"Ah..."
The endless queue outside Yujing City was nowhere to be seen today, leaving the place rather desolate.
The sun slanted westward, and all birds had hidden away, no one knew where.
The Golden Osmanthus lining the road still stood firm amid the light snow, their gold draped in a layer of white gauze. Their fragrance drifted from afar, carrying an extra touch of chill.
On a distant wooded mountain, a black-clad figure with his head and face wrapped up drew out a long "Ah" in the cold wind, continuing for several breaths.
"...Achoo!"
One foot came down, scattering the snow.
That sneeze finally came out.
Showing only a pair of shifty, thieving eyes, Zhu Yike rubbed his nose vigorously and looked into the distance. The South Gate of Yujing City was no larger than a grain of rice.
"Who's thinking about me? Don't tell me they're cursing me?"
"Tsk! I haven't even met that Li Fugui bastard once, and he already dares order me around. Is he taking a chicken feather for an imperial edict?"
"Does he even know who Void Island's First Hall of Sin's foremost contributor is, who First Pavilion Under Heaven's second-in-command is..."
After muttering a few complaints, Zhu Yike lowered his gaze to the snow, studying the tangled black shadows with a thoughtful expression.
This nameless wooded mountain, hundreds of miles from the South Gate, had already been dyed white.
Whether due to the weather or something else, no outsiders had come here at this moment.
Yet, counting carefully, there were over a hundred shadows on the ground, seemingly enclosed within a large circle.
Most of these shadows had not moved for a long while...
But as time passed, more shadows would always break into this "great circle," causing a disturbance before eventually falling still,