Xiao Yu lay there, listening to the sound of Duan Rong’s heartbeat. The steady thump-thump gave her a sense of calm.
In the darkness, Xiao Yu’s eyes flickered as she pondered how to ask Duan Rong about Lv Qingzhu.
But Duan Rong suddenly said, "Xiao Yu, there’s something I want to tell you."
Xiao Yu traced circles on Duan Rong’s chest with her finger. "What is it?"
Duan Rong said, "Do you remember the Sect Envoy, Lv Qingzhu, who came to Xianggu County for the Supervision Selection Conference?"
At the mention of Lv Qingzhu, Xiao Yu’s heart trembled.
Then Duan Rong told her everything about him and Lv Qingzhu, how they encountered the Filthy Blood Sect’s demon ambush in the wilderness, how he hid in a ruined temple, how he met Lv Qingzhu there, and how they got caught in an aphrodisiac... Duan Rong revealed everything to Xiao Yu without omission.
Of course, he kept the part about cultivating the Filthy Blood Divine Skill to himself.
Duan Rong even told Xiao Yu that he had sent Shen Mizi to the Elder Hall to inquire about Lv Qingzhu, including Lv Qingzhu’s background.
Instead of blaming Duan Rong, Xiao Yu was deeply moved and tears flowed down her face.
Such a secret matter, and yet Duan Rong hid nothing from her, telling her everything. Moreover, it was all an accident, and under those circumstances, Duan Rong couldn’t be blamed.
Besides, Lv Qingzhu was the only daughter of an Elder Hall elder and the bloodline of a Taiyi Sect patriarch. How could she possibly take interest in a poor guy like Duan Rong?
In other words, Lv Qingzhu would never compete with her for Duan Rong.
Actually, Duan Rong never intended to keep the affair between him and Lv Qingzhu a secret from Xiao Yu forever. He just hadn’t found the right moment to tell her.
And tonight, after his entanglement with Xiao Yu and calming down, he vaguely guessed that it was most likely that young girl Shen Mizi who sold him out, telling Xiao Yu about him asking her to inquire about Lv Qingzhu.
That way, Xiao Yu wouldn’t ask him directly, or even if he told the truth, she might just be left skeptical.
To be honest, with Lv Qingzhu’s background, Duan Rong couldn’t hope to rise to her level.
Even if Lv Qingzhu was willing, her father and the Taiyi Sect patriarch wouldn’t be, and it could end up being nothing but trouble.
Besides, would Lv Qingzhu even be willing?
"The next time we meet will be the time I kill you."
Better not meet her again!
Duan Rong held Xiao Yu, feeling the dampness on his chest.
Xiao Yu was crying! But they were tears of joy.
Duan Rong tenderly kissed away Xiao Yu’s tears, and Xiao Yu’s arms wrapped around his neck again...
The next morning, the two didn’t wake up until daylight.
Xiao Yu hurriedly dressed to rush back to the Stone Workshop for work.
Duan Rong walked her to the Stone Workshop’s gate, where they reluctantly parted.
From then on, Xiao Yu had no more knots in her heart, and the two got along better day by day.
As for Lv Qingzhu’s matter, it was nothing more than a small episode that vanished into thin air between them.
Afterwards, their lives stabilized, as they worked in their respective places and joined Duan Rong at the appointed times to take on tasks from the Guanglu Institute together.
While they worked in their respective places, Duan Rong went to the Medicine Pavilion daily to do bookkeeping for Xia Honghua for two hours, then returned to his monotonous cultivation.
Since he started refining his own pills, the cost of cultivation had reduced significantly. He could see the points on his Star Disc gradually increasing bit by bit.
But Duan Rong knew that as cultivation progressed into the late stages, expenses would rise; though there was a slight surplus now, it might not suffice by the time he reached the True Qi Realm Third Level or Fourth Level.
Therefore, despite the surplus, Duan Rong still calculated carefully and refused to waste even a single Contribution Point.
Though cultivation was monotonous, Xiao Yu occasionally joined him for a tryst.
On the remote mountain of Shang Xiangyu, the two of them, all alone, shared everything.
One morning, old Qin suddenly came looking for Duan Rong.
Duan Rong thought old Qin had some important matter, but he had simply come for the Moon in the Water potion.
The last time he got the potion, Pan Yong had told him to control the dosage, so this time he was here after two months had passed.
Duan Rong told him that Shang Xiangyu’s medicine cabinet had been confiscated by Yang Yi, and the Moon in the Water potion had been in that cabinet.
Duan Rong suggested he go to the Judgment Sect’s Ministry of Rites to ask Yang Yi for it.
Actually, Duan Rong could now completely prepare the Moon in the Water potion himself.
After all, having devoured Shang Xiangyu’s long-time belongings, he knew the potion’s recipe and refining method thoroughly.
However, it’s not that Duan Rong was unwilling to make it; he just didn’t want to reveal his abilities in front of old Qin.
After all, he had only been beside Shang Xiangyu for a little over a month. Even Pan Yong couldn’t make this potion, so how did he know how?
If he prepared the potion for old Qin, word might leak out, and if Yang Yi or Yang Sixuan found out, he might get dragged back to the Judgment Sect’s Ministry of Rites again for further scrutiny.
July arrived in the blink of an eye.
On the third of July, there was the mid-year account audit at Xia Honghua’s place.
The person responsible for the audit was a Historian from the Internal History Department of the Elder Hall.
This Historian, surnamed Pan, was in charge of the sect’s accounting transitions and warehouse audits, wielding significant power.
Duan Rong had completed all the accounts by mid-June.
Historian Pan casually picked a month and had his attendants perform the audit while he turned over the pages slightly. The accounts were neat and clear, and his auditing attendants couldn’t stop praising them.