Chapter 186: On Black Tiger Ridge (Part 3)

Duan Rong's heart stirred; he bent down to pick up the long sword at his feet, gripped the hilt, and secretly thought, "Read Spirit Tool."

Artifact: Shuangren Changjian

Spirit Artifact Tier: Unranked

Devour Requirement: None

Devour Effect: None

Duan Rong looked at the blank data panel, his heart filled with astonishment, but he immediately realized the sword in his hand was a brand-new one, not the thin, soft sword Huang Gaozu originally had.

A flash passed through Duan Rong's eyes, and he immediately understood that this person did not want to reveal their identity.

Yuan Shouzhi killed Huang Gaozu and yanked the black mask off his face.

Yuan Shouzhi was quite knowledgeable about the many experts in Xiangu County; in fact, just by watching the sword style earlier, he had already guessed seven or eight parts of it, but seeing Huang Gaozu's thin, sinister face, Yuan Shouzhi's heart still stirred.

At this moment, Yuan Shouzhi finally raised his head to look at Duan Rong, and Duan Rong also threw away the sword in his hand, meeting Yuan Shouzhi's gaze.

Duan Rong's face was also covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes; the gaze Yuan Shouzhi cast toward Duan Rong flashed with curiosity and astonishment.

Although this person was clearly a friend rather than a foe, their methods were complex and strange, and their identity was mysterious, so Yuan Shouzhi could not help but become highly vigilant.

The moment Duan Rong saw Yuan Shouzhi's appearance, his heart gave a jolt; this person was actually the one who had followed and monitored him for three days more than a month ago.

Thoughts churned in Duan Rong's mind, and he immediately understood the reason.

Yuan Shouzhi monitoring and investigating him was clearly under orders from Ximen Yong. And Ximen Yong investigating him was nothing more than because his close association with Ximen Kankan had aroused Ximen Yong's alertness and suspicion.

A wave of depression washed over Duan Rong.

"Fine! I ran all the way here to save you, yet you had someone investigate me!"

Duan Rong felt a knot of anger in his heart; he turned his head and shot a sidelong glance at Ximen Yong, then suddenly flashed his figure and darted into the Wild Forest beside the Official Road.

Ximen Yong did not expect Duan Rong to leave so suddenly; he immediately ran a few steps, stood by the Official Road, and shouted, "Strong man, could you please leave your name? So that my Ximen Family may repay your great kindness another day!"

Ximen Yong's voice drifted in the night wind, but the only response was the rustling sound of the forest trees.

"Master, the person has already left," Yuan Shouzhi said, standing behind Ximen Yong.

"Left?" Ximen Yong stood by the road, looking into the pitch-black night, murmuring, unable to let it go for a long time.

"This person likely has some background!" Yuan Shouzhi remarked, his eyes flickering.

Duan Rong's Lightness Skill and throwing knife technique both surprised him; even if he were to encounter them, he would likely have his hands full. But what made him feel even more strange was Duan Rong's ability to perceive and observe; when Huang Gaozu scattered the Poison Powder, he had been the first to call out and warn him. And when he used throwing knives to help him hold the line, the incredibly precise timing he grasped truly made Yuan Shouzhi shudder!

"This person is definitely a descendant of a prestigious family, with deep family learning!" Yuan Shouzhi said with a thoughtful look.

Hearing this, Ximen Yong turned his head, looking at Yuan Shouzhi with unfocused eyes. At this moment, Duan Rong's pair of eyes kept flashing through Ximen Yong's mind; he felt those eyes were somewhat familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Ximen Yong's talent for martial arts was mediocre, but he had great insight into doing business; having been in the business world for a long time, he had developed the ability to recognize and judge people. As long as he had met someone once, even if he saw them again a year later, he could still remember them clearly.

Duan Rong's pair of eyes made him feel familiar; that was definitely not a coincidence; he must have seen these eyes somewhere before.

It was just that he couldn't recall it for the moment. "Those eyes..."

"Master, we should head back!" Seeing Ximen Yong standing by the road, lost in thought, Yuan Shouzhi reminded him.

Ximen Yong finally came back to his senses, his gaze passing over Yuan Shouzhi as he said in a deep voice, "Get the Golden Sore Medicine and bandage the brothers first."

"Master, your wound needs treatment too," Yuan Shouzhi said.

Ximen Yong glanced at his own shoulder, where blood had already soaked through half of his shoulder, but he took a look at the injured Guards and the corpses on the ground, sighing heavily, "My Ximen Family has suffered heavy casualties this time!"

In the Wild Forest, Duan Rong utilized the Cloud Snake Step, his figure flickering; he suddenly paused, hearing the snorting sound of a horse's nose. He had just joined the Yuanshun Escort Agency as a Miscellaneous Servant and worked in the stables, dealing with horses every day; he was most familiar with the various snorting sounds of horses and would absolutely not mishear it.

Duan Rong's heart stirred, and he released his Divine Sense again, immediately locking onto a jujube-red horse not far away.

Duan Rong's figure flashed, and he arrived beside the jujube-red horse; the horse was tied under a tree, lowering its head to eat wild grass. The summer grass in the Wild Forest was lush and juicy, and the jujube-red horse was eating quite contentedly...

Duan Rong reached out to touch the saddle; the middle of the saddle was stamped with the two characters "Xu Ji".

Duan Rong's heart stirred. "Sure enough, it's a horse from the transport firm!"

It seemed this horse must have been ridden here by Huang Gaozu. Duan Rong immediately untied the horse and led it to the Official Road; Duan Rong leaped onto the horse, and with a mount, he no longer needed to leap through the Wild Forest using the Cloud Snake Step.

But just as Duan Rong was about to spur the horse away, he suddenly stopped there, the horse whip in his hand not falling. He pondered slightly; Ximen Yong's group had so many injured Guards, and the corpses of the dead Guards also needed to be hauled back.

But of their three carriages, only one horse was still alive.

Duan Rong let out a deep sigh and muttered to himself, "I'm only doing this because you're Kankan's father; otherwise, I really wouldn't bother with you."

As he spoke, Duan Rong pulled the reins to turn the horse's head, then gave the horse's rump a fierce lash with the whip. The jujube-red horse felt the pain, its hooves clattered, and it galloped away along the Official Road.

Ximen Yong's group had just finished bandaging the wounds of the injured when the crisp sound of clattering hooves suddenly rang out on the quiet Official Road.

Yuan Shouzhi drew his sword and stood ready. Soon, he saw a rider approaching.

He saw the person and horse stop a few yards away, and Duan Rong jumped off the horse.

Upon seeing the figure and posture, Yuan Shouzhi immediately recognized Duan Rong and said, "It's that person from earlier!"

But Yuan Shouzhi did not sheath his sword; to be honest, he was quite wary of Duan Rong and did not know what his intentions were in returning at this time.

Yuan Shouzhi had always believed that there was no such thing as kindness without a reason in this world; the other party's identity was mysterious, yet they suddenly appeared on this ridge, which in his view was inherently suspicious. And now that they had returned after leaving, it made Yuan Shouzhi even more doubtful.

Duan Rong suddenly whipped the horse's rump; the jujube-red horse took the lash and immediately ran forward, while Duan Rong flashed his figure and darted back into the Wild Forest by the road.

"He is sending us a horse," Ximen Yong said, then suddenly jumped up. Ignoring his half-bandaged wound, he strode quickly to the edge of the Wild Forest, bowed, and shouted, "Strong man! Please accept a bow from Ximen Yong!"

In the Wild Forest, Duan Rong leaped through the trees; hearing Ximen Yong's shout, he just darted forward without looking back...

Ximen Yong bowed until his back was straight, only rising after a long time. He turned his head; Yuan Shouzhi had already taken hold of the jujube-red horse. Yuan Shouzhi looked toward the part of the Wild Forest where Duan Rong had disappeared, his eyes flickering. Their group had suffered heavy casualties among the Guards, and the rest were all injured, but only one horse remained alive to pull a carriage.

If they took the injured, they would have to abandon the corpses. If they took the corpses, they would have to abandon the injured. It was a dilemma; Yuan Shouzhi had originally planned to leave one person to guard the corpses, take the others back first, and then send people to haul the corpses away. But now with this jujube-red horse, they didn't have to leave the corpses in this wilderness for the night; to be honest, the smell of blood would attract wild beasts, and he wouldn't feel at ease leaving the corpses there.

After all, the brothers had died in battle; they couldn't even be left without a complete body.

But this person had sent a jujube-red horse over at this time; no wonder Ximen Yong was moved! Even he felt a sense of sympathy at this moment, feeling somewhat ashamed of his many suspicions toward that person earlier.

"Could this person be an acquaintance of the Ximen Family?" Yuan Shouzhi suddenly thought, his eyes flickering.

(End of Chapter)