Chapter 373: The Might of an Arrow

After Duan Rong tested the bow and arrow, he carefully discussed the specific action plan for what was to come with the three people: Ximen Kankan, Shen Mizhi, and Liu Shushan.

Afterwards, Duan Rong took advantage of the night and hurried away.

The Total Altar Dharma Envoy would not arrive for four more days, and during these four days, he still had to continue monitoring the movements of Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan. Only by knowing the enemy and knowing oneself can one fight a hundred battles without defeat.

By the time Duan Rong left, it was already the second half of the night. Ximen Kankan, Shen Mizhi, and Liu Shushan were all very tired, but Duan Rong had already told them that there were five secret agents lurking around the Ximen Mansion, watching them.

They did not dare to lower their guard, so they decided to take turns standing watch.

The first one chosen was Liu Shushan. Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi went inside to rest, while Liu Shushan yawned and sat down at the entrance of the main hall.

Early the next morning, Ximen Kankan patted Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan on the shoulders and said, "Today, this master will take you out for a good time; consider it me fulfilling my duties as a host!"

Then, Ximen Kankan took Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan and swaggered out through the main gate of the Ximen Mansion.

Those secret agents had been lurking outside the Ximen Mansion all night. Seeing Ximen Kankan come out early in the morning with two Personal Attendants, several agents immediately followed them from a distance.

Ximen Kankan first took Liu Shushan and Shen Mizhi to eat breakfast by the side of the road.

Looking at the familiar beef soup stall and the sign for Lu's Sesame Cakes not far away, Ximen Kankan felt genuinely moved. "Everything in the Prefecture City is good, but it just isn't as good as Xiangu County."

All three of them were starving, so they sat down and began to eat and drink heartily.

Ximen Kankan looked at the way Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan were eating and muttered in a low voice, "You two are Personal Attendants, mind your status. The soup you're slurping is splashing onto my face."

Only then did Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan realize they had been eating a bit too unrestrainedly. Just a moment ago, Shen Mizhi had even been fighting Ximen Kankan for a cake. Furthermore, the two of them had hogged the table, squeezing Ximen Kankan into the corner.

The two of them pulled in their legs and feet, huddled to one side, and cleared most of the table for Ximen Kankan.

As the three were eating, Ximen Kankan suddenly saw a shivering little beggar lying in a sunlit spot across the street, past an alleyway, looking at them with an expressionless face.

Ximen Kankan's eyelids twitched, and he nearly choked. That little beggar was clearly Duan Rong.

Duan Rong was merely feeling a bit envious that the three of them could sit properly at a stall and eat a solid breakfast.

Ximen Kankan only glanced in that direction once before turning his head away, pretending he hadn't seen Duan Rong.

It is normal for a little beggar to stare at a breakfast stall. But for a diner to keep staring at a little beggar, that would be abnormal.

After the three finished their meal, Ximen Kankan took them to a gambling den.

Although it had changed owners, Weiyang Workshop was still the largest gambling den in Xiangu County. Even though it was morning, the curtains inside were drawn tight and bright candles were hung high, making it impossible to tell day from night. Many gamblers were still lost in their drunken stupor, pushing tiles.

Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan were both players in this regard; the two of them soon got carried away and ended up treating Shen Mizhi as a runner to exchange chips...

The two of them stayed in the gambling den until nightfall, only leaving with lingering regrets after being urged by Shen Mizhi.

Afterwards, Ximen Kankan took them to the Babao Building for a grand feast, ordering several of Xiangu County's famous dishes, specifically to let Liu Shushan get a taste of something new.

As Liu Shushan ate the Eight Treasure Gourd Duck, he couldn't stop praising it.

After they finished eating, Shen Mizhi thought they were going back to rest, but she didn't expect Ximen Kankan to actually want to take them to Huaying Pavilion.

Huaying Pavilion was, after all, a brothel, and Shen Mizhi was a young lady from an official's family; naturally, she was unwilling to go, so she stood there, muttering in a low voice and scolding Ximen Kankan.

Ximen Kankan scanned his surroundings and whispered at her side, "There are secret agents following us all around. You are a Personal Attendant now, don't expose me. We are going to Huaying Pavilion right now, and you must come along!"

Shen Mizhi had no choice. Seeing that Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan had already started walking toward Huaying Pavilion, she had to follow them, feeling awkward.

Shen Mizhi felt very embarrassed inside Huaying Pavilion, but Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan had a great time. It was only when the sky was already bright that they walked out, reeking of alcohol.

Having spent the night in the building, Shen Mizhi felt nauseated from the unpleasant smell of cosmetics mixed with the scent of alcohol.

The three of them returned to the mansion in a daze to sleep, then went to the gambling den again, followed by the restaurant, and then the brothel again.

It was like this every day!

After the first day passed, two of the five secret agents who had been following them were withdrawn, leaving only three.

On the second day, the three of them continued to live in a drunken stupor, spending money everywhere. By the evening of this day, the agents withdrew two more, leaving only one agent still tracking them.

After the third day, even the last secret agent was withdrawn.

This was because they finally discovered that following Ximen Kankan and his group was a pure waste of effort. This guy was just a playboy, purely back to indulge in a life of debauchery in a familiar place.

It was the second half of the night on the fourth day; tomorrow was the day the Total Altar Dharma Envoy Wei Ziyang would arrive in Xiangu County to inspect.

The number of yamen runners patrolling West Street had clearly doubled, and the activities of the secret agents lurking everywhere and darting through the shadows had also become significantly more frequent.

Duan Rong was still in the guise of a shivering little beggar, curled up by a wall in an alley not far from the County Office, pretending to doze.

The closer it got to the final moment, the more one had to keep a cool head.

Seeing that it would be dawn in another two hours, Duan Rong prepared to start setting up tomorrow's affairs in one more hour!

Tomorrow was the day the two big fish would appear! It was also the day he would close the net!

It was just that he didn't know if the net he had prepared would arrive in time.

Thinking this, Duan Rong looked up at the pitch-black night sky above.

The words of the person at the contact point flashed through his mind, and he sighed silently: The people from the Office of Transmission should at least be reliable!

Just then, Duan Rong's eyelids suddenly twitched. His Divine Sense had been scanning the surroundings, and just now, a figure had walked into his range of Divine Sense Envelopment.

It was Ximen Kankan!

Ximen Kankan had come alone; Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan were not by his side!

Using his Divine Sense to "watch," he saw Ximen Kankan getting closer and closer, walking along the side of West Street toward this direction.

Duan Rong sat up straight from his dozing state in the corner of the wall.

In the vast night, he had already seen a familiar, chubby figure walking slowly toward him from the other end of the street.

"What is this kid doing?"

Duan Rong was momentarily puzzled. The plan they had previously discussed and deduced did not include this step, but Ximen Kankan was getting closer and closer, clearly walking toward him.

Ximen Kankan had already arrived not far from Duan Rong.

Duan Rong sat there, looking at him with a face full of shock and suspicion.

Ximen Kankan walked up to Duan Rong and suddenly threw a chicken leg into Duan Rong's lap, saying, "A reward from this master for you!"

Duan Rong glanced at the chicken leg in his lap and was instantly stunned, as if turned to stone.

At this moment, ten thousand grass-mud horses were galloping through his heart.

No! Big Brother!

What kind of act are you putting on for me?

Tomorrow is the day to close the net!

Have you been playing around for a few days and played yourself into a state of idiocy?

If it weren't for the fact that a squad of patrolling yamen runners was walking this way not far off, Duan Rong would have really wanted to smash that chicken leg directly onto Ximen Kankan's fat face!

At this moment, Ximen Kankan actually turned around as if to leave, but after walking two steps, he suddenly pulled down his pants by the wall and began to relieve himself.

The urine splashed against the wall, making a splashing sound.

Duan Rong was already somewhat angered to the point of laughter by Ximen Kankan at this moment; he felt that Ximen Kankan must have gone crazy. Fortunately, this was ancient times, otherwise he would definitely have thought Ximen Kankan was on drugs.

But just at this moment, Ximen Kankan, while relieving himself, whispered: "Hu Huanhuan poisoned Bai Rong and was discovered. Right now, Bai Rong is hanging her in the room and beating her; he will likely beat her to death. Whether you save her or not, that's up to you!"

After Ximen Kankan finished speaking, he finished his stream of urine, gave a shiver, pulled up his pants, and walked away as if nothing had happened.

Duan Rong stood there stunned, his thoughts in a mess for several breaths!

What had him in a mess wasn't the question of whether to save Hu Huanhuan or not; what had him in a mess was that this kid had just walked over so brazenly to speak to him. And after finishing, he just walked away as if nothing had happened.

Duan Rong didn't actually have any direct friendship with Hu Huanhuan, but she was Shen Ping's old lover.

Shen Ping had shown kindness to Duan Rong, and could even be considered half a master to him.

The fact that Hu Huanhuan was Shen Ping's old lover was something Duan Rong had once mentioned to Ximen Kankan as gossip, and he had also mentioned some things about Shen Ping while he was at it.

It is likely that Ximen Kankan was hanging around Huaying Pavilion, happened to run into that matter, felt a sense of compassion, and came over to tell Duan Rong. He only told Duan Rong; whether to save her or not still rested with Duan Rong himself.

After all, now that they had reached the critical juncture of closing the net, taking action at this time could easily lead to complications!

Just at this moment, that squad of patrolling yamen runners had already walked up to Duan Rong.

The leader of the patrol was a middle-aged man with a thin, horse-like face. He had seen Ximen Kankan throw a chicken leg to the little beggar just now, and he had also seen him urinating by the wall. In his eyes, these things were all perfectly normal.

Duan Rong noticed that the leader was looking at him, so he immediately picked up the chicken leg and began to gnaw on it. Yet, although he was hungry, he ate as if chewing wax.

The leader, seeing the little beggar's unsightly way of eating, turned his face away.

While gnawing on the chicken leg, Duan Rong discovered that Ximen Kankan had already walked out of the range of his Divine Sense Envelopment. Furthermore, there was nothing unusual, and the secret agents hadn't discovered him at all.

Duan Rong had to admit that Ximen Kankan's tactic—throwing him a chicken leg, then whispering the news while urinating against the wall—would likely not arouse suspicion even if secret agents were following him.

After all, he was just a little street beggar at this moment.

Although Ximen Kankan's move could be called reckless, it was also unexpected and struck at a blind spot; thinking about it carefully now, there was actually no risk to it.

Ximen Kankan walked to the mouth of the alley not far from Huaying Pavilion, where Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan were waiting.

Shen Mizhi looked at Ximen Kankan with suspicious eyes and said, "Where did you go?"

"Nowhere, just took a leak," Ximen Kankan said in a casual tone. "Let's go, let's head back. Sleep early today, there are things to do tomorrow."

Shen Mizhi and Liu Shushan naturally knew what Ximen Kankan meant by having things to do tomorrow, and the three of them walked into the alley together, preparing to head toward Ximen Mansion.

Just before entering the alley, Ximen Kankan turned his head to look at Huaying Pavilion, three street corners away. The lights of Huaying Pavilion were exceptionally conspicuous in the pitch-black night. Although he had told Duan Rong, he wasn't sure if Duan Rong would save Hu Huanhuan.

Duan Rong sat there, finished gnawing the chicken leg in his hand, and already had the answer in his heart.

If he hadn't known, that would be one thing, but since he knew, how could he not save her?

Shen Ping's kindness was only one reason.

On the other hand, perhaps in the eyes of others, Hu Huanhuan was just an old madam running a brothel, but from the perspective of a modern person, the fact that Hu Huanhuan could carve out a piece of the world for herself in such an era made her a true heroine among women.

There are many extraordinary people in the world of dust and grit, and he truly did not wish to watch Hu Huanhuan be beaten to death in a room by a guy like Bai Rong.

Moreover, in two hours, it would be dawn. Tomorrow was the day the Total Altar Dharma Envoy would come to Xiangu for an inspection; Duan Rong estimated that since he was only killing one person and the time was so tight, it shouldn't have any impact.

Once Duan Rong made his decision, the doubts in his heart were instantly swept away, and he stood up with clear eyes.

Under his Divine Sense Envelopment, confirming there was no one around, Duan Rong suddenly leaped and jumped into the courtyard of the house next door.

This courtyard was not large, and was even somewhat cramped. In this family's courtyard, there was only one main room, one inner room, and one kitchen; in the corner of the cramped courtyard, a grapevine was also planted.

Over the past few days, Duan Rong had often pretended to sleep at the nearby alley entrance, and he had already figured out the situation of this family very clearly.

A mother and son lived here, but two days ago they suddenly received news that the old father had died of illness, so the woman had taken the child back to their hometown to attend the funeral.

The funeral rites in this world were quite cumbersome, and once they left, it was estimated they wouldn't be back for half a month.

Since this courtyard was empty anyway, Duan Rong decided to requisition it temporarily.

Duan Rong leaped into the courtyard, landing almost silently, and with a flash of his figure, he entered the kitchen.

In the corner of the kitchen, he picked up the Black Python Bow and drew a Profound Iron Arrow from the quiver!

To kill Bai Rong, one arrow was enough!

Duan Rong slung the Black Python Bow on his back, gripped the Profound Iron Arrow in one hand, and vaulted out, moving along the pitch-black alleyway with the speed of a ghost, heading in the direction of Huaying Pavilion!

Along the way, Duan Rong kept his Divine Sense fully open, avoiding secret agents everywhere, and stood in the shadows of an alleyway by a residential house three zhang away from Huaying Pavilion.

Standing here, Duan Rong was already able to use his Divine Sense to fully envelop the inside and outside of Huaying Pavilion.

He saw a remote room on the second floor of Huaying Pavilion. At the door of the room, two brothel servants were guarding it with sticks. Inside the room, Hu Huanhuan's hands were tied with hemp rope, and she was hung from the rafters.

Her entire body had already been whipped into a bloody mess, and her face had also suffered several lashes from the whip, the skin and flesh mangled; Bai Rong, with a twisted expression, continued to whip Hu Huanhuan one lash after another.

Hu Huanhuan was already only exhaling and not inhaling; as Bai Rong's desperate whip lashes landed on her body, she didn't even move, as if Bai Rong were currently whipping a sack.

Behind Bai Rong, the wine table was in a mess. Beside the wine table, a corpse lay on the ground; the corpse's face was pitch black, clearly having been poisoned deeply, and it had already perished.

That day, after Hu Huanhuan was humiliated by Bai Rong, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became, so she rummaged from the bottom of a trunk for a type of poison Shen Ping had left her. In her early years, she had used this poison to poison rats, and it had been very effective.

This day, Bai Rong was drinking and making merry in the room with one of his male favorites. Seeing that the wine was gone, he called the maid who was serving wine on the side to go get a jar of wine.

Just as the maid was about to go to the place where the wine was kept to fetch it, Hu Huanhuan stopped her and said that this jar was good wine she had just fetched, telling her to take it for Bai Rong to enjoy.

The maid didn't think much of it, and after thanking her, she carried the wine jar back to Bai Rong's room.

As soon as the wine was poured, the male favorite only drank a small cup before his whole body convulsed, and he died, his face turning black instantly.

Bai Rong was immediately furious and was about to twist the maid's neck; in her terror, the maid said that this jar of wine had been given to her by Hu Huanhuan on the way.

Once Bai Rong heard this, he immediately understood that Hu Huanhuan could not bear the humiliation and wanted to poison him to death!

Bai Rong leaped out of the room and arrived inside Hu Huanhuan's room, discovering Hu Huanhuan sitting there in full attire, sipping tea.

Hu Huanhuan glanced at the Bai Rong who had barged in and said indifferently, "What a pity! I didn't poison you to death!"

Hu Huanhuan had never intended to run; she was very clear that whether she had poisoned Bai Rong to death or not, she would not be able to escape!

Bai Rong grabbed Hu Huanhuan by the hair, dragged her into his own room, and called for two brothel servants to bring hemp rope to hang Hu Huanhuan from the rafters!

Bai Rong was determined to whip Hu Huanhuan to death, lash by lash, to vent the hatred in his heart!

Duan Rong stood in the dark residential alleyway; under his Divine Sense Envelopment, the sight of Hu Huanhuan being beaten until her flesh was mangled made Duan Rong's eyelids twitch.

Duan Rong took the Black Python Bow from his back, and the bones throughout his body suddenly emitted a series of strange, explosive cracks.

In the darkness, his body grew larger in circles, and very quickly, he returned to his original stature!

Duan Rong inhaled slightly, and under his Divine Sense Envelopment, he suddenly nocked an Arrow and drew the bow, aiming in the darkness at Bai Rong, who was in a secluded room inside Huaying Pavilion, three zhang away.

True Qi surged, and the Black Python Bow was instantly drawn full like a full moon!

The Profound Iron Black Arrow, under the infusion of powerful True Qi, began to cause the airflow around it to undergo an abnormal change!

With a "Boom—" sound, the bowstring snapped forward!

The Profound Iron Black Arrow carved out a stream of air! That airflow was faintly visible even in the darkness! It was like steam under the scorching sun!

That was an anomalous state that erupted within the airflow due to high-speed friction!

Inside the room, Bai Rong's face was splattered with many blood spots; they were Hu Huanhuan's blood, and the whip in his hand was already dripping blood!

But Bai Rong's expression was even more twisted and excited; he loved to torture people to death. Only when torturing people to death did the scene deep in his brain of being trampled and ravaged by a fat pig seem to dissipate a little.

Bai Rong still wanted to swing the whip and strike again!

But just as his blood whip was raised, a black shadow suddenly shattered the window, swirling with airflow, and shot toward his head like a flash of lightning!

The black shadow was too fast; Bai Rong had no time to react at all, but his Filthy Blood Divine Art automatically activated in the face of life and death!

Bai Rong's entire body instantly erupted with blood threads!

Those floating blood threads, like living creatures, instantly concentrated at the position of Bai Rong's head to meet the black shadow!

But the moment those dense, wriggling blood threads made contact with the black shadow, they instantly collapsed and vanished into nothingness.

That black shadow, without the slightest obstruction, blew apart Bai Rong's head!

Bai Rong's Filthy Blood Divine Art had succeeded at the second level.

But this arrow from Duan Rong was at the level of True Qi Realm Great Perfection; how could he possibly block it?!

(End of this chapter)