Grace Brooks stopped talking and turned to look out the window.

The street scene sped by in the rain.

It was late April 2020, just the beginning of summer.

This was a world with cultivators, but it had already developed into modern times, and its level of civilization was no less than that of Earth before the crossing.

This country was called Yiguo.

The land beneath their feet was located in the southwestern border of Yiguo, Yuanzhou, Baishi.

Baishi was the capital of Yuanzhou, built by a lake, a city with a long history and once a period of glory. Now, it was one of the country's most famous tourist cities.

The people of the country of Puluo were known for their boldness, and sects and cults ran rampant within its borders...

Richard Thompson was someone Grace Brooks didn’t know well; their only connection came from a traffic accident half a year ago. But this afternoon, Grace Brooks suddenly heard that Richard Thompson and his father had been attacked yesterday, and by evening, Grace Brooks received a summons.

The method of attack was clearly the work of the Puluo people—something a student couldn’t imitate.

Thinking of this, Grace Brooks felt a bit relieved, the frown on his face relaxing as he focused on the scenery outside the window.

In modern times, Baishi was also one of the first cities to develop. Jinghai District was the core of Baishi, built long ago. The streets and houses outside the window were all marked by the passage of time. But the rain was so heavy, as if it wanted to wash everything clean, and the mist blurred the view.

Passing by a factory, faded red characters could still be vaguely seen on the wall, reading:

The old era has passed, welcome to the dawn of a new era!

The car stopped at the entrance of the residential complex.

The young police officer glanced at Grace Brooks: “Good luck on the big exam! Want to take the umbrella?”

“No, thanks.”

Grace Brooks nodded at him, very politely.

He opened the car door, wind and rain rushing in. He lowered his head to carefully find a place to step, but it was too difficult, so he simply stepped into the water again. After closing the car door, he hugged his backpack tightly to his chest and ran quickly toward the entrance of the complex.

Afraid he’d get too wet, the security guard uncle opened the gate for him in advance.

Finally home.

“Phew…”

Grace Brooks let out a long breath, changed into slippers, casually ran his fingers through his wet hair, and walked into the living room.

A middle-aged man who looked quite young was sitting on the sofa, holding his phone in both hands. The glow from the phone cast a greenish light on his face.

“Professor Brooks, checking stocks?”

“You’re back.”

“Yeah.”

“How did it go?”

“Just a routine questioning, they said it’s not a big deal.”

“Keep your mindset steady.”

Grace Brooks’s father said lightly, then fell silent again, continuing to stare at his phone.

Grace Brooks also went back to his room.

“Buzz buzz!”

His phone vibrated.

He opened his chat app and saw a message from his childhood friend—

Lily: Did you get caught in the rain?

Grace Brooks: Just a little

Lily: You just got home now?

Grace Brooks: Got delayed

Lily: Oh

Grace Brooks: No classes tomorrow, I’ll come hang out with you

Lily: Okay

……

The next day.

Grace Brooks woke up in bed, his mind still a bit groggy. It felt like he’d had some dreams, but maybe not.

It was still dark outside, the city lights shining brightly.

The rain had stopped, and the world felt especially clean.

Grace Brooks raised his arm to check the time, then glanced out the window—it was already the next day, but dawn was still a while away.

Chapter Two: There’s a Childhood Friend

9 a.m.

The temperature hadn’t turned hot yet.

Grace Brooks casually threw on a light jacket, went out, scanned a bike, and rode leisurely.

The world after the rain felt so fresh, and the early summer sun was just right. The ground had just dried, with no trace of last night’s heavy rain.

Lily Carter’s home was neither too close nor too far.

He followed a resident into a typical Yiguo courtyard community, roughly equivalent to a villa district, with all traditional Chinese courtyards inside. Grace Brooks walked along the petal-strewn paths and soon arrived at a courtyard.

“Knock knock!”

In about ten seconds, the door opened.

Standing inside was a tall, elegant young woman, looking at him calmly and sizing him up from head to toe.

Grace Brooks grinned: “So fast?”

As he spoke, he held out his hand, palm up with a piece of candy: “Brought you a chenpi candy, it’s super sour.”

Lily Carter took it; her hand was fair and slender:

“I was spraying the flowers.”

“No wonder.”

Grace Brooks squeezed past her into the yard.

The courtyard was full of flowers, and as soon as he entered, he was greeted by a refreshing fragrance that cleared his mind.

A white cat was lazily lying on the lawn.

Lily Carter closed the gate, turned to follow behind him, but her gaze dropped slightly, stopping at a spot on his back: “Your jacket’s coming apart at the seam.”

“Where?”

Lily Carter didn’t answer, just stared pointedly.

Following her gaze, Grace Brooks found a small tear on the right side of his jacket, the threads sticking out like centipede legs. He remembered it got ripped during PE class last week. Once he found it, he didn’t care at all, yawned, and said:

“Whatever.”

The temperature was rising anyway, so he casually took off his jacket and tossed it onto a stone bench in the yard.

Watching his actions, Lily Carter continued, “I heard you got taken by the police yesterday?”