Chapter 148 There will always be:

Where will Shen Bingsi go?

Rong Xie couldn't think of anywhere else to go besides Huanxue Manor.

When Shen Bingsi left, she left a message for Rong Xie.

He said he would come back, and that we should wait for him.

This shows that Shen Bingsi wasn't completely without options; he must have been looking for a solution. Hiding away somewhere unknown to everyone and quietly waiting to die—that's not Shen Bingsi's style.

Since he's going to find a solution, he certainly won't just go to any random place; the place he goes to must be one that can help him.

“Elder Yunfeng, I think what you said makes sense,” Rong Xie said thoughtfully.

"Huh?" Elder Yunfeng was taken aback. "What makes sense?"

“Shen Bingsi may have gone to Elder Bai, or she may have gone to some other place that can help her…” Rong Xie looked up at Elder Yunfeng, “But why isn’t Sect Leader Xue worried at all?”

Logically speaking, since Shen Bingsi resigned from her position as an adjudicator and fell into a crisis of shattered Dao heart, Sect Master Xue should have been very anxious. Now that Shen Bingsi's whereabouts are unknown, why hasn't Sect Master Xue sent anyone to look for her?

Elder Yunfeng sighed, "Young friend Rong, you still don't understand our sect leader. If someone were to wrong Shen Bingsi and slander his reputation, our sect leader would definitely be the first to defend him. However, everyone encounters bottlenecks in cultivation. Whether one can overcome them depends on oneself. Sect Leader Xue would not help in such matters."

Elder Yunfeng paused for a moment, then said, "Moreover, Sect Master Xue had also taken Shen Bingsi into seclusion before. It was Shen Bingsi who insisted on going her own way and repeatedly went to... cough cough, now she has ended up with her Dao heart wavering, and Sect Master Xue has no way to deal with her."

"I see." Rong Xie nodded. "I understand now... it's because of me."

Elder Yunfeng had indeed thought this way before. If it weren't for Rong Xie's influence, Shen Bingsi's Dao heart would definitely not have wavered, and if Rong Xie had handled this matter properly, Shen Bingsi would certainly not have ended up in this state.

However, after hearing the details of the Lu family case, he changed his mind.

"Young friend Rong, please don't think that way. Sect Master Xue is just arguing with Shen Bingsi; it has nothing to do with you," Elder Yunfeng said.

“I know, even Sect Leader Xue might not know of my existence,” Rong Xie sighed.

Elder Yunfeng's expression was strange; clearly, Rong Xie had guessed correctly.

"I just... I crossed that line first. If I could have restrained myself and remained a close friend until the very end, like last time, or if I had simply left cleanly from the beginning... things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Elder Yunfeng looked at him with some confusion.

“I apologize for saying something that might be hard to understand,” Rong Xie shook his head and looked at Elder Yunfeng again. “I just wanted to say that I will take full responsibility for Shen Bingsi’s matter, no matter what. If Sect Leader Xue is abandoning his responsibilities because he has no other choice, then I have a way. As long as I can find Shen Bingsi, I will do everything I can to help him. So… please ask Elder Yunfeng to convey to Sect Leader Xue that Rong Xie is willing to take responsibility for Shen Bingsi’s matter. Please do not give up and continue searching for news about Shen Bingsi.”

“I will go to Sect Leader Xue,” Elder Yunfeng understood that Rong Xie’s request was very clear. “However, young friend Rong, do you really have a way to help Shen Bing Si?”

Rong Xie looked ahead and remained silent for a moment: "There will always be a way."

"How could he possibly have a way!"

The main peak of the Lingjing Sect, the Worship Platform.

With his hands behind his back, Xue Baoshan paced around in agitation, like a defeated lion, moving from Elder Yunfeng's left to his right.

Elder Yunfeng watched him walk back and forth.

"That's a shattered Dao heart! A shattered Dao heart!" Xue Baoshan couldn't help but shout, causing the beast head on the worship platform to tremble. "No matter what kind of Dao one cultivates, the most feared thing is a shattered Dao heart. He probably doesn't know what the consequences of a shattered Dao heart are! The five signs of decay in a celestial being, death by body explosion! All of these are possible! Even I can't guarantee that I can resolve this matter, so why should he?"

Elder Yunfeng listened to Xue Baoshan's furious roar.

In fact, Xue Baoshan had been roaring for half an hour. From the moment he learned that the culprit who shattered Shen Bingsi's Dao Heart was Rong Xie, he couldn't hold back anymore. He never expected that the sect's unparalleled genius and the leader of the Ruthless Path would actually fall into the hands of his childhood friend. Who would believe that?!

“Actually, childhood sweethearts grow up together, and that’s where the bond is the deepest. It also shows that Shen Bingsi’s Dao heart is not easily swayed. He has a strong will and is not someone who can’t resist temptation,” Elder Yunfeng tried to explain.

Unexpectedly, this only fueled Xue Baoshan's anger: "It's the childhood sweetheart who's the most despicable! You have no idea how much hope the Grand Elder had for him! After talking with him, the Grand Elder came to me excitedly. The Grand Elder is someone who never shows his emotions, but I saw excitement on his face! He said he had discovered a promising talent for cultivating the Path of Ruthlessness. This young man has seen through love and affection, and his heart is as calm as a still well. He has already tested him, and this man is the best candidate to inherit his mantle!"

"..." Elder Yunfeng had heard about this back then. After all, the Grand Elder's sudden decision to accept disciples was definitely a big deal in the sect, and the details were widely circulated at the time.

"Who knew that the person who shook his Dao heart had been lying in wait by his side all along! He clearly liked her terribly and couldn't live without her, yet he still told the Grand Elder that he had long since severed all feelings and would never get involved in such a foolish relationship in this life! He can't stand her being away for even a moment, and his soul flies away at the slightest touch of her finger. He's clearly a love saint, so why is he pretending to be a heartless genius!" Xue Baoshan's curses became increasingly vulgar, and his later words were gradually unbearable to hear. If Elder Yunfeng hadn't been so familiar with his temperament, he would have thought it was some idle thug on the street cursing.

Of course, Elder Yunfeng could also tell that the reason Xue Baoshan was so angry was because he genuinely cared about Shen Bingsi.

Anyone who wholeheartedly cares about another person, only to find that person is unyielding and repeatedly escapes from the secluded environment he has painstakingly prepared, just to be intimate with someone whose name he doesn't even remember, would get angry, let alone Xue Baoshan, who is known for his volatile temper.

Elder Yunfeng had let Xue Baoshan vent his anger to his heart's content, and his ears had suffered quite a bit. Seeing that it was getting late, Xue Baoshan gradually calmed down and said, "After saying so much, are you going to help or not to find someone?"

Xue Baoshan's temper flared up again: "Who said I'm not looking for anyone? I am looking for them for the benefit of the sect and for the future of the Ruthless Path, not to help Rong Xie. — Issue my sect leader's order: all Lingjing Sect disciples who are out patrolling are hereby given an urgent mission to find Shen Bingsi, the sword cultivator of the Ruthless Path of our sect. Whether they bring back a message or bring her back directly, they will be richly rewarded, with the reward coming from my private treasury."

Elder Yunfeng's eyes lit up. With the sect leader's order, things would be much easier: "That's great. I'll go and inform the elders of all the peaks right now."

"Wait a minute," Sect Master Xue called out to Elder Yunfeng, and after a moment's thought, "If Shen Bingsi refuses to come back, there's no need to force him to return. Just pass on a message that the Lingjing Sect will always be his support."

"..." Elder Yunfeng's chest warmed. "Yes, Sect Master!"

After arranging the task of finding Shen Bingsi, Elder Yunfeng rushed to Huanxue Manor, intending to tell Rong Xie the good news.

To everyone's surprise, Rong Xie was not at Huanxue Manor.

"Where is Rong Xiaoyou?" Elder Yunfeng was somewhat surprised upon hearing this news.

"Elder Yunfeng, Brother Rong has gone to Lanyuan." Shen Yan respectfully reported the situation. "He said that since the Grand Elder is not here, the most authoritative place in the Wuqing Dao is the Wuqing Dao Palace of the Xuantian Sect, and he plans to go there to find a solution."

Elder Yunfeng sighed, "As expected of a young man, his initiative is truly remarkable—but how did he get there? He probably doesn't know how to fly on a sword yet. I should have given him a ride..."

“Brother Rong flew there,” Shen Yan said.

"What?"

“Brother Rong opened the manor lord’s warehouse.” Shen Yan paused. “In an emergency, especially to save the manor lord, he picked out a few treasures from the warehouse and took them with him. One of them is the Cloud Dream Boat, a flying magic artifact that can be used even by Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

"Shen Bingsi has such a thing?" Elder Yunfeng had never heard of it before.

“Yes… Master Shen has many treasures, so many that… he himself may not even know it,” Shen Yan replied.

Shen Yan recalled that after meeting Elder Yunfeng yesterday, she went straight to Rong Xie's treasure vault in the manor. In order to find the magic weapon he needed as soon as possible, Rong Xie opened the barrier of the middle gate and let Shen Yan and the others go in to help search.

However, Shen Yan and the others were of little help. Rong Xie found the magic weapon he needed as quickly as possible, and then said to Shen Yan, "The Great Master has countless treasures, so many that even he doesn't know them. I originally wanted to find time to help him count and catalog them, but I haven't been able to do so yet."

"If we return safely this time, I will take you all with me to do this. That way, even if I am not here in the future, Shen Bingsi will still be able to find the magical artifact he needs."

Upon hearing these words, Shen Yan had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she didn't realize it yet. Rong Xie packed his bags as quickly as possible and left on his magical artifact.

What do you mean by "even without me"? It was clearly Shen Bingsi whose Dao heart was shattered!

Unfortunately, Rong Xie left too quickly, and Shen Yan didn't have time to ask. If she were to use the communication jade pendant to ask, it would seem too deliberate... Fortunately, an opportunity has now arisen. Elder Yunfeng brought back good news, and he can contact Rong Xie.

Shen Yan took out her communication jade pendant and contacted Rong Xie in front of Elder Yunfeng.

Rong Xie answered quickly and told Shen Yan that he had arrived at Lanyuan and would go to Chongyuetai to see Lu Yingqi the next day.

Shen Yan told Rong Xie the good news brought by Elder Yunfeng.

"Thank you Elder Yunfeng and Sect Master Xue." Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief, and his voice became more lively. "I knew that Sect Master Xue would not sit idly by... Now that the sect master has issued an order to find someone, I can temporarily focus my attention on finding a way to save my shattered Dao Heart."

“Yes, Brother Rong, you don’t need to worry too much. So many people are looking for the Master, he will definitely be found. Besides, the Master is not an ordinary person, he will definitely be able to get through this…” Shen Yan didn’t know what she was saying, she could only use some empty words of comfort to reassure Rong Xie.

"Yes, I know." Rong Xie didn't seem to mind; his voice was clear and firm.

Shen Yan paused, originally wanting to ask Rong Xie what he meant by those words, but ultimately didn't find a suitable opportunity to ask. She only said a few words of concern before ending the telepathic communication.

North Gate Market, Lanyuan Restaurant.

Rong Xie put down the communication jade pendant, and the light on the pendant gradually faded.

Opposite him, a man who looked exactly like Lu Yingqi but had a completely different temperament smiled thoughtfully.

Lu Yinglin sighed, feigning disappointment: "Junior Brother Rong, so the reason you don't accept my feelings is because you already have someone else in your heart. I should have realized it sooner."

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It's late, and the red envelopes are falling! We're in the last few scenes, and I'm stumbling a little... oh dear! [Angry]