Nanyang Prefecture, near Jian'an Gate to the north of the city.
In the dead of night, Old Ge hummed a tune, strolling leisurely towards home.
Reaching a fork in the road, Old Ge squinted dazedly at the two paths before him.
The main road was straight and wide but took him farther from home. The alleyway twisted and turned but promised a quicker arrival.
On ordinary days, he spurned the alley for its narrowness and unevenness.
Yet in the still of night, his tired eyelids battling, a thought circled his mind, and he turned into the alleyway.
Under the bright moonlight, a trail of black smoke, like a ghostly fire, floated in his shadow, silently following him into the alley.
...
Quarter of an hour later.
Old Ge emerged from the alley and arrived at his front door, shivering involuntarily, his arms breaking out in goosebumps.
"Getting old, even a bit of night chill is too much to handle," he muttered, rubbing his arms, then went inside.
