Mountain Inn

The sky gradually darkened.

A vast blaze of sunset clouds pressed down over the western peaks, orange-red upon orange-red, casting the entire official road in a warm glow.

Birds returned to their nests, and the chirping of insects began to rise.

Mountain shadows loomed in the distance, as though someone had brushed several strokes of ink across the horizon.

Just then, Lu Huan suddenly stopped and pointed into a mountain hollow.

"There's smoke over there!"

Shen Hui looked in the direction of her finger.

Sure enough, a thin wisp of cooking smoke curled up from amid the trees in the distant hollow, especially conspicuous in the gathering dusk.

"Let's go take a look," Shen Hui said.

The two left the official road and headed into the mountain hollow.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse. Weeds grew waist-high, and loose stones littered the ground beneath their feet.

After walking for roughly the time it took to drink two cups of tea, they rounded a pine grove, and the view suddenly opened up.

There was actually an inn in this mountain hollow.

Calling it an inn was generous. It was really just a few mud-brick houses surrounded by a fence.

A crooked wooden sign hung over the door, bearing the four words "Gathering Worthies Inn." The writing was so scrawled that it looked more painted than written.

The buildings looked newly built. The mud on the walls had not yet fully dried, and the window paper was brand-new as well.

Piles of lumber and roof tiles lay in the courtyard, while a ladder leaned crookedly beneath the eaves, as though the place was still under repair.

Shen Hui led Lu Huan forward and pushed open the half-closed wooden door.

The door opened with a creak.

An oil lamp burned in the