Nine Peaks gate attendant
Keep the entrance barred. Senior Inspector, the traveler from the eastern road has arrived with our seal and the Burning Blade evidence.
The gate remains shut beneath the split-peaked crest. Yi Zaifu stands alone before it, while the innkeeper and his wife remain behind at the roadside inn, awaiting word of justice.
A senior official crosses the inner courtyard in dark robes marked with nine silver peaks. He stops beyond sword’s reach and studies the seal without touching it.
Nine Peaks senior official
That mark is genuine. Keep the gate closed, and bring Yi Zaifu and every item connected to the Burning Blade into the guarded side hall.
The attendant unlocks a smaller postern within the gate. Two guards take positions ahead and behind Yi Zaifu, leaving his jian at his side while the bundle and seal remain under his control.
Nine Peaks gate attendant
Master, speak carefully inside. Someone within the sect already knows the bundle arrived. I heard the message before the official came down.
Nine Peaks senior official
Your testimony will be recorded formally. No one touches the evidence until witnesses are summoned. Enter now, and let the Nine Peaks Sect hear the truth.
“I give my testimony before summoned witnesses”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +0)
“I give my testimony before summoned witnesses”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled -2)
“I give my testimony before summoned witnesses”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +0)
The guarded side hall fills with summoned witnesses: the gate attendant, two senior clerks, and the guards who escorted Yi Zaifu inside. The doors close behind them.
Yi Zaifu places the bronze Burning Blade token, shipment tallies, route marks, and genuine Nine Peaks seal upon the witness table. His bandaged wrist stiffens as he arranges each item.
He gives his testimony plainly, recounting the innkeepers’ harassment, the charcoal village deliveries, Cloud-Splitting Lodge, the hidden trail, and the bundle’s discovery beyond the ravine.
Nine Peaks senior official
Record every location and description. The false orders used our seal, while the payments marked by the black crescent point toward the Burning Blade Sect.
Nine Peaks gate attendant
I heard the message before you entered. Someone inside this sect knew the evidence was coming. His warning matches what the traveler has brought us.
One clerk examines the account paper without touching the token, then compares its red peak mark with the sect’s registry. The witnesses confirm the records are consistent.
Nine Peaks senior official
Your testimony is accepted and entered into the record. The innkeepers will receive protection, but until the traitor is found, your evidence remains under guarded seal.
“They ask me if I need any rest and food. I agree and some medicine for my arm. They give me lodging and some medicine.”
Nine Peaks senior official
You have traveled far on an injured wrist. Will you take rest, food, and medicine before continuing this investigation?
Yi Zaifu
I agree. I need rest, food, and medicine for my arm.
The senior official orders the guarded side hall cleared and assigns Yi Zaifu a quiet guest room within the compound. The evidence remains sealed under witness supervision.
Nine Peaks senior official
Bring him a hot meal and a physician’s salve. His evidence will remain untouched, and no further testimony is required tonight.
A clerk serves rice, broth, vegetables, and tea. After Yi Zaifu eats, a Nine Peaks physician examines the swollen joint and replaces the worn bandage with a cooling medicinal wrap.
Nine Peaks physician
The strain is improving, but the joint needs quiet. Keep it supported through the night, and avoid drawing the sword until the stiffness eases.
The guest room settles into lamplit silence. Yi Zaifu’s jian rests within reach, while the medicine gradually softens the ache and the Nine Peaks Sect keeps watch beyond the closed door.
“Later that night an elder from the Nine Peaks Sect along with his attendant enters my room and asks for my personal testimony.”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled -1)
Later that night, a measured knock sounds at Yi Zaifu’s door. An elderly man in dark robes enters with a silent attendant carrying a writing board.
Nine Peaks elder
I am Elder Qiu of the Nine Peaks Sect. I ask for your personal testimony, apart from the formal record. Tell me what you saw, and what you withheld.
The attendant closes the door but remains beside it. Elder Qiu studies Yi Zaifu’s posture, bandaged wrist, and jian before taking the single chair.
Nine Peaks elder
Begin with the hidden trail beyond Cloud-Splitting Lodge. The official account establishes facts, but not why you trusted the evidence or suspected an insider.
Before the questioning can become private testimony, the elder’s caution sets a formal boundary. He will not accept conclusions unsupported by a witness or object in the room.
Nine Peaks elder
I cannot treat instinct as proof tonight. Yet your account reveals one usable lead: the black crescent payments may identify a financier outside our sect.
Nine Peaks elder
If you consent, speak only of that trail now. In return, I will open our provincial payment archives to your investigation at first light.
“As I tell him my tale the more I get into detail about the seal and message bundle the more the attendant looks nervous. As I finish there is a loud bang as choking powder is thrown by the attendant. I have only a few seconds to avoid it.”
SUCCESS (Superb Agility, rolled +0)
“As I tell him my tale the more I get into detail about the seal and message bundle the more the attendant looks nervous. As I finish there is a loud bang as choking powder is thrown by the attendant. I have only a few seconds to avoid it.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Perception, rolled +3)
As Yi Zaifu details the seal and message bundle, the attendant’s composure frays. His fingers tighten around the writing board, and his eyes keep darting toward the evidence.
Nine Peaks elder
You recognize this reaction, do you not? Remain calm, attendant.
The attendant suddenly slams the board against the table. A concealed packet bursts, spilling choking powder into the lamplight toward Yi Zaifu and Elder Qiu.
Yi Zaifu moves before the cloud reaches him, dropping beneath its spread and turning his sleeve across his mouth. He drives the table sideways, forcing the powder away from Elder Qiu and the door.
In the same motion, Yi Zaifu catches the attendant’s wrist and twists the throwing hand down against the table. The packet falls, sealed and intact, beyond the drifting dust.
Nine Peaks elder
Guards! Seal this room. No one touches that packet, and no one leaves the compound.
The attendant struggles once, then freezes beneath Yi Zaifu’s control. A red thread bearing a black crescent shows inside his sleeve, giving Elder Qiu the financier’s mark before any archive is opened.
“I offer the attendant protection for his financier's name. But he laughs and says the time of the nine peaks is over and bites down on his own jaw unleashing a hidden tablet and kills himself.”
FAILURE (Good Willpower, rolled -2)
Yi Zaifu
Give me your financier’s name, and the Nine Peaks Sect will protect you from the consequences of your part in this scheme.
The attendant’s pinned wrist trembles beneath Yi Zaifu’s grip. For one breath, his eyes flick toward the sealed packet, then harden with bitter resolve.
Nine Peaks gate attendant
Protection? You are too late. The time of the Nine Peaks is over.
He laughs once and makes a sudden final motion with his jaw. Yi Zaifu cannot prevent it without releasing the attendant’s wrist, and the hidden tablet takes effect.
The attendant goes slack and dies before the guards can enter. Elder Qiu immediately orders the door sealed, while the red thread remains caught in the dead man’s sleeve.
Nine Peaks elder
He chose silence over protection. Do not move him yet. Witnesses must record every mark, and the packet remains untouched.
The financier’s name is lost, but the black crescent thread, concealed tablet, and attendant’s betrayal now become physical evidence. Repeating the offer cannot recover what is gone.
✓ Quest Accepted
Preserve the evidence of the insider's betrayal
“I will keep the body, red thread, and sealed packet untouched for witnesses.”
Yi Zaifu keeps the attendant’s body, the red thread, and the sealed packet exactly where they lie. His grip withdraws without disturbing the evidence.
Nine Peaks elder
Good. Hold your position and touch nothing further. The witnesses must see the scene as it stands.
Elder Qiu remains beyond the packet’s reach and signals toward the sealed door. The guards enter cautiously, stopping at the room’s threshold.
Nine Peaks elder
Record the body, the wrist marks, the black crescent thread, and the packet’s position. Summon the witnesses before anything is removed.
The writing attendant kneels outside the disturbed table’s reach and begins a careful inventory. Two guards watch the packet while another secures the room.
Nine Peaks elder
Your restraint preserves the strongest evidence we have. Once the record is complete, the archives may help us trace whoever funded this betrayal.
Yi Zaifu remains beside the untouched evidence as the Nine Peaks witnesses arrive. The room settles into disciplined silence, waiting for the formal examination.
Quest Complete
Preserve the evidence of the insider's betrayal