Ill-Fated Bond

Inside the cave, the wick of the Eternal Lamp on the stone wall still burned with a bean-sized flame.

The faint firelight illuminated the deep, secluded cave.

Duan Rong stood there, his gaze sweeping over the shadowy clutter in the depths of the cave. Then he suddenly noticed a dark-red porcelain bottle lying on the ground not far from his feet.

His eyes shifted slightly as Duan Rong picked up the porcelain bottle.

He recognized it. It was the Blood Food Pill Ding Ze had obtained from Shang Xiangyu. It seemed that Fu Yi and the Blood Infant had indeed fled in panic after being greatly alarmed, leaving even this bottle of Blood Food Pills behind.

Duan Rong removed the stopper and gave it a light sniff. A rich stench of blood mingled with a strange medicinal fragrance rushed into his nostrils. He frowned slightly, replaced the stopper, and put away the porcelain bottle.

Continuing deeper into the cave, he soon saw a stone platform. On it sat a flattened, filthy Prayer Mat, pressed utterly flat and covered in grime. Its edges were worn in many places.

A pair of Straw Sandals lay on the ground before the stone platform, already rather old and worn from use.

"Looks like Fu Yi spent years living in seclusion in these mountains for Bitter Cultivation, leading the life of an ascetic monk." Duan Rong looked at those old, tattered Straw Sandals and could not help muttering to himself. At that moment, his interest in Fu Yi grew a little stronger.

Unfortunately, Fu Yi had already been taken away by Old Ancestor Lü Yinlin. Otherwise, Duan Rong truly would have wanted to question him in person—or perhaps converse with him would have been more appropriate than interrogate him.

With that thought, Duan Rong slowly