Chapter 433: Keeping One's Chastity Like Jade

Carrying a cloth bag on his back, Duan Rong arrived behind the main hall on the first floor of the pavilion and had the Attendants open the carved wooden wall door, then he walked in with measured steps.

Duan Rong walked into the Cultivation Secret Chamber, and just as he reached the position of the Immovable Wisdom King statue in the center, he suddenly noticed that the carved wooden wall door behind him had not closed immediately.

Usually, as soon as he came in, the wooden wall door behind him would close before he even reached the Immovable Wisdom King statue.

Duan Rong paused in curiosity and looked back, only to see an Attendant walking in through the wooden wall door carrying a wooden tray.

The Attendant entered, saw Duan Rong standing in front of the statue with the cloth bag on his back, and bowed respectfully, calling out, "My Lord!"

Duan Rong glanced at the food on the tray and asked, "Who is this for?"

The Attendant was slightly startled; he had originally intended to offer a greeting and leave, but he had not expected Duan Rong to ask a question suddenly. "Lord Fan."

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and he glanced at Fan Hongjiao's stone door; his Womb Treasury Sutra cultivation technique still lacked one statue to consume. "Senior Sister Fan is in seclusion?"

"Yes!"

Duan Rong looked at the Attendant and said, "Wait here for a moment, don't move! I will be right over; wait for me to arrive before you deliver it."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he immediately turned and left, striding toward his own Cultivation Secret Chamber.

The Attendant stood there stunned, not knowing for a moment what Duan Rong meant by such an order. However, since Duan Rong had given the instruction, he could only wait there.

Duan Rong returned to his own Cultivation Secret Chamber, walked quickly to the corner, and turned the beast head there; the narrow stone door on the stone wall opened with a slight sound.

He grabbed the tail of the Tail-Eyed Ni, dragged it out of the cloth bag, stood by the stone door, and with a casual toss, threw the corpse of the Tail-Eyed Ni steadily into the Black Jade Pool.

He closed the narrow stone door and turned to walk out of his Cultivation Secret Chamber; the Attendant had been waiting there the whole time holding the tray, and seeing Duan Rong walk over, he immediately bowed slightly again and called out respectfully, "My Lord!"

Duan Rong waved a hand at him and said, "Let's go, deliver it."

The Attendant could also tell that Duan Rong seemed to be up to something, but since Duan Rong did not say, he dared not ask, so he could only nod and say, "Yes, My Lord!"

The Attendant carried the wooden tray and walked toward Fan Hongjiao's Cultivation Secret Chamber, with Duan Rong following at his side.

The Attendant was on pins and needles the entire way; he stood at Fan Hongjiao's stone door and looked at Duan Rong with an inquiring gaze.

Duan Rong made a gesture to him, signaling him to call for the door.

The Attendant bowed slightly to Duan Rong to pay his respects before carrying the tray to the crack in the stone door and calling out, "Lord Fan, the meal is prepared!"

Duan Rong listened carefully, and he heard the rustling of footsteps inside the Cultivation Secret Chamber; clearly, Fan Hongjiao had risen from her meditation cushion and opened the stone door.

Seeing the stone door tremble, Duan Rong immediately took the tray from the Attendant's hands; he held the tray with one hand and signaled for the Attendant to withdraw.

The Attendant had completely understood Duan Rong's meaning by now and immediately bowed, stepped back, and turned to leave. In this Attendant's view, Duan Rong might have feelings for his Senior Sister, which was why he was using the delivery of food to get close to her.

However, these were matters between the Lords, and they, as Attendants, dared not interfere; even spreading rumors would lead to being beaten to death.

The Attendant simply walked away silently, acting as if this matter had never happened.

The stone door opened, and Fan Hongjiao had already turned and walked toward the cushion in the corner.

Duan Rong walked in through the stone door carrying the tray.

Fan Hongjiao said, "Place the food on the stone table."

No sooner had her voice fallen than a voice came from behind her, saying, "Yes, Senior Sister!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Hongjiao turned her head, looked at Duan Rong with a smile, and asked, "Is it little Disciple? Why have you come?"

"I missed you, Senior Sister; is it not allowed for me to come and see you?"

Duan Rong said with a smile as he carried the tray in his hands to the stone table and placed the food on it one by one.

As he placed the food, his gaze darted toward a spot not far away; he saw that standing against the wall there was a statue, which was the final statue of the Step-Throwing Vajra Wisdom King.

Fan Hongjiao asked, "Little Disciple, you are still willing to listen to advice. You really did rest for a few days, not burying your head in bitter cultivation the whole time."

Duan Rong's attention remained focused on that statue, and he did not notice that Fan Hongjiao's voice sounded somewhat near and far.

By the time he noticed, Fan Hongjiao's fair, tender hand was already resting on his shoulder, and one of her fingers was already gently tracing circles on his chest through his clothes.

Fan Hongjiao's voice at this moment also became increasingly soft and languid. "Little Disciple, but Senior Sister still likes this drive of yours for bitter cultivation."

Duan Rong turned his head to look at Fan Hongjiao's already somewhat dazed eyes, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat; he suddenly remembered that on his first day at Yunfu Peak, Lu Geng had warned him not to be alone with Senior Sister Fan.

His heart tightened, and he couldn't help but shiver; he turned his head to look at the stone door and saw that at some point, Fan Hongjiao had already closed it.

Fan Hongjiao's fair, tender hand suddenly pressed lightly on Duan Rong's face, turning his face toward her, and said, "Little Disciple, at a time like this, if you aren't looking at Senior Sister, where else are you looking?"

He had only been thinking about the statue and hadn't noticed at all when Fan Hongjiao had closed the door.

What was he to do now?!

He could give up on the statue, but he absolutely did not want to lose his chastity to Fan Hongjiao here.

Duan Rong had already lost his nerve and was preparing to flee; his eyes flickered as he said, "Senior Sister, why don't I go order the Attendants to bring some wine, and we can drink and chat, how about that?"

Duan Rong naturally wanted to take this opportunity to slip away; he had no real desire to get wine.

However, Fan Hongjiao was already burning with desire and her body was weak; how could she be willing to let Duan Rong leave?

"Is there any need for wine? Little Disciple, have you ever heard that one does not get drunk on wine, but gets drunk on oneself! Senior Sister is already drunk, what are you still waiting for?!"

"Ah..." Cold sweat broke out on Duan Rong's forehead from fright. "Waiting for what..."

Just then, Fan Hongjiao collapsed limply into Duan Rong's arms; Duan Rong was immediately alarmed and reached out to push her away, but as a large mass of softness came into his hands, Duan Rong panicked and immediately raised both hands high.

Fan Hongjiao even let out a soft moan.

At this moment, she suddenly paused, twitched her fair, delicate nose a few times, and frowned slightly, saying with some displeasure, "What... is that smell?"

Then, following the scent, she sniffed lightly near Duan Rong's raised armpit, and her face instantly paled, becoming extremely unsightly.

She immediately stepped back a few steps, looked at Duan Rong, and chided him with a reproachful look, "Little Disciple, how long has it been since you bathed?"

Duan Rong had not bathed even once during this month of bitter cultivation, and at this moment, his armpits were practically like a Stink Bomb.

Duan Rong also stretched his head to sniff his own armpit; the smell was truly pungent.

He never expected that at this critical moment, it would be the body odor of the original owner's armpits that saved him. This original owner was truly a treasure of a boy!

Duan Rong looked at Fan Hongjiao with a smile and said, "I'm sorry! Senior Sister, I forgot to bathe while cultivating; my apologies, my apologies!"

As he spoke, the corner of his eye already glanced at the statue beside the stone table, and he suddenly turned his head, feigning surprise as he said, "Eh! Senior Sister, why is there a statue in your Cultivation Secret Chamber?"

Duan Rong had already taken a few steps, walked up to the statue, and placed his hand on it, pretending to examine it with curiosity, while in his heart he had already whispered, "Spirit Reader!"

Following this, a set of data appeared before his eyes.

Artifact: Statue of the Vajrapani King of Foot-Throwing

Spirit Artifact Tier: Tenth Rank

Devour Requirement: Host Level 10 Spiritual Power (Satisfied)

Devour Effect: Thirteenth Layer of Womb Treasury Sutra (Incomplete), Fourteenth Layer of Womb Treasury Sutra (Incomplete), Fifteenth Layer of Womb Treasury Sutra (Incomplete)

"Devour!"

As the thought flashed through his mind, the data panel before his eyes flickered and dissipated.

At this moment, Fan Hongjiao had already come over, pushing Duan Rong. "Little Disciple, don't stay here at Senior Sister's place anymore. Go back and take a bath quickly. The smell on your body is so pungent I can't stand it..."

The desire that had already surged within Fan Hongjiao's body had long since been blown away by the thick, foul odor of Duan Rong's unwashed body from over a month.

Watching the data panel before him completely vanish, and having devoured the spirit tool of the final statue, Duan Rong smiled and said, "Alright, Senior Sister Fan, then this Disciple will take his leave first and not disturb Senior Sister's meal."

As Duan Rong spoke, he cupped his hands slightly, strode to the stone door, turned the mechanism, opened the stone door, and walked out.

"A meal?!"

Fan Hongjiao stood before the Stone Table, looking at the food in front of her, and then recalling that smell from just a moment ago, she suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

Duan Rong walked out of Fan Hongjiao's Cultivation Secret Chamber, exited the stone room space, and arrived at his own room in the pavilion.

He first ordered a few hearty dishes and a pot of yellow wine, and had a good, satisfying meal.

With the cultivation issues and the problems with the Womb Treasury Sutra technique both resolved this time, he was suddenly in a great mood.

After he had eaten and drunk his fill, he rested for a while, then headed toward the bathing room on Yunfu Peak, preparing to give himself a good wash. To tell the truth, he couldn't stand the smell under his own armpits just now either. That smell was truly too pungent.

The bathing room on Yunfu Peak had dedicated Attendants to serve.

A large bathing barrel, hot water already boiled, Duan Rong washed himself with great comfort...

After he finished bathing, he instructed the Attendants to wash his clothes, and walked out wrapped only in a bath towel. Duan Rong hummed a tune, his bare feet in a pair of wooden clogs, walking along the veranda toward his room.

Lu Geng and Wang Yue were playing chess in the room. Hearing the sound of Duan Rong humming, they opened the door. The two had originally intended to call out to Duan Rong, but upon seeing him bare-chested, with only a snow-white cotton bath towel wrapped around his waist, walking with a swagger, both of them were suddenly struck dumb.

Wang Yue stood at the doorway, watching Duan Rong's back disappear around the corner, and muttered, "Little Disciple's style is truly bold!"

Lu Geng said, "Little Disciple's way of doing things has always been unexpected; I'm already used to it."

Hearing this, Wang Yue turned his head to look at Lu Geng, a curious expression appearing in his eyes.

Lu Geng then recounted to Wang Yue the two times Duan Rong had chosen techniques as if he were playing a game. After hearing this, Wang Yue was also left speechless.

Duan Rong returned to his room and flopped onto his bed.

This sleep was extremely comfortable; when he woke up, it was already dusk.

Duan Rong's eyes flickered; the spirit tool of the devoured Statue of the Vajrapani King of Foot-Throwing had already been digested and absorbed.

At this time, the detailed contents of the Thirteenth to Fifteenth Layers of the Womb Treasury Sutra were already in his mind, as familiar as if he had practiced them for several years.

This success not only solved the immediate problem of the three layers of the technique, but more importantly, he had found the path to obtaining the Womb Treasury Sutra technique.

Following this path, he felt he could even obtain the full Secret Manual of the Womb Treasury Sutra.

After all, during the Divine Soul test in the Deep Valley, the four statues within the Yougu were carved using the entire mountain as an embryo.

These statues, two men tall, contained the technique up to the Fifteenth Layer. Then, what layer of technique would the spirit tools of those four statues, carved using the entire mountain as a base, contain?

This question was clearly unfathomable.

Duan Rong stopped his train of thought, stretched, and jumped off the bed. The bath towel wrapped around his waist slid off, but he didn't bother with it, simply finding new clothes and putting them on.

Opening the door, he saw a chair placed on the veranda outside. On that chair were the clothes he had previously asked the Attendants to wash.

By now, the clothes had been washed and dried, folded neatly, and placed on that chair.

Duan Rong picked up the folded clothes and sniffed them gently, catching a faint, fresh scent. He put the clothes away and casually tossed the cotton bath towel from the floor onto the chair outside the door.

Only then did Duan Rong go downstairs and arrive at his own Cultivation Secret Chamber.

He took the Black Jade Box and walked out of the narrow stone door. At this time, the Heaven and Earth Qi within his body was far more abundant than it had been a month ago.

With his palm wrapped in a layer of Qi, holding the Black Jade Box no longer felt bitingly cold.

Duan Rong walked slowly to the prayer mat and placed the Black Jade Box beside him.

He sat cross-legged, first performing breathing exercises, and only then did he suddenly open the Black Jade Box and pinch out an "Ice Sugar Gourd".

Beneath the layer of ice coating this "Ice Sugar Gourd" was actually a large eyeball covered in bloodshot veins.

Duan Rong stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed the large eyeball. The moment he swallowed it, his heart became as still as water, and he began to focus on refining it.

Once inside the Cultivation Secret Chamber, Duan Rong began to cultivate bitterly again until he had completely refined the corpse of the Tail-Eyed Ni into the source Heaven and Earth Qi within his dantian.

Only then did Duan Rong exit the Cultivation Secret Chamber again, rest briefly in his room in the pavilion, and then make another trip into the Dark Forest.

Fan Hongjiao and Wu Shidao noticed that although Duan Rong cultivated bitterly every day, he would always rest for a few days each month, clearly still having his own rhythm, so they stopped worrying about him.

Thus, in the blink of an eye, five or six months passed.

For nearly half a year, Fan Hongjiao and the others had not taken Duan Rong into the Dark Forest again, though Duan Rong himself would go down once every month.

Because when they distributed resources, they had estimated that what Duan Rong received would be enough for half a year. Wang Yue and Lu Geng were actually the same. They distributed resources equally according to cultivation time. Although the amounts varied, they were basically all six-month supplies.

Of course, Duan Rong's crazy cultivation naturally consumed them faster, but since Duan Rong didn't say anything, and none of them mentioned going to the Dark Forest again—after all, the resources in their own hands hadn't been exhausted yet.

Over the past half year, affairs on Yunfu Peak had been relatively quiet. Zhu He was often not on the peak and had almost never looked for them, though the few of them were already used to this situation.

Fan Hongjiao and the others did have missions and had gone out before, but since Duan Rong had just arrived at Yunfu Peak and his realm had not yet been cultivated up, Zhu He had not assigned him a single mission in the half year he had been here.

(End of this chapter)