Although he and Zou Xiong hadn't sensed any presence in the house yesterday, he thought that no ability user would choose to travel at night and instead stay in the house to cultivate during the day.
Given the early hour, when they should be getting ready to leave, it seemed odd for someone to stay and cultivate here. He concluded that this person must have arrived last night, spent the night cultivating, and was now possibly at the breakthrough point, causing the significant disturbance they had noticed.
If this were the case, this person's abilities might be far greater than they had imagined, making it difficult to recruit them. He hoped to make a good impression with Zou Xiong and not upset these people.
Another possibility was that the person had been traveling continuously and, upon realizing they were on the verge of a breakthrough, hurriedly chose this house as a temporary resting place.
In this case, it was unclear if they were aware of the convoy behind the house. If they weren't, it indicated a rushed breakthrough without much thought. Despite their uninvited arrival, their goodwill should prevent any negative feelings from the person.
Following these thoughts, Zhu Xianhou hoped that approaching them with friendliness would forge a good relationship without provoking them.
If the person had already noticed them behind and didn't want to interact, yet chose a dangerous place to break through, it showed they didn't want to contact them initially. In that case, their sudden visit might only provoke the other party.
Zhu Xianhou had many concerns, but unfortunately, Zou Xiong didn't think so much. He believed that inviting an ability user with his skills shouldn't be an issue, especially since his convoy wasn't just him and Zhu Xianhou as ability users.
They had gradually recruited many ability users into their convoy. Moreover, if the other party was just one or two individuals, their survival chances were higher with a convoy.
With this in mind, Zou Xiong was eager to approach them. Zhu Xianhou, seeing his enthusiasm, knew it was futile to argue. They had known each other for years, and Zhu Xianhou was well aware of Zou Xiong's simple-mindedness.
He resigned to adapt to the situation, hoping Zou Xiong wouldn't cause trouble.
Meanwhile, Xu Nuo, who had been monitoring the convoy, noticed the two men approaching their building. He frowned, realizing Park Su had been discovered.
It seemed they weren't looking for trouble but rather to recruit. Nonetheless, Xu Nuo prepared himself. Although the two didn't look like a threat, he had to protect Park Su and didn't like others eyeing him.
Zou Xiong and Zhu Xianhou quickly reached the door. Just as Zou Xiong was about to knock, Zhu Xianhou stopped him and pointed to the talisman on the door. "Look, this seems like a talisman to ward off evil spirits."
Zou Xiong, initially annoyed at being stopped, turned his attention to the yellow talisman and frowned. "I didn't expect the person inside to be so superstitious. Who still uses such things now!"
Zhu Xianhou was exasperated. Didn't Zou Xiong remember that when they checked the building yesterday, there was no talisman on the door? This meant the talisman was put up later by the people inside.
Didn't he think why the person inside would put up the talisman? More importantly, didn't he notice that despite standing at the door, there was no sign of life inside?
As ability users, they could sense the flow of energy and deduce someone's presence. Without that, they wouldn't have known someone was inside.
There were two possibilities: either the person inside wasn't alive, but a zombie breaking through to a more powerful form, or the talisman had an isolating effect, hiding the presence of the living.
If it was a zombie breakthrough, it would be dangerous. Though they were two ability users, handling a powerful zombie was uncertain. However, if it was a breakthrough, they had to eliminate it to save lives.
Zhu Xianhou saw two cars in the yard through a crack, suggesting the people inside were likely alive. Zombies couldn't drive, which meant the talisman was masking the presence.
He reminded Zou Xiong about the talisman, but Zou Xiong's careless comment made Zhu Xianhou feel both amused and frustrated.
Seeing Zou Xiong's confusion, Zhu Xianhou felt compelled to remind him, "The person inside must be quite powerful. Be careful not to offend them. And stop talking about superstition. I think the person here might be a skilled Daoist!
Look at the two cars in the yard; it means there are at least two people inside. Yet we can't sense any life. Isn't that odd?"
Zou Xiong, jolted by Zhu Xianhou's words, started thinking more clearly. He knew Zhu Xianhou often had different ideas but was much sharper and quite capable.
Understanding Zhu Xianhou's point, Zou Xiong straightened up and knocked on the door, ready to meet this expert. However, after knocking for about five minutes with no answer, he grew annoyed. Since gaining his abilities, no one had ever left him standing at the door like this.
Sensing trouble from Zou Xiong's expression, Zhu Xianhou quickly intervened, "The person might be in the middle of a breakthrough and can't attend to us. Please don't act impulsively. Let's wait until the energy stabilizes and then approach them.
Think about it, if someone disturbed you during a breakthrough, you'd likely be annoyed or even resentful. And don't you want to ask how they draw energy from the air? If we upset them, they won't share anything. Waiting a bit longer shows sincerity. Don't you agree?"
Zou Xiong valued Zhu Xianhou's advice, especially since becoming ability users and managing the convoy together. While their ideas often differed, he knew Zhu Xianhou was better at winning people over and managing the convoy.
Reflecting on Zhu Xianhou's words, Zou Xiong realized he wouldn't want to share such a valuable secret either. He could force his way in, but that might lead to animosity and no information.
Agreeing with Zhu Xianhou's approach, Zou Xiong asked, "So what should we do? We can't just stay outside forever. How do we communicate?"
Quick-thinking as ever, Zhu Xianhou suggested, "Let's stay in the yard and deal with any zombies that come. Once the breakthrough is over, we can knock again. This way, they'll have a good impression of us."
Seeing Zou Xiong about to protest, Zhu Xianhou continued, "I know you're worried about doing it for nothing. But consider the two cars mean at least two people. One's in a breakthrough, so someone else must be guarding. We don't know if the guard is an ability user, and we don't know the breakthrough level. If we rush in, we might not stand a chance."
Zou Xiong finally nodded, seeing the logic in Zhu Xianhou's plan. They prepared to show their goodwill by defending the yard, hoping to build a favorable relationship.