Bluestone was livelier than he had imagined. Lu Xingchen stood beneath the arch at the town entrance, looking at the bustling street, slightly dazed. Shops and stalls crowded both sides—herbalists, weapon sellers, food vendors, and several inns hung with red lanterns, storytellers' voices mixing with the laughter of drinkers inside. All kinds of people passed by—humans, shadowfolk, and a few mixed-blood figures whose race was hard to tell. Shadowfolk pupils ran a shade deeper than ordinary peo...