The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

"Headmaster, how do we send this ink out?" Shen Kuo looked at the beautifully packaged ink stick on the table, somewhat perplexed.

The entire city is now under martial law, and they can't even leave their homes, let alone deliver goods to the heavily guarded prefectural government office.

Jiang Lin, however, seemed confident. He took out a small bamboo whistle from his pocket, put it to his lips, and blew out a tuneless, strange syllable.

The sound was very soft, almost inaudible.

As Shen Kuo was wondering what was going on, he suddenly heard a slight rustling of tiles on the roof. Immediately afterward, a dark shadow, as silent as a raccoon, dangled upside down from the roof beam and appeared before the two of them.

The newcomer was dressed in black, with a face mask covering his face, revealing only a pair of piercing eyes.

Shen Kuo was startled and almost cried out, but Jiang Lin quickly covered his mouth.

"Someone with lots of money?" Jiang Lin asked the man in black casually.

The man in black nodded without speaking, simply kneeling on one knee and quietly awaiting orders.

Jiang Lin couldn't help but give Qian Duoduo a mental thumbs up. This guy not only knows how to make money, but his survival and information-passing skills are also top-notch. It seems that recruiting him from that small place, Runzhou, was truly a stroke of luck.

"Find a way to get this to Prefect Zhao Liben's desk." Jiang Lin handed over the wrapped wooden box. "Remember, make sure he opens it himself."

The man in black took the wooden box, weighed it in his hand, nodded, and then vanished into the darkness like a ghost.

They come without a trace and go without a trace.

Shen Kuo finally breathed a sigh of relief, clutching his chest, and said, still shaken, "Headmaster, when did you hide such a trick? You scared me to death!"

"Leave the professional stuff to the professionals." Jiang Lin lay back in his chair. "We can just watch the show."

……

Daming Prefecture, Prefectural Government Office, Study.

Zhao Liben's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

"Useless! They're all useless!"

He smashed a fine celadon teacup on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

The officials and constables kneeling on the floor of the study were all silent and trembling, not daring to raise their heads.

"Three days! A full three days!" Zhao Liben's roar echoed in the study. "Martial law has been declared throughout the city, and every house has been searched. Not even a rat could escape! You haven't even found a trace of Jiang Lin and his gang! What have you been doing here?!"

"My lord, please calm down..." a constable said tremblingly, "Those...those spies are far too cunning, they seem to have vanished into thin air..."

"Disappeared into thin air?" Zhao Liben sneered, his eyes like those of a venomous snake. "I think it's your incompetence! I'll give you two more days. If you still can't find him, you can all take off your official robes and go home to farm!"

"Yes! Yes! Your subordinate obeys!" The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the room.

Zhao Liben was the only one left in the study. He sat back in his chair, rubbing his aching temples.

Things had spiraled completely out of his control.

He had thought that, with the power he had cultivated in Daming Prefecture for many years, crushing Jiang Lin and his group would be as easy as crushing a few ants. But to his surprise, these ants not only failed to kill him, but instead bit him hard, leaving him unable to eat or sleep properly.

The ledger was like a sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment, ruining his reputation and condemning him to eternal damnation.

His current city-wide lockdown is a gamble. He's betting that the "big shots" in the capital will help suppress the matter before he finds Jiang Lin.

But the longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for him.

"Knock knock knock".

A knock came at the door.

"Get out! Didn't I say I wouldn't see anyone?!" Zhao Liben roared impatiently.

"Master, it's...it's someone who sent you something." The butler's hesitant voice came from outside the door.

"Things? What things?" Zhao Liben frowned.

"I don't know either. The person left the things and left, only saying... it was a 'surprise' for you, sir."

"A surprise?" A sense of unease rose in Zhao Liben's heart. Who would give him something at a time like this?

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Bring it in."

The butler pushed open the door and entered, carrying an ordinary wooden box without any markings.

Zhao Liben gestured for him to place the wooden box on the table, then waved for him to leave. He stared at the wooden box, his eyes shifting uncertainly.

Could it be a trap? Is there a poisoned needle or some other hidden weapon inside?

He hesitated for a long time, but curiosity eventually overcame his wariness. He carefully picked up a paper cutter from the table and gently pried open the box lid with the tip of the blade.

There were no hidden weapons in the box, only something wrapped in bright yellow brocade.

Zhao Liben breathed a sigh of relief and took the items out.

Beneath the brocade was a jet-black inkstone.

The inkstick feels warm and smooth to the touch, with a hard texture and an antique design. Under candlelight, the inkstick glows with a faint purple light, appearing mysterious and noble.

He turned the inkstick over and saw the four characters on the back: "Ink left by the top scholar".

"Su Shi?"

Zhao Liben's pupils suddenly contracted.

He certainly knew Su Shi, the newly appointed top scholar whom he had falsely accused of being the "source of the rumors."

Did they send this ink?

What does this mean? Provocation? Or a demonstration?

Zhao Liben's face turned extremely ugly. He originally wanted to smash the ink stick directly, but when his fingers touched the ink stick's texture, which was as delicate as a baby's skin, he stopped as if possessed.

He was also a scholar by birth, possessing an innate love and appreciation for the Four Treasures of the Study. With just one glance, he could tell that this inkstone was no ordinary item.

He summoned a servant to bring him writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

As he personally ground the ink stick, his expression slowly changed from anger to surprise, and finally to deep shock.

The speed at which the ink was released, the purity of its color, and the elegance of its fragrance all far exceeded his expectations.

After he wrote a few words with the ink, he was completely stunned.

That darkness seemed to possess the power to steal one's soul.

That light seemed capable of illuminating the darkness.

As a seasoned calligraphy enthusiast, he had never seen such a masterpiece of ink.

"This...how is this possible..." he muttered to himself, his eyes filled with greed and disbelief.

But soon, this shock turned into a deeper fear and anger.

Despite being hunted down by the entire city, Jiang Lin and his companions did not hide like rats. Instead, they had the leisure to create such an exquisite piece of ink.

What exactly are they trying to do?

The ink, like a declaration of war, was slapped hard across his face.

It seemed to be mocking his incompetence and proclaiming their composure.

"Guards!" Zhao Liben slammed his hand on the table, his face contorted with rage.

"My lord!" A guard rushed in.

"Pass down the order! Increase the search efforts! Even if you have to dig up the entire Daming Prefecture, you must find them!"

"And another thing!" Zhao Liben's eyes turned incredibly venomous. "Investigate! Find out exactly what happened with this ink! If they could make the first one, they can definitely make the second! I need to know where they are! I want all their formulas!"

At this moment, Zhao Liben's fear of the account book was even suppressed by his greed for the divine ink.

He had no idea that his insane orders were pushing him step by step into the trap Jiang Lin had set for him.