After a night of thunder and rain, the sun had risen once more.
The air was fresh, and birds sang among the flowers.
In the morning light, Fu Qian lounged on a bench by the river.
Those two naturally hadn't managed to catch him. He'd changed into a different outfit by now.
His oversized T-shirt and lazy posture had transformed his whole demeanor. In an instant, he'd gone from a workplace elite to a good-for-nothing layabout.
A few early risers were already out exercising along the river.
Fu Qian's gaze was fixed on a young woman jogging nearby.
She looked to be in her twenties, tall and slender, dressed in standard athletic wear and carrying herself like a seasoned fitness enthusiast.
Unfortunately, at that moment she was moving only a tiny bit faster than a walk. Every step looked like a struggle.
Even so, she gritted her teeth and pressed onward with sheer willpower, her face contorted with effort.
To anyone watching, she was clearly a disciplined young woman who worked hard—far better than a lazy bum like Fu Qian.
But Fu Qian hadn't come here for no reason.
The young woman was surnamed Huang and worked with Che Shunyong.
Their last connection had been an accident not long ago.
After leaving yesterday, Fu Qian had made a point of looking into Che Shunyong's life and discovered that he had once been in a cruise ship disaster.
Lady Huang here was one of the survivors, too.
Although the subsequent investigation had made the circumstances surrounding the accident perfectly clear, Fu Qian had sensed something unusual about it.
He suspected the accident might have been another ritual.
So he'd gone to some trouble to find her address, and eventually tracked her down here.
As a transcendent, his senses were far sharper