*
Gao Zheqi merely shot him a faint smile, and the servant fell silent.
*
*
「Upper Monarch Hall.」
The servant added some incense and was about to withdraw. From behind the beaded curtain, the master of the hall, lounging lazily, chuckled and said, "What is it? Has that old thing Gao Zheqi arrived?"
The servant, slightly startled, quickly lowered his gaze. "A messenger just came to report. Mr. Gao is already on his way to the Imperial Palace."
"I am tired. If he arrives, tell him to wait," came the carefree, laughing voice.
The servant quickly acknowledged the order and withdrew.
*
*
The wind picked up again.
The Dayong Dynasty's territory was vast. The farther west one traveled, the more barren and desolate it became.
A crisscrossing network of huge earthen ravines scarred the landscape, as if the heavens had whipped the earth. Carriages and horses bumped along the uneven pits and hollows. Occasionally, gusts of yellow sand would rise up, blinding travelers.
