Three days later, at the Homecoming Inn, Pei Changtian sat in his usual spot eating, just as he had every day lately. Even his occasional cough could not diminish his elegant bearing.
At noon that day, someone of real standing finally arrived. After entering the inn, the man headed straight for the corner by the upstairs window-or, more precisely, straight for Pei Changtian.
Pei Changtian continued eating and drinking calmly, his chopsticks moving without hesitation. There was not a trace of panic in his heart. After all, he had made little effort to conceal his face over the past three days, though his appearance had indeed changed considerably.
The newcomer swung his arms with vigor and had a burly frame, yet his footsteps made no heavy sound on the floorboards. He looked ordinary enough, but a careful observer would have felt that he had glided up to Pei Changtian's table with his feet glued to the ground.
"So it really is you, Young Gang Leader Pei!"
Pei Changtian looked up at the visitor, an old man with frost-white temples, a ruddy face, and not the slightest stoop to his frame.
"Heh, after all these years, I never expected anyone to remember us. Especially with how much my appearance has changed... You have sharp eyes, Elder Tong!"
"Don't you remember me too?"
Without asking whether Pei Changtian agreed, the old man sat down across the table and regarded him calmly.
Pei Changtian studied the old man in turn. The latter smiled and said,
"Back then, I heard almost everyone in the Skywhale Gang had died. I also heard that you and old Gang Leader Pei had died together. I said that with you around, surely not everyone in the Skywhale Gang would have failed to escape. It seems I guessed right!