Chapter 510: Moving a Rock Only to Drop It on One's Own Feet

Duan Rong held Xiao Yu, piercing through the ethereal, churning clouds and mist, and like a great eagle folding its wings, landed in a mountain hollow somewhere.

No sooner had his feet touched the ground than two figures leaped out from the tree canopy not far away, their forms flickering as they darted before him.

It was precisely Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi, who had been waiting there for some time.

"Xiao Yu!"

"Sister Xiao!"

Both called out to Xiao Yu as they approached. Hearing the familiar voices, Xiao Yu's face immediately lit up with joy. With Duan Rong, Shen Mizhi, and Ximen Kankan all present, she suddenly had the illusion of having returned to the past.

Duan Rong set Xiao Yu down and, looking at Ximen Kankan, said, "Kankan, take Xiao Yu and go first!"

Xiao Yu was startled and urged, "No! I'm not going anywhere! Duan Rong, we've only just managed to meet. Even if we are to be punished, we should bear it together. Why must we separate at a time like this?"

Duan Rong said, "Xiao Yu, time is too tight; I don't have time to explain to you now."

As he spoke, Duan Rong suddenly said coldly, "Kankan, take her away. If she won't go, knock her out."

Xiao Yu's face flushed with anxiety.

Ximen Kankan immediately took a fur blanket and wrapped it around Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu tried to break free, but Ximen Kankan wrapped it tighter and urged, "Let's go. If you insist on staying, you will only hinder his plan."

By this time, Duan Rong no longer looked at Xiao Yu. He walked over to Shen Mizhi, flicked his sleeve, and a cloud of Medicine Powder scattered onto Shen Mizhi's face. He then scooped up Shen Mizhi, buried her head in his chest, and suddenly leaped up, riding the wind through the clouds and departing.

Seeing Duan Rong leave, Xiao Yu felt a pain in her heart and immediately tried to break away. Ximen Kankan shouted, "If you keep struggling, I really will knock you out."

Xiao Yu watched Duan Rong holding Shen Mizhi as they disappeared into the ethereal clouds and mist. Suddenly, her expression shifted; she turned her head to look at Ximen Kankan and asked, "Why is Shen Mizhi wearing the same clothes as me?"

Ximen Kankan said, "How would I know? Duan Rong had her prepare them several days ago."

Hearing this, the sorrowful look in Xiao Yu's eyes flickered noticeably.

Ximen Kankan said, "Let's go. If you run around now and get caught, wouldn't all of Duan Rong's hard work be in vain?"

Xiao Yu had calmed down a bit by now and asked, "Where did he tell you to take me?"

Ximen Kankan laughed, "The usual place! Do you still remember that mountain peak of Shang Xiangyu's?"

Those three Qi Cyclone Realm cultivators guarding the Tower Forest had broken away from their entanglement with Fan Hongjiao and were roaring along the way. Seeing they were only a few zhang away from the mountain peak where Duan Rong had just landed, they suddenly saw Duan Rong, holding the woman he had just abducted from the Tower Forest, shoot out from not far in front of them like a sharp Arrow, piercing through the clouds and heading toward Yunfu Peak.

"Little thief! Still trying to escape!"

The three immediately turned their forms sharply and moved to intercept Duan Rong.

Shen Mizhi was buried in Duan Rong's chest. The sleeping drug had only just been scattered on her face, and she had not yet completely lost consciousness. In a half-dreaming, half-waking state, she rubbed her face. Following what she and Duan Rong had agreed upon earlier, she was still aware that she should be in Duan Rong's arms.

This was her first time being so close to Duan Rong, and she could faintly smell the scent on his body. She forced herself to stay alert, wanting the sleeping drug to take effect more slowly; she did not want to fall completely unconscious. But the Medicine Powder Duan Rong had used on her was clearly very potent. The scent on Duan Rong's body had only just rushed into her nose before she lost consciousness. However, before she fell completely unconscious, she couldn't help but mutter, "You guy who doesn't like to bathe!"

Zhao Yifu arrived from behind. As soon as he saw the three men and Duan Rong chasing each other through the misty clouds, he immediately carved an arc to flank Duan Rong.

Although Duan Rong was holding Shen Mizhi, he saw from afar that Zhao Yifu had turned into a black dot and was flanking him from a distance, so he immediately changed direction.

After circling around, Zhao Yifu found himself further and further away from them, not even touching a hair on Duan Rong, which made him howl in anger from behind.

However, although Zhao Yifu had been bypassed by Duan Rong, the three closest to him had gradually surrounded him.

These three were slightly superior to him in cultivation realm, and in terms of speed and movement techniques alone, he was inferior.

After several rounds of containment, the three forced Duan Rong onto a hillside. The three formed a pincer formation, surrounding Duan Rong in the middle.

Duan Rong stood there holding the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade, panting heavily, his forehead and the tip of his nose covered in fine sweat.

The three men were also panting slightly. They saw that the woman had already been hoisted onto Duan Rong's shoulder, held by his single arm around her waist.

The three looked at Duan Rong with vigilant eyes.

This kid's combat power had truly shocked them; even with three against one, they had let this kid break through their containment several times.

If he hadn't been somewhat exhausted and landed on this hillside, the three of them really wouldn't have been able to do anything about him for a while. And he was still carrying someone.

Duan Rong himself hadn't expected his combat power to be so fierce!

"Are they just too weak, or am I really this strong?" he couldn't help but think to himself.

The three surrounded Duan Rong, and after resting for only a moment, they exchanged glances, intending to attack again.

Duan Rong looked at the Blade Radiance and Sword Radiance flickering incessantly on the three weapons surrounding him. He suddenly threw his own weapon away, sticking it into the ground a zhang away, then spread his hands and said, "I'm not fighting! I surrender!"

"Kid, don't play any tricks!" The three didn't seem to believe Duan Rong would surrender.

Duan Rong said, "Big brothers, I've already surrendered, what tricks could I play? Look, my weapon is already thrown over there."

An old man among the three looked at Duan Rong and said, "Hand over the female disciple you abducted from the Tower Forest!"

Duan Rong's eyes flickered; only then did he remember that Shen Mizhi was still being carried on his shoulder. Having killed his way in and out three times while carrying her, he had grown accustomed to this posture and had almost forgotten.

"I actually forgot!" Duan Rong laughed and placed Shen Mizhi on a large blue rock at his side.

The old man among the three gave a look to the person closest to the blue rock.

That person held his blade horizontally in front of him, watching Duan Rong with vigilant eyes while stepping forward to check Shen Mizhi's condition.

The old man asked, "Is it the female disciple from the Tower Forest?"

The man took a close look at Shen Mizhi and said, "It should be; she looks quite familiar."

Shen Mizhi had only just left the Tower Forest, having stayed inside for nearly a full year; it was normal for those of them guarding the Tower Forest to find her familiar.

The old man looked at Duan Rong and asked, "You thief, what did you do to her?"

Duan Rong said, "She just inhaled some sleeping drug. In a few hours, she will wake up on her own."

The person beside Shen Mizhi checked her breathing and pulse, then looked up.

The old man looked at him with an inquiring gaze.

The man said, "She is indeed just unconscious! She should be fine."

Hearing this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. They had the duty of guarding the Tower Forest; if a disciple were truly abducted from the Tower Forest, they would be punished.

Earlier, when Duan Rong was holding the woman, they had seen a rough outline from afar; her clothes and stature looked the same. Now that they saw the person had been recovered, the few finally felt a little more at ease.

At this moment, Zhao Yifu landed not far away, panting for breath.

The old man glanced at Zhao Yifu with dissatisfaction and said, "Yifu, you were running around in circles like that. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought you were just out for a stroll."

Zhao Yifu's expression was somewhat ugly, but he couldn't say anything. After all, Duan Rong had broken into the Tower Forest from his side, and he had only issued the alarm after Duan Rong had abducted the person and was returning, which already gave the impression of dereliction of duty.

Zhao Yifu walked over, and the old man looked at him and asked, "Go confirm again, is that the woman?"

Zhao Yifu glanced at the woman who was unconscious on the large bluestone; he had just dashed out of the Tower Forest at that moment when Duan Rong suddenly turned around and slashed with a blade, then immediately snatched the woman and left. Honestly, he hadn't seen the woman's face clearly at the time, only vaguely feeling that she was a fair-skinned woman.

At this moment, looking at the woman unconscious on the large bluestone, it seemed to basically match the impression in his mind, so he said, "It should be her."

The old man then glared at Duan Rong and asked, "Kid, why did you go into the Tower Forest to abduct a disciple? What is your scheme?"

Duan Rong gave a hehe laugh and said, "I just saw that those female disciples were pretty, so I took one back to play with. It just so happens that you guys kept pestering me endlessly; it's really bad luck!"

The old man's expression stalled; he glanced at the unconscious female disciple on the large bluestone, not believing Duan Rong's words at all.

Another one among them suddenly cursed, "You flower-plucking thief, is your brain broken?! You came to the Tower Forest to pluck flowers? You are also a Qi Cyclone Realm cultivator; if you want to find a woman, where can't you find one in the secular world? You just had to come to the Tower Forest to find trouble for yourself. Why didn't you go to the Sect's Elder Council to abduct someone?"

When Zhao Yifu heard "Elder Council," his expression suddenly froze. He remembered something and shouted, "Are you that Duan Rong who formed a cyclone in the Elder Council a while ago and stirred up the heaven and earth origin energy?"

Zhao Yifu hadn't thought in that direction at all before, because although this matter had been the talk of the town at the time, it had since died down. Only when he suddenly heard that person mention the Elder Council did he connect Duan Rong's name with that piece of information.

The old man's expression also shifted; he too remembered Duan Rong's identity. That person who stirred up the heaven and earth origin energy was said to be the disciple of Elder Zhu He. No wonder Fan Hongjiao had appeared just now.

Once he knew Duan Rong's identity, he became even more suspicious of Duan Rong's motives.

"Kid, for the sake of one woman, you went into the Tower Forest to abduct a female disciple? Who the hell are you trying to fool?"

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. Anyway, I've already done the deed. You guys figure it out." Duan Rong sat down with a rogue-like expression and moved his somewhat stiff neck.

"Damn it!" Zhao Yifu said, "You kid are really a tough nut to crack!" Zhao Yifu rolled up his sleeves, but he didn't go up to fight Duan Rong, because he suddenly remembered that he couldn't beat Duan Rong at all.

The old man's face was gloomy; his eyes flashed as he looked at Zhao Yifu and instructed, "Yifu, you take that unconscious woman back to the Tower Forest. We will escort this kid to the Ruling Sect Justice Division to be questioned for his crimes!"

After the old man finished speaking, he walked a few steps, grabbed the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade that was stuck in the ground, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Kid, let's go. Since the deed is done, let's go to the Ruling Sect Justice Division."

The old man thought very clearly: the abducted female disciple had already been recovered, so this matter no longer had anything to do with him. As for the true motive of this kid Duan Rong, as long as it was handed over to the Ruling Sect Justice Division, Yang Sixuan and the others would naturally find out. Why should he bother with this idle concern!

Duan Rong stood up brazenly, raised his hands together, and said, "Do I not need to be tied up?"

The old man laughed, "Without a handy weapon, what advantage could you possibly gain under the three of us? Let's go! No need to tie you up!"

The old man's thinking was not wrong; Duan Rong's cultivation realm was indeed slightly inferior to theirs, and his movement speed was originally not as good as theirs. At this moment, having lost his weapon, his combat power was naturally greatly diminished.

If they knew that Duan Rong's Capture and leg techniques were equally profound in realm and enough to give them a hard time, who knows what they would think.

However, Duan Rong had no intention of escaping at all and followed them to the Ruling Sect Justice Division safely.

On this side, after the three of them escorted Duan Rong away, Zhao Yifu carried the unconscious female disciple on his back, rose with the wind, and hurried back to the Tower Forest.

Carrying Shen Mizhi on his back, Zhao Yifu landed in the Tower Forest like a large bird.

At this time, the Tower Forest was already in a state of chaos.

A female disciple being abducted from the Tower Forest could be said to be explosive big news for the incredibly dull lives of the people in the Tower Forest, and it could also be considered a rare form of entertainment. They ran around telling each other, chattering in discussion.

Several Instructors were dispatched to maintain order in the Tower Forest.

Just then, Zhao Yifu landed beside an Instructor with Shen Mizhi on his back. He put Shen Mizhi down and said in a deep voice, "The abducted female disciple has been recovered. You settle her; she is unconscious and should wake up after resting for a few hours."

"Recovered?" The Instructor looked down, but his expression changed abruptly.

"Shen Mizhi!?" "This is not the abducted female disciple!"

When Zhao Yifu saw the Instructor's reaction, his heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is it not?"

They were the ones guarding the Tower Forest; how could they be as familiar with the disciples in the Tower Forest as these Instructors?

The Instructor said, "This Shen Mizhi already achieved True Qi Realm Great Perfection more than a month ago and walked out of the Tower Forest. The female disciple who was abducted just now was Xiao Yu, not her!"

Zhao Yifu swallowed his saliva; he had already understood what the Instructor meant.

"Damn it, I was played by that kid again!?" Zhao Yifu cursed, but his expression suddenly shifted, and he said, "Terrible! The female disciple wasn't saved, and we went to the Ruling Sect Justice Division; isn't this throwing ourselves into the net? This is fearing that the Ruling Sect Justice Division won't hold them accountable!"

"Watch her well!" Zhao Yifu pointed at Shen Mizhi who was unconscious on the ground, gave the Instructor a word of instruction, and immediately took to the air, heading toward the Ruling Sect Justice Division to try to intercept Duan Rong and his group.

In the main hall of the Ruling Sect Justice Division, Yang Yi was in casual clothes, sitting on a chair, listening to the report from the old man who guarded the Tower Forest.

Yang Sixuan was busy, and daily cases were all handled by Yang Yi. If a major case was encountered, Yang Yi would naturally go to the bamboo forest to seek instructions from Yang Sixuan.

After Yang Yi finished listening to the old man's words, he looked at Duan Rong with suspicious eyes and said, "Brother Duan, is what he said true? Did you really go into the Tower Forest to abduct a female disciple to commit that illicit act?"

Duan Rong said, "True. Caught red-handed, how could it be fake?"

The old man looked at Yang Yi and said, "Manager Yang, all the disciples in the Tower Forest witnessed this matter with their own eyes. This kid is bold and reckless; he went into the Tower Forest to abduct a female disciple in public. Not only is his character corrupt, but even now, this kid still has a brazen look; it is simply shameless to the extreme!"

As the old man spoke, spit sprayed all over Duan Rong's face.

Duan Rong reached out to wipe his face, squinted at the old man with a suspicious look, and mocked, "You are also quite old. How come you get so excited when talking about this kind of thing? I reckon you haven't paid little attention to those female disciples while guarding the Tower Forest. Otherwise, what are you excited about? It's a pity you have the heart of a thief but not the guts..."

"You..." The old man was choked by Duan Rong, his face turning blue and white, unable to speak.

The others all secretly laughed; looking at the old man's reaction, it seemed his thoughts had been seen through by Duan Rong's words.

"This old man is upright and honorable..."

The old man realized and boasted for a while, but Duan Rong couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him anymore and just lowered his head to look at the ground.

Yang Yi said, "Brother Duan, this isn't our first time dealing with each other. This matter is not your style! If you have any unspeakable difficulties, feel free to say them out; the Ruling Sect Justice Division will never wrong a single person."

Following beside Yang Sixuan, Yang Yi already knew that Duan Rong had moved into the Ancestor's valley. This Duan Rong's identity was already of great significance.

Duan Rong, however, laughed and said, "Brother Yang, no need to worry. I've just been feeling stifled lately and want to stay in the Dungeon of the Ruling Sect Justice Division for two days. To freshen up!"

The muscles on the face of the old man who escorted Duan Rong twitched. This kid was arrogant beyond measure.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yi laughed heartily and said, "I, Yang Yi, can fulfill this duty of a host. If Brother Duan wants to stay, I will definitely treat you well."

"Come here!"

After Yang Yi shouted, two armored Guards holding blades entered.

Yang Yi said, "Clean up a secluded cell in the Dungeon and take Master Duan to stay in it."

"Yes!" the two said, cupping their fists. Then, one of them actually took out a chain and wanted to lock Duan Rong's hands.

Yang Yi watched his subordinate's actions, but his expression remained unmoved.

Duan Rong immediately reached out and let the iron chain lock him; he suddenly discovered that there seemed to be some strange patterns on the iron chain.

There were many types of chains in the Ruling Sect Justice Division: True Qi, origin energy, Qi Cyclone, all kinds of different ones. The chain used on Duan Rong was already the highest level.

After the chain was locked, the two Guards made a gesture of invitation and escorted Duan Rong out of the main hall.

As soon as Duan Rong left, Yang Yi brought over paper and a brush, looked at the three men including the old man, and said, "I must trouble the three of you to write down your depositions, and once you have affixed your thumbprints, you may depart."

Just at this moment, Zhao Yifu displayed his Sect Cloud Token outside the Ruling Sect Justice Division and hurried over, but the Guards in the main hall blocked Zhao Yifu at the entrance, saying that business was being discussed inside and refusing to let him enter.

At the entrance of the main hall, Zhao Yifu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

The old man was hunched over the desk writing his deposition; just as he finished writing and, before affixing his thumbprint, picked up the paper to blow on the ink, he suddenly saw Zhao Yifu at the entrance incessantly winking at him.

The old man's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself, "Why has this kid come here too?"

He had told Zhao Yifu to go back, firstly to have him take the unconscious female disciple back, and secondly because the Tower Forest could not be left without someone to guard it for long.

Seeing the look on Zhao Yifu's face, the old man knew something was clearly wrong, so he put down the paper, walked to the entrance, and with a gloomy face, asked, "Why have you run back here?"

Zhao Yifu immediately leaned in and whispered to the old man for a moment.

"What!?" The old man's expression changed drastically; he looked at Yang Yi, who was still sitting in the main hall, and for a moment felt as if he had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

(End of this chapter)