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

Chapter 468: Too Smart, Too Late
Duan Rong raised his hand and touched the inside of his clothes, where he saw the Dew-Drinking Cicada hanging close to his chest.

Two months before this incident, Zhu He quietly gave him the Dew Drinking Cicada, probably to dispel his worries at this moment.

He originally thought that Zhu He was using him as a pawn, but now it seems that he overestimated himself. This is basically using him as bait!
As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He is now the cicada in the front. Fortunately, there is another cicada protecting him.

Duan Rong sighed helplessly. At this moment, he actually felt as if he had been a beast of burden in his previous life.

But somehow, he suddenly smelled a disgusting smell in this matter...

He knew that he would not die from this. After personally experiencing the power of the Dew-Drinking Cicada, he knew that the thing could completely save his life.

But it was this feeling of being manipulated that made him very unhappy, as if he was being exploited by his boss.

But even though he was unhappy, Duan Rong was still prepared to do what Zhu He wanted. The old man had set up such a big plan, and he couldn't go against the old man in this final tremor. This is the same as in the workplace. As long as you still want to continue working, you can't go against your boss, no matter how much you dislike his style of doing things.

Duan Rong moved closer and found Qiu Luan standing at the door, staring blankly at the opened rosewood box on the table.

Qiu Luan was tall and stood at the door. He could see clearly the two bloody severed fingers in the box.

Duan Rong glanced at Qiu Luan and said calmly, "I'm going to go out for a while."

Duan Rong said this and was about to step out of the door.

Qiu Luan suddenly clasped his fists and said, "Qiu has the responsibility to protect you, sir. I will go with you."

Duan Rong stood at the door, paused for a moment, and turned to look at Qiu Luan.

There was a certain determination in Qiu Luan's eyes.

Duan Rong said: "Qiu Luan, do you know that the person I am going to meet is the one who knocked out the person?"

"Qiu can guess it."

Duan Rong said: "Since I can knock you out without any effort, I can also kill you without any effort."

"I, Qiu, know this principle." Qiu Luan said, and there was still no sign of retreat in his eyes.

Duan Rong said: "Since you know this, are you still willing to go with me?"

Qiu Luan said: "Qiu is willing to die for you, sir!"

Duan Rong stared at Qiu Luan in a daze, and suddenly he understood Qiu Luan's intention. Qiu Luan felt that it would be dangerous for him to go there, and did not want him to go alone.

This is a kind of friendship between men. Usually, only men can understand it.

Seeing Duan Rong remained silent, Qiu Luan spoke again: "Qiu has only one miserable life, and it is not a pity to die for you, sir."

Duan Rong suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Qiu Luan's fist, saying, "Qiu Luan, no one's life is a bad life. People can die, but their death must be worthwhile."

Duan Rong finished speaking, patted Qiu Luan on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, I won't die, and neither will you! Guard the yard and wait for me to come back!"

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he turned around and strode into the night.

Qiu Luan stood there in a daze. Duan Rong's words seemed to make his rotten life suddenly burst into some kind of light.

"People can die, but their death must be worthwhile."

Qiu Luan murmured this sentence, and his spirit, which had been anesthetized by alcohol for many years, seemed to be revived a little...

Shenyun Mansion is located in a dense forest twenty miles away from the southern suburbs.

In the dark night, a bonfire was burning deep in the forest.

Not far from the campfire, on a branch as thick as an arm that stretched out horizontally from a big tree, a person was hanging.

The bonfire was crackling and sparks were flying from time to time.

The bright red light reflected the hanging person and her graceful waist. Her hands were tied tightly and she was hanging on the branch.

That's exactly what I want.

At this time, Ruyi was already unconscious, with a ball of cloth stuffed in her mouth. The ball of cloth was the clothes on her shoulders. Her white and tender flesh was exposed in the torn clothes...

At this time, not far from the campfire, in the dense crown of a big tree, two figures were hiding inside.

One of them was Pei Du who rushed over from Changliu Mountain, and the other was Jiang Zhe who received the news and rushed here to meet Pei Du.

The two hid in the tree canopy and looked at the bonfire through the gaps in the branches.

Jiang Zhe squatted on the branch and said, "Brother Pei, will that kid really come?"

Pei Du smiled slightly and said, "A day of marriage brings a hundred days of love, not to mention that this little girl is already very lovable! "

Jiang Zhe's eyes swept over the plump waist and white flesh of the woman hanging by the campfire. A touch of heat rose in his heart. He had to admit that the woman was indeed attractive.

But no matter how attractive a woman is, it is probably not as important as one's own life.

"Will he really risk coming outside the city to negotiate a deal with us just for this woman?" Jiang Zhe was obviously still unsure.

Pei Du said: "It doesn't matter if you don't come!"

Jiang Zhe was slightly surprised, not knowing what Pei Du meant. He turned his head to look at Jiang Zhe in the dark and asked in surprise, "It's okay if he doesn't come?"

Pei Du said: "This is just the first step! Even if he doesn't come, this is also a warning to tell him not to mess with our intelligence base. We have sent people to the boy's hometown. According to our investigation, he has a childhood friend named Yang Zhen in his hometown, and there is also a girl named Zhu Xiaoqi, who seems to be his wife's sister. These two people are very important to him. As long as we catch these two people, we don't have to worry about him not surrendering."

Jiang Zhe said: "It's good to have a backup plan. Even if he doesn't come, this woman's matter will disrupt his rhythm."

Pei Du said: "That's right. We need to buy some time for the next move."

The two were chatting when they suddenly saw a black shadow, like a big bird, falling from the sky and landing next to the campfire.

In the light of the fire, it was Duan Rong.

Duan Rong stood beside the bonfire, looking up at Ruyi hanging on the branch. Ruyi was already unconscious, with tear marks all over her face. Because her hands were hung backwards, her white belly button was exposed...

At this moment, behind Duan Rong, there were two whooshing sounds, and two figures rushed out from the treetops not far away and landed on the ground.

Duan Rong turned around and looked intently.

He actually knew both of the people who came.

One is Jiang Zhe and the other is Pei Du.

Duan Rong smiled and clasped his fists, saying, "Brother Pei, Brother Jiang, how are you?"

Jiang Zhe was lucky as they had met once before in Xiangu County, so he naturally recognized Duan Rong.

Pei Du was slightly stunned. He looked at Duan Rong and asked, "Boy, do you recognize me?"

Duan Rong looked at Pei Du with a smile and said, "Brother Pei, you are really a noble man who forgets things easily!"

Pei Du rolled his eyes, but he still couldn't remember where he had seen Duan Rong.

Seeing that Pei Du still had a puzzled look in his eyes, Duan Rong said, "Six years ago, in the suburbs of Xiangu County, Brother Pei followed your teacher, Elder Lu, and rode the Cloud Feather Falcon. I was so envious at that time!"

Pei Du's eyes lit up and he asked in surprise, "Are you one of those registered disciples?" Duan Rong said, "Yes."

Pei Du couldn't help but marvel at it. It was just a remote county with no birds. He really didn't take those registered disciples seriously. Unexpectedly, six years later, this kid in front of him actually became a direct disciple of the sect, and during the test in the valley, he was only half a step away from stepping onto the stage.

Pei Du looked at Duan Rong, sighed slightly, and said: "Boy, you were born in a poor family. It is not easy for you to get to this point. Why don't you know how to cherish it?"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Brother Pei, I have the same words for you. Brother Pei, why don't you know how to cherish it? You two should know what the crime of murdering a disciple of the sect is. Don't put your bright future on hold here."

Jiang Zhe said, "Duan Rong, you are about to die, but you are still stubborn? I didn't expect you to be involved in a crime just for a woman. It seems that we arrested Zhu Xiaoqi and Yang Zhen in vain."

Duan Rong's heart shuddered, and for the first time, a chilling coldness appeared in his eyes. He stared at Jiang Zhe and asked coldly, "When did you catch Zhu Xiaoqi?"

Pei Du sneered and said, "Boy, you still have the energy to try to trick me. I think you should just take care of yourself." Pei Du said, then turned his head and looked at Jiang Zhe and said, "Jiang Zhe, this kid has only been a direct disciple for half a year. I leave it to you! I'll be on the sidelines to help you."

Jiang Zhe said: "Brother Pei, you don't need to kill this kid. I have been stuck in the fourth level of Yuan Qi Realm for the past six months and can't break through. It's a good opportunity to practice with this kid."

As Jiang Zhe spoke, he drew out a long sword with a swish sound, and with his vital energy surging, he flashed and slashed towards Duan Rong.

Not far outside the dense forest, beside the official road, there is a new temple that was just repaired a few days ago.

This temple has just been completed and there is no temple keeper on duty yet.

However, even so, the incense table under the shrine was still filled with various offerings.

There was plenty of wax in the two eternal lamps.

However, the deity in the shrine was actually a strange rhinoceros with red eyes.

Yes, this is the temple of the Rhinoceros Immortal.

In the dark night, in the distant sky, suddenly two black rays of light appeared, like meteorites falling from the sky, whistling over and stopping at the entrance of the temple.

"Brother Zhu, it's the middle of the night. Why do you insist on dragging me to see the temple of the Rhinoceros Immortal?" Yang Sixuan stood there, puzzled.

Zhu He laughed and said, "Brother Yang, this temple was just completed in the past two days. Some time ago, the rumors about the Rhinoceros Immortal were all over the place in Shenyun Mansion. I don't believe that you are not curious at all. Now that the temple is completed, I want to see what the Rhinoceros Immortal looks like. I want to ask you to accompany me. What? Do you think it is unfair to you?"

"Where? Look, look!" Yang Sixuan sighed helplessly.

"That's more like it!" Zhu He smiled and walked into the temple with Yang Sixuan.

The two walked around the shrine and saw that it was just an ordinary rhinoceros. Apart from its two red eyes, there was nothing special about it.

Yang Sixuan's eyes showed a thoughtful look. When Li Shensi's strange death occurred, hundreds of people gathered around the Temple of Heaven and witnessed the whole process. In other words, the Rhinoceros Immortal enshrined in this temple was the image of the Rhinoceros Immortal that the people saw at that time...

If so...

Yang Sixuan was deep in thought when he suddenly heard Zhu He, who was standing at the temple gate, say, "Brother Yang, there seems to be something going on in the dense forest over there."

Yang Sixuan walked out slowly, looked up, and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhu He said: "It seems to be a few young people. Let's go and take a look."

Seeing Jiang Zhe's long sword approaching him, Duan Rong dodged with a flick of his body. He reached for his waist with his right hand and grabbed the Frost Patterned Phosphorus Crystal Knife in his hand.

The moment Duan Rong retreated quickly, Jiang Zhe's heart tightened. "So fast!"

Pei Du's pupils also shrank slightly. Duan Rong had actually achieved the fourth level of Yuan Qi Realm. How long had he been an inner sect disciple?
The swords clashed, the vital energy surged, and the two figures flashed beside the campfire as fast as ghosts.

Pei Du was surprised that Duan Rong was actually better than Jiang Zhe.

Although they are both at the fourth level of Yuanqi Realm, how could Jiang Zhe be a match for Duan Rong?

While Duan Rong was struggling with Jiang Zhe, thoughts were surging in his mind.

In fact, it was not difficult for him to kill the two people in front of him.

He knew that Pei Du was at the Cyclone Realm, but he could control both of them instantly by using Firefly. Even if Pei Du used the cyclone to protect his body, Duan Rong could still kill him by using the sword light of his artistic conception.

However, he cannot do this.

Because he knew that he was not really in danger, this was just a show that Zhu He wanted him to perform.

He's just a bait.

What he had to do was to control the situation and wait for Zhu He's back-up plan to come out.

Although he didn't know what Zhu He's back-up plan was, he knew that the old man must have a back-up plan, otherwise, why would he let him do this scene?

Therefore, Duan Rong has already thought of a strategy and is slowly working it out. When the situation really comes to the point of life and death, he will directly use the Dew Drinking Cicada.

The Firefly must not be used lightly. Zhu He might be nearby. If the Firefly is used, the matter of the Taizang Sutra would be exposed.

Jiang Zhe and Duan Rong fought for several breaths, and had exchanged more than ten moves, but were still evenly matched.

"Jiang Zhe, step back!" Pei Du suddenly shouted.

Jiang Zhe retreated quickly, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and looked at Duan Rong with some fear in his eyes. It's only been half a year, and this kid has already cultivated to this level. What will happen in the future?
The moment Jiang Zhe retreated, Pei Du attacked with a knife. The knife was as fast as a ghost and chopped down at Duan Rong's head.

But there was no flash of sword light on Pei Du's blade, because he saw that there was no need to use artistic conception to kill a warrior in Yuanqi realm!

With his powerful and pure cyclone realm energy, he can cut Duan Rong in half with just one strike!
The moment Pei Du slashed down with his sword, a gray figure sitting cross-legged in the void appeared in Duan Rong's spiritual sea of consciousness. The sword shadow at the center of his eyebrows suddenly lit up. At the same time, the sword light suddenly burst out from the frost-patterned phosphorus crystal knife in Duan Rong's hand!
Duan Rong shouted loudly and slashed at Pei Du with his sword!

"Oh!"

The moment the weapons collided, the two men retreated at the same time.

Pei Du retreated one and a half steps, while Duan Rong retreated seven or eight steps before he could stop. A streak of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. At that moment, he had used all his strength, which shook his internal organs.

Pei Du felt cold all over, as if he had fallen into an icy cave. He stared in astonishment at the blade of the Frost-patterned Phosphorus Crystal Knife in Duan Rong's hand!
"Is that... a blade light!?"

"artistic conception!?"

"How can this be!?"

What astonished Pei Du was not only that Duan Rong had comprehended the artistic conception while still in the Yuanqi realm, but also that the sword light transformed from the artistic conception was even more condensed than what he had comprehended.

After Duan Rong obtained the Black Fire Lotus, he accomplished the twelfth level of the Taizang Sutra, and then went to the place where weapons were selected and devoured a wave of weapon spirits. The state of mind he now possessed was close to the second level of the Cyclone Realm. Naturally, in terms of state of mind, he was stronger than Pei Du who had just advanced to the Cyclone Realm.

Pei Du's eyes were fierce and murderous, and he looked at Duan Rong and said, "You have already comprehended the artistic conception while still in the Yuanqi realm. No wonder Elder Ge and the others want to kill you!? Boy, don't you know that Hui Yi Yao has died?"

As Pei Du spoke, his mind moved and a flash of light appeared on the blade.

Duan Rong looked at the murderous intent in Pei Du's eyes and the blade in his hand, and became alert. He had used up all his strength to block Pei Du's attack just now, and he would definitely find it difficult to resist the next one.

Duan Rong's mind moved, and he was already in tune with the Dew Drinking Cicada on his chest. The moment Pei Du attacked, he would activate the Dew Drinking Cicada.

But at this moment, another voice suddenly sounded in the dense forest beside them.

"Who did you just say wanted to kill Duan Rong?"

When the voice sounded, Pei Du and Jiang Zhe were both startled, but Duan Rong let out a breath slowly. Then they saw Zhu He slowly walking out from behind a big tree next to them, looking at Duan Rong with a warm smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)