The entrance to Xinyu Town's Inner City.
On the deserted street, the gate set between the white city walls slowly creaked open.
At dawn, an inconspicuous brown carriage slowly drove out.
The driver was shrouded in black, their head bowed as if to avoid showing their face. Even their hands were covered with thick gloves.
The sky was still dim as the fog began to dissipate, yet a crowd outside the gate had already spotted the carriage. They had been waiting for a long time.
The crowd surged forward, each person trying to squeeze up to the carriage to peek inside.
"Where's Ah Xue? Is she there? Is she inside?!"
"Dongdong!? Answer if you're in there!"
"What about Lin Shuang? Has Lin Shuang returned?"
The older folk swarmed the carriage before it even came to a complete stop.
Lin Shuntao was squeezed in the crowd, standing with members of the other great families. He was a bit unsteady on his feet, but he didn't dare make a sound.
