The Overall Picture

In an alley in the capital, the door to a small courtyard opened, revealing a canopy of a century old walnut tree.

During the early spring, it was still chilly in the capital as Nie Ting, donned in a black cloak and in deep thought, sat opposite Shi Xuejin. And Shi Xuejin was busy like a normal person.

Four plates of snacks were placed on the stone table between them and under the table was a small stove, warming a pot of wine.

Shi Xuejin checked the time and added ginger and plums into the pot and closed the lid once again, before shaking off the ginger froth on his hands.

He looked up at Nie Ting, "It's a pity that we didn't obtain the relic this time. Li Yixiao suspects that the spy took advantage of the ghosts not attacking him to obtain the relic. But this still requires confirmation."