Chapter 133 The Truth:

A moment later, Rong Xie, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and wearing a hooded cloak, appeared on the rooftop not far away.

The wind of the winter night lifted the hem of the cloak, revealing a supple and slender figure.

Shen Bingsi's gaze was fixed on the figure in front of her, and she moved almost instantly to be behind Rong Xie.

"Where are you—ah!" Rong Xie was looking around, searching for Shen Bingsi, when he suddenly turned around and saw Shen Bingsi right behind him, which startled him.

"Why didn't you say anything and sneaked behind me..." Rong Xie's voice carried a hint of reproach.

Shen Bingsi stared intently at his face until Rong Xie's expression changed from reproach to suspicion: "What's wrong with you? Could it be—"

Shen Bingsi forcibly restrained the urge to hug the person in front of him tightly. He didn't want to frighten Rong Xie. It was his first time entering someone else's dream, and he didn't know if doing so would startle the dream's owner.

One of the five basic courses for beginner disciples of the Spirit Mirror Sect is the Mind Cultivation Method, which is described in the third chapter. The path of cultivating the mind is the most difficult because the human heart is fickle, and dreams are a manifestation of the heart. Desires hidden when awake often appear in dreams. At this time, the heart is exposed and easily hurt. Therefore, spells such as nightmares and illusions are called evil spells. They are not fair and square clashes of strength, but insidious tricks that take advantage of people's unpreparedness.

This was the first time Shen Bingsi had used such a technique. However, his understanding of dreams was no less than that of evil cultivators who frequently used nightmare techniques and illusions, because he cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness.

The Path of Ruthlessness is the nemesis of Nightmare Arts and Illusion Arts. During their cultivation, cultivators of the Path of Ruthlessness will actively enter illusionary realms, exposing their hearts directly to tempting and terrifying scenes. They temper their character in this way, and over time, their hearts become like being wrapped in a thick cocoon. Even when entering an illusionary realm, they will not easily expose themselves. Compared to the training they undergo to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness, Illusion Arts and Nightmare Arts are nothing.

Through countless trials, Shen Bingsi learned some rules about dreams. The first rule was not to frighten the dream's owner.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Bingsi said calmly. “I know where Lu Yingqi is. Let’s go, I’ll take you to him.”

Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief: "Why were you staring at me just now? I thought something had happened to Senior Brother Lu."

"You really care about Senior Brother Lu. He's at least a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he's not going to die so easily." Shen Bingsi mimicked Rong Xie's tone when calling him "Senior Brother Lu," and led the way with a disdainful look.

Rong Xie circulated his spiritual power, his feet lightly floating up to catch up with Shen Bing Si: "Pah, pah, don't say such unlucky things!"

Shen Bingsi suddenly noticed something and turned around: "Are you using magic?"

“Yes.” Rong Xie said, puzzled. Wasn’t it obvious?

"Why not use a flying talisman?" Shen Bingsi grabbed Rong Xie's arm and pulled him in front of her. "Don't use magic. Do you know that your spiritual power is limited?"

Rong Xie struggled slightly but couldn't break free: "I'm worried... You haven't come back for so long, and there's no news from Senior Brother Lu either. What have you been doing?"

Shen Bingsi reached out and put her arm around Rong Xie, letting him put all his weight on her: "Don't use your spiritual power anymore. Wherever you go, I'll take you."

Rong Xie was slightly taken aback, and his expression became complicated as if he had thought of something: "...You're right, it was my oversight."

For the rest of the time, Rong Xie did not suggest using the flying talisman. He simply leaned on Shen Bing Si's arm and was carried around by him.

Shen Bingsi's tense mood relaxed, and the hand on Rong Xie's waist tightened slightly. Rong Xie then moved closer to him, and the top of his head, which exuded a gentle fragrance, was right in front of him. The delicate and slightly cool forehead would occasionally brush against his chin.

This feeling was like when Rong Xie was unconscious, and he carried Rong Xie from one side to the other, from the flying Shengxie Sword all the way to Zhilan Ridge. Rong Xie did not resist at all and obediently nestled in his arms.

However, Rong Xie was unconscious at those times, but he was fully conscious now—it felt like a dream.

In a way, it really is a dream.

...But this dream was Rong Xie's dream, and Rong Xie had complete autonomy in the dream! Shen Bing Si was able to hold him like this and fly with him in the sky, entirely with his own permission.

Shen Bingsi began to understand why some people, once they fall into a beautiful dream, are unwilling to wake up.

Since he has already stopped Rong Xie from using his spiritual power, and Rong Xie's spiritual power will not be consumed in reality, it doesn't matter if this dream lasts a little longer. Let's just let it continue until they find Lu Yingqi.

Shen Bingsi still remembered that Lu Yingqi had fallen down a wild hillside. He changed into his charred clothes and meditated there to regulate his breathing. When he found Lu Yingqi, Lu Yingqi had just finished regulating his breathing and said that he did not want to get involved in the Lu family's affairs, so he went back.

Shen Bingsi clearly remembered the direction of that wild hillside. Without using his spiritual sense, he took Rong Xie with him.

On their way there, the bright moon and gentle breeze were very pleasant. They leaped over the treetops and saw the vast forest unfolding beneath their feet. In the distance, a clear river flowed out of the valley, like a shimmering ribbon of crimson, winding through the woods and flowing under the moonlight.

"Rong'er, aren't you even a little curious about how I defeated Lu Yingqi?" Shen Bingsi asked as she soared through the air.

"Hmm...?" This time, Rong Xie wasn't impatient or urging Shen Bingsi to go find Lu Yingqi. Instead, he asked, "How did you defeat him?"

“I seem to have a special talent that can only be unleashed in the most dangerous situations. Peaceful seclusion is not suitable for me,” Shen Bingsi said with a hint of pride. “On the contrary, it is venturing out into the world and fighting to the death with those powerful demons that can bring out this talent of mine. Today, when I fought against Lu Yingqi, who was two realms higher than me, that overwhelming spiritual pressure came over me again.”

The surrounding environment was extremely dangerous, but Shen Bingsi became calm, focused, and confident. She accurately seized the momentary weakness and then broke through it in one fell swoop. The exhilarating feeling that shook her soul would quickly improve Shen Bingsi's realm. After doing it a few more times, she would successfully break through.

“So that’s how it is,” Rong Xie said thoughtfully. “This must be the protagonist’s halo. Not only do they not get hurt when fighting monsters of a higher level, they also level up.”

"Huh? What does that mean?" Shen Bingsi had never heard such strange terms before. What was this "protagonist halo" and "fighting monsters above one's level"? However, it was normal for Rong Xie to use terms he didn't know. Rong Xie was well-read and knowledgeable, while he was too lazy to even look at picture books.

"It's nothing, I'm just glad you're alright," Rong Xie said softly.

Shen Bingsi felt Rong Xie press closer to her, and one of his hands reached behind her to grab the belt of the official's robe.

Shen Bingsi didn't know what would happen if he hugged Rong Xie tightly in his dream. He used the self-control of the Ruthless Dao Nascent Soul to control his limbs and prevent them from making any unnecessary movements. Even so, the shock in his sea of ​​consciousness still made him dizzy. The two of them made several sharp turns in the air and almost fell off the treetop.

"Bing Si, are you alright?" Rong Xie looked up and anxiously gazed at Shen Bing Si, gripping his belt even tighter.

"N-nothing." Shen Bingsi turned his gaze elsewhere, forcing himself to search for Lu Yingqi's whereabouts in the woods. He could feel the gaze of the person in his arms falling on his face, but he dared not look down to meet his eyes.

“Indeed, your Dao heart is as firm as iron, how could it… waver?” After a long while, Rong Xie withdrew his gaze and sighed softly, “I’m really worried about you. What if your Dao heart wavers when you fight Senior Brother Lu…?”

At this moment, Shen Bingsi didn't care about being dizzy or not. He raised his eyebrows and looked down at Rong Xie.

Just then, Rong Xie withdrew his gaze and looked straight ahead, still with the top of his head facing Shen Bingsi. From Shen Bingsi's perspective, she could only see Rong Xie's delicate eyebrows and sparse long eyelashes, and his fair face seemed to be shrouded in a layer of melancholy.

Rong Xie had never said such things to Shen Bingsi in reality. Shen Bingsi did not dare to interrupt him. It was true that dreams were closer to people's hearts, and Rong Xie was more likely to speak his true feelings in his dreams.

This made Shen Bingsi even less willing to go out; she figured it wouldn't be a problem to stay a little longer.

Just as he was thinking this, Rong Xie suddenly gasped: "What is that?"

Shen Bingsi looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a flash of light in the woods ahead, which looked like something was on fire and the fire was quite large.

"It's most likely Lu Yingqi," Shen Bingsi said with annoyance. "How did we find him so quickly?"

"Isn't this what we came here to find him?" Rong Xie asked, puzzled.

Although Shen Bingsi was very unwilling, she still flew over the treetops with Rong Xie and headed straight for the flickering firelight.

Soon, they arrived at the firelight.

A strong, acrid smell wafted on the wind, and Shen Bingsi frowned; something didn't feel right.

"Ugh!" Rong Xie covered his mouth and nose, and the moment he saw what was charred, he turned his face away abruptly and began to gag.

Shen Bingsi also saw the scene in the forest, and he slowly widened his eyes.

A charred corpse, burned beyond recognition, lay in the middle of the pit, surrounded by charred logs lying haphazardly. One can imagine the devastating impact of the fireball falling from the sky at that moment.

"Impossible!" Shen Bingsi stared for a long time before finally finding her voice, "This isn't Lu Yingqi!"

Lu Yingqi is dead.

He died in Rong Xie's dream.

In dreams, there is no need for causes and consequences, nor is there any investigation or verification.

Shen Bingsi felt the scene shift before his eyes, and he found himself standing at the gate of the Ruthless Dao Palace. The palace gate was covered with black gauze, and the disciples of the Xuantian Sect were looking at him with hostility. Then, the two black lacquered gates slammed shut, blocking him outside.

Many cries came from inside, some from the elderly and some from the young. A thought entered Shen Bingsi's mind: Lu Yingqi was dead, and now he was listed as a person to be refused entry by the Xuantian Sect.

Someone swayed beside him, as if unsteady on their feet, and reached out to support his arm. Shen Bingsi turned his head and saw Rong Xie dressed in black. Rong Xie rarely wore black, which made his skin look even whiter than snow. His face was very haggard, and his lips were as pale as paper.

"Bing Si, what do we do? Senior Brother Lu is dead..." Rong Xie murmured blankly, his eyes unfocused. "Senior Brother Lu is dead, nothing has changed, how could this be..."

Shen Bingsi's heart sank.

At this point, he should have said that Lu Yingqi was not dead, that it was all a dream, and that once he woke up, everything would be alright.

However, a strange sour feeling made him change his tone as soon as he opened his mouth: "Is Lu Yingqi that important to you? Are you really trying so hard to befriend him just to find me a friend to spar with?"

“I…” Rong Xie raised his head and looked at Shen Bing Si in a panic. Shen Bing Si’s heart clenched. Suddenly, she didn’t want to know Rong Xie’s answer, but Rong Xie still answered her, “Of course not… I did it for myself.”

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The cover was changed; apparently, the illustrator was suddenly exposed (covers head).