Chapter 410 - 183: Grotto Heaven

Zhou Wansen paused, then pointed to a young man with short hair next to him and said:

"This is Cui Zifeng, a Divine Storage Realm Tributor from the Yunlei Commerce Association’s Evil Extermination Hall. He also has some questions for you."

"...Understood. Please, everyone, come inside and have a seat. We can talk things over."

Chen Cheng nodded and led the group into the main hall to sit.

Dong Zhou’s expression was grim, his gaze sullen.

After entering the hall, he showed no intention of acting like a guest. He walked straight to the main seat at the center, flicked his robes aside, and sat down. His powerful frame was like a mountain pressing down on the space.

Of the four Fist Pavilion disciples he brought, two stood guard at the hall’s entrance, one on the left and one on the right, like a pair of door gods. The other two stood behind Chen Cheng, less than an arm’s length away.

All four wore cold, hard expressions. The pressure from their auras bore down on Chen Cheng without restraint. Their gazes were locked onto him, like four vicious hounds that had cornered their prey.

Zhou Wansen sat at the head of the right-hand side, carefully observing everyone’s words and expressions.

Cui Zifeng did not enter immediately. Instead, he stood at the entrance to the hall, looking up toward the quiet room on the third floor.

Chen Cheng glanced sideways at Cui Zifeng.

The man had a lean build and wore a Profound Scabbard Longsword at his waist. He had high cheekbones, and his eyes were so sharp they seemed capable of piercing straight through the walls of the third-floor quiet room.

Chen Cheng’s face remained impassive, but inside, alarm bells were ringing.

He had a good idea of what they were going to ask, and that part didn’t worry him.

What he feared was that they would act unreasonably and force a search of the quiet room... That would be a huge problem.

’It seems this Guan Lan Pavilion only holds sway over ordinary disciples. They wouldn’t dare approach, let alone trespass or force a search.’

’But in the face of Inner Sect elites, such restraints are completely meaningless.’

’Even Zhou Wansen, who is in charge of the Outer Sect, had to obediently lead the way and knock.’

’If Dong Zhou decided to force a search right now, no one in the entire Outer Sect could stop him.’

"Dong Chuo has disappeared. Did you know?"

Dong Zhou suddenly spoke, wasting no words and cutting straight to the point.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a piercing quality that felt as if it could penetrate a person’s very Heart Spirit.

"I did not."

Chen Cheng shook his head and said calmly:

"I have been cultivating inside Guan Lan Pavilion these past few days, rarely stepping outside."

"Ning Chong has also disappeared. Did you know?" Dong Zhou asked again, his gaze digging viciously into Chen Cheng’s face.

"I did not."

Chen Cheng remained calm.

"Ning Chong and I are on good terms, but we usually train on our own. We might not see each other for ten days or even half a month."

Hearing this, Dong Zhou’s gaze grew even more frighteningly dark.

On his coarse, bear-like face, veins bulged and muscles tensed. He ground his back teeth tightly.

Just then, Cui Zifeng walked in and asked grimly:

"Five days ago, you clashed with Dong Chuo on the stone flats. He disappeared afterward. How do you explain that?"

"...Does that really need an explanation?"

Chen Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he said:

"It’s only been a few days since I condensed the Ninth Pillar of Blood Qi. That day, I only managed to beat Senior Brother Dong by half a move through a bit of trickery. You think a little cleverness like that is enough to make Senior Brother Dong disappear? You must be joking."

"...Quite the sharp tongue on this one."

Cui Zifeng shot Chen Cheng a sidelong glance, then turned to Dong Zhou and said nonchalantly:

"Brother Dong, I don’t think this kid is lying. Your men have been secretly looking into his background these past few days, and they haven’t found anything either, have they?"

Dong Zhou nodded and stood up directly.

"Since Brother Cui hasn’t found any clues either, let’s not waste any more time here. We’re leaving."

As he spoke, Dong Zhou strode out, and the others followed.

’They’re just leaving? Like that?’

Chen Cheng’s heart stirred, and a hint of suspicion couldn’t help but rise in his eyes.

These people had come and gone in a flash. The crucial part was that they had explicitly shown they no longer suspected him.

This should have been a good thing, but deep down, Chen Cheng felt it wasn’t that simple.

’...Are they deliberately trying to lull me into a false sense of security? They want me to lower my guard and expose a flaw myself?’

Chen Cheng’s brow twitched as he thoughtfully closed the courtyard gate.

...

In a corner of the stone flats, Dong Zhou dismissed his attendants, speaking privately with Cui Zifeng.

"The act is over. For the next few days, don’t put any more pressure on the kid. Wait for him to completely let his guard down, then we’ll arrange for three teams."

Cui Zifeng said:

"One team to keep an eye on him. One team to search the quiet room on the third floor of Guan Lan Pavilion when he goes out. And the last team, to watch the homes of those two pieces of live bait."

"If any of the three teams finds an opening, it will be enough to confirm his connection to the disappearances of Dong Chuo and the others. At that point, the Sea Courtyard will certainly not protect a murderer."

"A good plan, but..."

Dong Zhou said:

"What if Chen Cheng really has nothing to do with my brother’s death? Wouldn’t this whole scheme be a waste of effort?"

Cui Zifeng froze for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Right now, we have no other leads. This Chen Cheng is the most suspicious person, so we have to start with him."

Dong Zhou nodded and said no more.

Afterward, the two discussed a few more matters before Cui Zifeng took his leave.

Dong Zhou beckoned, and his four trusted followers immediately approached.

He assigned tasks to three of them according to the plan, then said to the fourth:

"You, go tail Cui Zifeng."

Dong Zhou’s gaze turned icy, and his voice suddenly grew cold:

"He may have been helping with the investigation and strategy these past few days, but at the end of the day, his story about leaving the valley to chase the Golden-eyed Mutant Tiger... there were no witnesses, and he didn’t catch it..."

"We only have his word for it. The suspicion on him isn’t necessarily any less than on Chen Cheng."

...

「Evening.」

Chen Cheng was eating Treasure Fish Soup when there was a knock at the courtyard gate.

He put down his bowl and chopsticks, went to the well, and lifted two large buckets of Treasure Fish he had prepared earlier. Only then did he go to open the gate.

"Young Master."

At the gate, Qing Chan bowed slightly and said with a beaming smile: