4,300 words, so this was a bit late.
Southeast of the Imperial City.
A ragtag force of infantry and cavalry was marching through the swirling snow.
Shen Lian looked back at the ever-lengthening tail of the column. His already anxious mood grew even more urgent, and he could not help urging his horse forward to catch up with Sun Shaozong at the head of the group. "My lord, there is no sign of that Hot Air Balloon near the Imperial City, nor have we seen troops dispatched from the palace. It has clearly flown far away. Why not abandon these halfhearted patrolmen and ride after it with light cavalry? Better that than letting them hold us back!"
He had previously heard Sun Shaozong call it a "Hot Air Balloon," but could not quite remember the term, so he simply called it a hot balloon.
Sun Shaozong shot him a sidelong look. "As the saying goes, 'Keep calm when great matters arise.' You have always been steady and seasoned. Why are you losing your composure too?"
Shen Lian had no answer. He swallowed with a bitter smile. He knew his emotions were out of sorts, but in a situation like this, how many could remain as unshakable as Lord Sun?
What he did not know was that after Sun Shaozong looked away, gazing into the sky filled with chaotic flurries, he too was so anxious he could barely restrain himself.
The snow was not heavy, but it was enough to cover the tracks in the streets. Worse still, the breeze kept shifting—now east, now west, now south, now north—making it exceedingly difficult to determine the Hot Air Balloon's direction by the wind.
And the falling snow reduced visibility as well...
Perhaps the only way to confirm the right direction would be