Early in the morning, Chen Ji exited the side door of the Chen Mansion, the air still heavy with the smell of ash from last night's fire, the wind sweeping up the ash to cast a white veil over the inner city.
Chen Ji did not go to Shijia Alley to investigate, but instead left Xuanwu Gate indifferently and headed toward Meihua Ferry Crossing.
Arriving at the base of Meirui Building, he instinctively looked up at the balcony, but did not see Zhang Xia's figure.
Chen Ji climbed the stairs step by step, reaching the top floor, where Zhang Xia was sitting behind a desk, simultaneously reciting the Cloud Covering Scripture while flipping through all the articles received by the Capital Morning News.
Minding two tasks at once.
The top floor was still occupied by Zhang Xia alone, she heard the sound of Chen Ji coming up the stairs, pointed silently at another desk without looking up.
