The convoy left White Orchard after dawn. The manuals rode in a locked case between Qiu’s riders and Han’s escort. Ning stayed behind to oversee the clinic. Bai remained at the south orchard to keep the supply tables operating.
Yan, Qinghe and Wei shared a carriage with the young court clerk assigned to carry the witness records. The clerk kept glancing at the sealed boxes, expecting an argument before they reached the city.
“You think one of us will try to open the case?” Yan asked.
“I think it’s possible,” the clerk said. “The Registry has had disagreements before. I’d rather be ready.”
Wei handed him a duplicate of the signed protocol. “Keep this with you. It shows what both sides agreed to.”
The clerk read it, then checked the line about voluntary practice. He had not expected Yan to be free to stop after an art began. “If you withdraw, the Registry can call the whole trial incomplete.”
“It can call it incomplete,” Yan said. “It can’t say I agreed to finish no matter what.”
Qinghe watched the clerk’s face. “Do you think that’s a reasonable distinction?”
