If I stay in the Hehuan Sect, I'll live off the pampered daughters of the Heavenly Pride Sect.

The black nail pressed against the flesh of his palm, pushing forward. Mo Chengyue's sleeve touched the base of his fingers, and half an inch of blood quickly spread across the edge of the white silk.

Qin Wanzhuang stopped in her tracks, and the seal on the side of the sword box gleamed in the firelight.

"hand."

Mo Chengyue coughed and raised his right sleeve to his lips, blocking the movement of his left palm curling back into his sleeve.

"Senior sister, take a look at the sachet on Junior Brother Yan's waist first."

Yan Shaogang tore his torn robe from his feet, and upon hearing this, he placed his palm on the small gray-blue pouch next to his waist token.

"Mo Chengyue, you're using the Qingquan Peak pledge certificate, and now you want to search my personal belongings too?"

Xie Buci held the folding fan against his palm, and peach petals fell from the edge of the fan.

"Junior Brother Yan, don't speak so narrowly. Qingquan Peak has always only dealt with valuable things."

"If Senior Brother Xie is short of spices, the External Affairs Hall can send ten boxes of Spring Snow Perfume."

Qin Wanzhuang looked at Xie Buci.

"You dare to accept it?"

Xie Buci immediately closed the folding fan.

"I won't accept it; the words 'Spring Snow' are too offensive to my ears."

Manager Hu carried the white paper lantern and moved half a step towards the door. The light shone on Yan Shao's sleeve, revealing the edges of his ink-patterned waist tag stained with dirt.

"Officer Yan, if the sachets are just sachets, take them out and seal them for them so they don't block the way."

Yan Shao looked at her.

"What do mortals know about sect rules?"

Shopkeeper Hu held the lamp handle, pressing his thumb against the splinter, leaving a shallow mark.

"I understand debtors' protective bags; the more they protect them, the more debts they accumulate."

The coachman whispered something to the white jade pot.

"I also know that horse sellers protect their reins; they only keep the empty reins in their pockets."

Xie did not hesitate to turn back.

"Brother coachman, the old story about the mules and horses has already been told at Qingquan Peak. Don't try to add anything more to your story."

The coachman retreated behind the pot.

"I'm going to shut up too."

The young servant, with a strip of cloth in his mouth, pressed his forehead against the door panel and squeezed out two short, bubbly sounds from his throat.

Mo Chengyue did not turn around.

"Hold on tight, it's not your place to say anything."

The wet stain on the cloth strip widened again, and the young man pressed his shoulders and back tightly against the door panel.

Qin Wanzhuang's sword tip hung on the blue brick, the fire line retreated half a foot from Yan Shao's feet, and then spread out a thin arc of light in front of the sachet.

"take."

Yan Shao's throat bobbed.

"Senior Sister Qin, the Elder's decree has been reviewed. If you continue to delay, the External Affairs Hall can report it as a violation of the order."

"The imperial edict requires a register of names."

Qin Wanzhuang raised her eyes, the blood-red jade on her ponytail lightly touching the scabbard.

"I didn't want your sachet."

Yan Shao's subordinate held his waist badge to his chest.

"Senior Brother Yan, why don't we let Senior Brother Xie take a look first, so that things don't get out of hand at the boundary marker?"

Yan Shao glanced at him sideways.

The officer immediately lowered his hand, and the waist tag hit the wooden frame with a dull thud.

Xie Buci took the white jade cup out of his sleeve, turned it upside down, and two peach blossoms fell out from inside.

"Junior Brother Yan, pay it yourself; you'll still have some dignity."

"What if we don't pay?"

"Second Junior Sister only chopped down the stone lion."

Xie Buci tapped the broken stone base with the bottom of his cup.

"If she changes to a body search, I'll have to re-insert the inscription on the boundary marker for the Foreign Affairs Office."

Yan Shao's lips twitched.

"Xie Buci, don't try to intimidate me with your Qingquan Peak."

"Then you'll use your master to intimidate you?"

The white jade cup spun half a circle between Xie Buci's fingers, and a shimmering light rose from the bottom of the cup, as if it had been pushed out of the jade.

The black nail in Mo Chengyue's sleeve paused for a moment, the red thread tightened along the palm lines, and then pointed to the gray-blue sachet.

Yan Shao stared at the bottom of the cup, his back gradually hunching over.

A seal of the Qingquan Peak Master emerged from the bottom of the cup, with half a line of lazy small characters below it.

Xie Buci glanced at it and immediately turned the cup away.

"Master wrote it casually; all you need is to be literate."

Qin Wanzhuang spoke.

"read."

Xie Buci coughed.

"Whoever stole my disciple's evidence, come to Qingquan Peak and get beaten up yourself. Don't make me get up, it's too much trouble."

The staff of the Foreign Affairs Office in front of the boundary marker all bowed their heads, and even the red light on the verification stone was half covered by the shadow of the peach blossoms.

The coachman peeked half his face out from behind the kettle.

"The peak master of the immortal sect is quite economical with his words."

Shopkeeper Hu used a silver hairpin to press down the corner of the offering paper.

"Can this sentence be written?"

Mo Chengyue answered quickly.

"Don't write it; we must save face for the peak master."

Xie Buci glanced at him sideways.

"You're quite filial."

"I still want to return to the peak alive."

Qin Wanzhuang's sword sheath touched the edge of his boot.

"Say less."

Yan Shao pressed his palm against the sachet, rubbing his fingertips three times on the knotted rope, the ink patterns on his cuffs turning dark with sweat.

"The Peak Master's seal protects the disciples of Qingquan Peak, but prohibits them from inspecting the private belongings of the External Affairs Hall staff."

Mo Chengyue raised his right sleeve and coughed twice more before turning his gaze to Yan Shao's waist.

"Junior Brother Yan, you knew about the roster, you knew that we brought the spoils from Red Maple Ferry, and you even knew to place the long table in the center of the boundary marker."

Yan Shao's pronunciation became faster.

"The case of the Foreign Affairs Office has its own source."

"The photo taken at the Xunshan Hall has not been returned, the paper offerings on the official road have not been sealed, Manager Hu is still outside the boundary marker, and the cloth strip in the mouth of the servant has not been removed."

Mo Chengyue held onto the hilt of the Yuhua sword, speaking a little slower.

"If the source is in your sachet, can Junior Brother Yan still protect it?"

Xie Buci took over the conversation.

"If you can't protect yourself, you might end up losing money along with your back."

Someone spoke up from behind Yan Shao.

"Senior Brother Yan, seal the sachets for them, and then we'll go back inside the hall to apply for them again."

"Shut up."

Yan Shao's thumb was hooked under the knot, and the tip of his finger was rubbed red by the rope.

Qin Wanzhuang pushed her sword forward an inch, the flames burning into his shoes and leaving scorch marks.

"Remove your hand from the knot."

Yan Shao looked up.

"Qin Wanzhuang, are you trying to seize the personal belongings of the Foreign Affairs Office officer in front of the boundary marker?"

"If you touch it again, I'll seal it off with both hands."

As soon as the words were spoken, the flame of the white paper lamp shifted slightly towards the sachet.

Manager Hu looked down at the lamp, the handle turning half a circle in his palm.

"Master Mo, the lamp has also tilted to one side."

Mo Chengyue tightened his left palm inside his sleeve, the red thread at the end of the black nail piercing into the white silk, and blood seeped out along the seam of the cloth.

"Manager Hu, don't let the light get too close."

"I understand, you don't put a living person's tent near a lamp."

The young handyman let out a soft groan from behind the cloth strip, his ankle rope brushing against the edge of the door.

Xie Buci spread peach petals around Yan Shao's waist, forming a circle with a half-foot gap between them.

"Junior Brother Yan, I'll count to three."

Yan Shao shrank back a little.

"Thank you without hesitation."

"one."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not acknowledge it."

"two."

"You can't produce this sachet as evidence."

Mo Chengyue spoke softly.

"three."

Xie Buci looked at him.

"Junior brother, you stole my lines, you'll lose money on your medicine."

"Keep it in the public accounts."

"Second Junior Sister, you need to do something about him."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"Seal first."

The peach petals stuck to the knot of the sachet, but were not untied; the entire sachet was simply lifted up from beside the waist tag.

Yan Shao's hand was halfway there when the sword's flames already grazed his wrist, leaving a black mark around his sleeve.

His fingers hovered in the air, his palms soaked with sweat.

Xie Buci hung the sachet above the white jade cup. The peak master's seal at the bottom of the cup lit up, and several wet ink lines immediately appeared on the gray-blue cloth.

Yan Shao's complexion faded slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"That's for the Foreign Affairs Office's incense-burning procession, used to ward off poisonous miasma."

Mo Chengyue watched the wet ink lines move across the cloth, and the stinging pain in his left palm climbed up his wrist bone.

"The poisonous miasma has dissipated, but it's still finding its way."

Xie Buci moved the cup to the side.

The sachet also leaned towards the mountain path behind the boundary marker, its cloth bulging slightly, and a faint rustling sound of paper scraps could be heard from inside.

Shopkeeper Hu's pen tip stopped on the paper.

"Does it want to go into the mountains?"

Qin Wanzhuang looked at the stone steps behind the boundary marker.

"Foreign Affairs Office".

Xie Buci placed the white jade cup under the sachet, and the peach petals closed up layer by layer.

"Second Junior Sister, don't open the sachet, put it directly into the sealed bag on Qingquan Peak."

Yan Shao immediately took half a step forward.

"no."

The Blazing Sun Sword lay across his chest, the firelight casting a small shadow on his eyelashes.

"reason."

"This is my personal property."

"This is a new certificate."

Qin Wanzhuang opened the side pocket of the sword box, and the seal, along with the fire, rolled up to reveal a light gold edge.

"Mo Chengyue, record this."