Chapter 6 Sleepless Night:.

[Isn't this supposed to be a male-centric power fantasy novel? Why is the male lead's true love a guy? I read nothing!]

[Everyone, please stop arguing. I think this result is perfectly reasonable. The Ice Emperor doesn't love anyone, but if he has to love one person, it must be the one who is best for him. What could be more suitable than a male live-in nanny?]

[Nonsense! I think the author doesn't want to offend either side. Goddess Miao accompanied him all the way and even sacrificed herself in the end. Not to mention Yingying, who went to challenge the Heavenly Demon herself. I just hope Lao Shen won't make things difficult for her. If you were the author, who would you choose? You'd be criticized to death no matter who you choose! You might as well choose a random passerby.]

[Well-reasoned and convincing]

[The author's writing style is grand and sweeping; this novel is a truly exhilarating read, a pure pleasure. Enough said, I have to give it a thumbs up!]

[Has the author started using AI to suppress reviews? Thumbs down!]

[How about reading the first character together again?]

I understand the logic, but who is Rong Xie?

[The woman he loved was actually that man! Rong Xie, the head steward of Huanxue Manor, his always reliable support, and his lifelong best friend!]

[Don't use the original text with nmsl]

...

The wording of the comment was more difficult to understand than the main text, but Rong Xie still managed to discern the underlying emotions.

Clearly, readers are not satisfied with the conclusion that Shen Bingsi's true love is him.

In the book, he is just a minor character, Shen Bingsi's butler, a human-shaped treasure bag, who only appears in the telephone (another name for the sound transmission jade pendant).

Compared to Xingmiao Fairy, who had a deep connection with Shen Bingsi, and Yingying Girl, they were utterly insignificant.

Readers believe that he was merely a tool the author introduced to avoid offending anyone.

From the moment Rong Xie first saw the word "tool," he understood its meaning.

It would have been better if I hadn't read the comments, but after reading them, Rong Xie felt like a joke.

He was inexplicably killed, inexplicably became Shen Bingsi's "wife," his death saved the world, and in the end he was said to be unworthy of Shen Bingsi, just a tool the author randomly picked up.

Nobody cared about his feelings.

If he had the chance to do it all over again, he would stay away from Shen Bingsi, leave Huanxue Manor, find a quiet place, and live a peaceful and quiet life.

He didn't want to experience that kind of heartbreak again...

"Thank you? Thank you?"

A familiar voice called out in my ear.

Rong Xie opened his eyes. In the darkness, a dark figure was lying in front of his face.

Rong Xie gasped, bent his knees and thrust upwards, and with a muffled groan, the thing on top of him rolled away.

"Well……"

Rong Xie took out a luminous pearl from under his pillow and used it to illuminate Shen Bing Si, who was clutching her stomach and curled up like a shrimp.

Rong Xie panicked immediately and reached out to tug at Shen Bing Si's sleeve: "Where did you bump into? Let me see..."

Shen Bingsi clutched her stomach tightly, her face contorted, veins bulging on her forehead: "It's fine, it's just a useless thing anyway."

Rong Xie's face flushed red, and he looked away slightly: "That's not quite right..."

"Then what do you mean?" Shen Bingsi pressed.

“After all, our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents, and we should not damage them…” Rong Xie said halfway through, then suddenly realized something, looked up, and saw Shen Bing Si smiling at him, showing no sign of discomfort. “You…you’re alright?”

“I’ve at least passed the Nascent Soul Realm. Even without activating my protective spiritual energy, I shouldn’t be that easily injured,” Shen Bingsi stared at Rong Xie’s face. “But you, why are you crying?”

“I didn’t cry.” Rong Xie was stunned. The next moment, Shen Bing Si’s hand was already on his cheek. Her fingers, roughened by years of holding a sword, brushed against the soft skin under his eyes. Shen Bing Si murmured, “You said you didn’t cry, but you’re all wet.”

Rong Xie felt as if he had been electrocuted, and quickly shrank back into the bed, wiping his face haphazardly through his sleeve: "Um, it's nothing, I just had a nightmare."

Rong Xie's evasive attitude bothered Shen Bingsi.

However, this concern was fleeting and left no trace.

"What nightmare?" Shen Bingsi laughed. "Could it be that you failed the swordsmanship test and are hiding away crying?"

Rong Xie was in a state of utter confusion and didn't know how to answer.

Seeing that he remained silent, Shen Bingsi was surprised: "Did I really guess right? Hey, it's no big deal. I'll go to Ling Yunzi's room and steal the roster, and change it to Grade A for you. Just dream the way I told you to do in the second half of the night."

"Um……"

Shen Bingsi felt she had perfectly resolved Rong Xie's problem. She crumpled the blanket into a ball, used it as a pillow under her ears, and then closed her eyes, facing Rong Xie, ready to sleep.

Suddenly, he felt a small force pushing him.

"Um?"

"Could you... sleep over there?" her best friend asked gently.

"No." Shen Bingsi didn't even open her eyes, domineeringly taking over the spot next to Rong Xie's pillow. "Go to sleep, I'll go to your dreams and deal with that old Taoist priest later."

In the darkness, Rong Xie gazed at Shen Bingsi's sleeping face.

He had thick, bold eyebrows and a spirited demeanor. His thin, well-defined lips revealed extraordinary willpower, and the naturally upturned corners of his lips indicated his confidence in everything he did, sometimes to the point of arrogance. However, when he frowned, he was terrifyingly cold and unapproachable, his chilling aura enough to intimidate many seasoned veterans older than him.

The same face, but at the end of the novel, is lost and dejected, like a stray dog; its dark, jade-like eyes have lost their luster and are filled with an overwhelming sadness.

"Rong'er, it won't hurt much..."

Why did things get to that point? Where exactly did things go wrong?

Did he do something wrong in the future? Was it because he... agreed to dual cultivation? That's why Shen Bingsi developed feelings for him that went beyond friendship? Or was it because he lacked a sense of boundaries in their daily interactions, always letting her hug him and sleep in the same bed with him? Even if they were close friends, that was going too far...

Rong Xie broke out in a cold sweat. He seemed to have figured out the root of the problem. However, these things that he had ignored and neglected in his daily life had led to such a terrible result. He could no longer ignore them.

To prevent the same tragedy from happening again, he should stay away from Shen Bingsi and leave Huanxue Manor, cutting off the possibility of destroying Shen Bingsi's Dao heart at the root. In this way, Shen Bingsi's cultivation will not be hindered, and he will not die tragically at the hands of the person who stirred his heart the moment his heart began to stir.

But... where could he go if he left Huanxue Manor?

Rong Xie gazed at Shen Bingsi's sleeping face, thinking about many, many things.

Shen Bingsi slept very soundly, even snoring softly.

...

In the latter half of the night, Rong Xie turned his pillow upside down to cover Shen Bingsi's face and managed to fall asleep for a while.

The next morning.

Sunlight climbed up the window frame and shone on the floor in front of the bed.

Shen Bingsi hadn't had such a good night's sleep in a long time.

As a cultivator, he shouldn't need to sleep. Perhaps he progressed too quickly and hadn't yet shaken off the habits of an ordinary person, or perhaps he had been busy for a while and couldn't help but relax when he returned home and to his close friends.

The air was filled with a pleasant fragrance, making the morning intoxicating. The scent of soap and book pages mingled together was never enough; it was Rong Xie's natural aroma.

Shen Bingsi closed her eyes, hugged the nearest long, narrow object, and rubbed her face against it.

"Mmm..." A soothing nasal sound.

He turned over, and his feet naturally slipped into Rong Xie's blanket. Rong Xie's skin was very comfortable to rub against, smooth and soft, like warm jade, more suitable for the skin than any fine silk.

But this time, he stretched for a long time without encountering the expected obstacle.

Shen Bingsi opened her eyes in confusion.

The long, narrow object she was holding was Rong Xie's pillow; Rong Xie wasn't in bed.

Shen Bingsi brazenly stretched her legs into Rong Xie's blanket; they were cold.

"Huh? So early, where have you been?"

Shen Bingsi walked around the garden but couldn't find anyone. He began to realize the seriousness of the problem.

The washed clothes were still piled in the basin, not hung up to dry; the kitchen was cold and empty, with nothing to eat; Rong Xie's communication jade pendant was on the desk, not with him.

A strong sense of foreboding washed over me.

Could it be... could it be that a once-in-a-millennium demon has appeared and kidnapped Rong Xie?!

It wasn't that Shen Bingsi had a vivid imagination; it was simply that Huanxue Manor's defenses were impregnable. Located in Huanxue Valley, the heart of the Lingjing Sect, no one could easily break through the Lingjing Sect's protective array and enter unimpeded. Furthermore, the year Shen Bingsi moved in, she added nine layers of barriers, extending from the main gate all the way to the backyard. The only way to avoid alerting Shen Bingsi was if a once-in-a-millennium demon appeared, rendering the existing defenses ineffective.

Shen Bingsi felt a sharp pain on her scalp and subconsciously clenched her fists. Every second she delayed making a decision would reduce her best friend's chances of survival.

Shen Bingsi took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and flew into the air. Golden light flashed on her forehead, and a vast spiritual consciousness surged out like a tide, rushing in all directions and instantly covering the entire Huanxue Valley.

At the same time, the elders of all the peaks of the Spirit Mirror Sect stopped their morning lectures and turned in surprise towards the direction of Huanxue Valley—what was wrong with their adjudicator? Why was he holding such a high-level meeting so early in the morning? Could something big have happened?

Shen Bingsi's vast spiritual consciousness lasted only a moment before she found the person she longed for.

On the mountain path, Rong Xie carried a fish basket with a live fish jumping inside. The fish's fierceness caused Rong Xie a lot of trouble. He tried to keep the fish basket as far away as possible while maintaining his balance. So he walked down the mountain with an odd, twisting gait, heading towards Huanxue Valley.

So they went to buy fish.

Shen Bingsi let out a heavy sigh.

He transformed into a golden ray of light, flew towards the valley, and appeared before Rong Xie with a "whoosh," taking the fish basket from his hand.

"Why did you decide to buy fish so early in the morning?" Shen Bingsi asked, her voice tinged with worry followed by anger. "The market is so far away. If you wanted fish, just tell me and I'll go buy it."

Rong Xie's face was flushed. His morning exercise had made his blood flow smoothly throughout his body, and his spirits were much better than at night. He looked at Shen Bingsi with bright eyes, wanting to say something, but in the end he only hummed in response.

"And there's the communication jade pendant. How can I go out without it? I tried to contact you but couldn't, so I had to use my spiritual sense to find you, which alerted the elders of each peak. There won't be any peace and quiet today." Shen Bingsi laid the groundwork for the chaos that was about to unfold.

"Ah... I'm sorry." Rong Xie didn't expect Shen Bingsi to cause such a commotion, and felt a little guilty.

Seeing Rong Xie lower his head, Shen Bingsi's previous annoyance vanished. She figured that Rong Xie had gone to the market early in the morning to buy fish in order to prepare a welcome banquet for him.

"It's not your fault. What are we having for dinner today? I want fish soup." Shen Bingsi put her arm around Rong Xie's waist, and the two of them flew off the ground and moved smoothly to the front of Huanxue Manor.

Rong Xie wanted to refuse such an intimate gesture, but Shen Bingsi had already lifted him into the air, so he had no choice but to lean on Shen Bingsi's arm. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately stepped back.

That feeling of concern resurfaced in her heart, and Shen Bingsi's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Rong Xie.

Rong Xie raised his sleeve and gently wiped his forehead. His breath was unsteady, but he answered gently, "I'll make fish fillet soup. The fish meat will be freshly sliced, the fish bones will be fried, and the fish head will be stewed. You can eat it when you return from the Mirror Palace."

Shen Bingsi's face lit up with joy. She walked up the steps with Rong Xie, entered the room, and talked on and on about many trivial things. Then she changed her outer clothes and went to the Mirror Palace to report on her mission, looking radiant.

Rong Xie watched Shen Bingsi leave, then returned to the kitchen and sighed softly.

He was planning to leave that morning, yes, to leave Huanxue Mountain Villa.

But once he left Huanxue Manor and faced the towering mountains of Lingjing Sect, he realized that leaving wasn't so easy.

After walking for half an hour on the mountain road, we finally arrived at the first place with people—the outer market.

Rong Xie strolled around the market twice, spotted a well-dressed old fisherman with a simple smile, hesitated for a moment, and then walked up to him.

The old fisherman warmly greeted Rong Xie, gesturing for him to see his newly caught fish. His rough fingers deftly caught a plump Heyang fish and held it up to Rong Xie's eyes: "Sir, look at this! This is a freshly caught Heyang fish today! It's so fresh! It'll be delicious whether you make soup, steam it, or braise it!"

Rong Xie hesitated and said, "Alright, I'll buy this fish... But could you tell me where you live? Is this business profitable?"

"Alright!" The old fisherman stood up nimbly, strung the fish onto the scale, and muttered as he adjusted the scale beam, "Sir, if you want to hear it, I'll tell you, but life is unbearable now—"

So, for the next half hour, Rong Xie was held captive by the old fisherman and listened to his complaints. By the time he recovered from his dizziness, it was already broad daylight.

Rong Xie was startled. If he didn't go back now, Shen Bing Si would get anxious. He hurriedly thanked the old fisherman and took his leave. It seemed that leaving the manor would have to be considered more carefully.

Even as he got up to leave, Rong Xie could still hear the old fisherman sighing behind him: "Where is there any peaceful life to live? It's all the sins of our past lives. Only someone like you, sir, who accumulates good deeds, is born to enjoy happiness and has never suffered. That's why you say that fishing and chopping wood are peaceful lives for us, huh..."