The shopkeeper stroked his beard with a cheerful smile. “Do you have a pass?”

“No.”

“Then I’m afraid it won’t be convenient for you to stay here.”

“I’ll pay—ten coins per person. We’ll just stay in the courtyard until dawn, then leave.”

The shopkeeper smiled politely and said, “I can see you’re not an unreasonable person, so please hear me out.”

“This is just a restaurant; we’re not allowed to keep guests overnight. Without a pass, you can’t even dine here. If someone reports us, wouldn’t we have to answer to the authorities?”

“I’m a law-abiding person. I wouldn’t dare break the law.”

“Besides, I have both elders and children at home, and we rely on this business to get by. Please, don’t make things difficult for us… I hope you understand.”

Grace Foster gazed quietly at the door. The pitch-black inner room gaped open, ready to devour, and a shadow flickered past the window.

He lowered his head and looked at the shopkeeper.

“Then I’ll trouble you to carry me out.”

The servant stomped his foot in anger. “You rascal! Do you really think we’re that easy to bully?!”

The shopkeeper’s face darkened. He stared at Grace Foster in silence, his gaze cold.

Grace Foster was unfazed. He turned and instructed, “Put the things down. We’ll rest in the courtyard tonight and look for him again tomorrow.”

The three old farmers set down their burlap sacks and stood timidly behind Grace Foster, heads lowered, feeling guilty and not daring to meet the eyes of the other two.

Grace Foster found a flat spot, picked up a few small stones, used his bundle as a pillow, and lay down to sleep.

The three old farmers curled up beside Grace Foster, only daring to sit down with their heads bowed.

The shopkeeper watched as Grace Foster lay down as if no one else were there, stood for a long while, then turned and went into the inner room. The servant followed him inside.

They did not close the door to the inner room.

Night had fallen completely, and the inner room glimpsed through the doorway was even darker. The old tenants felt a chill, as if something in that darkness was watching them.

Outside, the sound of hoofbeats rang out, accompanied by screams and angry shouts.

Sometimes, the hoofbeats sounded as if they were right beside them. The group trembled in fear, gritting their teeth, struggling not to make a sound.

Grace Foster lay flat on the ground, snoring thunderously in deep sleep.

“Brother Tao?”

“Brother Tao~~”

The old farmer called out in a trembling whisper.

“Mm? Mm?”

“Keep your voice down… keep your voice down, there are cavalry…”

“Mm…”

When Grace Foster was shaken awake, it was already daylight.

The three old farmers looked haggard, their eyes bloodshot, still curled up beside Grace Foster, backs against the courtyard wall.

In their fear, none of them had slept a wink all night.

Grace Foster sat up and stretched.

At some point, the house door had been closed, but the courtyard gate was wide open.

The message was clear: they were being driven out.

Grace Foster packed up his bundle, took out some money from his sleeve, counted it, and placed forty coins on a table nearby.

He was about to leave with the others when he suddenly stopped, walked over to the house door, and before he could knock, the shopkeeper opened it.

The shopkeeper’s scholarly demeanor was gone; he looked just as haggard, his eyes swollen and red, his face full of anger.

“Don’t push us too far!!”

“What more do you want?!”

“To relieve myself, and to ask for directions.”

...

The group returned to the road.

“Should we go back to the fork and take another look?” one of the old farmers asked.

Grace Foster didn’t answer, just kept walking forward.

From here on, the empty city was no longer empty.

Smoke rose from the chimneys of the buildings on both sides.

People hurried along the road, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The passersby all seemed in a rush, heads down, never glancing around. When they saw strangers, it was as if they’d encountered wild beasts—they immediately kept their distance.

Grace Foster wanted to find someone to ask for directions, but couldn’t manage to catch anyone.

In the distance, a few people were gathered, speaking in low voices.

Grace Foster approached, and as soon as they realized a stranger was near, they quickly scattered.

It was a wooden post, with a notice pasted on it.

Grace Foster carefully read the entire notice.

The three tenant farmers couldn’t read, so the old farmer asked, “Brother Tao, what does the notice say?”

“It says we don’t need to look for Zhang Cheng anymore.”

“Huh? Brother Tao, don’t try to scare us. How could the county notice mention him?”

“The notice says that yesterday, the county patrol led troops to strike, killed a gang of bandits, beheaded six, and resolved the problem of robbers on the road.”

The old farmer was relieved at first and was about to say something, but then suddenly realized.

His face turned deathly pale, all color draining away in an instant.

“It couldn’t be…”

“Then we…”

Last night, they had only been frightened, but now, it was as if their souls had been sucked out—they stood rooted to the spot, speechless.

“No pass, can’t enter the city, can’t leave the city, nowhere to stay…”

All they could think of was this hopeless situation, not even daring to imagine a solution.

Grace Foster looked into the distance, where the eaves of a grand mansion could be seen far away.

“I’ll go get a new pass, send you out first, then continue with my own business.”

After saying this, Grace headed in that direction.