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

Chapter 86: Thunder
Yuanshun Escort Agency was in a mess. Since Xiao Zongting was fine, let Luan Jingfu take care of the things in other places. Duan Rong turned around and decided to go out for a walk to relieve the depression in his heart.

As soon as Duan Rong walked out of the escort agency, he found that West Street seemed to be in a mess, with constables and yamen runners walking hurriedly by from time to time.

On the originally clean and tidy West Street, there were actually a lot of large pieces of paper leaves as big as sycamore leaves.

A gust of wind blew, causing the papers to fly all over the street. With a rustling sound, one of the papers covered Duan Rong's trouser leg. Duan Rong bent down to pick it up and saw that it was a wanted poster. There was a portrait outlined in ink and several lines of small words below it.

"Xu Ruhu..." Duan Rong's eyes moved, he felt that the name seemed familiar.

The streets were also in a state of panic. Some shops had already closed, and the sounds of yamen runners banging on doors and shouting could be heard from far and near.

Duan Rong walked forward for a while and found a teahouse on the corner of the street. It was still open. He walked in and saw that it was empty except for a figure sitting alone on a seat in the middle.

The man was wearing official uniform and had a knife on his waist. He turned out to be a constable in the yamen. Duan Rong was about to turn around and take a closer look. He found that the constable was none other than his childhood friend Yang Zhen.

Duan Rong smiled and walked over, only to see Yang Zhen staring at something in his hand in a daze. It turned out to be a dart!
The javelin was seven or eight inches long, with a flat blade and a red tassel at the end. It flashed a cold light in Yang Zhen's hand!

Duan Rong patted Yang Zhen and said with a smile, "What are you studying? Why are you looking at a javelin so intently?"

Yang Zhen raised his head and looked at Duan Rong with his eyes seemingly out of focus for a moment. This was the reaction when deep thinking was suddenly interrupted.

After a moment, Yang Zhen seemed to recognize Duan Rong and said with a smile, "Potato, why are you here?"

"What? When did this teahouse become yours? Can't I come here anymore?" Duan Rong said as he sat down opposite Yang Zhen and poured himself a cup of tea.

"That's not the case..." Yang Zhen was about to say something when his face suddenly froze.

It was only a little over a month since the two last met, but Duan Rong was completely different.

Not only had he grown half a head taller, his body had also become more sturdy and robust. What surprised Yang Zhen even more was the frankness and confidence that naturally revealed in Duan Rong's words and demeanor, which even made him, who was accustomed to sociability, feel a sense of oppression.

"Xiao Rong." Yang Zhen had always been used to calling Duan Rong Potato, but he subconsciously changed his name as soon as he spoke. "You seem... a little changed..."

Yang Zhen considered his words, but still didn't know how to describe his feelings.

Duan Rong's eyes rolled and he knew what Yang Zhen was talking about, so he smiled and said, "Well, I chose to be an apprentice escort! I have been practicing the inner strength for more than a month."

Yang Zhen's face froze.

Although Duan Rong went to Yuanshun Escort Agency, he never thought that Duan Rong could be selected as an apprentice escort.

You have to know that bodyguards and constables are basically of the same social class, and their income is similar. Although constables can sometimes show off their power in front of ordinary people, they dare not act arrogantly when they meet a martial artist.

"Really? So awesome?" Although Yang Zhen was happy for Duan Rong, he felt more uncomfortable because he would no longer feel superior in front of this childhood friend.

Duan Rong could tell at a glance that Yang Zhen's smile was a little unnatural, but as a human being in two lifetimes, he could still understand his childhood friend's little thoughts.

Yang Zhen soon realized that there was something wrong with his state of mind, so he said as if to cover it up: "You are doing well! Being a bodyguard in the future is also a decent job. Such a good thing, why don't you treat us?"

Duan Rong drank the tea in his cup and said, "I'm so poor now that I only have money left! Where should we eat? You choose!"

"Fuck! So arrogant?" Yang Zhen was stunned, and suddenly his eyes flashed. A message skipped in his mind, and he said in surprise: "Wait... wait a minute... some time ago, there was a rumor about the painter Duan from Yuanshun Escort Agency, who was paid ten taels of silver for a painting, and the county magistrate invited him to dinner? That person is not you, right?"

The news of that commotion became more and more unreliable. By the time Yang Zhen heard about it, it had been described in a completely distorted way, and he did not think of Duan Rong as the one responsible.

If you tell him that Duan Rong can paint, he won't believe it even if you beat him to death.

"It's me!" Duan Rong smiled and admitted it shamelessly.

Yang Zhen's face changed, and he paused, then said, "Wait... that's not right, you are not kidding me, are you? When did you learn to paint? Why have I never seen you paint before?"

Yang Zhen said this, looking at Duan Rong with suspicion.

Duan Rong rolled his eyes at Yang Zhen and said, "I can also poop! Have you ever seen me poop?"

"Fuck, could you please stop saying such disgusting things!"

"I see that the streets are full of detectives and bailiffs searching for someone. Why are you sitting here, leisurely drinking tea?" Duan Rong asked, deliberately changing the subject.

Yang Zhen stretched out his right leg helplessly and said, "Well...it's injured..."

Duan Rong took a look and saw that the bandage on Yang Zhen's right calf was shaking and blood was seeping out.

"Hey...how did you get hurt?" Duan Rong's expression was exaggerated and a bit funny.

"That's what hurt me!" Yang Zhen said, holding up the dart in his hand. It was the one that Duan Rong had been looking at when he first came in.

"What's going on?" Duan Rong remembered Yang Zhen's thoughtful expression when he first entered the room, and felt that the matter might not be simple.

"Well, it's a long story..." Yang Zhen sighed. He had nothing to do and was just about to have a good talk with Duan Rong when suddenly a group of people rushed into the teahouse making a lot of noise.

The leader was a thin man with high cheekbones and big, flickering eyes. He looked to be about thirty years old, but there was a light blue halo under his eyes, as if it was caused by long-term insomnia.

The man rushed in with a group of yamen runners armed with water and fire sticks, and shouted to the boss behind the counter, "Boss, we've been ordered to search. Sorry for the inconvenience!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand and the yamen runners behind him rushed in!

The boss panicked and followed the yamen runners to the backyard! "Brother Lei!" When Yang Zhen saw the man, he immediately struggled and stood up by holding the table.

This man's name is Jie Lei, and he is Jie Daohan's nephew!

With the major case of Xu Ruhu's prison escape, there was unrest inside and outside the government office. Xie Daohan led the detectives himself to tackle the tough bones of the major forces in the county, and asked Xie Lei to lead the yamen runners to search along the streets!

When Xie Lei heard someone calling him, he turned his head and was slightly startled. He said, "Yang Zhen, why are you here?"

Yang Zhen smiled awkwardly and said, "I can't stay at home, come out and sit for a while!"

"You'd better go back. The whole city is searching for the man and it's not safe outside! Your legs and feet are not in good condition, so go home and rest for a few days." Xie Lei said with concern.

Yang Zhen agreed and prepared to leave. Duan Rong immediately reached out to support him. Yang Zhen smiled at Duan Rong, feeling a little dazed for a moment. When he was a child, he got injured in fights outside. Duan Rong had helped him home countless times!
But at that time, Duan Rong was much shorter than him, but now, Duan Rong was already slightly stronger than him.

The two walked past Xie Lei, who glanced at Duan Rong and asked, "Your friend?"

Yang Zhen said, "He's my childhood friend! Duan Rong, an apprentice escort from Yuanshun Escort Agency!"

Xie Leichong looked at Duan Rong and nodded slightly as a greeting.

After they left the teahouse, Duan Rong said, "This guy looks gloomy, but he speaks in a very kind way."

Yang Zhen said: "Brother Lei usually takes good care of us."

Duan Rong's eyes flickered, and he recalled the information from long ago, and said, "He is Captain Jie's nephew, Jie Lei?"

"that is!"

Duan Rong supported Yang Zhen and walked to the door of the teahouse. Turning back, he just happened to see Jie Lei's back in the dusk. Although Jie Lei was thin, he had a big frame. From the back, he looked like a clothes rack.

After they left the teahouse, Yang Zhen said, "It's a mess outside. Let's buy some wine and meat and go to my house to eat and drink!"

"Okay!" Duan Rong was feeling depressed, and seeing Yang Zhen seemed to be feeling upset as well, the two of them just happened to drink to drown their sorrows.

Duan Rong supported Yang Zhen and went to the delicatessen, where they bought some pork heads and a fat chicken. They also asked the owner to prepare some cold dishes. Then the two of them went to the wine shop and bought a jar of rice wine.

Duan Rong held the wine and Yang Zhen carried the food, and the two of them went to Yang Zhen's house, talking and laughing.

The two of them were not polite and started eating and drinking right after returning. They even scrambled to drink the jar of rice wine. After a while, both of them were burping from eating so much...

"Um...how did you get injured...I was just talking halfway through in the teahouse..." Finally, after stopping the fight for food and drink, Duan Rong finally freed his mouth and asked with a red face.

Yang Zhen smiled half drunkenly and said, "Xu Ruhu... was kidnapped from prison!"

Duan Rong was slightly startled. At the entrance of the escort agency, Xie Daohan was talking about escaping from prison. It seemed that the old man was not telling the truth. Xu Ruhu was kidnapped from prison.

"Were you there at the time?" Duan Rong's eyes were shining, and he was already mostly drunk. Since Yang Zhen was injured, he was most likely there at the time.

"I'm here!" Yang Zhen said angrily, "The prison robber... was wearing black! He ran past me with Xu Ruhu on his back, so of course I tried to stop him! As soon as we met, he kicked me away... and then stabbed me in the calf with a dart..."

Yang Zhen spoke intermittently, and as he spoke, he got drunk and fell on the table and passed out...

Duan Rong shook him and said, "What happened next? Why did you lose interest when it came to the key point?"

Duan Rong shook him but couldn't wake him up, so he just let him sleep.

At this time, Duan Rong saw the dart that fell at Yang Zhen's feet. Duan Rong stretched out his hand to hold the dart in his hand and silently said, "Read the spirit of the weapon!"

Object: Spear dart
Spirit Level: Unclassified
Devouring requirements: None
Devouring Effect: Thousand-Handed Arhat Entry

Duan Rong looked at the data in front of him and smiled slightly. It seemed to be a hidden weapon technique.

The use of hidden weapons, like Qinggong, is also a niche martial art. Although it is only entry-level, it is quite difficult.

Duan Rong blinked his eyes which were red from drinking, and he suddenly remembered that he had always failed in swallowing the tree spirit.

But if swallowing the tree spirit fails, will swallowing other weapon spirits succeed?

Duan Rong decided to give it a try, and said, "Swallow!"

The next moment, Duan Rong's eyes lit up. "It actually succeeded in swallowing it!"

Duan Rong then remembered the prompt text when he failed to devour the tree spirit: the relevant area of the spiritual space is full!

"The relevant area is full! In other words, the weapon spirit and the tree spirit are not in the same area in the spiritual space. Only the tree spirit's relevant area is full, but the weapon's relevant area can still be used."

Duan Rong speculated in this way. The alcohol and the discomfort in his brain after swallowing the weapon spirit surged up together. He soon fell asleep beside Yang Zhen...

In the late night, the wind was howling, and Duan Rong suddenly woke up from the messy wine table. His sleepy eyes emitted a strange light, and he muttered to himself: "The back of that... person practicing the javelin..."

“That figure…” Duan Rong was talking when he suddenly stood up from the table and said in astonishment, “The one who kidnapped Xu Ruhu from the prison… was Jie Lei!”

(End of this chapter)