No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 1005 is also about fate.
The water dungeon, cell number T, in the southeast corner.

The old Taoist priest in the crane-cloak sat there with a sour face, his eyes fixed on something on the ground. His arrogant expression made it seem as if the whole world owed him ten thousand taels of gold.

It's definitely the real person.

Ouyang Rong nodded with a smirk.

For some reason, the moment he saw Old Master Sun, he felt much calmer.

My restless mood, which was affected by Chen Jiaxin's eagerness for quick success a few days ago, has calmed down considerably.

At this moment, Old Master Sun's attention was entirely focused on the floor of the water prison, and he was not paying attention to the water curtain door. He seemed lost in thought or reminiscing about something.

Seeing this, Ouyang Rong did not immediately try to communicate with him.

Seeing that he still had time, and since he was already there, he simply turned around, continued walking, and headed towards the next water dungeon.

Because these water dungeons are arranged on both sides of the passageway, in order, cells numbered D and C are actually facing each other, essentially opposite each other.

Turning around and arriving at the C-class water dungeon, Ouyang Rong tiptoed and peered inside.

At first glance, I didn't see anyone.

There seemed to be no one inside the water dungeon.

But this is definitely not right, because usually when he comes to deliver vegetarian meals every night, there are always people eating them.

Moreover, the hand that reached out from cell number C was the slowest one.

Ouyang Rong scanned the C-class water prison again, not missing any corners, but still couldn't see anyone. He suspected that the prisoner might be in a corner on the same side as the water curtain prison door, hidden in his blind spot, which was why he couldn't see him.

Just as Ouyang Rong was muttering to himself, preparing to turn his gaze away and return to the adjacent water dungeon, numbered T, he was about to leave.

He suddenly caught a glimpse of a blurry black shadow on the floor out of the corner of his eye.

Ouyang Rong's expression froze for a moment. He lowered his head and looked carefully. He finally saw clearly that it was a figure lying flat on its back in front of the water curtain door, motionless and without any breath.

In other words, just moments ago, this person on the ground was only a door away from him, yet he hadn't sensed a single trace of their presence.

Ouyang Rong frowned and subconsciously took a step back.

After a short while, he recovered and continued forward, arriving at the door, where he carefully examined the...human-shaped object on the ground.

Because it was unknown whether the person was awake, asleep, or a corpse.

After looking at it for a while, he finally got a clear view of half of the whole thing.

This was a tall young man with an average appearance, a thin face, and a body as thin as a bamboo pole. He was noticeably thin, like a sickly person.

You could see that his skin was sickly pale, but it was different from the pale young man in the water dungeon in front of him. This was a relatively normal, sickly pale, bloodless kind of pale.

Ouyang Rong was quite familiar with them because when he was the magistrate of Longcheng County, he often saw these poor laborers suffering from serious illnesses in the flood-stricken areas.

At this moment, the young man kept his eyes closed, seemingly unaware that the water curtain prison door had become transparent, and naturally did not see the extra figures outside.

The pale-faced youth remained motionless, like a dead object.

Upon seeing this, Ouyang Rong recalled the slow, pale hand that stretched out every night.

A moment later, Ouyang Rong prepared to move.

At this moment, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, the pale young man lying on the ground suddenly opened his eyes. Because of his lying position, he was looking up at Ouyang Rong in front of the door.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

One person stood in front of the door, while another lay flat inside.

Ouyang Rong found it difficult to describe the pale young man's eyes.

There is a kind of tranquility that comes after great joy and sorrow, when all thoughts are extinguished.

He must have been seriously ill. Whether he has fully recovered or not is unknown, but he has definitely been through a serious illness.

Ouyang Rong thought to himself.

He had seen a similar look before, and it was hard to forget. It had appeared on a friend before... When he first woke up from his dream and saw Ashan lying in bed at Donglin Temple, he had the same look in his eyes, which was incredibly similar.

Ouyang Rong will never forget it in his life.

Some serenity and peace can only be attained through experiencing great ups and downs, birth, aging, sickness, and death. Gaining them is not necessarily a good thing; it is a painful price to pay for the years, just as those who climb high can see far, but insufficient vantage point will inevitably lead to loneliness.

A moment later, the sickly young man in the eye looked down first, his gaze falling on the food box that Ouyang Rong was carrying.

Seeing this, Ouyang Rong did not linger and turned to leave cell number C.

After walking a few steps, I heard a clear, crisp sound of a wooden fish.

Ouyang Rong paused slightly.

It is a positive feedback of merit that is always given when vegetarian meals are delivered every night.

Ouyang Rong turned around and looked at the water curtain door of cell number C.

Without saying anything, he returned to the T-shaped water curtain door.

It was getting late, and he had to get down to business. Apart from the two water dungeons, "A" and "B," that might exist at the deepest part of the passage, he had explored most of the place and satisfied his curiosity.

Inside cell number T, Old Master Sun was still sitting in the corner, lost in thought, looking rather unwell.

Ouyang Rong was unsure about the soundproofing mechanism of the water curtain door, and he didn't know if the sounds he made while standing outside the door could be heard by the people inside the water prison.

However, he still gave it a try.

How will you know if you don't try? Some bottom lines and limitations are discovered through testing.

He turned to face the T-cell, pretending to stop as he passed through the corridor, and covered his mouth with his fist, as if he had caught a chill while sleeping not long ago, coughing violently twice.

"Cough cough cough."

Old Master Sun, who was huddled in the southeast corner, remained motionless.

However, Ouyang Rong could vaguely see out of the corner of his eye that figures seemed to be flashing through the water curtain doors of several water dungeons around him. It seemed that some prisoners were approaching the water curtain doors and looking them over.

Because the water dungeons are located on both sides of the passageway, due to the angle, prisoners standing in front of the water curtain dungeon doors can see some of the scenes from the neighboring cells.

Of course, if it's too far away, for example, if the first two water dungeons, Gui and Ren, are located at the entrance of the passageway, then of course no angle will be of any use, and you won't be able to see the situation at the Ding-shaped water dungeon, which is deeper in the passageway.

Inside the water dungeon numbered Ding, Old Daoist Sun remained indifferent, as if he hadn't heard anything. However, he stood outside the door, partially blocking the light, so Old Daoist Sun naturally saw him but didn't react. Clearly, he had a bad temper and didn't want to talk to anyone, unlike his fellow inmates in the other cells who were so curious.

Ouyang Rong observed for a while longer, and noticed that the old Taoist in the crane cloak looked up as if he had glanced at him, then lowered his head slightly and continued to stare at the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

However, although Sun Laodao made no sound, there were noises coming from the neighboring rooms "E" and "Ji".

Then, the fat old monk and the bald farmer walked to the water curtain door and looked him over.

The chubby old monk was alright; he just smiled and looked at him with a curious gaze, while simultaneously rubbing his earlobe with his right hand…

However, these behaviors are still within the range of normal people.

But the bald peasant standing to the side had a somewhat aggressive look in his eyes. He stared at Ouyang Rong from head to toe, a forced smile playing on his lips. "To be able to get in here, kid, you're not one of those sluts' lovers, are you? Heh, did you get involved with some stinky woman in the palace and come here for an affair?"

Ouyang Rong seemed not to have heard, and turned his head to look at the still water dungeon numbered T next to him.

He certainly heard the bald peasant's lewd jeers.

At this moment, Ouyang Rong was seriously considering the mechanism by which the water curtain door transmits sounds from inside and outside.

Judging from the lack of movement from Old Master Sun inside the T-shaped room, one might need to get close to this water curtain door to hear or transmit sounds from outside. If one extends it deep into the cell, the noise would be blocked out, making it truly a good place for self-reflection.

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.

Now that things have come to this, there is only one way: to communicate with Master Sun.

Since the water curtain prison door has a strong soundproofing effect, and one can only hear the movements inside and outside by getting close, then let's wait for an opportunity for Old Master Sun to get close to the water curtain prison door.

It's very simple. Every night when the food box containing vegetarian meals was delivered in, the prisoners, including Old Man Sun, would always approach the water curtain prison door.

Today's vegetarian meal has already been served; we'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Having made up his mind, Ouyang Rong turned and left.

He ignored the bald farmer the entire time.

The latter seemed unperturbed, crossing his arms and chuckling as he watched the taciturn young man leave, his figure disappearing into the passageway.

The chubby old monk looked curiously in the direction Ouyang Rong had left.

The bald farmer nodded:
"Little bunny."

The chubby old monk rubbed his earlobe and murmured:
"It's also a matter of fate."

A short while later, the figures standing in front of the water curtain doors of cells E and F disappeared and returned to their cells.

The other five water dungeons remained unresponsive throughout, except for cell number C, where a sickly young man lay paralyzed beside the water curtain cell.

After the taciturn young man left with the food, the passageway returned to silence.

Only the changing light and shadow, accompanying the shifting daylight outside, constantly alternated and recurred on the stalactites overhead, creating a dreamlike and seemingly endless scene...

As usual, Ouyang Rong passed under the rusty sword on the cliff, walked out of the waterfall, crossed the pool, and met Chen Jiaxin and Enting, who had stayed behind.

They passed by without exchanging glances.

Ouyang Rong did not turn around and went straight to the Spring Pavilion. After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he heard a woman's footsteps behind him.

He snapped out of his daze, glanced back, and saw Chen Jiaxin walk into the pavilion, her brows slightly furrowed, muttering a dissatisfied remark:

"It is indeed a bit too blatant, but why did it take you so long to come out..."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong swallowed his words and silently looked at the young woman in swordsmanship who had suggested this yesterday.

Chen Jiaxin felt a little embarrassed by the dull young man's gaze, pursed her lips, and looked away, gazing at the scenery outside.
"Alright, it was my idea, but I didn't expect you to take so long. I thought it would be faster..."

Ouyang Rong gently shook his head and first said:
"How can this be rushed? Besides, Miss, slow is fast, isn't it?"

Chen Jiaxin pondered for a moment, looked at him deeply, and nodded.

"Ah."

Seeing this, Ouyang Rong didn't waste any words and said directly:

“Miss, the water curtain prison door does indeed follow the changes of light and darkness. The brighter the morning sun, the more transparent the water curtain door becomes… I saw that old Taoist priest wearing a crane-feather cloak today.”

Chen Jiaxin's last bit of displeasure vanished instantly.

A look of joy appeared in her eyes, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

A moment later, the sword-clad young woman pressed for details:

"How to say?"

After pondering for a moment, Ouyang Rong recounted the events of the day's vegetarian meal delivery, embellishing the details slightly.

However, Ouyang Rong concealed the fact that he had discovered the special features of the Water Curtain Prison Door, because if he told Chen Jiaxin, he would have to explain why he discovered it, which would be regarded as unauthorized action by Chen Jiaxin.

After all, Chen Jiaxin had entrusted him to enter the water dungeon, and her constant instructions were that after discovering the old Taoist in the crane cloak, he should return and report first, rather than attempting to communicate with him.

Ouyang Rong couldn't let Chen Jiaxin realize that he had ulterior motives or was too proactive.

After all, in Chen Jiaxin's view at present, everything is under her control.

After spending so much time together, Ouyang Rong knew very well that this was a very controlling woman, and everything had to go according to her plan, at least in her mind.

Ouyang Rong thought to himself.

Chen Jiaxin, unaware of her subordinate's ulterior motives, listened to the conversation, her expression softened, and she felt much better. She even found Ouyang Rong more agreeable.
"Is this person in cell number T...? Yes, Liu Aliang. Although you were a bit slow, you did a great job this time. I didn't choose the wrong person."

She raised one of her outstretched hands, patted his shoulder, and looked satisfied.

Ouyang Rong subtly returned a compliment:
"It is thanks to Miss's excellent guidance and correct direction that I have made such progress."

Although she had been telling Ouyang Rong from beginning to end not to speak falsehoods and to speak his mind, the girl in the sword-clothed dress was still quite pleased to hear those words.

Sure enough, flattery never fails; it works on men, women, young and old alike.

Chen Jiaxin rolled her eyes at him and snorted softly:

"Alright, I never realized you were so glib before."

Ouyang Rong didn't respond, and changed the subject:

"Miss, we have achieved our objective. Now, we'd like to know what to do next."

Chen Jiaxin remained silent for a moment.

Ouyang Rong noticed that she was scrutinizing his face, as if observing something.

The taciturn young man lowered his eyes slightly.

After a short while, the young woman in sword attire slowly said:

"Here's what you'll do: deliver the vegetarian meals as usual, and try to chat with him a bit during that time. I'm not talking about blatantly exchanging secret signals, but rather getting to know him a little better so it'll be easier to pass messages later..."

"Pass on a message?"

"Ah."

Chen Jiaxin slowly nodded and said, "Also, try to find out what this person needs in prison, except for releasing him..."

Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded gently:
"Understood, miss."

Chen Jiaxin suddenly spoke up: "Let's try to get it done before Master returns."

Ouyang Rong glanced up at her calm expression, then lowered his eyes after a moment.
"Yes."

(End of this chapter)