Chapter 151 In the Tree Hole:

Rong Xie turned over a large clump of weeds and saw a gray-blue corner of clothing in the shadow of the tree hole.

That was an outfit that Shen Bingsi rarely wore, but Rong Xie still recognized it.

They often buy clothes together, but in different sizes. Rong Xie also has a casual outfit made of the same fabric, but because the color is so ugly, neither of them wears it much.

Now, the gray-blue hem of the garment is stained with mud of varying shades, making it even uglier.

Rong Xie bent down, grabbed the hem of the garment, braced himself against the top of the giant tree root, and peered into the dark cave: "Shen Bingsi, what are you doing in there? Come out quickly."

The person inside tried to pull the hem of her clothes back, but Rong Xie held it tightly in his hand, tugging at it a few times until she gave up.

A muffled voice came from the tree hollow, somewhat hoarse from internal injuries: "How did you get here?"

Rong Xie was both amused and annoyed, but he felt somewhat relieved, at least Shen Bingsi could still speak, and the situation was still under control.

"I was just about to ask you, what are you doing here?" Rong Xie leaned against the edge of the tree hole, squatted down, and kept at the same height as the figure inside. He gathered his spiritual energy in front of him, and the vision that should have been pitch black began to show some outlines. A pair of bloodshot eyes looked over from the depths of darkness, like a wounded and lurking wild beast.

Shen Bingsi is someone who doesn't care about others' opinions, provided he still possesses his peak strength. When he was a frail child, he hated anyone who tried to approach him, whether well-intentioned or malicious. He rejected everyone in Shen Family Village because they had seen him when he was weak and down on his luck.

Rong Xie knew this all too well; it was during that time that he met Shen Bingsi.

Now, Shen Bingsi seems to have become the same as he was back then, hiding in his tree hole and harboring hostility towards everyone who tries to approach him.

"Didn't you say you'd take me to the Golden Core stage?" Rong Xie sighed. "I've been waiting for you."

"..." The person inside the cave moved slightly, and the sound of clothes rubbing together was particularly clear.

"Aren't you coming out?" Rong Xie gently tugged at the hem of his robe. "Then I'll go in?"

"...Don't come in," Shen Bingsi said indistinctly. "It's dirty here."

Rong Xie felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

Just like in the past, Shen Bingsi resisted anyone who tried to get close to him, except for Rong Xie.

Rong Xie didn't know why. He was just an ordinary person. There was nothing special about him in terms of background, status, appearance, or speech. However, from the very beginning, he was able to easily enter Shen Bing Si's defensive circle and become her friend.

Even now... Shen Bingsi is still afraid that he will get his clothes dirty if he goes into the cave, so she forces herself to come out of the cave.

"Hmm."

As soon as Shen Bingsi came out, Rong Xie hugged him tightly.

Shen Bingsi was stunned for a moment. When she tried to hug him back, the body in her arms had already moved away, leaving only the fragrance of orchids and ink wafting to her nose.

"Rong'er, you..."

The tremor in her heartstrings lasted for a moment, but it did not form a huge wave. Shen Bingsi subconsciously cut off her thoughts and calmed her mind, and the wave of trembling in her Dao heart gradually subsided.

"How are you feeling now?" Rong Xie observed Shen Bingsi's complexion, his hands clenching his sleeves. He wanted to help Shen Bingsi, but then he thought of how terrible the consequences of a wavering Dao heart would be. Before finding a solution, he should try to avoid physical contact. "Can you still walk? If you can't, let's rest for a while, and then take the Yunmeng Flat Boat to find Elder Bai later."

Shen Bingsi hesitated: "You know..."

“I know.” Rong Xie said decisively. “Elder Yunfeng told me that your situation is critical and you need to find a way to resolve the wavering of your Dao heart as soon as possible. I’ve inquired and there is a way. Elder Hong of the Hehuan Sect used to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness. Later, he switched to another path and did not suffer the backlash of a broken Dao heart. Elder Bai is from the same sect as him and must know something—that’s why you came to the Path of Ruthlessness Palace, right?”

Shen Bingsi stared at Rong Xie in astonishment, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but suddenly she bent over and coughed violently.

Rong Xie's heart tightened, and he forgot about avoiding physical contact. He turned around and moved to Shen Bingsi's side, supporting his elbow with one hand and stroking his back with the other to help him breathe. Strands of spiritual energy flowed from his palm and were guided to the meridians in his back.

Shen Bingsi's cough subsided, and the hand covering his mouth loosened slightly. He glanced down, his expression changing slightly. He then pretended to curl his hand and placed it away from Rong Xie.

"You vomited blood?" Rong Xie stared at him intently.

Shen Bingsi subconsciously wiped her mouth: "What?"

"In my hands." Rong Xie raised his chin.

"No." Shen Bingsi hurriedly wiped her hands on the ground. "Look if you don't believe me."

The palms that Shen Bingsi had smeared in the mud naturally had no trace of their original state left.

"It's just a wavering of the Dao heart, not as terrible as you think," Shen Bingsi said with an air of "everything is under control." "We cultivators all experience moments when our Dao heart wavers. Those of us who have severed all emotions and love are alright, but those of us next door who have cut off our appetites experience this wavering of the Dao heart at least three times a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and countless snacks. They don't even dare to walk on the street, for fear that if they see a pan-fried bun or a candied hawthorn, they might spit out blood on the spot... cough cough."

Rong Xie was amused by Shen Bingsi's words.

"Then...should I avoid this?" After a brief moment of relief, Rong Xie saw Shen Bingsi's pale face, and a heavy weight pressed down on his heart again.

Shen Bingsi coughed lightly: "It's not that serious, we were just talking face to face..."

The metallic taste of blood in his throat reminded Shen Bingsi that he had wavered twice since meeting Rong Xie. The second time, he couldn't help but vomit blood just from hearing Rong Xie talk about his current predicament.

Shen Bingsi secretly regretted that his Dao heart had become so fragile.

Rong Xie released Shen Bingsi's hand, stood up silently, and walked away from the outside of the bushes.

Shen Bingsi felt the figure blocking her view move away, and the fragrance wafting around her was diluted by the stench of the rain. She felt a sudden emptiness in her heart, and her chest heaved with blood.

He angrily slammed his fist on the ground. This damned Dao Heart! Why can't I get close enough, or far enough? Does Rong Xie make a single movement and I'm going to vomit blood?

“We’ll go find Lu Yingqi now,” Rong Xie’s clear voice rang out from above.

A burst of light burst forth, illuminating the space in front of the tree hole.

Shen Bingsi looked up and saw Rong Xie standing on a radiant light, his slender figure outlined in the blue Lingjing Sect disciple's robe. Shen Bingsi hadn't seen him dressed like this for many years; Rong Xie hadn't worn this outfit since leaving the inner sect of the Lingjing Sect.

Shen Bingsi felt a burning sensation in his throat, and his nose was filled with the metallic smell of blood. He had to use the "Severing Thoughts" technique for the third time to cut the inappropriate thoughts in his mind into ten or eight pieces.

It's over. Shen Bingsi thought sadly, can his Dao heart, riddled with holes, really continue to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness?

Rong Xie tried to lift Shen Bing Si from a distance, avoiding unnecessary contact. However, he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage and was not yet skilled at retrieving objects from a distance. Moreover, he couldn't muster the strength to support such a large person as Shen Bing Si after several attempts, let alone move her onto the Yunmeng Flat Boat.

Rong Xie's forehead was covered in a thick layer of sweat. After thinking for a while, he grabbed a handful of mud from the ground and was about to smear it on his face.

"What are you doing?" Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and blocked Rong Xie's wrist. Shen Bing Si had stood up at some point, and her complexion didn't look as bad as before.

Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief, pulled him onto the Yunmeng boat, and used magic to make the boat fly away from the valley, following the shadows towards the Wuqing Dao Palace.