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

Duan Rong stayed with Lü Qingzhu for an hour.

He left Lü Qingzhu's room, but instead of going to have tea with his father-in-law as usual, he went directly out of the courtyard and headed to his own courtyard next door.

As soon as they entered, they saw Xiao Yu drawing water from the well. Perhaps finding her own clothes troublesome, she was wearing Duan Rong's clothes, dressed in men's clothing.

Duan Rong couldn't help but smile upon seeing this, and said, "What? So the Rouge Tiger from Xiangu County has returned again?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu put down the bucket she was carrying, straightened up, and laughed, "Husband, why bring up that old nickname? Isn't Xiao Qi pregnant now? Someone has to take care of the family's food."

Duan Rong asked, "Won't Shen Mizhi lend you a hand?"

Xiao Yu said, "Don't mention that girl. She's not even as good as me at doing these chores. Asking her to help only makes things worse."

Duan Rong thought about it and realized it made sense. Although Shen Mizhi was only a guard in this courtyard now, she came from an official family in Xiangu County, and she really didn't know how to do these kinds of chores.

"Husband, I've been waiting for you for days. Come with me." Xiao Yu suddenly walked over, tugged at Duan Rong's sleeve, and pulled him toward a room.

Duan Rong followed Xiao Yu into the room, where Zhu Xiaoqi was sitting doing needlework. As soon as she saw Duan Rong and Xiao Yu come in, she immediately stood up in a panic.

Zhu Xiaoqi was only half a month pregnant, and standing there, her figure made it impossible to tell that she was pregnant.

Xiao Yu said, "Husband, please take Xiao Qi's pulse and prescribe a medicine to help with the pregnancy."

Duan Rong smiled without changing his expression. He had anticipated Xiao Yu's move even before entering the courtyard.

However, he did want to have his pulse checked by Zhu Xiaoqi, which is why he came directly here without having tea with Lü Zhongtang.

Duan Rong walked slowly to the table piled with needlework, sat down, and looked at Zhu Xiaoqi, who was standing there somewhat awkwardly, and said, "Xiaoqi, sit down. Let me check your pulse."

"Yes," Zhu Xiaoqi replied shyly, and sat down on another chair not far from Duan Rong.

"You little rascal, stop dawdling! Put your hand out!" Xiao Yu became a little anxious when she saw Zhu Xiaoqi sit down but not move. She immediately went over and pulled Zhu Xiaoqi's hand onto the table.

Duan Rong then placed his fingers on it.

Although Zhu Xiaoqi was petite, she had plenty of energy and blood, her pulse was steady and strong, and her inner strength seemed to be endless.

Duan Rong released his hand and smiled slightly.

Seeing Duan Rong's meaningful smile, Xiao Yu couldn't help but ask, "Husband, how is Xiao Qi's pulse?"

Duan Rong said, "The pulse is very good."

Xiao Yu said, "Then you should also prescribe a medicine to help her have a safe pregnancy!"

Duan Rong said, "It's not even been a month yet, why would she need to take any medicine to prevent miscarriage? Besides, all medicines have some toxicity. If Xiao Qi doesn't react, it's best if she doesn't take any."

"Really?" Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong with suspicion. She remembered that Lü Qingzhu had a prescription for preventing miscarriage, but after thinking about it, Zhu Xiaoqi was less than a month pregnant and had no symptoms, so it seemed that she didn't need to take any medicine.

At this moment, Duan Rong casually grabbed a piece of clothing from the pile of needlework on the table. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a baby's outfit. He looked at Zhu Xiaoqi, smiled slightly, and said, "Did you make all of these?"

Zhu Xiaoqi nodded and said, "Miss doesn't let me do any work. When I have nothing to do, I do some needlework."

Duan Rong said, "There's no need to do so much. Aunt Yue over there has already made quite a few. Newborn babies change after a few months. They won't wear them for long anyway. Your baby will be a few months younger, so you can just take over her clothes. Wouldn't that be more convenient?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu snatched the small garment from Duan Rong's hand and handed it to Zhu Xiaoqi, saying, "Why wear theirs? Especially their hand-me-downs. Xiaoqi, you keep wearing it, we'll wear new ones. Anyway, doing needlework won't affect the baby, just to pass the time."

"Yes, Miss." Although Zhu Xiaoqi responded to Xiao Yu, she looked at Duan Rong with a smile in her eyes.

Xiao Yu's eyes flickered, and she was about to say something when she suddenly heard Shen Mizhi outside shout, "Who's steaming buns in the kitchen? The water's all boiled dry?!"

"Damn it!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately darted out like a monkey.

She went to the well to fetch a bucket of water because she noticed there wasn't enough water for steaming the buns. She had planned to start steaming them first, so she added enough firewood to the stove to start burning, and then add more water later. But Duan Rong happened to come in and interrupted her, and she forgot about it.

As soon as Xiao Yu stepped out of the room, she smelled a burnt odor in the courtyard. After the water boiled away, the temperature of the iron pot continued to rise under the heat of the flames, and the dumpling skins were clearly burnt.

Xiao Yu immediately ran to the well, picked up a bucket, and rushed into the kitchen.

She lifted the lid of the steamer, and a foul smell hit her nose. She scooped up a ladle of cold water and poured it along the edge of the iron pot. With a sizzle, a puff of white smoke rose up.

As the white smoke dissipated, all that could be seen on the steamer rack were the buns she had painstakingly wrapped, now all blackened and reeking of culinary disaster.

"Oh, these are steamed buns? If you hadn't told me, I would have thought they were roasted sweet potatoes," Shen Mizhi said, standing behind Xiao Yu, not without a hint of teasing.

Xiao Yu turned around and glared at her, saying, "Would you die if you didn't make sarcastic remarks?"

“You won’t die,” Shen Mizhi said. “You’ll suffer a fate worse than death.”

After Xiao Yu suddenly ran out of Zhu Xiaoqi's room, only she and Duan Rong remained.

Although Zhu Xiaoqi had served Duan Rong in bed several times, the two did not seem to become closer. Instead, they were even more indifferent when they met. Because of this indifference, Zhu Xiaoqi often avoided Duan Rong's gaze.

But Zhu Xiaoqi seemed to sense that Duan Rong's attitude today was different from his usual coldness; at least there was a certain tenderness in his gaze as he looked at her.

Duan Rong suddenly said, "My coldness towards you these past few days has been intentional. I hope you don't mind."

"I didn't..." At this moment, Zhu Xiaoqi had long lost her usual sharp tongue and became nervous as soon as she opened her mouth.

Duan Rong sighed and said, "I'm being cold to you for your own good. If I treat you better, Xiao Yu will find it even harder to tolerate you. Although you've served me and are pregnant with my child, we can no longer be intimate. Only in this way can you survive in this courtyard. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhu Xiaoqi was slightly taken aback. Duan Rong's words that there could be no more intimacy in the future clearly stung her. She looked deeply at Duan Rong and said in a tearful voice, "But, I am already yours."

Duan Rong said, "Right now you are pregnant and you can't feel it yet. But once the child is born, you will be the child's biological mother. This status alone will be very disadvantageous to Xiao Yu. If there is any intimacy between us, she will definitely not tolerate you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiaoqi remained seated, clearly not fully comprehending Duan Rong's meaning. However, the sorrow on her face had vanished, indicating that she had understood some of what he meant.

"What I'm about to tell you is the way of survival; you'll gradually come to understand it."

Seeing that Zhu Xiaoqi seemed not to have fully understood his meaning, and having said everything he needed to say, Duan Rong prepared to get up.

Zhu Xiaoqi suddenly said, "Although I am your person, I was also raised by the Xiao family. Whether Miss can tolerate me or not, I will have no regrets." When Zhu Xiaoqi said this, Duan Rong's eyes flickered slightly, because his divine sense had already sensed that Xiao Yu had been standing at the door, but when she heard Zhu Xiaoqi speak, she took a half step back.

Duan Rong knew that Xiao Yu was outside and was afraid that Zhu Xiaoqi would say something wrong, so he said, "You two have always been harmonious, so just get along well."

After he finished speaking, he got up and went outside.

When they reached the door of the room, they found it empty; Xiao Yu was no longer there.

Duan Rong walked slowly, as if he were about to pass through the courtyard.

He had just walked past when Xiao Yu suddenly poked her head out from the kitchen doorway and asked, "Husband, where are you going?"

Duan Rong said, "I'm going to have tea with Elder Lü."

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Then remember to come back for dinner, my husband. So you can taste my cooking."

Duan Rong touched his nose and said, "I have always liked your cooking, Madam."

Xiao Yu said, "A woman dresses up for the one who appreciates her; as long as my husband likes it, that's enough."

Duan Rong gave an awkward laugh, then turned and left.

After Duan Rong walked out of the courtyard, Xiao Yu stood at the kitchen door and suddenly looked toward Zhu Xiaoqi's room. Zhu Xiaoqi's gentle voice seemed to be right next to her ear again.

Her eyes dimmed, she sighed, and turned to go into the kitchen.

At dusk, in the hall.

Xiao Yu, Shen Mizhi, and Zhu Xiaoqi were all sitting there, and there were quite a few dishes on the table, which looked pretty good.

But none of them touched their chopsticks. Xiao Yu said they were waiting for Duan Rong.

Shen Mizhi suddenly said, "Why don't we eat?"

Xiao Yu said, "My husband said he'll be back for dinner."

Shen Mizhi said, "It's already this late. If they wanted to come back, they would have come back long ago."

Xiao Yu suddenly stood up and said, "I'll go take a look over there."

Shen Mizhi said, "Forget it... You really don't know how good you are at cooking... He doesn't eat much anyway, and this sour mushroom soup you made is far worse than Xiao Qi's. No wonder he doesn't want to come back for it."

Xiao Yu took a sip of the soup with a spoon and asked, "Is it really that bad? I cooked it exactly as Xiao Qi told me!"

Shen Mizhi said, "The method is certainly not a problem, but a method is just a method."

Xiao Yu sighed. She thought for a moment and realized that Duan Rong hadn't arrived yet, so he obviously didn't want to eat dinner here. She said, "Let's eat first. Xiao Qi, there are two of you, so eat more."

As Xiao Yu spoke, she picked up a lion's head meatball and put it into Zhu Xiaoqi's bowl.

"Miss, you should have some too." Zhu Xiaoqi also put one on Xiao Yu's plate.

Shen Mizhi took a bite of her steamed bun, rolled her eyes at the two of them, and said, "Are you two playing house?"

That evening, Duan Rong neither returned for dinner nor to bed. After chatting with Lü Zhongtang over tea, he went straight back to his secret chamber to cultivate in seclusion.

That night, Xiao Yu lay alone in the empty east wing, unable to sleep...

In the days that followed, Lü Qingzhu's belly grew bigger day by day, and Zhu Xiaoqi also gradually started to feel nauseous. Duan Rong then prescribed a medicine for her.

Duan Rong continued his arduous cultivation in the secret chamber, only emerging once every six days.

Four months later, on a futon in a corner of the cultivation chamber, Duan Rong suddenly opened his eyes. At that moment, his eyes were gentle and reserved.

The instant he opened his eyes, he let out a long howl, and a stream of air, like a whale sucking back its breath, suddenly burst forth, surging in the small cultivation chamber and blowing away a whisk hanging on the opposite stone wall...

At this moment, within Duan Rong's dantian, the fourth level of perfect qi vortex had already condensed...

The vortex, like tangled threads of ice, swirled and twisted, its immense spiritual pressure surging and turbulent. As the vortex spun, the ends of those dense ice threads echoed the newly formed Three Flowers Gathering at the crown of the head, establishing a connection with the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) within a radius of several miles. This connection wasn't strong, but it was enough to mobilize the天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) continuously, flowing through the Three Flowers Gathering at the crown of the head and into the dantian, replenishing the energy consumed by the vortex within…

In other words, as long as the vortex is in motion, the primordial energy of heaven and earth within a radius of several miles can be used by me.

When Duan Rong achieved the Great Perfection of the Qi Cyclone Realm, he did not encounter any obstacles. It was as if it were a natural process, and he achieved it effortlessly.

His soul was already extremely powerful in terms of the Qi Condensation Realm, and his understanding of the conception had reached a profound and unfathomable level.

Therefore, achieving the Great Perfection of the Qi Cyclone Realm was indeed not difficult for him.

This hurdle was not easy to overcome.

If one's understanding of the artistic conception is not deep enough, the vortex, with its central compression and outer concentric expansion, can easily disintegrate in the process...

Ultimately, it all comes down to the concept of "artistic conception," which is the very foundation of the Qi Cyclone Realm. The divine soul merely plays a supporting role, while the artistic conception is the fundamental element for condensing the Qi Cyclone.

However, people like Duan Rong, who have grasped the essence of the art to such a degree, are extremely rare.

For most cultivators, comprehending the essence of a realm is something that can only be encountered by chance, not sought after. Using martial arts as a medium to comprehend this essence—how easy is that?
Whether it's sword intent or saber intent, even a slight advancement is incredibly difficult. Otherwise, Fan Hongjiao and Wu Shidao wouldn't be stuck in the Sorrowful Realm, unable to break through. Keep in mind, their talents are quite remarkable.

However, Duan Rong had never comprehended any artistic conception on his own since entering the Qi Cyclone Realm. By devouring the spirit of the artifact, he easily mastered hundreds of artistic conceptions.

In the dark forest, the glint of a blade suddenly appeared, startling Fan Hongjiao and Wu Shidao.

Later, due to the complexity of the artistic conception, he entered the Myriad Manifestations Cave for tempering, and then went to the ruins of gods and demons to receive the blessings of the whispers of gods and demons. Through all these experiences, his understanding of artistic conception had already reached an unfathomable level, as evidenced by the five-colored wish-fulfilling pearl.

Even Duan Rong himself couldn't understand the faint light emanating from the five-colored Ruyi Pearl. The five-colored Ruyi Pearl represented the origin of his artistic conception, meaning he hadn't fully grasped its essence…

This precisely illustrates that the essence of the realm he comprehended already possessed a certain unpredictable and sinister quality.

After a long roar, the stagnant energy lurking within Duan Rong's internal organs was completely expelled from his body under the surging and pulsating power of the Great Perfection Qi vortex. At this moment, he felt an indescribable sense of ease throughout his body, and a cool sensation slowly rose from the back of his head... (End of this chapter)