Thinking of that possibility, Chen Jing pretended to be strolling on the street, suspecting that someone was following him at that moment, and at the same time put himself in the enemy's perspective.

If I were the 'Priest,' and I recognized the person who boarded the ship as someone I didn't know... well, wait a minute.

Chen Jing noticed something was wrong.

"The 'Priest' is probably a core member of the Black Hand; he's so powerful," Chen Jing thought. "If he discovered me in my invisible state, he would definitely know which people could board the ship, and he would definitely recognize that I don't belong to those people."

He wouldn't ask me questions like, "Why isn't Miss Pan here?" Chen Jing recalled the scene and instead asked, "Who are you?" Chen Jing quickly dismissed his previous guess.

There are two possibilities: he thinks I know why Miss Pan isn't here... No, he doesn't even know me, that's impossible. The second possibility is that he's not familiar with the mastermind...

Yes, so when he saw the others assume I was an important member of the Black Organization, he thought I was able to ask those kinds of questions.

The 'Priest' is an outsider! He wasn't familiar with Black Hand's original subordinates!

As for why Luo Jiu was unaware of the blood sacrifice situation, didn't know where the problem lay, and why the assassins and many of those sacrificed escaped, that can also be explained.

The blood sacrifice was carried out in secret, so Luo Jiu was unaware of the truth about it, which explains his relaxed expression earlier.

Chen Jing stopped in his tracks.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it. That priest didn't recognize me at all..."

"No, it's better to be cautious no matter what. Let's not contact my master yet. Let's go find Su Yuan, the owner of the tavern, and finalize the rental agreement first." Chen Jing decided that no matter what, he shouldn't go to the expert for the time being. After all, he was only doing deduction, and what if his deduction was wrong?

Chen Jing turned the corner and walked among the familiar houses.

Let's assume someone is following me. Chen Jing thought, then I should maintain a high speed so that it will be difficult for him to keep up with me without revealing himself.

No, this might be seen as a sign of guilt?

Moreover, if the person tracking me possesses the same invisibility ability... Chen Jing pondered, deciding to use himself as the hypothetical enemy.

He strode across the street and through the alleyways, still pondering whether his past actions might have exposed him.

"Hmm... My sister is missing, but the fact that she returned to me alive is the biggest suspect. This can be covered up. Ash City doesn't have a household registration system, and there are a lot of people. It's impossible for the people in the Black Hand to know everyone. As long as my sister Wan Tong disguises herself... tsk, there is still a risk of being exposed, but it is a risk that must be taken."

“The second thing that will be exposed… Oh right, I lost my sword in the Song River.” Chen Jing was startled, then thought, “Luckily, it was a standard straight sword, and many people use it.”

“It’s true that I lost my sword. I could say I lost it while chasing after a slave’s spirit… No, someone saw me enter the city with my sword. I need to find a blacksmith to buy a replacement. No, I should go to my teacher to buy a sword. That would be the safest option.”

"The third thing that will be exposed, uh, I smelled blood in the market, and the leader and master fooled me by saying I was injured while escaping, but when I entered the city, there was clearly no smell of blood... hiss." Chen Jing gasped.

"No, they might not suspect me. After all, it's absurd that someone who just escaped from the slave souls would run to the Black Hand's ship that same day and kidnap the assassin," Chen Jing reassured himself.

"As long as we don't attract attention, the Black Hand is currently tracking down the assassins... If the assassins are all caught, he'll eventually find out that it wasn't one of the assassins who broke into the prison..."

Chen Jing rubbed his temples, feeling uneasy.

"Calm down... I have my own advantages." Chen Jing thought, "I'm a local, quite weak, and of low status. I can use this to make them ignore me. As long as what I do afterward is reasonable, I can reduce the probability of being discovered. Now I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate."

As Chen Jing walked along the shadowy alley, breathing in the misty air, his heart gradually calmed down.

First, go to Su Yuan's inn and find a place to rent!

...

Bozhou Inn is located near a main street in the Eggshell District. The so-called main street is only wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage to pass through. There is still so much dirty water and filth, and it smells so bad.

The Bozhou Inn has two floors. The first floor is a tavern, and the second floor is the accommodation. A tattered flag extends from the second floor with the character "酒" (wine) on it, and a wooden plaque with the words "Bozhou Inn" hangs on the main entrance of the inn.

Upon arriving at the inn, Chen Jing collected his thoughts, stepped inside, and was immediately greeted by the strong smell of alcohol.

The inn is much quieter today... Chen Jing glanced around and didn't see many people.

That's true, the Black Hand is still in the city hunting down assassins... and nobody wants to wander around outside.

Chen Jing also saw the tavern's proprietress, Su Yuan, a woman in her forties. Apart from her dry hair and poorly maintained skin, one could still vaguely see the beauty of her youth. She was wearing an earthy red dress and a dirty, greasy apron, wiping the counter table.

This wasn't Chen Jing's first time here. As soon as he entered, Su Yuan frowned and asked, "Are you here to buy wine for your father again?"

Chen Jing shook his head: "No. Aunt Su Yuan, my master asked me to come here. He said you have a house for rent."

“I don’t have any houses for rent here. Although you can stay at an inn, even the lowest-class room will cost 2 Blue Moon Coins a day.” Su Yuan said, “Your master sent you to me, probably to act as an intermediary and introduce you to a house that you can rent long-term.”

Two Blue Moon Coins a day, that's six Blue Sun Coins a month... No, the lowest-class room should be the kind rented by one person. Chen Jing thought for a moment and asked, "Does anyone want to rent out a room recently?"

"Yes," said the proprietress, Su Yuan. "It's right on this street. It used to be Old Zhang's thatched cottage."

"The Zhang family?" Chen Jing thought for a moment, then finally remembered: "Uncle Zhang Lin?"

Uncle Zhang Lin was also a scavenger Chen Jing knew. He was in his forties, and his wife had been lost in the war that destroyed the ancient Song Dynasty. Because of this, Zhang Lin was unwilling to leave. He wanted to stay in Ash City and wait for his wife to come and find him one day.

He was a talkative scavenger who, while Chen Jing waited for him to buy wine, taught him a lot about hunting and escaping. Chen Jing also heard that Zhang Lin had adopted a baby girl who grew up drinking milk from many different families. Unexpectedly, the baby girl turned out to be a natural-born genius, capable of performing some magic from birth and possessing a talent for exorcising spirits. Through hard work and his daughter's talent, Zhang Lin's family prospered, even buying a thatched hut and no longer needing to rent. They also acquired a lot of furniture, attracting the envy of many.

Chen Jing couldn't help but ask, "Why did Uncle Zhang Lin rent out the house?"