Yuhang City, as night deepened.
The group did not head for the Demon Suppression Bureau or the official post station. Instead, they turned into a quiet lane beside the river.
A few old osmanthus trees stood at the entrance. Though their flowering season had passed, the air still seemed to hold a faint, lingering sweetness.
A vermilion gate stood before them, its knockers gleaming.
The lanterns hanging on either side swayed gently in the night breeze.
"Lord Jiang, the post station is crowded and full of prying eyes, while the Demon Suppression Bureau is far too noisy. Please forgive the humble accommodations, and make do for one night at my home."
Jiang Yuechu looked up to take in the place, then gave a slight nod.
"Sorry for the trouble."
Behind her, Xie Tinglan's eyelid twitched.
Humble accommodations?
This was the ancestral home of Yuhang's Yue Family.
Though Yue Huaiyuan was merely a martial artist, the Yue Family was practically an Aristocratic Clan in Yuhang.
It could not compare to the illustrious Jiangdong families with their thousand-year legacies, but it was still a wealthy and well-established household.
In the past, even when a Gold Robe Inspector came from the Capital, or a high-ranking official from the Regional Command paid a visit, they would handle things strictly as official business, at most arranging a room at the finest inn in the city.
After all, public matters were public, and private matters were private.
It was enough to show them the proper respect in official circles. Why go so far as to bring them into one's own home?
Yet now, Yue Huaiyuan had flung open the gates of his ancestral home to receive Jiang Yuechu. It was plain to see just how fond the old codger was of Miss Jiang.
Xie Tinglan sighed