It was nearly noon, but the sky was as dark as ink, heavy and without a sliver of light.
Days of heavy snow had blanketed the world in a thick, silver coat.
The bluestone path outside the courtyard had long since vanished, buried under the snow.
Stepping on it produced a crunching sound, the snow deep enough to cover their ankles.
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing walked side by side.
Chu Fan was silent, and Zhao Tianxing said nothing either.
The cold wind swept past the withered branches outside the courtyard, whistling and moaning like someone weeping in the shadows.
Swirling flurries of snow, bone-chillingly cold, whipped against their faces.
Zhao Tianxing's eyes shone, unable to conceal his delight.
Chu Fan was not as excited as him, but the corners of his mouth were also turned up in a faint smile.
When he left the wood-chopping yard, he already knew why Master Cao had sent Zhao Tianxing to find him…
