I Can Devour Spirits

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Cunning to the Bone

Duan Rong pinched the Human Skin Scroll and tucked it into the inner pocket of his robe, then covered the hidden compartment with a wooden piece before descending gracefully like a large bird!

At this moment, the faint sound of the night watchman striking his clapper came from outside the window!

Duan Rong listened carefully to the count of the strikes!

”It’s already 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.!”

Duan Rong put the candle back in its original place, then went to the bedside, stripped Chun Mei of her clothes, and tossed them messily on the ground...

When Duan Rong flipped Chun Mei over, she let out a vague hum from her throat...

Duan Rong watched her for a while, ensuring she wasn’t awake, and then stood up!

Chun Mei was poor at handling alcohol and had been knocked out by Duan Rong, now she was still in a daze!

Duan Rong’s eyes flickered, glancing around, and felt there was nothing amiss, then turned to open the door of the room and slipped out.

As soon as Duan Rong exited the room, he saw the plump woman sitting on a recliner, smiling at him and saying, ”Guest, did you have fun last night?”

Duan Rong didn’t speak, only nodded, and then left through the courtyard gate!

The plump woman didn’t mind, she struggled to stand up, her flesh wobbling like a water balloon...

Yawning, the plump woman walked to the door of the room, lifted the curtain, and peered inside. She saw the table in disarray with dishes, Chun Mei lying on the bed, her arms stretched out like white lotus roots, clothes scattered on the floor...

The plump woman gave a lewd smile and said, ”Little tramp, after being toyed with all night, now she’s sleeping soundly!”

Duan Rong left Scarf Hat Lane; it was the time from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., the sky was dark and gloomy, with a big star hanging upside down in the pitch-black sky.

The streets were devoid of people, only stray dogs sniffing around...

Quite a few breakfast stalls by the street had already opened, steaming hot, with shadows of people busy inside...

At this hour, the buns weren’t fully cooked yet, nor had the beef soup released its flavor...

But Duan Rong wasn’t thinking about breakfast, he walked hurriedly by the street, fists clenched slightly in excitement!

”The twelve layers of the Fetal Concealment Scripture!”

”That old dog didn’t speak a single truth!”

Duan Rong walked directly to his own courtyard alley, taking out his key at the courtyard gate, unlocked it and slipped inside!

Securing the door bolt, Duan Rong turned his head to look at the old elm tree in the courtyard!

His eyes flickering, he suddenly moved with agility, leaping onto the high branches, moving aside the abandoned bird’s nest, pulling out the Human Skin Scroll from the tree hole below!

Duan Rong tucked away the Human Skin Scroll, set the bird’s nest back in place, and lightly descended to the ground!

Standing in the courtyard, Duan Rong’s eyes scanned the surroundings, seeing only a dark, deathly silent night!

He slipped into the house, entered the inner room, took out a Flint to light the candle, closed the doors and windows tightly, then placed the two Human Skin Scrolls on the desk!

The previous four-layer scrolls were only palm-sized, but tonight’s newly acquired twelve-layer scroll was as large as a belly!

By the dim candlelight, Duan Rong carefully examined the two Human Skin Scrolls!

As he looked, Duan Rong’s face grew increasingly grim, a chill spreading through him...

The Cultivation Techniques recorded on the four-layer scroll and the first four layers of the twelve-layer scroll were vastly different!

More precisely, the Cultivation Techniques of the first layer on the two Human Skin Scrolls were exactly the same!

However, the second, third, and fourth layers were utterly chaotic and almost entirely different!

”One of these two Cultivation Techniques must be fake!”

Duan Rong’s eyes flickered with terror. ”The techniques Jie Lei obtained, only the first layer is genuine. The other three layers are all fake!”

”Xu Ruhu was deceiving him from start to finish!”

”This Xu Ruhu truly is cunning to the bone!”

Luckily, in the cavern, I decisively ended him with a blade!

Otherwise, any delay would have made him realize I was not Jie Lei, and who knows what sinister tricks he would have used to lure him!

Duan Rong didn’t believe he could necessarily resist!

Wasn’t Jie Lei clever? Yet he was still played like a fool by Xu Ruhu!

And if Jie Lei had practiced this Fetal Concealment Scripture, the first layer might have benefited him, but continuing further would likely have been fatal!

”This is the Divine Soul Technique! How could it be practiced haphazardly!”

Duan Rong thought, feeling increasingly frightened. If he had practiced it, he would have ended up ruined!

Xu Ruhu roamed Jianghu, deceitful by nature, much like those big fund managers in a past life. The only right way to deal with them is simply not to play their game!

You want to slice the leeks, only to find out in the end, you’re the leek! And the greenest one at that!

Duan Rong surmised that even if he hadn’t gotten involved, the ultimate outcome would likely have been Jie Lei being played to death by Xu Ruhu!

After all, from the time he was in the Great Prison when Xu Ruhu extended the olive branch of the Divine Soul Technique, Jie Lei couldn’t resist the temptation, and when he broke Xu Ruhu out, he was already caught in Xu Ruhu’s trap, just like those ambitious, profit-seeking individuals who charged into the stock market, only to lose everything in the end!

”Jie Lei was still too young! Letting himself be schemed against by this old sinister fox!”

The only solution against such a person is not to play along and to end him with a blade!

Let all his sinister tricks rot in his belly to be taken with him to King Yama...

It took Duan Rong a while to calm his mind. In reviewing the strange occurrences in the cavern, he realized that his survival was entirely due to surprise.

Neither Xu Ruhu nor Jie Lei had anticipated a third person in the shadows scheming against them!

Duan Rong skimmed through the twelve-layer Secret Manual, confirming that it still wasn’t the complete manual.

Just how many layers the full manual had, he couldn’t say!

As he glanced at the window in the inner room, the light of dawn was faintly filtering through the cracks!

Duan Rong’s eyes flickered, he suddenly used his Body Technique, and leaped onto the beam of the inner room!

He took out the Cow Tail Saber, and in a corner of the beam, mimicking what he had seen, created a hidden compartment, placing the twelve-layer Human Skin Scroll inside, covering it with the removed wooden piece and fitting it tightly, then stood up and spread the dust around evenly with his foot!

The way Xu Ruhu hid things was indeed clever and could be used anywhere! Ancient houses mostly had beams!

Truly the older the wiser, like an old sly horse! You just have to acknowledge it!

After hiding the Secret Manual, Duan Rong descended gracefully to the ground!

Looking at the four-layer Human Skin Scroll on the desk, Duan Rong’s eyes flickered, and he took it out and placed it back into the tree hole under the bird’s nest!

Only after locking the courtyard gate did he head to the street!

Even though the four-layer Human Skin Scroll was fake, Duan Rong did not destroy it!

Because he decided to inherit Xu Ruhu’s deceitful scheme!

Keeping this four-layer Human Skin Scroll as bait might one day be his chance at survival!

Who could resist the temptation of the Divine Soul Technique?

Having obtained the first four layers, who wouldn’t want the rest?

As long as they still want more of the Divine Soul Technique, they have to keep up the pretense with me!

And as long as they remain entangled, there’s always an opportunity!

With this thought, Duan Rong walked to the street. The breakfast stalls were filled with people getting ready for work, eating inside!

Duan Rong sauntered over, picked a seat, asked for a bowl of wontons, and six buns!

He added a large spoonful of chili to the wonton soup and began to eat and drink!

By now, daylight had fully broken, and the streets became gradually crowded!

As Duan Rong ate, his mind lingered on the matter of the Divine Soul Technique!