I Can Devour Spirits

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: The Dry Well

Jie Lei stood at the doorway of the main hall, staring at the phoenix tree for a while, then suddenly lifted his foot and walked towards Duan Rong, getting closer and closer! It was almost just a wall away!

At this moment, Jie Lei could leap, use the wall as a point of leverage, and directly slash at Duan Rong hiding in the tree.

Duan Rong’s heart was in his throat, his eyes fixed on Jie Lei.

If the two of them fought, and he couldn’t kill Jie Lei immediately, if Jie Lei escaped or alerted the constables, he would be in great danger!

Because if that happened, he would instantly become the scapegoat, the fool to take Jie Lei’s blame.

No matter if he admitted it or not, he would become the person who supposedly broke Xu Ruhu out of the Great Prison, becoming the target of everyone’s capture!

This was undoubtedly the worst scenario!

Duan Rong’s hand was not on the handle of his Cow Tail Saber but in his pocket, where he had just prepared a poison needle this afternoon!

His eyes were fixed on Jie Lei, ready to strike first if Jie Lei made any suspicious move!

However, Jie Lei seemed very relaxed, his hands hanging naturally by his sides, not even reaching for the saber at his waist!

Besides, Duan Rong was racking his brain, unable to figure out how Jie Lei could have discovered him so quickly!

Just then, Jie Lei suddenly leaped, making Duan Rong tense. Just as he was about to make a move, he saw Jie Lei use both hands to jump into a well at the corner of the wall.

The well was just a wall away from the phoenix tree where Duan Rong was hiding!

When Jie Lei came out of the main hall, the first thing he looked at was the well, not the phoenix tree hiding Duan Rong!

It was just that the well and the phoenix tree happened to be in the same direction!

”Damn it! Almost made a big blunder!” Duan Rong cursed in his heart.

He almost exposed himself!

If he hadn’t pondered over and over, unable to come up with a reason why Jie Lei could have discovered him, he might have acted prematurely!

Duan Rong slightly calmed his nerves as Jie Lei’s figure disappeared into the well, sinking down.

Underneath the mask, Duan Rong’s eyebrows were tightly knit. ”What’s this guy doing in the well in the middle of the night? Surely not doing some exercise up and down?”

Jie Lei not only went down the well but also stayed in it for the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

After jumping out of the well, Jie Lei glared fiercely at the well’s edge, his cheeks bulging from the forceful clenching of his teeth...

Though the night was dim, the faint light from the paper windows let Duan Rong sense Jie Lei’s hidden anger!

”Who provoked him?”

Jie Lei turned and walked back inside, and a few breaths later, the light inside went out!

Jie Lei had barely slept at all in the past two days and nights, his energy long exhausted, and the moment he touched the bed, faint snores began!

At this time, the courtyard was shrouded in deep darkness!

Duan Rong stayed motionless in the phoenix tree, his eyes continually watching the well just a wall’s distance away!

”That well...” Duan Rong’s eyes flickered in the darkness.

After Jie Lei fell asleep, not only did faint snores continue, but there was constant teeth grinding...

At this silent midnight, although Duan Rong was far away, he could still faintly hear it.

Even having drunk a large pot of strong tea, Duan Rong still felt a bit drowsy, especially annoyed by the sound of grinding teeth...

According to some basic knowledge from a previous life, grinding teeth is often a sign of considerable mental stress.

A Night Watchman walked the empty street, occasionally knocking, and the sound of the shift points drifted over from afar...

Duan Rong, standing in the tree, yawned and carefully counted the shifts, realizing it was already the beginning of the Mao hour!

Duan Rong shifted his body weight from his left leg to his right.

Just then, Jie Lei seemed also to hear the shift points, and a rustling sound emerged from the room!

Next, a dim light appeared on the inner window paper.

Duan Rong became suddenly alert, calculating that Jie Lei had only slept for two hours.

Jie Lei indeed had risen; he needed to report to the government office, especially now with an unresolved major case where he was one of the key figures, there was no way to let him sleep fully!

Jie Lei took a few ladles of water from the kitchen’s vat, washed his face with cold water in a wooden basin, then brushed his teeth with a cloth dipped in salt, straightened his official uniform, and prepared to leave.

Jie Lei walked to the courtyard gate, glancing at the corner’s well, then stepped outside with a deep look, locking the courtyard gate behind him!

Duan Rong, hidden in the phoenix tree, watched Jie Lei’s silhouette disappear around the alley corner, sighed, and thought: It’s tough working at the government office! Sleeping later than the chickens, waking up earlier!

At the start of the Mao hour, the chickens hadn’t even crowed yet!

After Jie Lei’s figure vanished at the alley corner, Duan Rong waited another quarter of an hour before silently descending from the phoenix tree! His dismount was as light as a falling leaf, his feet landing on the flagstone with feline grace and no sound!

Duan Rong stood on the stone, cautiously scanning the surroundings!

Ensuring no one was around!

With a press on the stone, Duan Rong’s figure suddenly leapt up, landing steadily on the wall. Dressed all in blue with a black mask, he resembled a malevolent ghost descending upon the world!

Standing on the wall, Duan Rong glanced at the well at the wall’s edge, then leaped into the night like a great bird, falling lightly into the courtyard center. With a gentle toe-off, he quickly landed at the main hall’s door!

The main hall’s doors were tightly shut with a copper lock!

Breaking the lock and entering was easy for Duan Rong, but now was not the time!

Duan Rong strolled to the inner window, drew his Cow Tail Saber, inserted it into the window gap, and skillfully lifted the window’s internal latch to open the two casement windows.

Just as Duan Rong prepared to leap in, he hesitated.

The inside of the pitch-black room, the windowsill, and the ground below the windowsill and door were covered in a layer of Fluorescent Powder!

Emitting a faint glow in the dark!

Duan Rong’s brows furrowed intensely, thankful that it was still night. Had he come during the day, he might have left footprints. Although his new cloth boots would be discarded, rendering tracking him difficult, Jie Lei’s return to find footprints would certainly alarm him!

Once again, Jie Lei’s sinister face flashed through Duan Rong’s mind. ”This man indeed harbors deep calculations!”

Duan Rong sighed; both Jie Lei and Xu Ruhu were tough opponents he needed to be wary of!

Using Duan Rong’s Cloud Serpent Step, avoiding the Fluorescent Powder to enter shouldn’t be difficult.

But he gave up on searching Jie Lei’s room, uncertain if there were other traps inside.

A single misstep might give Jie Lei a warning!

Duan Rong decided, reshutting the casement windows, using the Cow Tail Saber’s deft point to reengage the internal latch through the gap!

Then, Duan Rong turned, fixing his gaze through the dark night on the well at the wall’s edge!

Compared to Jie Lei’s room, his real curiosity lay with the well!

Initially, he planned to start with easy tasks; the room was straightforward, but the well...

Now, unable to enter the room left only the well!

Duan Rong stepped towards the well, a slight tension rising in his heart.

This well could be Xu Ruhu’s hiding place, and Xu Ruhu was a True Qi Realm Martial Artist!

Even a heavily injured True Qi Realm Martial Artist remained a formidable threat!

He had to be extremely cautious!

Standing at the well’s edge, the inside was as dark as an entrance to Hell with no trace of light.

Duan Rong peeked in, noticing it lacked the usual moisture of a well mouth.

”It’s... a dry well!”

Eyes narrowing sharply, Duan Rong mimicked Jie Lei, supporting himself on the well walls, climbing down using hands and feet. His movements were light, his form soon swallowed by the well’s darkness...