The rain still drizzled on. Lin Qi sat cross-legged on Donkey's back, ambling slowly down the street.
A quarter of an hour earlier, Lin Qi had discussed many things with Ying Zheng. After being taught a lesson by Lin Shan, Lin Qi had instead become incomparably broad-minded. He told Ying Zheng much, and the two reached certain tacit understandings. Then Bliss sent word that Lady Dark Lotus had summoned Lin Qi once again.
The rain had washed the flagstones clean enough to nearly reflect people's shadows. Donkey's hooves struck the stone slabs with crisp, pleasant clops that drifted far, far away on the autumn wind. The broad street was deserted. Every so often, several imperial guards clad in golden armor stood watch, so there was not a single pedestrian—only Lin Qi and Donkey.
After proceeding along the street for a while, Lin Qi turned into a narrow alley. Passing through that long alley, he arrived on another street. Here, crowds surged through the streets and carriages flowed like water, finally showing the bustle one would expect of Peaceful People City. After all, Peaceful People City was a top-tier metropolis. Had Ying Zheng not arrived and the Imperial Army not sealed off several streets, the avenue Lin Qi had just come down would normally have been just as lively.
The pedestrians all looked at Lin Qi with strange expressions. Such a towering, brawny man riding such a tiny donkey gave them the feeling of a millstone crushing a puppy. Everyone felt that the donkey was truly pitiful. Moreover, the donkey's face was dented in one spot and swollen in another; it had clearly just suffered a savage beating. Some people could hardly bear to look.
Under countless odd gazes, Lin Qi rode Donkey to the entrance of an inn, then led