Chapter 374: Wei Ziyang Enters the City

Duan Rong shot an Arrow, and the Black Python Bow in his hand was still trembling incessantly.

With a flip of his palm and a leap of his body, he already had the Black Python Bow slung across his back, and his entire person had already darted out, heading straight for Huaying Pavilion!

The Profound Iron Arrow, wrapped in an airflow, blasted Bai Rong's head to pieces; its momentum undiminished, it slanted through a corner of the Huaying Pavilion's roof, turning a patch of shattered tiles into dust before plunging into the pitch-black night sky accompanied by a shrill, buzzing sound.

The two brothel servants guarding the room door heard the commotion and immediately pushed the door open to enter!

But the moment they pushed the door open, they felt a black shadow flash before their eyes. Duan Rong struck each of the two brothel servants on the back of the neck with a palm-blade, knocking them both unconscious.

With Duan Rong's current movement technique at the True Qi Realm Great Perfection, he could dash to the Huaying Pavilion three zhang away in the blink of an eye if he exploded with full force.

Just as the two brothel servants guarding the room door heard the commotion and pushed the door to enter, Duan Rong had already arrived!

Duan Rong stood between the two fallen brothel servants at the doorway and raised his eyes to look into the room.

He saw Hu Huanhuan hanging there, a mass of bloody flesh, her breath faint. And on the floor not far from her, a headless corpse had blood-lines wriggling all over it—terrifying and bizarre!

Bai Rong's head had been blasted to pieces by Duan Rong's Arrow; he was dead beyond any doubt!

With a flip of his hand, Duan Rong had already darted over and carefully fed a Medicine Pill into Hu Huanhuan's mouth.

Seeing Hu Huanhuan swallow the Medicine Pill, the worry in his heart eased. This was the emergency medicine left behind by Shen Ping; as long as Hu Huanhuan swallowed the pill, she would be able to save her life.

Seeing Hu Huanhuan covered in bloody flesh, Duan Rong's eyes twitched; he suddenly darted behind the room's screen and brought out a thin quilt.

The moment Duan Rong darted back, he turned his fingertips into blades and sliced through the hemp rope tied to Hu Huanhuan's hands.

As the hemp rope snapped, Hu Huanhuan happened to fall onto the thin quilt in Duan Rong's arms.

Although the thin quilt provided a cushion, her wounds were too severe; as she fell into Duan Rong's arms, she still let out a muffled groan from deep in her throat.

Duan Rong wrapped Hu Huanhuan up in the thin quilt and immediately darted into the night with her in his arms.

Duan Rong knew that the commotion here would soon alert the nearby secret agents!

At this moment, under his Divine Sense Envelopment, he had already seen three secret agents flashing swiftly toward the Huaying Pavilion.

Duan Rong's figure was as fast as a ghost; before those three secret agents, who were flashing over from different directions, could see him, he had already darted into a pitch-black alley.

Those three secret agents, almost simultaneously, headed toward Bai Rong's room on the second floor of Huaying Pavilion.

Because the window there was shattered and the roof had a large hole in it. No matter from which direction one looked, it was very conspicuous.

The singing girls and courtesans of Huaying Pavilion also heard the commotion; although there was music and singing throughout Huaying Pavilion, the sound of the Profound Iron Arrow piercing the air, while not very buzzing at first, suddenly emitted a shrill, piercing sound as it slowed down after shattering the window, blasting Bai Rong's head, and piercing the roof—a 'zi-liu' sound, as if it were scraping across one's scalp.

But those courtesans dared not come over to look, because Bai Rong had already given the order that no one was allowed to approach his room, and he had two brothel servants standing guard outside the door with clubs.

The three secret agents entered: one darted in through the broken window, one dropped through the hole in the roof, and one darted in through the doorway where the two brothel servants had fallen.

All three were short in stature and wore night-traveling clothes.

As soon as they entered the room, they immediately locked their eyes on Bai Rong's corpse on the floor.

The headless corpse had blood-lines wriggling all over it, looking somewhat disgusting.

They were secret agents controlled and trained by Ruan Fengshan, and they already knew that if such a corpse of a Filthy Blood Sect member were seen by the public, it would cause panic!

Therefore, two of the secret agents pulled off the blanket from the bed behind the screen, wrapped up Bai Rong's corpse, and carried it out of the Huaying Pavilion.

As for the other secret agent, after the two had left, he suddenly flipped his hand and gripped a dagger flashing with cold light; he used the dagger in his hand to pierce the hearts of the two brothel servants lying at the door.

Because he was not sure if these two brothel servants had seen Bai Rong's corpse with its wriggling blood-lines. But even if there was the slightest possibility they had seen it, they had to be eliminated! This was also a rule Ruan Fengshan had taught them: better to kill the wrong person than to let one slip through.

Duan Rong held Hu Huanhuan and moved rapidly through the shadows of the alleyways; under the detection of his Divine Sense Envelopment, he avoided all the surrounding secret agents one by one!

Perhaps due to the effect of the medicine, under Duan Rong's Divine Sense detection, he could perceive that Hu Huanhuan's breathing was becoming increasingly steady.

Duan Rong suddenly darted into a pitch-black alley like a ghost; once inside the alley, his figure suddenly flew up like a willow leaf riding the wind, drifting down into a courtyard.

This courtyard was none other than that old residence of Xie Lei!

Duan Rong changed Hu Huanhuan from the horizontal hold to an upright position in his arms.

Hu Huanhuan's consciousness had cleared up a bit by now; when Duan Rong moved abruptly, her wounds pained her, and she groaned.

Duan Rong also knew he had hurt Hu Huanhuan, but now that she was covered in wounds, any slight movement on his part would cause her pain; this was unavoidable.

Duan Rong jumped into the dry well with Hu Huanhuan in his arms and brought her into the secret chamber.

Seeing Duan Rong suddenly carry someone back, Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi were immediately flustered and panicked.

Duan Rong had no time for explanations; he looked at Zhu Xiaoqi and said, "Xiao Qi, this person is in your hands. She is severely injured; use the Golden Sore Medicine to treat her! Take good care of her!"

After giving his orders, Duan Rong did not wait for Zhu Xiaoqi to reply; he turned his head to look at Xiao Yu and said, "Xiao Yu, come with me!"

Xiao Yu's gaze hardened, and her right hand subconsciously gripped the Qingling Saber at her waist! She knew that after hiding here for so many days, the time to avenge her father had finally arrived!

Duan Rong knew that after causing such a scene at the Huaying Pavilion, the secret agents and patrols would likely become even more stringent.

Therefore, he decided to set up tomorrow's operation an hour early and take Xiao Yu to hide in the designated location!

While Duan Rong was speaking to Xiao Yu, Zhu Xiaoqi had already opened the quilt, only to see a human-shaped blood gourd inside, with the quilt it was wrapped in also covered in bloodstains.

Zhu Xiaoqi gasped in shock. "Heavens! Who beat her like this?"

Duan Rong had no time to deal with this matter; he glanced at Xiao Yu, signaling her to come out with him.

But just at this moment, Hu Huanhuan, nourished by the medicine and having endured the pain, had regained consciousness; she murmured, "Who are you? Why save me?"

Hearing Hu Huanhuan's hoarse question, Duan Rong's figure paused; he turned and crouched beside her, saying softly, "Sister Hu, I am Duan Rong!"

"Duan... Duan Rong..."

Hu Huanhuan struggled to open her eyes, but her eyeballs were smeared with a layer of blood, and the light in the secret chamber was dim; she couldn't see Duan Rong's face at all. But Duan Rong's familiar voice still stirred her memory. "It's you..."

Hu Huanhuan's blood-stained hand lifted slightly, murmuring, "Thank..."

Duan Rong immediately grabbed Hu Huanhuan's raised hand and said, "Sister Hu, rest well and recover! After tomorrow, I guarantee Huaying Pavilion will still be yours!"

After saying this, Duan Rong stood up and strode away, with Xiao Yu following closely behind.

In the secret chamber behind him, hot tears had already welled up in Hu Huanhuan's eyes.

Duan Rong took Xiao Yu and flashed out of the courtyard, walking and stopping in the alleyways; in just this short while, the secret agents in the darkness had become extremely active, scurrying about like wild cats.

In the darkness, Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong's profile; she did not understand why Duan Rong was sometimes as fast as a ghost in the alleyways and sometimes stopped without moving.

Just then, at the alley entrance not far ahead, a black shadow flashed by. The moment that shadow flashed, Duan Rong's figure darted out, and Xiao Yu followed immediately, but her heart was filled with shock: how did Duan Rong know that a secret agent would suddenly dart out into the alley they were about to turn into?

Duan Rong took Xiao Yu and jumped into a cramped courtyard on the side of West Street.

This courtyard was merely a few zhang away from the main gate of the County Government Office.

As soon as the two landed in the courtyard, Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong as if wanting to say something, but Duan Rong suddenly flashed over and covered her mouth with his hand.

Following that, a burst of chaotic footsteps rang out from outside the wall.

Once the footsteps had passed, Duan Rong let go of his hand and whispered in Xiao Yu's ear: "There is no one in this courtyard; hide here and do not make a sound!"

As Duan Rong spoke, he slung the Black Python Bow from his back onto Xiao Yu's shoulder, and then he stood there as the bones throughout his body gave off a series of eerie cracking sounds.

His figure then shrank back to that of the little beggar once more.

He turned his head to glance at Xiao Yu, and taking advantage of the fact that there was no one outside the wall, he vaulted over the wall and went out.

After Duan Rong vaulted outside the wall, he saw several teams of yamen runners carrying lanterns running out from the main gate of the County Government Office, heading off to patrol various places.

He arrived at the base of the wall where he usually lay, shrank his neck, and lay down to feign sleep.

The moment Duan Rong lay down, his Divine Sense enveloped the direction of the County Government Office.

At this time, inside the Secret Chamber beneath the Back Courtyard of the County Government Office, Sun Qian, Ruan Fengshan, Xu Dian, and thirteen other leaders from various sectors were all gathered inside.

This made the cramped Secret Chamber appear somewhat crowded.

On the floor in the center of the Secret Chamber lay a corpse; blood threads were wriggling all over that corpse—it was none other than Bai Rong's headless corpse!

Sun Qian held a pitch-black Arrow in his hand, his expression very grave.

Xu Dian looked at Sun Qian and said: "It has already been investigated clearly. Hu Huanhuan poisoned Bai Rong and was being hung up in the room and beaten by him. Bai Rong was in that very room when he was shot in the head by someone with an arrow!"

Xu Dian's voice was calm, but it made everyone present feel a chill in their hearts.

Bai Rong had the cultivation of the True Qi Realm First Stage, and his Filthy Blood Divine Art had also reached the second layer; yet he was still shot in the head by a single arrow! If it had been them, wouldn't the result have been the same!

Sun Qian's expression was clearly even gloomier; archery is the most difficult of all Martial Techniques to master.

It is difficult to enter, slow to progress, and the Great Perfection realm is several times harder than other Martial Techniques. Unless one has a family heritage, very few people practice it.

In the Prefecture City of Yuanyang Prefecture, there is indeed an archery master—the Huyan family. But the Huyan family treasures their reputation and rarely intervenes in the martial arts world disputes. Since Xiangu County is so remote, how could it be someone from the Huyan family?

Yet, in the three counties of Xiangu, Jiuchong, and Sheqi, there has been no word of any noble family practicing archery!

Sun Qian pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Ruan Fengshan and the Temple Keeper Xu Dongyang in the crowd; after all, these two grew up in Xiangu County, and there are many secrets that they, the newcomers, might not know, but these two would.

Seeing Sun Qian look at him, Ruan Fengshan said: "Although Hu Huanhuan is a woman, she was able to spread out such a large operation as Huaying Pavilion in Xiangu County, so she does have some dealings with people in the Jianghu. Furthermore, in her early years, she had a past romance with the Wicked Doctor Shen Ping."

"The Wicked Doctor Shen Ping?" Sun Qian's brows suddenly knit together; he had seen this name more than once while reviewing the archives of previous years.

"Yes!" Ruan Fengshan said: "This person has befriended quite a few Jianghu outlaws! I suspect the person who took action is an old friend of the Wicked Doctor Shen Ping."

Sun Qian's face was cold, his gaze flickering. He felt that what Ruan Fengshan said had some merit; after Bai Rong was killed, Hu Huanhuan was also rescued by someone. The person who took action was clearly trying to save Hu Huanhuan.

Sun Qian let out a deep sigh and said: "Enough! In another hour, it will be dawn. The Total Altar Dharma Envoy will enter the city at daybreak. Brothers, all of you, disguise yourselves and stake out West Street. This inspection by the Dharma Envoy is very important to us and will determine the allocation of resources in the future. I hope everyone can put in their best effort to ensure the smooth progress of this inspection."

"The matter of receiving the Dharma Envoy will be handled by me and Ruan Fengshan. The rest of you brothers, attend to your own duties!" As Sun Qian spoke, he threw the black iron arrow in his hand onto the ground with a clatter. Seeming to have thought of something, he turned his head to look at Xu Dongyang and said: "Tomorrow when the Dharma Envoy enters the city, you wait at the city gate to welcome them on our behalf. Furthermore, the Dharma Envoy's movements must be kept secret; you must not spread the word!"

Xu Dongyang said respectfully: "Yes."

Upon hearing this, several people among the group swept their eyes toward Ruan Fengshan, whether intentionally or not.

This stronghold in Xiangu was, in essence, built under the leadership of Sun Qian and Ruan Fengshan. Sun Qian keeping Ruan Fengshan to help him receive the inspecting Dharma Envoy was also out of a desire to explain the situation in Xiangu clearly to the Dharma Envoy.

Although the others were jealous in their hearts, they could only disperse. Especially Xu Dian, the leader of the Weapon Shop; he was at the True Qi Realm Second Layer, and in terms of cultivation, he could be said to have the edge over Ruan Fengshan. He had always harbored thoughts of replacing him and sitting in the second-in-command chair of Xiangu County. But having the thought requires an opportunity.

One hour later, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, an unremarkable, dilapidated carriage, its wheels creaking and rattling, pulled by a gaunt, bony old horse, came along the Official Road toward the East Gate of Xiangu County.

Xu Dongyang stood at the city gate in the cold wind and saw the carriage from afar. He muttered to himself, it couldn't be this one, could it? Looking at this old horse and broken carriage, it doesn't look like it!

As the dilapidated carriage drew closer, in the hazy morning light, Xu Dongyang saw a small black flag fluttering on the roof of the carriage, with a strange character drawn on it.

Xu Dongyang's pupils shrank. It was this one!

The person driving the carriage was a young man wearing a thick felt coat, with a piece of dry grass hanging from his mouth, his eyes bright and his expression calm.

Xu Dongyang immediately crossed his hands in front of his chest toward the young man driving the carriage and made a strange gesture.

The young man sitting on the carriage glanced at Xu Dongyang and immediately made another gesture with one hand in front of his chest.

Xu Dongyang understood immediately and called over a yamen runner guarding the gate, whispering: "Go to the flower hall in the Back Courtyard of the County Government Office and tell the County Magistrate that the person has entered the city!"

The yamen runner received the order and left, and Xu Dongyang immediately had the yamen runners guarding the gate clear the way, letting the dilapidated carriage sway its way into the city!

Xu Dongyang himself rode a horse, following behind the dilapidated carriage, heading along West Street toward the County Government Office.

In fact, given the status of the Total Altar Dharma Envoy, Sun Qian, Ruan Fengshan, and the others should have gone to the city gate to welcome them in person.

But whether it was Sun Qian or Ruan Fengshan, both were very conspicuous figures in Xiangu County. Once they stood outside the city gate, they would certainly attract a lot of attention, and the Dharma Envoy's movements must be kept secret!

For the sake of secrecy, they had to be somewhat negligent in etiquette; this was a matter where it was difficult to have the best of both worlds. Moreover, Wei Ziyang actually never cared about such things.

(End of chapter)