The Kang Capital had changed little since Hu Xiaotian left. As he passed along Heavenly Street, he suddenly thought of Huo Xiaoru and looked toward the East Fourth Archway. Was she still there, safe and sound? He remembered her saying at their parting that she would soon leave the Kang Capital. Presumably, she had long since gone. They had originally made an agreement to meet a year later, when Huo Xiaoru would visit Azure Cloud on her travels. Yet the affairs of the world were ever unpredictable. Now he had returned to the Kang Capital, while Huo Xiaoru's whereabouts were unknown. It seemed that promise could no longer be fulfilled.
Memories of the past added a fresh melancholy to Hu Xiaotian's heart, but he no longer had time to lament such things. Perhaps he was destined to be nothing more than a hurried traveler passing through this world. He had wanted a quiet life, yet he had no choice but to chase the wind and ride the waves. The fate of the entire Hu Family rested on his shoulders alone.
The Chengen Residence stood in the northwest of the Kang Capital, south of the Small Merchant River. It had once been the place where the First Prince, Long Yelin, was held under house arrest. Not long ago, Crown Prince Long Yeqing had also been imprisoned there, ultimately hanging himself inside. The place was not difficult to find. A narrow street called Cloudlock Alley ran before its gates. Originally, it had been called Springlock Alley, but during Mingzong's reign, he had deemed the name inauspicious and personally ordered the character for "spring" changed to "cloud," giving it its present name. In truth, the former name had been more fitting. There were no ordinary households in the alley, only tall gates and