From Linzi, the capital of Qi, to Qiuyang Prefecture, all Jiang Wang had to do was pass through Jichuan Prefecture.
The official roads throughout Qi had been built exceptionally wide and smooth, so even though Jiang Wang hadn't asked the coachman to hurry, the carriage reached Qiuyang Prefecture before nightfall.
It was dusk. Waiting outside the Chongxuan clan grounds was a ruddy-faced old man.
Jiang Wang remembered him. He was an old servant from Chongxuan Xin's household—the same Chongxuan Laifu who had thrown his weight around in Green Sheep Town, and whom Hu You, Hu Shaomeng's father, had once regarded as a powerful backer...
Only a year had passed, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.
So much had happened that year. It had been more eventful than many people's entire lives.
The world was vast. Stories began and ended every moment, and in every corner of it, prodigies rose and heroes fell. Jiang Wang had traveled back and forth across the land, racing thousands of miles. Often, he had simply been in the right place at the right time; at others, he had deliberately set out to meet events head-on.
Going to the Chongxuan Family's Ancestral Shrine to perform rites on Chongxuan Sheng's behalf wasn't something one could do whenever the mood struck. Chongxuan Sheng had naturally made arrangements in advance.
When Chongxuan Laifu learned that Jiang Wang was on his way, he had come to wait outside the clan grounds early.
As soon as he saw the carriage arriving from Linzi, he hurried over, all smiles and deference. "Young Master Jiang! This way. I've already prepared a room for you. You must be tired from the journey. Get some rest tonight and recover your strength. You can visit the shrine tomorrow."
Where was the slightest trace of his