*
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, a master, lounging lazily, chuckled. "What's this? Has that old thing Gao Zheqi arrived?"
The servant, slightly startled, quickly lowered his eyes. "A messenger just came. Mr. Gao is already on his way to the Imperial Palace."
"I am tired. If he arrives, tell him to wait." The voice was nonchalant, carrying a hint of a laugh.
The servant quickly assented and withdrew.
*
*
The wind blew harder. The Dayong Dynasty's territory was vast, and the farther west one traveled, the more barren and desolate the landscape became.
Huge ravines crisscrossed the land like gaping sores, as if the heavens themselves had lashed the earth with a whip. The ground was pitted and uneven, and as the horses and carriages passed, sudden gusts of yellow sand would rise up, blinding everyone.
