Is Chapter 102 weak?

After returning to Lanyuan, Rong Xie began to plan the matter. It just so happened that Captain Zhao was about to set off soon, and they planned to seize the treasure of the King of Runan during the New Year when the defenses were relaxed. Rong Xie then waited for the results of their expedition.

Lan Yuan Villa was also very busy during the New Year period. Chief Minister Wang had to entertain several groups of people here, and Rong Xie couldn't leave either. Especially in the first few days of the first month, the stewards had to wait in the garden and couldn't go around. This was fine for the other stewards, as they lived in the garden anyway. But it was a bit inconvenient for Rong Xie. He couldn't go back to his own home at night and could only stay in the steward's courtyard. Fortunately, the accommodations at Lan Yuan Villa were very good, and they were generous with charcoal. Apart from not being used to it, he didn't have any other discomfort.

I'm not used to it, mainly because... I used to spend New Year's with Shen Bingsi, but this year I'm alone outside.

It wasn't his own home, but the place where he worked. The manager's courtyard was deserted at night; everyone had gone back to their own quarters. Only Rong Xie was staying there. He lay on the floor, warmed by the charcoal fire, and heard the sound of snowflakes falling from the banana leaves outside. A feeling of loneliness rose in his heart.

What is Shen Bingsi doing at this moment? Rong Xie couldn't help but wonder.

Why think about him? Another voice in my head said.

Rong Xie turned over and looked at the gap between the floor and the wall. Although the buildings of Lan Yuan Villa were exquisite, the servants' rooms were not well maintained. The walls went straight down to the floor without baseboards, and dirt and grime could easily accumulate in the gaps.

Huanxue Manor is not like that. Rong Xie couldn't help but think that every room in Huanxue Manor had baseboards, which made it very convenient for him to clean and looked comfortable and tidy. How could there be a house without baseboards? Without baseboards, insects could easily hide in those dark gaps.

Rong Xie immediately felt uncomfortable all over, so he simply sat up and placed a barrier around the bed to prevent insects from crawling over.

Once the barrier was in place, Rong Xie lay down again.

This time, Rong Xie fell asleep. In his dream, Shen Bingsi explained to him that he couldn't find him because he had moved to the steward's office and was no longer in Zhuli Lane.

Rong Xie was a little annoyed. He turned his back and told Shen Bingsi that he didn't need to explain. He was spending the New Year alone in the garden, which was very lively, and he didn't have time to think about him at all.

The next morning, Rong Xie secretly berated himself. He was trying to distance himself from Shen Bing Si, so why did he think of him again?

And so, the New Year celebrations passed in this limbo until the Lantern Festival, when all that remained of the garden's affairs was the finishing touches. Manager Wang made an exception and gave Rong Xie a long holiday, allowing him to go home and rest.

Rong Xie had been waiting for this. He immediately packed his bedding and valuables and returned to Zhuli Lane. Only when he stepped into his home did Rong Xie feel completely relaxed.

Rong Xie called Wang Mu over and asked him how he had been these past few days.

Because Rong Xie was moving to the garden, the responsibility of looking after the house was handed over to Wang Mu.

Wang Mu stayed home at night, went to the garden to collect free meals during the day, and spent the rest of his time lounging around, setting off firecrackers with people on the street. He lived a carefree life.

"Hmm," he reported, craning his neck as he ate the steamed bun with pickles that Rong Xie had brought back from the garden, "The lord of the manor hasn't shown up at all, and the house next door has been empty. Captain Zhao and Linglong came by and brought gifts for Brother Rong, but when they found Brother Rong wasn't there, they went back. They only asked me to leave a message saying that the treasure of the Prince of Ru Nan has been discovered, thanks to Brother Rong. As for me, I'm fine. The braised duck in the garden is delicious. Brother Rong, please bring some back next time!"

"Hmm..." Rong Xie thought to himself, now that Captain Zhao has successfully discovered the treasure, we can move on to the next step.

"Oh right, that young master is here too," Wang Mu suddenly remembered.

"What young master?"

"It's the eldest young master of the Lu family! Lu Yingqi, the Xuan Tian Sword Master!"

"Lu Yingqi is here?" Rong Xie was surprised. Why did all these people come when he wasn't home? "Did he say anything?"

"He said he wanted to talk about that incident again, and that he would come over after the New Year when you're done with your work, Brother Rong."

Rong Xie was pleasantly surprised that Lu Yingqi wanted to talk again, but he didn't know whether Lu Yingqi wanted to help or stop him.

"I understand." Rong Xie nodded. "I'll go to the garden later and get some more braised duck."

"Great!" Wang Mu cheered.

Once he gets busy, Rong Xie doesn't have time to think about Shen Bing Si.

Over the course of two days, he first met with Captain Zhao and Linglong, and listened to Captain Zhao boast about his thrilling adventures in the treasure of the Prince of Ruan. He learned that they had made a great harvest and that they would be able to eat their fill for the next six months without having to take on the dirty work of the nobles in Shengjing.

"This is all thanks to Fellow Daoist Rong's treasure map," Captain Zhao said gratefully.

"Yes, we also need to thank Sister Qu." Linglong looked around. "Why haven't I seen Sister Qu lately? Isn't she spending the New Year here?"

Rong Xie didn't know how to explain to her that Sister Qu would not appear again, so he could only change the subject.

"By the way, there are some ancient books and scrolls in the treasure of the King of Ruan. Fellow Daoist Rong seems to be very interested in these. I have already asked someone to sort and seal them. I originally planned to send them over during the New Year, but it turned out that Fellow Daoist Rong was not here." As Captain Zhao spoke, he took out a bag from his brocade pouch. Inside were some scattered scrolls. Rong Xie resisted the urge to take them out and look at them one by one. He thanked Captain Zhao and put them away.

Captain Zhao stared at the bag placed in the cabinet, hesitating to speak, but finally couldn't hold back and said, "When will Fellow Daoist Rong take a look at those ancient books and scrolls? If you find any records of treasure or similar clues, please be sure to tell us immediately."

Rong Xie could tell that Captain Zhao was even more eager than him. Treasure hunting is addictive, especially after just finishing a great treasure hunting experience. He really wanted to start a second one, just like Rong Xie wanted to read a second volume of a newly unearthed ancient book after reading a new one.

However, Rong Xie had to hold back. Only by holding back could he whet Captain Zhao's appetite and get Captain Zhao to follow his lead.

"What are Captain Zhao planning to do next?" Rong Xie asked with a smile. "Now that we have the treasure of the King of Ru Nan, we should be able to live comfortably for a while."

“Yes, we won’t have to take those dirty jobs in the capital anymore.” Seeing that Rong Xie didn’t agree immediately, Captain Zhao was still a little undecided. He said frankly, “I’m planning to take advantage of the fact that we don’t have to worry about food and drink right now. Let’s go to some places we’ve always wanted to visit, but we’re not sure if there are any treasures. If we find any, great. If we don’t, it won’t matter. Let’s do this for half a year and then we can talk about it again when we run out of money.”

“That’s perfect. I have a place here where Captain Zhao can try his hand.” Rong Xie felt the time was right and revealed this to Zhao Dajiang.

Zhao Dajiang was indeed intrigued, leaning forward and asking hastily, "What place is it? If Fellow Daoist Rong mentioned it, then it must be reliable."

"Brother Rong, you have some hidden gems!" Linglong exclaimed, half in surprise and half in complaint.

“This place isn’t exactly a proper treasure, so I haven’t mentioned it.” Rong Xie pondered for a moment, then started with the most intriguing part. “It’s a well. It’s said that the water in the well is magical. As long as you drink it, children without spiritual roots will grow spiritual roots and can cultivate like other children who are born with spiritual roots.”

"Really?" Zhao Dajiang and Linglong were both surprised.

“I don’t know if it’s true or not, but the family that owns that well has adopted many children from the surrounding villages, let them drink the well water, and made them serve as servants for the young masters and young ladies of the family. When the young masters and young ladies grow up and go to various sects to study under masters, these servants can go with them.” Rong Xie paused and said, “Not long ago, I met the young master and servants of that family and confirmed these rumors.”

"You mean—" Zhao Dajiang stared at Rong Xie in disbelief, while Linglong covered her mouth.

Seeing their intense reaction, Rong Xie felt confident that sending the treasure-hunting team to investigate the matter was now a certainty. He continued, "That's right, just as you think. The young master of that family is Lu Yingqi, the Sword Master of Xuantian, and the servant boy who drank the well water was Xiaozhi. However, please don't spread this around. Firstly, we don't have concrete evidence, and secondly, I don't want to antagonize the Xuantian Sect. You should know how much the Xuantian Sect values ​​Lu Yingqi."

"Understood!" Zhao Dajiang replied immediately. "Fellow Daoist Rong, don't worry. We don't want to offend the Xuantian Sect either. We still need to do business in Shengjing in the future, so there's no need to go against the local bullies."

"But how could there be such a spiritual spring in the world? How could one grow spiritual roots so easily after drinking from it... Wouldn't the world be in chaos then!" Linglong was still in shock.

This is also the question Zhao Dajiang wanted to ask.

The two of them looked at Rong Xie at the same time.

“That’s exactly what I’m looking for,” Rong Xie said. “I suspect that the spiritual spring might be a kind of evil magic, a kind of Gu… that can create the illusion that ordinary people can cultivate. Among the children adopted by the Lu family, some of them may have spiritual roots, but ordinary people simply cannot detect them. When they heard that they could cultivate, they sent the children to the Lu family. The Lu family selected the children with spiritual roots and pretended to feed them the spring water, saying that the spring water made them grow spiritual roots.”

“Hmm…” Zhao Dajiang nodded, pondering, “That does make more sense, but what does ‘evil magic’ and ‘Gu’ mean?”

Rong Xie told the two about the Lu family's ability to remotely control servants. He briefly mentioned Xiao Ya's situation, and the two were shocked again, unable to believe that such an outrageous thing could happen in such a remote little place.

“This is too much! This is even worse than a master-slave contract…” Linglong wrinkled her nose.

“No wonder Lu Yingqi wanted to investigate this well… He wanted to sever the connection between the servant boy and the Lu family, and prevent the servant boy from falling under the Lu family’s control. He’s a hero for defying his family for the sake of the servant boy,” Zhao Dajiang analyzed.

"..." Rong Xie paused for a moment, then said, "It's not Lu Yingqi who wants to investigate, it's me who wants to investigate. If you also want to come with me, there might be some risks. This isn't a regular treasure hunt, and we might not find any treasure in the end."

The two fell silent.

After a moment, Zhao Dajiang said, "What treasure hunting is without risk?"

"How could Xuan Tian Yi Jian be like this? He only cares about his own cultivation and doesn't even care about the life or death of the servant who has been with him for so many years," Linglong said with great disappointment.

Rong Xie thought to himself, "As expected of the treasure hunting team I chose."

"So, you... agree to take this order?"

"Of course," Zhao Dajiang said. "We'd do such a meaningful job even without a reward!"

“Yes, it’s wonderful to be able to rescue so many servants and free them from their controlled lives!” Linglong clenched her fist.

Upon hearing this, Rong Xie smiled and said, "That's wonderful... I'll be joining this treasure hunt as well. Please take good care of me."

"Oh, is Brother Rong going too?"

"Fellow Daoist Rong is going too?"

Linglong and Zhao Dajiang asked in unison, and after receiving an affirmative answer, they were both quite excited.

"Hahaha, I knew it! Fellow Daoist Rong would join our treasure hunting team sooner or later!" Zhao Dajiang slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.

"Brother Rong, we will definitely protect you!" Linglong straightened her small body.

“Then there’s no need for special protection…” Rong Xie smiled helplessly. “Do I look that weak?”

After he said that, neither Zhao Dajiang nor Linglong responded, and the topic quickly shifted to the details of the well survey mission.

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Bingbing will follow too [doge emoji]