I Can Devour Spirits

Duan Rong coughed and pretended to gag.

Xiao Yu and Shen Mizi were amused by the pair.

They first used the iron chain to travel from Shang Xiangyu’s peak to the one where the Lower Courtyard is located.

The four were still whistling on the iron chain when suddenly the sun came out, its golden rays piercing the sky, ascending eastward while the distant mountains were lush, and cranes passed by elegantly...

Looking down from the iron chain, they saw they were hanging thousands of feet high, with the valley bottomless below, causing Ximen Kankan’s neck to shrink involuntarily...

They jumped off the iron chain and landed on the Lower Courtyard’s peak, walking slowly along the cliff wall.

The direction they moved in was the opposite of when they first entered the sect, from the Lower Courtyard, initially going their separate ways, so they first encountered the several iron chains near the Imperial Stable Hall.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Yu and Shen Mizi, Duan Rong took a beast-hide strap to tie Xiao Yu securely. Duan Rong escorted Xiao Yu to the side of the iron chain, whispering, ”Be careful.”

Xiao Yu responded with a hum, feeling a mixture of sweetness and sorrow.

Xiao Yu glided along the iron chain into the air above the valley, and just then Ximen Kankan also wanted to move, but Duan Rong suddenly called out to him.

”Kankan!”

”Ah...” Ximen Kankan turned his head, thinking Duan Rong was calling him for something, but unexpectedly, Duan Rong kicked him on the butt, sending him flying.

Ximen Kankan slid far away with a clang.

Duan Rong said, ”What do you think I came all this way for? I traveled this far just for that kick.”

”Duan Rong, just you wait... I...” Ximen Kankan shouted from the iron chain, but the mountain wind howled, carrying away his words so Duan Rong couldn’t hear them clearly.

Shen Mizi stood behind Duan Rong, smiling with her lips pursed. Duan Rong turned to glance at Shen Mizi and said, ”Let’s go, I’ll take you to the iron chain over there.”

Shen Mizi’s destination was the Elder Hall’s iron chain, still a distance away.

The two walked silently along the cliffside, saying nothing. On that bare cliffside, apart from some sporadic ferns, there was nothing else.

Duan Rong casually pulled off a fern’s branch, swinging it in his hand as he walked.

As they approached the iron chain leading to the Elder Hall, Duan Rong suddenly said, ”Mizi...”

Shen Mizi turned her head, seeing Duan Rong’s hesitant expression, her eyes flickering.

Duan Rong said, ”It’s like this... I have a favor to ask you.”

”What kind of favor?”

Duan Rong said, ”Do you know Lv Qingzhu? She was one of the sect envoys who supervised the Talent Selection Conference when we were in Xianggu County.”

Shen Mizi’s eyes shifted around and she said, ”I know. What’s up?”

Duan Rong smiled awkwardly, ”You should be able to find out about her in the Elder Hall. Help me gather information on her. What exactly is her status in this sect?”

Lv Qingzhu was his first woman, after all.

In the wilds of Xianggu County, in a dilapidated temple, they shared a fleeting night of passion, leaving an indelible mark on Duan Rong.

He didn’t truly wish to reconnect with Lv Qingzhu; he’d realized over time that having Xiao Yu was enough.

But given the chance, he still wanted to know what kind of person Lv Qingzhu was.

Duan Rong still remembered how someone had used Cloud Feather Fierce Eagle to escort her away.

Originally, Duan Rong didn’t know much, but after three months in the sect, he learned that only elders in the Elder Hall have the authority to command the Cloud Feather Fierce Eagle.

That day, the person who came using the Cloud Feather Fierce Eagle to take Lv Qingzhu away was presumably an elder from the sect?

This question had lingered in Duan Rong’s mind for three months; he genuinely wanted to know.

Shen Mizi cast a suspicious glance at Duan Rong and said, ”Why are you investigating her?” Which, in truth, was a question for Xiao Yu.

Duan Rong said, ”Don’t ask so much. Just help me find out.”

There was a sense of determination in Duan Rong’s tone.

Shen Mizi said, ”Alright then.”

The name Lv Qingzhu had been mentioned several times by the maids over the past three months, although Shen Mizi hadn’t paid much attention. Since Duan Rong wanted to know, she would inquire further.

After Shen Mizi entered the iron chain, Duan Rong returned to another iron chain, intending to head to the Medicine Pavilion to settle accounts for two hours and then exchange the materials required to practice refining the Yang Pill.

Before noon, Duan Rong returned to Shang Xiangyu’s peak from the Medicine Pavilion.

He sat outside Shang Xiangyu’s stone chamber processing the herbs, then sat quietly, reviewing information on alchemy in his mind.

As dusk fell, Duan Rong took the processed herbs into the cave where Shang Xiangyu typically made pills.

At dawn, Duan Rong returned to his cave with a gloomy face, having divided the batch of pills into three portions, each of which was ruined.

”It seems refining pills really is a skilled job!”

Duan Rong remembered the Artifact Spirit from Shang Xiangyu, which he had devoured over the years. Though he spoiled three portions of herbs, he quickly identified the problem.

Despite knowing the detailed steps, he struggled with controlling the heat.

If the heat is too much, the medicine burns; if too little, the potency is not extracted.

But mastering the heat is unpredictable and requires practice beyond mere knowledge.

Duan Rong repeatedly contemplated the refining process in his cave, using the meticulous details from his mind to perfect his technique.