The cold wind whipped dry grass shards, lashing painfully against his face. Qin Lie hunched his back, trudging unsteadily through the muddy, frozen soil at the outer edge of the encampment. Every step was heavy and dragging, as if his boots were filled with lead. His thin, worn robe failed to keep out the chill, causing him to shiver slightly. Behind him, the vindictive and shrill wails of Madam Liu echoing from Qin Xiao’s tent still buzzed in his ears, tangling his thoughts in turmoil.
He only wanted to escape this suffocating place as quickly as possible and return to his own cold, dilapidated little courtyard. At least there, he would be free from so many eyes.
Just as he rounded an area of wooden posts tethering warhorses, the faint crunch of dry grass being snapped came from beside him. Qin Lie halted instinctively, his head tilting slightly in vigilance.
Chapter 53