Yao Shen is taken to exactly the same place he visited the last time. To the same airy building overlooking a courtyard hidden from view of everyone walking in the street.
Being back in Youdu leaves him of two minds. On one hand, there's something about the city that feels familiar to him down to his bones. On the other hand, it's as if the towering wooden buildings are closing down on him with each step he takes deeper into the city's sinuous streets.
Inside the building, he finds the three Ghost Kings in much the same position as last time.
The woman in the floor-length red qipao is laying down on a chaise lounge, her long pipe held between her slender fingers.
"Shi Wang, so glad to see you," she says, her brilliant red lips curving into a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "We have been wondering how much progress you've made."
