The same two red lanterns still hung outside Tianxiang Tower. But it was daytime now, and the unlit lanterns looked somewhat dull.
Li Bufan stood at the entrance with Li Ping'an and glanced up at the familiar signboard. Its three gilded characters gleamed in the sunlight, exactly as he remembered.
The scene inside, however, was very different from his memories.
Normally, even at this hour before nightfall, the entrance to Tianxiang Tower would have been bustling with carriages and horses, with guests filling its doors.
High officials, nobles, bold adventurers, scholars, and poets—people of every stripe would have streamed in without end.
Today, however, the entrance was so deserted that sparrows could have nested on the doorstep. Only a handful of guests came and went.
Li Bufan swept the building with his divine sense and found that only about half the maids and servants remained.
Many familiar faces were gone, replaced by newcomers who looked stiff and nervous.
It seemed Tianxiang Tower had fallen on hard times.
"Ping'an, wait here for me. I have something to take care of inside," Li Bufan told Li Ping'an.
Li Ping'an nodded obediently. "All right. But don't get up to anything, big brother. I'm watching you."
Li Bufan raised a hand and rapped him on the head again. "What nonsense are you imagining?"
He stepped into Tianxiang Tower, ignored the maids' surprised looks, and headed straight through the corridors toward the rear courtyard.
He knew Tianxiang Tower's layout by heart and could have found his way with his eyes closed. After passing through three corridors, circling a rockery, and crossing a bamboo grove, he reached Yun Niang's residence.
A string of wind chimes hung over the courtyard gate, tinkling crisply whenever the wind passed.
Standing before the gate, Li Bufan suddenly felt a little