Chapter 187: Two Sides Overlapping

The Ximen Yong party, upon Heihu Gang, bandaged the wounds of the Guards, then set about preparing to reorganize and depart.

Two horses were already dead; although the carriage had overturned, it was made of aged solid wood, hard as stone, and had not suffered major damage.

Several Guards with lighter injuries righted the carriage and harnessed the horses.

Then, they piled the corpses of their fallen companions onto one of the carriages.

Seeing that it was already the latter half of the night, the moon rose from the ridge, and the pale, ghastly moonlight spilled over the blood-stained ridge, indescribably eerie and miserable...

Smelling the blood, which remained pungent under the blowing night wind, everyone felt as if their hearts were filled with lead, incomparably heavy...

The wounded sat on the other carriage, Yuan Shouzhi whipped the horses to drive, and Ximen Yong also sat at the front of the carriage beside Yuan Shouzhi.

The unconscious Wang Zhaoxuan was also placed on the carriage with the wounded Guards, with a person specifically assigned to watch over him.

Horse hooves clattered, carriage wheels rumbled, and the party followed the Official Road, driving out of the blood-spattered Heihu Gang under the bright moonlight...

Duan Rong's figure whistled through the Wild Forest, arriving at the side of the Official Road five or six miles away; he swept his Divine Sense and found the white birch tree from before, and the date-red horse he had rented from the carriage firm was grazing under the tree.

Duan Rong's figure flickered, rising like willow catkins, then he stepped on the horse's back, tapped his toes, and vaulted onto the white birch tree, untying the bundle he had fastened to the treetop.

Duan Rong took off his night-traveling clothes, changed into the Escort's attire, then mounted the date-red horse, got onto the Official Road, and whistled away.

When the Ximen Yong party returned to Xiangu County, the sky was already bright.

Pedestrians on the street saw that everyone in the Ximen Family was injured and bandaged, and even the head of the family, Ximen Yong, had a blood-seeping bandage tied to his shoulder, so they immediately began to discuss it in whispers.

Seeing further that the second carriage of the Ximen Family was actually loaded with corpses, blood pooled and dripped at the bottom of the carriage, leaving a trail of blood spots along the way.

At this moment, the people on the streets of Xiangu County all knew that the Ximen Family had encountered a disaster.

Facing the crowd's discussion, Ximen Yong's expression remained as usual; this was not the first time he had tasted the cruelty of the Jianghu.

This taste was naturally unpleasant, but he knew this was unavoidable...

What's more, he was still alive, while those Guards who died for the Ximen Family were already sleeping forever... Besides comforting their families, there was actually very little he could do.

The cruelty of the Jianghu sometimes lies not only in life and death, but also in many helpless situations.

When the Ximen Yong party returned to the residence, Yuan Shouzhi did not say a word, first waking Wang Zhaoxuan and interrogating him with torture.

Ximen Yong had just sat down in the hall and taken a sip of hot tea when Ximen Kankan heard that his father's party had been intercepted and killed and that Ximen Yong had been injured, so he rushed over in a great hurry.

"Father, where are you hurt?" Ximen Kankan's eyes were filled with panic.

"My shoulder was stabbed by a blade; it will be fine after resting for a few days, don't make such a fuss." Ximen Yong looked at Ximen Kankan and said in an admonishing tone.

Ximen Kankan stared at his father's blood-seeping shoulder, his nose twitching, and he turned back to say: "Shi Kang, go get the Golden Sore Medicine and bandages."

"It has already been bandaged." Ximen Yong took a sip of tea, set down the teacup, and said.

"It was rushed on the road, how could it be bandaged carefully?"

Shi Kang brought the Golden Sore Medicine and bandages, and Ximen Kankan carefully re-bandaged the wound; seeing that the wound on Ximen Yong's shoulder had pierced through the entire shoulder, Ximen Kankan couldn't help but feel great heartache, saying with a sobbing tone: "Father, in the future when you go to the Prefecture City, let me accompany you. Your child is already a Martial Artist of the Great Success Realm; in terms of realm, I am no longer inferior to Uncle Yuan."

"There are also many things in the county; someone has to stay behind, right?" Ximen Yong saw that Ximen Kankan was feeling sad at this moment, and his tone already held a sense of comforting him.

Ximen Yong's gaze suddenly crossed Ximen Kankan's shoulder and saw a painting hanging on the hall wall.

This painting was mounted very exquisitely; in the painting, Ximen Kankan, wearing moon-white scholar's robes, was supporting a raggedly dressed, gray-haired old woman as she sat down on a grand armchair.

Ximen Yong's eyes flashed; he suddenly remembered that Escort Duan who had painted this for Ximen Kankan.

Duan Rong's pair of eyes and the pair of eyes of the masked man in black on the ridge, in Ximen Yong's mind, were like lightning flashing, the two overlapping.

"Is it him?" Ximen Yong's heart was greatly shaken. But based on just a pair of eyes, he could not be certain.

Ximen Yong watched Ximen Kankan carefully treating his wound and suddenly asked: "Kankan, what kind of weapon does Escort Duan Rong, who often spars with you, use?"

"Duan Rong?" Ximen Kankan glanced at his father, not knowing why Ximen Yong suddenly mentioned Duan Rong, but he still replied: "He uses an Ox-Tail Saber. Why?"

"Nothing, I was just asking." Ximen Yong said. If he hadn't seen wrong, the hero on the ridge last night also used an Ox-Tail Saber.

"A coincidence?"

Ximen Kankan had just finished re-bandaging Ximen Yong's wound when Yuan Shouzhi hurried over with a grave expression.

As soon as Ximen Yong saw Yuan Shouzhi's expression, he smiled at Ximen Kankan: "Kankan, you go first. Your Uncle Yuan and I still have things to discuss."

"Yes!" Ximen Kankan stood up, cupped his hands, and said: "Father, Uncle Yuan, Kankan takes his leave!"

He actually didn't want to hide the matter of the interception on the ridge from Kankan, but he was preparing to talk to Yuan Shouzhi about Duan Rong in a moment; he had let Yuan Shouzhi investigate Duan Rong's affairs, and he didn't want Kankan to know yet.

As soon as Ximen Kankan walked out of the hall, Ximen Yong looked at Yuan Shouzhi and asked: "Did you get it out of him?"

"I did." Yuan Shouzhi said: "It was from Chen Chunlei's side. He has a personal attendant who is a cousin of the Third Chief of the Black Tiger Stronghold, Li Meng. This Li Meng committed a crime in Sheqi County and joined the Black Tiger Stronghold half a year ago."

"Is Li Meng dead?" Ximen Yong asked.

"He is dead."

A fierce light flashed in Ximen Yong's eyes. This time, so many people from the Ximen Family died; how could he not hate?

Ximen Yong paced while saying: "Shouzhi, this matter still requires you to go personally, take Wang Zhaoxuan with you. The matter was poked out from Chen Chunlei's side; if we don't solve the problem on his end, there will be endless trouble in the future!"

"Yes, Master!" Yuan Shouzhi cupped his hands and said.

At this time, Ximen Yong suddenly looked fixedly at Yuan Shouzhi and asked: "I had you investigate Duan Rong before. Do you think the hero on the ridge last night looks like him?"

Yuan Shouzhi was slightly stunned by Ximen Yong's question and said: "Looks like who? Duan Rong?"

Yuan Shouzhi's eyes flickered. "The figure is indeed similar. The Inner Breath Realm is also not bad. But that person's methods were complex; I fear that is not something an Escort could possess, right?"

Yuan Shouzhi seemed to have thought of something, his eyes suddenly fixed, and he said: "Master, do you remember, when that person on the ridge left, he looked at me, his eyes seemed to freeze for a moment, and then he rolled his eyes at you before leaving."

Yuan Shouzhi had observed very carefully, and Ximen Yong also remembered it was so.

"Looking at this reaction, could it really be Duan Rong?" Yuan Shouzhi said: "Otherwise, should I investigate him again?"

"Absolutely not!" Ximen Yong said decisively: "The other party is clearly a friend, not an enemy. Regardless of whether it is Duan Rong or not, we must not investigate further. We must never judge a gentleman by the measure of a petty man!"

"This subordinate understands." Yuan Shouzhi said. His face was already burning; Ximen Yong's words already carried the meaning of a reprimand.

"Go and rest."

"Yes, this subordinate takes his leave!" Yuan Shouzhi cupped his hands and exited the hall.

Ximen Yong paced to the painting on the hall wall and looked again at the poem inscribed on the side: Lying in the study listening to the rustling bamboo, I suspect it is the sound of human suffering. Do not say a good deed is too small to perform; every branch and every leaf is always a matter of concern.

"Do not say that a good deed is too small to perform; every branch and every leaf is tied to sentiment." Ximen Yong muttered the poem repeatedly, feeling that the verses were filled to the brim with the intent of admonition.

Duan Rong not only admonished Kankan, but also frequently sparred with Kankan in blade techniques, allowing Kankan's blade skills to improve greatly without even realizing it.

All these various things seemed to share something in common with the actions of that brave warrior on the ridge last night.

"Could it really be Duan Rong?" Ximen Yong pondered silently, his brows locked tight as he muttered to himself: "If it truly is him, why would this person treat my Ximen Family with such profound kindness?"

"Could this person have a past connection with my Ximen Family?" Ximen Yong had already decided that he would find an opportunity to ask Duan Rong and probe him in person.

(End of this chapter)