Chapter 108: Caught Up.
"No!" Linglong immediately lunged at Shen Bingsi, but Shen Bingsi dodged her.
The little falcon stared blankly at Linglong, seemingly unaware of what had happened or why its master was so agitated.
"Speak quickly!" Shen Bingsi pinched the little eagle-headed falcon's head and shook it twice in the air.
“Show mercy, Sword Saint! We’ll tell you!” Zhao Dajiang said.
"Brother Zhao!" Linglong turned around and looked at him in disbelief.
"It's alright, we're almost there anyway," Zhao Dajiang nodded slightly, reassuring Linglong. He then turned to Shen Bingsi, whose plan had succeeded. Shen Bingsi was beaming with pride at winning this round. Zhao Dajiang said in a deep voice, "Sword Saint Shen, I can tell you, but you have to promise me you won't go ahead and ruin Fellow Daoist Rong's plans!"
"What...?" This time it was Shen Bingsi's turn to be incredulous. "Me? I ruined Rong Xie's plans? I only ever do things that benefit Rong Xie, okay!"
"You have to promise me first."
"...Okay! Fine! I promise you, okay? Now you can tell me, right?"
Zhao Dajiang looked at Linglong, who shook her head vigorously. Zhao Dajiang sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Rong has gone to Qinghe County."
"Qinghe County?" Shen Bingsi took a moment to process it before realizing, then asked in confusion, "The county next to my hometown is also called Qinghe County."
“That’s the county.” Zhao Dajiang nodded.
"What's he doing there?" Shen Bingsi asked, puzzled. "There's no treasure in that corner, just the Lu family... wait!"
Shen Bingsi, without restraint, pinched the little eagle-headed falcon, which cried out sharply, flapped its wings and struggled incessantly. It turned its head and fiercely bit Shen Bingsi's fingers with its hard and sharp beak.
Shen Bingsi had protective spiritual power, so she wasn't afraid of it picking her up. However, she felt something fiddling with her hand, so she subconsciously let go. The little eagle-headed falcon then shrieked and pounced into Linglong's arms.
Shen Bingsi said with a gloomy expression, "What is he doing going to Lu Yingqi's hometown! You said he left first, could he have left with Lu Yingqi?!"
Zhao Dajiang and Linglong both fell silent; silence meant acquiescence.
Shen Bingsi gritted his teeth, and with a flash of golden light from the Shengxie Sword, he flew into the night sky.
"We're doomed!" Linglong stamped her foot. "I shouldn't have told him! Now something really bad is going to happen!"
"..." Zhao Dajiang's expression was also very grim. "Let's not panic. Maybe things won't be so bad. Sword Saint Shen hates evil and might be able to help Fellow Daoist Rong if he goes."
Linglong rolled her eyes: "Do you believe he went there to help?"
Shen Bingsi was like a rampaging lion, going wherever it pleased. He didn't even know what he was supposed to investigate, so how could he possibly be of any help?
Both of them fell silent, immersed in the frustration of their unsuccessful attempt.
Suddenly, a golden light shot back from afar.
Shen Bingsi appeared before the two of them, just as suddenly as he had left.
"Drink." Zhao Dajiang leaned back slightly.
Linglong also took a half step back and hugged her bird tightly.
Shen Bingsi's gaze swept across the two faces: "You two just said something bad... What exactly is going on with Rong Xie?"
Linglong raised her eyebrows in surprise, as did Zhao Dajiang. The two exchanged a glance, seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Shen Bingsi actually came back to ask them what had happened. The hot-tempered sword cultivator, who always looked down on people and would leave at a moment's notice, had actually changed his ways this time.
Zhao Dajiang immediately told Shen Bingsi that Rong Xie was going to investigate a well belonging to the Lu family. He had contacted Lu Yingqi earlier because of this well, but he couldn't reveal the specifics. Before the investigation was clear, the more people knew, the more trouble it would cause, and it might even cause turmoil in the cultivation world.
"A well?" Shen Bingsi asked in confusion. "How come I don't know that the Lu family has any wells?"
Zhao Dajiang chuckled and said, "Sword Saint Shen left his hometown a long time ago, so he probably doesn't know much about these things."
“Indeed, I have absolutely no interest in those messy things back home,” Shen Bingsi muttered. “But how did he know…? Did he find out during that trip back before?”
Shen Bingsi couldn't understand why Rong Xie knew these things and even mobilized a treasure-hunting team to investigate. Didn't Rong Xie want to live an ordinary life? Why did he get involved in these pointless matters?
Shen Bingsi thought for a moment, then took out the golden fish-patterned bag: "How much does he want to pay you? I'll pay."
Hiring such a formal treasure hunting team would cost a considerable sum, and Shen Bingsi didn't think Rong Xie, who was short of money, could afford that much.
“No money required,” Zhao Dajiang said with a smile. “We don’t need any money.”
This time it was Shen Bingsi's turn to be surprised: "You don't want any money?"
“Yes, we can work for valuable cases without pay,” Zhao Dajiang said seriously.
"..." Shen Bingsi narrowed her eyes, "What kind of case is so valuable? Could it be that the Lu family has some cultivation secrets I don't know about? Sword technique secrets?"
Zhao Dajiang coughed and said, "Sword Saint, you should ask Fellow Daoist Rong about this matter. We promised him that we would not reveal anything until the case is fully investigated. We haven't even told all of our treasure-hunting team members."
"..." Shen Bingsi remained silent for a moment, and as expected, did not ask any further questions.
Shen Bingsi took two steps on the dragon head, then walked back.
"What else did you agree on?" Shen Bingsi asked. "Did you agree on a arrival time?"
"Oh, no, Fellow Daoist Rong told us to go as fast as we can, and we're already on our way. We should arrive around noon tomorrow," Zhao Dajiang said.
Shen Bingsi's brows relaxed: "That's great, the fastest speed, right? I'll speed things up for you."
"Hold on tight!"
As dusk settles, a few stars pierce the sky.
Rong Xie followed the servants forward, winding through dirty paths, until they finally arrived at a mysterious courtyard enclosed by a circular wall.
Unlike other courtyards where you can see the roof, this courtyard is completely invisible from the outside, like a giant well standing upright on the ground.
Rong Xie thought to himself, "Such a clear landmark, it will be easy to find once we fly into the air."
The servant walked to the door, scratched his head, and said, "Master, the well you're looking for is in here, but without Madam Mei's and the old master's keys, no one can get in."
Rong Xie looked at the gate, which was an iron gate with seven or eight iron bars, each with a lock that could be opened. A quick glance revealed more than a dozen locks. He wondered how long it would take Madam Mei and the old master to open them all.
It doesn't look like it's used very often.
"If you wish to go in, sir... please wait a moment, I will inform Madam Mei..." the servant said obsequiously.
"No need," Rong Xie said. "Can you tell me what kind of place this is?"
"Huh? It's... it's a well." The servant didn't quite understand what Rong Xie meant.
"Nothing else besides the well?" Rong Xie observed the servant's expression. "Like... roses or something."
"Rose? Rose?" The servant's eyes were somewhat unfocused.
“Yes, the roses here have a very strong fragrance, just like the one on your Lady Mei,” Rong Xie said.
"I don't know either. If you wish to see, sir, I will go and report to Madam Mei right now." The servant repeated himself, not allowing Xie to speak, and then turned and walked back.
Rong Xie glanced at the high courtyard wall, then at the tightly sealed iron gate.
The courtyard wall wasn't very high for him; he could use a flying talisman to climb it.
Should we go up and take a look?
A strong attraction drew Rong Xie's gaze to the top of the courtyard wall.
It was as if an invisible force was pushing him, making his heart pound faster.
As long as he reaches into his brocade pouch and takes out the flying talisman, he can find out the secret of the Spirit Spring Well.
This would save countless pitiful servants like Xiao Ya, allow Xiao Zhi to escape the fate of being controlled by the Lu family, let Xiao Zhi live freely, and also reduce the risk of Lu Yingqi encountering a great calamity in the future.
There was also his personal motive; he always wanted to prove himself, that even without reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he could accomplish something on his own, away from Shen Bingsi.
Leaving Shen Bingsi and the treasure hunting team, he needs nothing; he can solve this case of the servant boy on his own.
"Wait a minute." Rong Xie shook his head and muttered to himself, "When did I ever have such strange thoughts? As long as the task is accomplished, does it matter whether it's done by one person or not?"
Rong Xie calmed down instantly, but his heart was still pounding, and he grabbed the flying talisman in his hand.
No! He suddenly raised his left hand, pressed down on his right hand which was moving, and twisted his body violently, as if another person was fighting him for control of his body.
Rong Xie was startled and quickly recited the Ice Heart Mantra. The mental technique for dispelling evil thoughts and clarifying one's true nature, which was required for inner disciples of the Spirit Mirror Sect, took effect at this moment. His heartbeat slowed down and returned to normal. His beating right arm also fell down, as if he had just experienced strenuous exercise. His muscles were sore and numb, and it hung heavily at his side.
Rong Xie hurriedly released a flying talisman and quickly left the place, not daring to look back at the "well" courtyard behind him again.
The night was as dark as ink.
Rong Xie looked at the direction of the stars and walked all the way to the open courtyard in front of the main hall.
He breathed a slight sigh of relief. Once he reached the main hall, he knew exactly how to get to Lu Yingqi's courtyard.
On the way to Lu Yingqi's courtyard, Rong Xie took out his communication jade pendant and contacted Captain Zhao.
Soon, Captain Zhao got through.
"Fellow Daoist Rong!" Captain Zhao said hurriedly, as he could still hear the wind blowing from his direction, indicating they were still flying in the sky. "Have you arrived yet?"
“We’ve arrived. I’ve found the well. It’s a building enclosed by a circular wall. I couldn’t see what was inside, but the wall is very distinctive and easily recognizable from the air. Tomorrow… find a place to stay nearby, and try not to stay in Qinghe County.” Rong Xie lowered his voice. “Also, there’s a male concubine here named Madam Mei. He’s very strange. He has a strong rose scent that seems to be able to disturb people’s minds and control their bodies. If you smell it, you must be extremely vigilant!”
“Okay, when do we move out? Uh—” Captain Zhao stopped, as if someone was talking to him.
A familiar voice came from the other end; it was Shen Bingsi: "Hey, what's this? A communication jade pendant? Who are you contacting? Rong Xie? He didn't even want my communication jade pendant, how could he possibly share a pair with you! Let me see!"
Then, the voice on the other end changed to Shen Bingsi: "Rong'er, don't be afraid, we're coming soon. We can already see Qinghe. Where are you? We'll fly over right away. If you see a silly kite dragon, just wave your hand at the sky!"
Sinking, Ice, Melting—
Rong Xie gripped the communication jade pendant tightly in his hand, and the pendant creaked under the weight.
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