Song Ciwan followed Niu the Sixth. She watched as he turned into a small alley, staggered onward, and finally stopped before a short wooden door whose surface was a patchwork of rich yet faded colors.
Various feathers and shells were stuck into the wood above the door. At a glance, they were arranged in an arc, forming what looked like a grotesque, smiling face!
A single glance was enough for Song Ciwan to feel as though she could smell a foul, rank odor.
Niu the Sixth, however, stopped before the door as if he had caught a whiff of some wonderful fragrance. He closed his eyes, savoring it for a moment, before placing a hand on the rattle at his waist and knocking gently on the door.
He knocked five times in a rhythm of three long and two short taps. A low, hoarse voice like a crow's caw answered from within. "Come in!"
Niu the Sixth stroked the rattle at his waist, gritted his teeth, and pushed the door open to enter.
