Chapter 130: In the Passing of Time.
"What are you laughing at!" Shen Bingsi immediately exploded. "Want another fight? I'm ready anytime!"
"..." Lu Yingqi's lips returned to their original straight line, as if he had never smiled before. He said calmly, "Is it necessary?"
Shen Bingsi narrowed her eyes.
“You seem to need to conserve some spiritual energy for other purposes.” Lu Yingqi glanced at the unconscious Rong Xie. “What happened to him?”
Shen Bingsi never expected that he would tell Lu Yingqi the whole story of Rong Xie's fainting at the entrance of the Mirror Palace. At the end, he asked Lu Yingqi with hope if he had any solutions to the Nightmare Technique.
Lu Yingqi pondered for a moment and then said, "I don't know."
"..." Shen Bingsi felt like a complete idiot for asking Lu Yingqi, a young master who had been in seclusion for years and knew nothing.
“I was just thinking,” Lu Yingqi said, still deep in thought, “that we want to know different things, but our goal is the same: to find Madam Mei.”
"……nonsense."
"So, the obstacle we face now is the same: this gate and the two adjudicators inside." Lu Yingqi's tone gradually became dangerous.
“They are both in the Distraction stage,” Shen Bingsi reminded Lu Yingqi.
“Yes,” Lu Yingqi seemed to have expected this, “so we can’t snatch Madam Mei from them. We can only wait here for them to finish the trial, or find another person who knows the truth like Madam Mei.”
"It's still a long way from being over. This case won't be closed until the accounts of the Lu family—no, your family—for child trafficking are investigated. Only then can Madam Mei be thrown into the Netherworld Dungeon. When we visit her in prison, we can talk to her. I just don't know if she'll still have the energy to talk to us." Shen Bingsi said, pulling Rong Xie closer to his chest. It was still quite cold on the summit of Xuanmiao Peak. He found the blanket too cumbersome, so he threw it away and used his spiritual power to warm Rong Xie. In this way, he had to hold Rong Xie tightly at all times to ensure that he and Rong Xie were close together.
Shen Bingsi lowered her eyes to look at Rong Xie's oblivious sleeping face, "Besides, I can't afford to wait."
“Then there’s only one way: find someone who knows the truth, just like Madam Mei,” Lu Yingqi said.
Shen Bingsi is the kind of person who will never give up until she achieves her goal. However, such people have a flaw: they often only focus on their goal and fail to see other possibilities.
Of course, after hitting a wall a few times, he will consider other possibilities, but before hitting a wall, he will be single-mindedly focused on hitting a wall.
Shen Bingsi found Lu Yingqi's statement utterly absurd.
"What do you mean by 'an insider like Madam Mei'? Everyone knows different things, how could there be an insider like Madam Mei?" Shen Bingsi sneered. "You don't mean you want me to help you find someone from the Hehuan Sect, do you? You might as well find your Elder Bai. From what Madam Mei said, he's very influential in the Hehuan Sect."
"..." Lu Yingqi's eyes twitched slightly. His strong self-control made him refrain from engaging in meaningless bickering with Shen Bingsi. "Why is it impossible? In the end, what we are looking for are people who know the Hehuan Sect inside and out. I need to know how to protect Xiaozhi, and you need to know how to break the Nightmare Spell. Didn't Junior Brother Rong say that the Hehuan Flower can both create furnaces and cast illusions? Nightmare Spell is also a kind of illusion. It's not that there isn't someone in the Hehuan Sect who knows how to break this kind of illusion."
Shen Bingsi's mind, which was focused on hitting a wall, was suddenly redirected by Lu Yingqi, and she discovered that the wall wasn't completely blocked; there was another path beside it, and she could get past it by taking a few steps around.
“…That makes sense.” Shen Bingsi pulled Rong Xie closer to her and said, “Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone in the Hehuan Sect.”
"You don't recognize him?" Lu Yingqi asked in surprise.
"You don't know him either, so why do I have to? Speaking of which, your Elder Hong is now the leader of the Hehuan Sect, right? You two are from the same sect, so you should be closer."
"..."
Lu Yingqi was just glad that Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie weren't awake at the same time; otherwise, he would have been too helpless trying to feed two people all by himself.
"So we don't know each other," Lu Yingqi concluded, cutting off the conversation.
Before the Lu family's misdeeds came to light, Lu Yingqi had never seen a real furnace cauldron. So much so that even though there was one next to him, he couldn't tell the difference, let alone have any connection with the Hehuan Sect.
Shen Bingsi only appeared to be wandering around, but in reality, she had only heard of furnaces and cauldrons and didn't even know about the mimosa flower. In terms of theoretical knowledge, she was even inferior to Rong Xie.
"Oh right, don't you have an older brother and a younger brother?" Shen Bingsi suddenly remembered. Looking at this face, he could picture Lu Yinglin's shrewd and worldly appearance, even though the two brothers had completely different temperaments.
"I don't know where he is," Lu Yingqi said calmly.
"oh……"
The two of them had no reliable people to ask. If they were to barge into the Hehuan Sect, they would most likely be kicked out. If they used force, the other party might not tell the truth. Shen Bingsi did not dare to take the risk with Rong Xie.
After much thought, the only suitable candidate turned out to be Elder Bai.
“Anyway, since your Lu family’s affair has been exposed, you might be expelled from the Xuantian Sect. Why not take advantage of the fact that things haven’t been exposed yet and go ask Elder Bai?” Shen Bingsi suggested.
Lu Yingqi didn't want to comment on Shen Bingsi's way of giving advice. He remained silent for a moment and then said, "I can't leave Xuantian Sect right now, so I'll help you with the introduction. You can go and ask."
"Me?" Shen Bingsi asked, puzzled. "Elder Bai and I are not related, and he doesn't even like me. If I ask him, will he tell the truth?"
"You mentioned investigating a case at the Mirror Palace," Lu Yingqi said. "Didn't you mention investigating a case at the Mirror Palace when you came to see me last time?"
"..." Shen Bingsi thought about it and realized that this might actually work.
Elder Bai still recognized his status as an adjudicator, and with Lu Yingqi's introduction and assurances, he might actually be able to find out something.
After making this decision, the two immediately set off for the Xuantian Sect.
With Lu Yingqi leading the way, Shen Bingsi entered the core of Zhilan Ridge without any hindrance, deep within the Wuqing Dao Palace, into Lu Yingqi's private courtyard.
Seeing the layout of the Ruthless Palace, Shen Bingsi couldn't help but sigh. It was so similar to the Lu family mansion. Madam Mei had really gone to great lengths, which also showed how deep the connection between the Joyful Union Sect and the Ruthless Palace was back then.
"Brother Qi... Ah!" As soon as Xiaozhi heard the noise in the courtyard, she immediately came out to greet him. Unexpectedly, there was a stranger with Lu Yingqi, who was holding a person who was probably dead or alive. Xiaozhi was startled.
“This is Shen Bingsi from the Lingjing Sect,” Lu Yingqi introduced. “Junior Brother Rong has been affected by the Nightmare Spell and is unconscious. Fellow Daoist Shen brought him here to find a way to break the spell. We will go to find Elder Bai later, and Xiaozhi will help settle him in.”
“Yes, Young Master Shen, that’s the guest room…” Xiao Zhi responded, still looking very scared. She didn’t dare to approach Shen Bing Si, but pointed from a distance and watched him carry Rong Xie into the guest room.
“No need to be afraid.” Lu Yingqi glanced at Xiaozhi. “This person has a foul mouth, but his character is acceptable.”
Xiaozhi lowered her head, hesitated for a while, and still didn't dare to go in: "Brother Qi, let me help you change your clothes..."
Lu Yingqi didn't force Xiaozhi. Since he had something to say to Xiaozhi, he asked her to come to the inner room of the main house.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shen Bingsi personally made up the bed for Rong Xie. However, Shen Bingsi did not prepare new bedding, only the set he usually used when traveling. Fortunately, he had washed it after using it last time, and it still smelled quite fresh.
Shen Bingsi placed Rong Xie in the bedding, carefully supporting the back of his neck and placing him on the pillow. She straightened up to look at him, then slightly adjusted the position of the pillow, pulled up the blanket, and pressed it down firmly on both sides before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
The only saving grace now is that Rong Xie's Nightmare spell seems to only cause him to fall asleep, without any other negative effects.
However, simply sleeping isn't good for the circulation of Qi and blood...
Shen Bingsi's hand suddenly trembled.
He touched Rong Xie's pulse in disbelief.
The spiritual energy flowed through the meridians, circulating for an unknown period of time. A faint green light emanated from the fingertips, almost invisible unless one looked closely.
Rong Xie was actually using his spiritual power even while he was asleep!
Shen Bingsi was certain that Rong Xie hadn't used spiritual power when he first fell unconscious. She didn't know when he had started using it! Was it a nightmare? Or an effect of the Nightmare Technique?
"Rong'er?" Shen Bingsi sat on the edge of the bed, picked up Rong Xie, wrapped her arms around his hands, and called in his ear, "Rong'er, you are safe now, don't use your spiritual power."
However, no matter how he called out, Rong Xie did not respond. A continuous stream of spiritual energy overflowed from his fingertips. It was a simple output of spiritual energy, without any incantations or spells, and it did not produce any attack or healing effects.
If it were someone else experiencing this leakage of spiritual energy, such as Lu Yingqi or even Shen Bingsi herself, Shen Bingsi wouldn't be worried at all. With such a slow rate of spiritual energy outflow, at their level of cultivation, it would last forever.
However, Rong Xie is different.
Rong Xie has a consumptive spiritual root, so his spiritual power is limited. The spiritual power he has now is what he obtained from his dual cultivation with Shen Bing Si last time. There have been many changes in the past six months. After leaving Huanxue Manor, although Rong Xie tried his best to use talismans, there were still many places where he needed to cast spells himself. Even during this investigation of the Lu family's case, Shen Bing Si saw Rong Xie using his spiritual power many times. He dared not even imagine how much spiritual power Rong Xie had consumed when Shen Bing Si was not around.
Although Rong Xie's constitution is different from those other cultivation vessels, and the depletion of spiritual energy may not necessarily lead to the severe consequences of the Five Signs of Decay, if he continues to sleep like this, he will continue to consume spiritual energy until it is exhausted, and begin to wear down his already weak spiritual root. Once his spiritual root is completely worn away, even dual cultivation will not be able to save Rong Xie. The best outcome is that he will grow old like an ordinary person, and the worst outcome...
Shen Bingsi felt a chill in her heart, and her hand gripping the blanket pierced through the fabric and cotton with a hissing sound.
"Shen Bingsi." A detached voice came from the doorway. Lu Yingqi, who had changed into the Xuantian Sect disciple's robes, appeared there. Behind him was Xiaozhi, who looked suspicious and frightened. Clearly, Shen Bingsi's unusual behavior of hugging Rong Xie and tearing the blanket had frightened him. As soon as Shen Bingsi turned around, Xiaozhi also pulled his exposed half-face back into the room.
"What are you doing?" Lu Yingqi glanced at him. "Let's go."
"Hmm." Shen Bingsi put Rong Xie down, settled him in, and strode to the door, her face as cold and hard as ice. "Let's go."
Lu Yingqi glanced at him again, seemingly wanting to say something, but sensing that Xiaozhi was afraid, he turned back and comforted Xiaozhi, asking him to look after Rong Xie while they were away.
Xiao Zhi nodded, and when she looked at Rong Xie, her gaze had changed from fear to worry.
“No need,” Shen Bingsi said, her voice, delivered by spiritual energy, clearly reaching the two of them as she walked away. “There is a barrier I set up by Rong Xie’s bedside. No one is allowed to approach him.”
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