She turned and gently closed the window.
The unlit room was darker still. The girl gathered her true qi, struggling to make out the layout-true qi could indeed sharpen the five senses, but with the moon not yet risen, distinguishing details took some effort.
Then a strangely beautiful azure blossom silently flared to life beside her, illuminating the tiers of drawers around them.
The girl's eyes widened as she whipped around. Black Cat's jade eyes were quietly studying the cabinets.
"..."
She took two steps, and the blossom followed; she retreated two steps, and it retreated too.
Only after she glanced into Black Cat's cool jade gaze did she press her lips together in an embarrassed smile.
By the light of the flame blossom, the girl searched and read the cabinet fronts, slowly making her way deeper inside. At last she stopped, facing two recessed characters in faded paint-"Renzi"-that reflected the dark blue glow.
Searching beneath this heading, she passed over entries such as "Premises" and "Personnel," stopping at a small drawer marked "Receipts and disbursements." A small lock held it firmly shut.
Li Piaoqing reached out and gripped the little lock. Her true qi seeped inside and gave a gentle tremor. The clasp silently broke in two, falling loose into her hand.
The drawer contained twelve ledgers. She distinctly remembered that the Yinyang County Gazetteer began with "the winter of the Renzi year of Chilong," so she pulled out the last three volumes and sat on the floor to examine them closely.
She started with "October."
With the old records from that year in her hands, many things that seemed long drowned by time appeared clearly before her-as soon as Li Piaoqing turned to the [Calligraphy and paintings] section, the name "Xifang Tian" crowded into her eyes across great