Before dawn, Ma Hongjun woke up.
No one had woken him. He had awakened on his own.
He had not slept soundly that night. In his dream, a golden bird flew over his head, and no matter how he reached for it, he could not catch it.
Once he woke up, the dream became blurry, leaving behind only a vague outline.
Its wings were enormous, its tail feathers long, and its entire body glowed.
He sat at the edge of the bed in a daze for a moment, then got dressed and left the room.
The hallway was quiet, and the doors to the other rooms were all closed.
When he went downstairs, he found Flender already seated in the lobby. A pot of tea sat before him, though it had long since gone cold. No one knew how long he had been sitting there.
"Morning, Teacher."
"Mm."
Flender did not ask why he was up so early, nor did he tell him to wake the others.
He sat there holding that cup of cold tea, seemingly lost in thought.
Ma Hongjun sat across from him without saying anything either.
Morning light streamed through the inn's windows, casting their shadows across the floor. The silence was as still as a painting.
A quarter of an hour later, movement sounded upstairs.
Zhao Wuji's footsteps were the heaviest, thudding down the stairs and making the entire building tremble faintly.
Shao Xin came down behind him, carrying a large food box and cheerfully announcing that breakfast was ready and they should eat while it was hot.
He had risen before everyone else and gone into town to buy hot porridge, fresh flatbreads, and side dishes, filling an entire table.
When Oscar came downstairs yawning, he walked straight into Dai Mubai's back.
Dai Mubai