The drumbeat from the Bell and Drum Tower arrived as expected.
Today, there were particularly many people outside the Eight Great Hutongs, and both the noodle stalls and wonton stands were filled with patrons.
The guests sitting at the stalls ordered a bowl of wontons without eating, vigilantly eyeing the passersby, sitting for four hours straight. The stall owner noticed the daggers and axes hidden in their arms but was puzzled that Heji and Furui Xiang could sit together at the same table without incident.
The stall owner could only swallow his urging, hoping these big shots from the fighting profession would finish their business quickly and leave.
In the twilight, over ten men emerged from White Jade Garden in Baishun Alley, escorting Du Qigong toward Li Shamao Alley. These men had various physical flaws; some were blind in one eye, some had lost an arm.
The time was still early, and the guests of the Eight Great Hutongs had not started to arrive.
