Moonlight, like liquid silver, hung high in the sky, showering the courtyard and casting diminishing shadows from the buildings, leaving fewer dark corners to hide in. Luo Zheng crouched at a corner and carefully observed the surroundings for a while. Things were unexpectedly smooth; most of the force had gone in pursuit of the scholar and his companions, leaving the main armed presence guarding the entrance. About a dozen men were stationed in the backyard, with both forces focused outwardly, paying no attention to the inside of the courtyard.
Within the courtyard, wounded soldiers were still queuing up for treatment, with a dozen or so at the door and another twenty or so inside the room. Thirty to forty wounded soldiers waited anxiously, the cost of their injuries making them uneasy. Morale was low, and tempers were frayed; they wished nothing more than to receive immediate treatment and paid no mind to the situation within the courtyard.
