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

Chapter 467 Why is this so?
Duan Rong nodded slightly and said, "Master Wang, Master Chen, you two can leave on your own and do your respective things. Master Zhu, please stay for a moment. I have something else to say to you."

Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng immediately clasped their fists, stood up from their seats, bowed, and left.

Zhu Zhengfu sat alone beside Duan Rong, waiting for Duan Rong to speak.

Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng were not surprised that Duan Rong left Zhu Zhengfu alone to talk. After all, Duan Rong was Zhu He's direct disciple, and Zhu Zhengfu was Zhu He's direct descendant in the secular world. With such a big thing happening, Duan Rong would naturally have some confidential matters, which he would instruct Zhu Zhengfu to do in person.

Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng walked out of the gate of Taihe Building. They looked at the book in their hands and wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads. They had to do their best to do what Duan Rong had told them to do, and they dared not slack off. Although Duan Rong had given them this book, who knew if there were any more rubbings?

And is this the only booklet that records their dirty laundry?

Thinking of Ge Rushong, the instigator of this incident, both of them felt hatred in their hearts.

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu Zhengfu, who had a faint smile on his face, and said, "Master Zhu, I have two things for you to do."

Zhu Zhengfu said, "Please give me your instructions, sir."

Duan Rong pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Zhu Zhengfu, saying, "This is a detailed account of the process of arresting the spy, including some information about the Dali Temple and Taihe Tower. Please send a confidential letter to my master."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhengfu respectfully took the document and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will issue it when I get back."

"There is one more thing." Duan Rong said with a serious look.

Zhu Zhengfu placed the paper in front of him and sat upright to listen.

Duan Rong said: "The matter of Taihe Tower eavesdropping on officials and gentry, you should have your spies spread this news in the streets and alleys of Shenyun Mansion. And you should point out that the person behind the Taihe Tower incident is Ge Rushong, the chief of the Tongzhengshisi of the sect."

Zhu Zhengfu was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then he understood Duan Rong's intention.

This is to take advantage of the public opinion to expand the impact of the incident and further suppress Ge Rushong and others.

Not only did they destroy their core base in the secular intelligence network, but they also used this opportunity to uncover their usurpation of power by eavesdropping on officials and clamping down on the government and the people, and then took the opportunity to let this matter ferment in the public opinion...

It really is killing three birds with one stone, layer upon layer!
Even though Zhu Zhengfu was an old fox in the officialdom, he felt fear and chills when he looked at Duan Rong...

This kid is not very old, how could his methods be so meticulous and ruthless?
Duan Rong saw that Zhu Zhengfu looked at him strangely after hearing his words, but did not respond, so he frowned and said, "Master Zhu, do you understand what Duan said?"

Zhu Zhengfu was distracted for a moment, and immediately said, "I understand. I will do it right away."

"Well, let's go!"

Zhu Zhengfu clasped his fists, stood up, bowed, and left.

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu Zhengfu's slightly fat back, shook his head secretly, and sighed: "This guy is used to a life of luxury, and he seems a little dull."

Duan Rong sent everyone away, poured himself a few cups of Qingling tea, sipped it slowly, and took a break from his busy schedule.

After drinking those cups of tea, Duan Rong stood up and walked out of Taihe Tower.

As soon as he walked out of the gate of Taihe Tower, Zhu Peng came to meet him and asked, "You all left. Should I stay here?"

Duan Rong said, "You stay here first. Once Wang Maochun has arranged and taken over the defense, you can leave."

Zhu Peng asked, "Where should I go then?"

"After he takes over the defense, you have nothing to do. You can go wherever you want." Duan Rong said and prepared to leave.

Zhu Peng suddenly took a few quick steps, caught up with him, and asked tentatively: "How about we go to Yanyue Tower and see Miss Xueyin?"

Duan Rong heard this, stopped and turned back to glare at Zhu Peng, then shouted: "If you want to go, go by yourself. I don't have the time for that."

He really didn't want to bother with Zhu Peng. There were swords and sabers everywhere. Zhu Peng was still thinking about something, thinking about Miss Xue Yin. It was really nonsense.

Duan Rong quickly walked through the defense of the heavily armored cavalry and returned to Zhu Cheng's mansion along the side of Changle Street.

He walked to the rockery in the backyard and saw two people yawning and guarding the entrance to the dark room. Their eyes were as red as rabbits and bloodshot.

These people are just like him, they have not slept all night and have survived until now.

"grown ups!"

When the two men saw Duan Rong coming over, they immediately clasped their fists and spoke respectfully.

Although Duan Rong knew that they were working hard, he still walked over with a cold expression. Without even looking at them, he walked along the stone steps into the dark room.

In the dark space, the strong smell of blood lingered for a long time... In the corner of the wall, a pool of thick blood with flesh floating on it had accumulated, and it seemed to have solidified...

Deep in the corridor, several different kinds of shrill screams mixed together, as if a group of ghosts were being tortured.

Duan Rong sat at the stone table there, looking at the people from the Dali Temple guarding the entrance of the corridor, and said, "Go and call Zhu Cheng over. I have something to ask him."

"Yes, my lord!"

The man walked quickly into the corridor, and after a few breaths, Zhu Cheng came out. With a stiff face, he clasped his fists and greeted Duan Rong.

Duan Rong said, "Zhu Cheng, use the format of the Dali Temple's official documents to draft a document that details the Taihe Tower incident. Once you've drafted it, give it to me to take a look at first."

Zhu Cheng's eyes flickered when he heard this. He had been hinting at the interrogation last night, but he had not seen the whole story of the Taihe Building. "Sir..."

Zhu Cheng seemed to want to say something, but Duan Rong had already pulled out a document from his sleeve and said, "This is a brief summary I wrote. Please add some information from your interrogation and make additional supplements as appropriate. Once it is a formal document, show it to me."

"Yes, my lord!"

Duan Rong had made some arrangements, and Zhu Cheng had no doubts in his mind. He took the document from Duan Rong, turned around and strode out of the dark room and went to the study in the front yard.

Duan Rong sat there, the screams in the corridor were still coming, those were the people from the Dali Temple, they were still torturing them. As he listened, he gradually fell asleep...

He didn't know how long it had been, but he was suddenly awakened by Zhu Cheng's cry. Zhu Cheng's somewhat hoarse cry sounded to him in his dream like a call from a very far away place...

When Duan Rong opened his eyes, Zhu Cheng was already holding the document and handing it to him.

He suddenly woke up, moved his dislocated buttocks on the stone chair, and then his eyes moved and he took the document in Zhu Cheng's hand.

The document was quite thick, with pages full of tiny calligraphy, the ink just drying.

Duan Rong browsed quickly and nodded as he read.

Zhu Cheng has a meticulous mind and a simple style of writing, unlike some civil servants who like to use a few literary words and show off their knowledge. In the words of Duan Rong in his previous life on the blue planet, this is called literary youth disease. There is no cure.

Duan fused the document, glanced at Zhu Cheng, and said, "Well written!"

"Summarize the information, detail the events, and express them accurately. No omissions, no mistakes." Duan Rong held the document and handed it to Zhu Cheng.

Zhu Cheng took it and said, "Your Excellency, I am too kind! I am just speaking my mind."

"Time is short, and it's not easy to write like this." Duan Rong said: "Zhu Cheng, take the document to the Dali Temple to ask Chen Shanmeng to sign and seal it. After he signs, you personally take the document to the government office in the city to ask Wang Maochun to review it, and tell him that this document must be sent out within half an hour!"

"Yes, sir!" After receiving the order, Zhu Cheng turned around and strode away.

After Zhu Cheng left, Duan Rong also slowly stood up and walked out of the dark room.

The moment he walked out of the rockery, the late autumn afternoon sunlight dazzled his eyes.

Duan Rong glanced at the position of the sun and estimated that it was almost the afternoon. He had just taken a short nap in the dark room and now he felt much better, so he walked out of Zhu Cheng's mansion.

Duan Rong came to the street and walked into a somewhat shabby teahouse. He sat down in a corner on the first floor and ordered two plates of dim sum and a pot of tea.

While eating snacks, Duan Rong released his spiritual sense to cover the entire dilapidated two-story teahouse.

Soon, a dense stream of information flowed through his mind like running water...

Duan Rong picked up these information flows one by one in his spiritual consciousness.

Although several days have passed, everyone is still talking about the terrifying Rhinoceros Immortal and the strange death of Li Shensi at the Autumn Hunting Ceremony.

The tea drinkers were chatting leisurely, and everyone had a different version of the story... Duan Rong frowned slightly. Only four or five tables of guests were discussing Taihe Tower, and they were only talking about how Taihe Tower was surrounded by heavily armored cavalry, and then they were talking about all kinds of bizarre reasons.

Duan Rong was not in a hurry either. It would take time for events to ferment in the market.

He couldn't be too hard on Zhu Zhengfu. It was a bit difficult for him to spread the news to this remote teahouse within a few hours. Moreover, he was monitoring at a fixed point.

Duan Rong was searching the information stream while quietly drinking tea. About an hour later, a man slowly walked into the teahouse. At first, Duan Rong didn't pay much attention to him. He just saw him sitting in a seat by the window on the second floor.

That seat was exactly one of the seats that Duan Rong focused on monitoring, because what they were talking about was the affairs of Taihe Tower, but they were just their own random suspicions.

As soon as the man sat down, several people offered him tea, but then he said, "I've already found out about Taihe Tower. Do you want to hear about it?"

"Just say it." Those people urged him.

The man glanced around and said in a low voice: "Taihe Tower is an intelligence base. And behind it is the sect's Tongzhengshisi..."

Duan Rong was sitting in the corner of the first floor, smiling slightly.

It was unknown whether this person was a spy planted by Zhu Zhengfu. However, since the news started to spread in such a remote teahouse, it showed that Zhu Zhengfu had trained some capable subordinates.

Duan Rong slapped a piece of silver on the table, then stood up and left.

When walking out of the teahouse, Duan Rong's eyes moved, and it was already dusk outside.

The sky in late autumn seems to darken especially quickly.

The cold wind blew the yellow leaves across the bleak sky, and a sense of desolation suddenly arose in Duan Rong's heart.

He walked along the street and arrived at Zhu Zhengfu's residence. The doorman held a lantern and led him to Zhu Zhengfu's study. The housekeeper had already run like an arrow to report.

When Duan Rong was halfway there, Zhu Zhengfu had already come towards him and fell to his knees.

Duan Rong called him to get up, and the two of them went to the flower hall together.

It was already dark at this time. Zhu Zhengfu asked the kitchen to prepare a table of dishes and opened a jar of aged wine. He and Duan Rong started chatting while eating and drinking.

The aged good wine had a faint green glow, and Duan Rong had a good alcohol tolerance, so Zhu Zhengfu stood by his side and kept pouring wine for him.

While eating, Duan Rong asked Zhu Zhengfu many questions.

Regarding Li Shensi's case, Zhu Zhengfu told him that the sect's pharmacist had checked and found that Li Shensi was not poisoned.

When Zhu Zhengfu said this news, he subconsciously glanced at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong had already anticipated this, so he simply ignored it.

The two chatted about many topics. Duan Rong was busy with the affairs of Taihe Tower, and he had not asked Zhu Zhengfu about other matters for some time. Taking the opportunity of this meal, he asked about all the matters.

After eating and drinking, Duan Rong had asked all the questions he needed to ask, so he stood up, said goodbye, and went to the other courtyard.

Now that the matter has come to an end, he plans to have a good sleep and recuperate.

Duan Rong walked to the entrance of the villa, but his eyebrows instantly twisted into a knot.

Qiu Luan was seen lying face down on the ground next to the large bluestone. There was a lantern hanging at the gate of the villa, and the dim light was shining on his back.

On the large bluestone, the wine jar was broken and the wine was wet and spilled all over the stone.

Duan Rong's consciousness swept over and found that Qiu Luan was just unconscious, and the room was empty, and there was no sign of Ruyi. He squatted down and helped Qiu Luan up.

Qiu Luan is a martial artist at the Qi realm. Although he has a hidden lung disease, it has not yet broken out. Moreover, he feeds on alcohol, so it is impossible for him to get drunk.

The only explanation for him fainting here was that someone had attacked him.

A wisp of vital energy came out from Duan Rong's fingertips, like a thread. He used the thread of vital energy as a silver needle and performed acupuncture on Qiu Luan. He quickly pressed several acupoints on Qiu Luan's body and then placed him on the large bluestone.

Duan Rong stood there, the dim light from the lantern casting a division of light and dark on his face.

After a few breaths, Qiu Luan woke up slowly.

As soon as Qiu Luan woke up, he jumped up with his sword in hand. When he saw Duan Rong standing not far away with his hands behind his back, he was slightly startled and immediately shouted, "Sir!"

Duan Rong looked at him and asked, "Who knocked you out?"

Qiu Luan shook his head slightly and said, "I didn't see anyone. I just felt a gust of wind passing by and then I fainted."

Duan Rong's eyes moved, then he turned and walked into the room.

Qiu Luan was at the fourth level of the True Qi Realm. He was knocked unconscious before he even saw the person. This showed that the realm of the person coming was much higher than his, at least at the Yuan Qi Realm, and maybe even at the Qi Cyclone Realm...

The storm is about to come and the wind is filling the building.

He killed Li Shensi and seized two intelligence bases, Taihe Tower and Dali Temple. He was already in the center of the eye of the storm.

Duan Rong was naturally unwilling to get involved in such a situation, but since he had taken Zhu He as his master, the old man gave him the Dew Drinking Cicada for self-defense. Since Zhu He wanted him to be the vanguard, he had to charge into battle for him. In fact, there was not much master-disciple relationship between them. In essence, it was just an exchange of interests.

Duan Rong walked into the room, and his eyes were immediately fixed on a rosewood box on the table.

He was at the door and saw the box when his spiritual sense swept over it.

This thing is not originally in this room.

He already knew what was in the box even though he was outside the house, but he still walked over, opened the box and looked inside.

Inside the beautifully decorated rosewood box were two bloody severed fingers, a little finger and a middle finger.

White and tender fingers, beautiful nails, a small pool of blood gushed out from the broken ends...

Those two fingers lay there quietly, like two peeled green onions...

Duan Rong recognized these two fingers. A few days ago, he held these two fingers on the table and practiced the eight strokes of the character "永".

These are Ruyi’s two fingers!

Duan Rong's eyes were cold, he already knew Ruyi's identity. In his opinion, these two fingers were nothing more than a self-torture trick.

Below the two white and tender severed fingers was a folded piece of white paper with two blood stains.

Duan Rong pulled out the white paper and unfolded it. There were two lines of words written on it: In the dense forest twenty miles outside the southern suburbs. To discuss a deal. If you don't arrive before dawn, I will collect the woman's body.

Still negotiating a deal? Isn't it just a trap, waiting for me to fall into it?

Duan Rong smiled contemptuously and threw the paper on the table.

If he didn't know Ruyi's identity, he might still be conflicted, but even then, he would not put himself in danger for Ruyi.

What's more, he already knew that Ruyi was just a spy planted by his side.

This self-torture tactic is not clever at all.

At this moment, Duan Rong's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He remembered one thing and was about to say it, it should be two things.

The first thing is that Zhu He clearly asked him to catch the spy, so why didn't he let him touch the line around him? The second thing is that the secret letter that Zhu He asked Lu Geng to bring to him only had one word, which was go.

Duan Rong felt cold all over at this moment.

Combining the two things, plus the scene before him, he finally understood what the old man meant by "go". It meant that even though he knew it was a trap, he would still go in.

Why?

Why is it arranged like this?
(End of this chapter)