Chapter 45: Unable to get through.

As night fell, a sudden, eerie wind arose, and clouds rose from the southern mountains, drifting all the way to the capital and lodging there, even obscuring the moon.

The darkest hour of the day has arrived.

At Xiangji Temple in the western suburbs of Beijing, two young novices stood under the eaves talking.

"This wind is so strange, is it going to rain tomorrow?"

"That's really weird. The sunset was so bright just now, and now there's wind and dark clouds."

"Yes, it's alright in our mountains, but with the curfew lifted in the capital today, we probably won't even be able to see the moon."

"Heh, what does the lifting of the curfew in the capital have to do with you? Perhaps you're tempted..."

"Pah! You're the one who's tempted!"

The two young monks started playing around, hitting and poking each other, making a ruckus in the corridor.

Suddenly, with a creak, the door to the meditation room at the back opened.

The two young monks quickly stood up with their heads bowed, behaving as if they weren't the ones who had just caused the commotion.

However, after the door rang, no one came out. After a moment of silence, the two young monks looked at each other in bewilderment.

"You scared me to death! I thought my senior uncle had come out!"

"Serves you right for making a scene. You'll be happy when you get punished."

"Isn't it because no one came out? No, didn't you cause any trouble?"

"..."

The two young novices bickered for a bit longer before realizing that the wind might have blown the door to the meditation room open, and they needed to close it.

"You go first."

"You go first."

For some reason, the two felt a little uneasy and walked side by side toward the meditation room. By this time, the high monks who had participated in the Water and Land Dharma Assembly had all left, and the meditation room was empty and dark, creating a very eerie atmosphere.

"Amitabha."

Two young monks chanted Buddhist mantras and carried lanterns to shine on the doors of the meditation rooms, one by one, but each door was closed properly.

As the two were pondering this, a sudden flash of light revealed a very tall person standing on the white wall.

"Ahhh—"

"Mother!"

The two young monks turned and ran, almost tripping on the steps. Luckily, someone helped them up from behind, and they were able to stand up.

Wait, why would someone help them up from behind?

The two young monks felt a chill run down their spines and trembled like leaves. They wanted to run, but they couldn't move their feet an inch.

A sigh came from behind.

A deep male voice rang out: "Why are you running? I have something to ask you."

The two young monks said tremblingly, "Amitabha, Your Excellency, please ask us. We will answer everything we know."

He added, "It's just that we are still relatively inexperienced and don't quite understand things like seeking official titles or reviving souls."

"..."

The deep male voice suddenly became agitated: "What nonsense are you spouting? Who wants to be granted a title or have their soul resurrected? Look closely, I am a human, not a demon or monster!"

As soon as the voice came out, the two young monks realized it was the right person. Their surprise turned to joy, and they breathed a sigh of relief: "So it's you, benefactor!"

Standing behind them was none other than Shen Bingsi.

Shen Bingsi had a dark face, and at first glance, he did look a bit like a ghost. Coupled with his unusually depressed tone, it was no wonder that others mistook him for someone else.

After returning from Lotus Town this afternoon, Shen Bingsi immediately began to meditate. As usual, he used the "Heaven-Severing Blade" to cut away the distracting thoughts in his mind and wait for his sea of ​​consciousness to calm down.

When he opened his eyes again, it was completely dark outside.

There were no lights on in the room, but it didn't matter to Shen Bingsi whether the lights were on or not, as he could clearly see that there was no one on the bed opposite him.

Rong Xie always made his bed perfectly tidy, the kind of tidy that no one else could ever restore after touching it. Shen Bingsi could tell at a glance that the bed was exactly as it was when she left that morning, and that Rong Xie had not returned.

Shen Bingsi's heart sank.

Shen Bingsi immediately took out the communication jade pendant, touched it, and found it was cold.

If Rong Xie had just contacted him, the jade pendant shouldn't be so cold. Vibration would generate some heat, and even if Shen Bingsi didn't receive it, the surface of the jade pendant should still have some residual warmth.

"..."

This means that Rong Xie did not contact him, at least not within half an hour.

The fact that Rong Xie did not contact him means that Rong Xie was not lost or in trouble and did not need his help. Otherwise, Rong Xie would have already sent a telepathic message.

That's true. The road from Lotus Town to Xiangji Temple is not hard to find. If you use a flying talisman, you can return in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. There's no need to ask any questions.

But why hasn't Rong Xie returned yet?

It has been at least an hour since he left Lotus Town; even if he had walked, he would have come back by now.

Rong Xie did not return. Not only did he not return, he did not even send a telepathic message.

Before she knew it, Shen Bingsi walked barefoot on the floor, pacing back and forth in the room several times.

Should he go find Rong Xie? But Rong Xie was also at fault in this matter, and if he just went back to find him, it would seem like he was being unreasonable.

Of course, Rong Xie was wrong. When those people announced that they were "a perfect match made in heaven", Rong Xie should have firmly refused or clarified on the spot. Even if he didn't give any reaction and just kept a cold face and didn't say a word, it would have been better than smiling and leaning on his shoulder, making him almost lose his composure on the spot.

Rong Xie wouldn't have been like this before. In the past, Rong Xie was a person with a strong sense of boundaries. He rarely showed emotional fluctuations in front of others, let alone like today, smiling with his eyes sparkling with spring, looking at him with teary eyes, as if there was boundless expectation in his eyes, like... like a young man in love, waiting for his lover's response.

"Pah, what a terrible description!" Shen Bingsi spat into the air.

No one could question the deep friendship between Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie, including Shen Bingsi himself. He had no doubt about Rong Xie's feelings for him. However, due to some special reasons, they had to have closer contact. This contact made them snuggle together like Daoist couples, embracing intimately and becoming more intimately connected. Habit is a terrible thing. If they crossed the line in private, it would naturally show up in public, to the point that the boundary gradually disappeared. Apart from maintaining their friendship in their hearts, the two of them looked no different from Daoist couples on the outside.

This is absolutely unacceptable.

Therefore, in order to distance herself from Rong Xie and re-establish a respectful daily relationship, Shen Bingsi deliberately pushed him away a little and left decisively in Lotus Town for this reason.

Shen Bingsi felt there was nothing wrong with what she was doing. Lotus Town wasn't some remote village; asking for directions or getting a ride was easy. The road from Lotus Town to Xiangji Temple was also simple and easy to find. At noon, Shen Bingsi had just taken Rong Xie on a trip. Rong Xie carried a brocade pouch with a thick stack of flying talismans, and given his abundant spiritual energy, there was no possibility that he wouldn't be able to find his way back.

...

But now, it's dark, and Rong Xie hasn't returned.

Shen Bingsi suddenly became uncertain. Was what he thought was a slight push really just a slight push?

What if I used too much force and pushed the person away...?

The thought of Rong Xie leaving made Shen Bingsi's scalp tingle, and she felt as if she had lost her anchor. She frantically rummaged through her golden fish-patterned bag.

Damn it, why did it have to disappear right when I needed the communication jade pendant?!

Shen Bingsi suddenly ripped open the fish-patterned bag and noticed that the corner of the jade pendant was not in the bag, but in his right hand.

Oh right, he already took it out!

Shen Bingsi casually tossed aside the fish-patterned pouch, held the communication jade pendant in the air, and with a burst of spiritual energy, the jade pendant immediately emitted a long "hum" sound.

Buzz—

Buzz————

Buzz——————

The buzzing continued for a long time, but there was still no sign of the other end answering. Shen Bingsi stared at the jade pendant, her expression changing several times until it turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

In the past, Rong Xie would sometimes not answer telepathic messages, but that was always at Huanxue Manor. At the manor, Rong Xie wouldn't always carry the jade pendant with him; he would just leave it lying around. He would only reply to Shen Bingsi when he came back and the jade pendant was warm to the touch. This often made Shen Bingsi feel ignored. In order to strengthen her presence and be able to contact Rong Xie in time when needed, Shen Bingsi gave him a one-way super-enhanced effect. The strong golden light and vibration were enough for Rong Xie to be able to sense the telepathic jade pendant moving in a certain room even when he was taking a walk outside.

Now, this one-sided effect has been greatly reduced, but if you carry it with you, you can still feel it very clearly, so there's no reason why it hasn't been answered for so long.

unless……

Unless you don't have it with you.

Shen Bingsi didn't want to think about the other possibility, which was that Rong Xie didn't want to accept.

"How could I not have it with me!" Shen Bingsi couldn't understand. "Didn't we agree that we should always have it with us when we're out?"

Unbeknownst to him, he had reached the door of the meditation room and was secretly listening to the sounds outside.

Perhaps Rong Xie has already returned, or perhaps he has already reached the courtyard gate but didn't greet her because he felt he was almost there.

Perhaps after a short while, Rong Xie will appear in the courtyard and stroll over slowly, just like he always does, no matter what urgent matter he encounters, he will simply stroll there gracefully.

Unfortunately, no familiar figures came over, but Shen Bingsi overheard the conversation between two young monks outside.

An evil wind is blowing tonight.

A perfectly sunny day turned cloudy at night.

The moon is obscured; I'm afraid I won't be able to see anything.

I can't see anything...

Shen Bingsi suddenly pushed open the door and strode out into the outer room.

What happened next was exactly as the two young novices had witnessed.

However, Shen Bingsi didn't intentionally stand on the wall to scare them. When the light swept over, Shen Bingsi had just risen into the air, intending to fly out to find someone.

"...You said there was an evil wind tonight? When did it start? Where did the dark clouds rise from? How long has this pitch-black situation lasted?" Shen Bingsi asked, feeling agitated.

The two young monks recounted what they had heard. It was probably shortly after Shen Bingsi returned to her room, which explained why he hadn't noticed anything.

Shen Bingsi could no longer afford to think about anything else. He pushed aside the two young monks, rushed out of the temple gate like a gust of wind, and plunged into the vast night.

"hiss--"

The wild grass was blown aside by the gale, and Shen Bingsi was like that gale. He flew past the tips of the grass blades, so fast that he left only a blur. The wild grass was like the water of the White Dragon River, which was cleaved apart by Shen Bingsi at an extremely fast speed, and the waves of grass spread to both sides.

As Shen Bingsi moved through the grass, he unleashed his spiritual sense. His vast spiritual sense spread out in all directions from Shen Bingsi's center, pushing forward with his movements. No matter how dark or how deep the grass, Shen Bingsi could "see" everything clearly.

No.

No.

It's not here either.

...

Shen Bingsi rushed all the way to Lotus Leaf Town, searching through all the wasteland on both sides of the road, but still couldn't find Rong Xie.

Now, Shen Bingsi was completely panicked.

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[doge emoji]