Rainwater streamed along the lowered, meditative features of the Buddha statue, pooling into murky puddles on the bluestone floor. As her fingertip touched the ear of the statue, the mottled gold lacquer suddenly flaked away, revealing the grey-green clockwork gears hidden within.
"Noble lady, be careful touching ancient relics." The High Priest’s sandalwood prayer beads brushed against her wrist; from the third bead, a sharp blade sprang out half an inch. In the flickering torchlight, Nian'an clearly saw that a sophisticated copper speaking tube was concealed inside the ear—this was unmistakably the Mo School’s mechanical craft from the previous dynasty.
A light rustle of tiles sounded through the curtain of rain, and dozens of copper mirrors rose from the top of the wall. Nian'an shielded the Princess, whose marriage alliance she was tasked to protect. The mirrors reflected secrets from across the lands: the Night Watchers of Yongzhou City forging bronze ghost masks; the poisonous Black Lotus blooming in the snowy valleys of the Northern Frontier; and, most recently, the withered hand of the Jingyuan Cult leader stroking a portrait of her.
Chapter 71