Song Ciwan waited silently, her breath fading until it was all but gone.
She didn't just become a shadow in the corner of the courtyard; she became a mote of dust within that shadow, and the void beneath that dust.
The night was a boundless darkness. The waning moon, once high in the sky, had vanished behind a swathe of clouds. A wind swept through, cloaking the entire city in a vast, profound silence.
The Xin Family's small courtyard in Erhu Lane.
Xin Mian's residence was nestled at the very end of the lane.
As Song Ciwan concealed herself, the entire courtyard seemed to become lost in the interplay of light and shadow, a place where time itself ceased to flow.
From the distance came the sound of a Night Watchman striking his clapper.
"CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!"
"The air is dry, watch for fire and candle—"
"Midnight, third watch. People are settled, time to rest—"
