212: Chapter 211 The Connection

The cloud boat deacon's meaningful glance was like a thorn pricked into Chen Zilong's heart.

He knew his excuse about the "thief escaping" wouldn't fool a truly observant person.

The iron-and-blood aura faintly emanating from that elderly deacon suggested he was likely responsible for the "dirty work" in the Tiangong Pavilion; people like him had noses sharper than dogs.

"Damn, I've really become a turtle in a jar now."

Chen Zilong spat, feeling his temples start to throb again.

He quickly checked the Restrictions he had reset; they were more complex than before, incorporating a few sinister tricks he'd learned from the Xuan Yin Sect spoils. He didn't expect them to stop an intruder completely, only to buy him even half a breath's reaction time if someone touched them.

Having done this, he had no mood to regulate his breathing. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the couch, his divine sense spreading out like an invisible spiderweb, meticulously covering ten zhang around his cabin.

Not even the slightest rustle could escape his perception.

The night was still deep. While the astral winds howled outside the cloud boat, the interior was terrifyingly quiet, save for the low hum of the formation's operation.

This silence, on the contrary, made one's skin crawl.

He couldn't help but think of Su Wan's seemingly harmless face again.

What exactly was this woman's game?

If the first time at the inn was a coincidence and the second time at the pier was a "chance encounter," then what about this "warning" on the cloud boat?

If members of the Xuan Yin Sect were truly on the boat, how did she "just happen" to see them?

Was she, a delicate-looking female cultivator, really that sensitive to the aura of the Xuan Yin Sect's cultivation techniques?

"Either she's truly warm-hearted and exceptionally gifted,"

Chen Zilong sneered inwardly, "or she's bait thrown out by the Xuan Yin Sect... or perhaps she's one of them herself, playing the part of the thief crying 'thief' to lower my guard, or... testing my reactions and strength?"

The latter possibility made a chill run down his spine.

If Su Wan was with the Xuan Yin Sect, it meant their tracking and understanding of him were far deeper than he had imagined.

They might have already figured out some of his background and knew he wasn't easy to deal with, which was why they had switched to this indirect strategy.

Just as he was lost in thought, the edge of his divine sense suddenly caught a very slight movement.

It wasn't coming for him, but from a high-end cabin near the bow at the other end of the corridor.

A door opened and then closed, and a set of light footsteps headed toward the public area.

It was Su Wan's aura.

Chen Zilong's gaze sharpened.

What was she doing out in the middle of the night?

He hesitated for a split second, then gritted his teeth, suppressed his aura, and slipped out of the cabin like a shadow, following her silently.

Better to see what the woman was up to than to guess passively.

The middle-level public area of the cloud boat was deserted at this hour, with only a few moonlight stones emitting a cold, dim light.

The tea room and small hall were both dark.

Su Wan didn't stop, heading straight through the public area toward the stairs leading to the bottom level.

Her steps were steady; she seemed very familiar with the route.

Chen Zilong held his breath and focused, trailing her from a distance. He pushed the muscle and aura control from his "Three Thousand Thunder Movements" technique to its limit, making himself seem to merge into the shadows of the cabin.

Thanks to his extraordinary sensitivity to spiritual energy fluctuations since his primordial spirit was damaged, he could clearly lock onto Su Wan's unique and soft aura while ensuring he wasn't discovered.

Su Wan went down the stairs and reached the bottom level.

It was noisier here than on the middle level, with the faint sounds of snoring or whispering coming from some of the ordinary cabins.

She didn't stop, weaving through the corridors until she reached a remote corner near the bottom cargo hold.

There was an inconspicuous small door there, seemingly leading to a storage room or a crew lounge.

Chen Zilong hid behind a pile of bundled cargo and narrowed his eyes.

He saw Su Wan walk up to the small door. She didn't knock.

Instead, she reached out her finger and lightly tapped on the door panel five times in a specific rhythm—three long and two short.

The door silently opened a crack.

Su Wan slipped inside, and the door closed immediately after.

Chen Zilong's heart sank.

This was definitely not how a friend or an ordinary passenger would behave.

This was clearly...

A secret meeting!

He waited patiently. He didn't dare let his divine sense get too close to the door, fearing it might be detected by Restrictions or experts inside, so he could only sense the spiritual energy fluctuations in that area from afar.

After about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the door opened again.

Su Wan walked out. Her face looked somewhat pale in the dim light of the moonlight stones, but she quickly adjusted her expression, returning to her gentle appearance as she headed back the way she came.

After waiting a while longer to confirm no one else was coming out of the small door, Chen Zilong retreated to his cabin like a ghost.

Closing the door and setting the Restrictions, he leaned against it, feeling a chill surge from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

Su Wan really did have a problem!

She had a secret meeting in the middle of the night; who was the other person?

A contact for the Xuan Yin Sect on the boat?

Or...

Another power?

He suddenly remembered the cold, pure, and obscure aura he'd sensed earlier, which he suspected belonged to a Xuan Yin Sect expert; its location seemed to be in the front part of the middle level.

But Su Wan had just gone to the lower cargo area.

Were there two different groups?

Or did the Xuan Yin Sect have more than one stronghold on the boat?

The situation was even more complex and chaotic than he had anticipated.

"I can't keep taking hits passively like this."

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Chen Zilong's eyes.

The Xuan Yin Sect was like a maggot on a bone; if he didn't resolve this completely, he would never have peace.

Perhaps...

Could he make use of this Su Wan? Beat her at her own game?

A vague plan gradually began to take shape in his mind.

It was risky, but compared to being hit passively in the fog, he'd rather take the initiative to muddy the waters even further.

The next day, the atmosphere on the cloud boat was noticeably more tense.

The frequency of deacon patrols doubled, especially in the middle-level area. The stern-faced old man could often be seen leading men through, his sharp gaze scanning every cabin door.

The passengers also seemed to have sensed something; their conversations were much quieter, and an invisible oppression filled the air.

Chen Zilong deliberately walked out of his cabin near noon, a well-judged look of fatigue and irritability on his face, and headed toward the tea room in the public area.

He chose a relatively conspicuous seat by the window and ordered a pot of the most ordinary Heart-Clearing Tea. He sipped it slowly, his gaze occasionally drifting to the sea of clouds racing past the window, looking as though he were weighed down by worries.

He was waiting.

Sure enough, before long, a figure in goose-yellow appeared at the tea room entrance.

Su Wan had changed into a pale green dress today, still simple and elegant.

She saw Chen Zilong, a hint of "surprise" appearing on her face, and then she walked over gracefully.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, what a coincidence, you're here too." Su

Wan sat down opposite him and naturally ordered a pot of tea as well.

"Miss Su."

Chen Zilong looked up, his tone a bit softer than yesterday but still carrying a sense of distance. "Thanks for the warning last night."

Su Wan was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Chen Zilong to bring it up of his own accord. She then pursed her lips and smiled:

"You're too polite, Fellow Daoist. We're in the same boat, so it's only right. Did... anything else happen last night? The deacons seem very tense.""}],