The group followed the bluestone main road toward the military camp on the eastern side.
Having just rounded a bend, they came upon a neatly arranged cluster of courtyards.
This was the residential area for the civil officials and generals.
Lin Mo casually swept his gaze over the courtyards and suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
Guo Tu stood at the entrance to his courtyard, dressed in a brand-new slate-blue robe with a jade belt at his waist. His hair was combed without a strand out of place, and he looked thoroughly energized.
A young woman stood behind him.
She was around sixteen or seventeen, though she had already grown into a tall, well-proportioned figure. Standing beside Guo Tu, she nearly reached her father's shoulder.
She wore a light apricot-colored jacket made of fine Shu Brocade, its waist tailored perfectly to outline her slender middle and already developed chest.
Her jet-black long hair was gathered into a cloud-shaped bun, secured with an emerald hairpin. Several loose strands hung by her cheeks, making her face appear all the more fair and jade-like.
Her features were exquisite: brows like distant dark mountains, eyes like rippling autumn waters, a straight and elegant nose, and naturally crimson lips.
Most rare of all was her bearing. She stood there quietly, with a scholarly air between her brows and eyes.
At a glance, she was clearly a young lady from a distinguished family who had studied and practiced calligraphy since childhood.
She held a Red Sandalwood Box in her hands, her eyes slightly lowered, her lashes casting faint shadows across her cheeks.
When Guo Tu saw Lin Mo's Sedan Chair Seat approaching, he calmly adjusted his robes. Then, with his daughter, he stepped to the roadside, stopped, and bowed slightly with composed ease. "Lord."
Lin Mo raised