Chapter 181 A Tumultuous Autumn:

Rong Xie's figure disappeared behind the door. Elder Hong sighed almost imperceptibly, and his tense back relaxed.

Fortunately, the young disciple didn't notice...

As soon as the door opened, Rong Xie's figure reappeared by the door.

Elder Hong subconsciously straightened his back and asked casually, "Little disciple, why are you back again? Did you forget something?"

Rong Xie stared intently at Elder Hong: "No, not at all."

"It's getting late, you should go back and rest, shouldn't you?"

"Hmm." Rong Xie agreed, but did not leave. Instead, he pushed open the door and walked in, heading straight for the tea table.

Elder Hong's hand, which was holding a teacup, froze for a moment, because a pair of seemingly tangible eyes were fixed on him.

Rong Xie stared at Elder Hong with a probing look: "You really don't know where Shen Bing Si went?"

"Cough cough...what?" Elder Hong looked bewildered.

"Shen Bingsi is in no condition to fly on a sword right now. No matter where he goes to find his inner conflict, it's impossible for him to be near Liujin City, right? In that case, Elder Hong must have provided him with some kind of convenience, right? For example, sending someone to escort him?"

"Well..." Elder Hong paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed, "You really can't hide anything from me. I did send someone to see him off, but I didn't tell him where he went. Even if he had told me, I wouldn't have told you. After all, only one can resolve their own inner conflict. Others interfering would only cause trouble."

"..." Rong Xie thought of Shen Bingsi's decision not to let him contact him with the communication jade pendant before she left, for fear of distraction. It was probably just like what Elder Hong said, "I don't want to interfere in his affairs, I just... I just want to keep an eye on him from afar, so that if he needs my help, I can get there as soon as possible."

“Only the person themselves can resolve their own inner conflict; you can’t help them,” Elder Hong sighed. “However, your intentions truly capture the essence of our Hehuan Sect’s deep sense of loyalty and righteousness.”

Elder Hong took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and said, "How about this, I'll have Protector Seju escort you. He has a magic weapon that's said to be able to travel a thousand miles in an instant, and it's not much worse than a flying sword. Just tell him where you want to go."

"Thank you very much, Elder Hong!" Rong Xie was overjoyed.

Although Elder Hong never told Rong Xie where Shen Bing Si had gone, the hints he gave him were more than enough.

When Rong Xie found Protector Seju, Protector Seju had already received Elder Hong's order from his gray parrot: wherever Rong Xie wanted to go, Protector Seju would simply take him there.

Rong Xie quickly learned what the magic weapon that Protector Seju had possessed, which was no less powerful than a flying sword, was.

"This is... a teleportation array?" Rong Xie asked, looking at the glowing, rotating array in front of him.

Just now, the Guardian of Color Fear threw a spinning top-like object on the ground. The top spun on its own, faster and faster, until it turned into a vortex magic circle, which looked like there was a tunnel leading to an unknown place below.

"Yes, this magical artifact is called 'Boundless Abyss.' It can instantly transport anyone to any building I design and construct," Guardian Seju explained.

"That's amazing!" Rong Xie exclaimed happily. "So, as long as it's a branch of the Hehuan Sect, the Dharma Protector can arrive instantly?"

"More or less."

"Then... are there any branches of the Hehuan Sect near the Lingjing Sect?" Rong Xie asked tentatively.

“No,” Guardian Seju replied without hesitation.

Rong Xie was somewhat disappointed and was about to expand the scope when Protector Seju said, "However, I once designed a shrine to the Buddha of Honey in Yingbin Town, which can be used to teleport there."

"Great!" Rong Xie was overjoyed. "I just need to teleport to Yingbin Town, and I can fly the rest of the way myself."

Protector Seju nodded: "Alright."

He chanted an incantation towards "Wuyuan," and "Wuyuan" emitted a burst of blue light, turning into a well-like opening with a dark, bottomless abyss.

The fearful protector stretched out his hand: "Grab me."

Rong Xie hesitated for a moment, then grabbed his arm.

The fearful protector led him into the "Abyss of No Return." Almost instantly, the surrounding scenery changed rapidly, as if the landscape of a thousand miles was compressed into a mere ten feet. In the midst of the dazzling chaos, Rong Xie felt his feet touch the ground.

As the blue light faded, the streets of Yingbin Town appeared before Rong Xie under the cover of night. A slope leading to the entrance of Lingjing Sect stretched upwards, with familiar houses and tiled roofs lining both sides of the street, each brightly lit. The warm yellow windows seemed to guide the way home, and Rong Xie felt a slight pang in his heart.

It's back again.

“I’m going back,” said Protector Seju. “I hope you find the person.”

Rong Xie knew that Protector Seju had to go back to report and couldn't stay here any longer.

However, Rong Xie had another destination planned for him: the Shen Family Manor. But the Shen Family Manor was such a remote place that even if Protector Se Ju had buildings all over the world, he might not be able to reach it.

To confirm, Rong Xie asked one more question.

As expected, the Dharma Protector Seju shook his head, saying that he had never heard of that place.

"Alright, I'll figure out the rest myself." Rong Xie thanked Protector Seju, and the two parted ways.

Rong Xie rode in a small boat, heading towards Huanxue Manor.

Although he didn't have high hopes for Huanxue Manor, Rong Xie still came to investigate. The three children were overjoyed to see Rong Xie return. After Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi, the two masters, left, the huge manor was left with only the three of them, which felt empty and somewhat eerie.

Rong Xie was delighted to see the three children, but he didn't have time to stay any longer. He told them to contact him immediately if Shen Bingsi returned, and then boarded the Yunmeng boat and headed towards Yunfeng.

Upon returning, the first person Rong Xie sought out was the one who understood Shen Bingsi best—Shen Bingsi's master, the Grand Elder of the Supreme Immortal Mountain.

If Shen Bingsi had any unresolved issues or an unyielding attachment to the Path of Ruthlessness, no one knew better than the Grand Elder.

However, given that Rong Xie almost froze to death on the Supreme Immortal Mountain last time, he didn't want to challenge it rashly again. He planned to find Elder Yunfeng first, and then through Elder Yunfeng, he would find the Grand Elder.

Rong Xie arrived at the top of Yunfeng Cliff in the Yunmeng Flat Boat. Before he could even announce his arrival, he saw that the several familiar high-ranking disciples under the Yunfeng Elder were all dressed in plain white gauze robes.

Rong Xie's eyelids twitched, and an ominous premonition enveloped his heart.

No way, at this critical juncture, could it be...?

As Rong Xie was lost in thought, he saw Elder Yunfeng walk down the steps of the main hall and give instructions to a senior disciple beside him.

Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief and walked up happily: "Elder Yunfeng!"

Elder Yunfeng turned around, his eyes wide with surprise: "You, you, you, young friend Rong? When did you return? Where is that unfilial son, Shen Bingsi?"

"What?" Rong Xie didn't react. "I came here to find him. Isn't he with the Grand Elder?"

"Huh?" Elder Yunfeng was confused. "Of course she's not here. The Grand Elder has passed away, and the sect is holding his funeral, but we can't find Shen Bingsi anywhere. How could she disappear at this crucial moment?"

"What?!" Rong Xie was shocked. Seeing the Lingjing Sect disciples in mourning, he was just glad that Elder Yunfeng was alright. He never expected that the one who had passed away was the Grand Elder!

Elder Yunfeng summoned Rong Xie into the main hall, dismissed the attendants, and inquired about what had happened to Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi.

Please allow me to tell you the truth.

"What? How did it come to this? The Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man..." Elder Yunfeng lamented, "Could it be that Heaven intends to destroy the Path of Ruthlessness?"

“Shen Bingsi has gone to find the one who is troubled by his inner conflict. Elder Hong said that as long as the conflict is resolved, everything will be fine.” Rong Xie said in a light tone as much as possible, “It hasn’t reached the point where Heaven is going to destroy the Heartless Path yet.”

"No, I mean—" Elder Yunfeng lowered his voice, "Do you know that the Ruthless Path of the Xuantian Sect has also been going through a lot of trouble lately?"

Rong Xie was taken aback.

Elder Yunfeng continued, "Telling you won't hurt. The oath of secrecy has already expired. The Grand Elder didn't actually pass away recently; it's been a while. Didn't I tell you that he encountered a bottleneck and went on a journey?"

"Could it be... that time?" Rong Xie's eyes widened as he thought of how Shen Bingsi's Dao heart had wavered back then, but he kept making excuses to avoid going to the Grand Elder. It wasn't that he didn't want to go to the Grand Elder, but... the Grand Elder was no longer there.

"Yes, traveling around was a pretense; the real reason was that I encountered a bottleneck. Our Lingjing Sect's ruthless path was all tied to our Grand Elder. His passing means that our path is blocked. That's why I suggested that Shen Bingsi go to Elder Bai of the Xuantian Sect. I never expected this."

Rong Xie was a witness to what happened next, and he knew it better than anyone else. Rong Xie murmured, "I never expected... Elder Bai's prized student, Lu Yingqi, would also go mad, and the newly appointed adjudicator, Shang Gan, would also have his eyes damaged by a monster."

"You already know." Elder Yunfeng stroked his beard and sighed repeatedly. "Elder Bai is now bedridden, and the news of Zhilanling's demise has spread throughout the cultivation world. That's why we took the opportunity to announce the news of the Great Elder's passing."

“So that’s how it is…” Rong Xie understood. “Therefore, from the very beginning, Shen Bing Si had no way to ask the Grand Elder for help.”

The trail went cold.

The person most likely to know Shen Bingsi's inner conflict has already passed away.

“Young friend Rong, don’t be too anxious,” Elder Yunfeng observed Rong Xie’s expression. “Shen Bingsi is no ordinary person; he will always find a way…”

“You’re right.” Rong Xie secretly used the Ice Heart Technique to calm himself down.

According to Elder Hong, Shen Bingsi said she might have found the solution to her inner conflict. When Shen Bingsi parted ways with Rong Xie, she confidently said she would return safely.

What exactly is the knot in his heart that he can accurately pinpoint without relying on the Grand Elder?

"It happened a long time ago."

Rong Xie recalled Elder Hong's words to him, one by one.

"This matter has had an impact on the present."

"That incident made him unable to let go of the ruthless path."

“Let me give you some directions. Go to his hometown and find someone he's known since childhood.”

Rong Xie pressed his forehead, puzzled, and muttered to himself, "But I'm someone he's known since childhood... What exactly happened that makes Shen Bing Si so unable to let go of the Ruthless Path?"

etc.

Perhaps we should think about it the other way around.

What exactly happened that made Shen Bingsi firmly choose the path of ruthlessness?

Why did he so despise love and affection, and so firmly choose the path of ruthlessness, which cuts off all feelings and love, instead of any other path?

Rong Xie had grown up with him since childhood, and no one knew better than him that Shen Bing Si's cold and unfeeling personality was not formed because of cultivating the ruthless path, but rather that she had always been like this from the beginning.

From the very first day, Miss Shen brought Shen Bingsi to the plum garden...

A clear silhouette suddenly appeared in Rong Xie's mind: Shen Bingsi's mother, holding the hand of six-year-old Shen Bingsi, appeared among the broken walls and ruins of the plum garden. The two people, one big and one small, had the same indifferent expression, like two stone statues, without a trace of human life.

It was as if a bolt of lightning had ripped through the dark night sky, illuminating the path ahead in every detail.

Plum Garden.

It's Plum Garden!