Chapter 5: The Counting House Ledger

The road to the Counting House wound through hills that grew steeper and more barren with every mile. Yan walked at the front, his pace unrelenting, while Lianhua kept close behind, her physician’s case thumping against her hip. The stars had faded into a pale gray dawn by the time they crested the first ridge, and below them, nestled in a bowl of rock and thorn, sprawled the fortified manor of th...