The high fever burned from dusk until midnight. By the time Fu Shen completely woke up, it was the tail-end of the Rat.(~12:30a)

There wasn’t a single sound to be heard in this dead of night. The furnishings in the dimly-lit interior were not arranged in a way that was too familiar to him. A single lantern sat upon the table, casting a hazy, muslin-like glow in a square cun area on the surface around itself. He caught a fine trace of breathing, and upon turning his head for a look, he discovered that there was a low bench arranged across from the bed where Yan Xiaohan was curled up with his back to him, sleeping in his clothes.