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

Chapter 284 To Kill or Not to Kill
Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan killed people in Weiyangfang for the whole morning, and all the people were killed by them.

It was almost time for lunch, and Ximen Kankan still looked excited, but Duan Rong was already so hungry that his stomach was growling. He had only eaten a few buns in the morning.

Ximen Kankan had no choice but to accompany Duan Rong out for dinner.

"Just eat wontons?" Duan Rong was obviously very dissatisfied with Ximen Kankan's suggestion.

"That's all for lunch. I'll treat you to a drink at Babaolou in the evening."

Ximen Kankan said as he pulled Duan Rong towards the wonton stall across the street. He was still worrying about his dice, so naturally he would eat whatever was ready.

Each of them held a large bowl of hot wontons and started to eat with a piece of sesame cake.

Ximen Kankan ate faster than Duan Rong, and kept urging Duan Rong to finish after he finished eating.

Duan Rong ignored him and didn't wipe his mouth until he finished drinking the chili-dipped sesame cake with the wonton soup.

"You are just a starving ghost. You ate wontons and didn't even let go of the soup."

"You know nothing! Do you know how many families can't even afford to eat at this time of year and have to rely on wild vegetables to fill their stomachs every day..."

"You know nothing! I left some for you because the year was bad..."

As Ximen Kankan was speaking, he saw that the boss had already collected the dishes and chopsticks from their stall. There was still some soup and wonton wrappers left in Ximen Kankan's bowl. The boss was about to pour it into the泔水袋, but immediately a beggar came running over with a broken bowl, begging the boss.

The boss moved his hand and poured the remaining soup into the beggar's broken bowl.

Ximen Kankan glanced at Duan Rong and said, "See? If everyone were like you, drinking up every mouthful of soup, how could these beggars on the streets survive?"

Duan Rong was stunned by what Ximen Kankan said. The real world is often not based on logical deduction. It is a vivid scene that directly jumps into your eyes.

As they were talking, they had already crossed the street and arrived at the door of the gambling house.

At this moment, Duan Rong subconsciously turned his head. He saw Yang Zhen standing in the alley not far from the wonton stall across the street, in the bustling crowd, looking nervously towards the entrance of the gambling house. He obviously saw Duan Rong.

The moment Duan Rong turned his head, the two of them met each other's eyes across the crowd, staring at each other from afar!

Although the crowd was swaying, Duan Rong could still clearly see the astonishment and fear in Yang Zhen's eyes!
Duan Rong turned his head, but was still dragged into the gambling house by Ximen Kankan. The thick curtain at the door of the gambling house fell, isolating Yang Zhen's astonished and frightened eyes outside the door.

Duan Rong's eyes were deep. Yang Zhen's feelings towards him had obviously changed from when he knocked on the door in Liulu in the morning. Even through the crowd, he could feel the real fear.

The look Yang Zhen gave him across the street was like he was staring at a monster!

Duan Rong's mind moved, and he immediately understood what had happened. It seemed that Xie Daohan's body had been discovered. Yang Zhen's expression showed that he had seen the body before.

Duan Rong gave a bitter smile, his eyes involuntarily turning red.

Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan gambled in the gambling house for a whole day. When night fell and the lights came on, there was no one in Weiyangfang who was willing to gamble with them anymore.

Ximen Kankan was very satisfied and took Duan Rong to Babao Tower for dinner.

Ximen Kankan actually wanted to ask Jiang Qingyu to come along today, but the day of departure was approaching and Jiang Qingyu was busy saying goodbye to Lan Ying from Huaying Tower, so she had no time to hang out in the casino with Ximen Kankan.

Ximen Kankan was in the private room, ordering a lot of dishes, drinking and chatting with Duan Rong, and scolding Jiang Qingyu a lot during the conversation.

Duan Rong held the wine glass and looked at Ximen Kankan, whose face was flushed and who was still muttering and calling Jiang Qingyu a bitch. He couldn't help but smile.

As Duan Rong laughed, a tear fell from the corner of his eye.

He envied Ximen Kankan very much.

There seemed to have never been anything heavy and cruel in Ximen Kankan's life.

Ximen Yong's face flashed before Duan Rong's eyes, and Duan Rong murmured, "If I had a father like this, my life would probably be much easier."

At this moment, Duan Rong felt like a stone was pressing on his heart, making him feel depressed and irritable.

The two men had already drunk four jars of wine, and Ximen Kankan was already drunk. The beat of the night watchman's drum could be heard from the street, and from the sound, it was already midnight.

Duan Rong looked at the drunk Ximen Kankan with a cruel smile on his face.

Duan Rong held Ximen Kankan in one hand and held a remaining jar of unopened wine in the other, and walked slowly out of Babao Tower.

Shi Kang, the servant of Ximen Kankan, had already driven and was waiting there.

When Shi Kang saw Duan Rong coming out, he immediately jumped off the carriage, took Ximen Kankan from Duan Rong's hands, and helped him into the carriage. Then he looked at Duan Rong and bowed, saying, "Master Duan, please get in the carriage! I will take you back first!"

Duan Rong was promoted to a registered disciple of the sect. Even Shi Kang was not as cordial as before when he spoke to Duan Rong. Although he was respectful, he became distant after all.

Duan Rong held the wine jar and said, "No need, it's not far. I can walk back by myself. It's just right to enjoy the night breeze and sober up!"

When Shi Kang heard Duan Rong say this, he bowed and said goodbye, then drove away.

Duan Rong stood at the entrance of the alley, watching Shi Kang drive away, but he did not go. Instead, he walked along West Street towards Yuanshun Escort Agency. Seeing that there was no one around, he suddenly jumped up and ran into the darkness in the alley, holding a jar of wine.

In the dark night, Duan Rong moved left and right along the alley, his figure as fast as a ghost.

Amid the howling night wind, Duan Rong stopped at the gate of a house.

This is Yang Zhen’s home. He has been to this house countless times, and he and Yang Zhen would get drunk almost every time.

Duan Rong held the jar of wine tightly in his arms. He was planning to get drunk again with Yang Zhen today.

Duan Rong's mind moved, and his spiritual awareness suddenly spread outward, passing through the courtyard and sweeping into the room!
Yang Zhen was in the inner bedroom, but he was not asleep. There was an oil lamp lit on the cupboard next to the bed.

The dim light illuminated Yang Zhen's anxious and solemn face. He paced back and forth in the cramped bedroom.

Duan Rong withdrew his spiritual sense, but he did not knock on the door. He leaped over the wall like a big bird and landed lightly in the courtyard.

There was a dim yellow light coming from the windows of the inner room, and the door of the main hall was open. This was Yang Zhen's usual style: he never closed the door.

Duan Rong held the wine jar and walked lightly through the courtyard. His feet landed as soundlessly as a civet cat's!

Duan Rong stood at the door of the main hall. The oil lamp in the inner room cast a dim, mottled light onto his feet. The anxious footsteps of Yang Zhen coming and going in the inner room were also particularly clear in the silence.

Duan Rong stood there, paused for a few breaths, then picked up the jar of wine and walked straight into the inner room.

Yang Zhen paced back and forth in the cramped room, when suddenly he saw a dark shadow flash by the door out of the corner of his eye.

Yang Zhen turned his head in shock and saw Duan Rong standing there holding a jar of wine.

The moment Yang Zhen looked at Duan Rong, the anxiety and fear in his eyes receded like a tide, because he knew that the moment to decide his fate had come.

For many things, when they are not yet coming, you will be terrified and anxious, but when they really come, you will calm down.

Yang Zhen's eyes swept across the wine jar that Duan Rong was holding, looked at his expressionless face, and said calmly: "You are here."

"Well, I'm here." Duan Rong seemed to repeat Yang Zhen's words meaninglessly, then he smiled, raised the wine jar in his arms, and said, "I brought some wine, do you have a bowl?"

Yang Zhen took the oil lamp from the cupboard to the table in the main room, and then went to the kitchen to get two ceramic bowls.

Duan Rong pecked open the seal of the wine, and the aroma of the wine immediately filled the whole room. The thirty-year-old wine from Babaolou was truly of high quality.

Yang Zhen's eyes suddenly lit up.

Duan Rong grabbed the wine jar, filled two earthenware bowls, and handed one bowl to Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen took it, sniffed the aroma of the wine, and then gulped it down his throat. He smacked his lips, looked at Duan Rong with satisfaction, and said, "Good wine!"

The wine Duan Rong and Yang Zhen usually drank was sold in a wine shop in the alley. How could it compare to the thirty-year-old wine from Babaolou?
Duan Rong did have the money to treat Yang Zhen to such good wine, but this jar of wine was equivalent to Yang Zhen's half-year salary. How could he show off?

After Yang Zhen finished one bowl, he poured himself another. He drank three bowls in a row before he was able to get rid of his craving for alcohol. He smiled and looked at Duan Rong, saying, "Where did you get such good wine?" Duan Rong said calmly, "It's thirty years old from Babaolou."

Yang Zhen nodded and said, "It is indeed a good wine. This wine is suitable for seeing you off, not bad!"

When Duan Rong heard the word "farewell", his heart was stabbed. He looked at Yang Zhen with cold eyes and asked, "How much do you know about me?"

Yang Zhen smiled and said, "Not many. You killed Xu Ruhu and Jie Lei. You also killed Jie Tou."

Duan Rong's expression remained unchanged. "You have no evidence!"

Yang Zhen stopped smiling. "Yes! But I just know it."

The air seemed to become heavy in an instant.

After a long while, Yang Zhen said, "I'm very curious. Jie Tou was a powerful cultivator at the True Qi Realm. How did you kill him?"

Duan Rong poured a bowl of wine into his throat and remained silent.

Yang Zhen smiled, he knew Duan Rong would not tell him.

The two stopped talking and just drank.

After drinking several bowls, Yang Zhen suddenly asked, "Duan Rong, will you kill me?"

Duan Rong's body stiffened, and he uttered a word stiffly from his throat. "Yes!"

When Duan Rong uttered this word, his heart felt like it was being pressed down by a huge rock, making him feel uncomfortable.

Yang Zhen didn't say anything else, just drank.

Both of them drank very quickly, and the jar of wine was soon empty.

Yang Zhen smiled lightly, burped, and said, "Duan Rong! Since you can bring some wine, our work here won't be in vain."

Yang Zhen suddenly jumped away, drew out the sword from his waist, and said, "I've already drunk the wine! Come on!"

Duan Rong sat there without moving, glanced at Yang Zhen, and said, "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"I only have one second uncle. I have no ties to him. I don't need you for anything! Stop talking nonsense! Come on!"

Duan Rong said: "You can't beat me."

Yang Zhen said, "Crap! These are my fucking lyrics!"

Duan Rong and Yang Zhen have been inseparable since childhood, but they would occasionally have conflicts. Whenever this happened, the tall Yang Zhen would tell the thin Duan Rong that he could not beat her.

But unexpectedly, at this moment of life and death, it was Duan Rong who said this.

It seemed as if scenes from the past emerged, and the two of them actually smiled slightly in this solemn atmosphere.

At this moment, Duan Rong suddenly raised his sleeves, and a cloud of medicine powder, like white mist, scattered on Yang Zhen's face.

Yang Zhen's eyes went dark and he fell to the ground. The sword in his hand fell to his feet with a clang!
The faint smile on Duan Rong's face disappeared, replaced by an indifferent and cold expression.

No matter what, Yang Zhen must die, because only the dead can keep secrets!
However, Duan Rong really couldn't face Yang Zhen's eyes. What he feared most was the look of a dying person.

And he couldn't face Yang Zhen's dying look even more!

Duan Rong walked over, picked up Yang Zhen's dagger, and pointed it at Yang Zhen's chest, which was the position of his heart. If he stabbed it lightly, Yang Zhen would never wake up.

Duan Rong's hand trembled slightly and moved forward a little.

The tip of the knife had already pierced into Yang Zhen's body. Duan Rong could feel the piercing touch with his hand holding the handle!

But at this moment, Duan Rong felt a spasm and pain in his heart!
He didn't know whether he was in pain or his original body was in pain.

Duan Rong's hand froze there. If he stabbed in just one more inch, or maybe just half an inch, Yang Zhen would die!
He had to kill Yang Zhen. This was the decision he made after meeting Yang Zhen at the casino entrance at noon. From that moment on, a heavy weight had been weighing on his heart.

Duan Rong didn't know how long he stood there frozen, but suddenly he felt an itch on his face. Thinking a spider had fallen from the beams, he reached out to touch it.

As a result, he felt a hand full of tears.

I don't know when, he was already in tears!
Duan Rong's heart trembled, and he pulled back the knife that was stuck in Yang Zhen's chest!
He stared blankly at Yang Zhen who was lying unconscious on the ground, as if petrified, and did not move for a long time.

If memory is a person's personality, then the original body is still alive in Duan Rong's body.

Because his memory was inherited by Duan Rong.

Those little moments of my time with Yang Zhen from childhood to adulthood are so real!

At this moment, Duan Rong already understood that he could not kill Yang Zhen!

If he killed Yang Zhen, he would hate himself forever in his life!

Duan Rong threw away the sword in his hand and suddenly grabbed the unconscious Yang Zhen. He moved quickly and climbed out of the courtyard in the dark night. He turned left and right in the alleys, and his figure was as fast as a ghost.

Duan Rong carried Yang Zhen and landed in a dilapidated courtyard!

There was silence all around, the house was pitch black, and a sycamore tree outside the courtyard wall stood indifferently in the dark night!

This is the remote abandoned residence of Xie Lei. It has been abandoned since Xie Lei's death.

Duan Rong carried Yang Zhen to the dry well in the courtyard.

Duan Rong swept his spiritual sense around in the darkness, and everything became clear.

Duan Rong carried Yang Zhen and floated down from the wellhead.

The entrance to the secret passage at the bottom of the well was narrow, and Duan Rong had to use a lot of strength to drag Yang Zhen in.

Duan Rong placed Yang Zhen in the secret room where Huo Lei had originally placed Xu Ruhu.

It was spring and the secret room underground was a little damp. Duan Rong took out a fire starter from his inner pocket and blew it to light it.

Duan Rong looked at the unconscious Yang Zhen in the dim light of the tinder. Duan Rong suddenly flipped his hand, took out a pill, stuffed it into Yang Zhen's mouth, and put his hand on his chin, massaging his throat to make him swallow the pill.

This is a drug developed by the evil doctor Shen Ping that can cause people to fake death. After swallowing this drug, people will gradually enter a state of fake death within half an hour.

This state will last for five days. After five days, the effect of the drug will wear off and the person will slowly wake up.

This kind of medicine can be used to deceive people under special circumstances. But at this time, Duan Rong fed it to Yang Zhen to buy himself some time.

In five days, he had already left Xiangu County.

At that time, even if Yang Zhen knew that he was the one who killed Li Daohan, he had no evidence. How could such an absurd story convince people?
Who would dare to go to Taiyi Sect and arrest him, a registered disciple of the sect, without any evidence?
Duan Rong believed that he would be safe in five days.

Of course, absolute safety meant killing Yang Zhen! He had thought about it before, and he felt he had ten thousand reasons to kill Yang Zhen.

But he had only one reason not to kill Yang Zhen. The simplest reason was that he couldn't kill him!
Duan Rong sat in the humid underground secret room until half an hour passed. He felt Yang Zhen's pulse and breathing and found that his breathing had stopped and his pulse was no longer beating.

Duan Rong stared at Yang Zhen in a daze and said, "Yang Zhen, I didn't kill you. I don't know if what I did was right or wrong. I just don't want to live in disgust all my life. Take care!"

It is unclear whether Duan Rong was talking to Yang Zhen or to himself.

After he finished speaking, he extinguished the fire starter in his hand, went out of the dry well, climbed out of the courtyard, and returned to Liulu in the dark night.

(End of this chapter)