Chapter 749 Grotesque and Eerie Tales (Part 2)

The scrawny soldier spoke and actually shivered.

Fear flashed across the eyes of the helmeted middle-aged man as well. After all, the fearsome and strange rhino had disappeared after jumping down the cliff on the north side—perhaps it was truly lurking in this dense forest. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"Leader, how about we retrace our steps, find a secluded spot to hide while it’s not completely dark yet, and head back when it seems about time to report back. It’s better not to risk our lives over such eerie matters. What do you say, Leader?"

The helmeted middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, raised his eyes to see the other soldiers looking at him expectantly, and then his face sank as he said, "Alright, let’s do that then. But let me say this upfront: anyone who leaks this will be careful with their job security."

"Leader, don’t worry. The brothers have been following you for years; they know the seriousness of it." Another voice spoke up from not far away.

The helmeted middle-aged man nodded, waved his hand, and said, "Alright then, brothers, let’s go back the way we came!"

At this moment, Duan Rong was lying on a branch of a big tree on some mountain top, gazing at the city gate not too far away.

In the twilight, there were a few scattered travelers coming and going at the city gate. Duan Rong was waiting for nightfall to enter the city.

At this time, a swift horse galloped down the official road, kicking up a trail of dust.

The distance from where Duan Rong was to the road wasn’t very far, and his divine sense suddenly spread out, sweeping over the figure on the horse.

"It’s Jiang Zhuoyun!"

That Jiang Zhuoyun went ahead on the fast horse wasn’t surprising to Duan Rong, as it was part of his prearranged plan.

After Jiang Zhuoyun entered the city, the last sliver of dim light from the western sky was swallowed up. Night had fallen completely, and torches were lit by the city gate.

Duan Rong then moved under the cover of darkness and swiftly arrived at a secluded spot on the castle wall.

The city walls of Divine Cloud Prefecture were tall and thick, but to someone of Duan Rong’s Primordial Qi Realm with light skill and body technique, they were practically non-existent.

Duan Rong’s divine sense penetrated through the thick wall, confirming no abnormalities inside or outside the wall before he launched himself up like an eagle, just barely touching a midpoint on the wall before soaring over and landing lightly.

In the darkness, Duan Rong landed softly, picked a direction based on his divine sense, and dashed off.

As he moved swiftly through the night, he quickly discovered a large mobilization of heavy armored cavalry inside Divine Cloud Prefecture. In the darkness, Duan Rong showed no reaction; he had expected Jiang Zhuoyun to return to the city early for a reason.

Despite the large mobilization of heavy armored cavalry inside Divine Cloud Prefecture, with Duan Rong’s body technique and the probing of his divine sense projection, how could these cavalrymen possibly spot him?

Before long, Duan Rong returned to the separate courtyard of Zhu Zhengfu’s mansion.

This time, Duan Rong didn’t enter through any windows. After all, he wasn’t a thief, and there was no need to always come in through windows.

Especially now, as the night had just fallen and Ruyi hadn’t gone to bed yet.

Duan Rong entered directly through the courtyard’s main gate, where Chou Luan was reclining on a large stone drinking wine. Duan Rong flashed over eerily and stopped abruptly at the entrance.

The dim light from the lantern at the door illuminated his face.

Chou Luan was startled and jumped up, only realizing it was Duan Rong then. Duan Rong’s speed was too fast; by the time Chou Luan noticed, he was already at the door.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Chou Luan suddenly sat up, choked by the wine and coughing uncontrollably.

He had long suffered from some lung issues due to his constant drinking, and this time his coughing seemed to aggravate his lungs further, making it worse, causing his face to turn a flushed red.

Duan Rong’s gaze focused as he looked at Chou Luan.

Standing right beside Chou Luan, he suddenly reached out and pressed on a few points on Chou Luan’s body.

Duan Rong’s movements were lightning-fast, flicking over several acupoints in a flash. Before Chou Luan could react, Duan Rong had already withdrawn his hand and stood still.

Chou Luan immediately noticed that his urge to cough was subsiding, and he looked at Duan Rong with some astonishment.

Duan Rong had inherited the medical and poison techniques of Shen Ping and Shang Xiangyu. His skills in this area were far beyond those of ordinary doctors, and he remarked lightly, "Drink less. Even a strong body can’t withstand long-term abuse like this."

Chou Luan said, "Thank you for your concern, Lord. I am but a remnant of a person; living one more day is just one more day." As he spoke, Chou Luan grabbed the wine jar again and poured it down his throat.

Duan Rong shook his head, gave Chou Luan a glance, then turned to walk into the room.

As he entered the room, Ruyi was sitting there, propping her head with her hand in a daze. At the sight of a shadow at the door, she raised her eyes, saw it was Duan Rong, and immediately looked pleased. She stood up suddenly with joy, saying, "Master, you’re back!"

Duan Rong said nothing, walked over, and picked up the tea cup on the table.

"Master, that one’s cold; I’ll get you a fresh cup."

Duan Rong shook his hand and poured the cold tea right down his throat before exhaling and putting down the empty cup. He looked at Ruyi and said, "Get me something to eat; I’m a bit hungry!"

"Yes! Master, please wait a moment; I’ll go right away!" Ruyi made a courteous bow and hurried out with a food box.

Ruyi didn’t mention anything about where Duan Rong had gone last night or why he only returned now, as these matters were not for her to question in the first place.