The morning mist over Chang'an had not yet cleared when camel bells began to ring along the stone-paved road of the West Market. At the collar of his azure robe, Xiao Moli wore a newly carved "City-Guarding Ghost-Face" made by Huwa—a smiling face holding a wolf-hair brush, its abacus-bead eyes fixed on the bronze ring of the city gate, while an antlered snow chrysanthemum dried along the Tea Horse Road was woven into its bead cord. Zhang Yifan leaned lazily against the Old Cyan Ox cart with a soft laugh. "Master Xiao's attire is even more imposing than the stone lions at the city gate."
"So noisy!" Xiao Moli flicked his sleeve and climbed into the cart, the footnote for the "Double Guard of the Trade Route" on his sheepskin ledger dampened by the morning dew. Just then, Huwa was spotted sprawled over the cart wheel, carving a new pattern: "Big Sister Xiao, look! Brother Fan asked me to carve a 'Ghost-Face of Safe Return' on the wheel, with abacus-bead eyes watching the cart ruts so we'll never lose our way!" The tongue of the wooden ghost-face happened to lick the two characters for "Chang'an" on her ledger, its abacus-bead eyes reflecting the vermilion paint of the city gate.
As the caravan entered the city, Ali the Sogdian merchant suddenly pointed at the West Market archway and cried out, "Look! Right in front of my glassware stall, a Han person has actually set up wooden ghost-face carvings!" Moli looked over and saw that every corner of the stalls was embedded with Huw…
Chapter 89