Confrontation in the Mist

"Hm… it's taking them quite a while to get here, isn't it?"

A young man dressed in intricately-woven brocade robes stood with his hands behind his back in front of the open gates to Wandering Battle City, a hint of a frown creasing his brow. It had already been a few hours since he was sent to await Master Liu Chao's guests, the sun having set a while ago, and the only thing he had to occupy his time was to watch the flickering torchlight play across the faces of the stationed guards as the chilly night air nipped at his fingertips.

"Uh, Master Yuan Fu, shall we close the gates? Your guests may have decided to camp outside, for the night…"

One of the guards on duty came forward to respectfully address the young man, Yuan Fu, who only gave the guard a perfunctory glance in response.