Chapter 472: Why Is It So

Duan Rong gave a slight nod and said, "Lord Wang, Lord Chen, the two of you may take your leave and attend to your respective duties. Lord Zhu, stay behind; I still have words for you."

Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng immediately cupped their hands, bowed, and departed.

Zhu Zhengfu sat alone by Duan Rong's side, waiting for Duan Rong to speak.

Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng were not surprised that Duan Rong had kept Zhu Zhengfu behind alone; after all, Duan Rong was the personal disciple of Zhu He, while Zhu Zhengfu was Zhu He's direct descendant in the secular world. With such a major event having occurred, Duan Rong naturally had confidential matters to instruct Zhu Zhengfu to carry out in person.

As Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng walked out the main gate of Taihe Tower, the two looked at the booklets in their hands and wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads. They had no choice but to do their utmost to carry out the tasks Duan Rong had assigned them, not daring to show the slightest slack. Although Duan Rong had handed these booklets to them, who knew if there were other copies?

And was this the only booklet containing their incriminating evidence?

Thinking of Ge Rusong, the mastermind behind this affair, both men felt a surge of hatred in their hearts.

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu Zhengfu, who wore a faint, obsequious smile, and said, "Lord Zhu, I have two matters to entrust to you."

Zhu Zhengfu said, "Please, my Lord, give your instructions."

Duan Rong pulled a document from his sleeve, handed it to Zhu Zhengfu, and said, "This is a detailed account of the capture of the spies, including certain circumstances regarding Dali Temple and Taihe Tower. Please, Lord Zhu, send a secret dispatch to present this to my master."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhengfu respectfully accepted the document and said, "Rest assured, my Lord, I shall send it as soon as I return."

"There is one more matter," Duan Rong said, his gaze sharpening.

Zhu Zhengfu placed the document before him and sat upright to listen.

Duan Rong said, "Regarding this matter of Taihe Tower monitoring the officials and Gentry, you must have your informants spread this news throughout the streets and alleys of Shenyun Prefecture. Furthermore, you must point out that the person behind the schemes of this Taihe Tower incident is Ge Rusong, the Director of the Sect's Office of Transmission."

Zhu Zhengfu was slightly stunned upon hearing this, but immediately understood Duan Rong's intent.

This was to use public opinion in the marketplace to expand the impact of the incident and further suppress Ge Rusong and his faction.

Not only had they uprooted the core stronghold of their secular intelligence network, but they had also used this to expose their overstepping of authority in monitoring officials and controlling the court, and then taken the opportunity to let the matter ferment in the public discourse...

It was truly killing three birds with one stone, layer upon layer!

Even though Zhu Zhengfu was an old fox who had long roamed the officialdom, looking at Duan Rong now, fear rose in his heart, and a chill crept up his spine...

This young man was not of great age, so how could his methods be so meticulous and ruthless?

Seeing that Zhu Zhengfu only looked at him with a strange expression after hearing his words but did not respond, Duan Rong frowned and said, "Lord Zhu, did you understand what I said?"

Zhu Zhengfu snapped out of his daze and immediately said, "I understood. I shall go and attend to it now."

"Mm, go."

Zhu Zhengfu cupped his hands, rose, bowed, and departed.

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu Zhengfu's slightly plump back, shook his head secretly, and sighed, "This fellow is used to living in luxury; he seems a bit dim-witted."

Having dismissed everyone, Duan Rong poured himself a few cups of Qingling Tea and sipped them slowly, counting it as a moment of leisure amidst his busy schedule.

After finishing the tea, Duan Rong also rose and walked out of Taihe Tower.

As soon as he stepped out the main gate of Taihe Tower, Zhu Peng came up to him and asked, "They have all left. Am I to remain here?"

Duan Rong said, "You stay here for now. Once Wang Maochun has finished the arrangements and taken over the defense, you may get lost."

Zhu Peng said, "Then where shall I go?"

"Once he takes over, there will be nothing left for you to do. You can go wherever you like." As Duan Rong said this, he prepared to leave.

Zhu Peng suddenly quickened his pace, caught up to him, and probed, "How about we go to Yanyue Pavilion and see Miss Xueyin?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong stopped, turned back to glare at Zhu Peng, and barked, "If you want to go, go yourself. Where would I find the time?"

He really did not want to bother with Zhu Peng; with blades and swords flashing everywhere, that fellow still had the mind to think of some Miss Xueyin—it was truly senseless.

Duan Rong walked quickly through the heavy defensive perimeter of the Heavy Armored Cavalry and, along the side of Changle Street, walked back to the residence of Zhu Cheng.

When he reached the Rockery in the Back Courtyard, he saw two men guarding the entrance to the secret chamber, yawning; their eyes were as red as rabbits, filled with bloodshot veins.

These people, like him, had not slept all night and had been grinding away until now.

"My Lord!"

Seeing Duan Rong approach, the two immediately cupped their hands and said respectfully.

Although Duan Rong knew in his heart that they were exhausted, he still walked past with a cold expression, not even glancing at them, and walked down the stone steps into the space of the secret chamber.

In the dim space, the thick smell of blood lingered and would not dissipate... In the corner, a pool of thick blood floating with bits of flesh had accumulated, seemingly already congealed...

Deep in the Corridor, several distinct, shrill screams were mixed together, as if a group of ghosts were being tortured.

Duan Rong sat at the Stone Table there, looked at the Dali Temple men guarding the entrance to the Corridor, and said, "Go call Zhu Cheng here; I have something to discuss with him."

"Yes, my Lord!"

The man walked quickly into the Corridor, and within a few breaths, Zhu Cheng walked out, cupping his hands and addressing Duan Rong with a somewhat stiff expression.

Duan Rong said, "Zhu Cheng, use the standard format for Dali Temple official documents to draft a report detailing the Taihe Tower incident. Once you have drafted it, bring it to me to look over first."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cheng's eyes flickered slightly; he had been busy with interrogations all night and had not glimpsed the full picture of the Taihe Tower affair. "My Lord..."

Zhu Cheng seemed to want to say something, but Duan Rong had already pulled a document from his sleeve and said, "This is a summary I wrote. You add the information from your interrogations, supplement it as you see fit, and once you have formed the official document, bring it to me."

"Yes, my Lord!"

With Duan Rong's arrangements, Zhu Cheng no longer had any doubts. He took the document from Duan Rong's hand, turned, and strode away, exiting the secret chamber and heading toward the study in the front courtyard.

Duan Rong sat there, and the screams in the Corridor were still wailing—that was the Dali Temple men still administering torture. As he listened, he unexpectedly drifted off into a faint sleep...

He did not know how much time had passed when he was suddenly awakened by Zhu Cheng's voice. Zhu Cheng's somewhat hoarse call sounded to him in his dream like a summons drifting from an extremely distant place...

Duan Rong opened his eyes, and Zhu Cheng was already holding the document, presenting it before him.

He woke up abruptly, shifted his somewhat cramped backside on the Stone Chair, and with a flicker of his gaze, took the document Zhu Cheng held in his hands.

The document was quite thick, filled with tiny, fly-head-sized regular script, the ink just dried.

Duan Rong scanned it quickly, nodding as he read.

Zhu Cheng's thinking was meticulous and his writing style was plain and simple, unlike some civil officials who liked to drag in literary phrases and quote books at every turn—in the words of Duan Rong's past life on Blue Star, this was called "literary youth syndrome." Incurable.

Duan Rong closed the document, looked at Zhu Cheng, and said, "Well written!"

"Summarizing the news, detailing the event, and expressing it precisely. Not a single omission, not a single error." Duan Rong held the document and handed it back to Zhu Cheng.

Zhu Cheng reached out to take it and said, "My Lord, you flatter me! This subordinate is merely reporting the facts as they are."

"Time is short; writing it like this is already difficult enough," Duan Rong said. "Zhu Cheng, take this document and go to the Dali Temple to find Chen Shanmeng for his signature and seal. After he signs it, you personally take the document to the Prefecture Government Office to find Wang Maochun for a review. Tell him this document must be sent out within half an hour!"

"Yes, my lord!" After receiving the order, Zhu Cheng turned and strode away.

After Zhu Cheng left, Duan Rong also slowly stood up and walked out of the dark room.

The moment he stepped out of the Rockery, the late autumn afternoon sun dazzled his eyes.

Duan Rong glanced at the position of the sun, estimating that it was already past the Shen period of the afternoon. Having just taken a short nap in the dark room, his spirit was much better now, so he strolled out of Zhu Cheng's residence.

Duan Rong arrived at the street, walked into a somewhat dilapidated teahouse, sat down in a corner on the first floor, and ordered two plates of snacks and a pot of clear tea.

While eating the snacks, Duan Rong released his Divine Sense, completely enveloping this dilapidated two-story teahouse.

Soon, a dense stream of information flowed through his mind like running water...

Within his Divine Sense, Duan Rong picked out these information streams one by one.

Although several days had passed, everyone was still talking with great relish about the terrifying Rhinoceros Immortal and the strange and bizarre death of Li Shensi at the Autumn Hunt Sacrifice to Heaven Grand Ceremony.

Those tea drinkers talked at length, and everyone's version was different...

Duan Rong's brows furrowed slightly; only four or five tables of guests were discussing Taihe Tower, and they were merely talking about Taihe Tower being surrounded by Heavy Armored Cavalry, then guessing various bizarre reasons in a hubbub of voices.

Duan Rong was not in a hurry; it always takes time for an event to ferment in the marketplace.

He could not be too harsh on Zhu Zhengfu; asking him to spread this matter to this remote teahouse within a few hours was a bit difficult for him. Not to mention that he was only doing fixed-point monitoring.

While searching through the information stream, Duan Rong drank tea quietly. About an hour later, a person walked slowly into the teahouse. At first, Duan Rong did not pay much attention to him, only seeing him sit at a window seat on the second floor.

That seat was one of the seats Duan Rong was focusing on monitoring, because they were chatting about the Taihe Tower affair, though it was all just their own wild speculation.

As soon as that person sat down, several people greeted him with tea, and then they heard that person say: "I have already found out about the Taihe Tower affair. Do you want to hear it?"

"Do tell us," those few people urged him.

That person scanned his surroundings and lowered his voice: "Taihe Tower is an intelligence stronghold. And behind it is the Office of Transmission of the Sect..."

Sitting in the corner of the first floor, Duan Rong smiled slightly.

He did not know if this person was an eye-witness planted by Zhu Zhengfu. However, since the news had started to ferment in such a remote teahouse, it showed that Zhu Zhengfu had indeed cultivated some capable subordinates.

Duan Rong slapped a piece of broken silver on the table and got up to leave.

When he walked out of the teahouse, Duan Rong's gaze shifted; it was already dusk outside.

The late autumn sky seemed to darken exceptionally fast.

A cold wind swept up yellow leaves, flying through the desolate sky, and a sudden sense of bleakness rose in Duan Rong's heart.

He walked along the street to Zhu Zhengfu's residence. The gatekeeper carried a lantern and led him toward Zhu Zhengfu's study, while the steward had already sprinted away like an Arrow to report.

Halfway there, Zhu Zhengfu had already come to greet him and knelt down prostrate.

Duan Rong told him to rise, and the two went to the flower hall together.

By this time, the sky was pitch black. Zhu Zhengfu had the kitchen prepare a table of dishes and opened a jar of aged fine wine, and he began to eat, drink, and chat with Duan Rong.

The aged fine wine glowed with a faint green light. Duan Rong had a great capacity for liquor, so Zhu Zhengfu stood to the side, continuously pouring wine for him.

While eating, Duan Rong asked Zhu Zhengfu about many things.

Regarding the case of Li Shensi, Zhu Zhengfu told him that the Sect's Pharmacist had examined it, and Li Shensi had not been poisoned.

When Zhu Zhengfu said this piece of news, his eyes subconsciously glanced at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong had already anticipated this, so he ignored it directly.

The two chatted about many more topics. Duan Rong had been busy with the Taihe Tower affair, and he hadn't asked Zhu Zhengfu about other matters for some time. Taking advantage of this meal, he asked about everything.

After eating and drinking his fill, Duan Rong had asked everything he needed to know, so he rose to take his leave and headed toward the Separate Courtyard.

The matter had come to an end, and he prepared to have a good sleep to restore his spirit.

When Duan Rong arrived at the entrance of the Separate Courtyard, his eyebrows twisted into a knot.

He saw Chou Luan face down, collapsed on the ground beside the large bluestone. A lantern hung at the entrance of the Separate Courtyard, and the dim light shone directly on his back.

On the large bluestone, a wine jar was shattered, and the wine was wet and spilled all over.

Duan Rong's Divine Sense swept over and discovered that Chou Luan was merely unconscious, while the room was empty, and he did not see the figure of Ruyi. He squatted down and helped Chou Luan up.

Chou Luan was a Martial Artist of the True Qi Realm; although he had a hidden ailment in his lungs, it had not yet reached the point of flaring up, and since this man lived on alcohol, it was even more impossible for him to be drunk to the point of collapse.

Since he had fainted here, the only explanation was that someone had attacked him.

A wisp of True Qi from Duan Rong's fingertips extended like a thread. Using this thread of True Qi as a Silver Needle, he performed acupuncture on Chou Luan, quickly tapping several acupoints on his body, and then laid him on the large bluestone.

Duan Rong stood there, the dim yellow light of the lantern casting his face in light and shadow.

After a few breaths, Chou Luan slowly woke up.

As soon as Chou Luan woke up, he grabbed his blade and jumped up. Seeing Duan Rong standing not far away with his hands behind his back, he was slightly stunned, then immediately called out: "My lord!"

Duan Rong looked at him and asked: "Who knocked you unconscious?"

Chou Luan shook his head slightly and said: "I didn't see anyone. I just felt a gust of wind pass by, and then I fainted."

Duan Rong's eyes flickered, and he turned and walked into the room.

Chou Luan was at the True Qi Realm Fourth Layer; for him to be knocked out without even seeing the person, it was evident that the intruder's realm was far higher than his, at least the Qi Refining Realm, or perhaps even the Qi Cyclone Realm...

The mountain rain is coming, and the wind is filling the building.

By killing Li Shensi and taking down the two intelligence strongholds of Taihe Tower and the Dali Temple, he was already at the center of the eye of the storm.

Naturally, Duan Rong had not wanted to get involved in such a situation, but since he had taken Zhu He as his master, and the old man had gifted him the Yinlu Cicada for self-defense, since Zhu He wanted him to be the vanguard, he had to charge into battle for him. In reality, there was not much master-disciple affection here; fundamentally, it was just a trade of interests.

Duan Rong walked into the room, his eyes locking directly onto a purple sandalwood box on the side table.

When he had swept his Divine Sense over at the doorway, he had already seen this box.

This object was not something that originally belonged in this room.

He had known what was in the box while still outside, but he still walked over, opened the box, and stared at it.

Inside the exquisitely decorated sandalwood box were two bloody severed fingers, a little finger and a middle finger.

The fair, tender fingers, the beautiful nails, and a small pool of blood oozing from the severed ends...

Those two fingers lay there quietly, like two peeled scallion whites...

Duan Rong recognized these two fingers; just a few days ago, he had been holding this soft hand on the desk, practicing the eight strokes of the character 'Yong'.

These were Ruyi's two fingers!

Duan Rong's gaze was icy; he had long since known Ruyi's identity, and in his view, these two fingers were nothing more than a bitter-meat ruse.

Beneath those two white, tender severed fingers was a folded piece of white paper, stained with two spots of blood.

Duan Rong pulled out the white paper and unfolded it, seeing two lines of text written on it: Twenty miles outside the Southern Suburbs, in the dense forest. Let's discuss a deal; if you don't arrive before dawn, collect this woman's corpse.

Discuss a deal? Isn't this just setting a trap and waiting for me to jump into it?

Duan Rong gave a contemptuous smile and tossed the paper onto the desk.

If it were when he still didn't know Ruyi's identity, he might have hesitated, but even then, he would never have put himself in danger for Ruyi's sake.

What's more, he had long known that Ruyi was merely an eyesore planted by his side.

This bitter-meat ruse was not clever at all.

Just at this moment, Duan Rong's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He recalled one thing, or to be precise, two things.

The first thing was, since Zhu He clearly ordered him to capture spies, why did he not let him move against this line by his side? The second thing was, the secret letter that Zhu He had Lu Geng bring him contained only one word: go.

At this moment, a chill ran through Duan Rong's entire body.

Combining the two things with the scene before him, he finally understood what that old man's word 'go' meant. It meant that even knowing it was a trap, he still had to jump into it.

Why?

Why make such an arrangement?

(End of chapter)