"Brother, might your surname be Zhu?"
Once inside the residence, Sheng Yuzhou brushed the snow from his clothes and looked around. The house felt old and timeworn, with cobwebs hanging between the beams and pillars.
"My surname isn't Zhu. It's Cheng."
The scholar held up a candlestick in one hand, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Why does this brother ask?"
"I heard that the most prominent surname in these parts is Zhu. In the previous dynasty, there was a great Confucian scholar known as Master Zhu. His descendants have lived in Western Wasteland Province for generations, so the Zhu surname ought to be a great clan."
"That was Sage Master Zhu."
The shabbily dressed scholar gave a bitter laugh.
"I am merely a child of humble origins. How could I possibly cling to a great clan like the Zhu Family?"
"I was presumptuous."
Sheng Yuzhou smiled. "It seems I'm not the only guest in this manor, am I?"
"Why does this brother say so?"
the scholar asked again.
"On my way here, I saw carriage ruts on the mountain road outside the manor, as well as traces of people and horses passing through..."
Sheng Yuzhou explained his speculation.
"That's right."
The scholar nodded.
"Strange, really. In weather like this—when the wind suddenly rises and heavy snow falls in June—there are still people traveling through the snow to gather herbs in the mountains."
"Could they be herb gatherers?"
"Judging by their attire, they don't seem to be."
The scholar shook his head and pointed at several side rooms nearby with lamps lit inside.
"One room holds a married couple. They said they were searching for relatives, and they're staying there."
He pointed toward several other rooms.
"There's also a group over here. They said they came to Dragon Beauty Mountain to dig for