94: Chapter 95 Father's Debts and Old Enemies

Qiao Ye watched, understanding only half of it, but he keenly sensed that something was wrong—Lu Jin's hand had stopped.

Lu Jin's hands were always steady. They were steady when the West Anchor fire vines pressed against the border, and steady when the Pei family's dark gold sealing field was right in his face, as if every step of the path ahead had been calculated long ago, without a hint of hesitation. But at this moment, that curled and wrinkled fire slip was pinched between his fingers; he neither put it away nor handed it over, just stared fixedly at those six words, the black fire in his eyes sinking deep like a ten-thousand-foot abyss.

A single sentence split open all the tangled clues.

The Military Court summary clearly stated "Collection after loss of contact," and the scraped-away marks on the Main Stele slab also read "Collection," yet now, inside the old fire canister of the Third Survey Team, someone had left behind this warning— "Do not trust."

The other end of the iron fire order fell into a deathly silence. The Black-Armored Recorder's pen hovered over the register, lacking even the courage to write. Pei Chengxu also put away his previous composure, his gaze locked tightly onto the fire slip, for the first time not rushing to raise a joint investigation order to apply pressure—he knew clearly that this sentence was not spoils of war, nor was it a resource; it was the fuse to dig up old accounts. Once the old accounts were burned out from the core of the Main Stele, whoever reached out to cover them first would appear guilty.

Ning Yanqiu stood beside Lu Jin, not asking a single extra word, only silently pressing the cold mirror fragment disk forward by half an inch. The cold white light steadily wrapped around the edge of the fire slip, protecting that faint remnant of fire, fearing it might dissipate and leave not even the last clue behind.

Lu Jin turned his head to look at her, and Ning Yanqiu spoke in a low voice, her tone firm: "Let it live first."

Lu Jin nodded slightly and placed the fire slip back in the center of the Frontline Fire Platform. Grey Pupil raised his staff and tapped it lightly. The old fire of the Priest Court descended slowly, tracing a circle along the edge of the fire slip, and he said in a deep voice: "Only the surface words remain; there is still a grey seal inside. Burning it forcefully will destroy the handwriting and might also burn away the fire energy left behind by the writer."

Wu Fu, holding three scarred Night Wings, was about to ask more, but upon meeting Lu Jin's terrifyingly dark gaze, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue—she could tell that Lu Jin was furious, not at a person, but at this old account hidden for decades.

Only then did Pei Chengxu speak slowly, his tone still calm but carrying an indisputable rule: "Regarding the collection order, according to the joint investigation sealing regulations, the fire slip requires three-party sealing and joint inspection."

"Is your Pei family related to dogs? You want to seal everything you see?" Qiao Ye flared up on the spot, his shield horizontal as he blocked the front of the fire platform.

Pei Chengxu couldn't be bothered to look at him, his gaze falling on Lu Jin: "I said three parties, not for the Pei family to monopolize."

"Three parties may look, but the fire slip does not leave the fire platform." Lu Jin's tone was flat, yet it carried an absolute bottom line, leaving no room for negotiation.

Pei Chengxu raised an eyebrow: "Are you this distrustful of all sealed boxes?"

"Yes." One word, crisp and clean, giving Pei Chengxu no face at all. The front field instantly fell into a deathly silence, and even the sound of the fire weakened slightly.

The dark gold pattern on Pei Chengxu's sleeve lit up almost imperceptibly, then was forcibly suppressed by him. His tone grew colder: "Lu Jin, you are not negotiating with the Pei family right now."

"I know." Lu Jin raised his eyes, black fire churning in them, "That's why I didn't haggle."

Just then, Instructor Han Tiecheng's deep, thick voice finally came through the iron fire order, breaking the stalemate: "The fire slip stays on the fire platform, the Military Court Recorder will transcribe the surface words, the joint investigation party will observe, and whoever dares to touch the sealed box must report to me first."

Pei Chengxu looked toward the iron fire order, his tone carrying a rebuttal: "Instructor Han, if this sentence points to the old collection process, it involves more than just the Vanguard Group; the Pei family needs to take it back to the External Affairs Chamber for detailed investigation."

"Then that is all the more reason not to let you take it." Instructor Han's sneer came through the iron fire order, "If the old process is to be overturned, it must follow the Military Court's old file procedures, not just because your Pei family says 'joint investigation' can you take it back to hide it privately!"

Lu Jin had not interrupted at all, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the lower edge of the fire slip—that bit of remnant fire was very faint, so faint that others would only think it was residue from the fire canister, but he recognized it; that was Observer Lu Chenyuan's fire.

When he was a child, his father took him to the old furnace room to look at waste fire. With a gentle press of his fingertip, a dying piece of black-red fire was stabilized. At that time, Observer Lu Chenyuan said: "Fire must recognize its master; if your hands are chaotic, it becomes chaotic; if your heart is impatient, it dies first."

At this moment, his fingertip pressed against the fire slip, and that bit of remnant fire jumped lightly. It did not repel him, but rather seemed like a response to a long-awaited reunion. Lu Jin's throat tightened slightly, but his voice remained steady: "Grey Pupil, use the Sacrificial Fire. Do not burn the words, only invite the grey."

"Understood." Grey Pupil's gaze was solemn. He tapped his staff, and the Priest Court's grey fire slowly descended. It did not rush at the fire slip, but rather carefully spread into a circle around the bottom grey seal, "The old fire does not extinguish, the old ash reveals itself."

The grey seal slowly loosened, like thin soil that had settled for many years being gently blown away. On the back of the fire slip, four old codes gradually emerged—a Third Survey Team internal short message code, a West Lower Fire Hall landing point code, half a burnt remnant code, and a living seal as clear as an eye.

"It's a living seal!" Ning Yanqiu's voice was extremely low, her tone carrying a hint of gravity, "The Ning Family's old vanguard camp used things similar to this. A dead seal remains motionless once placed, but a living seal changes according to the executor's register fire. This one... has not extinguished yet."

The air instantly tightened. Qiao Ye's pupils shrank: "Does that mean the person who handled the collection order is still alive?"

No one answered, but this silence was the most explicit answer.

Lu Jin stared at that living seal, the black fire in his eyes sinking even deeper—this was not a coordinate, not a fragment; it was a person, the person who had handled the Observer Lu Chenyuan missing person case and completely erased his father from the list of the fallen!

"The living seal not being extinguished does not mean the executor is still on the front line." Pei Chengxu spoke, attempting to downplay the impact, "It could also be that the register fire was not cancelled, or the old file was not deregistered."

"You are very familiar with this." Lu Jin's gaze was like a knife, stabbing straight at Pei Chengxu, "Including this kind of living seal for collection orders?"

Pei Chengxu paused for half a breath. That momentary hesitation was precisely captured by Ning Yanqiu's cold mirror fragment disk—the subtle fluctuation of the dark gold pattern on his sleeve could not be hidden from the reflection of the cold white light. Lu Jin did not pursue the question; he knew that if he asked now, Pei Chengxu would only evade answering.

He raised his hand, and black fire gently pressed against the outer edge of the living seal. The living seal seemed to be startled and turned slightly, and a small segment of a remnant line emerged on the fire platform: [Supervising Seal... Jia-Seven...]

The words following it were cut off, but the two words "Supervising Seal" weighed as heavy as a thousand jun.

Chapter 78, the two words "Supervising Seal" on the fire stone leaf fragment, were finally linked together with the collection order and the living seal at this moment. Qiao Ye cursed in a low voice: "Is there really someone who dares to put their hand to this? Are they not afraid of being struck by lightning?"

Wen Zhao, who had been silent, squatted by the fire platform, staring at the old codes, and spoke slowly: "Jia-Seven is not a name; it is a position number. With a position number, there is a register, and one can find the person."

The Black-Armored Recorder finally put pen to paper. The sound of the nib scratching across the register was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent Fire Hall. Instructor Han Tiecheng's voice came again: "Read."

"Old fire canister short message: Do not trust the collection order. A living seal found on the back layer of the fire slip, remnant code: Supervising Seal Jia-Seven, status: Not extinguished." The Recorder's voice was low, carrying a trace of hesitation.

"Add a note." Pei Chengxu spoke immediately, "The status of the living seal requires re-examination of the Military Court's old files; it must not be defined as a living person on-site."

"You certainly know how to exploit loopholes!" Instructor Han's sneer intensified, "Add it, add it all! Also, add another line: The Pei family joint investigation party raises objections to the living seal not being extinguished, suspected of deliberately avoiding connection to the old case."

Pei Chengxu's face turned slightly cold: "Instructor Han, this is against the rules."

"Rules?" Instructor Han retorted in a rough voice, "If a collection order can be forged, rules are worth nothing! Write it as I said!"

Qiao Ye's shoulders shook from holding back laughter, but he dared not laugh out loud—Instructor Han was openly helping Lu Jin, leaving Pei Chengxu speechless. Lu Jin still did not smile, his gaze locked tightly onto the living seal, his finger bones tensed until they turned white. No one knew that the anger in his heart had long since turned into a prairie fire, only he was forcibly suppressing it, not letting it leak out from his fingertips.

Suddenly, Ning Yanqiu quietly tilted the cold mirror fragment disk to the side by half an inch. The cold white light blocked Pei Chengxu's line of sight, leaving only the Recorder able to clearly see the handwriting and the living seal on the fire slip. Lu Jin turned his head to look at her, and Ning Yanqiu said in a flat, serious tone: "The fragment disk's edge was damaged by the vibration just now; it's normal for the light to be a little off."

"You kid are learning to be bad!" Wu Fu, holding the Night Wing, couldn't help but chuckle, her eyes full of approval, "But I like that answer; just say it's battle damage!"

Lu Jin withdrew his gaze. Taking advantage of the gap in the light, his fingertips quickly pressed against the inside of the fire slip—that familiar old fire jumped again, and an extremely faint handwritten mark was forced out by the black fire. Only he and Ning Yanqiu could see it; it was the starting stroke of the character "Lu," the brushwork sharp and identical to Observer Lu Chenyuan's handwriting.

His fingertips paused slightly, and Lu Jin slowly withdrew his hand. Ning Yanqiu immediately used the cold white light to collect that mark into the shadow of the fragment disk, tacitly saying nothing more. Grey Pupil looked at Lu Jin, his eyes knowing, but he did not point it out, and said: "There is still the bottom layer of the grey seal left. Shall we open it?"

"Wait until the recording is finished." Lu Jin's tone was calm as he looked at Pei Chengxu, "The bottom grey seal will be inspected together, but you had better pray that there is no Sun Gold sealing material underneath—if Pei family items appear in the Third Survey old fire canister, tell me, how will the Military Court investigate it?"

Pei Chengxu's gaze turned cold: "Lu Jin, speaking too definitively will make it hard to clean up later."

"If even the collection order cannot be trusted, why would I fear not being able to clean up?" Lu Jin's tone was flat, yet it carried a determination to burn his bridges. This sentence was not raised in volume, yet it left the whole scene unable to catch their breath.

Ning Yanqiu stood by his side and could clearly see the white of his tensed finger bones—he was not without pain, not without panic; he was simply suppressing all his emotions deep in his heart. He had to investigate his father's old case to the end, even if the road ahead was filled with thorns, even if it meant becoming an enemy of the entire Pei family.

The Black-Armored Recorder finally finished the transcription, and Instructor Han Tiecheng's voice came: "Open the bottom grey seal."

Grey Pupil raised his staff, and the Sacrificial Fire pressed lower. The grey seal at the bottom of the fire slip fell away bit by bit. No more writing appeared, only a fire mark as thin as a steel needle, pointing directly to the bottom of the old fire canister. Lu Jin picked up the fire canister and tipped it gently. A black-grey thin flake the size of a fingernail slid out, its edges pressed with concave fire patterns.

The moment the thin flake landed on the fire platform, the old nest beneath the Frontline Fire Hall suddenly vibrated low, clearer and closer than before. Ning Yanqiu immediately shone the cold mirror fragment disk over it. On the inside of the thin flake, an extremely small old map slowly emerged—an ancient well with grey-white well walls and a black-red well core, surrounded by three old Royal Court locks.

"Grey Fire Well!" Grey Pupil's voice sank suddenly, his tone carrying a hint of gravity.

On the other end of the iron fire order, Instructor Han Tiecheng's breathing also skipped a beat. Pei Chengxu stared fixedly at the thin flake and exclaimed: "The Inner Ring Grey Fire Well?"

"You are very familiar with this again." Lu Jin's gaze was like a torch, locking tightly onto Pei Chengxu, "What exactly does the Pei family have to do with this Inner Ring Grey Fire Well and the collection order?"

Pei Chengxu avoided answering, his eyes fixed on the well diagram on the thin flake—at this moment, the well core was extending a thin line, pointing straight into the deeper parts of the Main Stele. The fire in the Frontline Fire Hall suddenly sank, and the old nest underground sent a response again, a thud, closer than before, as if something was slowly waking up, separated by the thick ash in the West Lower layer of the Main Stele.

Instructor Han Tiecheng's voice came through the iron fire order, carrying unprecedented gravity: "Lu Jin, keep that thin flake safe. Do not let it leave your fire platform, not even by half a step!"

"Understood." Lu Jin raised his hand, and black fire firmly secured the thin flake to the inside of the fire platform. As soon as the thin flake was fixed, the nest tendons beneath the fire platform instantly tensed, emitting a faint humming sound.

"There is something down there looking at us." Wu Fu suddenly raised her head, tightening her grip on the Night Wing, her tone carrying a hint of wariness.

"It's not just the old nest." Grey Pupil gripped his staff, his eyes full of vigilance, "There is something even more dangerous, deep within the Main Stele."

Lu Jin looked down at the fire slip, his fingertips gently rubbing the handwriting on the surface—the "Do not trust the collection order," the living seal on the back layer, and the Grey Fire Well thin flake on the bottom layer. These three items, like three steel nails, had forcibly nailed Observer Lu Chenyuan's old case into the deepest part of the Main Stele, and also into the bottom of his heart.

Everyone had their own thoughts: Pei Chengxu stared at the thin flake, his expression sinister; Qiao Ye guarded the side of the fire platform, vigilantly watching Pei Chengxu; Instructor Han Tiecheng was silent on the other end of the iron fire order, evidently also pondering the connections of the old case; Wu Fu was busy applying medicine to the Night Wings, but glanced at the fire platform from time to time; Grey Pupil stared at the well diagram on the thin flake, his expression grave.

Only the half-step of space beside Ning Yanqiu was empty. Lu Jin suddenly spoke, his voice lowered extremely low, enough only for her to hear: "That sentence was left by my father; I recognize his fire."

Ning Yanqiu did not turn her head, only gripped the cold mirror fragment disk tighter, her tone firm: "Are you sure?"

"I am sure." Lu Jin looked at the inside of the fire slip, as if he saw that starting stroke of the character "Lu" again, "No one can imitate his fire, and no one can write with such brushwork."

Ning Yanqiu was silent for two breaths, then slowly pulled the fragment disk an inch into her sleeve, her tone steady: "Then I recognize it too. If anyone asks later, I didn't see it; if you need to use it later, I can reveal it."

"This will drag you into it." There was a rare hint of hesitation in Lu Jin's tone—he had long been prepared to investigate the old case alone and did not want to drag Ning Yanqiu into the water.

Ning Yanqiu finally turned her head to look at him, her eyes calm, without extra emotion, but carrying an unquestionable firmness: "I have already been in it since Chapter 78, when I saw that half page of the battle report."

This sentence was not heavy, but it was like a calming pill, striking the bottom of Lu Jin's heart. He looked at Ning Yanqiu for a long time, nodded slowly, and spat out one word: "Good."

Just as his voice fell, a third echo came from the bottom of the fire platform, thud—deeper and clearer than the previous two. The Inner Ring Grey Fire Well pattern on the black-grey thin flake suddenly shone blindingly. Deep within the Main Stele, a wisp of extremely thin black-gold aura drilled out from the gap in the West Lower layer. It was neither old fire nor Sun Gold, like a needle extended by some living creature, separated by the unopened Grey Fire Well, it gently touched this newly erected Frontline Fire Platform.

The black fire in Lu Jin's eyes surged, and his palm pressed onto the fire platform—he knew that the thing deep within the Main Stele had awakened; his father's old enemy was also about to surface.