Kuiqiao Ward
Dark clouds blanketed the sky, rain poured down in sheets, and the entire Capital City was shrouded in mist. Even figures only a little farther away could not be seen clearly.
Unlike elsewhere, this place had more than just the damp chill of rain—it was steeped in a gray gloom.
There had been no pedestrians on the road to begin with. Now and then, two people passed beneath umbrellas, both unable to stop themselves from shivering. One said, "How strange. At this time of year, it still feels cold. Truly wicked."
His companion shivered as well. To feel such bone-piercing cold at this season, with the distance ahead even darker and more shadowy, made it seem as if the gates of the Underworld had opened—a terrifying sight indeed. Hearing this made him even more afraid. "I heard that the Assistant Minister's Residence lies up ahead. Later, the family committed a crime and was executed, every last one of them. So whenever night falls, faint crying can be heard."
As they spoke of it, the wind seemed to carry a tiny sound, as though someone really was crying in the distance. Listening carefully, it seemed instead as if someone was clapping and laughing. Farther away, leaves stirred slightly, as though something might pounce out at any moment.
"Stop talking. Hurry, hurry..." The other man was so frightened his courage nearly shattered. His voice trembled as he spoke.
After they fled like smoke, the entire street became even more deserted. As night deepened, even the occasional passerby vanished. Even the stone lions before the residences seemed to have sunk into slumber.
More than ten men stood in silence like wooden carvings and clay statues. No one knew when they had arrived around the residence gate.
These elite armored soldiers concealed