Chapter 474: Stars Beside the Moon

Behind Zhu He, Yang Sixuan also walked out with an ashen face.

Yang Sixuan's expression was ugly, not because he loathed Pei Du and Jiang Zhe for besieging a fellow sect member, but because the moment he saw what was happening in the forest, he knew he had been played by Zhu He.

This crafty old man, he wasn't bringing him to see some temple of the Rhinoceros Immortal at all; he was clearly using him as a blade! And he wanted him, the Chief of the Ruling Sect Justice Division, to witness with his own eyes Pei Du and Jiang Zhe besieging a fellow sect member, and to hear them say the name Ge Rusong with his own ears.

This was borrowing a knife to kill!

What depressed Yang Sixuan the most was that this was an open conspiracy!

Even if he knew he had been set up by Zhu He, he could not sit idly by. Duty-bound, he had always acted impartially, not to mention this was a major case of unauthorized killing of a sect's direct disciple.

Since he had seen it, how could he not intervene?!

Pei Du and Jiang Zhe watched as Zhu He and Yang Sixuan walked slowly out from behind a large tree nearby; in that instant, countless thoughts surged and rolled in their hearts...

Besieging a sect's direct disciple was a capital crime!

Even if they were acting under orders, the lightest punishment would be to have their dantian crippled, becoming useless people. Like trash, they would just end their remaining days in some corner of the secular world.

Both of their faces turned pale, especially with Yang Sixuan, Chief of the Ruling Sect Justice Division, on the scene; they didn't even have a chance to quibble.

Jiang Zhe's face was even as white as paper, and cold sweat had already broken out on his forehead.

Pei Du was also terrified and hollow inside, but he still braced himself, gave a miserable smile, and said, "Greetings, Senior Uncle Zhu, Senior Uncle Yang! We arranged to meet Disciple Duan here to spar; we have no ill intentions."

Zhu He chuckled, glanced at Pei Du, and said, "Is that so?"

Pei Du forced himself to stay calm and said, "Exactly!"

"Pei Du!" Zhu He laughed. "You, a Martial Artist in the Qi Cyclone Realm, are looking for Duan Rong, who is in the Qi Refining Realm, to spar. Are you afraid he won't die fast enough? Look at how you've beaten my little disciple, his mouth is bleeding. If I had come out even a step later, I fear he would have died tragically under your blade."

When Zhu He said this, Duan Rong really wanted to punch that old face of his.

"This..." Pei Du's face froze, and he was speechless for a moment. Zhu He was right; he was a Martial Artist in the Qi Cyclone Realm, what kind of sparring was he doing with Duan Rong? Although Duan Rong had grasped Artistic Conception while in the Qi Refining Realm, his internal energy was ultimately too weak. He had barely received the first blade, and his internal organs were already injured; there was no way he could have received this second blade, which he had struck with all his might.

Yang Sixuan, however, suddenly said in an icy voice, "Pei Du, come with me to the Ruling Sect Justice Division to talk."

"Ah!"

Pei Du looked at Yang Sixuan in a panic, his legs unable to stop trembling slightly. He knew that once anyone entered the Ruling Sect Justice Division, no one could keep their mouth shut. Yang Sixuan had mastered a bizarre Soul Technique called the Divine Illumination Seal, specifically for interrogating criminals; no one could resist it.

Jiang Zhe was even more panicked and at a loss. He had already retreated to the side, not only keeping some distance from Pei Du but even further from Yang Sixuan and the others. At this moment, in his panic, he actually had the illusion that he could escape, so he suddenly exerted his movement technique and darted toward the back.

Just as he turned to dart away, Yang Sixuan was already standing in front of him, though no one knew when he had arrived.

Yang Sixuan stood with his hands behind his back, completely motionless, only seeing faint, bizarre spatial ripples undulating in the surrounding environment like waves.

In that instant, although Jiang Zhe was certain his body had no abnormalities and his Qi was still circulating endlessly within his meridians, his body could not move at all. He felt as if the space around him had solidified.

Yang Sixuan completely ignored Jiang Zhe, who was before him as if petrified, though Jiang Zhe's two eyeballs were still rolling around, exceptionally lively.

Yang Sixuan looked at Zhu He with an ashen face and said in an unkind tone, "Brother Zhu, since this is an official matter and I have run into it, I will naturally handle it. However, after this incident, Brother Zhu, our friendship ends here."

Upon hearing this, Zhu He just stood there expressionless.

He knew that Yang Sixuan would definitely handle this. Because he was a gentleman; as the ancients said, a gentleman can be deceived by his own principles.

The reason Zhu He could manipulate Yang Sixuan was that he knew this person was always upright and bright, handling matters without favoritism; since it was a matter that the Ruling Sect Justice Division should handle, he would definitely handle it.

Seeing the anger faintly appearing on Yang Sixuan's face, Zhu He feigned an apology: "Brother Yang, this time it is my fault."

Yang Sixuan snorted coldly and was about to take Pei Du and Jiang Zhe away, when the space floating and rippling above his head suddenly enveloped Pei Du not far away without a sound. In an instant, Pei Du felt his body had frozen there. The night wind blew past, and the nearby campfire crackled, but his hair, which should have been fluttering, remained perfectly still—it was bizarrely strange...

Duan Rong could see that Yang Sixuan was about to take Pei Du and Jiang Zhe away, so he immediately said, "Senior Uncle Yang, wait a moment!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixuan's gaze sharpened as he glared at Duan Rong and said coldly, "Disciple Duan, what other instructions do you have?"

Yang Sixuan was dissatisfied with Zhu He, and he also vented his anger on Duan Rong.

Just as Duan Rong was about to say something, Zhu He suddenly said, "Brother Yang, you go. No need to delay."

Hearing this, Duan Rong turned his head and glared at Zhu He.

Yang Sixuan's gaze swept over Zhu He and Duan Rong, and he suddenly rose into the air. At the same time, following the movement of the faint spatial ripples, Pei Du and Jiang Zhe were also lifted up together. Pei Du was still facing away from Yang Sixuan, and Jiang Zhe was still in the posture of wanting to dart away; the two of them now looked like insects fixed in amber...

Duan Rong acted as if he didn't see Yang Sixuan's bizarre Law Power; at this moment, he was just staring at Zhu He, the anger in his eyes appearing substantial.

Zhu He looked at Duan Rong, coughed, and said, "Ge Rusong did indeed send two Inner Sect Disciples registered with the Office of Transmission to Xiangu County to make arrests. But don't worry, I have already let Wu Shidao follow them; he will intercept them, bring them to Shenyun Prefecture, and hand them over to you."

The anger in Duan Rong's eyes slowly faded; he had indeed just wanted to ask about Zhu Xiaoqi and Yang Zhen.

Although Duan Rong's anger dissipated, he was still unhappy in his heart. Just now, Zhu He had appeared at the very last moment; he had almost been forced to use the Yinlu Cicada.

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu He with a look of disdain, not without sarcasm, and said, "You old man finally did something human!"

Hearing this, Zhu He almost stumbled.

"What kind of look is that? I am your master; a master for a day is a father for life. How are you talking, you brat? What do you mean 'finally did something human'? Has everything I've done before not been human?"

Duan Rong didn't pay any attention to Zhu He at all. His figure flickered like a falling leaf and he was already beside the branch where Ruyi was hanging. Qi flashed at his fingertips, and with a swipe of his figure, the rope was cut.

Duan Rong held the unconscious Ruyi and landed gracefully.

Zhu He watched Duan Rong's figure flicker, his eyes flashing.

He knew that Duan Rong had resentment in his heart because he had been manipulated.

Zhu He sighed and said, "This brat, he has a stubborn temper like a donkey."

Zhu He walked slowly toward Duan Rong.

Duan Rong untied the rope binding Ruyi's hands and then took out the cloth ball stuffed in her mouth. The red light of the nearby campfire illuminated Ruyi's face.

At this moment, it could be seen that her face, which was originally as white and tender as dough, was tinged with a faint cyan color, and her lips were even more purple-blue.

Ruyi had clearly been poisoned quite deeply.

Duan Rong frowned and sighed slightly.

Ruyi was just a tool for them, to be discarded after use.

Duan Rong flipped his hand and poured a Medicine Pill out of a Porcelain Bottle.

Zhu He stood behind Duan Rong and said indifferently, "The poison has entered the internal organs, and the heart pulse is already rotten. She cannot be saved!"

Duan Rong acted as if he hadn't heard Zhu He's words and still stuffed the Medicine Pill into Ruyi's mouth.

Duan Rong squeezed Ruyi's throat to make her swallow the Medicine Pill.

After Ruyi swallowed the Medicine Pill, she slowly regained consciousness after a few breaths.

The blue and purple hues on her face faded, and her cheeks flushed slightly, as beautiful as peach blossoms, which was very moving.

Duan Rong was well-versed in medical principles; he naturally knew that this was not a sign of the poison being dispelled, but merely that the Medicine Pill had temporarily suppressed the toxicity. At this moment, Ruyi was merely burning the last bit of luster from her life.

Ruyi opened her eyes and stared blankly at Duan Rong.

"My Lord!"

Ruyi cried out miserably and wanted to get up, but suddenly her throat tasted sweet, and a large mouthful of black blood mixed with rotting flesh was spat out.

That appearance was just like a beautiful fresh peach that had suddenly rotted in one spot.

Ruyi's body fell back down; although this woman's fate was miserable, she was, after all, a spy planted by his side, and Duan Rong found it truly difficult to feel pity for her.

Ruyi looked at Duan Rong and murmured, "My Lord, Ruyi did not intend to harm you. It is just that my brother is being held by them, and I dared not disobey their orders! My Lord, I was helpless!"

When a person is about to die, their words are good; a touch of misery flashed across Duan Rong's eyes.

He could not help but think of the Owner of Taihe Tower, Qin Ya; if it were not for important people being controlled by Ge Rusong, how could he have died so resolutely before even being interrogated!

It seemed that this was Ge Rusong's consistent method.

Duan Rong said, "Ruyi, do not speak anymore."

"No, My Lord! I must speak..." Ruyi's hand, which was missing two fingers, gripped Duan Rong tightly and said, "I say these things not because I hope for your forgiveness, My Lord. I only wish... I only wish that you, My Lord, would not loathe me..."

As Ruyi spoke, the bright red on her face faded, her complexion began to turn as pale as paper, and in an instant, her breath became as thin as a gossamer thread. "I only regret... never having served you, My Lord..."

Ruyi's lost, confused gaze remained fixed on Duan Rong's face until the very last moment.

It was just that her pupils no longer held any luster.

Duan Rong knew that Ruyi was already dead; he pried Ruyi's hand, which was gripping his own, away. Just at this moment, a folded piece of paper suddenly fell out from the torn collar of Ruyi's clothing at her shoulder.

Duan Rong's eyes moved; he picked up the paper and opened it to see that there was a character "Yong" (Eternal) written on it.

Under the reflection of the firelight, Duan Rong's expression shifted slightly; his heart felt a faint pain the moment he saw the paper.

That "Yong" character was written by him and given to Ruyi to copy. But at this time, in the bottom right corner of the "Yong" character on the paper, a small "Yuan" (Distant) character was written.

That was Ruyi's handwriting.

That small "Yuan" character cowered, like a star flickering beside the bright moon, disappearing if one was not careful.

Perhaps every young girl in love has an eternal dream in her heart. As distant as the star by the moon, as empty as the Water Moon... forever unreachable...

Duan Rong sighed slightly and loosened his hand; the paper drifted away. Whether it was intentional or a coincidence, the paper landed on the campfire, and the tongues of fire swallowed it, instantly turning it into fly ash.

Duan Rong stood up; the firelight shone on his face, but his expression was already indifferent.

Zhu He sighed slightly behind Duan Rong and said, "This girl is also miserable. She was originally the daughter of an official's family, but because her father committed a serious crime and was thrown into prison, she and her brother drifted into the pugilistic world and were captured by Ge Rusong. This woman's original name was Yan Yueru."

"Yan Yueru?" Duan Rong's heart stirred; Zhu He actually knew so much about Ruyi's background.

Zhu He said, "If you want to save her brother, you can follow the trail by your side to investigate. However, the broker who sold her to Zhu Zhengfu has already withdrawn, so you don't need to pursue that side."

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu He, and Zhu He continued, "This woman passed the intelligence she gathered through the cook that Zhu Zhengfu dug up from a large restaurant. You can follow that cook's trail to investigate and root out the person behind it; then you will be able to find this woman's brother."

Duan Rong's heart stirred; since this secret line by his side also needed to be dug up, he could incidentally save Ruyi's brother, which would count as fulfilling one of Ruyi's wishes. However, for Zhu He to actually instruct him to save Ruyi's brother, this old man was not exactly hard-hearted.

Duan Rong's thoughts churned, and he looked deeply at Zhu He.

Zhu He not only knew Ruyi's background in great detail, but he was also crystal clear about all the spies within Shenyun Prefecture, and even how Ruyi passed on information.

Ruyi had only been bought by Zhu Zhengfu from the broker a few days ago, but that cook had already been lurking at Zhu Zhengfu's place for several years. It seemed that Zhu He had long known that the cook was a spy, yet he had kept it quiet and not acted.

Duan Rong then remembered one thing: when he first entered Shenyun Prefecture, the person who accompanied him and drove his carriage was an Attendant from the Inner History Department. However, at the entrance of the inn, that Attendant suddenly left and his whereabouts were still unknown. Clearly, Zhu He had assigned him another task; as for what that task was, Duan Rong knew nothing at all.

Since Zhu He could have such a thorough grasp of the situation within Shenyun Prefecture, and even appeared in person with Yang Sixuan when Pei Du and Jiang Zhe were surrounding and killing him.

Based on all these things, Duan Rong could confirm one thing.

That was that Zhu He must also have an intelligence network laid out within Shenyun Prefecture.

This intelligence network of his was even more rigorous, deep, and hidden than Ge Rusong's.

At this moment, the red firelight shone on Zhu He's graying hair and beard, and beside his wrinkled eye corners, his deep eyes were like two bottomless ancient wells.

Duan Rong looked at Zhu He, and an inexplicable fear rose in his heart.

Duan Rong was thinking, if one day, Zhu He wanted to kill him, could he escape?

He felt that he definitely could not escape. The old man before him was like a black hole, as if all his intelligence would be swallowed by his deep, bottomless insidiousness.

Not just him, wasn't Yang Sixuan also played by him?

When one is under the eaves, how can one not bow one's head? If you can't beat them, join them; furthermore, he was originally Zhu He's disciple. Although the old man had manipulated him in the chess game, he had after all given him the Yinlu Cicada to save his life, so there was no need for him to hold a grudge against the old man.

Thinking of this, Duan Rong cupped his hands and said obediently, "Disciple will strictly follow Master's orders!"

Zhu He laughed with a cackle and said, "Kid, don't play games with me. I know you have resentment in your heart because I used you as bait this time. Don't worry, after this matter is over, I will naturally compensate you. I still have things to do; you go back and finish your business in Shenyun Prefecture..."

As Zhu He spoke, his figure dissipated, and his voice drifted in the air like a ghost.

Duan Rong stood by the campfire, not knowing how Zhu He had left. He had not even achieved the Qi Cyclone Realm yet; how could he see the Law Power of the Dongming Realm clearly?

(End of chapter)