The next day, afternoon.
Spirit City, at home.
The sky was gloomy. Thick, heavy clouds gathered from every direction, piling up over the city so low they seemed close enough to touch.
Gusts of hot wind swept by again and again. The old locust tree's leaves rustled loudly, its branches thrashing wildly as if someone were shaking their head with all their might.
The flowers and plants in the courtyard swayed in every direction. Dust and tiny fallen leaves were swept up, spinning through the air.
After a long spell of oppressive summer heat, a downpour was finally on its way.
Yan Lingji stood in the courtyard, holding a stack of freshly collected clothes. Their hems fluttered wildly in the wind.
She lowered her head and folded the last garment, then gathered it into her arms. Just as she turned around, a golden streak of light descended from the sky and landed squarely in the courtyard.
"Why are you back?" Yan Lingji looked at Zhao Linchuan as he descended from the sky, surprise flashing in her eyes.
"This is my home. Of course I came back."
Zhao Linchuan stepped forward and took the clothes from her arms. The two of them walked side by side toward the house.
"I thought you were so lost in a woman's tender embrace that you couldn't bear to come back." Yan Lingji spoke in a strange tone, glancing sideways at him. "You've been gone for five or six days, and you didn't even send word home."
"Things came up that I had to take care of out there, didn't they?" Zhao Linchuan laughed it off, his gaze a little evasive. "Besides, with you at home, what do I have to worry about?"
"Oh, spare me." Yan Lingji rolled her eyes and gave a soft