Chapter 250: Temple Keeper

Shen Yanliu flicked the brain matter off his iron hand and walked out of the pavilion.

Behind him, on the stone table in the pavilion, Wei Yutian was already without head, hands, or feet, having completely become a lump of rotting flesh; yet, above that rotting flesh, many blood threads fluttered in disarray, appearing eerie and terrifying within the night-shrouded pavilion...

Wei Yutian's life was trapped by lust; he spent his entire life never once stepping out of this predicament, and at the final moment of his life, he remained mired in the vortex of lust... being devoured by the obsession of his own lust...

Everyone has their own flaws.

Wei Yutian's lust devoured his heart, Luan Jingfu's blood-courage was reckless, Xu Shouxian was indulgent and greedy, and Xu Fuxian was stubborn and harsh; each had their flaws, and each met their own fate.

A person's flaws usually portend some inescapable destiny for them.

Just as Shen Yanliu walked out of the pavilion, Li Chong happened to hurry over, cupping his hands and saying, "County Magistrate, both the front and back courtyards have been searched. In a secret chamber in the back courtyard, four eerie divine statues were discovered, along with a large quantity of strange offerings!"

After Li Chong finished speaking, he glanced at the blood threads fluttering chaotically inside the pavilion, a trace of fear appearing in his eyes.

Shen Yanliu said, "Those offerings are evidence; have someone guard them well and do not move them."

"Yes."

Shen Yanliu's gaze shifted, and he said, "Where is Duan Rong? Bring him to see me."

Upon hearing this, Li Chong immediately turned back to find Duan Rong.

Just as Li Chong reached the side room, Duan Rong had already walked out with Xiao Yu. Li Chong immediately intercepted Duan Rong at the doorway of the side room and said, "Escort Duan Rong, the County Magistrate wishes to see you."

Duan Rong glanced at Xiao Yu and said, "Wait for me here; I will return shortly."

Xiao Yu had already regained her composure by this time; she merely smiled and nodded, her beautiful eyes sweeping over the yamen runners searching the back courtyard.

Duan Rong followed Li Chong to the front of the pavilion.

Looking at the blood threads floating under the faint lamplight inside the pavilion, Duan Rong's heart stirred. "The Filthy Blood Divine Art is actually this evil. Wei Yutian has already died in such a state, yet those blood threads are still dancing without a master, waiting for an opportunity to devour blood."

Shen Yanliu looked at Duan Rong and asked, "Duan Rong, is Luan Jingfu, the chief leader of your Yuanshun Escort Agency, currently in the city?"

Duan Rong said, "Master Luan and Escort Head Sun Huang went to the neighboring Tanghe County to deliver a letter escort. They left the city in the afternoon; according to the distance, they should have returned by evening, but perhaps something delayed them, as Master Luan and the others had not yet returned to the city by midnight."

Duan Rong answered truthfully. Xiao Yu was abducted at midnight, but at that time, Shang Hongye said Luan Jingfu was not yet in the city, which shows he did not return that night.

Shen Yanliu nodded; his gaze toward Duan Rong was very satisfied.

The Filthy Blood Sect members were hidden so deeply that even though he had deployed spies everywhere, it had been to no avail. If not for Duan Rong's report, how could he have achieved such merit?

Shen Yanliu suddenly said, "Li Chong!"

"Subordinate is here!"

"Leave half the men here to continue clearing the battlefield. You take the other half and come with me to surround Luan Jingfu's residence."

"Yes!"

Duan Rong's eyes flickered as Li Chong had already turned and run off to assemble the men.

Shen Yanliu turned his head and smiled at Duan Rong, saying, "Escort Duan Rong, there is nothing left for you to do tonight. The subsequent handling of this case may still require your cooperation; I will have someone come to the Escort Agency to invite you when the time comes."

"You are too kind, County Magistrate. This commoner takes his leave." Duan Rong cupped his hands and turned, glancing at the pavilion one last time before leaving.

Although Duan Rong's expression remained unmoved, his heart was greatly shaken.

After Shen Yanliu executed Wei Yutian, he suddenly began to surround and suppress Luan Jingfu; this clearly indicated that Luan Jingfu was the person Wei Yutian had implicated before he died.

In other words, Luan Jingfu was also a member of the Filthy Blood Sect.

Duan Rong's heart then suddenly trembled.

If Luan Jingfu was a member of the Filthy Blood Sect, then Ruan Fengshan...

Almost instantly, Duan Rong could conclude that Ruan Fengshan was the Helmsman of the Filthy Blood Sect's Xiangu Branch.

Unlike Shen Yanliu, Duan Rong had personally experienced the relationship between Ruan Fengshan and Luan Jingfu many times, especially during the time Ruan Jing was kidnapped by the Bitter Fate Gang.

At that time, he had secretly wondered, as the relationship between Luan Jingfu and Ruan Fengshan was by no means like that of a chief leader and a manager, because although the Escort Agency was organized strictly, there was no distinct subordinate relationship between the upper and lower ranks.

It was like how Sun Huang was the Escort Head of the Second Escort Team; while he was the boss within the team, aside from the team's business, everyone interacted almost as equals.

But between Luan Jingfu and Ruan Fengshan, there was clearly an obscure subordinate relationship; it was a scent that could be felt in the air.

There was another reason: Shen Yanliu had ruled out Ruan Fengshan because Ruan Fengshan's cultivation realm was the Inner Breath Realm.

But this was actually a smokescreen Ruan Fengshan used for the outside world, always claiming to be stuck in the Inner Breath Realm.

After Duan Rong achieved the second level of the Womb Treasury Sutra, he had used his Divine Sense to penetrate Ruan Fengshan's body. At that time, Duan Rong was greatly shocked, because Ruan Fengshan was already a powerhouse of the True Qi Realm, and the True Qi within his dantian was clearly even more profound than Luan Jingfu's.

Duan Rong had wondered at the time, why did Ruan Fengshan need to conceal his true cultivation?

Now Duan Rong finally knew the reason: because Ruan Fengshan was the Helmsman of the Filthy Blood Sect's Xiangu Branch, and hiding his cultivation was to protect himself.

The beggar who had been startled at the mouth of the alley not far from the mysterious residence started off walking staggeringly along the alley, but upon entering a patch of shadow at the alley's turn, his figure suddenly flashed, and with the speed of a civet cat, he darted into another alley and ran wildly away.

The beggar was clearly very familiar with this area, darting left and right, his figure like a shooting star, without a moment's pause.

After exiting a small alley and crossing a main street, his figure suddenly paused, and he began to walk staggeringly again; the two states switched without the slightest hesitation, extremely skillfully.

As the beggar passed that street and entered the shadow at the mouth of the alley, his figure suddenly leaped, and he began to run wildly with long, swift strides.

After the beggar turned several alley corners, he raced along a small alley; although the beggar's speed was extremely fast, his footsteps were light, clearly indicating his Lightness Skill was not weak.

After running wildly along this alley for about half an incense stick's time, almost crossing through the local alleyways and dwellings, the beggar suddenly darted out from an alley entrance.

After darting out of this alley, it was actually a wild lake; this lake was not large and was located right behind the City God Temple.

Because it was behind the City God Temple, this wild lake was rumored to be the Feng Shui eye of the entire Xiangu County; many years had passed, and no one had ever dared to touch this lake.

At this time, the season was nearing the end of the year, in the depths of winter; the lake surface had long since frozen, and the dry reeds all around rustled in the night wind.

The beggar tapped his toes at the alley entrance, and his figure leaped out like a large bird, passing through the dry reed marsh and landing on the smooth ice surface.

The lake surface had long since frozen very solidly; the beggar tapped his toes on the ice, and his body slid more than a zhang across the smooth ice. The wild lake was not large to begin with, and after a few slides, the beggar could already see the blurred outline of the City God Temple in the pitch-black night.

The Temple Keeper of the City God Temple was already over sixty years old this year, with sparse whiskers and graying hair; he had taken over the position of Temple Keeper from his father, and he had been doing this for over thirty years.

Strictly speaking, a Temple Keeper serving the gods is not allowed to marry, so from the time he could remember, he called his father "Master," and he never knew who his mother was.

This City God Temple had always been managed by him alone; the temple was not large, and there were no young acolytes. Every year, the incense money plus various offerings all went into his own pocket, and he lived quite a comfortable life.

(End of chapter)