Chapter 478: Lingzhen Taoist Temple

In the night, Duan Rong hoisted the beggar and traveled through streets and alleys, moving stealthily through the shadows everywhere.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the teahouse, more beggars arrived one after another, squeezing into the vacant spots...

Duan Rong moved stealthily the entire way, his Divine Sense fully extended, avoiding the various eyes and ears he encountered. After all, it was not yet late at night, but rather just after nightfall, and Shenyun Prefecture was a bustling place; although Duan Rong was traveling through a residential area, there were still many people encountered on the road.

Fortunately, he was alone and had only abducted a beggar; with his skills, avoiding these eyes and ears was still quite easy.

Duan Rong flashed out of an alley entrance where faint light shone from a residence. With a leap, he moved like a ghost, carrying the beggar into the canopy of a large tree at the intersection.

Just as Duan Rong leaped into the canopy, two people walked out from the shadows across the intersection: an old woman with a young man. As they walked, the old woman was lecturing the young man.

At the same time, the door of the house in the alley where faint light shone from the courtyard creaked open. A middle-aged woman stood there leaning against the door frame, watching the old and young pair walking toward the alley entrance, urging, "Hurry up... we're waiting..."

"Coming, coming!" the old woman replied, walking quickly toward the woman, and the young man behind her also quickened his pace to follow.

After the three entered the courtyard, the courtyard gate creaked and closed again. At this moment, a black shadow was seen leaping out from the nearby tree canopy, fast as a ghost, and vanishing into the darkness...

Carrying the beggar, Duan Rong crossed a high wall, avoided all eyes and ears, and arrived at the Rockery in the Back Courtyard with practiced ease.

There, two people were holding lanterns, standing guard.

Upon seeing Duan Rong, both were startled, then cupped their fists and said, "My Lord!"

Duan Rong gave a hum and asked, "Is Zhu Cheng inside?"

One of them said, "Reporting to my Lord, Lord Zhu is inside interrogating a prisoner."

Duan Rong nodded, and carrying the beggar, he walked into the dark chamber.

The secrets on this beggar were far more numerous than those of Xu Pangzi. Xu Pangzi was merely a turned mole within the Zhu residence, while this beggar should be a liaison for multiple underground lines.

Xu Pangzi only had one line on him, which he could dig out, but for this beggar, Duan Rong still decided to leave the interrogation to Zhu Cheng.

Professional matters should be left to professional people, after all.

Moreover, after the round of torture and interrogation of Xu Pangzi this morning, Duan Rong felt that interrogation was actually a more detestable task than killing.

Before coming, Duan Rong had already anticipated that Zhu Cheng would be here. Having captured sixty people, there would always be some tough nuts to crack. The mouths of these people could only be pried open slowly.

Duan Rong walked into the dark chamber, threw the beggar on the ground, looked at the person guarding the Corridor entrance, and said, "Go call Zhu Cheng out."

The man looked at the beggar on the ground, still surprised, but upon hearing Duan Rong's order, he immediately cupped his fists in response and walked into the depths of the Corridor. Only a few breaths later, Zhu Cheng walked out with a cold and stiff expression. The dim yellow light hit Zhu Cheng's face, and for that moment, his complexion was as terrifying as a corpse that had crawled out of a coffin.

Zhu Cheng walked out of the Corridor, glanced at the beggar on the ground, and cupped his fists to Duan Rong, saying, "My Lord!"

Duan Rong said, "How is the interrogation going?"

Zhu Cheng said, "There are still four or five tough ones who refuse to talk. Your subordinate is slowly grinding them down."

Zhu Cheng spoke calmly, and the word "grinding" was only slightly emphasized. But from Zhu Cheng's eyes, Duan Rong had already read how cruel and bloody the matter he spoke of was.

Duan Rong lowered his eyes slightly, glanced at the unconscious beggar on the ground, and said, "Interrogate this person as well."

A flash of doubt crossed Zhu Cheng's eyes; he did not know why Duan Rong wanted him to interrogate a beggar. This beggar was in rags, his face covered in grime, appearing to be just a common beggar from the street.

Duan Rong saw the doubt in the depths of Zhu Cheng's eyes and explained, "Before I crippled his dantian, this beggar was a Martial Artist of the True Qi Realm Third Layer."

"True Qi Realm Third Layer?" Zhu Cheng's lips moved, and a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes. A Martial Artist of the True Qi Realm Third Layer clearly could not be an ordinary beggar.

Duan Rong then briefly recounted the origin and process of the matter to Zhu Cheng. After listening, Zhu Cheng understood immediately that this beggar was likely a liaison for multiple underground lines, far more valuable than those he was currently interrogating.

"My Lord, rest assured, leave this person to your subordinate." A touch of excitement even appeared in Zhu Cheng's eyes. He grabbed the beggar's shoulder from the ground, lifted him up like a chick, and dragged him toward the depths of the Corridor.

Duan Rong watched Zhu Cheng's back disappear into the shadows of the Corridor before sitting on the Stone Chair in the dark chamber. He began to take this time to quietly deduce the many gains, losses, and errors of his recent actions...

Outside Shenyun Prefecture, thirty-some miles in the western suburbs...

In the pitch-black night, suddenly in the high sky, two black rays flashed past, like meteors in the sky...

Where the black rays passed, two black dots were seen suddenly descending onto a certain mountain peak in the desolate night.

At the summit of the Lone Peak, the night wind whistled, blowing the lapels and hair of the two men.

Chu Qiushan's burly figure was as steady and powerful as a mountain in the night. He said slowly, "Old Zhu, you brought me here. What is this all about?"

Zhu He cupped his fists and said, "Sect Master, your subordinate brought you here to watch a great play."

Chu Qiushan's eyes were gloomy. This was a lone peak with sheer cliffs, the night was desolate, and there was no one in the wilderness, only a faint, weak light emerging from the trees at the mountainside. Chu Qiushan's Divine Sense swept over it; it was a Taoist temple deep in the mountains.

Chu Qiushan sneered slightly and said, "Yellow millet dreams, buzzing flies and dogs; I have long since grown tired of watching these plays of the secular world."

Zhu He said, "Sect Master, this play is extraordinary."

Chu Qiushan glanced at Zhu He; in the darkness, Zhu He's expression was solemn, without the slightest hint of jest.

Chu Qiushan sighed softly. He was devoted to profound cultivation and had long since grown weary of secular affairs. Fifty years ago, he had agreed to take the position of Sect Master only because he had been trapped at the Dongming Realm middle stage for many years, unable to break through, and hoped to use secular trifles to grind his heart and nature, hoping to find another path to break through the obstacles.

However, fifty years had passed, and he had ultimately failed to break through the layer of paper between the Dongming Realm middle stage and late stage.

Over these years, the bitterness in Chu Qiushan's heart was something Zhu He could never understand.

Zhu He said, "Sect Master, please employ your concealment technique to hide our figures."

Chu Qiushan's eyes flickered slightly.

The fact that he needed to use a concealment technique meant that a powerful expert of the Dongming Realm would appear nearby. It seemed Zhu He had not brought him here for no reason; this matter was likely quite unusual.

In the darkness, Chu Qiushan raised his right hand and grabbed at the empty air. Then, a faint spatial ripple was seen, centered on his raised right hand, slowly rippling out like waves, enveloping this mountain top and merging into the darkness...

The figures of the two men vanished into nothingness where the ripples passed...

After their tracks were hidden, not long after, another black ray was seen coming from the sky, flashing past and landing on the mountainside where the faint light emerged.

To avoid alerting the enemy, neither of them used their Divine Sense to scan the black ray that landed on the mountainside. But such speed was clearly that of a Dongming Realm expert, and judging by the direction, it seemed to have come from Changliu Mountain.

Chu Qiushan glanced at Zhu He beside him, the light in his eyes flickering uncertainly...

Inside Shenyun Prefecture, in the dark chamber of the Rockery in the back courtyard of Zhu Cheng's residence.

Duan Rong held a sheet of white paper, on which drops of blood were splattered like winter plum blossoms.

On that white paper, seven names were written; Xu Pangzi's name was prominently among them, ranked third.

Ranked first was a person named Liang Xuesong, and behind the name was his realm: True Qi Realm Fourth Layer Great Perfection.

This was already the highest realm a Martial Artist in the secular world could reach.

"Master of Lingzhen Taoist Temple." Duan Rong looked at the identity behind Liang Xuesong's realm, his eyes flickering.

This Liang Xuesong is the beggar's superior; after receiving information every day, the beggar would sneak out of the city in the latter half of the night to deliver the news to Liang Xuesong at the Taoist temple on the outskirts of the city.

After scanning the other names on the white paper, Duan Rong handed it to Zhu Cheng, who was standing at his side, and said indifferently, "I will leave the rest to you. As for this Liang Xuesong, I will go myself."

Liang Xuesong is, after all, at the Great Perfection of the True Qi Realm; in terms of cultivation, he is a cut above Zhu Cheng.

"Yes, sir," Zhu Cheng said, cupping his hands.

Duan Rong stood up, looked at Zhu Cheng, and said, "Among these people, there are two or three who are deeply involved; you must use your own judgment regarding how to handle them."

Zhu Cheng said, "Rest assured, sir, your subordinate understands the gravity of the situation."

Duan Rong nodded and walked slowly out of the dark room. One person is a mole for Prefecture Master Wang Maochun, and another is a mole in the residence of Chen Shanmeng, Zhu Cheng's direct superior; however, Duan Rong believes that Zhu Cheng surely has a way to handle it well.

Duan Rong leaped over the high wall of the back courtyard, exited Zhu Cheng's residence, and then, in the pitch-black night, moved his body like a ghost, heading west.

Lingzhen Taoist Temple is thirty miles outside the western suburbs of Shenyun Prefecture. Duan Rong wants to take advantage of the night to go to that temple and meet Liang Xuesong.

At this time, it was already the Hour of the Bo, and the gates of Lingzhen Taoist Temple were already closed. The incense ash in the large incense burner on the plaza in front of the temple gate was also cold. Yet, inside the temple, the Everbright Lamp on the shrine's offering table was still lit...

Lingzhen Taoist Temple has very flourishing incense and is a rather efficacious place of worship in this area.

Only Liang Xuesong resides in the temple permanently; if there are religious services, mountain folk from nearby come to the temple to volunteer for a few days, and Liang Xuesong rewards them with grain and rice.

There are also some people who come to the temple to follow Liang Xuesong in serving the gods, but they often cannot endure the bitterness of the mountains, and since Liang Xuesong insists on a vegetarian diet year-round, it is not long before these people lose their resolve and sneak away.

In the late autumn mountains, the sounds of birds and insects have ceased, and the wilderness is deathly silent. A black shadow suddenly flashed out from the dense forest and landed lightly beside the incense burner in the plaza of Lingzhen Taoist Temple. It was Duan Rong, who had rushed all the way here.

Duan Rong looked at the faint light spilling from the crack in the temple gate, his eyes flickering. He lifted his gaze slightly and glanced at the desolate night and dense mountain forest behind the temple, sighing to himself, "If one wanted to raise some carrier pigeons and falcons behind this ancient mountain temple, it would be quite convenient."

That night, Zhu He had instructed him that he could learn the whereabouts of Ruyi's brother from the superior of the line involving Xu Pangzi, and this Liang Xuesong of Lingzhen Taoist Temple is clearly the final person in this secret line.

All information is gathered here before being passed on by him into the Sect.

Duan Rong stepped forward slowly, walked to the temple gate, and knocked on the door three times.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three crisp sounds rang out on the thick wooden door. The sound echoed through the quiet mountain forest.

As soon as the knocking sound rang out, a voice like a broken gong shouted from inside the temple.

"Who is it?"

"I am a pilgrim staying at a mountain folk's house nearby, and I must leave early tomorrow morning. I wanted to offer a stick of incense to the gods in the temple before I go." Duan Rong thought for a moment and told a lie.

Unexpectedly, as soon as his words fell, the temple gate creaked open a crack, and a thin, gloomy head with a goatee stretched out. After sizing Duan Rong up, he pulled open half the door and said, "Come in."

Duan Rong was slightly stunned; he had not expected that a single lie would open the mountain gate of this temple.

Duan Rong's eyes shifted, and he stepped inside.

On the offering table beneath the shrine, the row of Everbright Lamps filled with oil in bowls flickered as the temple gate opened and the mountain wind rushed in.

After Duan Rong walked in, the temple gate closed again behind him.

Duan Rong took a look at the person before him, seeing that he was wearing a loose, patched Taoist robe, and asked, "Daoist, I wonder how long you have been serving the gods here?"

The man smiled and said, "I don't remember. It has been some years."

"Guest, please wait a moment, I will get the offering incense for you." As the man spoke, he walked to a chest in the corner of the main hall, took out a pack of incense, pulled out three sticks, walked back, and handed them to Duan Rong.

Duan Rong took them and fished out a banknote, handing it to the man. The man took it and said thanks.

Duan Rong's Divine Sense had already passed through the man's dantian; he knew that the person before him was indeed Liang Xuesong. He had not made a move yet, only because he felt a bit strange.

Duan Rong's eyes flickered slightly. Holding the three sticks of incense, he walked to the offering table, lit them on the flame of the Everbright Lamp, and then inserted them into the incense burner on the table. Amidst the curling smoke, Duan Rong suddenly turned around, fixed his gaze on the person behind him, and asked, "I am visiting late at night; does the Daoist not find it strange?"

The man's expression did not change, and he said indifferently, "Coming late at night only shows greater sincerity."

"Is that so?" Duan Rong looked at the man, a look of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Duan Rong felt that the person before him had been waiting for him to arrive, which was why he had opened the temple gate and welcomed him in after he told a casual lie.

Duan Rong smiled slightly and said, "Daoist, you wouldn't happen to have been waiting for me, would you?"

Upon hearing this, the man's expression changed, but he remained calm and said, "The temple gate opens to the south to receive believers from all directions. Who is it that this poor Daoist is waiting for, other than you?"

Seeing that the man was still speaking in riddles, Duan Rong frowned slightly and was already preparing to strike. Just then, a curtain on the side of the shrine in the main hall was suddenly lifted, and a figure walked out.

Duan Rong was greatly shocked; his Divine Sense had just scanned that area, and it had been empty, with no one there. At this moment, within Duan Rong's Divine Sense, this person had walked out from nothingness.

"Xuesong, no need to keep chatting with this brat!"

The person who walked out from behind the curtain was a burly man with slightly graying temples.

Duan Rong recognized this person; he was an Elder of the Taiyi Sect and the Director of the Office of Transmission, Ge Rusong.

He had seen this person when he was apprenticed at Longyu Hall. And Ge Rusong naturally recognized Duan Rong as well.

The moment Ge Rusong walked out, the man in the Taoist robe walked behind Ge Rusong, looking at Duan Rong with gloomy eyes.

Looking at the hostile gazes of the two people before him, Duan Rong felt no fear in his heart, only a sense of disgust that made him feel nauseated.

"Damn it, I've been played by that old man Zhu He again!?"

(End of chapter)