Not long after the car left Gaocheng County, a drizzle began to fall from the sky, quickly turning into a downpour that drastically reduced visibility on the road.

Long Cheng was forced to slow down; even with the wipers on maximum, he could only see less than ten meters ahead.

In this weather, on unfamiliar roads, Long Cheng dared not drive fast.

"Damn heaven, you’re conspiring against me too! Wait until I catch this kid, I’ll give him a good beating!"

In the woods bordering the road, a figure was cursing vehemently. In the pouring rain, a solitary person walking through the somber woods looked utterly bizarre.

Upon closer inspection, one would realize this was an old man, seemingly over seventy years old, looking up at the sky. A hint of helplessness touched the corners of the elder’s mouth before he swiftly ducked into a dilapidated shack not far ahead. The small house leaked, but it offered significantly more shelter than the outdoors.

Inside the shack, wisps of white mist naturally began to rise from the old man’s body. In a short while, the man’s soaking wet clothes were completely dry, and not a trace of dampness remained on him.

Watching the jeep grow smaller and smaller in the distance until it vanished from sight, the old man could only shake his head with a wry smile.

The very instant his body dried, Wuying, who had been sleeping in Zhang Yang’s arms, suddenly sat bolt upright, its small nose twitching incessantly.

Moments later, a look of confusion crossed its face as it crawled onto the window ledge, gazing blankly outside.

After communicating with Wuying, Zhang Yang learned that it had sensed a surge of powerful internal energy that flashed and vanished—an energy that felt both right beside them and miles away in the heavens; Wuying couldn't pinpoint its location.

The only certainty it had was that a profound internal energy had just manifested.

This news made Zhang Yang even more vigilant. Looking outside at the sky, he urged Long Cheng to speed up, hoping to use the heavy rain to shake off their pursuer.

The downpour lasted all morning, only easing up in the afternoon. During that morning, they had only covered a little over a hundred kilometers, just crossing the provincial border into Northern Hubei. At this rate, they wouldn't reach Lake Ezhou by nightfall.

"At this speed, we'll reach Xizhou City by evening, so we’ll have to stay there tonight!"

While refueling, Long Cheng carefully studied the map and finally informed Zhang Yang and the others.

Plans rarely survive contact with reality, but fortunately, their initial planning had accounted for such delays, allowing them to manage the current situation.

Xizhou is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Northern Hubei, far superior to a small county like Gaocheng. Once the rain lessened, Long Cheng pressed the accelerator, reaching Xizhou before five in the afternoon.

They arrived slightly earlier than expected primarily because the roads were clear after the rain, with few other vehicles, making the drive much smoother—it was almost a non-stop dash.

"Xizhou City's development is impressive!"

Driving into the city, Long Cheng nodded silently as he observed the tall buildings lining the streets.

He had visited many prefecture-level cities; city construction in '98 was far behind later years, yet Xizhou already possessed considerable scale, characterized by towering structures that resembled the cities along the southern coast.

Such cities were uncommon in the inland provinces.

By the time they reached Xizhou, the rain had completely stopped. Perhaps due to regional differences, there was very little standing water; some areas were merely damp, as if only a light shower had fallen.

Long Cheng got out to inquire about the best hotel in the area and drove straight there.

Xizhou boasted a five-star hotel, the Aotian Grand Hotel, which was impressive in both scale and standard. After asking several people, the best recommendation was consistently this place.

The Aotian Grand Hotel was located downtown, and they arrived there half an hour later. From the outside, the hotel looked genuinely luxurious, comparable to top establishments even in Changjing.

As he stepped out of the car, Zhang Yang glanced behind them one last time; the feeling of being followed was gone.

This finally allowed him to breathe a small sigh of relief; constantly feeling watched made him very uneasy.

Long Cheng went inside to secure rooms, booking three deluxe suites. Unfortunately, the presidential suite had already been reserved; otherwise, they could have booked it directly, as their presidential suite featured three bedrooms, allowing them to stay together.

Everyone retired to their rooms for a short rest. Long Cheng took a shower; having driven all day, and possessing the weakest internal energy among them, he was somewhat tired.

Zhang Yang also returned to organize his things. He needed to change clothes; having rushed constantly on the road, Zhang Yang had packed a few extra outfits this time, unlike before when he traveled with nothing.

Since no one was there to do his laundry, he was grateful that the hotel offered laundry service, saving him the chore.

It wasn't until six o'clock that Long Cheng called them out for dinner.

Dinner was held at the hotel. A five-star establishment's cuisine couldn't possibly be bad. The three men looked refreshed after showering and changing.

The hotel was vast. The trio secured a small private dining room, ordered wine and dishes, and began to eat. All three were quite hungry; they had subsisted on random bread and small snacks in the car during the rain, eating little.

After only a short while, loud music suddenly erupted from outside. Zhang Yang and Long Cheng both looked up, then quietly shook their heads.

This large, luxurious five-star hotel surprisingly had such poor soundproofing.

Soon, the external noise quieted down, suggesting someone must have lodged a complaint. After all, the clientele here consisted of the wealthy and influential, and no one wished to have their private meal disturbed.

The three consumed four bottles of wine and finished most of the dishes before leaving. They were thoroughly satisfied with dinner and decided a short walk would help digest the meal.

"Zhang Yang?"

Just a few steps outside the private room, a person walked toward them and called out Zhang Yang’s name in surprise.

Zhang Yang paused slightly, and the other two couldn't help but stop as well.

Zhang Yang never expected that in such a remote place, a city he was visiting for the first time, someone would actually know him.

"You are?"

The man approaching was dressed in a crisp suit, looking very young and handsome, perhaps around Zhang Yang’s age.

Zhang Yang felt a sense of familiarity toward him but couldn't immediately place who he was, as he frantically searched his memory.

"You actually forgot me? I still remember you clearly. I'm Xiao He!"

The young man exclaimed excitedly, walking up to Zhang Yang and sizing him up continuously.

Zhang Yang blinked, surprised, "Xiao He, is that you?"

Only when the man spoke his name did Zhang Yang finally recall who this person was.

The man before him was Xiao He, a classmate from Zhang Yang’s final year of high school. Zhang Yang was the class monitor then, and Xiao He was the academic representative; as fellow student cadres, they naturally interacted often, but because they were classmates for only one year, Zhang Yang’s impression of him was faint.

This was from his past memories; he hadn't recalled him immediately upon meeting, but he would certainly remember someone he knew better from later years.

Zhang Yang also recalled that Xiao He came from a well-off family. He had been accepted into a prestigious university, and considering the timeline, he shouldn't have graduated yet. Zhang Yang wondered why he was here.

"You finally remember me! Last time we had a class reunion back home, everyone mentioned you. Our great monitor disappeared after graduation, without a single word—none of us knew how you were doing!"

Xiao He called out excitedly, his eyes shining with the genuine delight of reuniting with an old classmate.

"I've been at the school mostly; I rarely go back!"

Zhang Yang said softly, as more and more memories of Xiao He surfaced in his mind.

In their final year, Xiao He was a very enthusiastic person who got along well with everyone. If he hadn't been a transfer student, he likely would have been the class monitor instead of Zhang Yang.

Even so, the teachers had appointed him the academic representative.

Xiao He was warm-hearted and academically strong; at that time, his popularity far surpassed Zhang Yang's. Zhang Yang became class monitor due to his grades, and although responsible, he wasn't as proactive as Xiao He.

Their relationship during that final high school year was decent; at the very least, Xiao He had helped him quite a bit.

"I figured. If you were back, you wouldn't fail to contact us. Oh, by the way, I’m not the only one here today; you definitely won't guess who else!"

Xiao He cheered happily. Long Feng had been observing this person intently.

For some reason, Long Feng could distinctly feel that Xiao He’s happiness was genuine; he was truly pleased to see Zhang Yang.

This joy was completely unfeigned, possessing the purest form of emotion.

"Who else?"

Zhang Yang asked quietly. He remembered Xiao He studied at Tsinghua in Beijing; his acceptance to Tsinghua had been big news locally and a source of pride for their school.

"Come with me and you'll know. Are you two brothers friends of Zhang Yang? Please come along too!"

Xiao He finished speaking, stepped forward, and took hold of Zhang Yang’s arm.

"Huh?"

The moment he grabbed him, Xiao He exclaimed in surprise. He had been talking to Zhang Yang and hadn't noticed the cute pet ferret Zhang Yang was holding.

Shandian looked up unhappily, then settled back down.

It usually ate nothing but venomous snakes, though it would drink some water or alcohol. Both it and Wuying had consumed a little alcohol that evening—not much, but they were tipsy now; these two little ones didn't have Zhang Yang's tolerance.

As for Wuying, it was already sound asleep in the canvas bag.

"A pet ferret this beautiful is rare!"

Xiao He's attention shifted from Zhang Yang to Shandian. Gazing at Shandian’s immaculate white fur, he couldn't help but nod again, his eyes full of admiration.

Xiao He’s school was much larger than Changjing University, and some students there kept pet ferrets. He knew one such student, but that classmate owned a gray ferret, which paled in comparison to Zhang Yang’s, like a cinder next to an angel.

"You mentioned someone else earlier?"

Zhang Yang smiled faintly and asked quietly. Xiao He immediately slapped his forehead, tearing his gaze away from Shandian, and pulled Zhang Yang toward the exit.

"You’ll know when you see the person. She'll be very surprised to see you here!"

Xiao He talked as they walked. He only mentioned there was someone else, refusing to reveal who it was, which piqued Zhang Yang's curiosity.

Everyone possesses curiosity; being left hanging is difficult, and Zhang Yang was no exception. However, his curiosity wasn't overwhelming, and since Xiao He wouldn't say, he didn't press the issue further.