The afternoon crowds on Heaven Dou City's main street were slightly thinner than in the morning, but the shops and stalls along the road remained lively.
Lan Tian walked slowly along the street with Xiao Mei. Perched on his shoulder, Xiao Mei had long grown accustomed to the sights around her, her tail draped lazily against his neck as it swayed.
At the corner ahead, a figure in a dark cloak emerged from an alley.
The hood was pulled low, concealing most of the face and revealing only the outline of the chin. Yet the figure's steps were light and steady, carrying a rhythm entirely different from that of the surrounding pedestrians.
The instant the person stepped out of the alley, she paused slightly, as though she had sensed something. Then she raised her head and looked toward Lan Tian.
At that same instant, Lan Tian's pace slowed by half a beat.
The moment she looked up, the Blue Silver God Domain caught a trace of a bloodline aura that was incomparably familiar yet utterly strange. He had only felt that presence from the lingering shadow left behind by the Blue Silver Emperor in the Icefire Basin—of the same origin, imperial, vibrant, and whole.
Now, that aura stood barely a dozen paces away from him, separated by pedestrians and passing carriages on the street, yet more real than anything else.
He recognized her.
Most of her long blue hair was hidden beneath the hood, with only a few blue strands falling over her shoulders.
Her pale golden eyes were faintly visible in the hood's shadow, staring directly at him without evasion.
In the afternoon light, her exquisite face, carrying a trace of aloofness, appeared especially clear. The unique aura about her, somewhere between plant and human, made her stand out