The sealed bell in the side hall was opened after fifteen years. Xiao Che had Shen Yan inspect the antique palace bell for reflected patterns. He struck it three times and heard each note sink halfway before being caught. On the third strike, a light tap on the inner edge produced a dull sound. The hooked pattern on his wrist burned white, shining far brighter than the new bell had yesterday. After stopping, he tapped the bell's wall three times: the first two were clear, but the third was muffled. He concluded that something had been stuffed into the bottom of the bowl. Using a blunt needle he carried, he picked a yellow-brown piece of wax from the seam. The second piece was engraved with the words "substitute one." He told Xiao Che to his face: someone had pried open the bottom of the bell and stuffed it with tuning wax to cover for a flaw. The "tainted pattern" reflected fifteen years ago might not have been real, either. Xiao Che tapped a finger on his knee once, then suddenly asked an unrelated question. What was it, and why did he ask it at that very moment?
