Chapter 42: Monopoly him:.

"Playing a piano piece is one thing, but it's just humming a few notes. Is it really worth using such complicated sheet music?" Shen Bingsi said disdainfully, while flipping through the pages of the book with two fingers, making a "rustling" sound.

Indeed, while Bai Shuishanren is despicable, he is merely a mortal, and Shen Bingsi would not lay a hand on a mere mortal.

His method of disciplining was to use his mouth. He was also quite proud of this weapon, as its attack power was not much worse than that of the Victorious Evil Sword.

Before he finished speaking, Bai Shuishanren's smile indeed diminished somewhat.

Just as Shen Bingsi was feeling smug, a gentle voice came from below:

"Bing Si, how can you say that? Playing the piano and singing should follow the rules of music, just like wielding a sword has basic moves. Why can't there be sheet music for singing without lyrics?"

Shen Bingsi's smile froze.

He must have heard correctly; Rong Xie was actually speaking up for Bai Shuishanren.

In such a crucial situation where two choices were made, Rong Xie actually sided with the other person!

“Brother Rong is right. All skills in the world have their rules and regulations. Without following the rules, one cannot do as one pleases,” Bai Shui Shan Ren said with a smile.

Shen Bingsi looked on in disbelief, and although she had a thousand possible responses in her throat, she couldn't utter a single word.

Just then, footsteps came from the stairs, and a senior monk came up, putting his hands together in prayer: "Three benefactors, it's getting late, and the Sutra Repository is about to close. You should get some rest as well."

It's time to close the door and clear out the people.

Bai Shui Shan Ren bowed to the senior monk and said, "Thank you for your trouble, senior brother."

The senior monk also returned the greeting with his hands clasped together.

Bai Shuishan packed up the books he had taken out, tucked them under his arm, bid farewell to Rong Xie, and as he passed by Shen Bingsi, he shook his head and let out a high-pitched and strange chant, the last note twitching three times before falling down with superb skill, turning into an endless bass.

Humming a little tune, Bai Shuishan went downstairs, swaying his head.

Shen Bingsi's cheeks scrunched up, as if she had accidentally stepped in a pile of dog poop.

Rong Xie also stood up to tidy up his books, carefully putting the palm-leaf manuscripts together.

Shen Bingsi couldn't help but walk around the table and get closer to Rong Xie. While helping him tidy up, she asked, "Why does he call you junior brother?"

“He’s treating me like a lay Buddhist too; that’s what lay Buddhists call each other.” Rong Xie snatched the musical score from Shen Bing Si’s hands and smoothed out the curled edges. “Let me do it.”

"That's absurd. He's not even a disciple of the Spirit Mirror Sect, so why should he call you junior brother?" Shen Bingsi was still bothered by the title.

"Well...actually, I'm not really considered a disciple of the Spirit Mirror Sect."

“Nonsense, of course you are, you are a proper inner disciple.” Shen Bingsi immediately denied Rong Xie’s statement.

The two talked as they walked downstairs.

At the book return area, Bai Shuishanren was still talking to the senior monk who was in charge of managing the Sutra Repository.

Shen Bingsi's brows immediately furrowed.

Fortunately, Bai Shuishanren didn't stay long. He bowed to Rong Xie from a distance and then left.

The two went down to the book return area. Rong Xie placed the books on the table and waited for the head monk to count them. He also asked when the store would open the next day.

The senior monk said, "Do you live in the temple? The library opens after morning prayers."

"Yes, thank you, Master."

After the head monk finished counting, he looked up and asked, "Are you Benefactor Rong?"

“It’s me.” Rong Xie was surprised that the big monk remembered his surname.

"The benefactor Bai just asked me to pass on a message to you: he will be coming tomorrow. If we are fortunate enough to meet again, he will bring you some of his sheet music."

"Huh?" Rong Xie was surprised, then laughed, "Then thank you very much."

The senior monk nodded, indicating that they could leave.

The two had only walked a few steps when Shen Bingsi stopped.

“Let’s head back to the city first thing tomorrow morning. I suddenly remembered I have something to do,” he said, frowning.

"Huh...didn't we agree to stay at the temple for two or three days?" Rong Xie asked. "Is it something urgent?"

"Yes, it's very urgent. Should we go back now?" Shen Bingsi said seriously.

"And the city gate too..."

"It's alright, we can fly into the city on our swords."

"Aren't you afraid of attracting attention?"

"In urgent situations, one should act expediently."

Shen Bingsi looked extremely anxious, which made Rong Xie worry. If it was really important, it seemed he had to send him back.

“Then go ahead, I’ll wait for you here,” Rong Xie said.

Shen Bingsi was like a duck with its neck being choked, suddenly unable to make a sound, staring at Rong Xie in astonishment.

“If I go with you, I’ll only draw more attention. If you go alone, you can definitely enter the city silently…” Rong Xie was genuinely thinking of Shen Bing Si. “Anyway, we have a communication jade pendant to keep in touch. I’ll wait for you at the temple. You can go and handle your business without worry. There’s no need to rush back.”

No need to rush back.

What?

Shen Bingsi's heart sank immediately.

He never expected that this excuse would ultimately lead him into a trap.

That's right, he had nothing wrong with himself; he just wanted to get Rong Xie out of this godforsaken place ahead of time.

What about agreeing to meet again the next day, what about giving you the sheet music I made... If things continue like this, something bad is bound to happen sooner or later.

Shen Bingsi discovered that she was not only unable to share friendship, but she was also unwilling to give even a moment of Rong Xie's time and attention to others.

Why should he?! This is his best friend, someone he spends every day with and is going to spend his whole life with. Why should he give his time to this mountain spirit who just appeared out of nowhere?!

The burning desire in her heart reached its peak when Rong Xie said, "No need to rush back," and was about to erupt.

However, he cannot erupt.

Shen Bingsi took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and forced a stiff expression: "I remembered wrong, it's not tomorrow."

"ah?"

Under Rong Xie's questioning gaze, Shen Bingsi forced a smile: "Then it's alright. I'll stay. We'll go to the Sutra Pavilion together tomorrow. I also want to learn to sing, and you can teach me the gongche notation and stuff."

The doubt in Rong Xie's eyes deepened.

Is everything really alright?

Why does it still look like something's wrong?

Otherwise, why would Shen Bingsi say that he wanted to learn to sing?

...

The nights in the mountains are exceptionally quiet.

Guided by the young novice monk, the two rested in an empty meditation room.

For some reason, he slept very soundly. Rong Xie fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, even though he is a light sleeper.

Shen Bingsi sat in meditation on the bed next door all night.

The next day, Shen Bingsi indeed followed Rong Xie to the Sutra Repository and took out a book of musical notation to read.

In the past, when Rong Xie was reading, he would at most stay by her side for a while before running off to do something else.

This time, however, he was unusually patient, as if he were genuinely interested in learning to sing...

Yeah, right.

Half an hour later, the sound of snoring came from across the table.

Rong Xie looked up and saw Shen Bingsi nodding at the gongche notation.

Rong Xie shook his head helplessly, and was about to wake him up and tell him to go back to his meditation room to rest and not wait for him here, when he heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairs. A tall, thin man in a loose white robe appeared with stubborn steps.

Bai Shuishanren arrived as promised.

From a distance of about ten feet, Bai Shuishanren waved the thick handwritten book in his hand at Rong Xieyang.

At the same moment, Shen Bingsi jolted awake.

...

The atmosphere inside the library was very strange.

Bai Shuishan and Rong Xie sat on one side of the table. There was no partition between them before, but now a chair has been added, and Shen Bingsi is sitting in that chair.

His sitting height wasn't high; after sitting down, Bai Shuishanren was even a little taller than him, so it wasn't difficult for him to talk to Rong Xie.

If no one deliberately creates difficulties.

Shen Bingsi cast a spell on himself, making himself float up slightly from the chair, instantly becoming half a head taller than Bai Shuishanren. His figure was already taller than Bai Shuishanren's, and with the increase in height, he easily pushed the man aside.

Bai Shuishanren repeatedly tried to share his insights and experiences in composing music with Rong Xie, but was always blocked by this "mountain" in front of him.

He pursed his lips and gave a helpless smile.

Rong Xie, on the other hand, was engrossed in studying Bai Shuishanren's musical score, humming softly. Sometimes, when he was amazed by the melody, he would look up and want to communicate with Bai Shuishanren.

Little did they know that they would be facing Shen Bingsi head-on.

When Rong Xie wasn't looking at him, Shen Bingsi always had a troubled expression, looking at the sheet music as if it were a pile of dog poop.

When Rong Xie looked over, he would become earnest and eager to learn, sincerely listening to Rong Xie's insights and asking some basic questions.

Rong Xie knew that he had no musical background, so he answered patiently and did not doubt his motives.

Half an hour later, Bai Shuishanren stood up from the table and bid farewell to Rong Xie.

"Is the hermit leaving already?" Rong Xie looked up at Bai Shui Shan Ren in surprise, thinking he would stay in the closed room like yesterday.

"Even someone who calls himself a hermit still needs to eat," Bai Shui Shan Ren chuckled. The character "Shan Ren" (山人) is a combination of "Xian" (仙), meaning immortal, and even immortals need to eat. His words were a roundabout way of putting it, carrying a hint of self-deprecating wit.

Rong Xie understood, stood up, closed the score, and handed it back to Bai Shui Shan Ren: "Thank you for the score, Immortal. I have benefited greatly from it."

Bai Shuishanren waved his hand, took back the musical score, put it into a large cloth bag, and left with nothing but the breeze in his sleeves.

As soon as Bai Shuishanren left, Shen Bingsi also stood up.

He stretched his arms and loosened his shoulders and back, as if he had just accomplished something great, feeling relaxed, happy, and full of a sense of accomplishment.

"It's a pity I couldn't have a proper conversation with the hermit," Rong Xie thought to himself with regret.

Shen Bingsi observed Rong Xie's expression and suggested at the right moment, "We've been sitting in the Scripture Pavilion all morning, why don't we go out for a walk?"

"Is there any scenery around here?" Rong Xie's attention was indeed drawn to it.

"Yes, there is a Bailong River with beautiful scenery. At this time of year, the lotus flowers should be in bloom. There is also a village on the river where we can have a simple meal."

Although the vegetarian food at the temple was delicious, it would get boring if eaten the same way all the time. Rong Xie agreed to the suggestion.

"It won't take too long, will it?" Rong Xie asked. "I want to come back as soon as possible to read the palm-leaf scriptures..."

The other books don't matter, but those few volumes of palm-leaf scriptures are only available at Xiangji Temple. Once they're gone, they're gone forever. According to the planned schedule, Rong Xie doesn't have much time to read them.

Shen Bingsi smiled, did not answer, and conjured a sandalwood box out of thin air, placing it on the table.

"This is...?" Rong Xie looked at Shen Bing Si in confusion.

"It's for you," Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie's face lit up. He hadn't expected Shen Bingsi to suddenly give him a gift. He picked up the box and looked at it with great interest: "This box is made of fine sandalwood and is very elegantly carved. Oh, there are words engraved here: Xiangji Temple?"

Could it be a lucky charm obtained from the temple? Rong Xie wondered to himself as he opened the box—the lid was surprisingly tight, as if it were slightly deformed. Rong Xie struggled to open it, revealing a sandalwood token inside.

Rong Xie opened his eyes wide.

It is another token from the library.

The tokens in the Sutra Repository of Xiangji Temple are rare items. Each one must be authorized by Master Wubie, who personally engraves the name on the token before it can be given to the designated recipient.

Shen Bingsi even managed to get him a piece as well.

“Master Wubie knows that you have traveled a long way to see the palm-leaf manuscript. There are not many people who can understand palm-leaf manuscripts nowadays, so this token is specially given to you,” Shen Bingsi explained.

Of course, Master Wubie wouldn't have known that Rong Xie could understand the palm-leaf scriptures without a reason. Obviously, Shen Bingsi must have said something to him to secure this for Rong Xie.

This gift truly touched Rong Xie's heart.

His eyes welled up slightly. He flipped the token over and, sure enough, saw the powerful characters "Rong Xie" on it.

"Bing Si... thank you." Rong Xie gripped the token tightly and pressed it against his chest.

"No need to thank me too much. Actually, this token is useless. We've always been together. I just brought you in. It's just that the design is quite nice. I thought you might like it..." Shen Bingsi was still muttering something to herself.

A fragrant breeze blew by, and in the blink of an eye, her dear friend was in front of her. Shen Bingsi felt her hand hanging by her side being enveloped by a pair of warm, jade-like hands.

Rong Xie held his palm with one hand and supported the inside of his wrist with the other. He leaned forward into his arms, his cheek lightly touching his shoulder, before quickly pulling away.

The incomplete hug happened too quickly; Shen Bingsi didn't even have time to feel it before it was over.

The lingering scent of soap and ink still wafted past her nose as Shen Bingsi, somewhat delirious, said, "Once you learn to fly on a sword, you can come anytime you want, and seeing that Bai Shui Shan Ren won't be a problem..."

It's not that it's impossible?

No, of course not!

Shen Bingsi jolted awake and quickly shut her mouth.

With the token from the Scripture Pavilion, Rong Xie no longer worried about not having enough time, since there was plenty of time in the future.

The two happily left the temple and headed towards Lotus Town by the Bailong River, stopping and starting along the way to enjoy the mountain scenery.

Upon arriving at the territory of Lotus Town, we indeed saw a large river flowing between two low plateaus. Along the riverbank, in the gently flowing bends, lotus leaves were planted in patches, interspersed with white and pink lotus flowers, all in full bloom.

At the entrance of the village stands a memorial archway with the words "Lotus Town" written on it.

The village was unusually lively today. Many girls in bright clothes walked along the road, and fruits and melons were displayed on the windowsills of each house. Occasionally, a small boat would paddle out of the lotus pond, and young men and women would play and laugh on the boat, their laughter carried by the wind to the shore.

For some reason, Shen Bingsi, standing under the archway of Lotus Town, suddenly had an ominous premonition.

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Shen Bingsi: Oh no, I didn't check the almanac before I went out!

Shen Bingsi's most hated holiday is here! [doge]