The surface of the silk manuscripts was soaked in blood. So much blood could only mean one of two things: either someone had their head severed, causing blood to splatter everywhere, or many people were injured and suffering. It was later revealed that these items had been carried out by six individuals; at that moment, four of them were already dead, and the other two were lying in some tent outside, with their fates unknown.

The Lu Huang silk had a type of code that was extremely difficult to decipher, and very few remnants of it remained in the world. Jin Wantang immediately recognized that this batch belonged to that category. There was no way to decode it overnight; he could only restore a rough approximation of the text and write it in modern Chinese characters. The meaning within the code might take another ten years to unravel.

The oppressive atmosphere made it hard for him to breathe, but after a long period of rest, he had relaxed sufficiently. Soon, he entered a productive state, and over the next ten days, he diligently restored all the silk manuscripts that could be restored.

With his mind extremely clear, the earlier regret of not “taking advantage of the situation” occasionally tugged at his heart, especially as he neared completion. A sense of anxiety began to grow within him.

The Lu Huang silk was invaluable; even if it were a rubbing, a clear impression would still be a significant fortune. Taking it would undoubtedly be the right call, but seeing how anxious the Old Nine Gates were, and knowing that it had cost lives, taking it might bring disaster upon himself. He also felt a strong moral condemnation about it. However, if he didn’t take it, he felt like he was on a sinking ship, uncertain if he would even receive his reward. Even if he did, after three years, that amount of money would no longer be a fair exchange. If he didn’t take it, he might never have another chance.

He hesitated back and forth, and in the end, it was his body that made the decision for him. He secretly slipped a piece of Lu Huang silk into his own sleeve, driven by his own indecision and the unconscious movement of his hand. By the time he realized what he had done, it was too late; fortunately, no one noticed.

Since he had taken it, there was no reason to return it, and he finally made up his mind. That night, in his sleeping bag (since there were three people in one tent), he carefully sewed the manuscript into the sole of his cloth shoes. After thinking it through, he felt it was unlikely there would be any problems; these items were already damaged, and since no one had counted them, there was no reason for them to be discovered. Gradually, he began to relax.

However, after feeling at ease, like in some fable, a sudden thought struck him: if one theft was good, why not steal another?

The next day, he attempted the same trick again, but unfortunately, this time it went wrong. He hadn’t anticipated that the following day would be his last day there. On that day, he completed his final organizational tasks, and as he was about to return to the tent to hide the manuscript in his sleeve, someone suddenly came to inform him that he was scheduled to leave the mountain that very night and could return to Beijing.

This was unexpected; he had thought he would be able to stay for at least a few more months. However, hearing that he could leave was undoubtedly a joyful surprise, and once he processed the information, he immediately agreed.

No one came to see him off. Old Lady Huo was quite courteous to him in Beijing, but here he didn’t insist; she probably had no interest in these matters at the moment. So, he returned to the tent to pack his belongings. To his surprise, waiting for him there was a thorough body search.

That was the philosophy of Master Jie Jiu. I don’t come to guard against your petty thefts, but in the end, the things you steal, you will definitely not be able to take away.

Jin Wantang still remembers his embarrassment that night. When he heard they were going to search him, he was instantly drenched in cold sweat. In that moment, countless ideas flashed through his mind, but unfortunately, time was too tight, and there was no time to deal with it.

At first, the staff member who searched him was quite polite, which gave Jin Wantang a moment of respite. He first took off his shoes and placed them very close to the shoes of the person next to him, then slowly opened his belongings for them to check. At the same time, he thought of excuses, but unfortunately, there was no time for excuses. As he opened his things, one staff member came up to check, while another asked him to go to another tent for a search. He pretended to be indifferent, deliberately put on the shoes of the person next to him, and went out with him, thinking about throwing the silk book hidden in his sleeve along the way. Unfortunately, he was caught on the spot.

After that, the staff were no longer friendly. Inside the tent, his bedding and clothes were all torn apart, and every corner of the tent was searched. All his clothes were stripped off, and his shoes were pried open. Fortunately, he had changed shoes in advance, so the item in his shoes was not discovered.

Afterward, he was taken to the Nine Gates. There, he met the tenth person outside of the Old Nine Gates.

It’s important to note that in Jin Wantang’s account, this person was a very key but strange presence. Jin Wantang had never seen him before, but he heard others refer to him as the “leader.”

To be honest, even the entire Old Nine Gates rarely showed up in the camp, and in the three years, Jin Wantang had very few opportunities to see them. While on the road, he could only view them from a distance and couldn’t tell who was who. Now, seeing them so closely for what could be said to be the first time, he learned that besides the nine of them, there was also a leader.

This leader was under thirty years old and was discussing something with others at the time. What impressed Jin Wantang the most was that the man’s fingers were quite unusual. However, he was too nervous to observe closely, feeling like he was about to die. He falsely claimed to be a first-time offender, saying it was a fateful first time, and that his interest was not for money but for the silk book.

The leader looked into his eyes, walked over, and pressed his two strange fingers against his head acupoint. Suddenly applying force, he could almost hear the sound of his skull about to crack, the pain driving him nearly insane, while the young man remained expressionless, continually applying pressure with his fingers.

Then, the leader began to ask him questions. Jin Wantang wanted to lie, but he found that under such excruciating pain, he couldn’t think at all. His lies were full of holes, and in unbearable agony, he lost all hope and confessed about the shoes.

The intense pain in the Touwei point is a symptom of neurasthenia and extreme fatigue of the brain. Pressing the Touwei point may cause temporary cognitive difficulties and a false sense of fatigue in the brain. When a person is extremely tired, they may give up resisting lies in search of relief and peace. Research by the CIA has also shown that the effects of physical torture are not as effective as those of psychological torture. Therefore, fatigue-induced coercion has become a primary method of interrogation in many places. I often see on television how interrogation rooms bombard suspects with bright lights. In China, using acupressure for coercion has been a practice since ancient times.

After he finished speaking, he thought he was doomed. Fortunately, Old Lady Huo felt that he was reliable in the past and might be useful later, so she pleaded for him. This was also because the Old Nine Gates seemed to be brewing something significant and did not pay much attention to his situation. As a result, the leader let Old Lady Huo handle the matter. In the end, he was simply relieved of all compensation and was thrown out naked.

He returned to his tent, wearing torn clothes and shoes, made some rough repairs, and then someone came to urge him. He left the mountains in a dejected manner and was told that he could not say anything about it.

After arriving in Beijing, he remained restless for several years. However, as time went on, the Old Nine Gates deteriorated further and eventually fell silent, allowing him to gradually relax. Later, he heard some rumors that after he left, a major incident occurred on the cliff, resulting in countless casualties for the Old Nine Gates and severely damaging their vitality.

When Old Lady Huo’s letter arrived, he was terrified, thinking that the past had resurfaced.

After Ho Xiuxiu finished speaking, she said, “Who do you think the leader who coerced him would be?” With that, she looked meaningfully at the Silent Oil Bottle, “Does this give you a hint?”

I remained silent, but Fatty also turned to look at the Silent Oil Bottle. The moonlight outside was obscured by dark clouds, and the room was almost entirely dark.

I understood Xiuxiu’s hint, but at that moment, I didn’t want to speculate further, as such speculation would lead nowhere.