Chapter 473: Excessive Intelligence Leads to an Early Death

Duan Rong raised his hand to touch the inside of his lapel, feeling the Yinlu Cicada he wore against his chest.

Two months before this matter, Zhu He had quietly gifted the Yinlu Cicada to him. It must have been to dispel his misgivings at this very moment.

He had originally thought Zhu He was using him as a chess piece; now it seemed he had overestimated himself. This was simply using him as bait!

As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He was currently the cicada at the very front. Fortunately, however, there was another cicada protecting him.

Duan Rong sighed helplessly; he suddenly felt a sensation akin to being a beast of burden in his past life.

For some reason, he suddenly caught a whiff of a disgusting "corporate stench" in this affair...

He knew he would not die from this; after personally testing the power of the Yinlu Cicada, he knew even better that the object could absolutely save his life.

But this feeling of being manipulated made him very uncomfortable, like the feeling of being exploited by a superior.

Yet, even with his displeasure, Duan Rong prepared to act according to Zhu He's wishes. Since the old man had laid out such a grand scheme, he couldn't very well contradict him at the final moment. It was the same principle as in the workplace: as long as you want to keep your job, you cannot contradict your superior, no matter how much you despise their way of doing things.

Duan Rong stood up, only to find Chou Luan standing at the doorway, his eyes staring blankly at the opened sandalwood box on the side table.

Chou Luan was tall, and standing there at the door, he could see the two bloody severed fingers inside the box clearly.

Duan Rong glanced at Chou Luan and said indifferently, "I am going out for a while."

As he spoke, Duan Rong prepared to step out the door.

Chou Luan suddenly cupped his hands and said, "It is my duty to protect you, sir. Sir, I will go with you."

Duan Rong stood at the doorway, paused for a moment, and turned his head to look at Chou Luan.

There was a certain sense of determination in Chou Luan's eyes.

Duan Rong said, "Chou Luan, do you know that the person I am going to meet is the one who knocked you unconscious?"

"I had guessed as much."

Duan Rong said, "Since they could knock you unconscious without the slightest effort, they could just as easily kill you without the slightest effort."

"I know this logic," Chou Luan said, his gaze showing not a hint of retreat.

Duan Rong said, "Since you know, are you still willing to go with me?"

Chou Luan said, "I am willing to die for you, sir!"

Duan Rong stared blankly at Chou Luan; in a flash, he suddenly understood Chou Luan's heart. Chou Luan felt that he was in danger and did not want him to go alone.

This was a certain kind of camaraderie between men. Usually, only men could understand it.

Seeing Duan Rong remain silent, Chou Luan said again, "My life is worthless; it is no great loss to die for you, sir."

Duan Rong suddenly reached out and grabbed Chou Luan's cupped fist, saying, "Chou Luan, no one's life is worthless. A person can die, but it must be worth dying for."

After speaking, Duan Rong patted Chou Luan on the shoulder and said, "Rest assured, I will not die, and you will not die! Guard the courtyard well and wait for my return!"

With that, Duan Rong turned and strode into the night.

Chou Luan stood there stunned; Duan Rong's words seemed to make his life, which felt like a pile of mud, suddenly burst forth with a certain light.

"A person can die, but it must be worth dying for."

Chou Luan repeated these words under his breath; his spirit, long numbed by alcohol, seemed to be reviving...

Shenyun Prefecture, in the dense forest twenty miles outside the Southern Suburbs.

In the pitch-black night, a bonfire burned deep within the dense forest.

Not far from the bonfire, a person was hanging from an arm-thick branch extending horizontally from a large tree.

The bonfire crackled and popped, with sparks flying up from time to time.

The bright red light illuminated the person hanging there, her graceful waist visible; her hands were tied tightly, and she was suspended from the branch.

That was Ruyi.

At this moment, Ruyi was already unconscious, a cloth ball stuffed in her mouth—the cloth was from the shoulder of her own garment, and her fair skin was exposed where her clothes had been torn...

Meanwhile, not far from the bonfire, two figures were hiding within the dense canopy of a large tree.

One was Pei Du, who had rushed over from Changliu Mountain, and the other was Jiang Zhe, who had received the news and come to meet Pei Du.

The two hid in the canopy, looking through the gaps in the branches toward the bonfire.

Jiang Zhe crouched on a branch and said, "Senior Brother Pei, will that brat really come?"

Pei Du smiled slightly and said, "A hundred days of grace for a single night of marriage, not to mention this little girl was already quite lovable to begin with?!"

Jiang Zhe's gaze swept over the full waist and fair skin of the woman hanging by the bonfire, and a wave of heat rose in his heart; he had to admit the woman was indeed seductive.

But no matter how seductive a woman was, she was likely not as important as his own life.

"Will he really risk coming outside the city to negotiate a deal with us for this woman?" Jiang Zhe clearly still felt uncertain.

Pei Du said, "It doesn't matter if he doesn't come!"

Jiang Zhe was slightly startled, not knowing what Pei Du meant; he turned his head to look at Pei Du in the darkness and asked in surprise, "It doesn't matter if he doesn't come?"

Pei Du said, "This is only the first step! Even if he doesn't come, this is a warning, telling him not to mess with our intelligence hubs anymore. We have already sent people to that brat's hometown. According to the information we investigated, he still has a childhood friend in his hometown named Yang Zhen, and there is also someone named Zhu Xiaoqi, who seems to be his wife's younger sister. Both of these people are very important to him. As long as we capture these two, we won't have to worry about him not complying."

Jiang Zhe said, "It's good to have a backup plan. Even if he doesn't come, this woman's affair will disrupt his rhythm."

Pei Du said, "Exactly. We need to buy some time for the backup plan."

As the two were chatting, they suddenly saw a black shadow descend from the sky like a giant bird and land beside the bonfire.

Illuminated by the firelight, it was indeed Duan Rong.

Duan Rong stood by the bonfire and raised his eyes to look at Ruyi hanging from the branch. Ruyi was already unconscious, her face covered in tear tracks, and because her hands were tied behind her back, her fair navel was exposed...

Just then, two "whoosh" sounds came from behind Duan Rong; two figures had already darted out from the nearby canopy and landed on the ground.

Duan Rong turned around and stared intently.

He actually recognized both of the people who had arrived.

One was Jiang Zhe, and the other was Pei Du.

Duan Rong laughed nonchalantly, cupped his hands, and said, "Brother Pei, Brother Jiang, I trust you have been well since we last met!"

Jiang Zhe was fine; when they were in Xiangu County, the two had already met once, so he naturally recognized Duan Rong.

Pei Du was slightly stunned; he looked at Duan Rong and asked, "Kid, do you recognize me?"

Duan Rong looked at Pei Du with a smile and said, "Brother Pei, you truly are a noble who forgets things easily!"

Pei Du rolled his eyes, but he still could not recall where he had seen Duan Rong.

Seeing that Pei Du's expression remained puzzled, Duan Rong said, "Six years ago, on the outskirts of Xiangu County, Brother Pei followed your master, Elder Lu, and arrived riding a Cloud-Feather Mad Eagle. At that time, I was so envious!"

Pei Du's eyes lit up, and he asked in surprise, "You were one of those Registered Disciples?"

Duan Rong said, "Exactly."

Pei Du could not help but click his tongue in wonder. It was just a remote, godforsaken little county; he had indeed never looked at those Registered Disciples properly. He never expected that six years later, the kid before him would actually become a personal disciple of the Sect, and during the test in the Yougu, he had been only half a step away from stepping onto the platform.

Pei Du looked at Duan Rong, sighed slightly, and said, "Kid, your background is poor. It is truly not easy to have reached this step; why don't you know how to cherish it?"

Duan Rong smiled slightly and said, "Brother Pei, I return the same words to you. Brother Pei, why don't you know how to cherish it? You two should be very clear about what the crime of plotting against a Sect personal disciple is, right? Do not throw away your bright futures here."

Jiang Zhe said, "Duan Rong, you are at death's door, yet you are still being stubborn here?! I really didn't expect that you would risk yourself for a woman. It seems that we captured Zhu Xiaoqi and Yang Zhen for nothing."

Duan Rong's heart trembled, and for the first time, a piercing chill appeared in his eyes. He stared at Jiang Zhe and asked coldly, "When did you capture Zhu Xiaoqi?"

Pei Du sneered and said, "Kid, you still have the mind to fish for information here? I think you had better look after yourself." As Pei Du spoke, he turned his head to look at Jiang Zhe and said, "Jiang Zhe, this kid has only been a personal disciple for half a year; I leave him to you! I will stand by and cover you."

Jiang Zhe said, "Senior Brother Pei, there is no need for you to take action to kill this kid. For the past half year, I have been stuck at the Origin Qi Realm Fourth Layer and unable to break through; I might as well use this kid to practice."

As Jiang Zhe spoke, with a *shing* sound, he drew a Long Sword. His Origin Qi surged, his figure flashed, and he slashed horizontally toward Duan Rong.

Not far outside the dense forest, by the side of the Official Road, there was a new temple that had been completed just a few days ago.

This temple had just been finished and did not yet have a temple keeper on duty.

However, even so, the incense table under the Shrine was still filled with various offerings.

The two Everbright Lamps were even filled with plenty of wax oil.

It was just that the deity inside the Shrine was actually a strange rhinoceros with blood-red eyes.

That's right, this was precisely the temple of the Rhinoceros Immortal.

In the pitch-black night, on the distant horizon, two black rays suddenly whistled over like meteors falling from the sky and stopped at the entrance of the temple.

"Brother Zhu, it's the middle of the night. Why must you drag me to see the temple of some Rhinoceros Immortal?" Yang Sixuan stood there, feeling quite puzzled.

Zhu He chuckled and said, "Brother Yang, this temple was only completed in the last two days. Some time ago, the rumors about this Rhinoceros Immortal were making a huge stir in Shenyun Prefecture; I don't believe you, my brother, are not curious at all. Since the temple is finished, I want to come and see what this Rhinoceros Immortal actually looks like. I dragged you along to accompany me—what? Is it a grievance to you?"

"Not at all? Let's look, let's look!" Yang Sixuan sighed helplessly.

"That's more like it!" Zhu He laughed and walked into the temple with Yang Sixuan.

The two circled the Shrine and saw that it was just an ordinary rhinoceros; other than the blood-red eyes, there was nothing special about it.

A look of contemplation appeared in Yang Sixuan's eyes. When the incident of Li Shensi's strange death occurred, there were hundreds and thousands of commoners surrounding the Heavenly Altar who witnessed the entire process with their own eyes. In other words, the Rhinoceros Immortal worshipped in this temple was the image of the Rhinoceros Immortal that the commoners saw at that time...

If that were the case...

Yang Sixuan was deep in thought when he suddenly heard Zhu He, who was standing at the temple door, say, "Brother Yang, there seems to be a situation in the dense forest over there."

Yang Sixuan walked out slowly, raised his eyes to look, and asked, "What situation?"

Zhu He said, "It seems to be a few juniors. Let's go over and take a look."

Seeing Jiang Zhe's Long Sword pressing in, Duan Rong's figure swayed, and he retreated rapidly to dodge. He reached to his waist with his right hand and grabbed the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade.

The moment Duan Rong retreated, Jiang Zhe's heart tightened. "So fast!"

Pei Du's pupils also shrank slightly. Duan Rong had actually already achieved the Origin Qi Realm Fourth Layer. How long had it been since he became an Inner Sect Disciple!?

Blade and sword crossed, Origin Qi surged, and the figures of the two were as fast as ghosts, flickering beside the bonfire.

Pei Du was surprised; Duan Rong was actually faintly suppressing Jiang Zhe.

Although they were both at the Origin Qi Realm Fourth Layer, how could Jiang Zhe be a match for Duan Rong?

While Duan Rong tangled with Jiang Zhe, thoughts rolled through his mind like a tide.

In fact, killing the two people before him was not difficult for him.

He knew that Pei Du was at the Qi Cyclone Realm, but if he used his "Firefly" technique, he could control both of them instantly. Even if Pei Du used his Qi Cyclone for protection, if Duan Rong used his Intent Blade Glow, he could still kill him.

However, he could not do that.

Because he knew clearly that he was not truly in danger; this was just a play that Zhu He wanted him to perform.

He was merely a lure.

What he needed to do was control the situation and wait for Zhu He's backup plan to appear.

Although he did not yet know what Zhu He's backup plan was, he knew that this old man definitely had one; otherwise, why would he have him perform this play?

Therefore, Duan Rong had already thought of a strategy: grind them down slowly. When it truly came to a life-or-death moment, he would directly use the Yinlu Cicada.

"Firefly" absolutely could not be used lightly. That fellow Zhu He might be nearby; if he used "Firefly," wouldn't that expose the matter of the Womb Treasury Sutra?

Jiang Zhe and Duan Rong fought for several breaths and had already exchanged more than ten moves, yet they remained evenly matched.

"Jiang Zhe, step back!" Pei Du suddenly shouted.

Jiang Zhe retreated rapidly and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He looked at Duan Rong with some fear in his eyes. It had only been half a year, and this kid had already cultivated to this degree; if given time, wouldn't that be terrifying?

The moment Jiang Zhe retreated, Pei Du attacked with his blade. The Blade Shadow was as fast as a ghost, slashing down toward Duan Rong's head.

But there was no Blade Radiance flashing on Pei Du's blade edge, because in his view, to kill a Martial Artist of the Origin Qi Realm, why would he need to use Artistic Conception!

With his thick and pure Qi Cyclone Realm Origin Qi, he could cut Duan Rong down with a single blade!

The moment Pei Du's horizontal blade slashed down, inside Duan Rong's Spirit Sea, the gray figure sitting cross-legged in the void had the Blade Shadow at its brow suddenly brighten. At the same time, Blade Radiance suddenly erupted from the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade in Duan Rong's hand!

Duan Rong let out a loud shout and slashed toward Pei Du's horizontal blade!

"Boom!"

The moment the weapons crossed, the figures of both men retreated simultaneously.

Pei Du retreated a step and a half, while Duan Rong retreated seven or eight steps before he could barely steady his figure. A line of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. At that moment, he had exerted all his strength, which had shaken his internal organs.

Pei Du felt cold all over, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He stared in astonishment at the edge of the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade in Duan Rong's hand!

"That is... Blade Radiance!?"

"Artistic Conception!?"

"How is this possible!?"

What shocked Pei Du was not only that Duan Rong had comprehended an Artistic Conception while still in the Qi Refining Realm, but that the Blade Radiance manifested by that Artistic Conception was actually a few shades more solid than the one he had comprehended himself.

After Duan Rong obtained the Black Fire Lotus, he achieved the twelfth layer of the Womb Treasury Sutra, and subsequently went to the place where weapons were selected to devour a wave of Spirit Tools; the Artistic Conception he now mastered was already close to the Qi Cyclone Realm Second Layer, so naturally, in terms of Artistic Conception, he was stronger than Pei Du, who had just advanced to the Qi Cyclone Realm.

Pei Du's eyes were fierce and his killing intent was surging as he looked at Duan Rong and said, "To have already comprehended an Artistic Conception while still in the Qi Refining Realm. No wonder Elder Ge and the others want to kill you!? Kid, don't you know that excessive intelligence leads to an early death?"

As Pei Du spoke, his thoughts stirred, and Blade Radiance flashed upon the edge of his blade.

Watching the seemingly solid killing intent in Pei Du's eyes and the Blade Radiance on the blade in his hand, Duan Rong's vigilance rose sharply; he had already used all his strength to block Pei Du's previous strike, and he would certainly be unable to withstand the next one.

Duan Rong's thoughts stirred, and he was already in mental communion with the Yinlu Cicada at his chest. The moment Pei Du attacked, he would activate the Yinlu Cicada.

But just at this moment, another voice suddenly rang out from the dense forest beside them.

"You just said, who was it that wanted to kill Duan Rong?"

When the voice rang out, both Pei Du and Jiang Zhe felt a tremor in their hearts, while Duan Rong slowly let out a breath, then saw Zhu He walk slowly out from behind a large tree nearby, looking at Duan Rong with a warm smile.

(End of this chapter)