The sun sank westward, staining the clouds along the horizon a warm orange-red.
Carrying salt and everyday odds and ends from the general store, Ning Chuan walked home at an unhurried pace, sorting through everything he had heard, analyzing the chain reactions the Blackwater Gang's destruction might trigger and how his family could keep its footing amid the upheaval.
Halfway down the alley, still several dozen paces from his courtyard, Ning Chuan paused ever so slightly.
Within the range of his spiritual perception, an ordinary covered carriage stood quietly beneath the old locust tree near his courtyard gate. Its construction was sturdy, and its shafts bore the Seven Treasures Pavilion's distinctive concealed mark.
There was no driver in front, only the horse quietly snorting between the shafts.
As Ning Chuan approached, the carriage curtain slowly lifted. Looking closer, he recognized Sun Dehai, Manager Sun of the Seven Treasures Pavilion, who had signed the medicinal herb procurement contract with his family.
Today, Sun Dehai wore none of the brocade robes customary for a shopkeeper. Instead, he had dressed in an understated indigo silk tunic beneath a somewhat worn black padded jacket. If not for the faint herbal fragrance cultivated by years of handling precious medicinal herbs and the composure of someone long accustomed to authority, he would have looked no different from an ordinary wealthy resident of Elm Forest Alley.
His appearance here, having driven over alone, spoke for itself.
Thoughts flashed through Ning Chuan's mind. An appropriately measured smile immediately appeared on his face, three parts surprise and seven parts courtesy. Quickening his pace, he approached and cupped his hands. "Manager Sun? What brings you here in person? Is there some urgent business at the shop? Please, come inside."
Sun Dehai stepped down from the carriage, his face likewise brightening