Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
When Lin Xueqing woke up, she found herself lying on a hospital bed. The smell of disinfectant was still pungent, but it felt much brighter here compared to the oppressive atmosphere of the intensive care unit.
"You're awake?" A familiar voice came from the doorway.
She struggled to turn her head and saw Shen Mo Ting leaning against the door frame. His left arm was in a sling, and there were some bruises on his face.
"What about those people...?"
"They ran away." Shen Mo Ting walked to the bedside and sat down. "They took the Blueprint from the studio."
Lin Xueqing tried to sit up but was hit by a wave of dizziness. Shen Mo Ting pressed down on her shoulder. "The doctor said you have a concussion and need to rest."
"I don't have time to rest." She gritted her teeth. "I saw a corner of that Blueprint. It’s the design for the Peach Wood Comb."
Shen Mo Ting's gaze sharpened. "What?"
"The Blueprint has mechanisms that are far more complex than what we checked before." Lin Xueqing closed her eyes, trying hard to remember. "Most notably, there’s a seal on the edge of the Blueprint, which is from the Ministry of Works during the Qianlong era."
The room fell into silence.
"So the Old Curator has known about the secret of the Comb all along." Shen Mo Ting pondered, "He has been studying that mechanism."
"It's not just the mechanism." Lin Xueqing suddenly thought of something. "Do you remember those Etching Mark?"
Shen Mo Ting nodded.
"Those are not ordinary numbers." Her voice was filled with suppressed excitement. "They are Coordinates."
"Coordinates?"
"The Coordinates of the Forbidden City." Lin Xueqing's finger traced the air. "I have studied the surveying methods of the Qing Dynasty. The arrangement of those numbers is identical to the latitude and longitude measurement system of the Forbidden City."
A glint flashed in Shen Mo Ting's eyes. "Are you saying that the Etching Mark on the Comb points to a specific location in the Forbidden City?"
"Yes. But we need the complete Blueprint to calculate the exact location."
"They must know this as well." Shen Mo Ting stood up. "Once they obtain the Blueprint, their next step will definitely be..."
Before he could finish, the door to the hospital room was pushed open. A nurse walked in. " Miss Lin, you have a delivery."
Lin Xueqing froze. "I didn't order any delivery."
Shen Mo Ting instantly became alert, but the nurse had already placed the package on the bedside table.
It was an ordinary Kraft Envelope, with no sender information.
"Don't touch it." Shen Mo Ting stopped Lin Xueqing from reaching for the envelope and carefully opened it himself.
Inside was a piece of yellowed Xuan Paper and a note.
The note contained only one line: "Tonight at Midnight, meet at the Forbidden City. Bring the Comb, exchange for the Blueprint."
"It's a diversion." Lin Xueqing immediately said. "They don't care about the Blueprint at all."
Shen Mo Ting sneered. "Clearly. What they want is the Comb."
"But we have no choice." Lin Xueqing gazed out at the Forbidden City, "This is the only opportunity."
"You can't go." Shen Mo Ting's voice was firm.
"I must go." She turned to look at him, "Because I know how to crack those Coordinates."
The midnight Forbidden City was shrouded in silence. The searchlights on the city walls resembled giant eyes, casting beams into the dark courtyards.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Shen Mo Ting's voice echoed in her earpiece.
Lin Xueqing hid in the shadows outside Taihe Gate, replying softly, "Don't worry, I know exactly where to go."
That was the truth. As a restoration expert for the Forbidden City, she was intimately familiar with every secret passage within its walls.
"Remember, if anything seems off, retreat immediately," Shen Mo Ting instructed. "My people are already stationed around."
Lin Xueqing did not respond. She took out her Peach Wood Comb and, under the moonlight, confirmed the markings on it once more. If her calculations were correct, these numbers pointed to the rear hall of Qianqing Palace.
The midnight bell tolled through the stillness. Lin Xueqing took a deep breath and silently crossed the courtyard. The moonlight flowed like water, stretching her shadow long.
"Someone's there," a warning came through her earpiece.
Lin Xueqing immediately pressed herself against the wall to conceal herself. Two shadows flitted between the columns and disappeared toward Qianqing Palace.
"They're definitely heading there," she whispered. "I wasn't wrong."
"It's too dangerous; we should try another day..."
"It's too late," she interrupted Shen Mo Ting. "Since they know the location, they will definitely take action."
Following the secret passage, Lin Xueqing quickly arrived at the back hall of Qianqing Palace. In the darkness, she heard faint voices.
"This is the place, hurry up and search."
"What exactly are we looking for?"
"Stop wasting time. The old man's blueprint is very clear; the mechanism is right here."
Lin Xueqing hid behind the curtain, using the moonlight to see the speakers. Two men in black were feeling along the wall, holding the blueprint she had seen in the Old Curator's studio.
At that moment, a floor tile suddenly shifted.
"I found it!" one of them exclaimed.
A dark compartment was revealed beneath the tile, its depths obscured by shadows.
"We need a key," the other man said as he groped around. "The blueprint says to use a comb to open it."
The first man looked around: "Where's that woman? Didn't she say she would bring the comb?"
"Here I am." Lin Xueqing stepped out from behind the curtain, holding a Peach Wood Comb. In the moonlight, the patterns on the comb shimmered faintly.
The two men turned sharply, and one immediately drew a gun.
"Don't make any sudden moves," he said coldly. "Hand over the comb."
Lin Xueqing raised her hands, the Comb glinting coldly in the moonlight. "Don't you want to know what is hidden in the Dark Compartment?"
"Stop wasting time!"
"Why did the Qianlong Emperor set up the Dark Compartment here over two hundred years ago?" she continued. "Why use a Comb as the key? Don't you want to know the answers to these secrets?"
The two men in black exchanged glances.
"You know the answer?"
"I know how to use the Comb to open the Dark Compartment," Lin Xueqing replied, "but you need to put down your guns first."
In that moment of hesitation, a low "bang" echoed through the air. The armed man fell to the ground. Before the other could react, he was struck down from behind.
Shen Mo Ting emerged from the shadows, his expression grim. "I told you to be careful."
Lin Xueqing sighed with relief. "I knew you were nearby."
"Blueprint." Shen Mo Ting pulled a piece of Xuan Paper from the hands of the unconscious man. "Now, let's see what exactly is hidden in this Dark Compartment."
Comment 0 Comment Count