The sky turned fish-belly white, and a thin veil of mist still hung in the air.
The residents of Heaven Dou City began their day's work.
Within Heaven Dou City stood a magnificent mansion.
A look inside would reveal that it was spotless, with everything meticulously arranged. Servants were constantly wiping the floors, allowing not a speck of dust to remain.
Just then, hurried footsteps rang through the mansion. A middle-aged man of around sixty came into view. He had grown stout, with a large belly and a high nose bridge, though his body still showed traces of the training he had done in his youth.
His nose bridge and brow were prominent, and a hint of sharpness hid within his gentle gaze. He wore a white silk shirt as his base layer.
Above his lips sat a neat, evenly trimmed mustache.
He strode toward a courtyard deep within the mansion, his expression calm. Two barbers followed behind, adjusting his hair and appearance, while an elderly man who appeared to be his butler brought up the rear.
Before reaching the courtyard entrance, he saw a maid wiping blood from the ground with a damp towel. He frowned but said nothing, walking straight inside.
Along the path from the courtyard entrance to the room within, several maids were busily wiping away bloodstains.
He paid them no further attention and headed straight into the room.
The room was exceptionally clean and tidy. Yet a jarringly incongruous figure sat slumped in its center, holding a jade bottle. After drinking its contents, he casually tossed it aside.
A pile of empty jade bottles already lay there, and a maid was wiping up the remaining stains nearby and arranging the bottles.
The man's face was shriveled, and the hand holding his medicine was little more