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

Chapter 344: Initial Stage of Mars
After Shang Xiangyu returned to the inn, he thought about it over and over again, but still couldn't figure it out. However, he quickly put the matter aside.

His time was limited. Thirty-six Blood Spring Pills would only be enough to sustain him for half a year at most. And during that time, there were countless unexpected events that could happen. He had no time to take care of anything else.

Time flies by, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.

Pan Yong had long disappeared from the face of the earth. Even if a warrant for his arrest was issued throughout the country, how could one possibly catch someone who didn't exist at all?

That day, Yang Yi came to the bamboo house in the valley again.

It was early morning and Yang Sixian had someone call him over.

Yang Sixuan stood in front of the window of the bamboo building, looking at the bamboo forest in the morning light and listening to the birds singing in the forest...

Yang Yi was standing behind him.

Yang Yi has reported to Yang Sixian on the progress of the search for Pan Yong and the secret investigation of Shang Xiangyu over the past month.

In fact, there is no progress.

Neither Pan Yong nor Shang Xiangyu had any trace left, as if they had disappeared from the world.

Pan Yong was being hunted openly.

Shang Xiangyu secretly ordered the Tongzhengshisi and spies in various places to investigate secretly. Once they got any news, they should not alarm Shang Xiangyu but report it to the sect immediately.

Yang Sixuan sighed and rubbed his temple tiredly.

It seems that Shang Xiangyu had already made preparations for anti-tracking investigation as soon as he came out. Although he issued a secret order at the first time, he still could not find any trace of Shang Xiangyu.

Pan Yong and Shang Xiangyu have both just come out of seclusion not long ago. This first month is the time window when they are most likely to leave traces. After this time window, if you want to search for them, you can only rely on luck.

Yang Yi suddenly said, "Secretary. How about issuing the arrest warrant for Shang Xiangyuhai as well? If we act openly or covertly, our chances will be better."

Yang Sixuan turned his head and glared at Yang Yi, saying coldly: "Don't use your brain at all!"

When Yang Yi saw his second uncle getting angry, he immediately lowered his head and dared not say a word.

"Shang Xiangyu left the mountain to join the Filthy Blood Sect. You issued a warrant to arrest him because you were afraid that he would join the Filthy Blood Sect. You have no reason to do so, right?"

Yang Yi's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and he immediately understood what Yang Sixian meant. If they issued a warrant to arrest Shang Xiangyu, it would be a tool for him to gain the trust of the Filthy Blood Cult.

Even the people from the Filthy Blood Sect, seeing that this man is an inner sect disciple but is wanted by the sect, and is also a pharmacist, might take the initiative to put him in touch with them.

Then wouldn't they be helping Shang Xiangyu a lot?

Yang Yi said: "This case was assigned to us by the Internal History Department of the Council of Elders. It has been more than a month, and it is reasonable to give them a written reply."

Yang Sixuan said angrily: "Those guys in the Internal History Department only know how to do official documents and never do any real work."

Yang Sixuan sighed deeply as he spoke. The ten thousand year old sect had already become a big melting pot. He knew very well that many bad habits could not be changed just because he wanted to. There were also undercurrents in the Elders' Council!
Yang Sixuan said: "Write a draft and show it to me."

Yang Yi looked a little reluctant, but still said respectfully: "Yes."

Yang Yi hated dealing with these paperwork the most. There were obviously many old servants in the Zongzhengsi, so why did his second uncle always give him the first draft of the case files recently?

Yang Yi asked, "The registered disciple named Duan Rong is still in jail. He has nothing to do with this case, and the information he provided in his confession is quite valuable. Is he still in jail?"

Although Duan Rong had nothing to do with the case, he was only a registered disciple. As long as the case was not closed, no one would dare to say anything even if the Judgment Bureau kept him in custody.

"Let that kid go... He has confessed everything he should have confessed."

Yang Yi thought for a moment and said, "Old Qin from the lower house should also be punished according to the rules. The approval he gave to Pan Yong to leave the mountain gate was not in compliance with the rules."

Yang Sixuan said calmly: "Just give me a verbal warning."

Yang Yi frowned when he heard this, somewhat puzzled. He thought that at least he would have to take away the title of old man Qin as the manager of the lower house.

Yang Sixian glanced at him and said, "Do you know that the chief supervisor of the Internal History Department of the Council of Elders is also named Qin? The old man Qin in the lower house is his cousin. Even if you beat a dog, you have to look at the owner. If you punish it too severely, the Internal History Department will directly punish you. That group of people are the best at forming cliques, forming factions, and forming cliques."

Yang Sixuan said, with a bit of resentment in his tone. "This sect has long been in decline. There are some things that you can't avoid. Go ahead. I want to rest for a while."

Yang Si looked at the decadence and annoyance in Yang Sixian's eyes, and his heart moved slightly. He felt sorry for his second uncle. He wanted to persuade Yang Sixian that there were some things that he didn't need to be too serious about, but when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them and just said to have a good rest and not to worry too much about the case, and then left the bamboo house...

The day after Duan Rong was released, he went to Xia Honghua first. He was afraid that Xia Honghua would get impatient and fire him, and then his 60 contribution points every month would be lost.

When Xia Honghua saw Duan Rong, she stared at him for a long time before asking, "You were released?"

Duan Rong sighed and nodded.

It seems that Xia Honghua already knows it. That's good. It saves him the trouble of explaining it.

Pan Yong stole the sect's rare medicine in this pavilion, using Shang Xiangyu's star disk to exchange the medicine. Yang Yi came to Xia Honghua at least three times to investigate. Later, when Duan Rong didn't come for many days, she went to Shang Xiangyu's hilltop to look for him, but naturally she didn't see a single person.

At that time, she guessed that Duan Rong was captured by the Judgment and Clan Affairs Bureau. After inquiring, she found out that it was true.

Xia Honghua was in a great trouble at that time. Now that Duan Rong was arrested, she had to find someone new to take care of the accounts.

She asked many people for help and finally found an old accountant. The man was quite old, but had a youthful face and white hair. It was obvious at first glance that he was an experienced accountant.

Xia Honghua was overjoyed and thought she had met her savior.

After trying for a few days, Xia Honghua realized that the old accountant had become a little confused. The accounts he checked were all messed up, not to mention Duan Rong, and even worse than hers.

She immediately sent the old accountant back and scolded the person she had entrusted.

She had been at a loss these days, but unexpectedly, Duan Rong came.

Duan Rong worked for Xia Honghua for three consecutive days and sorted out all the accounts. After catching up with the progress, he resumed his daily routine of working for two hours.

After Duan Rong settled the matter with Xia Honghua, he immediately went to the Stone Workshop and the Weapon Workshop to check on Xiao Yu and Ximen Kankan.

Both of them have become familiar with their craft. Basically, after the third month of training, they can arrange their monthly workload freely like the old people in the workshop, without having to spend every day in the workshop.

Duan Rong hadn't visited them for more than a month. Ximen Kankan seemed fine, but Xiao Yu was a little worried.

She even found time to come to the hilltop where Shang Xiangyu was. But after walking around for a long time, she found that the entire hilltop was empty, without a single person in sight.

At that time, Xiao Yu was still thinking about what mission Duan Rong might have, so he had to return to Shifang.

Seeing that another ten days had passed, Xiao Yu was worried every day. She was about to get off work and go to discuss with Ximen Kankan to look for Duan Rong again. If she couldn't find him, she would go to the lower courtyard to ask Old Man Qin.

She was just thinking about this when, after work, she was washing up by the stream when she saw Duan Rong coming out from the dense forest opposite, smiling at her across the stream.

Duan Rong walked to the stream.

He saw Xiao Yu still squatting opposite the stream, staring at him in a daze. He suddenly kicked a pebble at his feet into the stream, splashing water all over Xiao Yu's face.

Xiao Yu suddenly came to his senses and jumped over the stream to fight Duan Rong.

The two of them played around in the forest for a while, then sat on a large bluestone and started chatting. Xiao Yu asked about Duan Rong's recent situation.

Duan Rong was afraid to talk about those bad things and make Xiao Yu worried, so he just said that he had been in seclusion with Master Shang to make pills in the past month and had no free time.

The two chatted about some other things, and Duan Rong asked carefully about Xiao Yu's situation in the stone workshop.

Although he had a fixed income of 60 points per month from Xia Honghua, his method of cultivation was also very energy-intensive.

Therefore, he planned to go to Guangluyuan with Xiao Yu, Ximen Kankan and others to take on the task of earning contribution points.

With the disappearance of Shang Xiangyu and Pan Yong, he is basically free now, and it mainly depends on the time of Xiao Yu and Ximen Kankan.

Xiao Yu told Duan Rong that starting from next month, she would finish her three-month training period and would be able to arrange her time relatively freely. Then she could go to Guangluyuan with Duan Rong to take on the task.

Then, Xiao Yu asked Duan Rong about Shen Mizhi. In Xiao Yu's heart, she always regarded Shen Mizhi as her sister, and occasionally she could see the shadow of Xiao Baiyu in Shen Mizhi.

Duan Rong said, the Elders' Council is the power core of the sect, almost a forbidden area. It is impossible for them to enter, so they can only wait for Shen Mizhi to find time to come out and find them.

The two chatted in the dense forest until dusk fell, and then returned to Xiao Yu's cave in the stone archway.

In the darkness, the two hugged and kissed passionately.

Duan Rong no longer had any worries in his mind. Before, when Shang Xiangyu was here, Duan Rong had once planned to escape from the sect.

But now, Shang Xiangyu, the huge mountain that had been weighing on Duan Rong's heart, has disappeared on its own.

Moreover, Duan Rong had experienced the joy of love with Lu Qingzhu in the dilapidated temple.

At this moment, he couldn't help himself and was about to pull Xiao Yu's pants.

Xiao Yu grabbed Duan Rong's hand, blushing, and said angrily, "Don't push your luck."

In the darkness, Xiao Yu looked into Duan Rong's eyes and asked, "Let me ask you, will you marry me?"

Duan Rong said: "I will marry you."

Xiao Yu lifted him up, kissed Duan Rong's forehead, and said gently: "Let's talk about it after you marry me. Now, you should sleep on the floor."

Xiao Yu was actually also burning with lust at this time, but she didn't want Duan Rong to look down on her. She was a woman of the underworld, but she had already decided in her heart that she wanted to be with Duan Rong for a long time.

Duan Rong hadn't come to see her for more than a month, and she realized that she was a little absent-minded. At that time, she was shocked to realize that Duan Rong had occupied such an important position in her heart, and even her entire life was tied to Duan Rong.

The so-called lovesickness was deep in her heart, that was her state of mind at that time.

As Xiao Yu spoke, he stood up and lit the candle.

She spread a straw mat and bedding on the ground and brought a fur blanket for Duan Rong.

Xiao Yu put Duan Rong to bed on the ground, and then he got on the stone bed.

Two people, one above and one below, looked at each other, the candlelight flickering.

Duan Rong fell asleep after a while.

Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong with a slight smile on her lips. As she looked at him, she began to feel sleepy. Without turning off the candle, she fell into a drowsy sleep...

On the second day, Duan Rong went to the weapons shop again and met Ximen Kankan. He made an appointment with Ximen Kankan that starting next month, Xiao Yu and the other three would go to Guangluyuan together to take on tasks and earn contribution points.

After returning from the Stone Workshop and the Weapon Workshop, Duan Rong resumed his previous rhythm. Except for two hours every day doing accounts with Xia Honghua, he spent the rest of his time practicing in the dense forest.

Ever since Duan Rong came back from the dungeon of the Judgment Bureau, the mountain of Shang Xiangyu seemed to have become completely peaceful.

This place is a remote place, and Shang Xiangyu lives alone on the hill. After the case was over, this place seemed to be forgotten...

On this day, Duan Rong was in the dense forest, sitting cross-legged on a bluestone not far from the pond. In his meridians, the true energy was surging, enveloping and refining the medicinal power...

Although he had been locked up in the cell by Yang Yi for more than a month, his progress in practicing Qi cultivation was extremely slow because he had no elixirs to refine.

However, after a few days of hard training in the dense forest, his true Qi became stronger day by day. According to Duan Rong's estimation, in a few days, he should be able to achieve the first level of the true Qi realm.

Just as Duan Rong was refining his true Qi, there was a whoosh sound in the air, like an arrow breaking through the air.

Duan Rong frowned slightly, and suddenly opened his eyes, and saw a green fruit being thrown towards him by the baboon on the tree canopy not far away.

Duan Rong waved his sleeves and knocked the green fruit away.

Then he turned his head to look at the baboon in the tree canopy and smiled slightly.

At the moment when Duan Rong smiled at the baboon, a flickering firefly suddenly appeared in front of the baboon's eyes.

The fireflies were dancing in front of my eyes like fireflies.

But at this time, it was daytime and the sky was bright. How was it possible for fireflies to emit such bright flames in the daytime?
That baboon has been hanging out in the sect for many years and has become quite intelligent.

It was just wondering when the flickering firefly suddenly jumped into its forehead.

The baboon immediately stretched out its paw and slapped its forehead, but found nothing on its paw. It didn't care and thought that the strange firefly had been killed by it.

But the next moment, the baboon suddenly saw a dark figure twisting its butt under the tree...

The baboon rubbed his eyes and realized that a big-butt female baboon, twisting her waist, was winking at him under the tree...

The baboon's eyes suddenly widened, and saliva kept dripping from the corners of his mouth...

It jumped down from the tree and pounced on the female baboon...

It pounced on the female baboon, but suddenly found that the female baboon actually made a very strange laugh.

It looked closely and saw that the female baboon had blurred and turned into Duan Rong. Duan Rong laughed loudly, his face began to twist, and he bit the baboon with a mouth full of fangs.

The baboon screamed and retreated in fear, but found that all the trees in the dense forest began to twist and turned into the appearance of Duan Rong, with distorted faces and mouths full of fangs, and they densely surrounded him from all directions...

The baboon was so frightened that its legs were shaking, and it retreated to the open space in the middle of the dense forest. As it retreated, it suddenly fell down beside the bluestone.

It fell down and looked up, only to see Duan Rong sitting cross-legged on the bluestone, smiling at it...

The baboon was so frightened that his soul flew away. He screamed and ran out of the jungle.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged on a large bluestone, watching the baboon disappear into the dense forest and smiling happily.

"Isn't it scary to kill you?!"

He was locked up in the dungeon by Yang Yi for more than a month. Although his cultivation of true Qi was hindered, he used that time in the dungeon to comprehend the basic level of soul illusion.

(End of this chapter)