Chapter 111 Incompatible:
Lu Yingqi knew that Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie had a close personal relationship. The last time he went into seclusion, Shen Bingsi insisted on knocking on his door and calling him out, all because of Rong Xie.
Later, he heard another version of events, told to him by Xiaozhi, that Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi had already separated, with one going their own way and the other their own.
Now, the two of them were standing in front of him. Although they were acting a little awkwardly, they didn't look like they had broken up at all.
"You..." Lu Yingqi was about to ask when Rong Xie began to explain.
Rong Xie said that Shen Bingsi came to see him. They lived next door in Zhuli Lane. Shen Bingsi went out on business and didn't see him when she came back, so she asked Wang Mu and then came over.
Shen Bingsi still looked annoyed. Rong Xie tugged at his sleeve, but he said dismissively, "Why bother explaining to him! I didn't come here to see him."
"This is the Lu residence, so guests should follow the host's lead. Besides, we're staying here tonight," Rong Xie reminded them.
Shen Bingsi glanced at Lu Yingqi, and seeing that he did not show any resistance, she cupped her hands in greeting and said, "Then I'm sorry to bother you."
“Senior Brother Lu, Shen Bingsi’s arrival was unexpected. Why don’t we let him stay here for the night? It’s a good opportunity for you to exchange cultivation insights,” Rong Xie said.
Rong Xie thought that since the two of them would be joining forces to fight against the Heavenly Demon, it would be beneficial for them to shake hands and make peace and get closer to each other.
These two future saviors have finally come together. Let's leave the past aside. From today onwards, with Rong Xie's help, their friendship can only progress, not regress.
This was also one of Rong Xie's reasons for keeping Shen Bingsi around.
However, things did not develop as Rong Xie had expected.
Shen Bingsi never looked people in the eye, as if there was something wrong with her eyes.
Lu Yingqi had a cold face; his already icy expression now looked like it was covered in a thick layer of ice.
“Rong’er, you don’t know this, but we belong to different factions. Although we are both on the path of ruthlessness, we are worlds apart. The difference is as great as the difference between cutting off emotions and love and cutting off appetite,” Shen Bingsi said.
“What Sword Saint Shen said is correct. It’s best if we don’t communicate, lest Sword Saint Shen’s Dao heart waver,” Lu Yingqi said calmly.
"My Dao heart is wavering? I think it's you whose Dao heart is wavering!" Shen Bingsi felt it was utterly absurd.
Lu Yingqi glanced at him, then walked to the couch and sat down, assuming a meditative posture.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You're not convinced? Let's go outside and have a match right now! What's your sword called? Xuan Tian Yi Jian? Mine is called San Zong Yi Jian." Shen Bing Si opened her hand, golden light gleaming, ready to burst forth.
Seeing that his plan to bring the two together had failed, Rong Xie had no choice but to put it aside for the time being. He held Shen Bingsi down, pushed her aside, and sat down on the other side of the couch.
The daybed in the study had a small table in the middle, with two seats on either side. Lu Yingqi sat on one side, and Rong Xie sat on the other, leaving Shen Bingsi with nowhere to sit.
Of course, he wasn't without a place to sit; after all, the study was full of chairs. It's just that he didn't want to sit on those hard chairs and preferred to squeeze in with Rong Xie.
Shen Bingsi glared angrily at Lu Yingqi, who was occupying one side of the couch. After thinking for a moment, she walked over to Rong Xie and squeezed in to sit down.
Arm to arm, leg to leg, Shen Bingsi felt the cool breath emanating from her best friend, and her heart felt at ease, which greatly reduced the annoyance of being in the same room with Lu Yingqi.
Rong Xie shifted his body slightly. Although it was quite warm to sit next to Shen Bingsi, who was like a fireplace, in winter, there was still a third person here.
Since the attempt to matchmake Shen Bingsi and Lu Yingqi failed, let's get down to business.
Rong Xie asked seriously, "When does Senior Brother Lu plan to make his move?"
Lu Yingqi glanced at Shen Bingsi but did not answer Rong Xie's question.
“Senior Brother Lu, there’s no need to worry. Shen Bingsi is one of us. He’s investigated at least eighty or a hundred cases without ever making a mistake. Besides, he’s very tight-lipped. Even I don’t tell him about missions from the Mirror Palace.” Rong Xie strongly recommended Shen Bingsi.
“This is my family matter, not a case of the Mirror Palace,” Lu Yingqi said. “There are no demons or monsters here.”
Rong Xie knew what Lu Yingqi was worried about, which was why he didn't openly bring the treasure-hunting team in.
"Family scandals should not be aired in public," even for cultivators of the Ruthless Path. Cultivation is an extremely costly endeavor, requiring immense resources and energy. An outstanding cultivator usually has the support of a powerful family behind them, and someone of Lu Yingqi's caliber is one in a hundred years. Undoubtedly, he has received the full support of the Lu family since his birth. Even if Lu Yingqi were to sever all ties with love and affection, he would never help outsiders investigate his family when it is being questioned.
It's one thing for Rong Xie to know, but Shen Bingsi is a ruthless cultivator from the Lingjing Sect, and has a direct competitive relationship with Lu Yingqi. Lu Yingqi is unlikely to open his arms to let him come over for investigation.
Rong Xie thought and thought, but couldn't come up with a particularly good idea to persuade Lu Yingqi.
He could only back down, saying, "If there are demons and monsters, can Shen Bingsi get involved?"
Lu Yingqi said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, you are overthinking it. Do you think I wouldn't know whether there are demons or monsters in my house?"
“That’s not necessarily true,” Shen Bingsi interjected. “The world has been at peace for hundreds of years. Let alone you, even senior figures like the sect leader and elders wouldn’t dare say they can completely identify demons, especially those things that are somewhere between demons and monsters. They can almost completely hide their aura, and ordinary cultivators simply can’t tell them apart. No matter how high your cultivation level is, it’s useless.”
Rong Xie knew that Shen Bingsi was a specialist in slaying demons and monsters, and his experience in this area was definitely more than his own: "How so?" Then, he said to Lu Yingqi, "Senior Brother Lu, let him have his say, it won't do any harm."
Lu Yingqi glanced at him coldly but did not say anything to stop him.
"Hmph, I've been catching demons for so many years, I naturally have my own methods. See this? It's the Victory Sword," Shen Bingsi opened his palm, a ball of golden light dancing in his hand. "As long as I put it near a demon, it will vibrate, and I'll know there's a demon nearby."
I had heard Shen Bingsi mention Rong Xie before, but when Shen Bingsi introduced him to him, she didn't say it so definitively. She said that there are some things that are close to demons that cannot be found even with the Shengxie Sword. The world is vast and full of wonders. The only thing that can observe all things is probably the Heavenly Mirror, which represents the Dao of Heaven.
"Oh?" Lu Yingqi glanced at the golden light. "Did it tremble?"
“…Not now.” Shen Bingsi reluctantly withdrew the golden light. “However, demons are all very cunning. They may use some method to hide themselves. I need to search your garden carefully before I can give you a definite answer.”
Do you think I'd let you search through my entire garden?
"If you've never done anything wrong, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking at your door in the middle of the night. If you have nothing to hide, you should beg me to search through your belongings, because not everyone can get me to do it."
"Oh?" Lu Yingqi lifted his eyelids. "Then our Lu family really can't afford to invite such a big shot like you. You can leave now."
"You think I wanted to come here? If Rong Xie weren't here, I wouldn't bother coming to this prison-like place—and let me tell you, the layout of your Lu family and the Ruthless Dao Palace is quite similar."
Seeing that the conversation had reached a dead end, Rong Xie quickly stepped forward to cut off their eye contact.
"What if we do this?" Rong Xie proposed a compromise. "Shen Bing Si can stay out of the Lu family's affairs, and I'll investigate. But if I'm in danger, Shen Bing Si has to come and help me. That should be fine, right?"
Shen Bingsi immediately nodded in agreement.
Lu Yingqi asked, puzzled, "I can help you too; my cultivation level is higher than his."
This immediately ignited Shen Bingsi's powder keg: "Your cultivation is higher than mine? How do you know? Even if you're a few years older and have been in seclusion for longer than me, that doesn't mean you're stronger than me, does it? We'll have to have a match to find out who's better!"
"Heh, I have no objection. I'm always ready to accompany you," Lu Yingqi said calmly.
"You also need to keep Madam Mei calm," Rong Xie felt a headache coming on. "If Madam Mei finds out about our movements, she might threaten Xiao Zhi."
Rong Xie's reminder finally made Lu Yingqi realize that he also had work to do and couldn't leave.
“…Alright.” Lu Yingqi relented. “I’ll do as you say.”
Rong Xie breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to smooth things over between these two people who didn't get along.
“This is my plan. Things can change if we delay. Regardless of whether the old master recovers by tomorrow, we will act tomorrow,” Rong Xie said.
Shen Bingsi naturally agreed.
Lu Yingqi hesitated for a moment, then, realizing he didn't have much free time to waste, nodded in agreement.
"Tomorrow at lunchtime, Senior Brother Lu, go and stall Madam Mei first, and it would be best to stall the rest of the Lu family as well. I'll go investigate the well, go in and check things out. As for Shen Bingsi, she can stay here," Rong Xie said.
"Hmm...what? Why should I stay here?" Shen Bingsi was initially quite satisfied with the pace, but as soon as he heard that he had to stay in Lu Yingqi's bedroom, he became very unwilling.
"To avoid suspicion." Rong Xie sighed. If Shen Bingsi hadn't rushed over in the middle of the night, he could have acted with Captain Zhao and the others. Unfortunately, "Do you still have any communication talismans?"
Shen Bingsi patted himself down, pulled out a golden fish-patterned pouch from his bosom, rummaged around for a while, and pulled out two jade pendants that looked like pebbles.
One has the character "容" (rong) written on it, and the other has the character "冰" (bing) written on it.
Shen Bingsi handed the two jade pendants to Rong Xie without saying a word.
Whether you accept it or not is entirely up to Rongxie.
Although... although he really wanted to force it on Rong Xie, if Rong Xie didn't want it, he would still throw it back at him and get angry.
"..." Rong Xie looked at the jade pendant, "If you don't have a communication talisman, I do."
"I have one, I have one." Shen Bingsi lowered her hand dejectedly, reluctantly taking out talismans while glancing at Rong Xie's belt. "Is there no more room? Actually, one more won't matter. This jade pendant isn't very heavy. Otherwise, you could just take off two..."
Rong Xie didn't respond to him, but waited for him to take out the talisman. After taking the talisman, Rong Xie put it back into his personal pouch and continued to arrange the next steps.
He needed Lu Yingqi to hold off the Lu family for at least an hour. After that, he could focus solely on Madam Mei.
As for Shen Bingsi, he couldn't stay idle in Lu Yingqi's room either. Madam Mei was very suspicious and had already become suspicious of Rong Xie. Even if Madam Mei couldn't personally check Rong Xie's movements during the family banquet, she would definitely send someone to keep an eye on him. At that time, Shen Bingsi would pretend to be Rong Xie and stay in Lu Yingqi's room to deal with those people keeping an eye on him.
"Not bad." Lu Yingqi nodded. "Junior Brother Rong has thought things through thoroughly. I just wonder if Sword Saint Shen will give himself away by impersonating Junior Brother Rong?"
"How could that be? The person I know best is Rong Xie, and my ability to change forms is top-notch. I guarantee that even Rong Xie himself wouldn't recognize me if he came here," Shen Bingsi said with great confidence.
Rong Xie, who was listening nearby, found it strange. What did he mean by not recognizing himself when he arrived?
“However, Madam Mei has already met Rong Xie today, and she might have placed some kind of rose or rosary mark on him. I need to check him carefully,” Shen Bingsi said. “If there’s nothing else, please leave, Fellow Daoist Lu.”
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