Chapter 100: Hit the ball straight:.

When Lu Yingqi appeared at the other end of Zhuli Alley, dressed in a black and white Taoist robe from the Xuantian Sect, and strode over, Rong Xie immediately sensed the aura of a great figure.

Unlike Shen Bingsi's sharp and outspoken nature, Lu Yingqi was like a heavy sword without a sharp edge; just by standing there, he gave people a sense of being impossible to ignore.

Lu Yingqi and Lu Yinglin truly lived up to their twin status, sharing almost identical faces and builds. However, despite their similar appearances, their different temperaments resulted in completely different appearances.

Lu Yinglin travels around all year round. He smiles first when he meets people, and when he smiles, his eyes often show a hint of scrutiny, but he doesn't make people uncomfortable. He is the kind of businessman who knows how to take other people's feelings into account.

Lu Yingqi, however, was completely different. He didn't smile when he approached. Only after greeting Rong Xie and confirming that he was the person he was looking for did he reveal a slight, polite smile. He had a high level of cultivation, taut skin, and a youthful appearance, looking to be around thirty years old. His gaze carried a sense of detachment, as if he were uninterested in anything.

"Senior Brother Lu Yingqi?" Rong Xie greeted first, bowing to Lu Yingqi. "I am Rong Xie. I have long admired your name. Meeting you today, I can see you are indeed extraordinary."

"You're too kind, thank you, Junior Brother." Lu Yingqi nodded slightly and asked, "Xiaozhi is waiting for us at Chongyue Terrace. Shall we set off now?"

“Alright… but I haven’t reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet, so I’m afraid I can’t ride a flying sword,” Rong Xie quickly said.

"It's alright, there's a sect's Heavenly Eye here, and I can't fly on a sword anyway," Lu Yingqi said, then turned and walked back.

Rong Xie hesitated for a moment, but still followed.

Lu Yingqi took a few steps forward and suddenly turned into a dead end. He stretched out his palm into the air, and a glowing, rotating magic circle appeared out of thin air on the ground. Rong Xie looked at the magic circle and recognized it as a teleportation magic circle.

Using a teleportation array is a common mode of transportation within a sect. It can connect two locations that are not too far apart. Regardless of the user's cultivation level, they can walk from one side to the other, making it convenient, fast, and suitable for a wide range of people.

However, setting up a teleportation array is not so easy. Although the method of making the array is already very mature, the process of setting up the array requires the use of a limited number of "teleportation stakes"—a carrier made of an ancient tree that has been extinct. Therefore, this convenient and fast mode of transportation has not been widely promoted, and some have only been placed in places within the sect where it is needed in large quantities.

In other words, without the support of a powerful sect, even the most skilled cultivator cannot freely set up a teleportation array.

Therefore, a saying circulates among cultivators that the most expensive flying artifact is not Ou Yezi's ancient famous sword, but a seemingly ordinary teleportation array.

Rong Xie felt relieved when he saw the teleportation array. He had been worried about what he would do if Lu Yingqi asked him to board a flying sword like Shen Bingsi had.

Now it seems that Lu Yingqi truly deserves to be Elder Bai's beloved disciple; Shen Bingsi never received this kind of treatment in the Spirit Mirror Sect.

"Please allow me to go first, Junior Brother." Lu Yingqi stepped aside to let Rong Xie go first.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Lu." Rong Xie said somewhat reservedly, without declining, and stepped into the magic array first.

A flash of light appeared, and Rong Xie stepped out of the magic array. The surrounding scenery changed, and he was now standing on the Moon-Piercing Platform, with the familiar restaurant right in front of him.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Yingqi also stepped forward, deactivated the magic array, and led the way: "Junior Brother Rong, please follow me."

Lu Yingqi's businesslike attitude made Rong Xie a little nervous. He couldn't say any of the flattering things he had prepared beforehand. The two entered the restaurant in silence, one after the other, and pushed open the door to the private room.

Xiaozhi was sitting behind the low table with her knees drawn up to her chest. When she heard the door open, she hurriedly stood up and glanced at the door with some fear.

When Xiaozhi saw that the only person who came was Rong Xie, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and her complexion improved considerably.

"Rong Xie, you've come." Xiao Zhi forced a smile. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

Rong Xie was a little nervous at first, but when he saw that Xiao Zhi was even more tense than him, he immediately relaxed and felt a sense of closeness to her.

"Xiaozhi, how have you been?" Rong Xie greeted Xiaozhi naturally and smiled, "Don't worry, Shen Bingsi didn't come."

Xiaozhi smiled a little embarrassedly when Rong Xie pointed out her secret.

The three sat down, and Lu Yingqi called the waiter to serve the dishes.

"However, why doesn't Xiaozhi want to see Shen Bingsi?" Rong Xie picked up the teapot, poured tea for everyone, and asked casually.

Xiaozhi's eyelids twitched, she lowered her eyes and whispered, "It's not that I don't want to see you, it's just that I'm a little scared..."

“Xiaozhi is timid and doesn’t like meeting strangers.” Lu Yingqi pushed the menu he had just ordered in front of Rong Xie. “I don’t know what’s popular these days, so I’ll just order whatever the waiter recommends. Junior Brother Rong, see if there’s anything you want to change.”

Rong Xie was slightly surprised. The behavior of the master and servant seemed to be reversed. Xiao Zhi was shy and introverted, and Lu Yingqi did all the greetings. It was as if Xiao Zhi was the one who had been in seclusion for ten years and isolated from the world.

However, he could also see that Xiaozhi was very attached to Lu Yingqi. Every time she turned to Lu Yingqi, her eyes were full of admiration. This admiration was not unrequited. Lu Yingqi was indifferent to everyone else, but he would take the initiative to take care of Xiaozhi and help her explain things. When their eyes met, he would unconsciously reveal a gentle smile.

"How strange, are all those who cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness like this?" Rong Xie couldn't help but wonder. Shen Bing Si, who was so easily provoked, and Lu Ying Qi, who was so gentle and protective, didn't seem like people who were devoid of emotion. Could it be that Rong Xie had just encountered the two strangest exceptions?

"By the way, I wonder what brings Junior Brother Rong to seek me out in so many ways?" Lu Yingqi turned his face, his tone returning to its usual indifferent tone, and asked Rong Xie.

For Lu Yingqi, Rong Xie's actions of having his servant boy and Shen Bingsi knock on the door of the quiet room were nothing short of "going to great lengths".

Rong Xie's eyelids twitched slightly. The first thing he needed to clarify was this matter: "I'm so sorry, it's all because of me that Shen Bingsi rushed over so rashly, and I heard she even interrupted your seclusion..."

He paused halfway through his sentence. He had originally intended to distance himself from Shen Bingsi, but somehow, what came out of his mouth turned into an apology on her behalf.

"It's alright. I was about to leave seclusion anyway. If I were still in a meditative state, Fellow Daoist Shen wouldn't be able to wake me up," Lu Yingqi said calmly. "Junior Brother Rong, if you have anything to say, please speak frankly."

“I see, then I’m relieved…” Rong Xie hesitated for a moment before saying, “Actually, I received a prophecy about you.”

Rong Xie quickly analyzed and judged in his mind. Before coming here, he originally wanted to first build a relationship with Lu Yingqi, and then tell him about the calamity he would face in the future.

However, after spending time with him, Rong Xie found that it was very difficult to gradually build a relationship with Lu Yingqi. He seemed uninterested in everything and indifferent to everything except for Xiaozhi and cultivation.

Rong Xie suspected that even if he tried hard to build a relationship, Lu Yingqi might not be interested. This meeting might very well be their only meeting in the next few years, and Lu Yingqi might go back to seclusion in a couple of days.

Since that's the case, it's better to be direct than beat around the bush; at least that will leave an impression on Lu Yingqi.

"About me?" Lu Yingqi's expression remained unchanged. "What is it?"

Xiao Zhi reacted much faster than him, exclaiming in surprise and sitting up straight, her eyes fixed on Rong Xie.

“You will face a great calamity between the next one hundred and two hundred years. According to the prophecy I received, you… will die,” Rong Xie said solemnly.

The room was deathly silent.

Xiaozhi's face was deathly pale, and she looked like she was about to faint.

Lu Yingqi also moved his lips slightly. After all, it was a matter of life and death for him, and even someone as calm as him could hardly remain unmoved.

Seeing their reactions, Rong Xie felt that the mission was already halfway complete.

Choosing to be direct was definitely the right decision!

Whether they believe it or not, or whether they take it seriously or not, this matter has left an impression on them, especially Xiaozhi. Xiaozhi is so concerned about Lu Yingqi that even if Lu Yingqi himself doesn't believe it, Xiaozhi will always keep it in mind. Perhaps at some crucial moments, his persuasion will play a vital role.

Next, Rong Xie's task is to avoid being thrown out as a madman.

Under the intense gazes of the two people opposite him, Rong Xie picked up his teacup, moistened his throat, and tried his best to make what he said sound less like a charlatan's lies: "I know this may sound absurd, but this prophecy includes not only you, but also me, Shen Bingsi, and many, many other people. You were already gone when the prophecy took place. I heard others mention you with regret, saying that if you were still alive, you and Shen Bingsi, working together, might not have been unable to defeat the World-Destroying Demon."

"A world-destroying demon?!" Xiao Zhi's face turned even paler. He listened intently, as if what Rong Xie was saying was actually happening right before his eyes. "Does that mean... the world will be destroyed by a great demon?"

“Yes,” Rong Xie said solemnly, “I saw that scene with my own eyes, in the prophecy.”

"How could this happen..." Xiaozhi covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling.

Rong Xie was truly grateful to Xiao Zhi for being his straight man. He couldn't imagine how much he would resemble a charlatan enthusiastically promoting a luck-changing talisman if he were talking about this with Lu Yingqi alone today, facing a blank-faced listener.

Lu Yingqi, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

"Fellow Daoist Rong, did you perhaps study divination techniques when you were in the inner sect of the Spirit Mirror Sect?" Lu Yingqi asked.

The way they addressed each other changed from the more intimate "Junior Brother Rong" to the more polite "Fellow Daoist Rong".

"No," Rong Xie answered truthfully. The art of divination is not something that ordinary people can learn; it requires people with extremely high spirituality, and this course is not open to novice disciples.

"Does Fellow Daoist Rong perhaps possess some superior-grade artifact that allows him to see the future?" Lu Yingqi asked again. "Or perhaps the revelation of the Heavenly Mirror... which Fellow Daoist Shen revealed to you?"

"No, not exactly." Rong Xie sighed.

Lu Yingqi fell silent again.

The implication behind Lu Yingqi's questions is quite clear.

However, this was within Rong Xie's expectations. Lu Yingqi only started asking questions after he finished speaking, which was already an unexpected surprise for him.

“I know it’s hard for you to believe, and I didn’t expect you to believe it right away. Just consider it as leaving an impression on you,” Rong Xie said. “Finally, I have one more question. Please think about it carefully before answering me. Answering this question will not do you any harm.”

"..." Lu Yingqi frowned slightly, and only after feeling Xiaozhi tugging at his sleeve did he speak, "What's the problem?"

"Are there any potential dangers around you? Or do you have any dangerous plans? In what ways might you encounter fatal danger in the next one or two hundred years?" Rong Xie stared intently at Lu Yingqi and asked, "Think carefully, and we'll eliminate them one by one to ensure that you live peacefully until the end... I mean, until you live to fight the Heavenly Demon with Shen Bingsi."

Xiaozhi stared nervously at Lu Yingqi, her eyes brimming with tears, looking like she was about to cry.

Lu Yingqi was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are you sure Shen Bingsi will live until then?"

Um?

“Based on my observation, he should have died even younger,” Lu Yingqi said expressionlessly.

For some reason, before this, Rong Xie always felt that Lu Yingqi was a cultivation machine with only a human form.

After that sentence, Lu Yingqi's image suddenly came to life, and he became somewhat like a person.

“Him,” Rong Xie sighed, “that’s why they say evil lives on for a thousand years.”