The setting sun was red as blood, and the evening wind carried the mingled scents of dry grass and earth.
Niu Kuanyu reined in his horse atop a low mound. He glanced around, then fixed his gaze on an inn not far away.
The inn was small and drab, with a weathered wine banner fluttering gently in the wind.
"It's getting late. Shall we stop here for the night?" Niu Kuanyu asked.
No one objected. The group led their horses toward the inn.
An attendant hurried out and took their horses to the stable. The group went inside.
Eleven or twelve people sat within, all dressed like wandering martial artists. Some drank and ate meat together, while others drank alone by the windows, swords and sabers resting close at hand.
When they saw Huang Tian's group enter, they were startled. Not because they recognized anyone, but because all eight walked with steady steps and brimmed with vitality. They were clearly experts.
Niu Kuanyu, walking at the front, was especially imposing. His knotted muscles stretched his clothes taut.
"What would you like to eat, honored guests?" an attendant asked with a smile.
Niu Kuanyu ordered a few pounds of meat and two jugs of wine, then invited Huang Tian to sit with him. Nie Kun and the other five took seats at two separate tables.
They sat facing each other. Once the food and wine arrived, Niu Kuanyu slowly took a sip. "This wine is rather poor."
He set down his cup and narrowed his eyes toward the window.
Outside, three elderly men in gray robes and wooden headpieces were approaching the inn at an unhurried pace.
His mind settled. He turned to Huang Tian and said with a rueful smile, "Huang Tian, like many others, I've been curious about you.