Chapter 131 Unraveling the Spell:

Shen Bingsi left in a hurry, and Lu Yingqi quickly chased after her. The two disappeared into the sky above the courtyard.

The courtyard fell silent, leaving only Xiaozhi standing in front of the guest room door, gazing anxiously at the sky in the direction the two had left.

After looking around for a while, Xiaozhi turned around, went into the guest room, lingered by the bedside, and looked up at the person sleeping soundly on the bed.

“Young Master Rong…” Xiaozhi hesitated and raised her hand, as if she wanted to touch the person on the bed.

The next moment, a burst of blazing white flame shot out from the sky. Xiaozhi cried out in surprise, covered her hand, and retreated.

"Ugh..." He looked pained, glancing down at his hand. The tip of his index finger was charred and deformed. Soon, large tears welled up in Xiaozhi's eyes. "It hurts so much..."

Shen Bingsi indeed used a barrier to protect Rong Xie, and it was a very powerful fire barrier, not just a simple barrier that repelled the person.

Xiaozhi clenched his right hand tightly, tears streaming down his face, but he did not leave the guest room.

Strands of spiritual energy burst forth from his fingertips, rapidly repairing his scorched fingers. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his fingertips were restored to their original state, though the skin still had a faint red tinge, like newly grown flesh and blood, still brimming with life force.

Xiaozhi let out a soft sigh, released her right hand, raised the back of her left hand, and rubbed her wet eyes.

Once again, he looked up at Rong Xie on the bed.

This time he dared not approach, but stood there watching, his eyes filled with anxiety, his hands unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes: "Young Master Rong... what should we do..."

A voice whispered close to Xiaozhi's ear, tinged with teasing: "What, feeling all compassionate again? You're not going to use my power to save him, are you?"

“I…” Xiaozhi bit her lip. “I don’t think you have that ability either. Young Master Rong was afflicted by Madam Mei’s own nightmare spell.”

"Ha," the voice scoffed disdainfully, "What is Madam Mei? Does she even dare to compare herself to me? That mimosa flower in her hand is nothing but mine..."

Xiaozhi pricked up her ears, wanting to hear more of the information conveyed by the voice, but the voice fell silent again.

"Little Twig, you've gone bad too. What, trying to trick me into telling you something?" The voice giggled. "How about this, I'll help you save him, and you give me one of your six souls to eat, how about that?"

"..." Xiaozhi's face changed, and she began to tremble. "No, no..."

"Ha, what are you pretending to be so compassionate for? You're just unwilling to exchange your own things for it. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Think carefully before you reach out next time," the voice mocked.

Shen Bingsi and Lu Yingqi arrived at Zhengxin Hall. Two Xuantian Sect disciples stood in front of the black lacquered gate. They saw Lu Yingqi flying over from afar and waited respectfully. When they came closer, the two said in unison, "Senior Brother Lu!"

Shen Bingsi had seen these two people before; their names seemed to be something like "nothing" or "nothing".

“No sound, no color, is Master inside?” Lu Yingqi asked.

“Master is inside, but Senior Brother Lu hasn’t returned for so many days and hasn’t reported his whereabouts to Master. Master is a little angry, maybe…” Wuyin and Wuse exchanged a glance.

"I'm here to report this," Lu Yingqi said.

"Then...who is he?"

Wuyin and Wuse glanced at Shen Bingsi. They had already experienced this Grand Adjudicator Shen before. They remembered that last time Shen Bingsi barged into the meditation room and disturbed the peace of their fellow disciples who were in seclusion. Elder Bai was so angry that he declared that the Ruthless Dao Palace would never welcome Shen Bingsi into its doors again.

Now, Elder Bai's beloved Senior Brother Lu has brought Shen Bingsi into the door, and it seems that he will also bring Shen Bingsi to meet Elder Bai.

Neither Wuyin nor Wuse dared to imagine what kind of chaos would ensue at Zhengxin Hall tonight. Elder Bai was certainly unwilling to vent his anger on Senior Brother Lu, so in the end, it would be the insignificant disciples like Wuyin and Wuse who had accompanied him who had to bear this pent-up resentment.

Thinking about it this way, the two of them seemed to have turned into two bitter gourds.

"He is the adjudicator of the Mirror Palace, and he has some matters he would like to ask his master," Lu Yingqi introduced in a straightforward manner.

Shen Bingsi, holding the Shengxie Sword, leaned against the wall and waited for her fellow disciples to finish their tug-of-war.

Suddenly, his expression hardened, and he turned to look in the direction he had come from.

Shen Bingsi frowned. How dare someone be so bold as to touch the blazing fire barrier he had set up?

However, the person did not launch an attack; they merely touched it, and the barrier remained undamaged. As for the person themselves, that was another matter entirely.

Who could it be? Could it be that timid little branch? He doesn't seem like the type to have the guts. Could it be someone else who entered Lu Yingqi's courtyard?

Even the Ruthless Dao Palace is not safe; we cannot afford to relax even for a moment, Shen Bingsi thought to herself.

"Shen Bingsi!" Lu Yingqi called out.

Shen Bingsi came to his senses, and Lu Yingqi gestured for him to follow. He immediately followed, and the two of them went straight into Zhengxin Hall.

The black lacquered doors of Zhengxin Hall opened wide, and the two went inside. A moment later, Elder Bai's furious voice came from inside, and the entire hall seemed to tremble. Wuyin and Wuse, who were guarding the door outside, also began to tremble.

Unexpectedly, the roar ended very quickly. Elder Bai was like a duck with its neck being choked, suddenly unable to make a sound. All around was silent, and Wuyin and Wuse pricked up their ears.

The black lacquered door suddenly opened, and Lu Yingqi walked out.

Wuyin and Wuse looked at him in surprise, but Lu Yingqi shook his head, signaling them to be quiet. Then he closed the door and stood with them by the door, eavesdropping.

"Shen Bingsi, I think you've gone mad." Elder Bai said in a low voice, "You dare mention the Hehuan Sect to me, you..."

"You... what?" Then he couldn't hear anything more. He wondered if Elder Bai had cast a soundproof spell, because even Lu Yingqi couldn't hear what they were saying. When Wuyin and Wuse looked over inquiringly, Lu Yingqi shook his head.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shen Bingsi came out of Zhengxin Hall with a normal expression, showing no signs of having been through a storm.

Silent and colorless, they quietly revealed their admiration.

Lu Yingqi looked at him: "You're out so quickly? Did you find out?"

Shen Bingsi raised her chin, indicating that he should go back and talk about it later. Lu Yingqi had a feeling that Shen Bingsi had probably gotten the information she wanted to know.

"Wait a moment, I'll go in and give you an answer," Lu Yingqi said.

"Hurry up, I don't have time," Shen Bingsi urged.

Lu Yingqi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Go back and wait for me."

Shen Bingsi didn't say anything more, waved her hand, and left Zhengxin Hall like the wind.

Lu Yingqi walked into Zhengxin Hall and was slightly surprised to see that the tables and chairs were still in their original positions.

Elder Bai stood with his back to the door, gazing at the calligraphy "Heaven's Way is Ruthless" hanging on the wall. His back seemed to have aged him by decades.

Lu Yingqi raised his hand, and the black lacquered door slammed shut: "Master, your disciple is late. Please punish me."

Elder Bai did not punish Lu Yingqi, nor did he question him about why he brought Shen Bingsi. He simply sighed and asked when he planned to continue his seclusion. From the Nascent Soul stage to the Divine Transformation stage, he still had a major hurdle to overcome, and at this time, no unexpected events could affect his Dao heart.

Lu Yingqi listened with his eyes lowered and no expression on his face.

"By the way, that Shen Bingsi," Elder Bai said, still unable to contain his anger, "Don't get involved with him. He's been out there for so many years, who knows what rumors he's heard, just spouting old things that are bad for the Ruthless Dao Palace. The past is the past, there's no point in bringing it up again. Ying Qi, you must remember, you are destined to ascend and attain the Dao. Nothing can hold you back. Even if the Ruthless Dao Palace collapses one day, even if Zhilan Ridge becomes infamous, it has nothing to do with you. I, Elder Bai, will do everything in my power to help you attain the Ruthless Dao. The best way for you to repay me is to ascend and attain the Dao, understand?"

“…I understand.” Lu Yingqi lowered his head.

"Go ahead," Elder Bai waved his hand dismissively.

Elder Bai ultimately said nothing to Lu Yingqi. Just like in the past thirty years, Lu Yingqi didn't need to know or worry about anything. All he needed to do was attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality.

When Lu Yingqi returned to his courtyard, Xiaozhi was standing in front of the door, trembling.

Xiaozhi was always afraid of Shen Bingsi, which wasn't surprising. However, Xiaozhi's eyes were red and swollen, as if she had just been crying.

Lu Yingqi stopped and looked at Xiaozhi's face: "Why are you crying?"

Xiaozhi wiped her face and whispered, "It's nothing, just some sand in my eyes..."

"Is that so?" Lu Yingqi said calmly. "What did Shen Bingsi say?"

"No, he didn't say..."

Before Xiaozhi could finish speaking, the guest room door popped open, and Shen Bingsi rushed out.

"I told you, of course I told you!" Shen Bingsi appeared in front of the two in an instant, staring at Lu Yingqi, and turned her face towards Xiaozhi. "Lu Yingqi, you're finally back. You're quite capable, aren't you?"

Lu Yingqi frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"

"He violated my barrier and won't admit it," Shen Bingsi sneered. "When I asked him what he was planning to do to Rong Xie behind my back, he just cried!"

Shen Bingsi hates people who are so indecisive, especially those who cry at the drop of a hat. They secretly do a lot of dirty tricks, but pretend to be victims in front of others. Shen Bingsi despises such two-faced people the most.

"...Are you injured?" Lu Yingqi ignored Shen Bingsi's question and only asked Xiaozhi.

Xiao Zhi shook his head.

"Hey!" Shen Bingsi said unhappily, "You should ask him how a Foundation Establishment cultivator managed to touch my Blazing Fire Barrier and emerge unscathed!"

Xiao Zhi lowered her head, put her hands behind her back, and her eyes were red again. Shen Bing Si almost exploded again.

“Shen Bingsi,” Lu Yingqi looked up, “it’s fine if you can’t break the nightmare spell, but don’t take your anger out on Xiaozhi.”

"Who said I can't solve it!" Shen Bingsi was indeed furious because of this. "It's because of you, my page, sneaking around here that I can't concentrate. Take him away quickly. I can't stand someone who cries after just a few words."

Lu Yingqi wanted to explain, but Xiaozhi spoke first. Although his voice was still trembling, it was much clearer.

“I didn’t… I just… wanted to help,” Xiaozhi said, trembling. “The method that Judge Shen learned is correct… but… but… the incense he used is wrong…”

The two of them turned around and looked at Xiaozhi at the same time.

"Do you know how to break the nightmare spell?"

What smells?

Lu Yingqi and Shen Bingsi asked almost simultaneously.

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I went out for a big meal and drinks all day, and then frantically worked on my draft tonight. [doge emoji]