Master Meng lived in the very center of Poplar Blossom Town—the place where Lin Chen remembered seeing two identical buildings standing side by side.
The two grand residences, with black-tiled roofs, white walls, and vermilion gates, stood pressed close together. Their layouts were nearly identical; even the upturned eaves and the chipped paint on the Jiaotu door knockers were exactly the same. It was as though a massive mirror had truly been placed along their shared boundary as an axis, reflecting them one-to-one.
Led by the scholar, the Players arrived before the residence nearer the west side of town. Before they could knock, the two heavy vermilion doors slowly swung inward.
Amid the creaking twang, the scholar waited by the gate with no intention of entering. The Players crossed the threshold one after another and came to a stop in the courtyard paved with blue stone slabs.
The vermilion doors slammed shut behind them, like a tomb chamber being sealed with cement after a coffin had been placed inside.
The courtyard was spacious and desolate. Other than a stone table and several stone stools, there was nothing at all. No flowers, no grass, no trees—nor any trace that humans had ever lived here.
"They invited us over but didn't even send anyone to receive us. Master Meng sure puts on airs." Tang Yu grumbled as he drew the saber from his waist.
Since the NPCs were the ones refusing to play fair first, he couldn't be blamed for being impolite.
"Maybe there aren't many living people in this residence to begin with. Who knows?" Qi Si walked straight toward the wall by the eastern side of the residence. He stopped at its base, curled his fingers, and knocked twice.
Two crisp taps rang out in the silence, trembling faintly like