As the Spring Festival approaches, the outskirts of River City, a tier-three city under Central South Province, were silent.
The winter night here was chilling, and the air seemed so cold it was frozen. The wind was not strong, but the occasional swaying of branches could make one feel bone-chillingly cold.
Soon, a convoy of impressively low-key black SUVs, with their headlights shining brightly like a dragon, approached from afar and uniformly stopped beside a road in the outskirts.
A group of men in black wool suits gradually got out of the cars and respectfully stood by the roadside.
After a while, the door of the last Grand Cherokee in the convoy slowly opened, and a young woman wrapped in a black thick down coat that reached her ankles nimbly jumped out of the car.
She held a small lantern of ancient design in one hand and, upon exiting the car, instinctively raised her other hand to adjust the black and purple fur-lined cap on her head as the cold air hit her face.
The men in black suits immediately greeted her with friendly smiles, "How was your journey, Little Heavenly Master Lawrence?"
Someone peeked towards the spacious Cherokee behind her, asking, "Where is Great Heavenly Master Nick? Did Great Heavenly Master Nick also come?"
Lawrence Winters remained silent, standing gracefully, with an aloof expression, standing aside.
The car door opened again, and a tall and somewhat stout man stepped down with authority from the vehicle.
Unlike the men in suits, he was dressed in a vintage black robe, standing on the ground like a towering figure.
A gust of cold wind swept through, rustling the bare branches, and the moonlight in the sky was just obscured by clouds.
Lawrence Winters was nearly shivering in the cold wind, wishing she could warm her hands inside her small lantern.
But she also knew it was useless, as the small lantern was actually equipped with solar LED tubes, which under the ivory thick lantern paper, were not visible from the outside.
Only a circle of dim yellow light was revealed, blending interestingly with the cloud-covered moonlight from above, illuminating the people below.
Although she wore gloves of the same color inner mink outer leather, the piercing cold wind managed to turn them into an ice sculpture masterpiece.
Lawrence shivered her arms, gently exhaling a breath of air, feeling firsthand what it meant to "breathe frost."
Winter in Central South Province was like a quirky embroiderer, sitting quietly embroidering most of the time, barely noticeable.
Yet one never knew when it might suddenly go crazy, pricking you as it please.
The cold carried moisture, penetrating deep into the bones.
In comparison, people from Central South Province are the most resilient to cold; Northerners and Southerners can't compare.
Lawrence, a native of River City, embarrassingly never got used to the winters here.
At this moment, the tall and stout man puffed out his chest, quietly standing in front of Lawrence, conveniently blocking the sudden cold wind.
Despite the cold, his long black robe looked extremely thick, with black mink fur flipped out around the collar, almost enveloping his entire face.
Though it was dark, he not only wore a felt hat but also a pair of sunglasses covering half his face.
When he raised his head to look at people, he carried a natural aura of authority.
After stepping out of the vehicle, he didn't rush to walk but stood at the road's edge in the dry yellow grass, holding a half-human-tall vine cane beside him, sturdy and unfazed.
A slightly shorter and slender man ran up from behind, gesturing obsequiously towards the man beside Lawrence, "Great Heavenly Master Nick, this way please."
The tall and stout man nodded slightly, then kept his composure as he began to walk forward.
He was tall; though he walked slowly, his strides were large.
Lawrence hurriedly walked beside him in silence, carrying the small lantern.
Walking forward, the two did not speak.
Behind them, the group of men in black suits pointed at the two, whispering.
"...Is that the Great Heavenly Master Nick Zeller whom Mr. Luo hired at a great cost?"
"That's him. I heard his fee is twice that of that High Monk from Thailand!"
"Tsk tsk, among the Heavenly Masters in our province, he's the most famous, right?"
"Yes indeed. It's said he's the 78th generation direct heir of the Celestial Master Sect, renowned both at home and abroad, the number one in Central South!"
"Not just that... I've heard Great Heavenly Master Nick only takes on five cases a year, and he has many taboos!"
"Of course, there are many! Have you ever seen a Geomancer Master who insists on surveying at night? It's not like we're inspecting a burial site!"