After leaving the prayer hall, Jun Kai and Jin Yue stepped into the temple courtyard.
The space opened wide beyond the wooden gate. A broad stone terrace stretched along the edge of the hill, its worn surface polished smooth by centuries of footsteps. The terrace overlooked the capital far below, where the city spread outward in layered rooftops and winding streets.
Wind bells hung beneath the curved temple eaves. Whenever the breeze moved through the courtyard, they chimed softly, their delicate notes drifting through the air like distant echoes.
From this height, the capital looked entirely different.
The loud festival streets that had seemed so crowded earlier were now reduced to quiet patterns of lantern light and tiled rooftops. Thin trails of smoke rose lazily from evening kitchens. The river wound through the city like a long ribbon of silver, reflecting the fading light of the sky.
Sunset had begun to settle along the horizon.
