Chapter 326: Beset by Crises

Duan Rong and Yin Cong walked along the edge of the cliff in the pitch-black sky; Yin Cong looked behind him from time to time, for he was afraid that Chen Hu would come chasing after them.

The death of Tang Zhu had been quite a shock to him.

Previously, although Pan Yong and Chen Hu often squeezed him over trivial matters, Yin Cong had never thought they would kill him; now, however, Yin Cong was a bit afraid.

The two soon arrived at the entrance of Duan Rong's cave. Just as Duan Rong was about to enter, Yin Cong suddenly took a step and blocked his path.

Yin Cong looked left and right to confirm no one was around, then suddenly looked at Duan Rong at the cave entrance and whispered, "Disciple Duan Rong, do you think we should quietly go to the Ruling Sect Justice Division and report Chen Hu for killing Junior Sister Tang?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong's brows suddenly furrowed. The next moment, his Divine Sense instantly expanded, sweeping over the surroundings for a hundred paces before quickly retracting into his body.

Confirming that no one was around, Duan Rong sighed softly. In the darkness, he looked at Yin Cong before him, feeling quite speechless.

Yin Cong was a cowardly and ignorant person. If Duan Rong still held a shred of goodwill for him in his heart, it was probably because he was the only human left in this place who was still somewhat normal.

In Duan Rong's eyes, Shang Xiangyu, Pan Yong, and Chen Hu were all monsters.

From Yin Cong's words, he could tell that he had the intention of leaving this place. In fact, Duan Rong had the same thought in his heart.

He already regretted coming here to be this Medicine Boy.

Duan Rong looked at Yin Cong and said, "If you still want to live, keep your mouth shut. Don't meddle in things!"

Moreover, Duan Rong was very annoyed. What did he mean by "should we"? Making it sound as if I am on your side?

After saying this, Duan Rong slipped past the blocking Yin Cong and walked into the cave.

"But..." Yin Cong stood at the cave entrance, still hesitating.

Duan Rong walked slowly into the depths of the cave; he had no desire to pay any more attention to Yin Cong.

Duan Rong sat on the stone bed. Realizing that Yin Cong was still lingering at the entrance, he said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Yin, I am tired and want to rest early."

Yin Cong's expression shifted. Since Duan Rong had already issued an order to leave, he could not continue to linger and had no choice but to depart.

Only after confirming that Yin Cong had left did Duan Rong sigh, take out a Fire Folder, and light the Candle Lamp on the Stone Table by the bed.

During the time Duan Rong had been here, he had developed the habit of not lighting lamps at night; the darkness gave him a sense of security.

However, sitting on the stone bed tonight, he felt as if something terrifying was lurking in the darkness all around, pressing down on him until his heart felt stifled.

Duan Rong looked at the flickering candlelight on the Stone Table before him; he felt as if he could sense a faint warmth from that light.

In his view, Yin Cong's idea of going to the Ruling Sect Justice Division to report Chen Hu for killing Tang Zhu was an extremely stupid notion.

Chen Hu had merely threatened him with a single sentence, and he was already so panicked and flustered.

Such a stupid and cowardly fellow would only become a burden.

Furthermore, he had no evidence whatsoever to report Chen Hu. When the people from the Ruling Sect Justice Division arrived, Chen Hu would certainly deny it flatly.

At that time, the only person who could decide the matter would be Shang Xiangyu.

And at that time, the person Shang Xiangyu would want to kill would never be Chen Hu, but Yin Cong.

As long as Shang Xiangyu spoke up, everyone would point the finger and say that it was Yin Cong who caused Tang Zhu's death, and then, playing the thief crying "stop thief," they would frame him; even he would do the same.

With so many secrets here, how could Shang Xiangyu tolerate someone who reported him at will to stay alive?

In Shang Xiangyu's view, Chen Hu killing Tang Zhu to save his own life was not a flaw, but a merit, because people are easier to control once they have a handle on them.

And these twisted principles were something Yin Cong's muddled brain would never understand.

Duan Rong smiled bitterly with exhaustion. Recalling the scene of the furnace exploding in the cave tonight, his gaze instantly turned deep and cold again.

A furnace explosion—it was just a ruined batch of medicine, yet Shang Xiangyu's reaction was nearly manic, almost killing Pan Yong by accident.

Moreover, what kind of medicine was Shang Xiangyu refining? At the moment of the explosion, it actually spewed out such a wildly cruel and terrifying aura, instantly impacting him and causing his True Qi to become chaotic and his internal energy to be lost entirely.

Furthermore, the failure of this medicine's refinement was clearly a massive blow to Shang Xiangyu.

In Duan Rong's eyes, which danced with candlelight, a look of deep thought flickered incessantly.

Duan Rong suddenly thought of one thing: the bizarre contrast between Shang Xiangyu's aged, wrinkled hands and his tight, delicate facial skin, as well as his snow-white, disheveled hair.

"Shang Xiangyu... he must be suffering from some illness? Or poisoned? The medicine refined this time was something he was using to save his life..."

"That is why, before refining the medicine, he was so patient in personally instructing them on how to process the herbs..."

"And after the refinement failed, his reaction was so intense... nearly manic..."

In the cave, with the dim candlelight swaying, Duan Rong relied solely on deduction to outline the situation.

Duan Rong pondered repeatedly and confirmed his deduction.

"Then... what will he do next..."

Duan Rong got off the stone bed and paced back and forth in the dim cave.

"Since he is refining medicine to save his life... he will definitely refine it again... find the cause of the furnace explosion, improve the refining method, and try again..."

Duan Rong was putting himself in Shang Xiangyu's shoes to speculate on his next move.

If Shang Xiangyu refined medicine again, then he and Yin Cong would definitely go to the Medicine Pavilion to exchange for medicine once more.

If so, Duan Rong would face a problem.

That was, should he take advantage of Shang Xiangyu's Star Disk to seize the opportunity to exchange for "Green Pupil," the auxiliary medicine for cultivating the fourth level of the Womb Treasury Sutra?

Having been there once with Yin Cong, Duan Rong was already very clear about the entire process of exchanging for medicine; he was certain he could exchange for the Green Pupil without leaving a trace, and Yin Cong would absolutely not notice.

However, traces would certainly be left in the accounts at the Medicine Pavilion.

Although, based on what he had pried out of Yin Cong, even if he left a tail, the possibility of being caught was not high, but it was a worry nonetheless.

Duan Rong suddenly remembered that the middle-aged woman at the Medicine Pavilion with excellent movement techniques had asked him to help with the accounts for two Contribution Points a day.

For the next period of time, Shang Xiangyu would certainly be behind closed doors, deep in thought, trying to improve his medicine-refining method. This meant they would be quite idle for a while.

During this time, he could just happen to go to the Medicine Pavilion to take a look and further understand the operating mechanism of the Medicine Pavilion; perhaps he could exchange for the "Green Pupil" without leaving a tail?

Even if leaving a tail was unavoidable, Duan Rong was still inclined to exchange for the "Green Pupil" first.

Because only with the auxiliary medicine in hand, combined with the nourishment from the Devouring Tree Spirit, could the fourth level of the Womb Treasury Sutra be achieved quickly.

And in his current situation, he really needed to improve his own strength.

Once the fourth level of the Womb Treasury Sutra was achieved, there would also be a new Soul Technique.

The previous Divine Sense Envelopment and Divine Soul Wave were both peerlessly strange and unfathomable weapons; Duan Rong believed that the new Soul Technique would not disappoint him either.

Having thought this through, Duan Rong determined his main tasks for the coming period: scout the path in the Medicine Pavilion, exchange for the Green Pupil, and achieve the fourth layer of the Womb Treasury Sutra.

With that decided, he would go to the Medicine Pavilion first thing tomorrow morning.

After making up his mind, Duan Rong blew out the Candle Lamp, sat cross-legged on the stone bed, circulated his Qi slightly, and after a few breaths, tossed a Zhengyang Pill into his mouth.

Usually, he could refine two Zhengyang Pills in one night; tonight there was clearly not enough time, and he was actually very exhausted, but Duan Rong still decided to refine one Zhengyang Pill before sleeping.

Danger lurks everywhere; one cannot afford not to work hard!

Shang Xiangyu was inside his own dim and cramped stone chamber.

On a crude desk made of bamboo poles, a bean-sized Candle Lamp emitted a dim light.

The desk was piled with various open books and bamboo slips; bloodshot veins densely covered Shang Xiangyu's eyes, and a look of intertwined madness and fear flashed across his pale, delicate face from time to time.

Shang Xiangyu looked at a piece of paper in his hand covered in dense, tiny characters, shaking his head in pain.

He had deduced it repeatedly several times, confirming that there was no problem with this pill formula.

Moreover, during the refining process, the medicinal power of the Black Blood Fruit had indeed been extracted.

"Why?"

"Why did the Pill Furnace explode?"

"Where exactly did the problem arise?"

Shang Xiangyu suddenly raised his head, staring at a point in the void, and muttered to himself: "Since the pill furnace exploded after the Black Blood Fruit's medicinal power was extracted and light filaments filled the furnace."

"Then, that is to say, the problem lies in the process from when the Black Blood Fruit's medicinal power is completely extracted to the formation of the pill..."

"Pill formation?! It is pill formation!"

Shang Xiangyu seemed to have thought of something; he frantically shoved aside several books on the desk, took a scroll of bamboo slips from underneath, and began to read with trembling hands by the dim light of the Candle Lamp.

After Shang Xiangyu finished one scroll of bamboo slips, he switched to another...

Not until he had finished all the bamboo slips on the desk and frantically flipped through several yellowed books did Shang Xiangyu suddenly become dejected; he suddenly went mad, swept his hands across, and with a clatter, pushed all the bamboo slips and books off the desk.

The Candle Lamp was knocked over, smashed against the wall, and fell onto the books; with a 'whoosh', flames flared up...

Under the reflection of the firelight, Shang Xiangyu's silver hair was disheveled, his eyes were blood-red, and he actually began to laugh, looking like a madman; he pulled open his collar, tore at the wrinkled, sagging old skin on his abdomen, and laughed: "Pink skulls, white bones and flesh, all are illusions! Illusions! I will tear you to shreds!"

As Shang Xiangyu shouted, he actually tore off a strip of old skin from his abdomen with a 'rip', and blood immediately flowed profusely...

Shang Xiangyu's stomach was covered in blood, but he seemed to feel no pain at all; he was still laughing foolishly, and by the firelight, he pulled at the bloody old skin in his hands, muttering: "Tugging it like this, it looks quite firm too..."

Thinking this, Shang Xiangyu suddenly threw the strip of bloody, wrinkled skin in his hand into the fire...

Shang Xiangyu collapsed on the ground, a ferocious smile flashing at the corners of his mouth, his eyes went black, and he actually fainted dead away...

After the fire by the stone wall consumed the bamboo slips and books, there was nothing else around, so the fire had nowhere to spread and gradually weakened, turning into ashes...

The ashes extinguished, and the cave was plunged into pitch-black darkness.

In the thick darkness, was Shang Xiangyu dead or alive?

More than an hour later, the daylight gradually brightened, and dim light drifted in from the side entrance, finally bringing a faint glow to the gloomy side stone chamber.

The faint daylight permeated the gloomy stone chamber for a long time before Shang Xiangyu suddenly jumped up, as if he had thought of something.

He glanced at the black ash under the stone wall not far away, then walked quickly to the side of the stone bed and began to rummage through the pile of bamboo slips at the foot of the bed.

The bloodshot veins in Shang Xiangyu's eyes had faded by now, and in the faint daylight, his eyes were bright and spirited.

Just in the hour or so he had been unconscious, he had suddenly thought of a method to solve the impasse of pill formation.

After flipping through two or three bamboo slips, Shang Xiangyu suddenly grabbed one and began to read it carefully; after reading only a few lines, his eyes were already as bright as stars.

Shang Xiangyu suddenly saw several places where the handwriting was blurred; with the dim daylight in the stone chamber, it was even harder for him to distinguish.

Shang Xiangyu then took the bamboo slips, walked out of the cave, and on the large platform, borrowed the morning light to rustle the bamboo slips in his hands...

Around the hour of Chen, after it had been light for quite a while, Pan Yong walked hesitantly along the edge of the cliff to the outside of the railing on the large platform.

Standing outside the railing, Pan Yong saw a person standing on the large platform, facing the rolling white mist in the valley.

The morning wind in the mountains filled his sleeves, but the person stood motionless, their back desolate.

That was none other than Shang Xiangyu.

A flash of struggle crossed Pan Yong's eyes, but he still crossed the stone railing and looked at Shang Xiangyu from afar.

Shang Xiangyu stood with his hands behind his back, clutching a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, watching the rolling white mist in the valley, silent and speechless.

Pan Yong approached a few steps from the side and called out in a low voice: "Master Shang."

Shang Xiangyu tilted his head slightly, glanced at Pan Yong standing far to his side, and said coldly: "What is it?"

The moment Shang Xiangyu tilted his head, Pan Yong saw that his eyes were clear and no longer the crimson red of last night; the heart that had been hanging finally settled, and he stepped forward and said: "Master Shang, the furnace exploded last night and Junior Sister Tang died; how should this be handled?"

Pan Yong had not dared to get too close just now, fearing that Shang Xiangyu would go mad again like last night, but the matter of Tang Zhu's death could not be left unhandled, and he had to come to ask for instructions.

Shang Xiangyu sighed.

What he detested most were all kinds of trivial matters.

"Tell Lao Qin of the Lower Courtyard; Registered Disciples are under his jurisdiction. Just say she was killed when the pill furnace exploded. Whatever he wants to do, you just cooperate with him."

"Yes." Pan Yong cupped his fists and retreated.

His own thoughts were the same, but this matter still required Shang Xiangyu's nod. He naturally knew that Chen Hu had killed Tang Zhu, but if he really investigated Chen Hu, who knew what secrets might be spilled? It was best to let the matter rest.

Isn't it just the death of a few Registered Disciples? In this Sect, which year does not see the death of a few Registered Disciples?

In which temple can there not be a few ghosts who died unjustly?

After Pan Yong left, Shang Xiangyu stood on the large platform again, watching the rolling white mist for a long time without moving; he suddenly muttered: "Blood Pill Method?! Shang Xiangyu, do you really want to use it?"

He seemed to be asking himself, but in fact, he already had the answer in his heart.

Shang Xiangyu suddenly turned around, walked into the cave, placed the scroll of bamboo slips on the desk, and then he walked out of the cave, along the cliff, and into the dense forest.

As Shang Xiangyu walked back from the dense forest to the large platform outside the cave, he saw a figure already sitting by the railing in the corner of the platform, babbling and singing randomly.

Shang Xiangyu looked at Shang Xin, who had an iron chain tied around his waist, and a look of complex, unbearable emotion flashed in his eyes.

He walked over slowly and called out softly, "Xin'er!"

Upon hearing this, Shang Xin immediately turned around. As soon as he saw Shang Xiangyu, he began to giggle foolishly, stretched out both hands, and mumbled, "Daddy, hug..."

When Shang Xin was young, Shang Xiangyu had already detested this younger brother. In the entire household, only his own father doted on this foolish son, and after teaching him for over ten years, he had only managed to teach him to mumble the two words "Daddy."

His father passed away from illness half a year ago, and before dying, he had entrusted Shang Xin to him.

Shang Xin was so foolish that Shang Xiangyu could not rest easy handing him over to anyone, so he had no choice but to bring him into the mountains.

But Shang Xiangyu had no time to look after him, so he could only tie an Iron Chain around his waist to prevent him from falling off a cliff.

Shang Xiangyu squatted down in front of Shang Xin, wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Xin'er, I am your older brother, not your daddy."

A look of confusion flashed through Shang Xin's eyes.

Watching Shang Xin's dull appearance, Shang Xiangyu shook his head slightly and took out from behind his back a mountain chicken he had just roasted in the dense forest.

Shang Xin's eyes immediately lit up; he grabbed it and laughed happily.

Shang Xin tore off a chicken leg, but then reached out and handed it toward Shang Xiangyu.

Shang Xiangyu was stunned for a moment and said, "Xin'er, Brother won't eat."

But Shang Xin stubbornly held it out toward him again.

Shang Xiangyu's eyes suddenly grew moist, and he took the chicken leg.

Seeing Shang Xiangyu take the chicken leg, Shang Xin smiled happily and took a bite of the chicken's tail.

Shang Xin chewed in large mouthfuls, eating with great relish.

Shang Xiangyu looked at the chicken leg in his hand, and a tear fell from the corner of his eye; he suddenly reached out and removed some broken, withered leaves from Shang Xin's head.

Shang Xiangyu looked at Shang Xin and said, "Xin'er, if Brother dies, you won't be able to live either! Do you understand?"

Shang Xin clearly did not understand what Shang Xiangyu was saying; he just kept gnawing on the chicken meat while making babbling sounds.

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Shang Xiangyu's bloodshot eyes, and he repeated it once more. "Xin'er, if Brother dies, you won't be able to live either."

After saying this, Shang Xiangyu stood up and walked into the cave.

The moment he stood up, his heart had already turned as cold as iron and stone.

On the ground where Shang Xiangyu had left, a single chicken leg lay all alone.

Shang Xin looked at that chicken leg with a confused expression; he seemed to be wondering where that chicken leg had come from.

Shang Xiangyu walked into the cave, pulled aside the animal skin in front of the stone window of the side chamber, and sat down before the desk.

At this moment, the side chamber was bright with daylight.

One could see that on the unrolled bamboo slip on the desk, it was written: Method for Refining the Blood Pill.

Using fresh human blood to assist in the refining, once the Blood Pill is formed, it can retain more than half the medicinal potency of a normally formed pill.

After human blood is refined, it will fuse with the medicinal properties, becoming indistinguishable from one another.

Only by using the blood of a close relative to form the pill can the absorption of medicinal properties remain unaffected.

Otherwise, if the blood does not fuse, the medicinal potency cannot be absorbed.

"Xin'er, Brother cannot die yet!" Shang Xiangyu stroked the bamboo slip and roared in a low voice, his tone as shrill as a female ghost.

"Shang Xin, if I die, you won't be able to live either!"

"You were meant to die anyway! You were meant to die anyway!"

Shang Xiangyu raised his head again; his eyes were already blood-red, and the expression on his face was extremely twisted and painful.

His appearance at this moment was like a wild beast tearing at and devouring its own body...

(End of this chapter)