A fine layer of dust covered the crossbow grooves atop the Abandoned Beacon Tower.
Hu Liena did not step straight in. She spread her mental power in a ring, marking the wind-scattered wood chips, crossbow-string fibers, and traces of sweat left on the stone one by one. Twelve grooves lay in two rows. The front row had been pressed deeper, the rear row a little less so. The killers had mounted twelve military heavy crossbows here at once, and the uneven stone had left different marks beneath their bases.
Xie Yue stood at the edge of the tower, a Moon Blade tracing one groove outward.
"The front row fired toward the north side of the road; the rear row, seven degrees south."
He flicked a finger. Both Moon Blades flew out, one hovering above where an imperial soldier had fallen, the other stopping behind a Blue Lightning disciple's corpse. Viewed from the beacon tower, the two streaks of silver almost overlapped.
Yan carried up the remains of a crossbow mount dug from the snow and fitted the broken wooden teeth together into half a base. He used a thin wisp of fire to dry away the ice water. Twelve consecutive pressure marks gradually emerged on the charred wood.
"The same batch of crossbows fired at both sides simultaneously."
Hu Liena shook her head. "There's still one step missing. Why were both groups facing away from this place at the same time?"
Qian Renxue laid the two forged orders flat on the stone platform. The Blue Lightning summons received by the imperial troops told them to line up facing the sealed mountain territory. The imperial verification order received by the Blue Lightning disciples told them to wait facing Cold Pine Pass. The instructions were meticulous, down to where they should stop