93: Chapter 94 Nightwing Steals Fire

Ning Yanqiu looked up almost instantly, her voice cold and sharp: "There is something on the outer circle of the high levels."

The Cold Mirror Sovereign Crow flapped its wings in synchronization, the cold white patterns beneath its eyes suddenly lighting up. A blurred black shadow was immediately projected into mid-air—it was as thin as a short tube, sealed within the interlayer of the stele body, wrapped in three circles of old fire lines, with a sealing code pressed behind the lines that was so dark it almost blended into the stele surface.

Instructor Han Tiecheng's voice, deep and hoarse, came through the iron fire order: "That is an old fire tube. Back then, the Third Survey Team would stuff temporary report codes and short messages inside it and hang it on the outer circle of the high-level sealing patterns. Only when the lower-level fire hall was settled would the fire tube reveal itself once."

Wu Fu sat by the Worker Nest Egg Tray, gasping for air as she looked up, her Grey Pupils locked onto that black shadow: "What do you mean by 'reveal itself once'?"

"It means it will soon burn back into the stele body." Just as Grey Pupil's voice fell, the sealing patterns on the waist of the Main Stele began to contract inward, and the shadow of the short tube also shrank an inch back into the stele body.

Qiao Ye's neck was aching from craning it, and he hurriedly asked: "Can that thing be taken down?"

"People cannot go up." Ning Yanqiu raised her hand, and the cold mirror fragment disk projected the three layers of counter-wind above, "The first layer clings to the stele, and the wind is full of fragmented stele fire; the second layer curls outward, and if you go out, you will be swept back to the Main Stele's front field by the fire ring; the third layer is the narrowest, only wide enough for a bird to pass through, but it is surrounded by high-level sealing patterns—touch them, and you will be burned and marked."

Instructor Han Tiecheng's voice rang out from the iron fire order again, carrying an unquestionable firmness: "The old fire tube cannot be allowed to be sealed by the Pei Family."

Pei Chengxu stood on the outer layer of the dark gold sealing field, his gaze fixed on the short tube. His tone was calm but carried the pressure of rules: "According to the collaborative investigation clause, unregistered items sealed by the Old Military Court should be sealed first."

"You should first try reaching your hand to thirty zhang high before you talk." Instructor Han Tiecheng's cold laugh came through the iron fire order, unceremoniously.

Pei Chengxu was not annoyed; he merely turned his head to look at Lu Jin, his tone carrying a hint of certainty: "You cannot get it either."

As soon as the words fell, the short tube shrank another half-inch into the stele body. Lu Jin finally looked up, his gaze sweeping over the counter-wind high above—two Night-Wing Scout Hunters had already been circling along the wind slits. Since Chapter 90, they had been scouting the wind for the Master Crow, reporting breaks for the Work Rat, and keeping a close watch on the surrounding figures for him. They could see, report, and knock down nails and lines, but this time, just seeing was far from enough; he had to forcibly snatch that old fire tube out from the Main Stele's sealing patterns.

Black fire suddenly rose in Lu Jin's palm, his voice low but carrying an absolute command: "Night Wings."

Three Night-Wing Scout Hunters retracted their wings simultaneously, landing in the fire smoke above the Frontline Fire Hall. Their black wings were illuminated by the well fire, revealing edges as thin as cicada wings. The not-yet-fully-formed fire-stealing black patterns at their wingtips were like blades that had just been sharpened, sharp yet carrying a hint of fragility—they had not been battle soldiers for long, and their wings were not yet fully hardened.

Seeing this, Wu Fu's expression changed drastically, and she stood up abruptly: "You want to send the Night Wings up? They haven't been trained well yet! The high-level sealing patterns are not animal blood vessels, nor are they dark gold bait nails. If one breaks, I cannot replace it at all right now!"

"That is why only three are going." Lu Jin's gaze remained locked on the short tube high above, his tone not softening in the slightest.

"You call that losing fewer?" Wu Fu gritted her teeth, her tone full of heartache and anger.

"This is called preserving the species."

Wu Fu almost burst into a string of curses, but Grey Pupil had already raised his staff, saying in a deep voice: "Give them the fire-stealing seals. The Night Wings previously only used the wind to scout positions; to steal the fire tube, their wingtips must be able to bite open the sealing patterns."

"What will happen if they bite?"

"The sealing patterns will bite back."

Wu Fu closed her eyes, ultimately not arguing back. She muttered "You two are both annoying today," reached toward the edge of the Second Branch Nest, and pulled out three nest fragments as thin as black leaves—as soon as the fragments left the tray, the Worker Nest Egg Tray dimmed by three parts instantly. Wu Fu's face twitched in pain, but her tone was urgent: "Night Wing fire-stealing fragments, they are one-time use. After being attached, the wingtips can bite through seals, hang onto objects, and carry fire for a short time."

She stared fixedly at Lu Jin, her tone carrying a warning: "If they burn through their wing bones while bringing it back, I won't care; you'll have to coax them yourself."

Lu Jin took the three black-leaf nest fragments but did not attach them immediately, turning instead to look at Grey Pupil: "Grey Pupil."

Grey Pupil tapped his staff, and the old fire of the Priest Court rose slowly along the Frontline Fire Hall. The fire was not large, only circling the edges of the three nest fragments. On the black leaves, a line of grey fire old seals immediately appeared. "Steal the fire and return to the nest; do not be greedy for a second bite," he instructed in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.

The three Night-Wing Scout Hunters chirped softly, as if acknowledging the order. Lu Jin raised his hand and attached the nest fragments one by one to their wingtips. The moment the black leaves touched their bone wings, the three Night Wings shuddered simultaneously. The fire-stealing black patterns that had been wandering on the wingtips suddenly tightened, condensing into a small, hook-shaped fire seal—from now on, they were no longer just messengers that cut through the wind; they could also hook fire and break seals.

Ning Yanqiu watched this scene, her eyes brightening slightly, and she immediately raised her hand: "I will fix the wind slits for them."

"You just held up the city-moving line, your body is still weak." Lu Jin's tone rarely carried a hint of discouragement.

"Then don't waste time." Ning Yanqiu's tone was crisp. The cold mirror fragment disk was already raised, and the Master Crow flapped its wings, stopping half a foot behind her shoulder. The cold white mirror lines spread out from the edge of the fragment disk, not illuminating the short tube, but instead precisely projecting the narrowest slit between the three layers of counter-wind—so narrow that it could only accommodate one Night Wing passing through with its wings retracted.

"The first one goes in front to test the sealing code; the second one goes to the side to bite the old fire lines; the third one should not go too deep, wait until the short tube is loose before grabbing it." Ning Yanqiu's voice was steady without a ripple, "The Master Crow only guarantees one refraction; if you miss, retreat; do not forcibly snatch it."

Lu Jin looked at the three Night Wings, his voice low: "Did you hear that?"

Black fire lit up in the eyes of the three Night Wings simultaneously, and they chirped in response.

The first Night Wing was the smallest and fastest. It immediately retracted its wings and leaped up, drilling upward along the cold white slit lines projected by Ning Yanqiu. As soon as it entered the first layer of counter-wind, fragmented stele fire smashed against its wing edges like gravel. The Night Wing did not spread its wings, keeping its wing bones extremely narrow, its body almost condensing into a black line, scraping through the gaps in the fragmented fire.

The second layer of counter-wind swirled wildly outward, and the Night Wing was blown half a foot off course, on the verge of leaving the wind slit. Ning Yanqiu pressed her wrist down, the cold patterns beneath the eyes of the Cold Mirror Sovereign Crow surged, and a ray of refraction pushed fiercely from the side, forcibly correcting the half-foot deviation and sending the Night Wing back into the wind slit.

The first Night Wing rushed into the third layer, and the high-level sealing patterns instantly detected a living creature. The black-red fire lines opened abruptly, like a mouth, wanting to devour it. The hook-shaped fire seal on the Night Wing's wingtip suddenly lit up. It did not peck at the short tube but lightly brushed against the outer edge of the sealing code—with a hiss, black smoke rose, and a gap was burned into the edge of the Night Wing's left wing on the spot, with charred black feathers falling down in a rustle.

"Retreat! Make it retreat!" Wu Fu cursed in anxiety, about to rush up.

Lu Jin, however, remained motionless—the first Night Wing had already bitten open a corner of the sealing code. It tumbled out from the sealing patterns, the edges of its black feathers burning with bright fire, falling two zhang downward. Ning Yanqiu used a mirror line with a backhand motion to catch it in time, steadily sending it back above the fire hall.

When the Night Wing landed, half of its wingtip was still smoking. Wu Fu rushed over and pressed it down, her tone urgent and fierce: "Don't move! If you move again, the wing bone will crack!"

Just then, the second Night Wing had already taken to the air. It was heavier and its speed was half a beat slower, but its wingtips were harder. It followed the gap bitten open by the first one and drilled to the side of the sealing code, aiming at the first circle of old fire lines wrapped around the old fire tube, and hooked firmly with its wingtip hook seal.

The old fire line did not break but instead drilled inward along the wing bone, as if wanting to drag it into the sealing patterns. Grey Pupil's expression darkened, and he shouted sternly: "Sacrificial Fire!"

Lu Jin raised his hand and acted. In the Frontline Fire Hall, a wisp of Sacrificial Fire shot straight into the high sky along the city-moving line. Across a distance of thirty zhang, it landed precisely on the back of the second Night Wing. As the Sacrificial Fire pressed down, it forcibly resisted the pull of the old fire line. The Night Wing used this force to twist fiercely—with a crisp crack, the first circle of old fire lines snapped, and the short tube loosened outward by half an inch.

The high-level sealing patterns were thoroughly enraged, and the entire circle of black-red fire exploded from the stele body, like a powerful giant hand, wanting to drag the second Night Wing and the short tube back together. Ning Yanqiu's face turned pale, and she shouted urgently: "Master Crow!"

The Cold Mirror Sovereign Crow flapped its wings and flew up, the cold white patterns on its feather edges bursting open, lasting only for a breath—it was this breath that caused the black-red fire hand to slow down by half a beat under the illumination of the mirror lines. The second Night Wing seized the opportunity to escape, carrying half a section of the burnt-off old fire line, and fell straight down.

"Catch it!" Qiao Ye roared, looking up. The Bone-Armor Furnace Guard immediately raised its shield to block, and the Night Wing slammed fiercely onto the shield surface, then bounced into Wu Fu's arms. Wu Fu was almost knocked over, and she cursed angrily: "You are stealing fire, not cliff diving!"

Her cursing hadn't even landed when the third Night Wing had already rushed into the wind slit. This one was the quietest; previously, it mostly just hung high up reporting points, with very low presence, but the black fire in its eyes was the steadiest of the three.

It did not take the direct line of the first one, nor did it take the side line of the second one. Instead, borrowing the scent of the half-section of old fire line brought down by the second one, it clung to an almost invisible black edge beneath the sealing patterns and silently drilled in—that was not the wind slit projected by Ning Yanqiu; it was a fire-stealing edge it had found itself.

Lu Jin's eyes moved slightly. The attention of the high-level sealing patterns was still on the first two breaches, completely unaware that this inconspicuous Night Wing had already quietly approached the short tube.

The hook seal on the Night Wing's wingtip did not shine blindingly, only emitting a faint light, like a small hook extended in the dark night, gently hooking the outer wall of the short tube—it pulled, but it did not move an inch.

The cold mirror fragment disk in Ning Yanqiu's hand suddenly vibrated slightly. She furrowed her brows tightly and said in a deep voice: "There is a Cold Mirror pattern on the outer wall, which is of the same origin as the Old Military Court pattern on the bottom of my fragment disk. It is an old pre-mark pattern of the Royal Court, not the current Ning Family school pattern. After being burned by the Main Stele fire for so many years, it actually hasn't been extinguished."

"I can touch it." Ning Yanqiu looked up at Lu Jin, her tone firm.

Lu Jin instantly understood what she meant, his brows furrowing slightly: "Will it hurt you?"

"It will shake the fragment disk, but it can allow the third Night Wing to grab the short tube."

Lu Jin did not hesitate in the slightest, pausing for only half a breath before spitting out one word: "Do it."

Ning Yanqiu did not waste words. She bit her fingertip and pressed a drop of fresh blood onto the edge of the cold mirror fragment disk. The Master Crow chirped softly, and the frost-white on its feather edges retracted inward. The cold white mirror lines no longer illuminated the wind, but instead, following the fire-stealing hook on the third Night Wing's wingtip, they finely drilled to the outer wall of the short tube, precisely pointing at that Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal.

The Auxiliary Seal lit up suddenly, and Ning Yanqiu's shoulder swayed slightly. A small piece of frost-white fragmented light also fell from the edge of the Master Crow's feathers, but the third Night Wing seized the opportunity—the second sealing code on the outer wall of the short tube was pried open a line from the inside by the Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal. The hook seal on the Night Wing's wingtip hooked fiercely inward, and this time, the short tube finally moved.

The high-level sealing patterns were completely out of control, and the entire circle of black-red fire rolled toward the third Night Wing like a tsunami. "Retreat!" Lu Jin shouted in a low voice, his voice carrying a hint of imperceptible urgency.

The third Night Wing clamped onto the short tube and turned to fall—it did not fly but retracted its wings completely, falling straight down like a black stone. The black-red fire pursued closely behind, the scorching heat wave almost swallowing it.

Ning Yanqiu forcibly raised her hand, wanting to have the Master Crow perform one more refraction, but her wrist was pressed down by Lu Jin: "Don't force it." He raised his other hand high, his voice resounding through the entire fire hall: "Frontline Fire Hall, receive the fire!"

Grey Pupil tapped his staff on the ground, and Wu Fu also gritted her teeth and pushed the newly hung Worker Nest Egg Tray inward. In the Frontline Fire Hall, that rough, half-person-high fire platform suddenly lit up. It did not shoot fire upward but instead opened downward, and a circle of black-grey fire edges opened up from the top of the fire platform, like an old net opened specifically to catch objects.

The third Night Wing, carrying the old fire tube, fell straight into the fire net, and the black-red pursuing fire followed closely behind, slamming fiercely into the fire net. The entire Frontline Nest Hall sank violently, and the edge of the Worker Nest Egg Tray cracked open on the spot. Wu Fu's eyes turned red, and she roared: "My tray!"

"It caught it." Grey Pupil's tone was calm, his gaze falling on the center of the fire net.

The fire net slowly dissipated. The third Night Wing tumbled to the side of the fire platform, its claws still locked tightly onto the old fire tube. Its wing bones were trembling incessantly, and the fire-stealing fragment on its wingtip had been burned until only half remained, yet it had never let go of its prey from start to finish.

Lu Jin squatted down and carefully moved the Night Wing away from the short tube. Wu Fu had already lunged over, holding the three Night Wings and checking them one by one, her tone fierce and pained: "This one's wingtip is burned through, this one has fire in its bones—don't even think about flying for three days—and this one, its bones aren't broken, but its courage has almost been burned away!"

By the end of her scolding, she lowered her head toward the third Night Wing, her tone softening a bit, but still carrying a fierce warning: "Next time, you are not allowed to fall straight down, do you hear me?"

The third Night Wing chirped weakly, not knowing if it was acknowledging the order or if it was already exhausted.

Lu Jin picked up the old fire tube, about the length of a forearm, entirely black-red. Its outer wall was pitted and bumpy from being burned by the high-level sealing patterns. On one side, it indeed had that Cold Mirror Auxiliary Seal pressed against it, which lit up once and then dimmed again, like an old key seal waiting to be claimed.

Ning Yanqiu walked over, her face paler than before, but her gaze fell first on that Auxiliary Seal: "This is an old pre-mark pattern of the Royal Court, not the current Ning Family school pattern."

Lu Jin turned the fire tube toward her and asked: "Can it be kept?"

Ning Yanqiu did not reach out. She glanced at the three scarred Night Wings, then looked at Lu Jin, her tone carrying a hint of coldness: "Look at the tube first; your matter will be settled later."

Lu Jin nodded. Pei Chengxu stepped forward at this moment, and Qiao Ye immediately blocked him with his shield, his eyes vigilant. "Let's look together." Pei Chengxu's tone was calm, without any superfluous chatter.

Lu Jin glanced at him and said indifferently: "Very well." Saying this, he placed the old fire tube on the Frontline Fire Platform. The Black-Armored Recorder on Instructor Han Tiecheng's side had already picked up his pen again, ready to record.

Ning Yanqiu held one side of the fire tube down with the cold mirror fragment disk, and Grey Pupil held the other side down with his Sacrificial Fire. Wu Fu sat to the side, holding the Night Wings, applying ash to their wing bones while staring fixedly at the fire tube, fearing any further mishaps. Lu Jin's black fire slowly descended from his palm. The moment it touched the old fire tube, the layer of burnt black shell at the tube's opening began to crack open bit by bit.

When it cracked to the third line, a tightly rolled fire slip rolled out from inside—the edges of the fire slip bore unflattened burn marks, clearly stuffed in by someone in extreme haste. There was no long report, no explanation, only a short line of handwriting that, the moment the fire slip was unfolded, entered everyone's eyes:

[Do not trust the upper collection order.]