Yin Wujou carried Liu Yanzhao, Mu Canglan carried Zhou Jing. The two silently traversed the wilderness outside the capital in the dead of night. The moonlight was obscured by clouds, and it was pitch black. Fortunately Yin Wujou had keen senses and relied on his perception of the terrain's undulations to avoid the mud and thorns. It took him nearly an hour to reach the abandoned kiln.
The entrance to the abandoned kiln was half-blocked by collapsed adobe bricks, allowing only one person to squeeze in sideways. Yin Wujou pushed Liu Yanzhao in first, then squeezed into the kiln himself, lighting a faint glowing spirit stone for illumination. The walls of the kiln were covered with a thick layer of tobacco ash and cobwebs, the floor was scattered with broken tiles and rotten wood, and there was a musty smell of earth in the air. Following the directions he remembered, he found an inconspicuous corner deep inside the kiln, moved a few loose blue bricks, and revealed the entrance to a narrow underground channel.
The underground passage was narrower than the cave dwelling, only wide enough for one person to bend over and move forward. The walls on both sides were covered with moss, and there was shallow water underfoot. Yin Wujou bent over and walked for about twenty steps before the passage suddenly opened up, revealing an underground space about ten feet square. A half-open ventilation shaft in the ceiling led directly to the surface. The ground was relatively dry, indicating that it was a small cellar where the kiln workers used to store their tools. He carefully laid Liu Yanzhao and Zhou Jing down side by side, then took out the dossier and token from his pocket and hid them under a movable stone slab in the corner of the cellar.
After finishing all this, he returned to the cave from the cellar, rearranged the blue bricks at the entrance, covered them with ash, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that no trace of them could be seen. He sat down against the earthen wall of the cave and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing for a while. The continuous travel had greatly depleted his Spiritual Power; his legs ached and his eyelids were heavy, but he dared not close his eyes, relying only on his willpower to stay awake.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, very light footsteps came from outside the cave. Yin Wujou opened his eyes instantly, releasing his Spiritual Power to sense the aura of the person who came. It was cold and familiar; it was the Snow Empress. His tense nerves relaxed, and he got up and walked to the entrance of the cave, peeking out from the side. Sure enough, he saw the Snow Empress's white robe flash in the night and land in front of him.
" Meng Qi's search team searched the old ancestral hall, three abandoned houses in the east of the city, and an old outpost previously used by the Spirit Vein Bureau," Snow Empress said quickly. "They haven't headed west yet, but they're likely to expand their search area before dawn. We must complete the next phase of our deployment before they arrive."
Yin Wujou nodded. "What about Song Xuanwei?"
" Mu Canglan went to inform him that the report has been submitted to the Imperial Guard's secret reporting channel. If all goes well, the Emperor will see the report before the morning court tomorrow." The Snow Empress sat down in the cave dwelling, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the copper bell on her wrist. "But after the report is submitted, how long will it take for the court to react, when will the Court of Judicial Review send someone to take over the case file, and whether Meng Qi will protect himself or flee before being investigated—these are all unknowns."
She was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Yin Wujou: "Are you tired?"
Yin Wujou was taken aback by her question. He had indeed barely slept a wink since last night, and the aching sensation against the earthen wall was sending shivers down his spine. But he still shook his head. "I can manage. How about you?"
Snow Empress did not answer. She lowered her eyes, looking at the electric spark burns on the back of her hand that had already formed thin scabs. The wounds were dark red in the dim light of the spirit stone, and the edges were slightly swollen. Yin Wujou followed her gaze and took out a small bottle of wound medicine from his pocket and handed it to her.
" Mu Canglan gave it to me," he said. "He said that someone like you wouldn't apply medicine on your own even if you were injured."
Snow Empress took the medicine bottle, uncorked it, and smelled it. It was a prescription from the Southern Frontier region, with a pungent herbal scent. She dipped her finger in the powder and applied it to the burn on the back of her hand. The moment the powder touched the burn, her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but she quickly returned to normal.
"Do you know why I've kept everyone away for the past ten years?" Snow Empress suddenly spoke, her voice much lower than usual. "Because once you have someone you trust, you'll have a weakness. And once you have a weakness, many things become impossible."
Yin Wujou remained silent. He leaned against the earthen wall, watching Snow Empress's profile appear softer than usual in the dim light. She was focused as she applied the medicine, her fingertips dipping into the powder and gently rubbing it onto the wound, her movements light and careful, as if she were repairing a precious and fragile object.
"But after this trip..." Snow Empress stuffed the medicine bottle back into Yin Wujou, "I realized I still trusted you. I also trusted Mu Canglan, and even Song Xuanwei."
She raised her head and Yin Wujou's gaze. A rare look of weariness mixed with relief appeared in her clear eyes. Yin Wujou looked at her and suddenly felt that all the fatigue, hardship, and anxiety he had endured on his journey were nothing.
"Once this is over," he said, "What are your plans?"
Snow Empress thought for a moment, then reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair that had been singed behind her ear. "Let's thoroughly investigate the old cases of the Spirit Vein Bureau and give those three hundred-plus lives an explanation. Then... maybe I'll find a secluded place and get a good night's sleep."
Yin Wujou smiled. This was the first time he had smiled in front of Snow Empress. His smile was a little awkward, but his eyes shone brightly.
Snow Empress looked at his smile, and the corners of her lips twitched slightly—not quite a smile, but a very faint curve that vanished in the dim light. She stood up and brushed the dust off her robes. "We'll take turns keeping watch. You get some sleep first, then it'll be my turn for the rest of the night."
Yin Wujou did not refuse and closed his eyes, leaning against the earthen wall. He thought he would not be able to fall asleep in such a tense environment, but the fatigue in his body surged up like a tide, and soon his breathing became even and long.
Snow Empress sat beside him, leaning against the cold earthen wall, gazing at the small patch of night sky beyond the ventilation shaft. The clouds in the night sky gradually dispersed, and a few dim stars twinkled briefly through the gaps in the clouds before being obscured again by the drifting thin clouds. She took off the copper bell from her wrist and rubbed it in her palm. The Southern Frontier runes on the inside of the bell glowed faintly in the darkness, much like some ancient and silent blessing.
Before dawn the next day, a signal of Spiritual Power emanated from outside the abandoned kiln. It was sent by Mu Canglan using the old code of the Spirit Vein Bureau. Snow Empress got up and walked out of the kiln. She saw Mu Canglan standing in the dim morning light. His complexion was better than the night before, and there was a rare hint of joy in his eyes.
"It's done." His voice was low. " Song Xuanwei's secret memorial was sent to the palace overnight and was taken away by the imperial eunuchs at dawn this morning. When I left the Imperial Guard's garrison, I heard that the Emperor had already summoned the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet to the palace for a political discussion, which is very likely his reaction after reading the secret memorial."
Snow Empress let out a long breath, and her shoulders and back, which had been tense for many days, finally relaxed a little.