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

Chapter 363 Instigation
Li Man also told Xiao Zongting that not long after the old shopkeeper died, Ruan Fengshan used a chronic poison to poison his wife, who was also his own mother, to death.

Ruan Fengshan learned about his life experience when he was sixteen years old.

That day, the old shopkeeper went out to escort the convoy, and he went to the backyard to look for his mother. By accident, he caught his mother and his cousin doing something.

By that time, Ruan Fengshan had already learned some martial arts. He became furious and drew his knife, ready to kill the thief.

Although the man was handsome and well-read, he knew no martial arts at all and was nearly killed by Ruan Fengshan. It was only after Ruan Fengshan's mother held his legs that the man escaped.

Ruan Fengshan refused to give in and threatened to kill the man, and also to report his mother when the old shopkeeper came back from escorting the goods.

His mother had no choice but to tell him his life story.

Ruan Fengshan denied it and said his mother was talking nonsense.

His mother asked Li Man to come over, and Li Man told Ruan Fengshan that she was counting the days at that time. When his mother gave birth to him, it was a full-term birth, but Li Man personally bribed the midwife and the doctor to tell the old shopkeeper that it was a month premature. This was how the matter was concealed.

Ruan Fengshan returned from his mother's place with a gloomy face, and immediately set about finding out the doctor who helped his mother with her pregnancy and the midwife who delivered the baby.

Ruan Fengshan personally took action and after some torture, he naturally got the truth out!

He is really a bastard!
Sixteen-year-old Ruan Fengshan was not angry at that time, but fear and disgust! Since then, his temperament has changed drastically! He often has nightmares, dreaming that his father hanged him and his mother on a dry blood tree!

After hearing what Li Man said, all the doubts that had been accumulating in Xiao Zongting's heart for who knows how many years were dispelled in an instant!

Only then did he understand why those people knew their whereabouts so well and were able to ambush them in advance.

Although during the past ten years of investigation, many doubts were sometimes directed at Ruan Fengshan, and he had doubts, these doubts soon disappeared.

How could my son kill me?!

But now, the truth has been revealed. The one who planned everything was Ruan Fengshan.

"Young Master, it turns out to be you!"

Xiao Zongting immediately tied up Li Man, found a carriage, took her to a village outside the city, found an abandoned house, and tied her up inside.

Then Xiao Zongting found an honest villager in the village, gave him one or two taels of silver, handed him his pipe, and asked him to go to the county town to find Li Gu, the leader of the fifth escort team.

Li Gu was also an old man in the escort agency, and was brought up by Xiao Zongting himself. Moreover, Li Gu's brother Li Yuan was also besieged and killed that night. He was cut into pieces, and his death was horrible!

Li Gu came to the village that afternoon and met Xiao Zongting.

Xiao Zongting took Li Gu to meet Li Man and told Li Gu everything that had happened.

Li Gu's face was flushed red, his eyes were blazing with anger, he had always thought his brother died in a robbery, but he didn't expect that he died in Ruan Fengshan's scheme. He recalled the sorrow of piecing together his brother's body in the wild mountains and ridges that year, and he was immediately furious.

Li Gu immediately wanted to seek revenge on Ruan Fengshan, but was stopped by Xiao Zongting.

Xiao Zongting told him that Ruan Fengshan was already the manager of Yuanshun Escort Agency, and that this matter happened more than ten years ago, so he could not be rash in the matter and had to plan properly and act carefully.

Xiao Zongting asked Li Gu to find two trusted confidants to come here to guard Li Man. The two of them returned to the escort agency to contact their old subordinates.

Ruan Fengshan happened to be away from the escort agency these days, and when he came back, that would be the time for them to launch their attack.

Since Zhao Mu often visited the Xiao family, Xiao Zongting was also included in the list when this incident happened.

Three days later, Ruan Fengshan had just returned to the escort agency and was having dinner in the backyard.

Xiao Zongting brought a group of escorts and surrounded the backyard of the escort agency.

These escort masters all drew their swords and held torches, lighting up the entire backyard of the escort agency, making it as bright as day.

Xiao Zongting pulled Li Man, limped out of the crowd, and pushed Li Man in front of Ruan Fengshan.

Xiao Zongting's martial arts skills were completely wasted, and Ruan Fengshan was very powerful. If he wanted to take revenge, he could only rely on the help of everyone.

Xiao Zongting wanted to let Li Man confront Ruan Fengshan in front of everyone and let the truth of the blood feud from that year come to light!

The letter Xiao Zongting left for Xiao Yu only stated that he wanted to make the matter known to the world, and then it ended abruptly...

Before Xiao Zongting took action that night, he wrote this letter and gave it to Zhu Xiaoqi. He asked Zhu Xiaoqi to find a way to give the letter to Xiao Yu if he died.

Although the letter ended there, Xiao Yu could already imagine what happened next. His father was undoubtedly killed by Ruan Fengshan that night.

Xiao Yu's face was already covered with tears, and her body was trembling slightly, with a mixture of anger and sadness.

Duan Rong, who was standing next to her, was much calmer. Duan Rong looked at Yang Zhen and Zhu Xiaoqi and asked, "What happened on the night when Mr. Xiao mobilized a group of escorts to attack Ruan Fengshan?"

What Duan Rong asked about was the part that was not mentioned in the letter that Xiao Zongting left for Xiao Yu.

Yang Zhen said: "The two sides had a fight that night. Ruan Fengshan has been in business for many years, so he naturally has many trusted subordinates."

"But more importantly..." Yang Zhen paused when he said this. "Not long after the fight, many experts suddenly entered the escort agency."

"A lot of masters?" Duan Rong frowned. "Who are those masters?"

Yang Zhen said: "I don't know! Those people were all wearing night clothes and covered their faces."

Duan Rong had already vaguely guessed who those people were. Those masters were most likely from the Filthy Blood Cult.

However, after the firefight that night, these people arrived not long after. This is too fast! This doesn't make sense! There must be some barrier here.

Duan Rong was still in deep thought when Yang Zhen continued, "Not only are there those masked black-clad masters. Moreover, the yamen runners and constables from the yamen arrived almost immediately and surrounded the entire escort agency."

"That night, I was also among those who were called up. The order I received was not to let anyone leave the escort agency!"

"People from the government office are also involved?" Duan Rong was shocked!
Yang Zhen said: "Not bad!"

"It was at that time, at the entrance of the alley, that I met Zhu Xiaoqi. At that time, the four gates were blocked and the whole city was under strict control. If she ran around, she would be easily caught. I knew that you had a close relationship with the Xiao family, so I brought her here and hid her."

Xiao Yu looked at Yang Zhen with gratitude when he heard this. Duan Rong said that this person was trustworthy, and it seemed to be true.

Zhu Xiaoqi stared at Duan Rong blankly with a pair of flickering eyes. Yang Zhen had told her before that he saved her for Duan Rong's sake.

When Duan Rong heard what Yang Zhen said, he suddenly realized that the cotton-padded jacket on Zhu Xiaoqi was exactly the old winter jacket that Xiao Zongting had worn. If it weren't for Yang Zhen, Zhu Xiaoqi would have been killed if he was caught.

Duan Rong looked at Yang Zhen and said, "The Xiao family has indeed been very kind to me. Yang Zhen, I owe you this time."

"Don't!" Yang Zhen said, "We're even this time!"

Duan Rong smiled slightly and said, "It doesn't matter if you owe me or we're even. Anyway, I have no intention of paying you back."

Yang Zhen was about to say something back at Duan Rong, but Duan Rong suddenly looked at him seriously and asked, "Yang Zhen, why do you think the people in the government office got involved in this? And why did they act so quickly? They arrived at the scene not long after the fight, as if..."

Duan Rong carefully chose his words and said, "It's as if there is some secret connection between the government office and Ruan Fengshan." In fact, Duan Rong had a bigger question in his mind, but he didn't ask it.

If those masked masters were really from the Filthy Blood Sect, why did the Filthy Blood Sect and the government officials come out to help Ruan Fengshan at the same time when Xiao Zongting instigated a group of escorts to attack him?
And they obviously divided the work and coordinated with each other!

One side rushed into the escort agency and directly helped Ruan Fengshan. The other side surrounded the escort agency to prevent any fish from escaping.

No matter how Duan Rong thought about it, he couldn't guess the mystery for the time being.

Yang Zhen remained silent for a long time in response to Duan Rong's question. He was just a small detective in the government office, so how could he know such secrets?
Xiao Yu wiped the tears from her face, her eyes red, and said, "Duan Rong, let's go kill Ruan Fengshan and avenge our father!"

Duan Rong said: "Old Xiao's revenge must be avenged! But we haven't been back for three years and are completely confused. We should investigate it thoroughly before we take action!"

Xiao Yu snorted coldly and said, "You don't have to go! I can kill him alone!"

Xiao Yu said this and was about to turn around and leave.

"Xiao Yu!" Duan Rong turned around and shouted angrily, "Are you going there to seek revenge, or to die?!"

Xiao Yu said coldly: "Ruan Fengshan is at most at the first level of the True Qi Realm. How can I kill him and commit suicide?"

Duan Rong said, "Then let me ask you! Who were those experts who sneaked into the escort agency that night when Mr. Xiao attacked Ruan Fengshan? Why did the people in the government office help Ruan Fengshan that night? We didn't know all these things, but we rushed in rashly. Are you really sure that you can kill Ruan Fengshan?"

Duan Rong asked several times, causing Xiao Yu's face to be covered with tears, and she stood there motionless.

Duan Rong looked at Xiao Yu's back and understood what she was thinking. He walked over, put his arm around Xiao Yu's shoulders and said, "It's not that I don't want to take risks. But the situation in Xiangu County is becoming more and more turbulent, and the forces behind it are looming. If we take risks, and fail and die, who will be able to avenge your father?"

Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong and said, "Then, what do you think we should do?"

Duan Rong said: "Investigate first, then act. Hit the snake at its weakest point, and it will hit the target with one strike!"

In fact, there was a reason why Xiao Yu was angry.

Duan Rong has already reached the great perfection of the Qi realm, and they have the status of outer disciples. Holding the Taiyi Order, they have the power of life and death on the spot.

However, Duan Rong was very clear in his mind.

Behind Ruan Fengshan was the Filthy Blood Cult. Moreover, in the incident that night, even the government helped him, and he also coordinated with the masters of the Filthy Blood Cult. The information that was vaguely revealed made Duan Rong shocked!
There is obviously a lot behind this. If you don't figure it out, you will probably be besieged if you act rashly. And is there really no expert in the shadows?
The key point is that Duan Rong thinks it is not difficult to figure out these things. Xiao Yu may think that it will take a long time to figure out these tangled things.

But Duan Rong has the art of soul covered by spiritual consciousness! Moreover, his Taizang Sutra has achieved the eleventh level, and the range covered by spiritual consciousness is no longer the same as before.

He believed that as long as he was given time, he would be able to quickly find out all the twists and turns in this matter, as well as the hidden forces behind it.

As the saying goes, those who do not plan for the overall situation are not qualified to plan for a specific area.

Only when he has a comprehensive grasp of the situation can he make careful plans before taking action!
Duan Rong immediately instructed Yang Zhen to get him some things.

After hearing those strange things, Yang Zhen asked in surprise, "What do you want these things for?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm useful." Duan Rong said with certainty.

Seeing Duan Rong's serious expression, Yang Zhen finally realized that he was not joking, so he said, "The peach gum may be out by dawn, so go to the shop to find it."

Duan Rong sighed and said, "It's okay, just get it as soon as possible."

When Yang Zhen left, it was estimated that it was only one or two hours before dawn.

Duan Rong, Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi turned off the lights and hid in the dark room underground, trying to sleep for a while.

Xiao Yu and Duan Rong had been traveling a lot and had encountered many disasters during the day. They huddled in a corner and immediately felt extremely sleepy and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Duan Rong was half lying with his back against the wall, while Xiao Yu was resting his head on his shoulder, already fast asleep.

Zhu Xiaoqi was also fast asleep here. Maybe it was because it was late at night and the ground was cold. Although Zhu Xiaoqi was wearing Xiao Zongting's cotton coat, he kept rubbing against Duan Rong.

Duan Rong was also very tired, so he let her lean on him and fell asleep.

In the darkness, Duan Rong could clearly feel the breathing of Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi, but his hands gently embraced Xiao Yu's waist, and he dared not move as for Zhu Xiaoqi.

After sleeping for less than two hours, Duan Rong heard a rustling sound coming from the other side. He thought about it and scanned the area with his consciousness, and saw that it was Yang Zhen coming over.

Duan Rong stood up. His movement woke up Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi.

Duan Rong stood up, took out a fire starter, blew out a flame, and lit the oil lamp in the corner.

The dim light had just illuminated the dark room. Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi were still rubbing their eyes when Yang Zhen walked in carrying a bulging bag.

Duan Rong glanced at Yang Zhen and saw that his eyelids were swollen and bloodshot, and it was obvious that he had not slept all night.

Duan Rong patted Yang Zhen on the shoulder and said gratefully, "Thank you for your hard work! I'll treat you to a drink after this is over."

Yang Zhen said: "As long as you are still alive."

Duan Rong said: "You are cursing me. Can't you just hope for me a little bit?"

Yang Zhen rolled his eyes at him and said, "I'm just reminding you to be careful. Can't you tell the difference between good and bad words?"

Duan Rong took the bundle from Yang Zhen, then walked to the oil lamp, untied the bundle, and spread it on the ground beside the wall.

Then, Duan Rong started to tinker with it.

Xiao Yu, Yang Zhen and Zhu Xiaoqi were all curious about what Duan Rong was doing?

After about an incense stick of time, Duan Rong had dressed himself up as a beggar with disheveled hair and a dirty face. His face was covered with dirt and had a patch of leprosy.

Duan Rong used disguise to disguise himself as a beggar. This was the best identity he could think of to facilitate his investigation.

Duan Rong stood there and smiled at the three of them. The dim light shining on his face was quite creepy.

Yang Zhen suddenly frowned and said, "Isn't this tattered outfit of yours a little too small? No matter how I look at it, it doesn't fit me."

Duan Rong chuckled and said, "Open your eyes wide! I'll perform a magic trick for you!"

As soon as Duan Rong finished speaking, his joints began to crackle, and then his figure began to shrink in circles, until he was half a head shorter than Zhu Xiaoqi.

Xiao Yu, Yang Zhen, and Zhu Xiaoqi were so shocked by what they saw that they were speechless for a long time.

The strange skill of bone shrinking is rare and extremely difficult to master. Xiao Yu and Yang Zhen have only heard of it, and Zhu Xiaoqi has never even heard of it.

Duan Rong didn't want to expose the fact that he had this special skill unless it was necessary. However, he could definitely trust the people in front of him. Moreover, only by combining the bone shrinking skill with the disguise skill could he truly conceal his identity.

Now Duan Rong is just a thin little beggar with bald spots on his face.

(End of this chapter)