At that moment, the Secretary suddenly spoke, his voice heavy with concern. "Young Escort Leader Meng, you should hurry home and see for yourself..."
Meng Qingshan looked up at the Secretary, his brow furrowing slightly. "Secretary, is there something else you haven't told me?"
The Secretary sighed softly, as if he had a thousand words he could not put into words. In the end, all he said was, "It's a long story, and I can't explain it all right now. Young Escort Leader Meng, go home first. You'll understand when you get there."
Meng Qingshan's heart suddenly clenched. An indescribable gloom crept over him, as if it were an ominous sign.
But the Secretary had said all he would, and Meng Qingshan didn't feel he could press him. More than that, he didn't want to ask.
So he immediately swung himself onto his horse. With urgent, resolute hoofbeats, he galloped straight toward Jade Mountain City.
Watching Meng Qingshan ride away, the Secretary's eyes filled with deep emotion. He murmured, "Judging by this, Young Escort Leader Meng still doesn't know what's happened in the city. It looks like Jade Mountain City is in for another eventful time!"
At dusk.
Jade Mountain City, Changfeng Escort Agency.
This place, so familiar from Meng Qingshan's memories, now seemed like a stranger to him.
The gates of Changfeng Escort Agency stood wide open, draped in white mourning cloth. Even the plaque above the entrance was gone, replaced by a spray of white funeral flowers and a ground strewn with joss paper.
His heart lurched. He hurriedly leaped down from his horse and rushed forward, almost wondering if he had come to the wrong place.
But as he climbed the stone steps and was about to cross the old, timeworn gateway, he suddenly