Chapter 47 I'm sorry:

"Impossible, it must have broken somewhere." Shen Bingsi stared intently at the jade pendant, muttering to herself.

Rong Xie didn't know what Shen Bingsi was reciting, but he was probably repairing the jade pendant. He rummaged through his brocade pouch, took out a clean towel, found two pairs of shoes, and asked the young monk to help him get a wooden tub for soaking his feet.

With everything prepared, Rong Xie filled the wooden tub with water spirit, then tugged at Shen Bingsi's sleeve, asking him to heat the water.

Shen Bingsi did it with a deathly pale face.

Rong Xie pulled Shen Bingsi and made him sit on the bench in the corridor, putting his feet into the wooden tub.

It wasn't until her feet were submerged in the hot water that Shen Bingsi shuddered and came to her senses.

He looked down and saw Rong Xie supporting his knees as he stood up from the wooden tub, asking gently, "How's the water temperature? Is it hot?"

Shen Bingsi is not afraid of getting burned.

But for some reason, seeing his best friend's concern for him, he couldn't help but become sentimental.

"A little, but it's okay." Shen Bingsi paused. "I guess I was out in the wind and haven't recovered yet. I'll be fine after soaking for a while."

Rong Xie was slightly taken aback, her fingers twisting the towel in her hand tightly.

Shen Bingsi noticed Rong Xie's subtle actions and felt a little relieved. See? His best friend still cared about him. He had run so far barefoot, and only his best friend noticed immediately and brought him a foot bath tub. Hearing that he had been out in the wind, she was so worried about him—wasn't this proof that they were of one mind? You care about me, I care about you, nothing can separate us. If this isn't being of one mind, then what is?

Shen Bingsi calmed down on his own, and when he looked at the dusty jade pendant, his face was full of disgust. It was this broken thing that malfunctioned at the crucial moment and almost drove a wedge between him and his best friend. The treacherous minister's jade pendant!

"This jade pendant must be broken. It's alright, we can buy another one at the inner sect market another day. Let's use the ordinary sound transmission jade pendant for now." Shen Bingsi said, reaching into her golden fish-patterned pouch, but couldn't find it. "Hiss, how come everything just grows legs and runs away?"

"Could it be that it was left in the room?" Rong Xie guessed. "No rush, let's wash our feet first and see if these two pairs of shoes fit."

Shen Bingsi changed the water twice and, under Rong Xie's supervision, washed her toes and nails thoroughly. She then put on the wooden clogs prepared by Rong Xie and stood comfortably under the eaves.

A cool night breeze blew by, making it incredibly pleasant.

"Are these wooden clogs you brought from home?" Shen Bingsi asked.

"Yes, I brought an extra pair, just in case," Rong Xie said.

Shen Bingsi nodded in satisfaction. See? Her best friend hadn't changed his mind at all. There was no such thing as their hearts not being in sync. All she had to do was exchange it for a jade pendant that could transmit their hearts.

However, there are very few Heart-to-Heart Jade Pendants available on the market. Usually, people would first ask someone to get the Western Sea Jade, and then find the symbiotic jade blanks, and then use special techniques to make the Heart-to-Heart Jade Pendants. It's like getting the materials first and then making a custom-made special magic artifact. Even Shen Bingsi didn't prepare a second pair as a backup.

It seems we need to prepare several more pairs, so that if something like this happens again, we won't be short of spares.

Shen Bingsi returned to the room and found the golden fish-patterned bag on the ground. He took out the communication jade pendant from it and handed it to Rong Xie.

"This is just an ordinary sound transmission jade pendant, we'll make do with it for now," Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie took the communication jade pendant, hesitating, "Is mine... really broken?"

He still couldn't believe that his jade pendant had suddenly broken.

He was always very careful with his things. The inner disciple's robe from ten years ago could still be worn like new after a wash and hang-up. He could blend in with the group of newly entered inner disciples and no one would notice. His personal belongings were even more so. The luminous pearl on his bedside table, which Shen Bingsi gave him when he first moved to Huanxue Manor, was still shiny and smooth, without a single scratch or dent.

Compared to him, Shen Bingsi broke far more things. Even when she got up after eating, it felt like there were thorns on her butt, and she almost tore half of the chair cushion off...

That's how it is. Shen Bingsi's jade pendant wasn't damaged, but his was. This is simply outrageous.

"It's not necessarily your part that's broken; it could be mine. Anyway, the sound transmission isn't working." Shen Bingsi thought it was a trivial matter, but seeing how concerned Rong Xie seemed, he offered another explanation.

“…Okay.” Rong Xie felt a little better.

After discussing the jade pendant for transmitting sound, the two suddenly fell silent.

The events of Lotus Town resurfaced in my mind.

"Maybe... I should just sleep in the next room," Rong Xie said.

Although Shen Bingsi is acting as if nothing happened, the room has already been booked.

Sleeping alone in a room is definitely more comfortable and allows for better rest than sleeping with someone else in a room.

"Why?" Shen Bingsi asked in surprise, as if she had never expected Rong Xie to say such a thing. "I'm back, of course we'll sleep together."

"..." Rong Xie had a bit of a headache.

"Are you... angry with me?" Shen Bingsi paused for a moment before asking.

Shen Bingsi wasn't quite used to asking this kind of question, and her initial confidence faltered.

He used to think that asking such questions was just asking trouble. If the other person got angry, what would be the point of asking? It would be better to find an opportunity to make amends elsewhere. If the other person wasn't angry, asking would only make him seem guilty, and might even create a problem where there was none.

Moreover, emotions come and go quickly; if you ignore them, they will naturally dissipate.

But times have changed.

After he abandoned his close friend, the jade pendant stopped working. Regardless of whether the two events were directly related, it was still a cause for concern.

Rong Xie did care about him, and prepared hot water and wooden clogs for him as usual, but when it was time to sleep, she was unwilling to sleep in the same room with him.

These two unusual events made Shen Bingsi wary.

Tonight, he absolutely cannot let Rong Xie sleep next door. Even if he throws a tantrum or does something he would never have done before, he will keep Rong Xie here.

"No, I have something to tell you. Pack your things and come over." Shen Bingsi's tone was as domineering as ever.

“But… I’m tired,” Rong Xie said, his brows furrowing slightly as he added with some difficulty, “Can we talk about it tomorrow morning?”

Shen Bingsi's heart skipped a beat, and she grabbed Rong Xie's hand: "You're tired? How can you be tired? Is your meridian blocked? Let me take a look."

As he spoke, he reached out to take Rong Xie's pulse.

Unexpectedly, Rong Xie pulled his hand out first and put it behind his back.

Shen Bingsi was stunned.

Oh no, something really has happened.

His heart sank.

Looking up at Rong Xie, Shen Bingsi saw that her close friend was frowning and looking tired, as if he was really exhausted. However, Shen Bingsi knew that today's activity level was definitely not enough to make a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining feel strained.

"you……"

"I'm fine, but could we not talk about this tonight? My mind is a mess right now, and I want to rest," Rong Xie sighed.

Shen Bingsi was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand."

Rong Xie nodded: "See you tomorrow."

He turned and walked toward the next room, but after taking only two steps, he felt someone following closely beside him.

He turned around and looked at Shen Bingsi with a puzzled expression.

"I promise I won't say anything and will stay quiet." Shen Bingsi made a gagging gesture. "You can pretend there's no one else in the room."

"This..." How can we pretend there's no one else around? Shen Bingsi is such a big target right next to us, and she even snores.

“If you still care, I can become invisible,” Shen Bingsi insisted.

This time it was Rong Xie's turn to be surprised.

He had never seen Shen Bingsi so humble before, willing to follow him even in secret.

"..."

If you don't agree, Shen Bingsi might secretly follow you. It's impossible to tell, since even a Nascent Soul expert of the same level might not be able to detect him when he's hiding.

"I'll tidy up and go to your room instead," Rong Xie said helplessly. "But I'm really tired, I'll just sleep there."

"Okay." Shen Bingsi immediately agreed, and her steps back became quick and heavy.

Rong Xie returned to his room.

He tidied up the newly made bed, stuffed his own sheets and pillow into his personal pouch, and looked around; there was nothing else there.

Arriving at Shen Bingsi's room again, Rong Xie quickly washed up, took off his coat, pulled back the covers, and lay down on the bed.

Shen Bingsi kept her promise and remained silent throughout the entire process.

Rong Xie lay there for a while. The room was quiet, but he couldn't fall asleep. He didn't know if it was because of the commotion he had just experienced, or because he could clearly feel Shen Bingsi staring at the back of his head.

"..."

Rong Xie turned over to face Shen Bingsi: "Go ahead and say it."

Shen Bingsi was sitting cross-legged on the bed, lost in thought, and with nowhere to look, she stared at the back of Rong Xie's head.

Rong Xie's head was round and bulging, and his hair was soft and smooth, with a special feel to it. Shen Bingsi was savoring that feeling.

Unexpectedly, Rong Xie suddenly turned around, catching Shen Bing Si off guard.

"Huh? What did you say? Oh..." Shen Bingsi came to her senses, sat up straight, and placed her hands on her knees. "I'm sorry!"

As he spoke, he bowed to Rong Xie.

However, his legs remained in a seated posture, making the bow look a bit awkward.

Rong Xie was taken aback, not expecting Shen Bingsi to give him such a formal apology.

"Why...why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

“Because it was my fault.” Shen Bingsi did not straighten up, but remained in a bowing position. He looked up at Rong Xie. This degree of physical contortion was nothing to him. His eyes were bright and he stared directly at Rong Xie. “Participating in the Flower King Competition was my idea. It was also my oversight not to check the almanac before going out today. You did nothing wrong, but I left you there alone. It was my fault. I’m sorry.”

Shen Bingsi spoke crisply and decisively, without any hesitation. Clearly, he had repeated these words in his mind many times.

"..." Rong Xie didn't know what to say. "Straighten up first."

"I won't stand up straight until you forgive me." Shen Bingsi pressed her shoulders down even further.

Seeing that he was almost folded into a splint, Rong Xie said helplessly, "I forgive you."

"Really?" Shen Bingsi raised her head again, her eyes shining as she looked at Rong Xie, a few wrinkles appearing on her forehead.

"real."

In fact, Rong Xie was somewhat angry at first, but that anger was mixed with the fear of his feelings being exposed and the pain of Shen Bing Si ruthlessly drawing a line between them, so it was not very obvious.

Therefore, Shen Bingsi's apology did not make him feel any better.

Shen Bingsi straightened up, uncrossed her legs, got off the bed, and rushed to Rong Xie's bedside, where she plopped down on top of him.

In the blink of an eye, Rong Xie saw Shen Bingsi suddenly appear in front of him, and sit down next to him on the quilt. Judging from the way he raised his legs, she wanted to squeeze in and sleep with him.

This is a meditation room!

This is a single bed!

What is Shen Bingsi trying to do? Does she want to provoke a war between Buddhism and Taoism?

"Don't come up," Rong Xie said weakly.

Shen Bingsi's body stiffened briefly before she slid off the edge of the bed and silently returned to her own bed, like water flowing back into a ditch.

Rong Xie didn't expect Shen Bingsi to go back so easily this time. He had already prepared himself for Shen Bingsi to force her way in.

...

In any case, this is a good thing.

Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief, and just then, drowsiness came over him, so he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

With a soft "pop," all the lights in the room went out.

The meditation room was plunged into darkness, and Shen Bingsi sat there for a long time.

The next few days were quite pleasant.

Rong Xie went to the library to read books, and Shen Bingsi didn't disturb him, letting him read to his heart's content.

They ate lunch together, and Shen Bingsi always managed to get all sorts of delicious food. Judging from the style of the food boxes, they definitely couldn't get it from nearby. However, since the temple abstained from meat, they always had to eat outside. They would sit on a large rock on the edge of the plateau, enjoying the vast plain scenery while eating their food.

After a while, Rong Xie couldn't sit still any longer.

"Shouldn't we go back?" Rong Xie asked Shen Bing Si. "We've been out for at least twice as long as we expected."

I originally planned to go back in late June, but it's already mid-July.

"What's the rush? Have you finished reading the scriptures?" Shen Bingsi was quite composed.

“…Then it will probably take another month to see.” Rong Xie felt that Shen Bing Si still didn’t know enough about the amount of palm-leaf scriptures stored.

“Then let’s wait a month,” Shen Bingsi said. “We have plenty of time.”

“…But,” Rong Xie could sense that Shen Bingsi was still trying to make up for what happened in Lotus Town, but he didn’t need that. He was eager to return to the comfortable, warm, grand, and elegant Huanxue Manor. “I’ve been looking at it for so long, and I’m tired of it. Anyway, I have the token you gave me. I can come back whenever I want.”

Shen Bingsi's feigned smile vanished, and he hurriedly asked, "Really?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's great!"

The reality is that Shen Bingsi is also testing the limits of his patience. He's so bored he's about to explode, but Rong Xie is watching so happily that he doesn't want to spoil his fun.

After a night of deep reflection on Qixi Festival, Shen Bingsi realized that what was more terrifying than Rong Xie's shameless, smiling advances was Rong Xie telling him not to come up, not to follow him, and not to appear in front of him.

Even if one forgets their sense of propriety, they can still cut away distracting thoughts with the "Heaven-Severing Blade." But if Rong Xie really runs away, he's finished.

Once she understood this matter and her place in the relationship, Shen Bingsi suddenly felt enlightened and her thoughts became clear.

His immediate priority was to appease Rong Xie and then have a new jade pendant made to recreate the previous state of affairs.

Fortunately, my best friend is gentle and easy to coax.

Moreover, before he left, he prepared a grand gift that would surely touch his dearest friend's heart, allowing him to forget the unpleasant parts of the trip and only remember the surprise and emotion brought by the gift in the future.

“Rong’er, I want to take you flying again, to a place that may be a bit far, but you will never regret going,” Shen Bingsi said with unprecedented seriousness. “Ten years ago, I went to this place to prepare a gift and witnessed the vastness of the world and the wonders at the end of the land. I wanted to take you there then.”

Rong Xie looked up in surprise. He had warned himself not to have any expectations of Shen Bing Si anymore, but hearing his earnest confession, he couldn't help but feel his heart pounding.

“Because of some unforeseen circumstances, I haven’t been able to deliver that gift to that person. Now, I think it’s time,” Shen Bingsi pried open Rong Xie’s unconsciously curled-up hand and held it tightly. “Rong’er, would you like to come with me to get that gift? If we do, we’ll go back to Huanxue Manor.”

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The bigger the promises you make, the bigger the mess you'll make. [doge emoji]