Dark clouds veiled the bright moon, leaving Dongling City pitch-black and silent. It was so dark that one could not even see their own hand in front of their face.
Knock, knock, knock—
The Vermilion Lacquered Gate was struck, the sound carrying far through the stillness of the dead of night.
Woof, woof, woof—
Suddenly, barking erupted from a distant cluster of houses, completely shattering the silence of the night.
After a moment.
The faint sound of footsteps came from behind the gate.
"Who is it?" The girl's cool voice pierced the darkness with remarkable force, entering Jiang Ning's ears with perfect clarity.
"It's me!" Jiang Ning's voice was calm.
"Is that the Young Master?!" The voice behind the gate suddenly became filled with surprise and delight.
Then came the clatter of the door latch.
Several breaths later.
Rumble—
Accompanied by a faint tremor beneath their feet, the gate was slowly pushed open, and a streak of fiery red light shone through the crack.
Above that light was a cool and beautiful face.
"Young Master!" Luyi's voice rose, overflowing with even more emotion.
She lifted the lantern in her hand, allowing its glow to illuminate both their faces more clearly.
"Don't you have any sense of caution? The moment you heard my voice, you couldn't wait to open the door?" Jiang Ning said with a faint smile.
At that, Luyi stuck out her tongue, her face full of embarrassment.
"Come on! Let's go inside first. It's getting cold!" Jiang Ning crossed the threshold and took the lantern from Luyi's hand.
Behind him, Luyi quickly shut the gate and dropped the latch before following after him.
"How has everything at home been lately?" Jiang Ning asked.
Behind him, Luyi occasionally broke into a small run to keep up with Jiang Ning's