Shen Fei pushed open the door to his room in the guest courtyard and immediately saw Xiao Ning'er standing beside the table.
Hearing him, she turned and looked him up and down. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the dust along his hem and cuffs before returning to his face. Only after confirming that he had no obvious wounds did she speak.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Shen Fei stepped inside, closed the door, and slid the bolt into place. He walked to the table, poured himself a cup of water, and took a few sips before turning to face her. "Nie Li and Duan Jian have reached the town. They altered their appearances with cloud clay, so they won't be exposed for now. Things on the Divine Flame Family's side are a little better than with the Silver Wing Family. At least their town is run more orderly. Nie Li said he wants to scout the routes on the surface first. It might take him a few days to come back."
Xiao Ning'er nodded and sat at the table, resting her fingers on the rim of her cup without lifting it. "Sikong Hongyue sent someone over earlier to ask where you'd gone. I said you were cultivating in seclusion and couldn't be disturbed, so she left."
"She believed you?"
"Only halfway. But she didn't send anyone inside to check, or post more people outside the courtyard. At least we haven't stirred the grass and startled the snake for now."
Shen Fei walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked outside. The guards at the courtyard entrance were still the same two people, their silhouettes unchanged from when he had left that morning.
The figure atop the wall was still there too, in the