The moment Shen Le stopped, a gust of night wind swept toward him.
It was not particularly cold. When Shen Le had arrived, it was late spring, early summer. The cherry blossoms had only just finished falling, and the green leaves had yet to grow thick enough to form dense shade.
For tourists, this was the dullest, most boring time of year—the cherry blossom season was over, the summer foliage had yet to arrive, and autumn's red-leaf season was still far away.
The night breeze at this time of year should have been warm and gentle. Yet when it blew over Shen Le, he instinctively drew in his shoulders, his hairs standing on end.
There was something strange in this wind!
There was a faint fishy stench!
It was not strong enough to make someone wrinkle their nose upon smelling it. It was more like the faint odor that might remain after someone bought fish, washed their hands, changed clothes, and then sat down for a cup of tea.
It would be impossible to detect without paying close attention. Only someone with an exceptionally keen sense of smell, or someone extremely sensitive to strange odors for some reason, would react to it.
As for why Shen Le felt uncomfortable, it was not because of the fishy smell in the wind, but because of the faint yin energy accompanying it, which instinctively repulsed him.
He turned to look into the alley. Shinsaibashi was the busiest tourist district, with a constant stream of people. Even in the narrow alleys, lanterns hung one after another, their mingled light and shadow creating an especially hazy, enticing atmosphere.
At that moment, a man and a woman had just separated in the depths of the alley.
The man appeared to be in his forties. He wore