Yu Ci corrected his statement, then said to Lu Ya, "We'll call upon them through the front gate."
Speaking thus, he led the female cultivator around half the courtyard from the side, walking all the way to the front entrance.
There were no courtyard walls here either, only a circle of half-man-high fences woven from greenish-yellow branches and vines, looking rather wild and rustic. The outer entrance stood wide open.
No light sources were visible here, yet the illumination was inexplicably abundant, as if heavenly light were cascading down to form a stark contrast with the turbid fog surging outside the courtyard.
In fact, given the height of the fence, Yu Ci could clearly see the layout of the courtyard within. The front yard consisted of three rather neat and elegant thatched cottages.
Every building was constructed from vegetation and branches, and the yard was planted with flowers and trees. At first glance it merely looked neat, but after a few more glances, an air of pure detachment struck one's face like the dwelling of a mountain recluse, involuntarily raising one's expectations regarding the courtyard owner's taste a notch higher.
Only, things and men had changed by now, hadn't they?
Yu Ci and Lu Ya successively entered the gateway. Yu Ci was fine, but Lu Ya, who had already steeled herself, felt her spirit shaken before this familiar scenery and actually spoke up of her own accord:
"Madame, she should have already left..."
"So what?"
"I..."
In truth, Lu Ya didn't even know what she wanted to say. She opened her mouth, but in the end fell back into silence. At that very moment, Yu Ci signaled her to look ahead, and only when Lu Ya raised her gaze did her entire body freeze.
Looking toward the main hall from