The Black Hu people's security was lax. Apart from the front and rear gates, they had posted few guards. Hu Xiaotian had already studied the layout of the Post Station in detail, and soon found his bearings once inside. The Post Station was divided into outer and inner sections, with the important guests residing in the Inner Court. Slipping through the night, Hu Xiaotian entered the Inner Court without much difficulty and concealed himself behind a rockery. Looking ahead, he saw three small buildings. Those to the east and west were dark; only the third floor of the central building showed any light, suggesting someone was inside.
Judging by the hour, it was probably not yet bedtime. Hu Xiaotian surveyed his surroundings, then climbed to the top of the rockery like a wildcat. From there, he looked around and discovered that not a single guard had been stationed in the Inner Court. Secretly delighted, he pushed off lightly with his toes and rose into the air, using the Aerial Gliding Art to glide soundlessly through the night. Reaching the building, he changed direction in midair, spiraled upward, and landed steadily on its roof. Hooking both feet over the edge of the eaves, he hung upside down like a bat. Every movement flowed seamlessly into the next.
The window blind was half lowered. Through its gaps, Hu Xiaotian could vaguely make out the room within. A girl of another race sat at a table, her chin resting in her hand as she stared absently at the flickering candle flame. Her hair was woven into more than a hundred tiny braids, her long brows looked as though they had been painted, and her emerald-green eyes glittered like gemstones. Her skin was fair and delicate as porcelain, and her cherry lips were so