After leaving the Qian Mansion, Chen Ji rode north; the Duke Cheng Mansion was even more secluded than the Qian Mansion.
Faxiang Square was home to many noble families with hereditary titles, grand and imposing facades, yet the claws and teeth of the stone lions at the entrances were worn smooth, and the vermilion doors had lost their luster.
Chen Ji reined in his horse, stopping before the Duke Cheng Mansion, quietly observing.
One of the stone lions at the mansion's entrance was missing half an ear, while the pedestal of the other was cracked. The plaque with "Duke Cheng Mansion" calligraphed by the Grand Ancestor had faded, exposing the ebony beneath.
There were no grand servants at the door, only a gray-haired old gatekeeper dozing on a small stool, who raised his head slowly upon hearing the sound of hooves.
