Outside the National Preceptor's Residence.
At the end of the street.
As Ji Mingyue and Zhong Ling led Little Doubao toward the gates of the National Preceptor's Residence, Jiang Ning stood alone where he was, his gaze calmly fixed on the other side.
He looked into the darkness at the end of the long street.
Dusk was deepening, and a bright, spotless moon slowly rose in the west.
Pedestrians were sparse in the distance. Now and then, carriages passed by, stirring up wisps of dust.
Ji Mingyue, Zhong Ling, and Little Doubao gradually drew farther away from Jiang Ning, occasionally looking back.
In their eyes, Jiang Ning merely stood there calmly gazing into the distance, toward the end of the long street.
Soon, as the distance stretched out, they could no longer see Jiang Ning's back.
At the same time.
Jiang Ning did not have to wait long.
From the darkness around the street corner, a slender figure slowly emerged.
It was the young girl in the purple dress whom he had seen aboard the painted boat during the day.
At that moment, she walked barefoot upon the bluestone pavement. Her ankles were slender, her waist swayed gently, and the hem of her purple dress fluttered faintly in the evening breeze.
Her exquisitely sculpted face held shifting glances, carrying a hint of a smile that was not quite a smile.
As her bare feet stepped upon the bluestone pavement, crisp silver bell chimes rang out with every step.
He followed the sound and saw that it came from the silver anklets around the purple-dressed girl's ankles. Six bells hung from each anklet.
Jiang Ning could clearly sense that the pedestrians on the street seemed utterly unable to see her, continuing on without the slightest unusual reaction.
Even when the girl