The black robes looked much like his fellow countryman's outfit. Had the figure's build and gait not been so different, he would almost have mistaken him.
He thought for a moment, then followed without a sound.
Inside the side hall, the female official pushed open the door and stepped aside to let the black-robed man enter.
She stood at the doorway, scanning her surroundings warily, then followed him inside and gently closed the door.
Fan Xian circled around to the side of the hall, found a gap in a window, and peered inside.
Flames flickered within the brightly lit hall.
The black-robed man lowered his hood, revealing an aged face.
Zhuang Mohan.
Fan Xian's pupils contracted.
The great literary master of Northern Qi, whom he had angered into vomiting blood and fainting at tonight's banquet, had actually appeared here!
He was just about to listen closely to what the two were saying-
Whoosh!
A piercing whistle suddenly tore through the air!
Alarm bells rang in Fan Xian's mind, and he instinctively dodged sideways!
An arrow grazed past his body with a fierce gust and struck the corridor pillar behind him with a thunk, its fletching trembling violently!
Fan Xian broke out in a cold sweat!
The arrow's force, its speed, and that familiar whistle-
Yan Xiaoyi's arrow!
He had witnessed Yan Xiaoyi's archery at the Peaceful Villa, and its power remained vivid in his memory!
Fan Xian dared not linger. No longer caring what Zhuang Mohan was about to say, he darted into the darkness and fled desperately.
Behind him, footsteps seemed to pursue him.
Fan Xian never looked back, running faster than a rabbit.
Several breaths later, Zhou Cheng emerged from the shadows.
Chapter 58: A Nighttime Meeting with Li Yunrui
Naturally, Zhou Cheng was the one who had