Dong-
Dong-
As the first light of dawn appeared, the distant, sonorous tolling of bells rose from the Bell and Drum Tower and spread through the majestic Capital City in the warmth of the third spring month.
Below the gate towers flying Northern Liang's dragon flags, the city gates stood wide open. Caravans and commoners streamed in one after another, soon filling the broad streets shoulder to shoulder.
Amid the crowds, a dozen armed guards escorted several wagons laden with goods, advancing slowly. Occasional snippets of conversation rose from the roadside:
"Those look like Myriad Treasures Tower's wagons..."
"Has Yanjing's most talented lady returned?"
"Miss Hua! ..."
Ye Jingtang rode at the head of the procession, a bamboo hat on his head and the Sabre hanging behind his waist. Surveying the dense crowds, he felt that the scene before him rather resembled his arrival in Yun'an with the escort team last year: the same spring sunshine, the same procession, the same wagons full of family members.
Perhaps the only difference was that last year, he had been lost, unsure where to go, whereas now his goal was clear. His eyes held only the Imperial City at the end of the avenue.
The journey from Chengtian Prefecture had taken four days. Apart from encountering a band of horse bandits who had tired of living on the first night, the rest had passed uneventfully, with nothing worth mentioning.
After the seven vicious bandits were suddenly killed, Hua Junchen had intended to notify the Government, but Ye Jingtang, worried about attracting the Imperial Court's attention, had persuaded him otherwise through Hua Ning.
The gist was that since the reclusive master had not shown himself, he clearly did not want idle people disturbing his secluded cultivation. Spreading the story would be inappropriate. If