Chapter 148: A Narrow Path Encounter
Chapter 148: A Narrow Path Encounter
Li Zian lit a small piece of sandalwood incense and took a deep breath of the thin, rising smoke.
Boom!
His previously fading Incense Burning State instantly reactivated, entering a transcendent level.
This was not like an athlete taking harmful stimulants. Li Zian’s ritual of lighting sandalwood to enter the Incense Burning State was beneficial and not harmful. Every night, he lit a stick of incense to sleep, which was actually the correct way to cultivate the Great Slumber Qi Refining Art. So, if he wished and had sandalwood incense on hand, he could light one stick after another.
After inhaling two mouthfuls of sandalwood smoke, Li Zian peered out from behind the corner.
Hank had returned to Chen Mei’s side. His face was handsome enough, but his expression was far from pleasant.
Chen Mei said with an apologetic look, “Hank, I really didn’t expect things to turn out this way. Meilin, she…”
Hank was silent for a moment before speaking. “I knew Meilin was married, but I’ve never met her husband. I also know very little about him. Do you know what kind of person he is?”
Chen Mei replied, “I think his name is Li Zian. Meilin married him four years ago, and they have a daughter. But I’ve never seen Meilin bring him around. He only appeared recently. I heard that Li used to live in a big mountain and was a farmer.”
Hank frowned. “A farmer?”
He was a top graduate of West Point Military Academy, the school heartthrob, an elite from The Beacon—the kind of rich guy who, if his ventures failed, could just go home and inherit a vast fortune. How could someone so outstanding lose to a farmer?
It was illogical and downright embarrassing.
“That Li…” Chen Mei hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.
Hank’s frown deepened. “Say what’s on your mind. I want to know more about that Li. Tell me everything you know.”
“Alright,” Chen Mei sighed. “Last time, I attended a Recovery Banquet hosted by a deputy chairman of our local chamber of commerce. Yu Meilin and her husband attended and were treated as honored guests. I was sitting below and saw her husband. That man was very handsome.”
Hank’s expression darkened.
Earlier, when Yu Meilin said her husband was handsomer than him, he thought she was just being angry and didn’t care. But now Chen Mei was saying Li Zian was handsome, and that made him very uncomfortable.
“I asked around and heard that Li is a Master.”
“A Master?”
“Yes, someone who does divination, healing, geomancy, and things like that.”
“Isn’t that just a fraud? Calling him a Master,” Hank scoffed.
Chen Mei said, “That Li is not like those street-side fortune-tellers. I heard that deputy chairman was already at the Gate of the Underworld, and Li was the one who cured him and pulled him back. Ma Huayun was also at the Recovery Banquet that day. You know him, right?”
“Yes.”
“They sat at the same table and chatted very happily,” Chen Mei added.
Hank remarked, “From your description, I think this person is very pretentious. How could Meilin like someone like that?”
Chen Mei shrugged. “As a woman, from a woman’s perspective, that Li is really handsome. Most women care about looks.”
A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Hank’s mouth. “I think being a Master is fake, but living off a woman is real.”
Chen Mei agreed, “Yes, I think so too.”
“Let’s go in,” Hank said.
Chen Mei nodded and followed Hank toward the restaurant’s entrance, adding flatteringly, “Hank, I think Meilin still has feelings for you. She couldn’t have forgotten you. This time, our approach wasn’t right and made her uncomfortable. Later, I’ll think of another way to invite her out.”
Hank nodded and entered the main hall of the Western restaurant.
Li Zian could no longer see them. He took several deep breaths of the sandalwood incense, then pinched out the small remaining piece, put it into a tube, and slipped it into his pants pocket.
He had only brought this small piece and needed to use it sparingly.
He stepped out from the corner and could no longer see Yu Meilin’s car. He walked along the sidewalk, and as he passed the entrance of Story of Paris, he glanced inside with the corner of his eye.
It was a lobby with a reception desk. At the far end stood a large screen painted with an oil painting depicting Adam and Eve sitting on a swing. Eve’s skirt was lifted just enough—almost revealing too much—to provoke imagination. Above their heads hung a golden apple, seemingly reminding the men and women entering the restaurant what to do after eating and drinking.
Guests went in from both sides of the screen, likely leading to the dining area, but it wasn’t visible from outside.
Li Zian didn’t look further and quickly walked past, lowering his head as he continued on.
Dealing with that despicable pair?
Tonight wasn’t the right time.
He still needed to investigate if there were any suspicious people lurking around the restaurant. So as he walked, he observed the surroundings and people, using the enhanced hearing from his Incense Burning State to pick up sounds, trying to identify any suspicious targets.
Half an hour later, Li Zian stopped in front of a clothing store.
He checked the time on his mobile phone; it was almost seven o’clock.
After walking all this way, he hadn’t spotted a single suspicious target.
After all, this was the real world, not a movie. That Pan Renlong couldn’t possibly have placed a sniper on a rooftop or undercover secret agents waiting to strike. This was 21st-century Huaguo—the era when foreign powers could do whatever they wanted on this land had long since passed.
Li Zian entered the clothing store.
Half an hour later, he walked out. He was no longer wearing the T-shirt and jeans from before, but had changed into a crisp suit, with dress shoes replacing his sneakers.
Even though he hadn’t found any suspicious individuals, that didn’t mean there were none. He had stayed on this street for an hour; wearing the same clothes to the appointment would be obviously improper. That’s why he changed.
No one had taught him these things, but as a capable young man who had watched many spy films, he had picked up a few tricks.
Li Zian walked back along the sidewalk, slower this time, observing as he went. Moving at this sluggish pace, by the time he returned to the front of Story of Paris, it was already 7:30.
Li Zian waited at the entrance for a few minutes before a tall, sturdy figure approached him.
Pan Renlong had arrived.
“Master, I really didn’t expect you to arrive earlier than me. Sorry for making you wait,” Pan Renlong said courteously.
Li Zian smiled and replied, “You’re too kind, Mr. Pan. I just got here myself.”
“Did you take care of everything?”
“Yes, all taken care of.”
“I was thinking that if there’s anything you need me to do, just let me know. But since you’ve handled it all, next time you need my help, please do speak up.” Pan Renlong was very smooth with his words.
Li Zian smiled. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony with you, Mr. Pan. If I need your help in the future, I’ll definitely ask.”
“Shall we go in then?” Pan Renlong’s face was also full of smiles.
“Sure, after you, Mr. Pan.” Li Zian followed Pan Renlong into the entrance, casually asking, “What about Mr. Pan Senior?”
Pan Renlong sighed. “Ah, my dad is a busy man too. Just as we were about to leave, the company called saying there was important business that required his personal attention. He’ll come later. I hope you don’t mind, Master.”
“Not at all,” Li Zian said, though inwardly he cursed, “Damn it.”
This was the advantage of anticipating the enemy’s moves. If he hadn’t come two hours early, if his Incense Burning State wasn’t so effective, he might have step by step fallen into the trap Pan Renlong had set.
Past the screen was a dining area—spacious but not crowded with tables, and the ambiance was carefully arranged. Against the far wall stood a piano where a blonde, blue-eyed woman was playing. The music was soft and unobtrusive, adding an air of elegance and class.
Near a food cart, a blonde, blue-eyed uncle was sprinkling salt over a plate of sliced lamb chops with exaggerated movements, giving off a showy vibe.
Did sprinkling salt this way make it taste better?
No, it made it more expensive.
Li Zian glanced at the table and spotted Hank and Chen Mei sitting there.
The lamb chops being salted were what they had ordered.
“Those two can really eat. It’s been over an hour and they’re still here. Were they starved to death in their past life?” Li Zian thought to himself.
If he hadn’t considered his appointment with Pan Renlong, back when Yu Meilin hadn’t left yet, he would have rushed over to beat them up. Now, just cursing them in his mind was quite restrained.
“Master, this way, please.” Pan Renlong led the way.
Li Zian followed Pan Renlong and soon noticed that Pan was heading toward the table where Hank and Chen Mei sat. He felt a bit irritated.
Would they be seated next to them?
That would be awkward.
Pan Renlong stopped at a table next to Hank’s, pulled out a chair for Li Zian in advance, and said politely, “Master, please have a seat.”
It really was the adjacent table.
Li Zian was speechless inside, but his expression remained neutral. He walked over, said “Thank you,” and sat down.
As if triggered by Pan Renlong’s address of “Master,” Hank quickly turned his head and glanced at Li Zian.
Li Zian didn’t look directly at Hank, only observing him out of the corner of his eye.
Hank’s gaze was unfriendly!
That look made Li Zian feel as if he had slept with Hank’s wife and they had met on a narrow path.
There’s a hatred called the hatred of stealing one’s wife.
Such enmity leads to bloodshed.
From the way Hank was looking at him now, Li Zian believed this guy had guessed his identity.
After all, a person as handsome as him—he himself had never seen another like it. Combined with the title of Master, and Hank being an elite from West Point with certainly high intelligence, it wasn’t surprising he figured it out.
Sure enough, after looking at Li Zian, Hank reached out and touched Chen Mei’s hand, then whispered something in English.
Not in the Incense Burning State, Li Zian couldn’t hear the muttered words. Even without hearing or understanding, he could guess what Hank was saying to Chen Mei.
As soon as Hank closed his mouth, Chen Mei turned her face and glanced at Li Zian.
Li Zian sat there calmly, pretending not to notice.
Chen Mei turned back and nodded at Hank, whispering, “It’s him.”
Hank turned his gaze back to Li Zian, his eyes even more hostile.
Li Zian cursed inwardly, “What the hell? Are you done staring? If you’re not convinced, come over and hit me!”
He really wanted to do just that.