Chapter 176 Talking Nonsensically:

For the rest of the time, Rong Xie pondered Elder Hong's question.

What is it that Wuqing Dao cannot let go of?

Rong Xie felt that the key to changing his path lay here.

"So, what is it that Wuqing Dao can't let go of?" Rong Xie muttered to himself as the two of them participated in a birdwatching activity together.

Shen Bingsi chuckled and patted Rong Xie on the back: "You haven't cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, be careful not to go astray."

"I'm just trying to help you think about it. Maybe the problem will be solved once you figure it out." Rong Xie slapped Shen Bingsi's hand away.

Birds of various colors chirped and twittered in the woods, and couples gathered in twos and threes under every tree. Although they said they were birdwatching, there were actually very few people watching birds; they were mostly snuggling together, whispering sweet nothings.

Rong Xie looked at the birds, then at the young couples: "By the way, didn't you used to hate these things? You'd feel uncomfortable seeing other people being affectionate, and you'd think they were crazy."

“…” Shen Bingsi was silent for a moment, “Indeed.”

"So what are you thinking now?" Rong Xie raised his palm and drew a semi-circle outwards, inviting Shen Bingsi to appreciate the "beautiful scenery" at this moment.

"...I'm still feeling a little uncomfortable," Shen Bingsi said truthfully, "but I can bear it."

"Endure what?"

"Hold back your temper and don't curse them," Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie laughed, then sighed: "That's the problem. Although being all lovey-dovey in public is a bit annoying, it's perfectly normal for young couples to be together. Why are you criticizing them? Aren't you one of them now? Won't criticizing others backfire?"

“I don’t know why, but I just feel that people who are obsessed with this are more or less a bit off. Some people don’t even know the other person, but they think the other person is perfect and flatter them in every way. But when they really get to know them, they find that the other person is nothing special and then they despise them in every way. The better they were at the beginning, the worse they will be later. When they are all lovey-dovey, they never think about how ugly it will be when they fall out,” Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie never expected Shen Bingsi to say something so profound, as if he had seen many couples break up and get back together.

"And what about us?"

“Of course we’re different,” Shen Bingsi said without hesitation. “We already know each other very well, so our close relationship is a natural progression. Even if something changes in the future, it won’t affect our feelings.”

"What changes might occur in the future?" Rong Xie sensed something was wrong.

"The future..." Shen Bingsi realized her topic seemed to have veered off a dangerous cusp and immediately became wary. "I was just comparing them to other Daoist partners, not really, just using it as an example—"

"Oh? Is that so? What example?" Rong Xie pressed.

Shen Bingsi felt sweat beading on her forehead: "For example, if we encounter some unexpected events and have to break off our Daoist partnership, we will still be friends. We won't turn against each other or become enemies, and we won't never see each other again, unlike other Daoist partners."

"What exactly was the sudden incident?" Rong Xie stared intently at Shen Bing Si.

Shen Bingsi felt as if Rong Xie had sucked all the air out of the air around him. He regretted uttering his grand pronouncements on love and said awkwardly, "It's just those songs sung in teahouses, like how your family doesn't allow it, your sect doesn't approve, and good and evil can't coexist..."

"Hmph, what kind of emergency is this? I think the real emergency is when you cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness and your Dao heart is disturbed." Rong Xie crossed his arms.

"Isn't this already part of my treatment?" Shen Bingsi said helplessly.

"What treatment? Don't call it treatment, this is returning to the right path! You need to abandon your old wrong ideas, appreciate each other, and choose only one person from millions as your partner. How brave is that! They are not stupid at all, they are just braver than us," Rong Xie said.

"Really?" Shen Bingsi was still not quite sure.

"Of course!" Rong Xie grabbed Shen Bingsi's shoulder, pulled him aside, and began to incite him, "Choosing someone as a Daoist partner is choosing a way of life. From now on, how you live your life will not be up to you. It takes a lot of courage to give up your complete freedom, especially when you don't know them at all!"

“That makes sense,” Shen Bingsi nodded. “It’s no different from a free man handing himself over to the jailer.”

Rong Xie stopped talking: "What do you mean?"

"Without killing anyone or setting any fires..." Shen Bingsi realized the atmosphere was off and paused, "I'm trying to understand what you mean."

"You're just arguing for the sake of arguing!" Rong Xie was furious.

Rong Xie tried his best to educate Shen Bingsi, but Shen Bingsi always misinterpreted his meaning with strange ideas. Rong Xie felt exhausted and gave up.

“I know why you suffered the backlash,” Rong Xie sighed. “The ruthless path is deeply rooted in your heart, and it’s not something you can change just by saying you can.”

During this period, Rong Xie's attention was focused on Shen Bingsi's physical condition, and he never delved into his mental state.

Shen Bingsi became more docile, no longer aggressive, and no longer made any mocking remarks about young couples. Especially after joining the Hehuan Sect, he genuinely studied the sect's activities diligently—to the point that Rong Xie thought his views had truly changed, and his contempt for love was not as strong as before. However, upon asking, he discovered that there was not much difference from before.

The only progress is probably the greatly improved ability to apply double standards. When he looks down on those other couples, he completely separates Rong Xie and himself, believing that they are an extraordinary and impeccable model couple, and that no amount of criticism can hit them.

Rong Xie was speechless at this.

“Let’s stop looking at birds and come on, I’ll take you somewhere.” Rong Xie grabbed Shen Bingsi’s sleeve.

"Where?" Shen Bingsi asked as she followed him.

"You'll know when we get there," Rong Xie said.

The two arrived at a terrace open on all sides, where many prayer cushions were placed below, and groups of believers were already sitting there.

"What is this? An open-air theater?" Shen Bingsi looked around the terrace. He had never liked listening to opera, finding it boring with its long, drawn-out singing and fabricated stories.

“No, this is a venue specifically set up for the believers. Every believer can go up and pour out their emotional troubles, and then everyone can make a judgment,” Rong Xie said.

"Then I'm leaving." Shen Bingsi was most afraid of these kinds of shows where people poured out their emotional troubles, and she darted away like a ghost.

Rong Xie grabbed him: "Don't go! Do you still want to get back on the right path?"

Shen Bingsi looked embarrassed but forced herself to sit down: "I'm afraid I'll fall asleep and spoil everyone's enjoyment."

"Hmph." Rong Xie ignored his banter and patted his lower back. "Sit up straight and listen carefully."

At the start of the event, the followers, wearing masks, went up on stage one by one. The person in charge of the event sprinkled acacia pollen on them, which allowed them to change their voices. In this way, no one knew who was behind the mask, and they could tell their stories without any worries.

At first, they were all talking about trivial matters. Some of the venters openly complained and secretly showed off how perfect their partners were. It was purely a case of venting while pretending to be innocent after getting something in return. The followers listened with great interest.

Shen Bingsi listened with little interest, and seemed even more disgusted with the "other couples." He only became particularly excited when it came to the part where the followers judged the couples. This was because the followers of the Hehuan Cult always advised breaking up rather than staying together. Among the crowd of people saying "Kick him out" and "Break up, you must break up," there was also a voice from Shen Bingsi expressing genuine feelings.

A tall, slender figure dressed in a black robe, whose gender was indistinguishable, stepped onto the stage. He possessed great magical power and immediately activated the pollen of the mimosa flower, which swirled around him, forming a light red mist. Once he stood in the center of the terrace, the light red mist transformed into an eave, and the sound of fine rain and bells under the eaves emanated from the illusion.

The congregation immediately fell silent.

Shen Bingsi rested his chin on his hand with some regret. He had no interest in these illusory things; he hadn't had enough of the cult's trial segment where they angrily denounced the unfaithful man.

The black-robed cultist began to tell his story. He could simulate the voices of a man and a woman to depict the daily life of a couple, and the effect was very lifelike. It was just unknown which of the two voices the black-robed cultist was.

The story is roughly about an ambitious female cultivator and a proud male cultivator. The female cultivator comes from an ordinary family where no one cultivates. She was married off at a young age, but she didn't want to live that kind of life, so she ran away on her own. She endured a lot of hardship and finally joined the outer sect of a major sect, doing odd jobs. One day, she met a male cultivator from a prestigious family and learned that he was no ordinary person. She tried to win his heart and use him to gain the opportunity to enter the inner sect of the major sect.

The female cultivator passed the inner sect assessment with excellent results, and the male cultivator formally expressed his feelings to her, wanting to become her Daoist partner. He thought the future was bright, but news suddenly came from the male cultivator's family that his mother, the original head of the aristocratic family, had suddenly passed away and needed him to return to take over the family business. The male cultivator could no longer stay in the sect to cultivate and hoped that the female cultivator could also return with him, but the female cultivator hesitated.

Just when she had finally entered a major sect and her future seemed bright, the male cultivator wanted her to go home with him to manage such a large family business. She might spend her whole life in the inner quarters, which was not the future the female cultivator wanted. However, she couldn't bear to refuse the male cultivator, especially when she saw him grieving over his mother's sudden death. She realized that she might have really fallen for him.

The black-robed cultist paused here: "If you were a female cultivator, what would you do?"

His voice returned to its hoarse, gentle, and androgynous state, but the followers below the stage secretly thought of him as a female nun.

Some of the followers advised the female cultivator to dump the male cultivator and enjoy herself. They said there were plenty of outstanding talents in the major sects, so why hang herself on a tree with no future?

Some advised female cultivators to follow male cultivators, saying that no matter how small a family is, it is still a family. Once she becomes the wife of the family head, she can get any kind of elixir. Why would she need to cultivate so hard on her own?

Shen Bingsi listened to the story very attentively, muttering something as if he also wanted to express his opinion. Rong Xie then leaned closer to him, urging him to speak directly to him and not to spout nonsense in public.

The black-robed cult member spotted Shen Bingsi among the crowd, gestured towards her, and said, "Fellow cult member, could you offer some guidance?"

Under Rong Xie's uneasy gaze, Shen Bingsi stood up gracefully and cupped her hands to the black-robed followers: "Of course, I believe that no matter what choice the female cultivator makes, she will regret it in the end."

"Oh?" The black-robed cult members seemed surprised by Shen Bingsi's response.

"So, the most crucial thing at this critical juncture is to avoid having a child," Shen Bingsi stated firmly.

After a moment of silence, the congregation suddenly burst into laughter.

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