Chapter 364: Secrets of the Past

After shaking off those tails, Duan Rong brought Xiao Yu into a residential courtyard.

This courtyard was very remote, and it was empty, covered in dust; clearly, no one had lived there for some time.

The two sat down before the table and chairs in the main room.

Duan Rong drew some clean water from the well in the courtyard; they washed the dust of the journey from their faces and caught their breath a little.

Duan Rong rummaged through the kitchen of this house and discovered there were still some beans left.

In the corner of the courtyard, there was a vegetable patch, but the vines were already withered; clearly, no one had watered them for a long time.

However, Duan Rong still managed to dig two sweet potatoes out of the soil in that vegetable patch.

Duan Rong used True Qi to grind those beans into powder, then added the sweet potatoes and boiled two bowls of fragrant, sweet porridge.

Duan Rong carried the two bowls of porridge to the wooden table in the main room, but Xiao Yu's heart was burning with worry, and she had no appetite to eat.

"Eat a little something." Duan Rong smiled and said, "I rarely cook, you know."

Xiao Yu gave a miserable smile, looked at Duan Rong, and asked, "How did you know there was no one in this courtyard?"

Duan Rong took a bite of the sweet, sticky potato, pointed at his nose, and joked, "I smelled it."

Xiao Yu smiled slightly and said, "Smelled it? Do you have a dog's nose?"

Duan Rong replied with a serious expression, "Yes. I could smell it from far away. There isn't a trace of human scent in this courtyard. Clearly, no one lives here."

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at him and chided, "The more you talk, the more absurd it gets. Then tell me, what does 'human scent' smell like?"

"It's just a rather unpleasant smell. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

Xiao Yu snorted coldly; Duan Rong was clearly talking nonsense.

"Look, I'm trying to talk to you properly, but you don't believe me." Duan Rong said, "Eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."

Duan Rong was naturally just spouting nonsense to Xiao Yu; with his Divine Sense Envelopment, it was quite easy to find an abandoned house to hide in temporarily.

He said that merely to chat with Xiao Yu and alleviate the anxiety in her heart.

After that diversion by Duan Rong, the burning, uncomfortable feeling in Xiao Yu's heart was indeed not as intense as before; she picked up the bowl and slowly finished the porridge.

The two had been traveling in a hurry, and for the past day or two, they hadn't really eaten anything, just making do with dry rations.

They had originally thought they would have a good meal once they got home, but they never expected to encounter such a massive disaster the moment they stepped through the door!

This was the first hot thing they had eaten in days; although it was just a bowl of thick porridge, after it hit their stomachs, they felt warm and very comfortable.

The reason Duan Rong brought Xiao Yu here was, first, he saw that Xiao Yu's mood was very poor and she needed to calm down. Second, Yang Zhen had arranged to meet them at midnight, and it was only just dusk. They needed to find a hidden place to wait until late at night.

This matter was almost certainly related to Ruan Fengshan, so for their next move, it was best for them to go underground and investigate in the shadows.

After the two finished eating, Xiao Yu's mood was clearly better, though her mind was still constantly turning over everything she had seen and heard during the day.

"Duan Rong, something must have happened, right? My father and the others must have met with trouble?"

Duan Rong looked at Xiao Yu's somewhat pale face and couldn't help but feel worried.

"Don't think about it. When we see Yang Zhen at midnight, we should be able to learn some of the hidden details."

Having not returned for three years, Xiangu County at the hour of midnight seemed somewhat different from how it used to be.

Although the streets were still familiar, the number of patrolling yamen runners had clearly more than doubled. From the depths of the pitch-black night, the sound of the night watchman's clapper could be heard faintly.

A team of patrolling yamen runners had just walked past while yawning, and not long after, two figures darted out from the shadows of an alley.

The figures were extremely fast; in a flash, they darted into the lane of residential houses opposite West Street.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu exerted their movement techniques, stepping almost without a sound; since it was the middle of the night, the two easily evaded the patrolling yamen runners, and in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, they arrived before Xie Lei's abandoned old house.

It had to be said that the place Yang Zhen chose was quite good. This place of Xie Lei's was very remote, and since his case had happened three years ago, many people had already forgotten about this house.

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and together with Xiao Yu, he leaped, landing in the courtyard like a falling leaf riding the wind.

Xiao Yu's beautiful eyes darted about in the dark night, her ears carefully distinguishing the surrounding sounds, but Duan Rong had already turned his head to look at a large zelkova tree in the corner of the courtyard.

Duan Rong shouted, "Come out. I see you."

Xiao Yu's beautiful eyes swept over the large zelkova tree; she didn't discover anything unusual and suspected Duan Rong was just bluffing, but right at that moment, she saw a black shadow suddenly jump down from the crown of the large zelkova tree.

The branches and leaves of the large zelkova tree shook as the person jumped down.

Yang Zhen stood under the large zelkova tree, looking at Duan Rong with a suspicious gaze, and asked, "How did you discover me?"

In the pitch-black night, Duan Rong chuckled and said, "I smelled the stench on you."

Yang Zhen frowned and cursed, "Three years later, and I still haven't avenged that knife wound to my chest."

As Yang Zhen spoke, he drew his knife with a *shing* and slashed toward Duan Rong.

In the dark night, the cold light was like water; Xiao Yu stood there without moving.

Because the moment Yang Zhen made his move, Xiao Yu could already see that he was only at the Inner Breath Realm Third Layer. How could he possibly hurt Duan Rong?

Duan Rong stepped back slightly, avoiding Yang Zhen's blade, and said coldly, "It was just a small wound, is it worth holding a grudge against me for three years?"

Duan Rong's figure was like a ghost, flickering left and right, which made Yang Zhen feel a wave of shock.

He could have expected that after Duan Rong had been in the Sect for three years, the gap between them would only grow, but Duan Rong's movement technique at this moment still startled Yang Zhen a little.

And the fact that he had been hiding in the large zelkova tree and was still seen through at a glance had also left Yang Zhen feeling greatly shocked inside!

Yang Zhen saw that Duan Rong had his hands behind his back, merely flickering along with the edge of his blade, yet even after using his three most powerful killing moves, he hadn't even touched a single hair on Duan Rong.

Yang Zhen suddenly sheathed his blade and said, "I'm not fighting!"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "What? Not taking your revenge anymore?"

Yang Zhen said, "I'll just pretend I was bitten by a dog."

Duan Rong's mouth twitched at Yang Zhen's insult. But since he had come today to ask Yang Zhen for help, he couldn't very well curse back.

Seeing that Duan Rong didn't retaliate after being insulted, the remaining bit of anger in Yang Zhen's heart dissipated. In fact, when it came down to it, he still owed Duan Rong his life.

Yang Zhen sighed and said, "Come, follow me to the secret chamber by the dry well. I'm taking you to see someone."

Xiao Yu suddenly spoke up and asked, "Yang Zhen, is my father Xiao Zongting dead or alive?"

Yang Zhen paused slightly, then said, "Once you see the person in the secret chamber, you will naturally know."

After Yang Zhen finished speaking, he walked to the side of the dry well and jumped down.

Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong with some worry. Duan Rong patted her shoulder and said, "It's fine, we'll go down too."

Although Xiao Yu was suspicious of Yang Zhen, she trusted Duan Rong deeply; since Duan Rong said it was fine, there must be his reasons.

Immediately, Duan Rong and Xiao Yu also jumped into the dry well.

At this moment, at the bottom of the dry well, Yang Zhen had already lit a Fire Folder, and by the faint light, he saw an opening at the bottom of the well.

Yang Zhen crawled into that opening. Duan Rong looked at the dark shadow of Xiao Yu at the bottom of the pitch-black well and said, "Follow behind me."

As Duan Rong spoke, he also crawled in, and Xiao Yu finally crawled into the opening as well.

After crawling into the opening and moving a distance, they arrived in a space.

From this place, walking further ahead was a corner of a corridor, and dim light shone over from that corner.

Yang Zhen brushed the dust off his knees and walked forward.

Xiao Yu walked at the very back with a nervous expression.

After turning the corner of the corridor and walking a short distance, there was a small room.

Yang Zhen had already walked inside, and Duan Rong and Xiao Yu stood at the entrance of the small room.

Under the dim, murky light, one could see that standing beside Yang Zhen was another person.

That person was not tall, reaching only about Yang Zhen's shoulder, with a headscarf wrapped around their head and wearing thick cotton clothes; the shadow of the headscarf covered their face, making it impossible to see their appearance.

Xiao Yu stood there, wondering who that person was.

But suddenly, she heard a familiar, beautiful, and delicate voice, carrying a sobbing tone, calling to her: "Miss Yu!"

As that person called out, they had already rushed toward her and threw themselves into her arms.

Xiao Yu did not dodge at all, and tears were already shimmering in her eyes.

Although three years had passed, she would never forget that voice for as long as she lived. That was the voice of Zhu Xiaoqi!

Zhu Xiaoqi threw herself into Xiao Yu's arms and wept bitterly.

Xiao Yu wiped the tears from Zhu Xiaoqi's face while asking, "Xiao Qi, are you alright?"

"Miss, I am alright."

"Xiao Qi, where is my father?" Xiao Yu asked with an urgent voice: "Where is he?"

Seeing that Zhu Xiaoqi was fine, the suppressed emotions in Xiao Yu's heart eased instantly; she reckoned that since Zhu Xiaoqi was fine, her father should be fine too.

But unexpectedly, as soon as Xiao Yu asked, Zhu Xiaoqi cried even more fiercely, saying between sobs: "Miss, Master, he is dead!"

Hearing the words "is dead," Xiao Yu felt as if struck by a thunderbolt; the emotions suppressed in her heart, like a surging sea, instantly overwhelmed her.

Xiao Yu's vision went black, and she fainted.

"Miss!" Zhu Xiaoqi cried out in alarm.

The moment Xiao Yu fainted, Duan Rong caught her; Duan Rong supported Xiao Yu with one hand against his body, and with a flip of his left hand, a Porcelain Bottle was held in his palm.

Duan Rong held Xiao Yu with one arm and handed the Porcelain Bottle in his hand to Zhu Xiaoqi beside him, saying: "Take one pill and feed it to your Miss."

Zhu Xiaoqi immediately took the Porcelain Bottle from Duan Rong's hand, poured out a Medicine Pill, and fed it into Xiao Yu's mouth.

Duan Rong rubbed Xiao Yu's throat, letting her swallow the Medicine Pill.

Zhu Xiaoqi noticed Duan Rong's intimate gesture toward Xiao Yu, and a strange look flashed in her eyes.

After Xiao Yu swallowed the Medicine Pill, it was only a few breaths before she slowly regained consciousness.

As soon as Xiao Yu woke up, she grabbed Zhu Xiaoqi and asked sternly: "Xiao Qi, how did Father die? Speak!"

Under the dim yellow light, veins bulged on Xiao Yu's forehead, clearly showing her intense inner turmoil.

"It was Ruan Fengshan who killed Master!"

"Ruan Fengshan?!" Upon hearing this, both Xiao Yu and Duan Rong felt their hearts turn cold.

The two had already guessed this answer to some extent, but hearing Zhu Xiaoqi say it herself, they still felt as if struck by lightning.

Xiao Yu was furious and shouted: "Father was loyal and devoted to the Escort Agency! Why would Ruan Fengshan kill him?!"

Zhu Xiaoqi wiped the tears from her face, took a letter out from her bosom, handed it to Xiao Yu, and said: "This was written by Master before he went out that night. He specifically instructed me to give it to you."

"Father gave this to me?..." Xiao Yu took the letter and glanced at it, only to see that the envelope was blank.

She immediately tore the envelope open gently and pulled out a thick stack of letter paper.

Upon seeing the handwriting, Xiao Yu felt a pain in her heart. Although hurried and scrawled, it was clearly the handwriting she had been familiar with since childhood; when she was a child, Xiao Zongting had brought her to practice calligraphy.

At this moment, with father and daughter separated by life and death, seeing this writing again, Xiao Yu felt as if her heart were being twisted by a knife.

"To my daughter Xiao Yu, seeing these words is like meeting in person..."

Although the letter was written to Xiao Yu, every time Xiao Yu finished reading a page, she would unreservedly pass the letter paper into Duan Rong's hands.

The two of them, by the dim light, read the dozen or so pages of densely written paper with focused expressions. Xiao Yu sniffled and wiped away tears as she read.

Not long after, they had both finished reading.

After the two finished reading, they both fell silent, with contemplative light flickering in their eyes.

Zhu Xiaoqi had never read that letter, and she did not know many of the secrets inside.

Come to think of it, this matter had to be traced back to an old affair from more than ten years ago.

That old affair was known to everyone back then, but as years passed, it had been buried in the dust of history, and few remembered it.

But this matter was something Xiao Zongting would never forget.

Because his leg was crippled in that battle!

His martial arts were also crippled in that battle!

The Old Shopkeeper of the Yuanshun Escort Agency also died in the siege by a group of experts in that battle!

That night was like weeping blood!

How could he forget? And how dared he forget?

After the battle that night, the Old Shopkeeper died, and he escaped with his life, but his martial arts were completely crippled, and he fell into a grave illness, nearly dying as well!

It was precisely while he was in a coma from that grave illness that his wife, due to excessive anxiety, died in childbirth, leaving behind only the congenitally sickly Xiao Baijiao.

With such a deep blood feud, Xiao Zongting felt as if his bones had been scraped and his heart gouged out; for over ten years, there was not a single day he did not think of avenging this grudge?!

Although he had lost all his martial arts, he had roamed the pugilistic world for many years, was naturally forthright, and had wide-ranging friendships.

Once he recovered from his grave illness, he immediately began to investigate the matter.

But such a grand operation, which had actually organized over ten experts to surround the Escort Team of his Yuanshun Escort Agency—upon detailed investigation, there was actually no clue at all.

Furthermore, Xiao Zongting was not at all familiar with the martial arts styles of those people.

He knew many experts in the nearby prefectures and counties, and he also generally knew a thing or two about the methods of those people.

He could be certain that those experts who surrounded the Escort Team were not experts from the nearby prefectures and counties.

But who were they? Who could organize such a group of experts from outside the region to come and surround them? Who on earth could have such heaven-reaching influence?! And who had such a deep blood feud with them?!

Xiao Zongting used various methods to inquire for many years, yet he still had no leads.

However, just over half a month ago, Xiao Zongting suddenly saw a middle-aged woman in front of a beef soup stall in Xiangu County.

That woman's figure had already become somewhat plump, and there were already a few white strands in her hair, and her face was full of sorrow and bitterness.

But as Xiao Zongting passed by that place, the more he looked, the more familiar the woman seemed.

He limped past the woman's stall, and although he felt suspicious in his heart, he was not prepared to investigate further.

But just as he was about to leave, as if struck by divine illumination, his mind suddenly brightened, and he instantly remembered who that woman was.

Xiao Zongting immediately turned his head, walked to the side of the woman, and suddenly shouted: "Li Man!"

Li Man, suddenly called out to, immediately turned her head to look at Xiao Zongting.

The two locked eyes and instantly recognized each other. More than ten years had passed; although both of their appearances had aged somewhat, their general features remained.

Li Man immediately wanted to flee, but was grabbed by Xiao Zongting.

Come to think of it, there was also a matter back then that made Xiao Zongting feel suspicious: after he recovered from his grave illness, he heard that after the Old Shopkeeper died, the Old Shopkeeper's wife, due to excessive grief and sorrow, also fell ill and never recovered, following the Old Shopkeeper in death.

The reason Xiao Zongting felt suspicious was because he and the Old Shopkeeper were as close as brothers. The Old Shopkeeper had chatted with him about almost everything, inside and outside the house, down to the smallest detail.

He knew very clearly that the relationship between the Old Shopkeeper and his wife was very poor. The two often quarreled and had even started sleeping in separate rooms.

The wife was a lady from a prominent family since childhood, while the Old Shopkeeper was, after all, a rough man who had risen from the pugilistic world; the two had almost no common topics.

And this Li Man was the personal maid the wife had brought from her maiden home, having grown up with the wife since childhood.

A few days after the wife passed away from illness, this Li Man disappeared.

Because she was just a maid, the Escorts at the time did not pay much attention. It was just that Ruan Fengshan had people search for a while, and later it was left unsettled.

For these ten-plus years, Xiao Zongting had been thinking about that old affair at every moment.

Countless strange doubts had passed through his mind I don't know how many times.

The disappearance of this Li Man was one of them.

At this time, suddenly encountering her on the streets of Xiangu, Xiao Zongting almost took this as an arrangement by heaven and immediately dragged Li Man to the Wild Lake behind the City God Temple to interrogate her.

Li Man had left her hometown for over ten years, drifting without support; she had originally thought that after ten years, that old affair should no longer be mentioned, and she was already old, so she did not want to die away from home.

But who would have thought that as soon as she returned to her hometown and had just taken a bite of the beef soup she hadn't tasted in years, she was grabbed by Xiao Zongting.

Who could say this wasn't heaven's will?!

After Xiao Zongting interrogated her, Li Man was already heart-dead! She told everything she knew without any concealment!

It turned out that Ruan Fengshan was not the Old Shopkeeper's biological son at all! He was a wicked child born from the wife's illicit affair with her cousin!

(End of this chapter)