.
The other showed only half of the character 镇.
Someone had torn away the rest.
Li Sanshun placed the sheet in the Evidence Bag.
"To get hold of Gu Changyue's discarded files from three years ago in the Law Enforcement Hall, then forge the cliff-fall case file—the person behind this must hold a high position."
"Yan Song wasn't in charge of the Cold Prison six years ago." Gu Qinghe closed the ledger. "Only four people in the Law Enforcement Hall had the authority to access old files."
"How many are still alive?"
"Two."
Li Sanshun was about to press her for more when a pebble fell outside the cave.
A fresh trail of blood appeared at the other end of the ledge.
It wound around the cliff and led to the abandoned mine tunnel behind the Ding-Character Furnace. A corner of an imperial envoy's robe had fallen beside it.
Bai Cheng was wounded.
They put away the iron box and followed the blood into the tunnel.
The trail passed through the Ding-Character Furnace, then disappeared before a collapsed section. A heavy stone door blocked their way. Spirit-Fixing Powder filled its seams, and a Mine Sealing Order from six years ago had been pressed against the outside.
Li Sanshun leaned close to the door and sniffed.
There was the spiritual energy of an ore vein behind it.
And the presence of living people.
The next moment, three knocks came from beyond the door.
After a pause, three more followed.
Gu Qinghe took out the Miner Roster from six years ago and opened it to the list of the missing.
There were exactly three names.
Li Sanshun gripped the ring on the door.
Someone behind the stone door forced out a few words.
"If that's Deputy Gu outside, hurry and save us... Xu Zhenchuan's coming back to silence us!"
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