I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 233 What a rip-off!

Chen Ming did not participate in the discussion, but listened quietly from the side. He admired Du Rusong's decision to offer a first-rank reward.

The Six Doors have strict regulations regarding the rewards for wanted posters. Even a first-rank governor cannot simply raise the reward at will, unless he is willing to convert his merits into a reward of the same rank and add it to the reward.

In other words, even if Du Rusong manages to capture Xie Jianqiu, it will be a wasted effort, and he might even have to pay out of his own pocket.

Because subordinates also need to share the credit, it's impossible to let him monopolize it all.

From their conversation, Chen Ming learned that Tao Zhiquan had an enemy, a wanted criminal by the Six Doors. Du Rusong promised to raise the bounty on his enemy to the first rank, which would attract more first-rank experts and naturally increase the chances of capturing him.

Even this brilliant constable couldn't catch that enemy; who is he, really?

Tao Zhiquan began his analysis, "I've studied this person's files. He came from a poor family and had a fortuitous encounter when he was young, obtaining the inheritance of a peerless martial arts technique. Unfortunately, he started practicing martial arts too late, and after barely breaking through to the first rank, his cultivation level never improved again."

"Until a few years ago, I somehow acquired a technique for absorbing the essence of a woman's body. At first, I only sought out ordinary women and absorbed their essence from them countless times. Later, I became bolder and bolder, and even set my sights on women from noble families. After my scheme failed, I was captured by Lord Xu."

"This man has been imprisoned for half a year. After escaping, he was hunted down and exhausted. He was also injured by Lord Li, which may have damaged his vital energy. If you were him, what would you do?"

Du Rusong said, "Naturally, we should find a place to restore our original essence as soon as possible. It would be best to capture a few women with profound cultivation and use their essence for 'replenishment'. That's the fastest way."

"Exactly."

"Are we supposed to wait until a woman goes missing somewhere before we go to search for her?"

Tao Zhiquan, looking confident, said, "I've always observed that this man is cautious in his actions and would never kidnap a woman indiscriminately. He will definitely find a place where he won't be discovered."

Du Rusong said in a deep voice, "Old Tao, stop keeping me in suspense and just tell me the truth."

Tao Zhiquan said, "I wonder if you have noticed, sir, that more than a dozen noblewomen have gone missing in Xia Prefecture in recent years. After Xie Jianqiu was finally captured, only ten were rescued. As for the others, he has always denied that he kidnapped them."

Du Rusong's eyes flashed. "You mean, he hid those women somewhere else?"

"It must be so."

"Even if your guess is true, how can you know where he hid the person?"

Tao Zhiquan said, "Sir, have you heard that there is a group of river bandits on the Danjiang River? The bandit leader is suspected to be a third-rank cultivator. They occasionally rob passing merchant ships, but they do not cause much harm and are not well-known. Therefore, the governor of this prefecture has never gone to wipe out this group of river bandits."

"If I'm not mistaken, this bandit leader is most likely connected to Xie Jianqiu. Perhaps he's even his apprentice whom he secretly took in."

Du Rusong asked with some doubt, "Old Tao, why are you so certain that this group of river bandits is related to Xie Jianqiu?"

Tao Zhiquan stroked his white goatee and said, "It's quite a coincidence. A few months ago, my granddaughter and I went to Jiangzhou and traveled along this Danjiang River. We exchanged a few blows with that bandit leader. At the time, I felt that his internal energy was somewhat special. Now that I think about it, it must be Xie Jianqiu's unique martial art, the Ice Whirlwind Force."

"Moreover, according to the confessions of Xie Jianqiu's acquaintances, this man comes to Qingtian County every six months, saying he's coming to see friends, but he comes far too often. Based on these two clues, I've concluded that Xie Jianqiu is most likely hiding among that group of river bandits."

After listening, Du Rusong had no further doubts. "Old Tao is truly meticulous and perceptive. No wonder he has the reputation of being a divine detective. I suppose Old Tao already knows where those bandits are hiding."

Tao Zhiquan said, "I'm afraid we can only ask the local bigwigs about this."

Du Rusong immediately gave orders to his four subordinates, "Alright, this matter is entrusted to you. Be quick." After saying that, he looked at the low-key Chen Ming and said, "You stay here with us and wait."

"Yes, my lord."

Chen Ming bowed his head and agreed.

He sensed that Du Rusong would not let him out of his sight.

……

This wait lasted for several hours.

Du Rusong changed into casual clothes and was meditating on a large rock.

Chen Ming stood under a large tree not far away, looking at the control panel.

As for Tao Zhiquan, he went off alone to gather information. Actually, he really wanted to go with him to see how an old hand at gathering information, but Du Rusong wouldn't agree, so he didn't mention it.

At this point, he was about one million experience points away from breaking through to the second rank.

These days, he used the silver ornament given to him by Xia Mudan to disguise himself as a woman and challenge the younger generation of third-rank masters all over Xiazhou City, reaping considerable rewards.

It has to be said that even in this world, beautiful women always receive preferential treatment. He modeled his appearance after a female celebrity from his previous life and used the name "Ye Qingmei," which was incredibly arrogant.

If he were a man, he would have been beaten to death long ago. But because he used a woman's identity, not only did no one really hold it against him, but he even gained a lot of fans, both men and women.

It's a pity. If he had a few more days, he could have accumulated enough experience points to directly advance to the second rank.

At this moment, under Du Rusong's watchful eye, he naturally wouldn't add any points.

A first-grade expert is at the Nascent Soul Realm, with extremely sharp divine sense. If his cultivation suddenly increases dramatically, it would be strange if he didn't arouse suspicion.

Chen Ming was pondering how to accumulate one million experience points when he saw Zhu Wanlin and the other three return, each carrying two other people.

Zhu Wanlin reported, "Sir, we've found out that these two are accomplices of that band of river pirates, responsible for selling the stolen goods. They said that the band of river pirates' hideout is not on the Danjiang River."

Du Rusong opened his eyes and asked, "Where is that?"

"In the territory of Jiangzhou, there is a place called Huanshou Mountain. It is more than a hundred miles away from here."

At this moment, Tao Zhiquan also returned. Upon hearing Zhu Wanlin's words, he said, "I know that place. It is surrounded by water on three sides and is full of reeds. Once the boat hides in the reeds, it will be very difficult to find."

Du Rusong stood up. "There's no time to lose. Now that we know their hideout, let's go."

So the seven continued on their way, while the other two were tasked with leading the way. It's unclear what methods Zhu Wanlin and his companions used to get those two to obediently lead the way.

……

Before it got dark, Chen Ming and his group had already arrived at Huanshou Mountain. The small reed marshland was a huge problem for ordinary people, but it was no big deal for a third-grade expert, who could walk on flat ground as if it were nothing.

"who?"

As soon as the seven people landed on the island, a sharp shout came from the side.

Then, Zhu Wanlin and his three companions went on a killing spree, slaughtering everyone they encountered along the way as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. They had no intention of leaving a single survivor.

Chen Ming frowned slightly as he watched. In terms of ruthlessness, he really couldn't compare to these people.

"This is the world of martial arts."

Beside him, Tao Zhiquan had somehow taken out a pipe and started puffing on it, letting out a sigh. It was unclear whether he was saying it specifically to him.

"Got you!"

With his hands behind his back, Du Rusong seemed to sense something. Without any visible movement, his body was lifted up by an invisible force, flying over everyone's heads and heading towards the mountainside.

"This person's strength should be above that of Ruan Caixiong."

Chen Ming made a judgment in his mind, of course, that it was Ruan Caixiong who did not have the Demon Sword.

Tao Zhiquan said, "Let's go. A duel between two top-tier experts isn't something you can see every day. This kind of opportunity is rare and hard to come by."

"Yes, senior."

Chen Ming responded and followed behind him up the mountain.

Before long, he reached the mountainside and saw the entrance to a large cave. A voice filled with shock and anger came from inside, "Du Rusong, don't push your luck! If I hadn't been injured, how could you be my match?"

Du Rusong laughed wildly, "Hahaha... Go tell those words to the King of Hell."

When Chen Ming and Tao Zhiquan entered the cave, Zhu Wanlin and the other three had almost finished dealing with the bandits on the mountain and entered the cave with them.

The cave was very spacious. Du Rusong held a black gold longsword and suppressed Xie Jianqiu so much that he had almost no power to fight back.

On the other side, seven or eight people were watching the battle. Among them were several young women, all with blank expressions and disheveled clothes. They were probably the noble ladies who had been kidnapped.

There was also a middle-aged man watching the battle between the two first-rank officials with a tense expression.

Tao Zhiquan pointed at the middle-aged man, "That's the bandit leader here."

Zhu Wanlin was the first to rush out, shouting, "This guy's mine! Take this shot!"

Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man drew his sword and engaged Zhu Wanlin in battle.

Chen Ming saw that Xie Jianqiu was already in grave danger and would be killed by Du Rusong in less than ten moves, which puzzled him.

If things continue to develop this way, this matter will be resolved soon.

What about the calamity mentioned in the tortoise shell prophecy?

No matter how you look at it, Du Rusong had no reason to kill him. Judging from the looks of it, he didn't even intend to use someone else to do his dirty work.

Just then, seeing that he was about to be killed on the spot, Xie Jianqiu shouted, "Du Rusong, do you want a spot to enter the secret realm?"

Du Rusong laughed heartily, "Trying to fool me? Such tricks won't work on me."

"then!"

Xie Jianqiu suddenly threw something out.

Du Rusong didn't reach out to take it; instead, he caught the object with his knife. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was a golden token engraved with intricate patterns. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

This token appears to be genuine.

"I never expected such a pleasant surprise on this trip! However, you're being too naive to think you can buy your life with this. Even if I kill you, the spot will still be mine!"

Just as Du Rusong was about to make a move, the golden token suddenly shone brightly, and he was stunned on the spot.

Xie Jianqiu said, "Now is the time to enter the secret realm. Will you choose to kill me, or enter the secret realm?"

Without any hesitation, Du Rusong reached out, grabbed the token, and vanished from the spot.

The opportunity to enter the secret realm is rare and hard to come by. It's not surprising that he made this choice.

only--

The other six people present felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave when they saw Xie Jianqiu turn around and look in their direction; their hands and feet turned ice cold.

Du Rusong's entry into the secret realm meant that the six of them would have to face Xie Jianqiu, a first-rank expert.

The situation took a sudden turn.

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(End of this chapter)