Chapter 493: Leaving the Tower

Wu Shidao was in his room, opening the summary of yesterday's handled matters submitted by the Inner History Department. This was his daily routine; if he encountered important matters that he felt needed to be reported to Zhu He, he would report them to Zhu He in a timely manner.

After finishing the few pages of densely packed summary, he set them aside and took a sip of clear tea with an expressionless face; they were all trivial matters, with nothing of any importance.

Wu Shidao stood up, preparing to go to the Secret Chamber to cultivate. Just as he opened the door, he saw Wang Yue walking over in a hurry. Seeing him open the door and stand there, Wang Yue gave him a strange look, immediately leaned in, and asked, "Senior Brother Wu, have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Wu Shidao was completely confused. He did not know what Wang Yue was going to say, but looking at Wang Yue's furtive appearance, it seemed there really was something.

Wang Yue said, "Duan Rong has formed his Qi Cyclone!"

"Formed a Qi Cyclone!?" Wu Shidao's expression changed abruptly, then his gaze shifted, and he smiled faintly: "What nonsense are you spouting? Didn't we just see Disciple Duan last night? How could he have formed a Qi Cyclone?"

"It's true!" Wang Yue said: "It's spread all over outside. Disciple Duan formed his Qi Cyclone inside the Elder Council, triggering a Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide, shocking everyone in the Elder Council..."

"Triggered a Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide!?"

The more Wu Shidao heard, the more absurd he found it. He had never heard of forming a Qi Cyclone triggering any Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide, but seeing Wang Yue's appearance, and the way he spoke with such conviction, it did not seem like a fabrication.

Seeing Wu Shidao looking at him with a doubtful expression, clearly not believing it, Wang Yue said anxiously: "It's true. I heard it with my own ears from an Attendant in the Elder Council, and now the whole Sect is talking about it."

Wu Shidao's gaze tightened, and he said: "Why bother with the rumors outside! But since it is being spread, why don't we go ask Disciple Duan ourselves, and it will be clear, won't it?"

Wang Yue said: "I came to find you just to go ask Disciple Duan together."

"Then let's go!"

Wu Shidao and Wang Yue went together toward Duan Rong's room. When they arrived in front of Duan Rong's room in the pavilion, they saw a lock hanging on the door; Duan Rong was clearly not there.

Wu Shidao said: "Disciple Duan is not here, let's come back in a while."

Wang Yue touched the lock on the door and sighed: "I remember when Disciple Duan first arrived, he didn't even lock his door."

Wu Shidao said: "When he first arrived was then, now is now. Let's go, let's head back first."

The two turned to leave, and having walked only two steps, they saw Duan Rong slowly turning the corner from the Corridor. As soon as Duan Rong turned the corner, he saw Wu Shidao and Wang Yue, and the two stopped in their tracks the moment they saw him.

Duan Rong walked over and smiled: "Senior Brother Wu, Senior Brother Wang, are you looking for me?"

Wu Shidao smiled: "Disciple, we heard it being spread everywhere outside that you have already formed your Qi Cyclone, and that you did it inside the Elder Council, and even triggered some Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide. Senior Brother feels this is too outrageous and clearly a rumor, so I came specifically to ask you. If it really is a rumor, Senior Brother can have the people from the Inner History Department investigate who is spreading it? To smear you, and to smear our Yunfu Peak!?"

After Wu Shidao finished speaking, he smiled and looked at Duan Rong, waiting for his answer.

Wang Yue also stood beside Wu Shidao, looking at Duan Rong with expectant eyes; in truth, he did not know if those rumors outside were true or not.

Duan Rong looked at their expressions, rubbed his nose, smiled somewhat awkwardly, and said: "Um, yes."

Wu Shidao and Wang Yue still stared at Duan Rong with puzzled eyes; they did not know what this "um" and "yes" meant—was it true, or was it not true?

Duan Rong said: "It is not a rumor!"

"Not a rumor?!"

Wu Shidao looked at Duan Rong in astonishment, his whole body feeling cold, and he asked somewhat uncharacteristically: "Disciple Duan, are you saying you have already advanced to the Qi Cyclone Realm!?"

Duan Rong nodded and said: "Yes."

"And it was inside the Elder Council?"

"Yes."

"And you triggered a Qi Tide?"

"Yes."

Wu Shidao asked three questions in a row, and Duan Rong answered "yes" to all of them. Wu Shidao did not even notice that his voice had grown louder and louder; by the third question, he could not help but tremble slightly.

Wang Yue stood beside Wu Shidao, also momentarily too shocked to speak.

At this moment, he stared blankly at Duan Rong. He understood that he was the laggard and the one holding everyone back on Yunfu Peak, but compared to Duan Rong, hadn't Senior Brother Wu and Fan Hongjiao, whom he had always looked up to, also become those who held everyone back?

He often heard the word "monster," but looking at Duan Rong before him, he finally understood what a monster was only at this moment. This kind of thing, you only know it when you see it!

Especially seeing that even the usually composed and calm Wu Shidao had lost his composure to such an extent, he understood that at this moment, the shock in Wu Shidao's heart was far greater than his own. Duan Rong's three affirmative "yes" answers were clearly a huge stimulus to Wu Shidao!

Duan Rong stood there, smiling faintly at the Wu Shidao and Wang Yue before him; both stood there as if petrified, unable to say a word for a long time.

Just then, an Attendant from the Inner History Department was seen walking over from the Corridor. He walked to Duan Rong's door, glanced at the lock on the door, and was about to leave, but he suddenly saw Duan Rong standing opposite them through the gap between Wu Shidao and Wang Yue, who were standing not far away.

The Attendant hesitated for a moment, then stood to the side in front of Duan Rong's door, seemingly waiting for him.

Duan Rong stood there, watching the Attendant's actions, his gaze shifted, and he asked: "Are you looking for me?"

Seeing Duan Rong speaking to him, the Attendant immediately bowed and said respectfully: "Yes, Lord Duan! This small one has come to report that someone outside is looking for you, my Lord!"

"Looking for me!? Who is looking for me?" Duan Rong's gaze shifted, thoughts churning in his heart; it was a troubled time, and who knew what trouble was knocking on his door again.

"That person... is named... Ximen Kankan." The Attendant seemed to think for a moment before saying this somewhat convoluted name.

"It's Kankan!?" Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up.

Kankan is out!? More than half a year has passed; it seems Kankan has already come out of the Tower Forest.

Duan Rong immediately looked at the Attendant and asked: "Where is he?"

The Attendant replied: "He is waiting outside the pavilion. Lord Duan, you hadn't returned to the peak yet, and he had already come three times."

Duan Rong was about to rush out of the pavilion immediately, but his footsteps suddenly stalled. His gaze tightened, and he cupped his fists toward Wu Shidao and Wang Yue: "Two Senior Brothers, I have some private matters to attend to. I will chat with you two Senior Brothers later."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he rushed toward the stairs at the other end of the Corridor.

Hearing this, Wang Yue finally came to his senses and responded.

Wu Shidao, however, stood there with a blank stare, as if he hadn't heard.

Because he could not understand.

Before Duan Rong went to Shenyun Prefecture, he had only just achieved the Fourth Layer of the Origin Qi Realm.

Counting it all up, how long has it been!?

From the Fourth Layer of the Origin Qi Realm to achieving the Great Perfection of the Origin Qi Realm, he himself had taken more than a year back then, and for that progress, his Master had even praised him for his diligence.

Yet, in such a short time, Duan Rong had not only achieved the Great Perfection of the Origin Qi Realm, but had even formed his Qi Cyclone and advanced to the Qi Cyclone Realm!?

What kind of madness is this!?

Advancing to the Qi Cyclone Realm?! Doesn't forming a Qi Cyclone require several months of preparation just for the lead-up?

How could this be?

He just returned yesterday, was still in the Qi Refining Realm last night, and today, in a sudden transformation, he has advanced to the Qi Cyclone Realm!? How could such a thing happen?

He is also in the Qi Cyclone Realm; he knows what forming a Qi Cyclone entails. How life-threatening and cautious a process that is!

How is it that Duan Rong acts as if it were child's play?

He formed his Qi Cyclone right inside the Elder Council!?

Didn't he go to the Elder Council to report on the case? How could he have formed a Qi Cyclone there?

And he even triggered a Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide!?

What is going on? None of these pieces of information make any sense!

How could forming a Qi Cyclone trigger a Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide? It's not as if he himself has never formed a Qi Cyclone before.

But Duan Rong just admitted it himself, and Wang Yue also said that he heard it personally from an Attendant at the Elder Council; that is to say, all of this is true!

Wu Shidao's astonishment at this moment was the kind that completely shatters one's perception. He turned his head, wanting to take a look at Duan Rong, but by now, Duan Rong had already dashed down the stairs, and his figure was no longer in the Corridor.

Wu Shidao looked at the empty Corridor, and a strong sense of unreality welled up in his heart...

Duan Rong dashed out of the pavilion and at a glance saw a person standing on the open ground not far outside.

His originally hurried pace immediately stalled, because he was very certain that the person was absolutely not Ximen Kankan.

At this moment, he saw that person pacing back and forth there, clearly also feeling anxious, but his figure was thin and tall; at a glance, he was at least a head taller than the short, stout Ximen Kankan. How could it be Ximen Kankan?

Duan Rong was wondering, why would this person pretend to be Ximen Kankan to see him?

Just at this moment, that person turned his face and looked at Duan Rong.

In that instant, Duan Rong's heart suddenly stirred. Although that thin face was completely different from Kankan's chubby, round face, those brows and eyes were Kankan's.

"Duan Rong!"

As soon as the person turned his face and saw Duan Rong, he called out and immediately rushed over.

"Kankan?" Duan Rong stared blankly as the person grabbed him and called his name. It took him a long time to react. He touched Ximen Kankan's face, looked him up and down, and asked, "Kankan, what has happened to you?"

Ximen Kankan looked at Duan Rong's expression and immediately knew what he was asking. He chuckled and said, "How about it? Have I become handsome? Are you stunned? To tell you the truth, even I didn't expect I could become this handsome. If Shuangshuang hadn't died, seeing me like this, wouldn't she have fallen at my feet?"

Seeing that Ximen Kankan was still his usual unreliable self when he spoke, Duan Rong was instantly amused. Only then was he completely convinced that the person before him was indeed Ximen Kankan.

Duan Rong looked at Ximen Kankan with some heartache. Although Ximen Kankan was acting like a rogue at the moment, he had withered from a chubby, short, stout boy into this current state in less than a year. One could imagine what kind of suffering he had endured inside the Tower Forest.

Duan Rong said, "Kankan, you have suffered."

Ximen Kankan had been chuckling and acting cocky, but at this moment, seeing Duan Rong looking at him with eyes full of heartache, and hearing Duan Rong's words, "You have suffered," caused Ximen Kankan to break down instantly.

His strange smile stiffened on his face, his brows and eyes instantly drooped, and thinking of the suffering he had endured in the Tower Forest over the past half-year, his tears gushed out like a spring, and he hugged Duan Rong and wailed loudly.

After all, Ximen Kankan had grown up pampered. Although his father, Ximen Yong, often pressured him in his cultivation, he had great talent and had never actually suffered any hardship in his training, and Ximen Yong had taken great care of him in other respects.

Therefore, over the past half-year in the Tower Forest, not only had he shed a layer of skin and become so thin he was unrecognizable, but it had also been a great tempering for his character.

Ximen Kankan cried more and more sorrowfully. As he cried, he mumbled, and Duan Rong couldn't hear clearly what he was saying, only catching a few blurred syllables amidst his intermittent sobbing.

"Tower... suffering... eat..."

Seeing Ximen Kankan crying so comically, Duan Rong couldn't help but laugh. While laughing, he patted his back to comfort him. Ximen Kankan's crying gradually subsided, but his eyes remained teary.

While comforting Ximen Kankan, Duan Rong suddenly saw a figure in the distant, misty mountains, with skirts fluttering and long hair dancing, actually stepping through the mist toward them...

That figure was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, she was already before Duan Rong. The person who arrived was actually Fan Hongjiao!

Fan Hongjiao was in a purple dress, with dew and grass clippings clinging to her hair and skirt.

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, remembering that yesterday in his room, Wu Shidao had said that Fan Hongjiao had not been on Yunfu Peak for the past few days, clearly having gone somewhere to carry out a mission.

It was unknown how far Fan Hongjiao had traveled; her fair face could not hide her look of exhaustion.

She walked slowly to the front of Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan. She looked at the scene before her with a puzzled expression, seeing Duan Rong holding a man, and that man was in his arms, his shoulders heaving as he sobbed secretly...

Fan Hongjiao gave Duan Rong a strange look and asked, "What are you two doing?"

Hearing a woman's voice rise behind him, Ximen Kankan turned his head and saw Fan Hongjiao. Although he was teary-eyed at the moment, he still caught a glimpse of Fan Hongjiao's high, proud chest at a glance.

Ximen Kankan sniffled, squeezed his eyes, and stared fixedly at that spot.

Now that Ximen Kankan had thinned down, he actually possessed quite a bit of handsome bearing.

Fan Hongjiao smiled, looked at Duan Rong, and asked, "Where did you get such a handsome young man?"

Duan Rong laughed, "A childhood friend from my hometown, just released from the Tower Forest."

Fan Hongjiao gave an "oh," glanced at Ximen Kankan with a pitying look, and asked Duan Rong, "Is Master in the pavilion?"

Duan Rong's gaze shifted; Fan Hongjiao was clearly going to report to Zhu He, so he said, "He was in his room just a moment ago, but I don't know about now."

Duan Rong had just come out of Zhu He's room and met Wu Shidao and Wang Yue in the Corridor, but that old man Zhu He was elusive, so he really wasn't sure if he was still there.

Upon hearing this, Fan Hongjiao smiled and patted Duan Rong, saying, "Come find Senior Sister to play later!" After saying this, she flashed into the pavilion with great charm.

Duan Rong shrank his neck. Seeing a purple shadow flash, Fan Hongjiao had already disappeared at the stairs. Duan Rong let out a long sigh and turned his head to see Ximen Kankan staring blankly at the place where Fan Hongjiao had disappeared.

Ximen Kankan noticed Duan Rong looking at him and felt a bit embarrassed, so he pretended to sniff and asked, "Who was that just now?"

Duan Rong said, "My Senior Sister, Fan Hongjiao."

Ximen Kankan gave an seemingly casual "oh," but he had already firmly memorized the name in his heart.

Seeing that Ximen Kankan's emotions had calmed down after crying for a while, Duan Rong brought him into his own room inside the pavilion.

(End of chapter)