Lai Yiteng awoke in an unfamiliar place. He hated that.
At first he felt extremely groggy, as though he'd slept for a long time. The room he was in was strangely lavish, filled with expensive decorations like rans and ink paintings, all placed tastefully. Peony scented incense burning on a nearby table, with a trail of smoke going into the air.
This wasn't the house in the woods he and Xian Wu lived at.
His head was a mix of confusion, knife-sharp fear, and uncertainty. When Lai Yiteng reached for his knife kept on his belt, it wasn't there. A colorful but loosely tied blue sash was there instead.
Slowly his nerves grew.
The walls in the medium-sized room seemed to grow in closer on him, crushing him down with the weight of the thought that he might be held captive in some place like a cage.
Lai Yiteng stood, and though he swayed once on his feet, rushed to the door and slid it open rapidly.
