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

Duan Rong followed the soldier from the Protectorate out of the monks' quarters, through a moon gate, and into a secluded courtyard.

The entire courtyard was pitch black, with only one window lit by a dim yellow light.

The soldier glanced at Duan Rong behind him, signaling him to follow, and then walked to the lit door and gently knocked on it.

The door opened, and a bald man stood there, his scalp reflecting a bright yellow light. Although he was standing with his back to the light, making his face unclear, Duan Rong could still recognize him as Shui Yue.

The officer smiled obsequiously and said, "Master Shuiyue, I have brought the person."

Shuiyue said, "You've worked hard. You should go and rest. I have some things to verify with this examinee."

"Yes, Master, then I'll take my leave." The soldier said, bowing as he departed.

Shuiyue glanced at Duan Rong standing at the door and said, "Zhu Shicheng, come in for a moment."

Duan Rong entered the room, and Shuiyue closed the door behind him. Then she walked up to Duan Rong, knelt down on the spot, and whispered, "Your subordinate Shuiyue greets Your Excellency."

Duan Rong silently helped Shuiyue up and asked, "Is something the matter?"

Although it was their first meeting, both of them looked quite serious, clearly knowing that something was about to happen.

Shuiyue picked up the three pieces of paper that Wang Cheng had just written on the table and handed them to Duan Rong, saying, "My lord, please take a look at this."

Duan Rong took it and scanned it quickly under the lamplight. After reading it, his face became even more gloomy.

Duan Rong noticed the signature at the end: Guimu Workshop, Wang Cheng. He looked at Shuiyue and asked, "Is this Wang Cheng the short, fat guy who greeted me at the examination hall?"

Shuiyue said, "It is indeed that guy."

Although Duan Rong cursed Wang Xun in his heart, now was not the time to curse; the important thing was to deal with the current crisis.

Duan Rong looked at Shuiyue with a serious expression and asked, "What do you think should be done?"

Shuiyue, having lived here for a long time, naturally understands the ins and outs of the place better than he does.

Shuiyue's face was cold. She weighed the three pieces of paper that Duan Rong had just returned to her and said, "This person can no longer be kept alive."

Duan Rong's eyes flickered, and he asked, "During the assessment at Yongning Temple, has there been any precedent of anyone dying?"

Shuiyue said, "That's quite common. It happens every few years, and sometimes it happens in a row."

Duan Rong said, "Is that so?"

Shuiyue said, “My lord, you are unaware. The selection and examination for Yongning Temple is quite brutal. Naturally, some people are recommended by the workshops. But there are also people who spend their own money, or even buy the workshops’ recommendation quotas. As a result, they have accumulated a lot of debt. Such people usually boast that their skills are good, but they are shallow and stubborn. Once they fail the examination, they are likely to take their own lives.”

Duan Rong asked, "It seems that Wang Cheng didn't spend his own money, did he?"

Shuiyue said, "Who cares about all that? If someone dies at Yongning Temple, will anyone hold Yongning Temple accountable? Even the yamen won't take the case."

Duan Rong glanced at Shuiyue, realizing that this man already had a plan in mind.

Duan Rong said, "It seems you already have a plan in mind?"

Shuiyue said, "If I had no ideas, how could I dare to send someone to summon you, sir?"

Duan Rong said, "Tell me about it."

Shuiyue said, "From the information Yang Ruoshui gave me, I have a rough idea of ​​your methods, sir. As for the matter of killing Wang Cheng, I think it would be most convenient and secretive for you to do it locally. In addition, as long as you burn these three pieces of paper, no one will know about his accusation against you. His death will not be suspected to be your fault at all."

Duan Rong looked at Shuiyue noncommittally.

Shuiyue said, "I know this is a matter of great importance, and it is truly our incompetence to make you do it yourself. But there are only the two of us in Yongning Temple, so we have no choice but to split up. In the middle of the night, when the moon is dark and the wind is high, you can kill that fellow under the cover of darkness. I will go to the place where the Buddha heads are collected and do some minor processing on his finished Buddha head for the test. In this way, we will have solid evidence that he failed the first test and, knowing that he could not pass, hanged himself."

Duan Rong pondered for a moment. This would indeed provide evidence, and Yongning Temple would certainly conclude that Wang Cheng had hanged himself. As for whether he had any debts, only the government could verify that. However, Yongning Temple was the largest temple in Yongzhou; how could the government dare to investigate its affairs?
Wouldn't this matter just be left unresolved?

Shuiyue's thoughts were quite meticulous.

Duan Rong asked, "Were most of those candidates who committed suicide hanged?"

Shuiyue said, "Some people do jump into wells. But jumping into a well makes a sound, and sometimes it can disturb people."

Duan Rong nodded and said nothing more.

Shuiyue suddenly handed a packet of powder to Duan Rong, saying, "My lord, this is an acute sedative, colorless and odorless. Just sprinkle the powder into the air, and the examinees in the room will be unconscious for two or three hours. You can take action after they are unconscious."

Duan Rong glanced at the powder in Shuiyue's hand and said, "It's kind of you to think of everything. But if you don't need this, I have my own way."

As Duan Rong spoke, he glanced at the three sheets of paper on the table and said, "We don't need to keep these papers anymore."

"Yes, sir." Shuiyue knew that Duan Rong wanted to see him deal with the item himself, so she picked up the paper, lit it over the lamp, and only put it into the brazier after seeing the fire start to burn.

Duan Rong watched as the papers burned to ashes before saying, "I will deal with Wang Cheng tonight."

Shuiyue said, "Yes, sir. I will take care of the Buddha's head."

Duan Rong nodded and walked out, returning to the monks' quarters along the same route.

When they returned to the rooms where the examinees lived, the dim oil lamps that had been there had been blown out, and the room was filled with the sounds of snoring in the darkness.

With a thought, Duan Rong released his divine sense and probed the spot where Wang Cheng was lying. He saw that Wang Cheng was fast asleep, with a line of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

He walked to his spot and lay down silently. But he couldn't sleep at all. In two more hours, he was going to kill someone again.

He wanted to follow the path of Cunmutang and pass the examination to become a craftsman of the Faxiang Sect. This was a ready-made path, but before he could even enter the Faxiang Sect, he was about to lose two lives.

If Wang Cheng hadn't reported him, Duan Rong wouldn't have known whether or not to kill him. He originally planned to discuss it with Shuiyue before making a decision.

But this fellow, because he coveted that small reward, reported him, which changed the nature of the matter. Fortunately, there's no need to worry; eliminating him will prevent future troubles.

Duan Rong sighed as he listened to the snoring coming from the room.

He thought that Wang Cheng looked to be only in his early twenties, yet he had been recommended by Guimu Workshop to participate in the Yongning Temple's assessment. His talent and diligence were evident. It was a pity that he would lose his life in this monk's quarters tonight.

"People should avoid getting involved in trouble."

Wang Cheng was chubby and looked a bit like a young Ximen Kankan, which made Duan Rong sigh.

Duan Rong lay there, lost in thought, when a night wind began to howl outside the room. Strong winds were common in Yongzhou at night, especially now that it was late autumn, around October.

A faint sound of a wooden clapper drifted through the autumn wind. Duan Rong lay in the darkness, counting the days. It was already past dawn; in two more hours, it would be daylight. It was time to make his move.

When Duan Rong's divine sense passed over the area, he saw that Wang Cheng had changed his position and was still sleeping soundly.

As soon as Duan Rong had a thought, a strange firefly suddenly appeared in the pitch-black room.

The firefly, as soon as it appeared, suddenly dispersed, leaving streaks of cold light that disappeared into the brows of the many examinees sleeping on the communal beds.

Suddenly, the snoring that had been rising and falling in the room came to an abrupt halt, plunging into an eerie silence.

In an instant, all twenty-odd examinees were trapped in a dreamlike state of mind.

Duan Rong sat up in the darkness, got out of bed, and disappeared like a ghost in a flash, appearing next to Wang Cheng the next moment.

Wang Cheng lay there with a stiff smile on his face.

Duan Rong knew what he was laughing at; he could see right through their illusory world.

Duan Rong untied Wang Cheng's belt and stood up.

In the darkness, he stood on the large communal bed, raised his head, and threw the belt in his hand. The belt went around the roof beam and drooped down from the other side.

The monks' quarters, which were a large communal room, were already quite low. Now that he was standing on the communal bed, his belt easily went around the roof beam.

Duan Rong stood there, tied his belt into a tight knot, then grabbed the knot and pulled the belt to the edge of the large communal sleeping area.

Then suddenly he squatted down, grabbed Wang Cheng's shoulder as if he were grabbing something, and hung him up without any hesitation.

Wang Cheng, who was hanging there, had lost his belt and his pants slipped down, leaving only a pair of underpants hanging on his crotch.

Duan Rong jumped down, picked up the pants that had fallen to the ground, and threw them onto the communal sleeping area.

At this moment, Wang Cheng was hanging there, but Duan Rong used his soul illusion technique to suppress his divine thoughts, so although he was hanging there, he was as motionless as a zombie.

Hanging there like that, the ligature marks on the neck would be too thin, showing no signs of struggle, which would easily arouse suspicion from an experienced coroner.

Duan Rong stood in the darkness, and with a thought, Wang Cheng was jolted awake from his illusory state.

In his dream, he dreamt he was drowning, gasping for breath. Suddenly, he woke up to find himself hanging from a beam, his breath fading away like a wisp of smoke from his mouth and nose...

He was chubby and quite heavy. Hanging there, the belt gradually pierced his skin, compressing his trachea. His face turned pale, his mouth was wide open, but he couldn't breathe.

Wang Cheng's legs were kicking wildly, his hands gripping the belt, but his breath was about to dissipate, his body was lacking oxygen, and he couldn't muster any strength at all.

In the darkness, he vaguely saw a dark figure standing not far away. Wang Cheng's heart skipped a beat. The figure's height and build were roughly similar to the person who had taken the exam for him during the day.

"It was him!? How dare he kill me!? Taking an exam for someone else might land you in jail!? Murder is a capital offense..."

Wang Cheng wanted to warn the man not to kill him. But in the oxygen-deprived state, his mind slowly went blank… The previously dark house suddenly lit up, and endless light gradually engulfed him…

In the darkness, Duan Rong knew that Wang Cheng was dead. He hung there, his arms and legs dangling, his mouth wide open, his face bruised and swollen, a horrifying sight.

Duan Rong's divine sense swept over Wang Cheng's lifeless face, and a sense of disgust rose in his heart. He not only loathed the dead, but he loathed killing even more.

He slowly walked back to the communal bed, lay down, but his eyes remained fixed on a certain spot in the darkness—the very place where Wang Cheng had hanged himself.

Duan Rong stared intently at that spot for a long time, until his eyes ached, before turning his face to look at the dark rooftop. He looked at the darkness above as if it were nothingness.

He watched like that for a while, and then he actually fell asleep.

He was awakened by a commotion after some time had passed.

The faint morning light was already filtering through the paper windows. Wang Cheng had hanged himself on a nearby bunk, and several others had already jumped down. Two men, shuffling in their shoes, ran out shouting.

A short while later, two soldiers and a monk ran in.

The monk immediately lifted Wang Cheng down and placed him on the bed. At a glance, it was clear that Wang Cheng was dead. His face was covered in bruises and had turned blue, making him look like a blue-faced beast.

However, the monk still checked Wang Cheng's breathing and pulse before sighing, "He's completely dead."

As he spoke, he turned to the two officers and soldiers from the Protectorate and said, "You two stay here for now. I'll go find the abbot and your chief supervisor."

“Yes, Master,” the two soldiers replied.

The monk then hurried away.

Duan Rong, who had been sleeping at one end of the communal bed, got up with a blank expression, put on his shoes and socks, and stood in a corner of the room with the other candidates who still looked sleepy.

The two soldiers wouldn't allow them to leave.

Not long after, a thin old monk in a kasaya and a middle-aged, overweight scholar dressed in casual clothes walked in one after the other.

The two men approached and glanced at Wang Cheng's body on the communal bed.

The middle-aged man, who looked like a scholar, looked at the old monk and said, "It has happened in previous years that candidates have committed suicide due to poor performance. We don't need to panic."

The old monk said, "Buddhism is based on compassion, so we must verify things clearly and not leave things unclear."

"Of course, of course," the middle-aged man replied, turning his head to look at the guards and asking, "Has the identity of the person who hanged himself been verified?"

The officer said, "The ferryman has already gone to find the invigilator for the candidates in this monastery and will bring the materials over soon."

The middle-aged man nodded.

After a while, the ferryman who had just left returned with Shuiyue, who was holding a booklet in her hand.

After verifying the information, Shuiyue retrieved Wang Cheng's registration certificate from his inner pocket. After comparing the two, she took the booklet and registration certificate and said, "This candidate is Wang Cheng, from Guimutang."

The middle-aged man said coldly, "Go check the Buddha head he made in his first performance."

Shuiyue responded and walked to the door, but suddenly turned around and said, "Master Ferry, come with me. It'll be faster if two people search together."

“Alright,” the ferryman replied, and then followed Shuiyue away.

The middle-aged man then had his men question the other examinees in the room, asking questions such as what noises they had heard. The examinees naturally all said they were fast asleep and hadn't heard anything.

Duan Rong's answer was the same; he could tell that the officials asking the questions were merely going through the motions and didn't really want to know anything. They probably all thought this was just another case of someone failing the exam and committing suicide. (End of Chapter)