Smoke hit Wei Liang's lungs before he reached the archive door, thick and acrid, curling out from under the frame in gray ribbons. He didn't slow down. He drove a shoulder into the door and it gave way, splintering off one hinge, revealing three of Rong's remaining men feeding ledgers into a growing fire pit in the center of the room.
"Stop them," Xu said, voice sharp through the pain still radiating from Wei Liang's ribs. "Whatever's in those records, Rong wanted it gone badly enough to risk this. That means it matters."
One guard turned, blade already drawn, panic plain on his face. "Rong's orders. Burn everything before Liu Che's men seize it."
"Rong doesn't give orders anymore," Wei Liang said, closing the distance fast despite his exhaustion.
The guard swung wide, desperate rather
