Cinnabar Radiance City.
Most of the shops along the way had their doors tightly shut.
At street corners, the occasional two or three pedestrians hurried past, all wearing frightened expressions.
Wang Canglan made his way to the east side of the city.
From afar, he spotted that sprawling residence.
The red silk on the vermilion gates had yet to be taken down, but the wind had blown it crooked, leaving it half-hung from the doorframe.
The stone guardian lions before the gates still wore large red flowers.
But after several days of wind and rain, the flowers had withered and drooped, as though they had been given a thorough beating.
And beside the vermilion gates, the two deer demons that should have been there to welcome guests had naturally vanished without a trace.
In their place stood several Ma Family servants with taut expressions.
They watched every passerby on the street with vigilance.
Whenever someone came a few steps closer, the servants would grip their sword hilts in unison.
Only after confirming that the person was merely passing by did they relax slightly.
Wang Canglan took it all in.
Their manner of facing a great enemy matched what those people in the teahouse had said.
He did not approach in haste.
Instead, he found a shady corner in an empty alley across the street, sat cross-legged, and circulated his cultivation to suppress the surging Pure Yang Fire within his body.
Once the scorching heat had eased somewhat.
He straightened his robes, put on a gentle and modest smile, and headed toward the main gates of the Ma Residence.
"Stop."
Yet before he had come within fifteen yards of the gates, a low shout stopped him.
Three servants stepped out with blades drawn, blocking his path.
The leader was a sallow-faced