I Can Devour Spirits

Ximen Kankan heard the sound, and his scalp suddenly tightened. He looked up to see his father, Ximen Yong, wearing a square scarf and clothed in black shoes, walking in leisurely.

Moreover, as soon as Ximen Yong entered the door, he saw Ximen Kankan standing in front of the table, holding a piece of paper in his hand and exclaiming with sparkling eyes... Ximen Yong’s gaze immediately locked onto that piece of paper!

”Kankan, what are you doing?” Ximen Yong asked while walking, his eyes flickering.

”Nothing... nothing at all...” If Ximen Kankan destroyed the paper or smeared ink directly, it would be tantamount to a confession.

But if his father saw him appear in the Erotic Painting, he would definitely hang him up and beat him half to death...

Choosing the lesser of two evils, Ximen Kankan decided to destroy the painting!

But just then, Duan Rong suddenly snatched the painting from his hands, placed it on the table, and held a brush with a suspended wrist, beginning to outline the figures...

Just as Ximen Kankan was about to stop him, he saw Duan Rong moving the brush like a dragon serpent, first painting a moon white scholar’s robe on the naked Ximen Kankan in the painting, then clothing the naked woman in front of him with ragged attire. He quickly sketched and added strands of white hair to the woman’s black hair, then painted wrinkles on the woman’s turning face, the brush gently touching to droop the corners of her mouth and eyes...

As soon as Duan Rong finished painting, Ximen Yong had already walked to the table. Duan Rong moved the brush tip and pretended to write a poem on the side of the painting. In the blank space beside the painting, he wrote: ”In the house, listening to rustling bamboo, suspecting the sound of human suffering. Do not say good deeds are small, every branch and leaf shows care.”

Ximen Yong focused his gaze on the painting on the table, only to see it depicted Ximen Kankan in a moon-white scholar’s robe, with an old lady dressed in rags beside him. Ximen Kankan held her waist with one hand, seemingly helping the old lady to sit on a Grandmaster’s Chair in the hall. The old lady, covered in white hair, looked back at Ximen Kankan, eyes full of sorrow...

Ximen Yong took another look at the poem beside the painting, nodding repeatedly: ”The meaning in this painting is very good, and the poem is especially excellent! What a fine sentence, ’every branch and leaf shows care!’ Kankan, I’ve told you many times, in business, reputation is most important! I often give alms to these poor folks during times of disaster.”

”How should this scholar be addressed?” Ximen Yong’s gaze shifted to Duan Rong, asking kindly.

”I am Duan Rong, greetings to Mr. Ximen!”

Ximen Yong nodded. Duan Rong seemed to be around the same age as Ximen Kankan but had excellent skills in poetry and painting. Although Ximen Yong was not well-versed in painting or literature, the few lines of poetry earlier were quite flavorful and showed extraordinary insight, a gem in every word.

”Kankan! In the future, associate more with good teachers and friends like Scholar Duan, and less with Jiang Qingyu and them, always hanging around gambling dens and brothels,” Ximen Yong glanced at Ximen Kankan and remarked.

”Yes, I understand, Father.” Ximen Kankan replied willingly.

Ximen Yong instructed, ”Frame this painting and hang it in the main hall of the front courtyard.”

Upon hearing this, Ximen Kankan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and gave Duan Rong a sidelong glance.

”Also, I came to tell you! I need to go to Prefecture City for a few days; take care of the house and don’t cause trouble.”

”Father, go to Prefecture City for your affairs as you wish, I will surely watch over the house,” Ximen Kankan replied obediently.

”Hmm,” Ximen Yong hummed lightly, pulled out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve, and said, ”Here’s this month’s monthly salary, spend it wisely...”

Leaving the silver notes behind, Ximen Yong lifted his foot and exited Snow Hidden Residence.

Ximen Kankan watched Ximen Yong leave, then turned his head to look at Duan Rong. At this moment, he looked at Duan Rong almost as if worshipping a deity!

Duan Rong was quite pleased with himself as well. It was entirely his witty improvisation!

He was simply too clever!

Once, there was Cao Zijian, who composed poems in seven steps. Now there is...

Duan Rong glanced at the distance from the hall door to the table, roughly estimating it to be about twenty steps...

Even twenty steps is quite impressive, isn’t it?

After Ximen Yong left, Ximen Kankan chatted a bit more with Duan Rong. Then Duan Rong took the Green Porcelain Bottle of Dragon Flame Fat and left the West Gate Mansion.

This Dragon Flame Fat comes from the rare Dragon Flame Lizard species in the Western Regions.

These lizards only live at a volcano crater in the Celestial Peril Mountain Range in the Western Regions, each less than a foot long, a small species.

Though Duan Rong only purchased two taels, this amount was scraped from the subcutaneous fat of seven or eight lizards. In Yongzhou, this medication costs over twenty thousand silver coins, let alone being transported back to such a remote place as Xianggu County.

However, Ximen Kankan considered the friendship and charged Duan Rong the cost price of twenty thousand silver coins, with Duan Rong agreeing to offset it with two exquisite Erotic Paintings, and Ximen Kankan gladly accepted...

Duan Rong left the West Gate Mansion, walking quickly, first returning to the dilapidated courtyard where he originally lived. He locked the doors and windows, stood at the door on the east side, and glanced up at the beam. Simultaneously, his body rose from the ground, his foot touched the wall slightly, his form swung past like a swallow skimming water, landing steadily on the beam.

After devouring the Master Level Cloud Serpent Step, Duan Rong’s Lightweight Skill evidently rose to a higher level.

Duan Rong rested on the beam, his figure flashed, crouched in a corner, lifted a piece of wooden skin hiding a secret compartment, and retrieved the Human Skin Scroll of the Fetal Concealment Scripture inside.

Duan Rong grabbed the Human Skin Scroll and descended lightly from the beam.

Using scissors, he cut out the portion of the Second Layer cultivation technique, then took out from his inner pocket the Sachet given to him by Xiao Baijiao.

Looking at the Sachet in his hand, Duan Rong’s gaze shifted, sniffing lightly as the fragrance of the herbs inside had faded significantly. Reflecting for a moment, Xiao Baijiao had been dead for nearly two months.

The person is gone, and the scent diminishes...

Duan Rong sighed lightly, extracted the First Layer cultivation technique of the Fetal Concealment Scripture from the sachet, placed the recently cut Second Layer cultivation technique inside, and tucked it under the herbs in the Sachet...

Duan Rong pressed the Sachet, returned it to his inner pocket, then grabbed the large and small Human Skin Scroll on the table. His figure swiftly leapt up, standing on the beam, he folded the Human Skin Scroll and placed it in the hidden compartment, carefully covering the wooden skin. He stood up, with his foot rubbed the nearby dust evenly, then gracefully flipped and settled down onto the ground.

Duan Rong locked the house door and left his old dilapidated courtyard, heading for Yuan Shun Escort Agency.

Duan Rong returned to Liu’s House, tightly locking the courtyard door, then he sat in the hall’s Grandmaster’s Chair, taking out the clipped piece of the Human Skin Scroll from the Sachet, examining it carefully...

Inside, not only were the hand seals for the Second Layer cultivation technique of the Fetal Concealment, but also the usage method for Dragon Flame Fat...

Duan Rong sat in the Grandmaster’s Chair, gaze flickering, pondering for a moment, then suddenly stood up, walked to the large water jar at the kitchen doorway, scooped out a basin of clear water, and carried it into the room, placing the basin in a corner.

Duan Rong turned around, walked to the hall entrance, sweeping his gaze over the high walls and hanging willows in the courtyard, closed the door, and fastened the latch.

Afterwards, Duan Rong stepped into the room, closed the doors and windows tightly, then stood beside the bed, began removing his clothing one by one, until even his underwear was stripped away, leaving him entirely naked...