Chapter 392: Signs

After Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi left, Duan Rong wrote a list for Liu Shushan and Ximen Kankan, instructed them to go buy some things, and then went out himself.

Ximen Kankan looked at the list Duan Rong had given him, only to see it filled with a dense list of various items.

"What is this for? Opening a general store?"

Liu Shushan stared at the list, his eyes flickering; he wanted to discern some clues about Duan Rong's plans from these items, but no matter how he pondered it, he still had no inkling.

"Forget it!" Ximen Kankan slapped the list in his hand onto Liu Shushan. "You know this place well; you take a look at these things and see where they can be bought."

Liu Shushan gave it a rough browse and already had an idea in mind.

The two of them soon left the Separate Courtyard.

As they walked along the alley, Liu Shushan's eyes suddenly shifted, and he asked, "Kankan, I just heard you promise Brother Duan that you would burn something; what are you going to burn?"

Just now in the hall, when Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan were discussing this matter, Liu Shushan had been standing right next to Ximen Kankan, and he had heard everything the two of them said.

Once Ximen Kankan heard this, he was very unhappy and said, "What else could it be? Just that Spring Palace Painting I showed you?"

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Liu Shushan's eyes jumped instantly. "That one? It wouldn't be 'Light of Humanity', would it?"

"That's the one."

"You're going to burn 'Light of Humanity'?! Kankan, you promised me you would keep it safe."

Ximen Kankan shot a sidelong glance at Liu Shushan and said, "Do you think I want to burn it? That guy Duan Rong has already mentioned it several times. I don't think it can be saved."

Liu Shushan asked in confusion, "But why does Brother Duan want to burn this thing?"

Ximen Kankan said, "Because he painted it."

"What?! Brother Duan... painted it?!" Liu Shushan's jaw nearly dropped in shock.

"You mean that 'Light of Humanity' was painted by Brother Duan?" He truly could not believe this; he froze there for a moment, even forgetting to walk.

"Yes!" Ximen Kankan turned his head, looked at the frozen Liu Shushan, and instructed, "I only told you about this. Don't go blabbing it to others!"

"Oh... I know." Liu Shushan replied, his expression still dazed.

This news was simply too shocking for him.

That Spring Palace Painting flashed through his mind again, and Liu Shushan muttered with an astonished look, "Brother Duan is truly a remarkable man!"

After Duan Rong left Liu Shushan's Separate Courtyard, he paced toward the direction of the Prefecture City Dungeon.

But he did not go to the market area on the outskirts of the dungeon again; instead, he entered a residential area not far from the dungeon.

Duan Rong paced leisurely through the lanes; the alley was cold and desolate, with a stray dog passing by occasionally.

The houses in this area were mostly quite old, and one could occasionally see ones that had already collapsed. Such houses, in a place like the Prefecture City, were clearly not in a wealthy district.

Duan Rong's Divine Sense had already been released to probe the situation of the nearby houses; most were scanned over in a flash, while occasionally he encountered some that required careful inspection. Any such house was one he judged might be useful.

It took Duan Rong about two hours to thoroughly screen the houses in this area.

Considering both the condition and location of the houses, he finally selected three "target houses."

Duan Rong stood outside the courtyard wall of a private residence and saw that a few weeds had already grown on top of the wall, swaying gently in the evening breeze.

Under his Divine Sense Envelopment, confirming no one was around, Duan Rong suddenly exerted his movement technique; his entire body shot up from the ground, and then, like a fallen leaf riding the wind, he drifted lightly into the courtyard from above.

In the courtyard, quite a few sparse weeds had grown, and Duan Rong's arrival startled a few sparrows into flight.

Duan Rong walked through the weeds in the courtyard and arrived before the door of the main room, only to see that the iron lock on the old door was already covered in rust.

Duan Rong raised his hand, True Qi darted from his fingertips, and with a light swipe, the iron lock snapped into two halves.

The moment he pushed the door open and entered, his face and hands were covered in spiderwebs.

After picking the spiderwebs off his body and taking a look, he saw that the tables and chairs inside were all covered in a thick layer of dust.

"This house has likely been uninhabited for at least two or three years!"

Duan Rong looked up at the main beam of the hall, which was as thick as a person could wrap their arms around.

The quality of this house was actually quite good; it was not mud-brick, but built of blue bricks.

The house was also tall and spacious, with a hall facing south and two inner rooms connected to the east and west.

Duan Rong walked around the whole place and felt it was quite good; furthermore, he was very satisfied with the location.

Originally, he had selected three "target houses," and the reason he came to look at this one first was that he felt it was the most suitable; sure enough, after seeing it, he was very satisfied.

With this one, there was no need to look at the other two candidates.

Duan Rong walked out and pulled the wooden door of the hall shut, leaving it ajar.

At this time, the courtyard with its sparse weeds was already shrouded in the vast twilight.

Duan Rong executed his movement technique and drifted away.

In the deep twilight, he returned to the Separate Courtyard, where Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan had been waiting for him for a long time.

The two were bored and were playing chess there.

As soon as they saw Duan Rong return, Ximen Kankan asked, "Why did it take you so long to come back? You had us buy such a pile of miscellaneous things; what use are they? We bought them all back."

Duan Rong looked up and saw a round sack lying plumply on the ground not far from the two; he did not answer Ximen Kankan's question but instead asked, "Did you buy everything on the list? Don't miss anything!"

Liu Shushan said, "We bought it all. I even checked it against the list when I got back; nothing is missing."

Duan Rong nodded and said, "Shushan, make some dinner. And while you're at it, prepare dry rations for three people for ten days."

"Three people? Ten days of dry rations?" Liu Shushan's eyes shifted; the three people Duan Rong mentioned were clearly the three of them.

Duan Rong said, "Make it a bit more sumptuous tonight; let's have a good meal. If you want to drink, you can have a little. For the next ten days, we will likely only be able to eat dry rations and drink clear water."

Liu Shushan and Ximen Kankan exchanged a look.

Eating dry rations and drinking clear water—what was this for? Could it be that he was asking them to go to jail in place of Shen Yanliu?

Since Duan Rong had spoken, Liu Shushan went to a restaurant and ordered a quite sumptuous dinner, and also brought back a jar of fine wine.

Although the group had come to this Separate Courtyard, because things were urgent, Liu Shushan had not yet properly fulfilled his duties as a host; he took this opportunity to toast the two of them a few times.

The night was deep, and the three of them drank happily, enjoying themselves to the fullest.

Ximen Kankan rubbed his round, full belly, looked at Duan Rong, and asked, "We've eaten the meal and drunk the wine; can you tell us what you're actually planning to do now?"

Duan Rong said, "Sleep! We will meet here again at the Hour of the Rat tonight."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he really got up and went to his room to sleep.

The two looked at each other, and could only go to sleep separately.

After Duan Rong had a sleep and walked into the Main Hall again quite comfortably, Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan were already waiting there.

Glancing at the two of them, Duan Rong walked to the side of the bulging Sack, fished out two willow-woven baskets stacked together from the bottom, and then placed three short-handled iron shovels into the baskets.

Duan Rong slung the baskets over his shoulder, looked at the two, and said, "Bring your dry rations and follow me. Be careful on the way, don't make any noise."

Before the two could react, Duan Rong had already executed his movement technique and darted out.

Liu Shushan immediately shouldered the dry rations on the table, executed his movement technique, and chased after him.

Duan Rong did not use his full movement technique; with his True Qi Realm Great Perfection cultivation, if he had used his full strength, Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan would have been unable to keep up with him at all.

Duan Rong used his Divine Sense to lead the way, and the three figures moved like ghosts, darting through the dark night.

Along the way, Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan were both astonished in their hearts.

They had already passed through several streets that were quite bustling in the Prefecture City, and Liu Shushan knew very well that these streets often had patrol squads going back and forth at midnight.

But as they walked along, their figures almost never stopped; several times, just as they arrived at the entrance of an alley, they saw the backs of the patrol squads already turning away.

If it happened once, it could be considered normal.

Since it was like this the whole way, the two could not help but have doubts arise. Was this luck a bit too good?

Moreover, Liu Shushan soon discovered that the direction they were darting toward was the direction of the Prefecture City Dungeon. Looking at the flickering back of Duan Rong not far ahead, he could not help but feel waves of chill rising in his heart.

Ever since he had known Duan Rong, the longer the time passed, the more he felt he could not understand this person. Especially this afternoon, the moment he learned that the Spring Palace Painting of the "Light of Humanity" had come from Duan Rong's hand, he felt as if his entire being had shattered into pieces.

Duan Rong led the two of them and suddenly darted into a residential alley, then his figure flickered through the crisscrossing alleys.

It was late at night, and since it was the beginning of the lunar month, the stars and moon were dim. Every time Duan Rong turned a corner, he would cough lightly to indicate his position to the two behind him.

Otherwise, even at such a close distance, in this pitch-black night, the two might still have lost him.

Duan Rong suddenly stopped in front of a private residence.

Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan turned the corner of the alley and saw a figure standing there in the darkness.

The two executed their movement techniques and stood beside Duan Rong.

Duan Rong said in a low voice, "It's here, follow me in."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, his figure floated up, vaulted over the wall, and landed in the courtyard where weeds were sparse.

Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan also landed behind him.

Duan Rong led the two to the door of the main room, gave it a light push, and the door opened on its own; the three stepped inside.

In the darkness, one could not see one's own fingers. However, after the three adapted for a while, they could still barely distinguish objects.

Ximen Kankan said, "Why are we here?"

Duan Rong said, "Your task is to help me move dirt."

"Move dirt?"

As Duan Rong spoke, he handed the baskets in his hands to the two.

Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan each took a basket and a short-handled iron shovel.

Duan Rong said, "The dirt moved out should be piled in this main room and the two inner rooms next to it; absolutely do not pile it in the courtyard."

The reason Duan Rong chose this private residence was that the rooms were spacious and had enough space to pile up the dirt. If the dirt were piled in the courtyard, there would be a risk of exposure.

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he gripped a short-handled iron shovel, infused his arm with True Qi, and suddenly took a shovel to the center of the main room's floor.

With one shovel down, it was like slicing tofu, and a large piece of the earthen floor was shaved off.

Duan Rong's gaze was focused, and shovel after shovel, he dug downward.

At this moment, Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan already understood that Duan Rong intended to dig a tunnel.

In the darkness, Liu Shushan's eyes flickered.

Although this place was not too far from the Prefecture City Dungeon, that referred to the distance on foot; if one were to dig a tunnel, this distance would be far too long.

Over such a long distance, underground, how could one judge the direction and position?

Who could guarantee he wouldn't dig off-course?

Taking a step back, even if you really could avoid digging off-course and managed to dig into the dungeon, how could you be sure you wouldn't dig yourself into the dungeon's bunker?

In Liu Shushan's view, this method had no value in implementation.

If the method Duan Rong mentioned before was this one, he would be truly greatly disappointed.

Liu Shushan weighed his words and still asked, "Brother Duan, are you planning to dig a tunnel into the dungeon? Isn't this a bit unreasonable?"

Actually, Ximen Kankan had the same thought, but Duan Rong had been so miraculous when solving cases before that he did not dare to question Duan Rong for a moment.

Duan Rong stopped swinging his shovel and said, "Shushan, don't worry, I know what I am doing."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he continued to dig.

Although Liu Shushan was still hesitant, Ximen Kankan had already started helping Duan Rong move the waste dirt; he chose to trust Duan Rong.

Seeing that Ximen Kankan had already started moving, Liu Shushan sighed and also began to work.

At dusk, in a study in the Back Courtyard of the Prefecture Government Office.

Chen Xun leaned against a grand armchair covered with animal skin. He had been tired for a day and was sitting there dozing off for a while to recuperate his spirit.

Just then, a knocking sound came from the door.

Chen Xun's body moved slightly, he sighed, and said, "Come in!"

The door opened, and Li Hong flashed inside. He looked at Chen Xun with a cautious gaze; he also knew that Chen Xun would rest for a while at this time, and if it weren't for an important situation, he would not dare to disturb him at this moment.

Chen Xun looked at Li Hong and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"

Li Hong said, "My Lord, has Shen Mizhi gone back to handle cases again?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xun's originally lazy body sat up straight immediately. "Is the news accurate? When did this happen?"

Li Hong said: "The people from the Ya Men over there just sent word. They arrived at the post station last night and went to the Ya Men to report for duty early this morning."

Chen Xun rubbed the smooth armrest of the grand master chair, muttering: "There is a problem. There is definitely a problem."

Chen Xun raised his eyes, looked at Li Hong, and said: "What do you think of this matter?"

"This subordinate cannot be sure for the moment. Her father is locked in the Dungeon and could be executed at any time, yet she still has the heart to handle other cases. This is somewhat contrary to human ethics!?" Li Hong said with a thoughtful look: "Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless the relationship between father and daughter was never good to begin with. Shen Yanliu is obsessed with power, and Ma Chunmin is a stepmother; such a family, perhaps... perhaps..."

Chen Xun said: "Is there any way to look into the relationship between the father and daughter?"

Li Hong said: "When Shen Fu was raided, a group of maidservants, manservants, and guards were captured. I remember one maidservant who seems to be Shen Mizhi's personal maid, who grew up with Shen Mizhi from a young age. She should know something about the situation."

"Go and check." Chen Xun's expression was grave. "I want detailed information."

"Yes, sir." Li Hong stood up and exited the study.

Chen Xun took a sip of the ginseng tea on the side table, a trace of irritation rising in his heart; he hated the feeling of things slipping out of his control.

He had experienced this many times; behind any subtle sign of things slipping out of control, there might be a huge crisis lurking.

Just like bubbles suddenly rising on the surface of a swamp, that might be a lurking giant beast, breathing...

(End of this chapter)