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

Chapter 583 The Green Ghost

Duan Rong could tell that Hu Jin was dead. He lay in a pool of blood, his face frozen in a strange expression.

Duan Rong squatted down, the rusty smell of blood hitting his nostrils.

With his thin, bird-claw-like hands, he slowly and carefully touched Hu Jin's entire body.

Duan Rong found a porcelain bottle in the inner pocket of Hu Jin's shirt. He took it out, moved it a little further away, opened it slightly, fanned it with his hand, and then smelled a faint medicinal fragrance.

It's clearly not poison!

Duan Rong then brought the mouth of the porcelain bottle to his nose and sniffed it. Then, with a flick of his eyes, he gently tilted the bottle into his palm, where a pale green pill appeared.

He stuck out his tongue and licked the pill. Actually, he had already made a rough judgment by smelling it, and after licking it, he knew the ingredients of the pill even more clearly.

This pill contains many precious medicinal herbs, and it has a detoxifying effect on most poisons to varying degrees. Even against very potent poisons, it can suppress and alleviate their effects.

It seems that Hu Jin carries this pill with him to save his life. In the mountains and fields, if one is bitten by a venomous snake, this pill will clear away most of the venom.

Duan Rong placed the porcelain bottle aside and continued searching Hu Jin's body. Suddenly, Duan Rong felt something protruding on Hu Jin's right forearm.

He rolled up Hu Jin's sleeve and was shocked to see a small crossbow strapped to his forearm.

There was only one bolt on the crossbow, the arrowhead of which gleamed with a faint green light. Duan Rong's eyes narrowed; the bolt was clearly poisoned.

Hu Jin was an expert in poisons, and the poison he used on his life-saving hidden weapons must have been lethal upon contact with blood.

Duan Rong had launched an attack on Hu Jin in a very small space, and then jumped to the side and behind where Hu Jin was sitting. If he had miscalculated even one of his movements, the crossbow bolt would probably have already pierced his body.

Looking at the crossbow bolt, Duan Rong felt a wave of fear; he had almost brushed with death.

He continued to search Hu Jin's body, but only found a few pieces of silver.

After searching Hu Jin's body, Duan Rong turned to look at the medicine box placed next to the rocking chair not far away.

The moment Hu Jin entered Li Tang's courtyard, his eyes immediately fell on the medicine box.

Although Duan Rong could identify hundreds of herbs, he was also very knowledgeable about various poisons.

He also boasted of his exceptional poisoning skills, as he was very familiar with the characteristics of various poisons. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and as long as one is observant, one can always cleverly combine poisons with other things in the environment.

Ordinary martial artists, even someone like Hu Jin, might think that the skill of poisoning lies in cunning. But that's not the case. The so-called skill of poisoning actually lies in your deep understanding of the various properties of poisons. Once you deeply understand poisons, you'll develop a natural sensitivity to things that can interact with them, and ingenuity will naturally follow!

For example, his poisoning of Li Tang, using the woman's rouge powder, seemed unbelievable to outsiders, but to Duan Rong himself, it was perfectly natural, or rather, it was just how it was, and there was nothing surprising about it!

However, even though Duan Rong had the skill, he couldn't cook without rice! In the entire mountain stronghold, he only found one dove-shaped flower.

He possesses exceptional poison skills, but suffers from having no poisons to use!

For Hu Jin, his medicine box was a treasure trove.

Because Duan Rong has superb skills in using poisons, poisons will have the greatest effect in his hands!

Duan Rong walked over and gently opened the medicine box, which was filled with all sorts of bottles and jars of various sizes.

Duan Rong casually took out the large porcelain bottle on top, uncorked it, and held the bottle away from himself, gently fanning it with his hand. He sniffed it a few times and could already tell that it contained a potent sedative.

Duan Rong closed the porcelain bottle and then took out a small black porcelain bottle from the corner.

He could smell a faint stench from a distance.

His expression hardened. "The porcelain bottle clearly contains a highly poisonous substance!?"

Duan Rong wanted to continue investigating, but suddenly turned his head to look at the door of the room. The guard was still guarding the courtyard gate, which was a potential danger!
His eyes flickered, and he looked at the two porcelain vases, one large and one small, placed at his feet.

Duan Rong fumbled around for a moment, then stood up. He first moved a chair and placed it to the side behind the door, then went out and stood outside the door. Suddenly, he said, "Brother Guard, Mr. Hu wants you to come in!"

The guard turned around and saw Duan Rong standing at the dimly lit doorway. He assumed that Doctor Hu Jin had something to ask him, so he turned and went into the courtyard.

As soon as Duan Rong saw the guard enter the courtyard, he immediately went into the room and climbed onto the chair behind the door.

The guard entered the room and was about to address Mr. Hu when his expression suddenly froze. Beside the table laden with dishes, Dr. Hu Jin lay in a pool of blood...

"Hu……!?"

Before the guard could react, a small hand suddenly reached out from behind the door beside him and with a swift wave, a cloud of powder was sprinkled on his face.

Duan Rong stood on the chair by the door, his height just about the same as the guard's. The guard was standing right there in the doorway, his face almost touching the edge of the door. The poison powder that Duan Rong had thrown was practically smeared on his face.

Duan Rong had mixed the powder with a highly toxic substance and a potent sedative.

By the time the guard realized something was wrong, the poison powder had already entered his nasal cavity with his breath. The guard grabbed the door frame and pushed it open, only to see Duan Rong standing on a chair behind the door.

Duan Rong jumped off the chair and ran along the wall into the room.

The guard tried to give chase, but stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.

Duan Rong stood there, watching the guard lying motionless on the ground by the door for a long time. Then he walked over and turned the guard's heavy body over. He saw that the guard's face was covered with a faint black aura, but he was still breathing, so he was obviously just unconscious... He hadn't inhaled much poison powder, and it would probably take a while for him to be poisoned to death.

Duan Rong walked to Hu Jin's corpse and pulled out the sharp, long nail stuck in Hu Jin's body. The tip of the nail was covered with a layer of blood, like it had been painted red.

Duan Rong gripped the sharp nail, walked to the guard's side, squatted down, and plunged the nail into the guard's heart.

In that instant, the guard suddenly trembled, let out a muffled groan, and exhaled foul air from his mouth and nose. The foul air contained poison powder and almost hit Duan Rong's face.

Duan Rong hadn't expected the guard to react this way, and almost fell into his trap.

It would be ridiculous if I got sprayed with that poison powder and passed out here.

Fortunately, the guard's breath came from the side and hit Duan Rong. Duan Rong immediately turned his face away and held his breath.

Duan Rong immediately got up, still somewhat uneasy, and ran to Hu Jin's body, taking one of the antidote pills there.

He then pulled the guard's body away from the doorway. He crossed the courtyard, closed the gate, and returned to his room.

He stepped over the body of the guard on the side of the door and walked toward the medicine box next to the rocking chair by the wall.

He had only just checked two porcelain bottles in that medicine box.

Duan Rong squatted down in front of the medicine box, casually picked out a bluish-green porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and sniffed it from a distance. He immediately detected a faint fragrance. It wasn't the sweet scent of herbs, but a strong, strange, and exotic aroma.

The moment he smelled the fragrance, Duan Rong immediately held his breath and then closed the porcelain bottle.

He recognized the scent immediately!

It is a poison called Green Ghost. The most distinctive characteristic of this poison is that it can be released into the air by burning, and after burning, its odor disappears, leaving it odorless and tasteless.

Duan Rong's eyes widened in surprise. He suddenly realized that the poison of the green ghost shadow might actually come in handy.

Duan Rong squatted in front of the medicine box for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. This was only because he was very familiar with the properties of various poisons, which allowed him to act so quickly.

After all, there were many poisonous substances in there, so he didn't dare to smell them directly. He could only carefully move them away, fan them with his hand, and slowly sniff them to avoid being poisoned.

Including the bottle of antidote pills next to Hu Jin, Duan Rong left behind seven porcelain bottles of different sizes, six of which contained poison!

Duan Rong turned his head and glanced at the corpses of Hu Jin and the guard! It was a pity that Hu Jin's medicine box did not contain any corpse-decomposing powder. If it had, the two corpses would have been much easier to deal with.

Duan Rong thought for a moment, then walked over to Hu Jin's corpse and removed the small crossbow from Hu Jin's right forearm. This thing could be quite useful to him at times.

Then, Duan Rong walked to the guard's side, drew his knife, and plunged it into the guard's heart, covering the nail that had pierced a bloody hole.

He then walked to Hu Jin's corpse, holding the steel knife that was somewhat heavy for him in both hands. He used the knife to poke at the wound on Hu Jin's throat before plunging it into Hu Jin's heart. This time, he did not pull the knife out.

The scene is quite perplexing. It looks somewhat like the guard and Doctor Hu killed each other and perished together!
After Duan Rong finished doing these things, he put the seven porcelain bottles and the small crossbow into the food box. Then he scanned the room to make sure nothing was missing, and then he picked up the food box and left the room.

Even if someone discovers the body tomorrow, no one will suspect him!

Both Doctor Hu and the guard died in that room. Who would have thought that a doctor skilled in using poison and a strong guard who knew at least some martial arts could be killed by a skinny seven or eight-year-old child?

The four taboos in the martial arts world—monks, Taoist priests, women, and children—are not without reason!

Duan Rong walked out of the room. He first stepped on the withered leaves and came to the dry well in the corner. He then threw the sharp, long nail covered with blood into the dry well.

This long nail served its purpose well tonight, but it can't be kept around anymore. Even if the bloodstains are washed away, an old hand can tell just by sniffing it that it's been stained with human blood.

After throwing away the long nail, Duan Rong picked up the food box and lantern, left the courtyard, and walked into the dark night.

He's been here a bit too long, but not too long.

When Duan Rong returned to the courtyard of the kitchen, Guo Tian and the others were having dinner in a corner. Duan Rong walked over silently with a cold face and returned to the small kitchen.

During this time, Guo Tian and Jiang Hanyan stared intently at Duan Rong, as if there were words written on Duan Rong's face.

Duan Rong walked back to the small kitchen and saw two food boxes already placed in the corner, indicating that Old Man He had already returned.

He looked back and, seeing that no one was following him, he picked up the food box and slipped behind the black curtain. In the corner where the ingredients were piled up, Duan Rong opened a jar.

In that jar were salted duck eggs pickled by Old Man He.

The eggs in this jar were from the second day Duan Rong came to the small kitchen. He watched as Old Man He carefully coated each duck egg in salt mud and placed them into the jar. These salted duck eggs would need to sit for at least two or three months to fully absorb the flavor. This meant that Old Man He wouldn't be touching this jar for the foreseeable future.

After Duan Rong opened the jar, he put the seven porcelain bottles and the small crossbow from the food box into the jar. Then he closed the jar, stepped out of the black curtain, and put the empty food box back in its original place.

After finishing all this, Duan Rong stood in the small kitchen and quietly thought things through, finding that there seemed to be no flaws.

Only then did he exhale a breath of stale air. He suddenly felt very tired; his body was far too weak.

He struggled to the stove, opened the pot lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Duan Rong took out the steamed buns and dishes from inside and began to eat them in large mouthfuls.

After he finished eating, he washed the bowl.

When Duan Rong walked out of the small kitchen, Guo Tian and the others were still working in the main kitchen.

Duan Rong walked over silently and went straight into the shack where he slept.

He lay on the dark, communal bed, exhausted but unable to fall asleep.

He had learned a lot tonight, and he needed to think carefully about his next steps.

How should we use so many poisons that we have suddenly acquired?
Moreover, the bodies of Hu Jin and the guard will be discovered in about tomorrow. How should he deal with that?

With people dying one after another in the village, will it alert Meng Zongqiu and his men?

Duan Rong carefully considered the poisons in his hands. Since there were quite a few, poisoning the second-in-command, Wu Mingfu, would be no problem for him!
Now, the only difficulty is the head of the gang, Meng Zongqiu!
Meng Zongqiu stayed in that bunker like a turtle, and it was very difficult for outsiders to enter. Even if food was poisoned, it would never enter Meng Zongqiu's mouth.

Although Duan Rong possessed so many poisons, it was clearly impossible for him to poison Meng Zongqiu!

Duan Rong lay on the large communal bed, his eyes shining like stars in the darkness, as he plotted how to kill Meng Zongqiu...

Guo Tian and the others finally finished their work. The seven- or eight-year-old children, dragging their tired bodies, entered the dark shack. They climbed onto the large communal bed, found their usual sleeping spots, wrapped themselves in blankets, and went to sleep. Usually, they didn't turn on the lights when they came back.

Guo Tiangang lay down, preparing to move closer to Duan Rong, when he suddenly saw a figure lying between him and Duan Rong—it was Jiang Hanyan.

At seven or eight years old, Jiang Hanyan was so thin she was practically skin and bones, and the ends of her hair were slightly yellow. She was just an ordinary little girl with no particular looks. Who would have thought that she would later grow into such a graceful and beautiful young woman?

She had been sleeping with Su Xinjue for the past few days, but tonight she suddenly came over here.

Duan Rong and Guo Tian both knew why she had come. Guo Tian was fine, but Duan Rong suddenly had a headache and immediately pretended to be asleep.

It's not that he doesn't want to talk about it; what he did is too complicated to explain in a few words, and there are too many people around to hear it...

Jiang Hanyan called his name several times, but Duan Rong just pretended to be asleep. Jiang Hanyan was so angry that she pinched Duan Rong's thigh. Duan Rong pushed Jiang Hanyan's shoulder in pain and said, "Go easy on me! I'm already so skinny, how can I withstand your pinching?!"

Jiang Hanyan immediately pounced over, leaned close to Duan Rong's ear, and asked, "Tell me! What are you doing?"

Jiang Hanyan's breath tickled Duan Rong's ears. Duan Rong said, "There's a saying in my hometown, 'Curiosity killed the cat.' Guo Tian bringing her over is disturbing my sleep!"

Knowing that Duan Rong didn't want to talk about it, and that there were some things that couldn't be said, Guo Tian put his arm around Jiang Hanyan's waist and carried her to the other side.

"You..." Jiang Hanyan was very annoyed, but Duan Rong and Guo Tian ignored her. She could only be angry and there was nothing she could do. Meanwhile, Duan Rong was already snoring softly.

Jiang Hanyan had no choice but to lie down angrily, but in the darkness, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

(End of this chapter)