Though the rites to heaven and earth at the Heaven-Worship Altar remained solemn, everyone seemed somewhat distracted.
But Yan Shouyun saw none of it. Once he escaped the Heaven-Worship Altar, he kept running. How could he spare a thought for anything else?
Standing atop the Ancestral Temple, Hui Mian watched Yan Shouyun hurry away and curled his lips. Had the fellow really run off?
Ah, it wasn't that I wouldn't help you. You failed to seize the chance yourself!
Though day had broken, the sky remained overcast. Yan Shouyun had already reached the city gate and slipped into the crowd waiting to leave.
Once the gate opened, Yan Shouyun immediately left along with the people passing in and out.
Though his heart was uneasy, nothing else seemed to go wrong this time, nor did he face any special scrutiny. At most, the soldiers at the gate gave him an extra glance.
But he had been in too much of a hurry to pay attention to his direction, and had instinctively run toward the gate leading to Heaven-Bearing Harbor.
Only after leaving the city and seeing the capital's harbor already bustling with activity did Yan Shouyun realize he should not have come this way.
For one thing, there was the cost of passage. For another, boarding a boat at the harbor would easily expose his whereabouts. He really should have taken a mountain road.
Still, since he was already here, Yan Shouyun unconsciously took a few more steps toward the harbor. Perhaps escaping by boat was not out of the question. He could travel partway by boat, then disembark midway and change his route...
With that thought, Yan Shouyun hurried toward the harbor.
Even the breeze from the Thirteen Pavilion Quarter carried faint traces of rouge. Along the road, people who