Chapter 107: Cunning to the Bone

Duan Rong pinched the human-skin scroll, tucked it into the inner pocket of his lapel, and then used a piece of wood to cover the secret compartment again, only then drifting down like a great bird!

Just at this moment, the sound of the night watchman's clapper faintly drifted in from outside the window!

Duan Rong listened carefully to the number of beats struck by the watchman!

"It is already the Hour of the Rabbit!"

Duan Rong returned the Candle Lamp to its original place, then went to the bedside, stripped Chunmei of her clothes, and threw them in a mess on the floor...

As Duan Rong turned Chunmei over, she let out a muffled groan in her throat...

Duan Rong watched her for a while, and once he was certain she had not woken up, he stood up!

Chunmei could not hold her liquor, and having been knocked unconscious by Duan Rong, she was still in a daze!

Duan Rong's eyes rolled, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings, and feeling there were no oversights, he turned, opened the door to the guest room, and slipped out.

Just as Duan Rong exited the guest room door, he saw the Rou Qiu Nu sitting on a recliner, smiling as she looked at him, saying: "Guest, did you have fun last night?"

Duan Rong did not speak, merely nodded, and then left through the courtyard gate!

The Rou Qiu Nu did not mind; she struggled to stand up, the flesh on her body wobbling like water balloons...

The Rou Qiu Nu yawned, walked to the guest room door, lifted the curtain, and looked inside; she saw the dining tray on the table in disarray, Chunmei lying on the bed with her white, lotus-root-like arms stretched out, and her clothes scattered on the floor...

The Rou Qiu Nu leered and said: "Slut, tossed about all night, and now you're sleeping soundly!"

Duan Rong exited Jinmao Lane; it was now the Hour of the Rabbit, the sky was pitch black, and a large star hung upside down in the dark firmament.

There was no one on the street, only dogs foraging by the roadside, sniffing with their heads lowered...

Many breakfast stalls along the street had already opened, steaming hot, and people could be seen busy in the lamplight...

At this hour, the steamed buns were not yet fully cooked, and the beef soup had not yet boiled out its flavor...

However, Duan Rong's thoughts were not on breakfast at all; he walked hurriedly along the street, his hands faintly clenched into fists due to his excitement!

"The twelve-layer Womb Treasury Sutra!"

"There wasn't a single word of truth in that old dog's mouth!"

Duan Rong walked directly to the alley where the original owner's courtyard was located; Duan Rong took out his key at the gate, opened it, and slipped inside!

Duan Rong bolted the door, and upon turning his head, he looked at the old elm tree in the courtyard!

Duan Rong's eyes flashed; he suddenly exerted his movement technique, leaped up to the high branches, moved the abandoned bird's nest aside, and pried the human-skin scroll out from the tree hole below!

Duan Rong tucked the human-skin scroll into his sleeve, replaced the bird's nest, and drifted to the ground!

Duan Rong stood in the courtyard, his gaze sweeping the surroundings; all he saw was a pitch-black expanse, a night as silent as death!

Duan Rong slipped into the house and entered the Inner Room; he drew a Fire Folder to light the Candle Lamp, closed the doors and windows tightly, and only then placed the two human-skin scrolls on the desk!

The previous four-layer scroll was only the size of a palm, but the twelve-layer scroll obtained tonight was as large as a belly!

By the dim candlelight, Duan Rong narrowed his eyes and looked carefully at the two human-skin scrolls!

As he watched, Duan Rong's complexion grew increasingly ugly, and his whole body began to feel cold...

The cultivation techniques recorded in the four-layer scroll and the first four layers of the twelve-layer scroll actually had major discrepancies!

To be more precise, the technique for the first layer was completely identical on both scrolls!

However, the second, third, and fourth layers were practically inverted and chaotic, with almost nothing in common!

"One of these two scrolls must be fake!"

Duan Rong's eyes flickered with terror. "The technique Xie Lei obtained only had the first layer that was real. The other three layers were all fake!"

"Xu Ruhu was deceiving him from beginning to end!"

"This Xu Ruhu is truly cunning to the bone!"

Back in the underground cavern, it was fortunate he was decisive and finished him off with one strike of his saber!

Otherwise, had he delayed even slightly, once Xu Ruhu realized he was not Xie Lei, there was no telling what insidious tricks he might have used to lure him in!

Duan Rong did not believe he would necessarily have been able to resist!

Was Xie Lei not clever? Yet he was still played in circles by Xu Ruhu!

And if Xie Lei had practiced this Womb Treasury Sutra, he might have benefited from the first layer, but continuing to practice further would likely have practiced himself to death!

"This is a Soul Technique, after all? How could one practice it recklessly!"

As Duan Rong thought this, he felt lingering fear; if he had practiced it, wouldn't he have been finished too!

This Xu Ruhu roamed the Jianghu, cunning by nature, just like those big market manipulators in his past life; the only correct way to deal with them is to not play with them at all!

You want to harvest the leeks, only to find in the end that you are the leek! And the greenest one at that!

Duan Rong guessed that even if he hadn't intervened, the final outcome would likely have been Xie Lei being played to death by Xu Ruhu!

After all, from the moment Xu Ruhu offered him the olive branch of the Soul Technique in the prison, and he couldn't resist the temptation and rescued Xu Ruhu from prison, he had already fallen into Xu Ruhu's trap, just like those ambitious people who charge into the stock market in his past life, only to lose everything in the end!

"Xie Lei was still too young! That's why he was schemed against like this by that old sinister villain!"

Still the same saying: the only way to deal with a guy like him is to not play with him, and finish him with one strike!

Let all his insidious schemes rot in his stomach and take them to the King of Hell...

It took Duan Rong quite a while to calm his emotions; as he reviewed the various strange occurrences in the underground cavern, he felt that the reason he was able to walk out alive was entirely due to the element of surprise.

Neither Xu Ruhu nor Xie Lei expected that a third person existed, scheming against them in the shadows!

Duan Rong roughly browsed through the twelve-layer Secret Manual; he could be certain that this twelve-layer manual was still not the complete version.

As for how many layers the complete manual actually had, that was unknown!

Duan Rong glanced at the window of the Inner Room; the clear light of dawn was already faintly seeping in through the cracks!

Duan Rong's eyes flashed, and he suddenly exerted his movement technique, leaping onto the rafters of the Inner Room!

He drew his Ox-Tail Saber and, in a corner of the rafter, followed the same pattern to create a secret compartment, placed the twelve-layer human-skin scroll inside, covered it with the removed piece of wood, sealed it tightly, and then stood up to use his foot to smooth out the surrounding dust!

This method of hiding things used by Xu Ruhu was indeed secretive, and could be used anywhere! Ancient houses basically all had rafters!

Truly, the older the person, the more cunning; the older the horse, the more slippery! You have to admire it!

Duan Rong hid the Secret Manual well and drifted down to the ground!

He looked at the four-layer human skin scroll on the side table; Duan Rong's eyes flashed, he tucked it into his sleeve and went out, placing it back into the tree hollow beneath the bird's nest!

Only then did he lock the courtyard gate and come out onto the street!

Although this four-layer human skin scroll was fake, Duan Rong did not destroy it!

Because he had decided to inherit this treacherous scheme of Xu Ruhu's!

Keeping this four-layer human skin scroll as bait might one day be a chance for him to save his own life!

One might ask, who could withstand the temptation of the Soul Technique?

Having obtained the first four layers, who wouldn't want the ones that follow?

As long as they still want the subsequent Soul Technique, they will have to keep up the charade with me!

And as long as they remain entangled, there will always be an opportunity!

Thinking this way, Duan Rong walked out onto the street; in the breakfast shop, there were already quite a few people heading to work eating inside!

Duan Rong also strolled over, picked a seat and sat down, ordering a bowl of wontons and six steamed buns!

Duan Rong put a large spoonful of chili into his wonton bowl and began to eat and drink!

By this time, the sky was already bright, and the people on the street were slowly increasing!

As Duan Rong ate, his mind remained fixed on the matter of the Soul Technique!

(End of this chapter)