Dawn broke the next day.
Morning light spilled through gaps in the branches into the mountain hollow. A thin veil of mist floated over the stream, tinted pale gold by the rising sun.
The old iron trees swayed gently in the morning breeze. Dewdrops pattered from their leaves onto the stone path with tiny, scattered sounds.
A Nian carried a newly woven wicker food basket along the mountain path toward the hollow.
Inside were millet porridge freshly cooked that morning, several pieces of fragrant, charred roast beast meat, a dish of pickled wild greens, and a small jar of wild honey gathered from the mountain behind the Ancestral Shrine-Mr. Lu disliked overly bitter medicine, so she had specially brought the honey, thinking it might prove useful.
She had changed into a new hair ribbon that day, white flowers on a blue background, and her steps were lighter than usual.
The moment she spotted the little vine-woven house in the distance, the corners of her mouth lifted of their own accord.
She stopped at the entrance to the hollow and took a deep breath. Cloudlike true qi spread around her, slowly shrinking her towering figure. A moment later, she emerged from the mist at an ordinary person's size, carried the basket to the door, and knocked gently three times.
"Sir, I've brought your meal."
No one answered.
She knocked several more times and tilted her head to listen.
The house was silent. There was none of the familiar rustling of Lu Changfeng turning pages, nor the bubbling of an earthenware pot as he brewed medicine.
Her heart tightened slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she pushed open the door.
The main room was empty.
A Nian crossed the main room and opened the door to the left-hand chamber. There was a wicker