Chapter 277: Mountain Rain is About to Come

Xie Daohan left the viewing stand and walked straight into the Ya Men, to the place where documents were stored.

The clerk there was just preparing to lock the door and go home, but suddenly seeing Xie Daohan walking over with hurried steps and a grave expression, he was startled, thinking something had happened.

As soon as Xie Daohan saw the clerk, he said, "Retrieve the copy of the background investigation documents for the applicants of this year's Zeying Tai for me to see."

The clerk felt relieved; it was just to retrieve documents. Seeing Xie Daohan's frightening expression, he had thought he was there to cause trouble.

The clerk immediately smiled and said, "Head Constable Xie, wait a moment, I will find it for you right away."

The clerk relit the lamp, flipped through the shelves to find the stored investigation documents, and handed them to Xie Daohan.

Xie Daohan flipped through them, saw that they were indeed the detailed background documents for the applicants of this year's Zeying Tai, signed the logbook, and left in a hurry.

The clerk watched Xie Daohan's back, feeling a slight thumping in his heart. He wondered what this Head Constable Xie was thinking? The Zeying Tai had already ended, so why was he still checking those investigation documents? Hadn't those documents already been investigated last lunar December?

Holding the documents, Xie Daohan returned to his office, lit the lamp on his desk, turned directly to the page for Duan Rong, and began to read carefully...

The more Xie Daohan read, the more shocked he became. Duan Rong had only entered the Yuanshun Escort Agency to become a Miscellaneous Disciple last lunar January.

Counting it all up, it had only been a year and a little over a month until now, yet this youth had already achieved the Great Success Realm.

What a terrifying speed of cultivation this was?!

While staring at the documents spread out on the desk, Xie Daohan tapped his fingers on the table, a look of deep contemplation flashing in his eyes.

He was considering one thing: at the time of Xie Lei's death, what level of cultivation could Duan Rong have possibly reached?

According to the records in the documents, Duan Rong's martial arts level was the Small Success Realm of the Inner Breath Realm Third Layer. However, on the Zeying Tai, the moment he appeared, he displayed the Great Success Realm.

Whether he had hidden his level the year before or had truly broken through after the new year, both situations were equally terrifying.

Based on this speed, Xie Daohan could almost infer that when Xie Lei died, Duan Rong must have already achieved the Inner Breath Realm Second Layer, or at the very least, it was highly probable that he had already achieved the Second Layer.

And Xie Lei was also at the Inner Breath Realm Second Layer.

From the perspective of martial arts levels, Duan Rong already had the capability to commit the crime!

But even if he had the capability to commit the crime, why would he want to kill Xie Lei? Or rather, how did he get involved in this matter?

He was just a Miscellaneous Disciple at an Escort Agency, even if he had achieved the cultivation of the Inner Breath Realm Second Layer. The Xu Ruhu Case was of such great importance, and at that time, Fan Yuanhai and he were both investigating it, causing a huge stir. Plus, Xie Lei's actions were so secretive; he himself only found out afterwards that it was Xie Lei who had rescued Xu Ruhu from Death Row.

Duan Rong was merely a Miscellaneous Disciple at the Yuanshun Escort Agency; how could he have discerned this?

Unable to think it through, Xie Daohan stood up and paced back and forth in the room...

Yang Zhen had already finished his shift and was preparing to leave. Just as he walked to the entrance of the Corridor, he suddenly saw the door to Xie Daohan's room wide open, dim yellow light spilling out, and hurried footsteps coming from inside the room...

Yang Zhen frowned. He felt that since the County Office was hosting a banquet in the Back Courtyard, the Head Constable should be at the banquet.

Yang Zhen gripped his blade and walked slowly toward Xie Daohan's door...

Just as Yang Zhen reached the door, Xie Daohan looked up at him. The moment he saw Yang Zhen gripping his blade with a vigilant expression, he knew his intent...

Xie Daohan said, "It's nothing, Yang Zhen. I'm just looking at some documents here, you go back first..."

Yang Zhen was stunned for a moment, his expression somewhat awkward. He let go of the blade in his hand, cupped his fists, and said, "This subordinate has disturbed the Head Constable."

Xie Daohan didn't speak, only waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.

Just as Yang Zhen was about to leave, Xie Daohan's brow suddenly twitched. He seemed to have thought of something and suddenly said sternly, "Wait!"

Yang Zhen's steps faltered, not knowing why Xie Daohan had suddenly called him back.

Xie Daohan walked quickly to the desk, flipped through the document, and looked at a record within it.

"Duan Rong, home address Wutong Lane..."

Holding the document, Xie Daohan looked up at Yang Zhen, who was standing blankly at the door, and said, "Yang Zhen, did your family originally live in Wutong Lane?"

After Yang Zhen had been at the Ya Men for half a year, Xie Daohan saw that he was sharp and assigned him to Xie Lei, which could be considered cultivating a helper for Xie Lei.

But he hadn't expected that only two months later, Xie Lei would be killed.

Out of remembrance for Xie Lei, he often kept Yang Zhen by his side and would frequently chat with him about daily life. He had a vague impression that Yang Zhen had said he lived in Wutong Lane during his childhood.

Yang Zhen was stunned by Xie Daohan's question. He didn't understand why Xie Daohan would suddenly ask with such a grave expression whether he had lived in Wutong Lane during his childhood.

However, Yang Zhen still immediately replied, "Yes, Head Constable. Before I was seven years old, I lived in Wutong Lane; I grew up there."

Xie Daohan's gaze was cold and sharp. "Then do you know Duan Rong?"

Yang Zhen's heart skipped a beat. He had, of course, already heard that Duan Rong had advanced to become a Sect Registered Disciple.

Before the new year, knowing that Duan Rong had signed up for the selection of Registered Disciples had already shocked him greatly. But now, Duan Rong had already achieved the Great Success Realm and had become a Registered Disciple of the Taiyi Sect.

It could be said that he had risen with the wind and transformed into a dragon in one day!

Even now, he still hadn't fully digested this information. He truly couldn't equate the current Duan Rong, a Sect Registered Disciple, with that timid guy in the depths of his memory.

Seeing Yang Zhen dazed, Xie Daohan asked again in a deep voice.

Yang Zhen realized and said, "I know him. The subordinate and Duan Rong are childhood friends."

"Childhood friends?" Xie Daohan's gaze tightened, a flash of lightning seeming to roll through his heart. He asked sternly again: "At the time of the Xu Ruhu Case, you were at home recuperating from an injury. Did you tell Duan Rong anything about the Xu Ruhu Case?"

Yang Zhen's expression changed as Xie Daohan questioned him.

His heart stirred; he had already vaguely guessed what Xie Daohan meant.

Xie Daohan was so shrewd; the moment he saw Yang Zhen's expression, he understood most of it and shouted angrily in a deep voice, "You told him! Didn't you?"

Looking at Xie Daohan's fierce expression, Yang Zhen nodded with some fear.

He dared not hide it anymore, and perhaps he didn't want to hide it either.

The evening banquet in the Back Courtyard of the County Office didn't last long before it broke up.

In fact, it was mainly for the five Sect Emissaries and the seven newly promoted Registered Disciples to meet and get to know each other.

Shen Yanliu toasted all seven of them one by one, which could be considered building a good connection.

When Ma Chunmin was serving dishes, she noticed that Duan Rong was also sitting there. An expression of extreme astonishment shot from her bright eyes.

As the saying goes, yesterday's dog at the gate, today's gentleman in the hall.

Ma Chunmin had never expected that a street painter from the past would suddenly become a Sect Registered Disciple.

The others didn't eat much, but the seven of them, having fought round after round, were already famished. After three rounds of wine, under the lead of Ximen Kankan, they all let go of their pretenses and began to eat heartily, even Shen Mizhi broke off a chicken leg and started gnawing on it...

Shen Yanliu watched with a dark face...

After the few of them had their fill of food and drink, they bid farewell and left the Ya Men.

Just as they walked out of the Ya Men, Ximen Kankan grabbed Duan Rong and asked him to go to his home, saying he had something to discuss with Duan Rong.

"What could be so important that it must be discussed in the middle of the night? I want to go back to Liu Lu to sleep!"

Duan Rong was already exhausted; how could he have the energy to mess around with Ximen Kankan?

The others also felt that Ximen Kankan was acting a bit strange.

But Ximen Kankan suddenly stood on tiptoe and whispered something in Duan Rong's ear, and Duan Rong immediately lost his impatient expression, then feigned laziness and said: "What is it? Isn't it just a painting? Is it really necessary to drag me there in the middle of the night? Fine, I'll go with you."

Seeing that they were going to look at a painting, and that it was so late at night, yet Duan Rong was actually willing to make the trip, Jiang Qingyu figured it must be no ordinary item, so he said: "What painting? Kankan, take me to see it too."

"See what see?! You should go home and sleep early." Ximen Kankan said, and pulled Duan Rong away.

This left Jiang Qingyu standing there, feeling quite awkward, and he could only smile and leave.

Xiao Yu was already nursing injuries, and seeing Duan Rong run off with Ximen Kankan, he didn't think much of it and headed straight back to the Escort Agency.

The rest of them didn't take it to heart either and dispersed.

Duan Rong followed Ximen Kankan into Xueyan Residence.

Ximen Kankan looked left and right to ensure no one was around before closing the door. The moment he turned around, Duan Rong lowered his voice and asked: "Has the Cold Toad Paste really arrived?"

Ximen Kankan said: "Yes, Lao Qin handed it to me when I returned last night."

Ximen Kankan took a key from a hidden compartment, walked to a cabinet in the corner, opened the door, and brought out a wooden basin, placing it on the side table next to Duan Rong.

Duan Rong was surprised, for the wooden basin was filled with ice cubes, and buried in the middle of the ice was a Porcelain Bottle, with only the top exposed...

Ximen Kankan said: "This Cold Toad Paste has extremely harsh requirements for its storage environment; once it leaves a low-temperature environment, it will vanish into nothingness within twelve hours."

"It's only because it's the beginning of the third lunar month now. The spring chill is biting, and the weather is still very cold. If it were summer, how could it possibly have been brought here over such a long distance?"

Hearing Ximen Kankan's words, Duan Rong could better understand why this Cold Toad Paste couldn't be obtained in the summer...

Just as Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan walked into Xueyan Residence, in the Back Courtyard of the Cheng Huang Temple, the old Temple Keeper Xu Dongyang released a carrier pigeon into the pitch-black night...

The old Temple Keeper watched the pigeon flap its wings and disappear into the night, sighing heavily...

Before the Talent Selection Assembly began, he had received orders to investigate in detail the martial arts realms of the five Sect Emissaries and the newly promoted Registered Disciples in Xiangu County.

This order was not given to him by Ruan Fengshan; Ruan Fengshan had gone completely into hiding and would never issue him any instructions.

Near the Yuanshun Escort Agency, there were no telling how many secret agents watching Ruan Fengshan, and within the Escort Agency itself, who could guarantee there were no secret agents of Shen Yanliu?

This order was issued to him directly by the Filthy Blood Sect Hall in Yuanyang Prefecture.

Because the order came directly from the Hall, Xu Dongyang felt even more that something major was likely about to happen.

It had left him feeling very restless lately.

Although Xu Dongyang had joined the Filthy Blood Sect, he only sought a peaceful life for himself, and he practiced techniques only to prolong his years; he truly did not want to see blades and weapons everywhere. If he were exposed, even if he escaped with his life, he would have to live as a fugitive for the rest of his days. Furthermore, once something happened, could he really escape with his life?

Duan Rong, with the Porcelain Bottle of Cold Toad Paste tucked in his sleeve, came out of Xueyan Residence and walked onto West Street. At this time, the night was deep and the cold moon hung in the sky; Duan Rong pondered as he walked.

This Cold Toad Paste would vanish into nothingness twelve hours after leaving a low-temperature environment.

This meant he had to use it within twelve hours.

It seems the third level of the Womb Treasury Sutra can be started.

Duan Rong was very expectant.

After achieving the third level of the Womb Treasury Sutra, not only would his Mental Power rise to another level, but he could also achieve the Second Divine Soul Art.

The First Divine Soul Art, Divine Sense Envelopment, could be said to have benefited him immensely, so Duan Rong was very much looking forward to the Second Divine Soul Art.

However, Duan Rong did not intend to practice it right now.

He was already exhausted from the three-day grand competition, and practicing the Soul Technique required enduring the pressure of the Four Wisdom Kings within his Spirit Sea; in his current state, he simply could not withstand it.

Duan Rong prepared to go back and get a good night's sleep first, to restore his energy before practicing!

Inside the County Government Office, it was already quiet, but the light was still on in Xie Daohan's room, and he was pacing back and forth in the room anxiously...

The dim light made his figure stretch and shrink by turns...

Yang Zhen had already left. Xie Daohan had interrogated him for a full hour, asking about the details of the Xu Ruhu Case, how he and Duan Rong met, and how they came to talk about the Xu Ruhu Case, asking about every little detail.

Yang Zhen had hidden nothing, spilling everything clearly like beans pouring from a Bamboo Tube.

Xie Daohan frowned deeply; originally, he only felt that the scent on Duan Rong was not right...

But now, it was no longer a matter of the scent being wrong; he saw many unrelated pieces of information slowly locking together...

"Yuanshun Escort Agency? Whale Tiger Gang?"

Xie Daohan's heart suddenly skipped a beat; he thought of another matter.

Previously, when he was investigating the murder of Xie Lei, the Corpse Rot Poison was one of the most important clues.

The Coroner in the Ya Men had reminded him that three years ago, when handling the Whale Tiger Gang case, traces of Corpse Rot Poison had been discovered.

Because of pursuing this clue, Xie Daohan had ordered people to investigate the Whale Tiger Gang in detail, forming a thick file.

On many sleepless nights, Xie Daohan had flipped through this file, praying for a flash of inspiration, hoping to piece together the sand and see a new clue...

But in the end, he had been unable to discover anything...

However, having read it many times, Xie Daohan vaguely remembered one piece of information.

Xie Daohan rummaged through the documents piled on the floor under his side table and found a thick file.

By the light of the lamp, Xie Daohan flipped through the file at his side table, and finally, he stopped at a page.

That page read: Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng, whose fathers were both key members of the Whale Tiger Gang, died in the major Whale Tiger case personally supervised by the County Magistrate. In the first month of the Jia-Chen year, the two entered the Yuanshun Escort Agency and became Miscellaneous Disciples.

Xie Daohan's heart jumped; the first month of the Jia-Chen year, wasn't that last year?

Were Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng Miscellaneous Disciples who entered the Yuanshun Escort Agency in the same batch as Duan Rong?

"Duan Rong! Is it through them that you obtained the Corpse Rot Poison?"

However, Xie Daohan immediately frowned deeply; according to previous investigation information, the Corpse Rot Poison was in the hands of the Whale Tiger Gang Gang Leader, Zhou Shoushan.

This poison was something he had obtained by chance from the hands of the wicked doctor Shen Ping.

As for Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng, they were merely two youths; although they were the sons of former key members of the Whale Tiger Gang, the Whale Tiger Gang had already been destroyed by that time, so how could Zhou Shoushan have handed over something as important as Corpse Rot Poison to two youths?

Xie Daohan pondered deeply, for he needed to clarify every detail of this case, because a mistake in any single detail could potentially overturn the entire direction of the case.

What's more, the current Duan Rong was no longer someone he could manipulate at will!

It was not because of Duan Rong's martial arts realm; to be honest, although Duan Rong had achieved the Great Success Realm, he, Xie Daohan, was after all a powerhouse of the True Qi Realm, so how could he fear him?

What he feared was Duan Rong's status, as well as this sensitive timing.

Before the Selection of Heroes, perhaps he could have manipulated Duan Rong at will, and if there were any questions, he could have dragged him back to interrogate him at will.

But now it was different; Duan Rong had already become a Registered Disciple of the Sect, possessed an official status, and was under the protection of the Sect.

Even more fatal was the fact that this was currently the ten-day public notice period for the selection results.

If he were to interrogate Duan Rong now, he would be suspected of favoritism and malpractice, and of disrupting the Selection of Heroes.

Because, once Duan Rong was disqualified, another person would be selected from those eliminated in the other segments of the life-and-death battles to fill the vacancy.

And who could say clearly that he, Xie Daohan, was not acting on someone else's behalf, intentionally trying to get rid of Duan Rong to seek profit for others?

Moreover, although his opponent was just a youth, he was clearly extremely difficult to deal with; to avenge Lei'er, he had to be careful at every step!

He could not fail to strike the snake and end up being bitten instead!

(End of chapter)