112: Chapter 113 The Seal of the Clan Head Falls

Ning Huaixue's mirror image flickered slightly.

That flicker didn't look like exhaustion; it was more like someone had knocked on the door at the other end of the mirror vault, vibrating the entire surface of the water. Ning Huaixue glanced down at the mirror register, and a cold, deep Patriarch's Seal emerged on the edge of the page—a single character, "Ning." The ink was heavy, and as it descended, the cold light around the mirror image dimmed, as if subjects were bowing their heads upon seeing a monarch.

Ning Huaixue's voice sank: "Patriarch Ning Zhenyue has arrived."

The Patriarch's Seal did not press down immediately. It hung above the mirror register like a cold, heavy bolt, locking all light outside the door. After a few breaths, a man's voice emanated from the seal. The voice was neither loud nor angry, yet as soon as it emerged, even the well-wind behind the door seemed to be pressed down, and the air in the back trough of the workshop congealed by three parts.

"Huaixue, seal the register."

Upon hearing this voice, Ning Yanqiu's eyelashes trembled slightly, like the wings of a butterfly.

Patriarch Ning Zhenyue. The current head of the Ning Family. She had met this patriarch many times; he never scolded people loudly, nor did he waste words. Many in the family feared him, not because he had a bad temper, but because he always knew exactly where to place everyone—those who could fight were sent to the front lines, those who could calculate were placed in internal affairs, and those who could keep ledgers were assigned to the old archives. Juniors who were prone to showing off had to return to the main residence to keep accounts.

Ning Huaixue did not close the mirror register. She raised her hand, her fingertips pressing against the edge of the page. The movement was slight, yet it carried a silent persistence: "Patriarch, the old archive has already been unsealed."

Ning Zhenyue's voice remained steady, like a stone dropped into a deep pool, the ripples controlled within a square inch: "If it is unsealed, then seal it back."

"The old case of the No. 7 Rift Zone involves the Sun Gold internal affairs sector; the Ning Family cannot simply pretend not to see it."

"The Ning Family is not the Military Court," Ning Zhenyue said. "If the old battle assessment is to be reviewed, it should be jointly reviewed by the main residence's mirror vault, the Northern Military Court, and the Federal Battle Assessment Division. Yanqiu is on the front lines; she should not be privately accessing old archives."

Ning Huaixue said: "She did not access it privately."

The Patriarch's Seal sank slightly, a note of unquestionable weight added to his tone: "Then have her retreat to the family review position."

As these words fell, the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal on Ning Yanqiu's cuff rang softly. It wasn't being bitten by the archive; it was her own divine power tensing up, like a fully drawn bow, the string vibrating at its limit.

Qiao Ye looked at Wen Zhao and lowered his voice: "What is the review position?"

Wen Zhao whispered: "Sounds like it can protect someone."

The grey copper fire of the Nail Bone emerged from the broken shaft, the tip of the flame dancing with a hint of mockery: "It also sounds like taking your hands off the shaft and standing on the side watching others repair it."

Qiao Ye understood, his expression darkening.

Ning Zhenyue ignored them. The Patriarch's Seal focused solely on Ning Yanqiu, his voice devoid of emotion, yet possessing an undeniable pressure: "Yanqiu."

Ning Yanqiu looked up, her gaze calm: "Patriarch."

"You have reached Apprentice Perfection, and your Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal is in the inner-ring adaptation period. Continuing to investigate paternal lineage old archives in the name of a private vanguard at this time will give people an opening to exploit." Ning Zhenyue's voice was unhurried, every word sounding as if it had been precisely calculated. "Return to the Ning Family main team. The old archives will be reviewed by the main residence. I will protect the accounts of your father's lineage."

These words were spoken very steadily, even considerately. There were no threats, no coercion; he was giving her resources, giving her status, and giving her a position where she would not be bitten back by the Pei Family and the Temple.

Ning Yanqiu lowered her eyes, seeing the cold ash on her cuffs. Three portions of cold ash had already been half-used, and frost was still clinging to the edges of the Master Crow's feathers. She had only projected half an inch further, and the auxiliary seal had cracked deeper. Returning to the family review position was indeed stable—she could wait for the Ning Family main residence to bring out the old archives layer by layer, wait for Ning Zhenyue to block the dirty hands outside for her, and wait for those people to rewrite a more decent battle assessment for her father's lineage.

But if that happened, the rear-guard review she had projected today would be sent back to the mirror vault first. Duan Jun's living record anchor would be in the Military Court's dark records. Lu Jin's fire would be under the eyes of the Pei Family. And she herself would retreat from the Lock Bridge vanguard position back into the Ning Family's ledgers, becoming a junior waiting for the family's grace.

Ning Yanqiu raised her hand and pressed it against the edge of the Master Crow's feathers. The Master Crow let out a low cry; it didn't urge her, but simply pressed the frost-cracked feather edges against her palm, as if saying: No matter what you choose, I am here.

Ning Yanqiu spoke, her voice not loud, yet it clearly sliced through the congealed air: "I will not return."

The Patriarch's Seal was quiet for a breath, like a dormant beast opening its eyes in the darkness.

Ning Zhenyue said: "Reason."

Ning Yanqiu looked at the old battle order that had not yet sunk, her gaze seemingly piercing through the mirror surface to see a rainy night from many years ago: "The old archive was opened on the front lines, so it should be recorded on the front lines. The Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal is connected to the inner-ring back teeth, not the main residence's mirror vault. The Duan Jun living record anchor is still hot, and the Pei Family's return-transmission clasp is still in our hands. If I go back now, the old archive will be stabilized, but the line will be broken."

She paused, as if wanting to chew every subsequent word to pieces before spitting them out: "The Patriarch said he would protect the paternal lineage's old accounts; I believe him. But I do not want to just be protected."

This sentence was light, but when it hit the ground, it seemed to gouge out a pit.

Ning Huaixue looked up at her, her expression complex. Lu Jin also turned his gaze, something moving deep within his eyes.

Ning Yanqiu continued, her voice as steady as if stating the simplest of facts: "If that line of my father's is truly a rear-guard, then it should be uncovered by me on the front lines. If there are still dirty accounts behind it, I should take them on myself. As for the Ning Family's accounts, I will carry my own share."

The cold light on the Patriarch's Seal pressed lower, like dark clouds pressing down on a city.

Ning Zhenyue's voice finally sank a little, carrying a certain scrutiny of one who has long held a high position: "Do you know that this statement will be entered into the family internal affairs record?"

"I know."

"Once it enters the record, it cannot be withdrawn as youthful impulse."

"I will not withdraw it."

Qiao Ye whispered, his tone carrying a hint of admiration: "She's really tough."

Wen Zhao did not respond; he had already pressed these sentences into the dark record, his fingers tightening on the Line-Marking Nail.

Instructor Han Tiecheng watched Ning Yanqiu, a faint trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, which he quickly suppressed, as if afraid of being discovered.

Ning Zhenyue was silent for a long time, so long that the cold light at the edge of the mirror image began to drop, as if unable to support the weight of this silence. Finally, he said: "Huaixue, unauthorized file submission. Seal the keys for three days."

Ning Huaixue's expression did not change, but the string of old silver keys at her waist suddenly broke into three. The light of the three keys fell; they did not hit the ground but shattered into fine white powder in mid-air, reclaimed by the Patriarch's Seal. Ning Huaixue's mirror image dimmed by a layer on the spot, as if three parts of her vitality had been drained away.

Ning Yanqiu's eyes tightened: "Patriarch."

Ning Zhenyue did not stop, continuing: "Yanqiu, you may temporarily hold the Cold Mirror old archive index. One copy for the front-line dark record, one copy for the main residence review. Within three days, you may not independently project into the depths of the breaking order."

Ning Yanqiu pursed her lips, pursuing: "What if the Pei Family enters first?"

The Patriarch's Seal finally turned toward Lu Jin.

Lu Jin raised his eyes, his gaze meeting that deep, cold seal, neither avoiding nor yielding.

Ning Zhenyue said: "Lu Jin, you hold the half-gate master control. If the Pei Family moves on the depths of the breaking order first, you let Yanqiu project. Whatever she uncovers, the Ning Family will acknowledge."

Lu Jin looked at the Patriarch's Seal, his tone calm: "Does the Ning Family keep accounts too?"

"We do," Ning Zhenyue said. "But if the accounts are wrong, I will come looking for you."

Lu Jin said: "You will find me."

Ning Zhenyue said nothing more. The Patriarch's Seal retracted upward; it did not dissipate entirely, leaving only a faint cold scar on the edge of the mirror image, like a wound that had not yet healed.

Ning Huaixue looked at that cold scar and let out a soft breath, a hint of an almost imperceptible curve appearing at the corner of her mouth: "Better than I thought."

Wu Fu frowned, puzzled: "You lost three keys, and you still call it good?"

Ning Huaixue looked at her, her gaze carrying an indescribable flavor: "If the door isn't locked shut, that's called good."

Qiao Ye subconsciously looked at Ning Yanqiu. Ning Yanqiu's expression hadn't changed, only the Master Crow's feather edges had brightened a little more, as if a lamp had been lit in the darkness.

In the mirror image, Ning Huaixue blocked the Patriarch's Seal outside the mirror register, not letting the seal fall onto Ning Yanqiu's auxiliary seal. She looked at Ning Yanqiu, her voice softening a bit, carrying a rare gentleness: "Yanqiu."

"I am here."

"I can only block it for a while."

"That is enough."

Ning Huaixue looked at her, her gaze seemingly piercing through the mirror image, seeing someone from many years ago: "Your father left the main key back then, not so you could risk your life to pry open the mirror vault."

Ning Yanqiu said: "Then it was to let me take it home?"

"No," Ning Huaixue paused, her voice lower, "It was to let you know that the Ning Family's door doesn't only have to be opened from the inside."

Ning Yanqiu's eyelashes moved slightly, as if a breeze had blown by.

She did not answer.

Ning Huaixue pressed the mirror register down, and the cold-white old archive number was extracted from the small mirror surface, turning into a tiny mirror spike. The mirror spike did not fall into Ning Huaixue's hand, nor did it return to the mirror vault; it fell toward Ning Yanqiu's cuff. The Master Crow extended its wing, catching the mirror spike first. The mirror spike was very cold, and a low cry issued from the Master Crow's throat, frost immediately forming on its feather edges.

Ning Yanqiu raised her hand to receive it, the mirror spike sticking to the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal. The inner-ring back teeth on the edge of the auxiliary seal finally stabilized for half a circle, like a puzzle piece finding its key spot.

Ning Huaixue said: "I give you the old archive index. I will bear the cost for now. Next time Ning Zhenyue asks, you don't have to say it was me who handed it over."

Ning Yanqiu said: "I will say it."

Ning Huaixue looked at her.

Ning Yanqiu's voice was clear, like jade striking jade: "If I accepted it, then I accepted it."

The mirror image was quiet for a breath.

Afterward, Ning Huaixue laughed softly. The laugh was faint, like a line of light appearing in a cold cabinet, brief but real: "Like your father."

Ning Yanqiu's expression changed slightly, as if something had been touched.

Ning Huaixue did not continue. At the edge of the mirror register, that Patriarch's Seal pressed down again. This time, the mirror image cracked, as if unable to withstand the tearing of the two forces. Ning Huaixue's voice became even lighter, as if it could be scattered by the wind at any moment: "One last sentence. The Cold Mirror Workshop didn't just make mirror teeth for the Ning Family; back then, it also pressed a fire for the Ruptured Furnace Seat. If you want to find that fire, don't bypass the Cold Mirror Workshop."

The mirror image shattered.

Ning Huaixue's voice and the mirror register disappeared together, as if they had never appeared.

In the back trough of the workshop, only the small mirror surface remained. The small mirror surface began to sink, as if wanting to return to the abyss where it belonged. Ning Yanqiu raised her hand; she didn't force the auxiliary seal any further, just pushed the newly obtained mirror spike forward. The mirror spike fell onto the edge of the small mirror surface, and that broken old battle order lit up one last time.

This time, everyone saw the broken corner where the signature was located.

It wasn't the full name, only revealing the first half of two characters—

Ning Zhao.

The characters behind were burned through by the dark gold seal.

But Ning Yanqiu recognized that stroke. She was too familiar with it. When she practiced Cold Mirror school marks as a child, Ning Zhaochuan only changed the last stroke. That stroke was always pressed very heavily, as if refusing to let the wind blow the line off course.

Ning Yanqiu looked at that half-signature, the cold ash on her fingertips slowly crushed by her, the powder leaking from between her fingers like sand that couldn't be grasped.

Lu Jin did not speak. He simply unfolded the second layer of the battle map, allowing a tiny cold-white spike to appear next to the Duan Jun living record anchor.

Wen Zhao whispered: "Cold Mirror old archive index, connected to the dark record. Broken old battle order, suspected to have Ning Zhaochuan's signature."

Ning Yanqiu spoke, her voice very steady, as if suppressing something: "Write 'pending review'."

Wen Zhao looked at her.

She repeated: "If you don't see the full name, just write 'pending review'."

Wen Zhao nodded: "Understood."

Instructor Han Tiecheng looked at the old battle order that was about to sink, and suddenly spoke: "People from the Ning Family will come."

Ning Yanqiu said: "They will."

Han Tiecheng asked: "Are you afraid?"

Ning Yanqiu raised her eyes, her gaze clear and bright, like a blade tempered in fire: "I'm afraid they'll come late."

Qiao Ye was stunned for a moment, then laughed lowly.

Wu Fu closed the cold ash box, muttering: "That sentence sounds like it will cost extra materials."

Grey Pupil said: "But the fire is stable."

Lu Jin looked at Ning Yanqiu's cuff. The cracks on the edge of the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal hadn't disappeared, but next to the cracks, there was an extra half-circle of inner-ring back teeth. This time there was no breakthrough in rank, but it was her pushing the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal from the gate-mouth tooth shadow to between the inner-ring old workshop and the old battle order.

The cost was also very clear—three portions of cold ash, a line of frost on the Master Crow's feather edges, and Ning Huaixue's mirror vault opening being targeted by Ning Zhenyue. As well as Ning Yanqiu's own name, finally hung upon this old archive.

The small mirror surface in the back trough of the workshop sank.

Before the broken old battle order disappeared, the edge of the dark gold seal suddenly lit up. That light was very gentle, so gentle that it didn't look like fire on a battlefield, but like someone, from very far away, reaching out to close the lid of a box.

The command fire in Pei Chengxu's sleeve quieted down accordingly, quieted to an extreme degree.

Lu Jin turned his head to look at him.

Pei Chengxu also looked at Lu Jin.

He did not speak. But in the next breath, above the front-line fire platform outside the door, a Sun Gold fine order suddenly fell. The fine order did not smash down; it was like an invitation card handed to the edge of a table, steadily hovering in front of Instructor Han Tiecheng's iron fire order.

Instructor Han Tiecheng's expression sank.

The Black-Armored Recorder read out the face of the order in a low voice—

"Sun Gold ruling, Pei Clan. Inner-ring assistance investigation. The one arriving, Young Master Pei Tiange."

Ning Yanqiu put away the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal, a bit of cold ash falling from her cuff. She glanced at that Sun Gold fine order, then looked at the place where the old battle order had just sunk.

Only a cold-white dark record remained there.

On the dark record, half a signature was still emitting coldness.

Ning Zhao.