The sky was still dark, and the river water was as black as ink.
Chen Ji's head emerged from the surface, gasping for air.
The cold sensation seemed to seep through his skin, penetrating deep into his bones.
His soaked clothes clung to his body, offering no warmth.
Chen Ji scanned the water around him, trying to spot the figure of Manager Yuan amidst the ripples.
But his attention was suddenly drawn to the scene above.
Streaks of light, like meteors with long tails, flew across the river.
It was a rare meteor shower, dazzling and brilliant.
Under the full draw of a bow, the meteors shot across a hundred paces, piercing through the twenty or so armored guards on the bridge without giving them a chance to fight back.
A tattooed man hiding behind a carriage on the bridge avoided the meteors and blew a copper whistle.
Hearing the whistle, a dense crowd of armored guards surged out from the alleys, rushing toward the Peony Bridge like a brown flood.