Chapter 615 - 396: Which Is Harder? (2)

After reporting back to the sect, they received another task assigned by the sect, and each went to different places to carry out their missions.

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year.

This year, Zhu Xiaoqi stayed home and prepared a lot of New Year’s supplies, but just before the New Year, Ximen Kankan insisted on dragging Duan Rong and Xiao Yu to spend the New Year in Yuanyang Prefecture.

The two of them couldn’t resist him, so they had to agree.

Zhu Xiaoqi could only prepare gifts for them with a resentful look.

It was New Year’s Eve, and the sound of firecrackers thundered outside. Duan Rong, his wife, and the Ximen family gathered around a large round table, enjoying a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner.

Duan Rong tasted the rather authentic Eight Treasure Gourd Duck again. He gave Xiao Yu two pieces, and she also couldn’t stop praising it after tasting it.

The two families were full of joy, toasting each other and exchanging New Year blessings...

Shen Yanliu and his daughter Shen Mizi were actually staying in a rather secluded villa within the West Gate Mansion, but the two of them did not attend this lively New Year’s Eve dinner.

This wasn’t because of any rudeness on their part. Shen Yanliu, after all, was a man who had served his sentence, and it was not appropriate for him to appear in such a lively setting.

Shen Mizi usually spent most of her time busy with sect tasks, only occasionally finding leisure to look after her father.

However, the injuries on Shen Yanliu were almost healed. Over the past half year, Xiao Yu had visited him a few times.

Normally, he lived alone in that villa, not mingling with outsiders. His daily needs were delivered from here.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner ended, Duan Rong and Xiao Yu returned to their room.

Xiao Yu sat at the dressing table, starting to remove her makeup.

Duan Rong suddenly picked up a long wooden box placed on the bed, saying, "I’ll go over to see Mr. Shen, and I’ll be back soon."

Xiao Yu watched Duan Rong’s silhouette in the copper mirror, saying, "Go ahead, give him my regards."

Duan Rong had discussed with her about giving that item to Shen Yanliu before they came, and she had agreed.

Moreover, she felt that it was better for Duan Rong to go alone.

If they both went together, it would seem as if they were making too much of it, as if afraid the person wouldn’t appreciate it.

When Duan Rong, holding the long wooden box, walked into the rather secluded villa, he saw that the father and daughter had finished their New Year’s Eve dinner. Shen Mizi was tidying up the dishes, while Shen Yanliu stood alone in the yard, gazing at a cluster of elegant bamboo in the corner.

The moonlight filtered through, casting a dappled and sparse shadow on the ground.

As Duan Rong entered the courtyard, Shen Yanliu’s expression slightly shifted.

During the past half year, Xiao Yu had visited a few times, but Duan Rong had never been here before.

Shen Yanliu was dressed in loose clothing, his hair gently tied with a band. His expression was serene, and his gaze was gentle.

Duan Rong silently admired the scene, feeling that after experiencing life and death, this person seemed to have let go of a lot.

Duan Rong said with a smile, "Mr. Shen, it’s been a while!"

"Lord Duan!" Shen Yanliu clasped his hands and replied with a faint smile, "Just a former convict, barely managing to get by."

The two of them then stepped into the house, where Shen Mizi served tea to each of them, then quietly left, her attitude very respectful, no longer displaying the arrogance she once had.

The greatest change people undergo is in the face of life and death, those four words.

Every experience inevitably brings transformation.

Duan Rong sipped a bit of tea, asking, "Mr. Shen, are you comfortable living in this villa?"

Shen Yanliu replied, "It’s quite peaceful here."

Duan Rong laughed, "You seem to be in great shape. After this incident, you look ten years younger."

Shen Yanliu laughed cheerfully, "Your vision is sharp, my lord. Now that I’ve lost my official position, I feel much more at ease."

Duan Rong smiled as well, then pushed the long wooden box on the table towards Shen Yanliu, saying, "This is the item Lord Duan left in my care at Shen Garden the last time. Now, it’s being returned to its owner."

"Shen Garden?" Shen Yanliu’s expression shifted. "Ni Yunlin’s ’Fisherman’s Village in Autumn’?"

Duan Rong took another sip of tea, saying, "Indeed, it’s this piece!"

Honestly, staying in the villa within West Gate Mansion was just a temporary measure for Shen Yanliu; it wasn’t a long-term solution. Moreover, the storm of that big case had already passed, and the father and daughter were considering finding a place to move out to.

However, finances posed a problem.

Shen Yanliu’s home has already been confiscated, and the wealth he originally accumulated has naturally all vanished into thin air.

Although Shen Mizi is an Outer Disciple handling cases in various places, staying in inns with all accommodations covered, the rewards given by the sect for case handling are all merit points and pills, certainly not silver.

Because within Changling Mountain, silver notes simply don’t circulate.

Moreover, Outer Disciples are mostly heirs of noble families, generally not lacking in silver coins, but Shen Mizi’s situation is somewhat special. She suddenly fell into decline, lost her wealth, and never knew how to earn silver coins.

Shen Yanliu is troubled by this issue, and Duan Rong’s painting can be said to be timely help. Moreover, Duan Rong spoke of returning things to their rightful owner, which also preserved his dignity.

Shen Yanliu’s hand gently brushed over the surface of the wooden box, looked at Duan Rong, and sighed, "Lord Duan, you are thoughtful!"

After chatting idly for a while, Duan Rong then stood up to take his leave.

Duan Rong walked along the street, reflecting on the conversation he had with Shen Yanliu, unexpectedly finding that they quite enjoyed each other’s company.

An ancient saying goes: "In the vast sea of karma, turning back is the shore; putting down the butcher’s knife, one becomes a Buddha on the spot."

Yet, the knife in hand is easy to lay down, the knife in the heart is harder to put aside.

After experiencing such a great change, Shen Yanliu seemed quite relieved.

After Duan Rong left, Shen Yanliu set aside the tea on the desk, opened the wooden box, and carefully took out the old, yellowing scroll inside.

Shen Yanliu spread the scroll on the desk, and the familiar brushwork and mental realm once again appeared before his eyes.

When he was a young man, Shen Yanliu was fond of calligraphy and painting and studied it for a few years. If not for this experience, he wouldn’t have known Tang Wanhong.

From Ni Yunlin’s pen emerged sparse bamboo, noble and open. Shen Yanliu’s eyes welled up with tears, muttering, "I never thought I could see this painting again in my lifetime. The bamboo in this painting is far cleaner than me; my wasted life is just an illusion, after all."

Looking at this painting once more at this moment, Shen Yanliu’s mindset has vastly changed from years past.

The painting remains the same; it’s just that the one viewing it is no longer the person he once was.

When Duan Rong returned to his room, Xiao Yu was already asleep. In these days nearing the year’s end, she had been busy hosting guests and preparing gifts, working tirelessly for several days.

Duan Rong sat by the bedside, gazing at Xiao Yu’s sleeping face, feeling very calm inside. He extinguished the candlelight and sat cross-legged on the bed.

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi is sparse, making it impossible to break through to the Primordial Qi Realm. This year, Duan Rong’s cultivation has stagnated, remaining at the True Qi Realm Great Perfection.

The pills and such rewarded by the sect, he shared with Xiao Yu and Ximen Kankan.

However, not focusing on cultivation, in this year he figured out another matter, which was about dealing with the Filthy Blood Divine Skill’s Original Blood Light within his Sea of Consciousness.

After nearly a year of exploration, he finally found a way to completely remove this scourge.

Since he decided to pursue a long-term future within the Taiyi Sect, this scourge must be removed, because the deeper he gets into the sect’s core, the more likely it is that this scourge will eventually be exposed.

Moreover, that blood light has always been a significant concern for Duan Rong.

With each inhalation and exhalation, Duan Rong hit a precise point, instantly feeling dizzy, and then entered his Sea of Consciousness.

In the center of the black land, looking up, he saw a phantom sitting cross-legged above the sky, whose eyebrows and eyes were identical to his own.

Eleven star bodies slowly rotated around, centering on that phantom.

The moment Duan Rong appeared in the center of the black land, the phantom connected with his spirit.

The phantom above this sky was slightly different from when he was within Changling Mountain.

In the Dantian of that phantom, a faint glow of red light could be seen.

Indeed, Duan Rong manipulated the phantom to swallow that Original Blood Light of the Filthy Blood Divine Skill into its Dantian.

Furthermore, Duan Rong noticed that after the phantom swallowed that Original Blood Light, upon activating the Fetal Concealment Scripture, its cultivation technique surprisingly began to gradually digest that Original Blood Light.

Though slow, it indeed showed effectiveness.

Since discovering this method, Duan Rong diligently worked daily because this task requires consistent effort and cannot be accomplished without diligence.

He aims to completely refine that Blood Light before completing his three-year term as an Outer Disciple and advancing to an Inner Sect Disciple.

This time when he enters Changling Mountain again, he is bound to be an Inner Sect Disciple.

Having been an Outer Disciple for just a year, he heard a saying circulating among Outer Disciples: Inner Sect Disciple truly belongs to the sect, Outer Disciples are merely dogs reared by the sect.

Inner Sect Disciples begin engaging with the sect’s true core matters, and before that, Duan Rong can only feel at ease by thoroughly resolving the issue of the Original Blood Light.