Ox Street Alley · Wei Family Inn
The inn stood some two or three li from Kuiqiao Ward, in an out-of-the-way spot amid mottled, shabby alleys, unremarkable to the eye. It ordinarily saw few guests, and now the rain was growing heavier. Even places such as Rainbow Cloud Pavilion, usually the liveliest at night, with at least a few patrons drinking and listening to opera, were so deserted that sparrows could gather at their doors.
A white blur sped toward the inn and stopped beneath its eaves. A light still burned here, its dim glow seeping through the cracks, revealing a white-furred fox.
Almost no rain clung to the white fox's fur; one glance was enough to tell that this was no ordinary creature. The fox raised a little head to inspect the inn's sign, squeaked twice, and knew this was the right place.
Splash, splash! Someone was jogging toward the inn through the water. The white fox hurriedly darted aside and hid in a corner.
Suppressing every trace of presence, the fox boldly poked out a head to peer outside and soon got a clear look at the newcomer.
He was the sort of person who would disappear the moment he was dropped into a crowd: in his twenties, with an utterly ordinary face. His whole body was covered by a straw rain cape. He strode up to the inn's entrance, raised a hand, and knocked softly several times.
"Innkeeper, innkeeper."
"Who is it? Coming here so late?" Footsteps soon sounded inside, accompanied by an impatient voice still tinged with sleep.
He sounded just like an ordinary innkeeper whose rest had been disturbed. But when he opened the door and saw the visitor, his eyes flickered, and the bean-sized black mole below the corner of his mouth quivered.
"Innkeeper,