A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 277: Retreat into the Mountains
Duan Rong returned to Liulu, climbed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep!
The battle with Tao Rong was quite exhausting for him.

A dreamless night.

Duan Rong woke up to the sound of roosters crowing. The room was dark with only a faint cold light coming from the window. Duan Rong half-knelt and opened a corner of the window.

That cold light was not the morning light, but the cold moon setting in the west.

It was still the darkest time before dawn. In the chilly weather, a big star hung upside down in the sky above our heads.

Duan Rong felt that he had had enough sleep, so he went to the courtyard to wash up.

Then he returned to the room, opened the cupboard beside the bed, and took out the statues of the Four Great Kings.

The statues of the Four Great Kings were all hidden in the mountains and rivers. Duan Rong rolled them up, put them on a shaft, carried them on his back, and walked out of Liulu and came to the street in the dark night.

Duan Rong has already made up his mind. During the few days of the announcement, he plans to go to Wild Boar Mountain and practice in seclusion.

After achieving the third level of the Taizang Sutra, he also attempted to break through the Great Perfection of the Inner Breathing Realm. Moreover, he had to use the third level of the Taizang Sutra to try to resolve the blood light of the Filthy Blood Divine Art lurking in his spiritual sea of consciousness...

Duan Rong could imagine that after he became a registered disciple of the sect, many people would come to see him within these ten days. Those relatives who had no contact with him in the past might pop up, and all the major forces in Xiangu County would also come to make friends with him.

He entered Wild Boar Mountain to practice, firstly to practice in seclusion and solve the problems he faced, and secondly to escape from the mundane affairs.

Duan Rong first drank a big bowl of beef soup and ate two sesame cakes in the steaming beef soup shop. After eating and drinking his fill, Duan Rong got up and walked along West Street for a while, turned into an alley, and after several turns in the criss-crossing alleys, he finally walked into Wutong Alley.

Duan Rong returned to his old house.

Duan Rong stood at the gate of the courtyard, and suddenly released his spiritual sense. After making sure that there was no one around, he moved as fast as a ghost and flashed into the inner room. Once he entered the inner room, his figure suddenly flew up like a big bird and landed in the corner of the beam.

Duan Rong accurately opened the lid of the secret compartment with his spiritual sense, took out the Taizang Sutra secret book inside, and put it in his sleeve.

Duan Rong closed the secret compartment again and floated down to the ground.

With his divine sense penetrating, he carefully looked at the old house. Many places were consistent with the memories left by the original owner. It was a very wonderful feeling, like touching someone else's life...

Duan Rong was sighing. After he entered Taiyi Gate, he wondered if he would have another chance to step into this house again.
This house was probably the last connection between him and the original owner. Every time he entered this house, there were always some things that could connect him to the delicate memories left by the original owner. Only at this time could Duan Rong realize that the original owner had existed. At other times, the traces of the original owner had almost disappeared from his body...

Duan Rong walked out of Wutong Lane and went to the carriage shop to rent a horse.

He rode a chestnut horse, carrying the axle barrel on his back, and headed towards the East Gate in the dim light of day.

"Master Duan, you're leaving the city so early!" A young yamen runner greeted Duan Rong with a smile, showing his shiny white teeth.

Duan Rong was surprised that the bailiff guarding the city actually recognized him.

The official from the Selection of Talents Association also went to watch when he was not on duty. He himself came from a poor family, and he admired Duan Rong very much for someone like him who came from a poor family but became a registered disciple of the sect through his own efforts.

Duan Rong rode on his horse and said casually, "Since I have nothing to do, let's go out for a walk."

The bailiff guarding the city obviously had some admiration for Duan Rong.

He opened the city gate with a smile and stood by the gate watching Duan Rong leave the city.

Duan Rong rode out of the city and went along the official road to Wild Boar Mountain.

After breakfast in the morning, Zhao Gang brewed a pot of tea in his dormitory room and drank it slowly.

The work of a dormitory manager is quite leisurely, and the monthly salary is not bad.

He was able to get such an idle job thanks to his nephew Zhao Meng.

Zhao Gang just took a sip of tea, and the fragrant tea juice immediately made him feel refreshed.

This tea was brought to him by Zhao Meng during the Chinese New Year.

"It's really good tea!" Zhao Gang praised, and his mouth suddenly felt fragrant. "Mengzi, when your second uncle was a child, he really loved you!"

Zhao Gang was there, mumbling to himself, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice outside the door calling him.

"Zhao Gang! Zhao Gang!"

That was the voice of the concierge Ma Wentao.

Zhao Gang immediately stood up and went out to greet him with a smile, saying, "Uncle Ma, come in and have some tea to warm yourself up."

As Zhao Gang was speaking, his eyes suddenly moved. He saw that there was another person standing next to Ma Wentao. The person was wearing official uniform and was obviously a constable in the yamen.

Ma Wentao said, "Let's have tea some other time. The officer from the government office has brought a subpoena and told you to go to the government office to ask you something."

Zhao Gang was startled, and timidly looked at the constable standing beside Ma Wentao, saying, "Sir, I have always been a law-abiding citizen, and have never committed any crime!"

Yang Zhen said, "Manager Zhao, please don't misunderstand. There is a case in the government office and I need to ask Manager Zhao about some details."

As Yang Zhen spoke, he showed Zhao Gang the subpoena with the imperial seal on it.

Zhao Gang looked at the subpoena and asked, "Excuse me, sir, what case is this?"

Yang Zhen said, "You will know the answer when you get to the government office. Well, stop talking nonsense here. Our police chief Jie is still waiting in the county office!"

Zhao Gang nodded and agreed, followed Yang Zhen out of Yuanshun Escort Agency, entered the county government office, and went straight into Jie Daohan's official room.

Xie Daohan had not slept all night, and his eyes were as red as a rabbit.

Yang Zhen walked in, clasped his fists, and said, "Captain, from Yuanshun Escort Agency, the dormitory manager Zhao Gang has been brought here."

Xie Daohan raised his head and waved at Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen immediately retreated and closed the door.

Zhao Gang couldn't help but shudder when he saw Jie Daohan's appearance. He had long heard about the cruel methods this captain of police used to torture prisoners.

Xie Daohan saw Zhao Gang's fear and said, "Manager Zhao, don't panic! The case I'm investigating has nothing to do with you. I just want to find out more about the situation."

Zhao Gangjian realized that Jie Daohan's statement was consistent with Yang Zhen's, and he finally felt relieved.

Xie Daohan looked at Zhao Gang and asked directly, "Manager Zhao, I saw the report from April last year. You once came to the government office to report that two servants in the escort agency were missing."

Zhao Gang's heart skipped a beat. He didn't expect Xie Daohan was asking about this.

He had reported the disappearance of Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng to Luan Jingfu and Xiao Zongting. Later, it was Xiao Zongting who asked him to go to the government office to report the case.

However, when he came to report the case, the constable who received him had a very bad attitude. He just made a note of it and said that missing people were common. Who knows if the escort agency abused the person and forced him to run away. Zhao Gang did not argue with the constable. The constable just made a simple note and sent Zhao Gang away.

Xie Daohan would read the crime report every month. He had some impression of this report. Two servants were missing from the Yuanshun Escort Agency, and the registration did not even include the names of the missing persons. When he read it, he just glanced over it.

Zhao Gang had calmed down by now. He looked at Jie Daohan and replied, "Reporting to Captain Jie, it's not two servants. It's one servant and one apprentice escort."

"Really?" Xie Daohan asked, "What's the name of the missing person?"

Zhao Gang replied: "Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng."

Xie Daohan's face remained unchanged, but his heart was already surging. He continued to ask, "I saw that you reported the case in mid-April. Did these two people disappear at that time?"

"That's not the case. It took more than ten days from the time we discovered they were missing to the time we reported the case to the police," Zhao Gang said with a reminiscent look.

"Manager Zhao, can you recall the exact time when you discovered they were missing?" Xie Daohan asked.

"I really can't remember the exact time. After all, it's been so long. Even the time I reported the case, if Captain Jie hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have remembered it... But..."

As Zhao Gang was talking, his eyes suddenly moved, and he said, "But I remember that when I found out that the two were missing, the second young lady of the Xiao family was attending a funeral!"

When Xie Daohan heard this, he stood up from his chair.

Wasn’t it the time when Xiao Baiqiao was holding the funeral that was when Jie Lei was killed?

In front of the city gate, because of Xiao Baiqiao's funeral, he wanted to open the coffin for inspection and almost came into a fight with the escorts from Yuanshun Escort Agency!

Having worked in criminal justice for more than 20 years, Xie Daohan could immediately smell something was going on. This was definitely not a coincidence. The disappearance of Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng and the death of Xie Lei must be related in some way...

And this connection is obviously Duan Rong!

A complete story took shape in Xie Daohan's mind in an instant.

Duan Rong sold paintings on the street for ten taels per painting, and soon he made a lot of money.

These silver coins were coveted by Kong Bin, who was also short of money and had a gang background.

The Whale Tiger Gang was destroyed, and Zhou Shoushan had been in hiding for many years, so he probably didn't have much money. The two of them hit it off immediately!
This is obviously a way to make money.

Several people set up a trap to kill Duan Rong, but they didn't expect that Duan Rong's cultivation speed was so terrifying. He might have achieved the second level of Inner Breath Realm at that time. In the trap they set, he killed several people instead.

It was during this process that Duan Rong contracted the corpse-corruption poison from Zhou Shoushan.

Xie Daohan is indeed an old criminal lawyer!

After a few thoughts rolled through his mind, he had already kneaded the sand into a ball, gathering the scattered information from all over the place into one place, and connecting many details and checkpoints.

The moment Xie Daohan thought it through, he suddenly calmed down. He said in his heart: "Duan Rong, it's really you! You hid very well. If you didn't participate in the Elite Selection Meeting, I might never find you. What a pity! A mouse shouldn't run into the sun..."

Duan Rong rode his chestnut horse and galloped along the official road. By the end of the afternoon, he could already see the undulating outlines of the Wild Boar Mountain Range in the distance.

Duan Rong whipped the chestnut horse under him.

The chestnut horse felt pain, panted heavily, and ran forward even harder...

As soon as he made his move, Duan Rong led his horse to a village at the foot of the Wild Boar Mountain Range.

The chestnut horse was a little lethargic, with foam coming out of its mouth due to difficulty breathing. This meant that its lungs had been injured from running too much. However, if it could rest for several days, it would basically recover.

Duan Rong looked at the village in front of him.

This village is the village where Old Man Qin and his family live.

The village that was once massacred.

Only half a year has passed, and many people have moved into this village.

Most of these people were refugees who had lost their land and houses, but in this village, there were ready-made houses and fertile fields that had been cultivated!

The sounds of chickens, dogs, and children can be heard from time to time in the village...

The bloody scene of the village massacre in Duan Rong's mind was overwhelmed by the idyllic scene of the secular farmers before his eyes.

Duan Rong couldn't help but feel emotional.

The village is also a living thing. As long as it does not die, it will be able to recover little by little.

Duan Rong led the horse to the west end of the village. Many people passing by looked at him warily.

Duan Rong was a stranger, and he had a knife on his waist.

Swordsmen have a very bad reputation in rural villages. They are just like bandits, burning, killing and looting.

Duan Rong walked straight to the west end of the village, in front of the house where Old Man Qin's family lived. He stood in front of the fence and shouted, "Is anyone there?"

A middle-aged man came out. When he saw Duan Rong, he immediately picked up the rake leaning against the wall and said coldly, "Go look somewhere else, my hero. There is no food left at home."

Duan Rong ignored him and threw a piece of silver at his feet. "I'm going into the mountains for a few days, please help me look after the horses!"

The middle-aged man saw the piece of silver at his feet, which was worth more than two coins. He then looked at Duan Rong and found that he seemed to be wearing the clothes of a bodyguard, and there was no trace of banditry on his body!
The middle-aged man put down his rake, picked up the silver, and said with a smile, "Just do your job, I'll keep the horse well fed for you!"

It was a full two cents of silver. If it were a famine, human life would not be worth this much money.

Duan Rong handed the horse to the middle-aged man, and a cunning look flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes.

Duan Rong sighed in his heart. After all, they were refugees, not as simple as the mountain people. He said, "The horse is resting in the cowshed. Don't use it to pull things. If it doesn't recover its strength by the time I go down the mountain, I will twist your head!"

The middle-aged man seemed to have been shocked by Duan Rong's words. He smiled and said, "Don't worry! I will treat this chestnut horse as my own. I will feed it fresh grass every day and never let it do any work..."

Before the middle-aged man finished speaking, Duan Rong had already turned and left. He could see that the guy was simply trying to put him off.

Duan Rong took two steps and suddenly stopped. There was a rock the size of a human head next to the fence post, leaning against the fence post.

Duan Rong infused his inner energy and crushed the rock with one foot, cursing, "This rock is such an eyesore!"

The powdered rock particles were blown up by the mountain wind and flew onto the middle-aged man's face. For the first time, a deep fear appeared in his eyes!
At this moment, he was sure that if the horse didn't watch out, the seemingly harmless boy in front of him would crush his head with one foot just like he crushed the stone!
As soon as Duan Rong entered the Wild Boar Mountain, he moved his body and roared among the mountains!
At dusk, when the setting sun cast a hazy red veil over the valley, Duan Rong was standing on a cliff somewhere.

The mountain wind blew his hair and filled his sleeves. Duan Rong suddenly released his consciousness and swept towards the cave on the cliff. After making sure it was safe, he jumped down from the top of the cliff...

(End of this chapter)