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

Duan Rong then withdrew from his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness. He exhaled a long breath and prepared to begin refining the strange red light.

Just then, the mournful sound of a bamboo flute drifted from the other side of the valley.

Duan Rong's eyes flickered, and he turned to look into the darkness. He saw a figure sitting vaguely on the large rock there.

Lü Zhongtang asked, "Who's playing the flute over there?"

Duan Rong said, "Li Ruojian."

Lü Zhongtang asked in surprise, "That hostage from the Tianyan Sect?"

"Yes." Duan Rong coldly uttered a single word, then turned his head away, refusing to look at Li Ruojian.

With the alliance between the two sects now merely a formality, Li Ruojian's situation became even more awkward. Over the past month, the Tianyan Sect had repeatedly demanded people from the Taiyi Sect, offering various excuses, but the Taiyi Sect had simply ignored them all.

Why should a piece that's already in your hand be returned for no reason?

Duan Rong had no desire to deal with Li Ruojian at this moment. When they had plotted together to rescue Lü Qingzhu, Li Ruojian's intentions had been extremely malicious. He not only wanted to take the opportunity to kill his own brother, but also wanted to frame Lü Qingzhu.

At that time, Li Ruojian had calculated that Lü Qingzhu did not want to be implicated, so she would not reveal the truth and would rather take the blame herself.

His ruthlessness and malice made Duan Rong keep his distance.

Li Ruojian's flute playing was lonely and desolate, but Duan Rong seemed not to hear it at all.

At this moment, Lü Zhongtang suddenly said, "This person has already mastered the art of breathing techniques for playing the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) quite well."

Duan Rong chuckled. He hadn't expected Lü Zhongtang to be such an expert. Moreover, judging from the tone of Lü Zhongtang's voice, he seemed quite interested in Li Ruojian.

Considering that he was Lü Qingzhu's father, and thus his father-in-law, Duan Rong still advised, "You'd better stay away from him."

Lü Zhongtang said, "What? Does he think he can eat me?"

Duan Rong said, "I'm just reminding you, nothing more. A dog will bite its owner when it's about to be strangled, let alone you. People will do anything to survive."

Upon hearing Duan Rong's words, Lü Zhongtang's eyes flickered slightly as he carefully considered Li Ruojian's plight. This man, also of the Li family bloodline, had gone from being a sect's son to a hostage, practically a prisoner, especially given the already strained alliance between the two sects. Any slight change in the relationship between the two sects could make him a bargaining chip in the hands of the Taiyi Sect.

His life was as precarious as a yellow leaf in the bleak autumn wind, hanging by a thread. At that moment, in order to survive, he would stop at nothing; any despicable and vile means would suffice to escape his misfortune…

Judging from this, this person does indeed seem like a dangerous individual.

To be honest, Lu Zhongtang was quite fond of the xiao (a type of vertical bamboo flute) when he was young. He had originally intended to go over and chat with Li Ruojian after hearing her playing the xiao, but he no longer had the leisure to do so.

Once the song ended, the sound of the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) fell silent.

Lu Zhongtang turned his head and saw Duan Rong sitting cross-legged like a stone, motionless for a long time.

Duan Rong was focused on refining the strange red light. This divine and demonic mark was more difficult to refine than he had imagined. To completely integrate it into his soul and control it freely was clearly no easy task...

It was already dawn, but Lu Yinlin's cave was still pitch black and completely silent.

Lu Zhongtang couldn't help but sigh. He glanced at Duan Rong, who was sitting cross-legged not far from the cave entrance, motionless, and deliberately said, "A whole night has passed, and there's still no movement."

Duan Rong, however, was focused on refining the strange red light. His brows were furrowed and his eyelids twitched occasionally, indicating that the refining process was not going smoothly.

Duan Rong ignored Lü Zhongtang. Just then, footsteps sounded from the other side of the valley. Li Ruojian walked over with a plate of fruit and a big smile on her face. She handed the plate of fruit to Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang and said with a smile, "Brother Duan, Senior Lü, have some fruit to quench your thirst."

Duan Rong remained seated in meditation, not even lifting his eyelids.

Lu Zhongtang only glanced at Li Ruojian and ignored him.

Li Ruojian's smile froze on his face. He could only leave the plate of mountain fruit there and walk away awkwardly. The moment he turned his head away, a deep resentment and venom surged across his face.

Lu Zhongtang looked at Li Ruojian's back, his eyes narrowed, and he thought to himself: It seems that Duan Rong was right. This boy used the sound of the flute as bait last night, but when it didn't work, he took the initiative to befriend her today.

Three whole days passed before the refining of that strange red light finally made some progress.

Actually, it wasn't that the strange red light was difficult to refine, but rather that Duan Rong's soul was still not strong enough.

Of course, compared to cultivators of the same level, his divine soul was already quite powerful, but it was somewhat insufficient in the face of this divine and demonic mark.

If his divine soul were strong enough, the refining process wouldn't be so difficult. It took him three whole days to refine only one-tenth of it. It's estimated that it will take a month to refine it all.

Although he had only refined one-tenth of it, Duan Rong had already obtained some information.

He knew that after refining this strange red light, the supernatural power he would master was called Bloodlight Shadow Escape.

This can be considered a kind of escape technique, but Duan Rong is still unsure of its power.

Whether this supernatural power was truly useless or not, he had no way of knowing, because information about supernatural powers in this world was extremely scarce.

Taking Qingzhou as an example, in the past thousand years, only the sect's patriarch has possessed supernatural powers. And in the entire Nine Provinces continent, there are no more than a dozen people with supernatural powers.

In other words, only the most powerful beings in this world have ever gained an understanding of supernatural powers. As for the rest, even Zhu He, the sect leader of the Taiyi Sect, probably doesn't know much about them.

Although he had only refined one-tenth of it in three days, at least he knew it was a kind of escape technique. Although he didn't understand it very well, Duan Rong thought in his simple mind that this escape technique could at least save his life, so it couldn't be too bad.

After that, he threw himself back into the tedious and difficult refining process.

Two more days passed, and Lü Yinlin's cave was still pitch black and completely silent.

Lu Zhongtang could no longer sit still. He asked anxiously, "Duan Rong, it's been five days. Could something have happened to Qingzhu?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong finally opened his eyes. For the past five days, he had been focused on refining that strange red light and was not sensitive to the passage of time. Five days had already passed.

At this moment, Duan Rong also frowned, somewhat worried about Lü Qingzhu.

He turned to look at Lü Zhongtang, whose face was filled with anxiety, and said, "Qingzhu is quite seriously injured after all. Even with a miraculous medicine, it will probably take some effort to treat her. Let's wait patiently."

"Hmm. I hope nothing's wrong."

Duan Rong's words did have some effect, and Lü Zhongtang's anxiety was slightly relieved.

At noon that day, the blazing sun shone into the valley.

Duan Rong's forehead glistened in the sunlight; he was covered in a fine sheen of sweat from refining that strange red light.

Just then, footsteps echoed from deep within Lü Yinlin's cave.

The moment the footsteps sounded, Duan Rong's eyes snapped open. He and Lü Qingzhu had lived in the valley for a long time, and he had heard that sound countless times before; it was the sound of Lü Qingzhu walking.

At this moment, Lü Zhongtang also stared wide-eyed at the cave entrance. In the silent valley, the sound was already approaching the cave entrance, getting closer and closer, like the sound of war drums beating in Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang's hearts, thumping loudly.

Suddenly a figure emerged from the cave entrance, sunlight shining on her.

Having just emerged from the darkness, the sunlight in the valley was somewhat dazzling, causing Lü Qingzhu to furrow her brows slightly.

Then she saw two figures not far from the cave entrance.

One was standing, and the other was sitting cross-legged.

They both stared at her blankly; they had clearly been waiting at the cave entrance for a long time, their eyes bloodshot.

In an instant, Lü Qingzhu's eyes filled with tears.

She looked at the two most important men in her life: her father and her husband.

After surviving a brush with death, she suddenly saw them again, and her heart felt as if she had been through another life, filled with mixed emotions.

"Father! Husband!"

Lu Qingzhu suddenly stood at the cave entrance and squatted down in a salute.

Lu Zhongtang was startled and immediately went over to help Lu Qingzhu up.

Duan Rong also jumped up and walked over.

The two people surrounded Lü Qingzhu.

With a mixture of worry and joy, Lü Zhongtang asked, "Qingzhu, are you all better? Are you feeling alright?"

Looking at the genuine, warm concern on her father's face, Lü Qingzhu felt a pang of pain in her heart. Over the years, the relationship between her and her father had become far too distant.

That day in the Dragon Fish Hall, although her father attacked her, she was certain he wouldn't actually kill her. At that moment, though her heart was filled with despair, this brush with death suddenly made her understand many things.

Many stubbornnesses in interpersonal relationships actually harm both oneself and others, creating a self-imposed prison. While her father bears some responsibility for their estrangement and indifference over the years, hasn't she also made some mistakes?
Just then, Duan Rong suddenly had a thought, and his divine sense swept over Lü Qingzhu's dantian.

Lü Qingzhu naturally sensed Duan Rong's soul entering her body. A barely perceptible blush flashed across her face as she looked at Lü Zhongtang and said, "Father, there's no need to worry. Qingzhu is fine now. Not only is my life safe, but my meridians and dantian have also returned to normal."

"Really? That's good." The heavy weight on Lü Zhongtang's heart finally lifted.

Lü Qingzhu looked at Duan Rong, bowed again, and said respectfully, "Thank you, my husband, for entering the ruins of gods and demons to gather divine herbs for Qingzhu. I will never forget such kindness."

Duan Rong reached out and grabbed Lü Qingzhu's hand. He originally wanted to say something like, "There's no need for formalities between husband and wife," but when he touched Lü Qingzhu's hand, he felt it was icy cold. So he helped her up and asked with concern, "Qingzhu, why are your hands so cold?"

Lu Qingzhu said, "Husband, there is no need to worry too much. I just came out of the Black Jade Cold Coffin, and my body temperature is a little cold, but it will be fine in a while."

At this moment, Duan Rong was completely relieved, because he had already scanned Lü Qingzhu's dantian with his divine sense, and had also checked her pulse when he helped her up.

He had confirmed that, just as Lü Qingzhu herself had said, her health was no longer a concern.

At this moment, Lü Zhongtang looked into the depths of Lü Yinlin's cave. He saw that the depths of the cave were still pitch black. He suddenly took a few steps forward, but stopped not far from the cave entrance. The spatial wall was still there.

Lu Zhongtang suddenly knelt down and shouted, "Thank you, Ancestor, for saving Qingzhu!"

Duan Rong immediately pulled Lü Qingzhu down to kneel behind Lü Zhongtang, and the three of them kowtowed together at the cave entrance. Lü Qingzhu had already knelt and paid homage to Lü Yinlin alone inside the cave, but the meaning was different now that the three of them were kneeling together, so she naturally had to kneel again.

The three of them performed the ancient ritual of three kowtows and nine bows before rising on their own.

The spatial barrier at the cave entrance remained intact, meaning that even if the patriarch didn't want to see him, Lü Zhongtang couldn't force him. However, Lü Zhongtang was in a rather good mood at the moment, since Lü Qingzhu was standing safely in front of him, and the relationship between the father and daughter had clearly been thawed.

Seeing Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu standing there hand in hand, their eyes locked in a deep, unspoken affection, Lü Zhongtang smiled and said, "Duan Rong, Qingzhu, come on, let's go home. Qingzhu, your aunt has been thinking about you a lot. For the past month or so, she hasn't been able to eat or drink and has lost weight. If we go back now, she'll surely be so happy that she'll cook a huge feast!"

The image of her aunt's gentle face flashed through Lü Qingzhu's mind. Suddenly, her eyes darkened, and she said, "It's because Qingzhu has been too stubborn all these years that she has caused Father and Aunt to worry."

Lu Zhongtang was taken aback. He hadn't expected Lu Qingzhu to say such a thing. His eyes reddened, and he said, "Okay, okay, Qingzhu, you've grown up. Come on, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go home."

After going through a life-or-death experience, the coldest part of Lü Qingzhu's personality seemed to have melted away.

Lü Qingzhu took Duan Rong's hand and followed Lü Zhongtang outside.

After taking only two steps, Lü Zhongtang suddenly turned back to look at Duan Rong and said, "Kid, it's been so long, and you still haven't called me father-in-law."

Duan Rong was slightly taken aback, then bowed and said, "Yes, Father-in-law. It was my rudeness."

Lü Zhongtang laughed and said, "That's more like it."

Just then, a deep, muffled voice, like a rumble of thunder, echoed from the depths of Lü Yinlin's cave. "Duan Rong, come in here."

The smiles of Duan Rong and the other two froze slightly, and their expressions became serious.

Duan Rong said, "Father-in-law, Qingzhu, you should go back first. The Ancestor has summoned me, I'll go and see him."

"Go ahead. Remember to thank the Ancestor." Lü Zhongtang instructed, "Come back after you've seen the Ancestor. We've prepared a delicious meal and are waiting for you. Let me tell you, today we're not leaving until we're completely drunk."

Duan Rong bowed again and said, "If my father-in-law is in the mood, I will certainly keep him company."

Then, he looked up and saw Lü Qingzhu gazing intently at him. Lü Qingzhu suddenly raised her hand and brushed away the pine needles that had fallen on Duan Rong's shoulder, and said softly, "Qingzhu is waiting for her husband."

"Hmm." Duan Rong squeezed Qingzhu's hand, then turned and left.

He walked to the entrance of Lü Yinlin's cave and found that the spatial barrier there had been removed.

Duan Rong entered the cave and slowly walked deeper into it.

Deep within the cave, the mushrooms on the stone wall emitted an eerie glow that illuminated Lü Yinlin's weary face. For the past five days, he had been working tirelessly to save Lü Qingzhu.

Duan Rong immediately knelt down: "Disciple pays respects to the Ancestor! Thank you for saving Qingzhu! We, husband and wife, will remember this kindness forever."

"Get up," said Lü Yinlin. "She is of Lü blood, and I have my own reasons for saving her. There's no need for thanks."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong's eyelids twitched, and he stood up beside him.

Lu Yinlin glanced at Duan Rong, took a sip of saliva, and asked, "Did you obtain a divine or demonic mark within the ruins of gods and demons?"

Duan Rong said, "I have gained something!"

"I... got... cough cough..."

Lu Yinlin was shocked; he choked on the saliva he had just swallowed and began coughing repeatedly. (End of Chapter)