297: Chapter 297 Identity, Infiltration

Night fell.

The river wind swept across the water surface, wrapping in a damp and cold mist, shrouding the entire ferry pier in a haze.

Amidst the reed marshes on the bank, a figure stood quietly.

Chen Ran stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling upon that giant ship docked on the river surface.

The lanterns on the ship body had already been lit, and warm yellow lights bloomed in the mist, resembling stars floating on the water surface.

"So it takes this path."

Chen Ran muttered to himself softly. Following Bai Nianci's intelligence, he had crouched in ambush along this path for a period of time, and it truly allowed him to find something different.

"Such a big ship, yet only so few people. It seems this is not a dedicated passenger ship."

Just now, he had remained hidden in the shadows, observing those people queuing up to board the ship, covering them with the [Skynet] to thoroughly probe every person's aura and Realm.

That fat merchant's family looked overwhelmingly wealthy, but in reality, the strength of those two guards was not low at all; both were at the Fourth Rank Aperture Condensation Realm Peak, already considered top-tier experts in the ordinary Jianghu.

Meanwhile, the auras on the bodies of the remaining Jianghu people were even more astonishing.

"Interesting, on such a small ship, there are actually so many powerful Martial Artists."

As his voice fell, his figure had already disappeared from within the reed marshes.

...

The night grew deeper.

By the ferry pier, only the last few people who had yet to board the ship remained.

The young man checking the boarding yawned, rubbing his somewhat sore eyes.

After bustling about for the better part of the day, it was finally coming to an end.

He raised his head, his gaze falling upon the last person who walked over.

It was a young man.

A head of pitch-black long hair draped loosely over his shoulders, and he wore a black-and-white ink-wash robe, his sleeves fluttering.

His facial features were handsome, and between his brows leaked a trace of aloof nobility, making him look rather like a Young Master from some aristocratic family out on a leisure trip.

The recording man glanced at him twice, flipped through the booklet in his hand, but did not find a corresponding record for him.

"This Young Master," he raised his head, asking politely, "do you have a token?"

That young man stopped in his tracks, slightly turning his head to glance at him, the corners of his mouth curling up as he calmly spoke:

"Long time no see..."

That voice was like a wisp of a bell chime coming from afar, melodious and lingering.

It seemed to carry something indescribable and indistinct; once it entered the ears, it was like being soaked in warm water, causing one to relax all over.

The recording person only felt a brief trance in his mind, and everything before his eyes became hazy.

He subconsciously blinked, and when he looked at the person before him again, he only felt that the other party's face was incomparably amiable, akin to an old acquaintance known for a long time.

"Please..."

He turned sideways to make way, his face piled with a smile, his attitude courteous to the extreme.

That young man slightly nodded, his steps unceasing, calmly stepping onto the gangplank.

His figure vanished behind the beaded curtain at the cabin entrance.

After a moment, that checking young man finally came back to his senses, blinking blankly.

Just now... what happened?

He lowered his head to look at the booklet, then raised his head to look at the deserted gangplank.

It seemed... they had all been checked?

He scratched his head, closed the booklet, and shouted toward the ship:

"Everyone is here! We can set sail!"

...

A moment later.

The hull shook slightly, and the bow slowly turned its direction, sailing toward the depths of the river surface.

The light of the lanterns swayed in the night, one by one drifting further away like fireflies, ultimately merging into the vast night.

On the river surface, only a shallow ripple remained, shimmering with a silvery-white luster under the moonlight, which was instantly wiped away by the current and returned to calmness.

Deep within the hull, inside a cabin.

A stalwart man sat on a grand master chair, his right leg hollow from below the knee, with only a stump wrapped in cloth resting on the footstool.

A black cloth strip was bound over his left eye, and his sole remaining right eye was turbid yet sharp, resembling a hawk lurking in the shadows.

"Boss."

A lean man walked in from outside the door, knelt on one knee, and reported in a low voice.

"Everyone is gathered; the ship can set sail."

The one-eyed captain slightly raised his chin, his voice hoarse and low.

"How many people are there this trip?"

"Including the passengers on the ship, there are a total of twenty-three people. Among them, eleven are prominent guests with status, and the remainder are accompanying guards and Disciples and the like."

"Which ones are the prominent guests?"

The lean man pulled a slip of paper from his bosom and looked at it by the light of the oil lamp.

"At the head is the head of the Zhou family of Linan Prefecture, who this time brought his wife and young son south to visit relatives, bringing two guards along his side."

"There is also a party from Ciyin Medical Valley, sixteen in total, led by the Medical Valley's Elder Liu Qing."

"There are also several independent travelers; three whose identities have been verified, and two whose identities cannot be verified. All of them have tokens, and they should be connections arranged by the higher-ups."

Hearing this, Huo Chong slowly narrowed that turbid, one-eyed gaze.

"The Zhou family head..." He repeated.

"That is a local tyrant of Linan Prefecture whose business spans half the southern region. Now he suddenly leaves Linan Prefecture to visit relatives, heh..."

"How could it be that simple? Most likely, he was afraid of the people from the Red Lotus Demonic Cult and fled overnight."

"And Ciyin Medical Valley... those little lasses who cure the sick and save lives were actually able to get our tokens. It seems someone behind the scenes put in a word."

The lean man nodded: "Indeed, it is a note directly approved from above."

"Alright." Huo Chong raised his hand and patted the chair armrest with that rough, large palm.

"Then set sail!"