Chapter 144 Something's Wrong:

After thinking it over, Rong Xie took out the jade pendant with the character "Bing" engraved on it and sent a communication signal to Shen Bing Si.

Shen Bingsi did not respond.

Rong Xie changed into a set of casual clothes, tied up his long hair, and walked out into the room.

Night had fallen, and the three younger ones returned to their servants' quarters, some reading, others meditating.

Upon seeing Rong Xie approach, they all jumped off their beds and hurried towards the courtyard.

"Brother Rong, you're finally out!"

"We were worried that something might happen..."

After comforting Shen Yan and Long Shaoye, Rong Xie felt it was necessary to clarify things for Shen Bingsi.

"The Master of the Manor helped me cultivate and protected me, which is why he set up the barrier." Rong Xie paused, then continued, "Now I have reached the Foundation Establishment stage—"

"What?!" "Brother Rong has reached Foundation Establishment!"

Shen Yan and Long Shaoye looked at Rong Xie with admiration. They knew how difficult it was for Rong Xie to achieve Foundation Establishment. The reason they brought in a servant was because Rong Xie had been unable to achieve Foundation Establishment for so long.

Now look at this! The head of the manor brought Rong Xie back, locked him in the courtyard for a few days, and he immediately achieved Foundation Establishment upon his release. That's incredibly efficient!

"Brother Rong, could it be that the Grand Master has developed some new cultivation method? How could it be so fast?" Long Shaoye couldn't help but inquire.

Although Shen Yan felt it wasn't right to pry into other people's secret techniques, he couldn't help but prick up his ears because he was eager to improve his strength.

Rong Xie's cheeks flushed slightly. Fortunately, it was nighttime, and the three people in front of him were only Qi Refining stage cultivators. Their five senses and six perceptions were similar to those of ordinary people, so they could not clearly see the changes in his expression.

"Yes, it's a secret technique that's not convenient to share."

Seeing that Rong Xie didn't say much, the three younger ones didn't ask any more questions. They simply congratulated Rong Xie and asked him if he wanted to host a celebration tomorrow.

"We should have a celebratory feast!" Shen Yan suggested. "How about we go to a restaurant in Yingbin Town?"

“Yeah, yeah, it’s been a long time since we’ve gone out for a treat,” Long Shaoye chimed in.

Since Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi went to Lan Yuan, the three children have had more freedom, but they have also become much more lonely and bored, especially after winter arrived. They have even lost the desire to go to restaurants in Yingbin Town.

Now that we finally have something to celebrate, of course we should have a proper celebration.

This suggestion struck a chord with Rong Xie.

The scene of Shen Bingsi reciting the names of the dishes still seems to be right before my eyes.

What could have made him rush off overnight, without even having time for a celebratory dinner?

“Wait, let me contact the manor lord again.” Rong Xie touched the jade pendant. “Tomorrow… if he doesn’t come back, we’ll go to the Yingbin Town restaurant. No matter what, you’ve all worked hard taking care of the manor, so it’s only right to reward you.”

"Okay!" the three children agreed in unison.

Rong Xie turned around and activated the communication jade pendant again. The oval-shaped jade stone engraved with the character "ice" vibrated, and suddenly, the connection was established.

The sound of whistling wind came from the jade pendant.

Rong Xie nervously gripped the jade pendant and walked to a quiet corner.

"Bing Si? Where are you? Can you speak now?"

"In...the Mirror Palace."

Shen Bingsi's voice seemed to be muffled by the wind, and was a little soft.

"Is anyone at Mirror Palace?" Rong Xie felt a little relieved when he heard Shen Bingsi's voice. He said, "I just contacted Captain Zhao, and he said that Judge Jiang and the Registrar have both gone to the Lu residence."

“…No wonder I didn’t see anyone,” Shen Bingsi said. “But it doesn’t matter, I’m not looking for them. I’m here to find Tianjing.”

"Oh... so it was Tianjing who was looking for you."

"Otherwise what?" Shen Bingsi's voice was tinged with laughter. "What, you're worried I'm just trying to coax you? You said you were going to the Mirror Palace, but you secretly went to meet your old flame?"

Rong Xie was amused by him: "Don't confess without being asked."

After ending the telepathic communication, Rong Xie felt relieved.

The Mirror Palace was indeed empty, but that didn't mean Shen Bingsi couldn't accept the mission.

He turned around, and six bright, sparkling eyes were looking at him.

The three little ones quieted down at some point and followed behind him, overhearing everything.

"Brother Rong, you and the Grand Master have indeed made up!"

"So this is how the head of the manor talks to you in private!"

Rong Xie was slightly embarrassed and was about to change the subject when Long Shaoye said calmly, "I knew it. The Grand Master really is in love with Brother Rong. He even reports his itinerary to Brother Rong when he is out. Hehe, you would only say such a joke to someone you like."

"What 'someone you like'? The Master cultivates the Path of Ruthlessness." Shen Yan nudged Long Shaoye with her elbow.

"Oh... I almost forgot." Long Shaoye scratched his head. "Who would have thought that a cultivator from the Ruthless Path would speak like that?"

"..."

Rong Xie's gaze sharpened slightly as if he had thought of something.

He told the three children the departure time for tomorrow, and then hurriedly returned to the backyard.

A cold breeze blew under the moon, and Rong Xie's mind became much clearer.

From the moment he returned to Huanxue Manor until his contact with Shen Bingsi just now, Rong Xie felt that something was amiss.

Now that I think about it, it's exactly what Long Shaoye said—"Who would have thought that a cultivator of the Ruthless Path would speak like that?"

Not only do they talk like that, they do it too...

Rong Xie always assumed that Shen Bingsi had relearned her dual cultivation techniques somewhere, or that she had obtained a more advanced manual that could significantly enhance the experience while maintaining efficiency.

What's even more terrifying is that during this dual cultivation session, Shen Bingsi would occasionally stop to kiss him. Even though such unnecessary actions don't help with cultivation, Shen Bingsi would still do it, causing Rong Xie to become dizzy and often forget that he was cultivating.

Shen Bingsi behaved... completely unlike a ruthless cultivator.

Even if Shen Bingsi is exceptionally talented and can learn anything quickly, it's impossible for her to improve to this level in such a short time. In subtle interactions, it's easiest to tell whether someone is genuine or just pretending. Considering Shen Bingsi's performance at Fanshi Pavilion half a year ago, Rong Xie started to panic.

Although he had never read any manuals on dual cultivation, he knew that couples who were in love and compatible would progress the fastest in dual cultivation, and that being in sync and having the same mind and heart was especially important in dual cultivation.

Shen Bingsi's ability to shorten time and increase efficiency is probably not due to any newly found secret technique, but rather...

Rong Xie didn't want to say that word, but it had already clearly surfaced in his mind—emotion.

The place that had been bothering Rong Xie for so many days was right here.

Shen Bingsi's behavior... seemed like that of an ordinary person, an ordinary... Daoist partner who loved his dual cultivation partner.

"No, no, no, that won't happen." Rong Xie immediately shook his head, shaking off the unclear thoughts in his mind.

If Shen Bingsi truly falls in love, what about his Dao heart?

Shen Bingsi's Dao heart is as firm as iron. Even if the sky were to collapse, Shen Bingsi's ruthless Dao heart would not waver, let alone his stable sword control technique when flying to the Mirror Palace.

It must be that Rong Xie is overthinking things.

However, over time, this possibility has become increasingly strong.

The next day, Rong Xie and his three children had a delicious meal at a restaurant in Yingbin Town. Rong Xie tried to contact Shen Bingsi, but Shen Bingsi did not respond.

On the third day, Rong Xie contacted Shen Bingsi again, but Shen Bingsi still did not respond.

On the afternoon of the third day, Rong Xie could no longer sit still.

Even if Shen Bingsi accepted the Mirror Palace mission, surely she would have time to reply to him?

Rong Xie contacted Captain Zhao, who said that the Mirror Palace had summoned him for something. Jiang Da, the adjudicator, and the recorder had already gone there, but the matter of the Lu family was still left unresolved.

Rong Xie's hopes of getting information from them were dashed.

After much thought, the only person who could possibly know and was capable of knowing was Elder Yunfeng, Shen Bingsi's close friend despite their age difference.

Rong Xie immediately sent a paper crane to Elder Yunfeng requesting an audience. After receiving a response, he set off for Yunfeng.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, climbing those heavenly ladders was no longer a great challenge for him. He made his way through without any obstacles, and as night fell, Rong Xie ascended Cloud Peak and met the white-bearded Elder of Cloud Peak.

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It's late, but this chapter is dropping red envelopes! [Pleading]