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

Chapter 387 Investigation
Duan Rong and his companions ran all the way, and when they arrived at Ruyang City, it was just the time of Si in the morning.

Several people were sleepy and hungry, and their lips were chapped.

They reined in their horses not far from the city gate. Although they were good and durable horses, they were foaming at the mouth and had dull eyes after running for such a long distance.

Xiao Yu said anxiously, "Ruyang City is so big, and we don't know where that girl is. Where can we start looking for her?"

Duan Rong glanced at Liu Shushan and asked, "Shushan, where is Shen Yanliu imprisoned?"

Liu Shushan said: "He was locked up in the dungeon in the city."

Duan Rong said: "Then let's go look for her near the dungeon. That girl must be scouting around the dungeon."

"Scouting?! What are you scouting for?"

Duan Rong said: "Scouting the area, of course it's for prison break."

Xiao Yu's expression became even uglier. She felt that Shen Mizhi was really capable of doing this.

Under the guidance of Liu Shushan, Duan Rong and his companions immediately arrived at the dungeon of the city, and then they dispersed and began to look for Shen Mizhi separately.

Duan Rong took a look at the dungeon and saw that its entrance was small and narrow, and there were many bunkers inside. It was obviously inconvenient to enter and exit, and it was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

I wonder how many times stronger the dungeon in this city is than the dungeon in Xiangu County?

Duan Rong walked to a street corner where there were only a few pedestrians. At the entrance of the alley, there was a tea stall built in a thatched shed with a few people sitting inside.

Duan Rong urged his mind and suddenly released his spiritual sense, carefully scanning the people sitting in the tea shop to confirm that none of them was Shen Mizhi.

Duan Rong's mind moved again, and he directly covered and released his spiritual consciousness to the largest range.

He stood under a tree on the street with his eyes closed, like a sorcerer who was trying to summon a god to possess him. His eyeballs kept rolling under his drooping eyelids.

Soon, Duan Rong locked onto Shen Mizhi.

She was wearing a servant's clothes and her face was covered with a layer of pine wax, making her whole face look waxy yellow.

This was the outfit that Ximen Kankan thought of for her last time when he brought her and Liu Shushan back to Xiangu County.

Although the situation was urgent this time, Shen Mizhi also knew that if she went directly into the city, she would be too conspicuous and would definitely be closely watched by the government officials. Therefore, on the way, she changed her appearance with ease according to the method she used last time.

Shen Mizhi's appearance changed drastically after this transformation. If Duan Rong had not seen her in this state of honor last time, he might have missed her even if he had scanned her with his spiritual sense.

Once Duan Rong locked onto Shen Mizhi, he walked over quickly.

Just after passing a street corner, Duan Rong's figure suddenly stopped, because through his spiritual sense, he found that Xiao Yu had found Shen Mizhi's vicinity.

Xiao Yu's eyes were focused, quickly scanning the faces of everyone nearby.

Xiao Yu had not yet noticed Shen Mizhi, but Shen Mizhi, who was standing ten feet away, had already seen Xiao Yu from afar.

Shen Mizhi's eyes changed slightly and her lips trembled. She could see Xiao Yu's anxiety and nervousness at the moment. She also knew that Xiao Yu was worried about her.

A warm current rolled through Shen Mizhi's heart, and she quickly took a few steps forward, as if she was going to rush over to meet Xiao Yu.

When she had just rushed out two steps, her steps suddenly paused, her eyes fixed, and she turned in the opposite direction and walked quickly.

But she had just taken a few steps when she saw a man flash by. Without saying anything, he put his arm around her neck and put it on her shoulder, saying, "Why are you running around? Help me to go to the inn to rest."

Shen Mizhi was suddenly hugged by someone around the neck. She was so ashamed and angry that she was about to take action, but she felt that the voice was somewhat familiar. She looked up and saw Duan Rong's face.

Shen Mizhi's face suddenly turned red.

Duan Rong put his arm around Shen Mizhi's shoulders and walked up to Xiao Yu.

Duan Rong came over with his arm around someone's shoulder. Xiao Yu saw him from a distance. She was a little puzzled at first, but when she got closer, she recognized Shen Mizhi.

Seeing that Shen Mizhi was fine, Xiao Yu finally put his mind at ease.

Xiao Yu looked at Shen Mizhi and said, "Silly girl, you have such a big problem, why don't you discuss it with me?"

Shen Mizhi looked at Xiao Yu's eyes, which were slightly blaming but more concerned. Her eyes turned red and she called out, "Sister Xiao..."

Shen Mizhi threw herself into Xiao Yu's arms, and her suppressed emotions burst out.

The reason why she didn't go to find Xiao Yu and the others was that she had already made up her mind. No matter what, she had to save her father. To save her father, there were only two ways, either robbing the prison or robbing the execution ground.

No matter which road she took, it was extremely dangerous and risky, and she didn't want to implicate Xiao Yu and the others.

This matter, after all, is the Shen family's own business.

Shen Mizhi sobbed in Xiao Yu's arms, and Xiao Yu's eyes turned red. She had just lost her father, and she could fully understand Shen Mizhi's feelings at the moment.

If she was there the night her father got into trouble, she would have saved Xiao Zongting regardless of her own life. The grace of life and raising is higher than the sky and deeper than the earth. She would never give up even if there was a glimmer of hope!
"There are too many people here, let's leave first." Duan Rong instructed the two of them.

Hearing this, Shen Mizhi swallowed back her emotions, raised her head with tears in her eyes, and Xiao Yu wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

After they met up with Ximen Kankan and Liu Shushan, they left and came to a rather secluded courtyard in Liu Shushan's house.

Liu Shushan asked someone to bring some tea and snacks, then sent the servants away.

But Duan Rong still released his spiritual sense to confirm that there were no outsiders inside or outside the villa.

Ximen Kankan had already picked up the snacks and tea and started eating and drinking. The few of them were all thirsty and hungry from the long journey, so they all ate some cakes.

Shen Mizhi just sat there in a daze. Xiao Yu gave her a piece of mung bean cake. She knew that Shen Mizhi quite liked the fragrance of mung beans.

Shen Mizhi shook her head sadly and did not answer it.

Xiao Yu stuffed it into her hand and said, "You have to eat even if you can't! If you don't eat properly, how can you have the physical and mental strength to save your father?"

Shen Mizhi glanced at Xiao Yu and slowly started eating.

After everyone had eaten a little, Duan Rong looked at Shen Mizhi and asked, "What are you going to do about your father's matter?"

Shen Mizhi's eyes suddenly became sharp, and she said, "I've already looked at the dungeon. The entrance is too small, and there are bunkers everywhere inside. I'm not familiar with the roads and environment inside, so robbing the prison is almost impossible. We can only rob the execution ground!"

Duan Rong glanced at Shen Mizhi and thought: This girl is really empty-mouthed. How can the execution ground be so easy to rob? This is the prefectural city. When the time comes, there will definitely be masters of the true energy realm lying in ambush near the execution ground. The person who was killed was the censor, the third most important official in Ruyang Prefecture!
In addition to the Lord of Ruyang Prefecture, there is also the Governor who is in charge of the finances and grain of the prefecture. The third person in the prefecture is the Censor who is in charge of the criminal law of the prefecture.

With such a high-ranking official being killed, how could the defense of the execution ground be relaxed?
Duan Rong said: "Is it so easy to rob the execution ground?"

Shen Mizhi said: "If I can't rob you, I will die on the execution ground as a farewell to my father!"

Duan Rong's expression changed. She is really the daughter of filial piety and bravery!
Seeing Shen Mizhi's resolute words, Xiao Yu, who had just lost his father not long ago, felt the same way. He immediately reached out and grabbed Shen Mizhi's hand, saying, "Mizhi sister, don't worry! When the time comes, I'll go with you!"

Shen Mizhi's eyes slightly reddened when she heard this, and she stared at Xiao Yu in a daze. She would never let Xiao Yu go with her to the execution ground, but Xiao Yu's words comforted her greatly. This sisterhood was not in vain!

Duan Rong heard this and glanced at Xiao Yu. He really wanted to remind Xiao Yu that robbing an execution ground is a crime punishable by execution of the entire family. Did you know that you still have a husband? !
Duan Rong said, "Let's take a step back and say that even if you succeeded in robbing the execution ground, this matter is undoubtedly related to you. The government will definitely be looking for you and your daughter throughout Qingzhou. This is a major case involving the provincial governor, and it also involves outer sect disciples. The forces from the sect have also intervened. How can you escape from this trap?"

Duan Rong said this half to Shen Mizhi and half to Xiao Yu, asking her to think about the aftermath of this matter.

Xiao Yu immediately understood what Duan Rong meant, and a hint of hesitation flashed across her eyes. Although she sympathized with Shen Mizhi, she and Duan Rong had just gotten married, and she couldn't risk her life to help Shen Mizhi save her father, and it was a hopeless rescue.

But she couldn't let Xiao Yu sit on the sidelines and give up Shen Mizhi.

She looked at Duan Rong and suddenly asked, "So what do you think we should do?"

Duan Rong was stunned by Xiao Yu's question. Why did he kick the ball to him?
There is no solution to this problem. How would he know what to do?
Moreover, he didn't want to save Shen Yanliu at all. This man had committed heinous crimes and had a very poor official rank. Killing him would simply be accumulating blessings for the people of Qingzhou.

However, when Xiao Yu asked this, not only Liu Shushan and the others, but even Shen Mizhi looked at him expectantly.

After all, in the past three months, no matter what difficult case they encountered, as long as Duan Rong went there, the case would be solved in a few hours at the shortest and a day or two at the longest.

They had already been convinced of Duan Rong's strategies and ideas.

Duan Rong looked at the looks they gave him and suddenly felt an awkward feeling of being in a difficult situation.

At this moment, he didn't have any good plan, but he couldn't just directly criticize Shen Mizhi's father's official rank and tell her that he didn't want to get involved in this matter at all.

Duan Rong thought for a moment and felt that he could only use the tactic of procrastination. He coughed, looked at Liu Shushan and said, "Shushan, you have been in the city for a long time, so you should be more familiar with the process of this kind of case. In the case of the Shen family, how long does it usually take from the confiscation of property to imprisonment to execution?"

Liu Shushan heard this and said, "Such a major case should be reported to the Dali Temple of Shenyun Prefecture for review. Only after the Dali Temple's review is correct, can Ruyang Prefecture carry out the execution. After all, the person who was killed was the Censor in charge of the criminal cases of the prefecture. Ruyang Prefecture does not have the right to execute the sentence on its own."

Duan Rong asked, "How long does it usually take for the Dali Temple to review the case?"

Liu Shushan said: "That depends on whether the chain of evidence of the case is complete. If there are any doubts, the Dali Temple will conduct further investigation. If the chain of evidence is complete, it will probably take a month for the official document from the Dali Temple to reach Ruyang Prefecture."

Duan Rong's eyes moved, and he said, "That means it will take at least a month."

Liu Shushan said: "According to convention, this is the case."

Duan Rong estimated that the chain of evidence in Shen Yanliu's case was probably already quite complete, and the nail had been stuck in front of Tang Wanhong. What evidence could not be collected?

Duan Rong said, "Since we still have time, let's spend it to investigate thoroughly. Shushan, you are familiar with the area in Ruyang Prefecture and have connections. You can investigate the ins and outs of this case in detail. I will also go out to investigate, and then we will summarize the information and see if we can find a breakthrough point worthy of rescue."

Duan Rong actually didn't think he could find any breakthrough, but everyone was looking at him so eagerly, so he could only make excuses.

After hearing this, Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi felt that what Duan Rong said was indeed reliable. After all, only after a detailed investigation could they find a solution. Moreover, Liu Shushan also said that it would take at least a month to investigate the case of Shen Mizhi's father, so they had to investigate it thoroughly before making a decision.

Xiao Yu said, "What are you going out to investigate? Let's go with you."

As soon as Xiao Yu said this, Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi both looked at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong said: "You don't have to go."

"Why?" Xiao Yu and Ximen Kankan obviously wanted to go.

Duan Rong ignored them and looked at Shen Mizhi and said, "You shouldn't go out. Although you have changed your clothes, there is still a risk of being exposed."

Then he looked at Xiao Yu and said, "You stay and accompany her."

Xiao Yu's eyes moved, and he immediately understood what Duan Rong meant. He was still worried that Shen Mizhi was reckless and would do something unexpected.

"Kankan, follow Shushan and help him."

Ximen Kankan looked at Liu Shushan and said, "What do you mean by helping him? I am just giving him some guidance."

Liu Shushan smiled and said, "Okay, thank you for coming!"

Ximen Kankan said: "Well. Since you want me to come out, I will help you reluctantly."

After the agreement was reached, Liu Shushan and Ximen Kankan changed their clothes, Liu Shushan wrote a few visiting cards, bought some gifts, and then the two of them went out.

Duan Rong changed into a servant's clothes in Liu's mansion and went out. He first ate a bowl of beef soup on the street, then walked slowly back to the dungeon.

Now that the words have been spoken, basic investigations must be done. Since Shen Yanliu is imprisoned in the dungeon of this prefecture city, he decided to investigate carefully and at least understand Shen Yanliu's situation. What kind of torture instruments are on her body? Is she disabled or injured?

Duan Rong pretended to be idle and strolled to the tea stall on the street. He bent down and walked into the tea stall, sat on a seat in the corner, and ordered a pot of strong tea and two fried dough sticks.

The owner of the tea stall was a middle-aged man with a limp. When he served the food, he glanced at Duan Rong lightly.

Duan Rong's heart moved. The look in his eyes just now was quite sharp, definitely not the eyes of a street vendor.

He urged his mind and released his spiritual consciousness, which instantly passed through the dantian of the owner of his tea stall.

The fourth level of inner breath realm!

A master at the fourth level of the Inner Breath Realm actually opened a shabby tea stall here. The daily income from this tea stall made of straw hut is probably just enough to make ends meet.

This is unreasonable!
For a master at the fourth level of the Inner Breath Realm, any job as a security guard would be better than this, with high income and leisure time.

"Unless..." Duan Rong sat there and glanced at the dungeon not far away.

He took a light bite of the fried dough stick in his hand and had already guessed the identity of the tea stall owner. This person was probably a spy from the dungeon, who set up a tea stall here all year round to keep an eye out for all kinds of suspicious people.

Fortunately, Shen Mizhi and Xiao Yu were no longer in the place where they hugged and cried in the morning, otherwise I'm afraid they would have been targeted by someone.

Duan Rong thought of this, ate two fried dough sticks, drank two bowls of strong tea, and then paid the bill and left. He didn't want to stay here for long, so as not to attract the lame man's attention.

(End of this chapter)