Chapter 222 Acquiring a Separate Property:

At Elder Hong's command, passersby and followers rushed forward and surrounded the two. Two small sedan chairs were carried out of the bamboo forest. Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi were somehow swept up by the crowd and got into the chairs. By the time they realized what was happening, the sedan chairs had already left the ground. Four lithe followers, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, carried them and sang as they went into the bamboo forest.

"Hey..." Shen Bingsi pounded on the sedan chair, "Stop! Stop right now! Do you believe I'll slash you with my sword!"

However, Shen Bingsi's threats were powerless, especially in front of the joyful followers. When they smiled and revealed a row of pearly white teeth, it was difficult for anyone to lay a knife or gun on them.

Shen Bingsi looked at Rong Xie questioningly. Rong Xie stared ahead, sighed, and said, "Never mind, let's see what Elder Hong is up to first."

A short while later, the sedan chair landed beside a lake. Three bamboo houses stood by the lake, connected by bamboo bridges with railings. The three houses together enclosed a small courtyard, the gate of which faced the shimmering lake.

Rong Xie looked at the bamboo building, got off the sedan chair, and Shen Bingsi also jumped down and came to his side.

“The scenery here is quite nice,” Shen Bingsi said. “What did Elder Hong mean just now? What did he mean by ‘their left and right protectors’? Isn’t that just slander? We never agreed to join the Hehuan Sect!”

“Don’t worry, they can’t force us to agree,” Rong Xie said. “We’ll leave once we’ve finished what we need to do this time.”

As they were talking, Elder Hong's sedan chair was brought over. Two peacocks kept walking back and forth on the bamboo shaft, making the four sedan chair bearers suffer greatly. Finally, they arrived at the courtyard by the lake and put down the sedan chair.

"How is it?" Elder Hong stepped down from the sedan chair and introduced the bamboo house to the two of them in a cheerful mood. "Isn't this bamboo house nice? It was originally intended for the deputy sect leader, but it seems there won't be a deputy sect leader for a while."

After saying that, Elder Hong looked at the two of them with a smile.

Shen Bingsi asked in confusion, "What does this have to do with us?"

Rong Xie realized what Elder Hong was about to say.

“Of course, it’s yours!” Elder Hong gestured for you to stay. “Since you’re part of the Hehuan Sect family, you should have a fixed place to stay, right? I heard from Protector Seju that you wanted to keep that old building. Although it was secluded, the conditions were a bit poor. It was drafty and had many plants that attracted mosquitoes. You people from Zhongzhou definitely wouldn’t be used to living there. How about this lakeside courtyard? It has all the advantages of that old building: spacious, beautiful, and three buildings. You can stay in whichever one you want. You can even set up one specifically for entertainment. Whatever your young couples like to play with is already stored in the warehouse of the east building…”

As Elder Hong spoke, he walked into the courtyard and introduced the structure, function, and ingenious design of the bamboo building to the two of them.

Rong Xie always enjoyed listening to these kinds of things, so he didn't interrupt Elder Hong. Only after Elder Hong finished his introduction outside and was about to lead them inside for a tour did Rong Xie stop him, saying:

"Elder Hong, let's not talk about Bing Si. He's from the Spirit Mirror Sect, and I don't plan to join any sect for the time being, so I may have to disappoint you."

Elder Hong was surprised and looked puzzled: "How is that possible? How could anyone refuse such a nice lakeside courtyard! Such a charming sect!"

The Fearful Protector whispered from the side, "Sect Leader, they also have a large courtyard in the Spirit Mirror Sect, much larger than this one, and a huge lake that fills the entire valley..."

"What?!" Elder Hong stamped his foot. "The Spirit Mirror Sect has really gone to great lengths to trap my left and right protectors!"

"..." Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi fell silent for a moment, thinking in unison that Elder Hong's possessiveness was really strong, even though the Spirit Mirror Sect was the first sect they had ever joined.

"You really don't plan to join our Hehuan Sect? Our Hehuan Sect is the most suitable choice for young Daoist couples. After joining, we can also help you hold a Daoist couple's marriage ceremony for free, and everyone will celebrate with you for three days and three nights—" Elder Hong was still frantically promoting his membership benefits. "You probably haven't held a Daoist couple's marriage ceremony before, have you? The process is very complicated. Even prestigious sects like the Lingjing Sect and Xuantian Sect don't hold proper marriage ceremonies for their disciples. They just rush through it. The marriage ceremony held in our Hehuan Sect will definitely be unforgettable for every guest. By the way, we also provide transportation for guests. This is handled by Protector Seju. You should have already experienced his teleportation spell."

“No, we…” Rong Xie was about to refuse when he suddenly saw Shen Bingsi looking at Elder Hong with anticipation.

"Will forming a bond with them give you a jade pendant for communicating with your heart?" Shen Bingsi asked, looking like she was really looking for a bargain.

"Of course," Elder Hong said, seeing that the recruitment was promising, and quickly intensified his efforts, "Not only will we offer the fine West Sea Transmission Jade Pendant, but also a witchcraft doll that can communicate with the five senses, so that even if we are thousands of miles apart, we can still comfort each other's longing. There's also the Thousand-Mile Red Thread, so we can keep track of our partner's movements at all times, and the Soul Lamp, so that we can detect our partner's danger immediately!"

“As expected of the Hehuan Sect! Rong’er, why don’t we just…” Shen Bingsi turned her head, about to persuade Rong Xie, when a cool hand covered her mouth.

Rong Xie covered Shen Bing Si's mouth and said to Elder Hong, "We appreciate Elder Hong's kindness, but Bing Si will not betray the Lingjing Sect, and I like freedom and do not want to belong to any sect."

Shen Bingsi then realized that she couldn't join the Hehuan Sect, but the Hehuan Sect's marriage ceremony was truly tempting, and it would be hard for any couple to refuse it.

"You two... don't want to join my sect?" Elder Hong looked puzzled. "Why? Is it because I haven't treated you well enough? Or is this residence far inferior to your mansion in the Spirit Mirror Sect, and you're not satisfied? I heard from Protector Seju that you want to reserve a place in the Joyful Union Sect. Doesn't that mean you want to join the Joyful Union Sect?"

"No, no, this is a complete misunderstanding," Rong Xie said, both amused and exasperated. "We don't want to keep that little building; we want to... demolish it!"

"Huh?" Elder Hong was startled. "What's wrong with that little building? Why do you want to demolish it?"

“It’s fine, but we’re not used to having other people living in the house we’ve lived in. It’s hard to explain this to the elders…” Rong Xie said somewhat awkwardly. “We are willing to pay for the demolition and reconstruction. You can build a better one there.”

"Hmm... I understand." Elder Hong turned his head and called Protector Seju aside. The two exchanged a few words in hushed tones.

“I just discussed it with Protector Seju, and here’s what we’ll do,” Elder Hong said to the two with a hint of regret, “Our Hehuan Sect never forces anyone to go against their will. Since you are unwilling to join the Hehuan Sect, we will not force you.”

Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you for your understanding, Elder Hong."

“However, we don’t plan to demolish the small building,” Elder Hong said. “That small building was vacant for a long time before you. The followers don’t like such a secluded place. Since that’s the case, we will keep it for your exclusive use. Even if you don’t join the Hehuan Sect, you can still use this place as a place to stay, just like what they call a villa in the human world.

"Ah..." Rong Xie raised an eyebrow, "The sect leader is so generous. We are truly apprehensive. Are there no other conditions attached?"

"No, if you remember, just come and stay for a while. It won't take up any time," Elder Hong said with a smile. "Rong Xie, don't forget you promised me that as long as Shen Bing Si recovers, you can tell me as many jokes as you want. I'm looking forward to it."

Rong Xie chuckled: "Of course."

Thus, the thing that Rong Xie was most worried about was resolved.

Without needing to destroy evidence or lose money, they found a new foothold in the Hehuan Sect.

As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so Rong Xie wouldn't mind having many villas.

Of course, he also knew what Elder Hong was planning. Since he couldn't win him and Shen Bingsi over to the sect, he could give them a reason to keep in touch and bring them closer to the Hehuan Sect. In this way, if there were any changes in the cultivation world in the future, the Hehuan Sect would have an extra layer of protection.

Rong Xie didn't mind establishing this relationship with the Hehuan Sect. After all, Elder Hong had helped them a lot, and even without this small building, they wouldn't have ignored the Hehuan Sect's request for help.

"We want to go see the small building now. We left in a hurry and haven't packed up yet," Rong Xie said.

"You can rest for a bit. Tonight, our followers will present you with a grand song and dance banquet. It will be at sunset at the Five-Colored Altar. Don't be late!" Elder Hong laughed loudly, gesturing for the sedan chair bearers to take Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi to their small building.

Shen Bingsi sat in the sedan chair, still somewhat absent-minded, and subconsciously looked back twice.

Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi returned to the small building. Fortunately, everything was the same as when they left. As requested, Protector Seju had set up a barrier in front of the door to prevent the followers from accidentally entering.

The air was filled with a musty smell. The windows hadn't been closed for half a month, and the messy second floor was already an eyesore. Rong Xie felt uncomfortable all over. He quickly washed the floor and all the furniture, took apart the crumpled quilt and mattress, threw them into the bathtub, and had Shen Bingsi use the housework magic she had just learned to wash them.

Despite the magical assistance, the household chores were still numerous, and the two worked until sunset without rest, as if they had fought a major battle.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo grove, slanting across the path in front of the door. Ananda appeared there with two young followers, announcing that the song and dance banquet was about to begin and inviting them to move to the Five-Colored Altar.

"They're here." Rong Xie picked up the last bag of withered branches and leaves he had cleared out, scattered them among the grass outside the yard, took off his outer robe, and came out.

Shen Bingsi rubbed her wrinkled hands, which had been soaked in water, and sighed, "Household chores magic is truly the most troublesome magic in the world. How can there be a magic that works almost as well as doing it yourself?"

“It’s still far from perfect. At least you can retrieve objects remotely,” Rong Xie said.

Anangu and the two young followers couldn't help but laugh when they heard Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi's conversation.

That evening, the two enjoyed a visual and auditory feast, and the Hehuan Sect's ability to organize such activities was beyond doubt.

The song and dance party lasted until late into the night. When the moon was bright and the stars were few, everyone was completely drunk. Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi walked through the cult members who were staggering after the revelry and returned to their small building under the moonlight.

Beneath the swaying bamboo shadows, Shen Bingsi called out to Rong Xie: "Rong'er, I..."

"Are you still thinking about the covenant ceremony?" Rong Xie opened the bamboo door and turned to look at Shen Bing Si.

"Actually, we don't necessarily have to join the Hehuan Sect. Perhaps we can talk to Elder Hong and ask them to organize a covenant ceremony to announce to the world that we have become Daoist partners... I have been looking forward to this day."

Under the moonlight, Shen Bingsi's young and handsome face was filled with anticipation, his eyes seemingly holding a sea of ​​stars, following Rong Xie's gentle flow.

Rong Xie was a little annoyed. He rubbed his temples, knowing he shouldn't say such a mood-killing thing at this time, but... after experiencing so much, he understood that he could go against anything, but he couldn't go against his own heart.

“Bing Si, we are already Daoist partners. Do we still need to announce it to the world? I can’t think of a reason to do so…” Rong Xie said softly, “I’m not rejecting you, it’s just that I need to find that reason.”

Shen Bingsi remained silent for a long time. Finally, he took Rong Xie's hand and said, "It's okay. I know you hate these mundane things. If you don't like them, then don't do them. Tomorrow we'll go to the Liujin Sect's market and buy the largest pair of love pendants."