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墨書 Inktalez
In the dead of night, the library of Qintian Observatory was enveloped in silence. Liu Ying held her breath, treading lightly between the dimly lit shelves. She shouldn’t have been here at this hour, but Su Jinzhi's words from earlier that day lingered in her mind: "Some things don’t need to be spoken out loud." She felt there was a deeper meaning behind those words.
The candlelight flickered, casting long shadows on the tall bookshelves. Liu Ying skillfully made her way to the section documenting celestial phenomena, beginning to sift through the texts from Twenty Years Ago.
"Strange..." she murmured to herself, "The Qintianjian Records state that during Tai Bai's daytime appearance, the Purple Forbidden Enclosure also lost its brilliance. But why is there only a few scant lines about it?"
As she pondered this, a sudden breeze swept through, causing the candle flame to waver. Liu Ying quickly shielded the flame, only to see a yellowed page silently slip from the shelf. She bent down to pick it up and examined it closely in the dim candlelight.
It was a handwritten Star Chart, with strong and vigorous strokes that were not her grandfather's handwriting. The chart detailed the celestial changes from Twenty Years Ago, and in the corner, it boldly stated: "Xu Clan Legacy, Tai Bai and Zi Wei appearing together, must bring bloodshed."
Liu Ying's heart jolted. Xu Clan Legacy? Could this be a secret Star Chart of the Xu Family? As she scrutinized the celestial records again, she suddenly noticed a startling coincidence—the arrangement of stars from that year mirrored the current one!
"Did you find something interesting?" A familiar voice suddenly rang out behind her. Liu Ying jumped, nearly dropping the Star Chart in her hands. Turning around, she saw Zhao Mingyuan leaning against a bookshelf, his expression inscrutable.
"Lord Zhao, what are you doing here?" Liu Ying hastily concealed the Star Chart behind her and forced herself to remain calm.
"That’s what I should be asking you," Zhao Mingyuan stepped closer. "In the middle of the night, the chief female officer of Qintian Observatory sneaks into the library—if word gets out, it could stir up quite a scandal."
Liu Ying knew she was in the wrong and was about to explain when she noticed Zhao Mingyuan's gaze fixated on what she was hiding behind her: "Did you uncover something significant from that Star Chart?"
"You...," Liu Ying gasped, "You already knew about this Star Chart?"
Zhao Mingyuan did not answer directly but spoke meaningfully: "The Great Fire twenty years ago not only destroyed Xu Mansion but also burned away many secrets. Yet some things cannot be burned away."
"Like celestial phenomena?"
"Like the truth," Zhao Mingyuan replied coolly. "Liu Ying, do you know why your grandfather suddenly fell ill after the Xu case?"
Liu Ying's heart raced. She had always believed her grandfather fell ill due to overwork; could there be more to it?
At that moment, footsteps echoed from outside. Zhao Mingyuan's expression changed abruptly as he quickly pulled Liu Ying into the shadows of the bookshelf: "Be quiet."
The footsteps drew closer, and two figures were faintly visible passing by outside the library.
"Rest assured, my lord; that prophecy has already spread; regions in the north have begun to take action..."
"Not enough; it’s still not enough. Although Qintian Observatory has made a good move, we need something bigger..."
The voices faded away gradually, but those few words sent cold sweat down Liu Ying's back. Her prophecy had become a pawn for some people?
"Do you understand now?" Zhao Mingyuan said softly. "Some people are just waiting to take advantage of this prophecy."
Liu Ying was about to ask when she saw Zhao Mingyuan take something out from his sleeve. "This is for you. It was left by your grandfather, meant to be given to the fated one when Tai Bai reappears."
By the dim candlelight, Liu Ying could see that it was an ancient Copper Key.
"But..." she began to speak, but Zhao Mingyuan had already turned to leave. Before he departed, he left her with a cryptic remark: "Before Qixi, perhaps you can find the answer in the Purple Forbidden Enclosure."
Liu Ying stared blankly at the Copper Key in her hand. At that moment, a gust of night wind blew through, rustling the Star Chart on the table. She focused her gaze and noticed that there seemed to be writing on the back of the Star Chart.
Carefully unfolding it, she saw that the reverse side was inscribed in very fine print: "Tai Bai as benefactor, Zi Wei as destiny. When both stars appear together, fate can be altered. Leave this record for those with intent." The signature read: Qintian Observatory, Xu Shu.
This was... Xu Yuan's father?
Liu Ying's heart raced. She finally understood why Xu Yuan had such profound knowledge of celestial phenomena and why he appeared during specific astronomical events. All the mysteries seemed to point in one direction—the Purple Forbidden Enclosure on Qixi night.
Putting away the Star Chart and Copper Key, Liu Ying tiptoed out of the library. The moonlight poured down like water, quietly illuminating the bluestone pavement. In the distance, she could faintly hear the sound of the night watchman’s bell mixed with a faint Dizi sound.
The Dizi sound was melodious and haunting; for some reason, it reminded her of Xu Yuan shaking his broken fan. In a world where mountains and rivers swayed, a young man stood alone with a fan in hand, gazing up at the starry sky. This image stirred something deep within her heart.
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