Chapter 92: Tracking

At this time, it was nearly dusk. Duan Rong first went to the street and headed to a clothing store to pick out a set of loose, dark cyan coarse cloth garments for himself.

Along the way, he also bought a dark-colored headscarf and a pair of black satin-faced tube cloth boots.

These tube cloth boots were very similar in style to the cloth boots worn by the Constables to match their official uniforms, and Duan Rong had chosen them specifically.

Next, Duan Rong went to the Weapon Shop to replace the scabbard of his Ox-Tail Saber with a dark cyan one.

Afterward, he went to a general store and bought a dark red mask, the kind only used during sacrificial ceremonies!

Duan Rong returned to his dormitory, first using ink to paint the dark red mask black, and left it to dry by the side of his bed.

Then Duan Rong put the prepared items into a bundle, walked out of the Yuanshun Escort Agency, and returned to his own dilapidated house!

As soon as Duan Rong entered the room, he took off his brown short-jacket and changed into the dark cyan coarse cloth garments!

He then swapped the scabbard of his Ox-Tail Saber; the color of this new scabbard was very close to that of his clothes, and without looking closely, one could not tell at all that Duan Rong was carrying a saber.

Duan Rong put on the tube cloth boots and tucked the mask and headscarf into the inner pocket of his loose chest flap.

As twilight descended, Duan Rong seemed like a changed person as he walked out of the quiet alley where his courtyard was located.

Duan Rong walked along the street, feigning leisure; although the string in his heart was taut, his movements showed not a hint of tension.

Duan Rong arrived at the second floor of a restaurant and took a seat at a table by the window.

For the past two days, people had been in a state of panic, and the restaurant's business had suffered; although it was already mealtime, there were only a few scattered people on the second floor.

The waiter of this restaurant was not as busy as usual; seeing Duan Rong sit down, he walked over and asked with a smile, "Sir, what would you like to order?"

"A pot of strong tea, a dish of peanuts, a plate of braised beef, and two steamed buns," Duan Rong said in a flat tone, his eyes fixed on the window.

"Coming right up, sir, please wait a moment!" The waiter turned to go downstairs to prepare the dishes, but he felt a little strange as he turned; it was already evening, and to still want strong tea—this person must not want to sleep, right?

The reason Duan Rong chose this restaurant was that it happened to be located on West Street, right between the County Government Office and the Dungeon.

From this position, looking down from the window, one could see the entrances to both the County Government Office and the Dungeon.

None of the things Duan Rong ordered were hot dishes, so the waiter soon brought the food on a tray and placed it in front of Duan Rong. "Sir, your order is complete, please enjoy!"

Duan Rong poured himself a bowl of pitch-black strong tea and, suppressing the bitterness, gulped it down his throat.

His gaze never left the street below for a moment, constantly sweeping over the entrances to the County Government Office and the Dungeon.

The two-day and one-night city-wide manhunt had ended!

The carpet-style search had yielded no results, and even now, it was still unclear who had abducted Xu Ruhu; there were not even any suspicious targets.

Shen Yanliu had returned to Xiangu County around the time of the Monkey (3 PM to 5 PM).

On the way back, he had already received the news that Xu Ruhu had been abducted from prison.

Upon returning to the County Government Office and hearing that the two-day and one-night city-wide manhunt had yielded no results, he was immediately furious and scolded Xie Daohan bloody-headed on the spot!

Fan Yuanhai just smiled faintly on the side, looking as if it had nothing to do with him. Although he had come for Xu Ruhu's case, the man had been abducted before he even arrived, so the responsibility lay entirely with the Xiangu County Office and had nothing to do with him.

Shen Yanliu immediately ordered the Clerks and attendants of the County Government Office to organize the main personnel in charge and held a meeting overnight to discuss the next plan for solving the case!

Although Yang Zhen was injured, he was also invited over; after all, he was a party involved and had personally fought with the prison breakers!

Xie Lei, as the person mainly responsible for guarding Xu Ruhu and one of the people in charge of the city-wide manhunt, naturally had to attend the meeting as well.

This meeting lasted until nearly the hour of the Rat (11 PM to 1 AM).

The watchman's drum had already been struck several times!

That restaurant had long since closed for the night!

Duan Rong had no choice but to leave; he hid in the shadows of an alley, continuing to watch the entrances of the County Government Office and the Dungeon.

Although he had drunk a large pot of strong tea, Duan Rong still yawned repeatedly when his usual bedtime arrived.

Just then, there was a commotion at the entrance of the County Government Office, and figures flickered in the lamplight.

Duan Rong stood sideways in the shadows of the alley, staring intently at the entrance of the County Government Office.

A group of people scattered, some yawning and others cursing!

Duan Rong also saw Yang Zhen; Yang Zhen was injured and did not use a crutch, just dragging one foot as he headed west...

During the two-day and one-night massive manhunt, the Constables and yamen runners had not rested for a single moment, and by now, their eyes were already black with exhaustion!

Even if there were a plan for the next step, they would have to go back and sleep before doing anything; furthermore, after several hours of meetings, there was no agreed-upon plan of action at all—it had just been Shen Yanliu cursing the whole time!

Everyone felt that this case was eerie, and slowly, some rumors began to spread...

Hiding in the shadows, Duan Rong kept his eyes fixed on one person in the crowd, not daring to relax in the slightest!

Xie Lei greeted a few people at the entrance of the County Government Office and even patted Yang Zhen on the shoulder before leaving toward the east; he walked for a distance and then turned into an alley.

In the shadows of the alley entrance, Duan Rong immediately took out the headscarf and put it on his head, then put on the mask; in an instant, he merged with the night!

He executed the Cloud Snake Step and tracked in the direction of Xie Lei...

It was now midnight, and there was no one around; everything was pitch black and silent.

Duan Rong only needed to listen to the footsteps to avoid losing him; he stood against the wall in the darkness, identifying Xie Lei's back by the dim light of the stars and moon.

Duan Rong watched as Xie Lei entered a courtyard.

That courtyard was in a small alley and was quite remote!

"Head Constable Xie's own nephew actually lives in such a remote, dilapidated courtyard. If anyone said you had no secrets, I'm afraid no one would believe it!"

Duan Rong stood in the shadows of the alley entrance and thought to himself.

After Xie Lei had entered the courtyard for a few moments, Duan Rong's figure flickered, stepping without a sound, and like a ghost, he stopped beside a parasol tree outside a corner of Xie Lei's courtyard.

The parasol tree was quite tall with lush branches and leaves, and beneath the tree sat a large bluestone with its edges worn away, which seemed to be a place where the nearby neighbors usually came to cool off.

Duan Rong tapped his toes on the bluestone and, like a wild cat, climbed up along the trunk; Duan Rong stood at the intersection of the branches and looked at Xie Lei's courtyard through the gaps in the foliage.

The lush branches and leaves of the parasol tree made his figure, which was already almost merged with the night, even more concealed.

Duan Rong's eyes looked toward the courtyard through the eye holes of the mask.

Under the dim starlight and moonlight, one could see that the courtyard was very clean, with almost no clutter placed about.

There were three blue-brick tiled rooms—a main hall and two inner rooms on the east and west—facing south.

On the east side are two side rooms, which should be the utility room and the kitchen.

At this moment, the main room is pitch black with no lamplight, but on the window paper of the Inner Room on the east side, there is a patch of yellow brightness, and a human silhouette is cast upon the window paper.

No one is speaking, and there are no other sounds.

"Could it be that this person lives alone?" Duan Rong thinks to himself, "It's one thing for losers like Yang Zhen and me to live alone. How could a guy like you also live alone? Don't you hire a servant to do the chores? Or do you have too many secrets and are afraid of word getting out?"

Just at this moment, the silhouette on the window paper flashes, and Xie Lei walks out of the main room, standing in the courtyard, and his gaze is actually staring straight at the phoenix tree where Duan Rong is hiding!

Duan Rong's heart skips a beat, and his muscles suddenly tense up. "Have I been exposed?"

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(End of this chapter)