Lu Changfeng glanced at the sky. There was still some time before the hour of the Dog agreed upon in the letter.
But he had no desire to wait passively. He decided to set out at once and survey the surroundings first, lest he walk into an ambush.
Snow Robe flapped insistently, determined to come along, while Qing Dai looked equally resolute. Clearly, neither felt comfortable letting him go alone.
Lu Changfeng considered it briefly. Little Apricot Ridge was just outside the city, not far from Chang'an City. Even if something did happen, his current cultivation would make holding out until reinforcements arrived no difficult task. He nodded his assent.
The two people and one bird delayed no longer. Leaving the Princess's Residence, they headed straight south, passed through the bustling streets, and exited Chang'an City through Yanxing Gate.
The land on either side of the main road gradually opened up, fields and homes scattered across it. After traveling only three to five li, they spotted a gently rising earthen slope in the distance. A few apricot trees grew sparsely upon it; their flowering season had passed, and green leaves now provided shade.
This was Little Apricot Ridge.
The scene atop the ridge was just as Lu Changfeng had expected. A simple thatched shelter had been built against an old apricot tree. Several dozen plainly dressed, careworn commoners and villagers stood in line before it, while a figure in a plain hemp robe bustled about inside.
He looked to be in his early thirties, with a lean, refined face and a tall frame. Though no peerless beauty, his skin had a healthy luster and his bearing was composed. He clearly understood the art of nurturing health, naturally slowing the marks left by time. This was entirely different from Princess Taiping's