Within the dim cave, the torchlight illuminated Duan Rong’s face.
His lips tightly pressed, his eyes focused, his right hand gripped near the tip of the Minghong Saber, carving on a piece of rock...
He had previously devoured the Artifact Spirit of a carving knife from Xiao Yu, thus acquiring considerable carving skills.
Moreover, the image of the Four Great Kings was already etched in Duan Rong’s heart. He intended to carve four stone statues himself within this cave, forming a mandala.
Not far from the Black Blood Vine, the remains of a wild boar were still oozing yellow pus, and waves of stench intermittently reached him. Yet, Duan Rong remained unfazed, solely focusing on the gradually clearer outline of the divine statue in his hand...
This time, he intended to directly cultivate the Fetal Concealment Scripture to the eleventh layer. Compared to that, what was a mere offensive odor?
Half an hour later, Duan Rong lifted the statue of Unmoving Bright King, blowing away the stone dust from its surface.
Under the torchlight, Duan Rong carefully scrutinized the divine statue in his hand.
Its size was larger than the statue he used during the Fourth Layer cultivation at Xiao Yu’s.
Moreover, the brows and eyes of this statue were crafted with an intricacy that clearly surpassed the four stone statues at Xiao Yu’s place.
With a glance, Duan Rong saw three other statues faintly visible in the shadowy corners behind him.
Carrying the statue, Duan Rong arrived at a platform deep within the cave and placed it at the southern position.
Then, Duan Rong positioned the other three statues accordingly.
At this point, he flipped his hand and clasped the Black Blood Fruit.
Duan Rong removed his clothes, crushed the fruit against his chest, and applied the pulp all over his body.
The pulp of the Black Blood Fruit emitted a faint red glow in the darkness, making Duan Rong look like a red-skinned savage.
As the pulp permeated his skin, Duan Rong felt his entire body begin to ache as though cut by knives.
Not daring to delay, he immediately sat cross-legged amidst the four statues, formed a sealing gesture with his hands, and submerged his consciousness into the Sea...
Several hours later, outside the cave, daylight had already brightened the sky while deep within the cavern next to the Black Blood Vine, Duan Rong remained seated. The pulp had been completely absorbed, leaving only some dried skin and seeds attached to his exposed flesh...
Meanwhile, the torch affixed to the wall exhausted its oil, gradually burning through the wood, which broke and fell to the ground, scattering sparks...
As the torch extinguished, Duan Rong abruptly opened his eyes in the darkness.
His eyes gleamed like stars; the Fifth Layer of the Fetal Concealment Scripture was accomplished!
Yet, immediately a profound fatigue surged within his Divine Soul, causing Duan Rong to groan quietly as he struggled to stand.
Despite his exhaustion, Duan Rong made his way to the water pool, washed himself clean, and returned to his cave.
Clad only in his shirt, Duan Rong returned, grabbed a towel, clumsily wiped off the water from his skin, and collapsed onto the stone bed, falling into a deep sleep.
When Duan Rong awoke, the hour was already late.
After dressing and washing his face, he headed to the Medicine Pavilion, recalling Xia Honghua’s message passed by Pan Yong the day before. If he didn’t go today, he might never need to again.
Upon entering the three-story pavilion, Xia Honghua blocked him at the curved counter, unleashing a torrent of scolding.
Knowing he was somewhat at fault, Duan Rong merely touched his nose, enduring Xia Honghua’s blasts without response.
Xia Honghua was left gasping, nearly unable to catch her breath.
Seeing this, Duan Rong picked up the tea on the counter and handed it to her, saying, "Take a sip and rest. You’re incredible; you managed to choke yourself with your own scolding!"
Glancing at the offered tea, Xia Honghua gave him a side-eye, "Don’t play that game with me. Can you handle the mid-year accounting for July? If you plan to quit, tell me clearly so I can find someone else."
"Taking my contribution points and not working for me, you’re just wasting my time." She said this, bursting into tears, resembling a wilted flower drenched in rain.
Seeing her like this, Duan Rong realized she was truly distressed about the accounting. He chuckled, "Why are you crying now?"
"I came by last time, didn’t you say you’d check according to your schedule? Isn’t it not the scheduled check date yet, and you’re starting a commotion?"
Squeegeeing her tears with a handkerchief, Xia Honghua pulled out a note from the drawer and examined it, "Isn’t the check date tomorrow?"
"Well, here I am. You can check tomorrow night. If I haven’t finished according to schedule, deduct my contribution points. Is that satisfactory?"
Xia Honghua blew her nose with her handkerchief, tearfully gazing at Duan Rong. "You promised. If you fail to complete it, I’ll deduct a month’s contribution points from you."
Laughing, Duan Rong replied, "That’s harsh. Letting you deduct them, wouldn’t I end up paying you instead?"
With a pout, Xia Honghua retorted, "Why didn’t you come for so long?"
Waving his hand, Duan Rong acquiesced, "Alright then, as you say."
Once done speaking, Duan Rong entered the room to work on the accounts.
He stayed at the Medicine Pavilion until dusk.
Seeing Duan Rong remained so long, Xia Honghua’s expression softened. She was genuinely worried that Duan Rong might have abandoned her, causing her to fail the mid-year audit.