Ximen Kankan immediately covered his mouth, thinking his voice was small and that Xiao Yu and Shen Mizi, who were just laughing happily, probably didn’t hear him.
But Xiao Yu and Shen Mizi were quite alert; they both heard his mumble.
Shen Mizi shot a puzzled glance at Xiao Yu, doubting whether she had misheard.
Xiao Yu nodded at her.
Shen Mizi immediately tiptoed out of bed.
Xiao Yu continued to cover for her, saying, "That old woman really got messed up by you all..."
Ximen Kankan kept his mouth covered, hearing them continue chatting, he relaxed. But just then, a shadow flashed by; his heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to make a run for it, Shen Mizi had already grabbed his ear.
"Oh, you rascal, daring to eavesdrop here!" Shen Mizi twisted Ximen Kankan’s ear, dragging him into the cave. "Sister Xiao, look at him, eavesdropping at the entrance."
"Ouch! Go easy..." Ximen Kankan cried out as Shen Mizi twisted his ear.
Xiao Yu watched Ximen Kankan’s comical expression and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Why aren’t you sleeping well and instead came over to eavesdrop?"
Ximen Kankan’s ear was twisted in a full circle, leaving him unable to speak properly.
Xiao Yu glanced at Shen Mizi with a smile, and Shen Mizi got the hint and loosened half a turn.
With the pain slightly relieved, Ximen Kankan’s eyes darted around, and he said, "It was Duan Rong who told me to come."
"Nonsense!" Shen Mizi suddenly tightened her grip, twisting it back. "You came to eavesdrop and want to blame someone else."
With Shen Mizi tightening her grip again, Ximen Kankan cried out in pain. "It was him! If you don’t believe me, go ask him. Ask him."
Shen Mizi looked towards Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu said, "Let’s go ask Duan Rong then."
Bringing up Duan Rong, Xiao Yu really wanted to go see him.
Duan Rong lay on the stone bed, his eyes flashing with thought, suddenly hearing a commotion outside.
Shen Mizi dragged Ximen Kankan in by the ear.
Duan Rong looked bewildered, not knowing what was going on.
Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong with a smile in her eyes, saying, "This kid was eavesdropping at our entrance. He says it was you who sent him."
On hearing this, Duan Rong wanted to kick Ximen Kankan in the face, but he held back, smiled, and said, "What’s going on? Didn’t I tell you to get that hammock? How come you ended up eavesdropping?"
Upon hearing this, Ximen Kankan’s eyes brightened and said, "Exactly. I was going to get the hammock. You startled me, and I forgot it all. Let loose, let go of me."
With this, Ximen Kankan gained confidence, pried Shen Mizi’s hand off his ear, rubbing his ear while saying, "He said I’m too fat and keep crowding him, so he told me to fetch the hammock from your cave. Just as I reached the entrance, I overheard you talking about putting rat droppings in that old woman’s tea, and couldn’t help but chuckle, and then you caught me."
"Who put rat droppings in that old woman’s tea? Don’t make things up!" Shen Mizi glared at Ximen Kankan.
Xiao Yu smiled at Duan Rong, knowing he was fibbing.
Shen Mizi looked at Duan Rong and asked, "Did you really send him?"
Duan Rong said, "Look at this stone bed of mine, it’s only so big! Now look at his big butt. At the Weapon Workshop, he crowded me so much I was almost sticking to the stone wall."
Shen Mizi gazed suspiciously at the two, wanting to say something, but Xiao Yu spoke up, "Alright, Mizhi. Let’s go."
With this, Xiao Yu hooked Shen Mizi’s arm and walked out of the cave. Just as they reached the cave’s entrance, Xiao Yu suddenly turned and said, "Second Boss, weren’t you supposed to get the hammock? What are you standing there for?"
Ximen Kankan really went over and got the hammock, hanging it in Duan Rong’s cave.
As soon as Ximen Kankan finished setting it up, Duan Rong lay down on it, and Ximen Kankan didn’t mind, looking at Duan Rong and saying with a smile, "Big brother, good thing you reacted quickly, saved my life."
At that moment, in his panic, with Shen Mizi twisting his ear, he couldn’t think of an excuse, but he believed Duan Rong would surely come up with something.
"You’re really something!" Ximen Kankan still felt grateful to Duan Rong, lightly shaking the hammock for him while complimenting.
Duan Rong rolled his eyes at Ximen Kankan, saying, "Get lost. Stop swaying me."
"Right." Ximen Kankan immediately let go, sliding onto the stone bed.
Just as he lay down, Duan Rong suddenly said, "Kankan, I need to ask you something."
"What’s the matter?" Ximen Kankan lay on the stone bed, crossing his legs.
Duan Rong asked, "Do you have Primordial Qi Realm weapons in your Weapon Workshop?"
Duan Rong asked in an almost probing tone, because he wasn’t sure if his description was accurate. However, he had already roughly guessed the answer, though the terminology might differ.
"Primordial Qi Realm weapons?" Ximen Kankan showed slight surprise in his expression upon hearing Duan Rong’s sudden inquiry. He didn’t expect Duan Rong to know about it; he only learned this by overhearing the captain once.
"No. Primordial Qi Realm weapons can only be forged in the workshops over at Iron Peak Mountain."
Duan Rong asked, "What’s the difference between Primordial Qi Realm weapons and those in your workshop?"
Ximen Kankan replied, "Primordial Qi Realm weapons are not made of ordinary iron."
"Not made of ordinary iron?!" Duan Rong felt a stir in his heart.
"Yes. The attributes of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi are aggressive. General ironware breaks upon touch, unable to withstand the infusion of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi."
"Attributes are aggressive? Breaks upon touch?" Duan Rong’s eyes flashed as he recalled Shang Xiangyu’s scene of breaking Chen Hu’s Nine-Section Whip with a single finger, just as Ximen Kankan described.
It turns out that the weapons used by martial artists in the Primordial Qi Realm are no longer ordinary iron. No wonder, even after devouring so many Artifact Spirits in the cave where abandoned weapons are piled up in the Weapon Workshop, the highest achieved was the True Qi Realm Fourth Level at best.
Duan Rong’s eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "Can you go to Iron Peak Mountain?"
"Can’t go." Ximen Kankan replied, "Even our captain hasn’t been there. That place is also a forbidden zone. It’s not accessible at will. Not only are Primordial Qi Realm weapons there, but it seems the Star Discs we use are also forged within Iron Peak Mountain, a place of secrecy."
Upon hearing this, Duan Rong sighed slightly. The authority of a Registered Disciple is really too low!
Since he cannot temporarily access the Primordial Qi Realm, he will first complete the Perfection of the True Qi Realm Fourth Level.
Actually, the four levels of the True Qi Realm aren’t so easy to achieve.
Even though he spent three months achieving the First Level of the True Qi Realm.
But each subsequent level is harder than the last. If he wants to cultivate the True Qi Realm to perfection, it will be quite an undertaking.
Duan Rong actually already has a preliminary plan in mind.
He plans to start refining pills himself.
This is also the reason he initially chose to become a Medicine Boy in Old Qin’s Lower Courtyard.
Now, with Shang Xiangyu gone far away and Pan Yong, Chen Hu dead, this solitary mountain has become a place of neglect.
And having devoured Shang Xiangyu’s various old miscellaneous items, Duan Rong has inherited much of his knowledge of herbal toxins. Plus, he has a foundation inherited from Shen Ping, leaving him quite confident in refining pills himself.
Duan Rong has calculated that if he refines them himself, he only needs to exchange for raw materials.
This way, he’ll only need roughly a third of the Contribution Points required to exchange directly for pills from the Medicine Pavilion.
If that’s the case, combined with the Contribution Points from Xia Honghua and tasks from the Guanglu Institute, he should be able to sustain his cultivation without major shortages.
The key is that Shang Xiangyu’s pill furnace, earth fire, and various artifacts for processing medicinal materials are readily available; he can use them freely.
They slept overnight, and the next morning, led by Duan Rong, they arrived at the square in front of the Guanglu Institute.’
Not only did Duan Rong devour Shang Xiangyu’s long-abandoned miscellaneous items, but he later devoured everything within Pan Yong and Chen Hu’s cave as well.
Therefore, he is now very familiar with the tasks there at Guanglu Institute.
Duan Rong selected a palace repair task for the four of them.
Ximen Kankan, Xiao Yu, and Shen Mizi were a bit baffled by the various tasks; although some offered high Contribution Points, the details were unfamiliar to them and generally required True Qi Realm.
The three of them had yet to step into the True Qi Realm.
Duan Rong had previously explained the tasks here to them, and what they saw was mostly as Duan Rong had described.
Duan Rong had mentioned that palace repair work is fairly popular.
Since Duan Rong chose it, the three were quite convinced.
Once they selected it, they took their Sect Cloud Scroll to the Guanglu Institute to register.