East Courtyard.
The flying snow set off Jiang Ning at that moment.
Man and scenery seemed to have melted into one.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
From afar came the sound of accumulated snow being crushed underfoot, the footsteps drawing closer and closer.
Just then.
Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes and saw Luyi standing in the middle of the snow in a green fur cloak, fine snowflakes falling above her head.
"Young Master, the carriage and horses are ready. We can set out at any time," Luyi said.
Looking around, a trace of reluctance showed on her face. "Young Master, do we really have to leave so soon? The snow hasn't even stopped yet."
"When the snow stops, the road will be even harder to travel," Jiang Ning said calmly, then rose to his feet.
As his robe swept out, snowflakes flew up. "Sooner rather than later. Here in Dongling City, with Xie Xiaojiu and the others, and County Governor Wang looking after things, no major chaos will break out."
"If I remain in Dongling for too long, it may instead draw calamity here! I don't want to bring disaster to this city."
His gaze swept across the familiar courtyard, across the thin ice on the lake, across the branches weighed down by snow. In the stillness lay the oppression of an approaching storm.
He was perfectly clear that the Martial Saint's move had bought him time, but it had also been like dropping a boulder into a calm lake. Beneath the ripples, the undercurrents would only surge more violently.
The Royal Capital, beneath the feet of the Son of Heaven, where the strong stood like a forest, a perilous place, was where various forces were most tightly interwoven and their games most fiercely played.
Hiding there meant temporarily avoiding the