The streets here gradually broadened, and houses grew sparse, giving way to more towers and pavilions. Farther east, the ground began to rise. Golden morning sunlight spilled across an open expanse, where trees stood scattered and a little river lay frozen. This was still Chang'an, of course, but it no longer had the layout of the residential wards; it felt like being out in the countryside.
Xu Chuo stopped the carriage and, cradling her hand warmer, led Pei Ye down. She carried a flask of wine herself and had him bring the head.
"Leyouyuan." Xu Chuo drew a deep breath, the morning wind lifting the hair above her forehead. "This is an ancient plain. Two thousand years have passed since the Han."
Pei Ye looked around. Despite all that accumulated history, he saw nothing particularly special, though some of the towers and stone monuments looked old. Xu Chuo led him away from those signs of human activity and into the woods. The thick remnants of snow had yet to melt and had hardened somewhat, with yellow leaves and dead twigs embedded in them. Every step Pei Ye took left an imprint with a soft crunch.
There were plenty of footprints near the edge, but deeper in, human traces all but vanished, leaving only the tracks of small animals such as mice and rabbits. Xu Chuo made no sound behind him, merely saying, "Just keep going straight. The woods aren't very big."
They really weren't. A quarter of an hour brought them out the other side. It was hardly a sudden opening onto a sweeping vista; there was simply a clearing of moderate size between the woods and the wild hills, a place with nothing to recommend it beyond its seclusion. Looking ahead, he could already see the misty waters beyond