Chapter 178 Little Pill:
After the dinner, Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi returned to the bamboo house.
Shen Bingsi was still pondering the matter of the monster, but Rong Xie looked at his full head of white hair with deep concern.
The two were each thinking their own thoughts, and it was fine if they didn't speak, but when they did, their words were completely irrelevant.
"There are so many people in the world who cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness. Heaven can just grab anyone to be its executor. It doesn't necessarily have to be you," Rong Xie muttered.
"Do you think that monster might be the mimosa flower demon?" Shen Bingsi asked.
"What mimosa flower fairy?" Rong Xie was taken aback, then realized what he meant and became somewhat angry. "What time is it, and you're still thinking about the Mirror Palace mission?"
"I didn't... I was just thinking that since we've seen the Acacia Flower Fairy with our own eyes, maybe we can provide Brother Jiang with some clues." Shen Bingsi subconsciously reached for the Mirror Palace token, but couldn't find it. He then remembered that he had returned the token when he stepped down.
Rong Xie was furious: "Why would we need to provide clues? Doesn't the Mirror Palace have the Heavenly Mirror? It knows everything and will tell Brother Jiang the details. Brother Jiang's cultivation is far above yours. If he can't handle it, then you are even more useless."
Shen Bingsi fell silent, a desolate look on her face.
Rong Xie knew he had misspoke; his last words had struck a nerve with Shen Bingsi. But he didn't want to take them back. He believed that it was better for Shen Bingsi to suffer than for him to die.
“You have no way back now. You can only abandon the Path of Ruthlessness and cultivate another path,” Rong Xie sighed. “Nothing else matters. Whether you are here or not, the Mirror Palace will find someone to carry out the mission, and the monsters will be eliminated… But the fact that you have abandoned the Path of Ruthlessness and cultivated another path is something only you can do, and you will have to bear the consequences yourself.”
Shen Bingsi moved his lips, and after a moment, he said in a hoarse voice, "I know."
"Don't you know, you're still worried about the Mirror Palace, worried about the monsters, worried about your Brother Jiang... Can't you worry about yourself?" Rong Xie's emotions hadn't calmed down yet, and he became more and more agitated as he spoke.
Shen Bingsi gazed at him quietly, then lowered her eyes and said with exceptional gentleness, "I'm sorry."
"I don't want to hear sorry!" Rong Xie said. "I hate your listless appearance and all that white hair! I hate old men. If you keep acting like this, I won't sleep in the same bed with you anymore."
Rong Xie quickened his pace, and Shen Bingsi soon followed. The two of them returned to the bamboo house one after the other.
Of course, they still slept in the same bed. It's just that Rong Xie covered his head with the blanket, no longer face-to-face with Shen Bing Si. The two usually squeezed together and talked for ages, but now they didn't.
In fact, Rong Xie was also a little curious about the whereabouts of the Hehuan Flower Fairy. He was vaguely worried, always feeling that leaving such a cunning monster outside would eventually cause a great disaster.
But on the other hand, he couldn't help but wonder, what kind of contract was it that the mimosa flower spirit and Xiaozhi formed, with Xiaozhi entrusting her soul to it after her death? Did Xiaozhi's consciousness still exist? If their souls merged into one, would Xiaozhi cease to exist on the day the mimosa flower spirit was completely eradicated...?
Rong Xie knew that his idea was wishful thinking, but he still couldn't bear the thought of Xiao Zhi disappearing like that.
Amidst his chaotic thoughts, Rong Xie unknowingly fell asleep. He had a dream in which a giant mimosa flower bloomed towards him, and Xiao Zhi's face was in the heart of the flower, smiling at him. Xiao Zhi had never shown such a radiant smile before, to the point that Rong Xie even felt a chill run down his spine.
He woke up with a start, unsure of what kind of dream he had—a good one or a nightmare. Just as Shen Bingsi had said, cultivators don't dream for no reason. Rong Xie turned around, wanting to analyze it with Shen Bingsi, but found half the bed empty; Shen Bingsi wasn't there.
Rong Xie felt a pang of bitterness as he recalled the unpleasant parting last night. He couldn't help but wonder if he had spoken too harshly or hastily. Shen Bingsi hadn't been idle; in the half-month since arriving at the Hehuan Sect, he had been trying his best to integrate, something unimaginable for him in the past. It was just that Elder Hong's repeated questioning of Shen Bingsi about why he couldn't let go made Rong Xie feel as if Shen Bingsi himself was stubbornly resisting, which was why he had spoken such harsh words to him.
Rong Xie got up to find Shen Bingsi. It was still early, and the sky outside was still gray. He immediately saw Shen Bingsi and Lu Yinglin talking behind the bamboo grove. Rong Xie felt something was strange. Shen Bingsi had always looked down on Lu Yinglin. How did these two end up together? He wanted to go forward, but then stopped and, as if possessed, took out his "Wind-Following Ear".
Now that Shen Bingsi's cultivation is unstable, her five senses and six perceptions are not as strong as before. Her "Follow-the-Wind Ears" successfully probed the area without being detected by the two.
"Here, this is what you wanted. Take a look at its quality," Lu Yinglin said in a businessman's tone, while tossing something out of his sleeve.
Shen Bingsi caught it, glanced at it, and tucked it into her sleeve: "I don't know either. You must have handled it correctly. As the manager of Yuanbao Auction House, you wouldn't lie to me about something like this. But, how long will the effects of this medicine last?"
Lu Yinglin laughed: "It varies from person to person. But it does have some effect."
Shen Bingsi didn't say anything more after that; judging from the commotion, she was taking out a silver note for Lu Yinglin.
Rong Xie couldn't help but frown.
Rong Xie put away his All-Hearing Ear and walked towards the bamboo forest.
Before he even reached the bamboo grove, Lu Yinglin saw him and immediately waved dramatically in his direction, as if reminding Shen Bingsi to quickly put her things away.
Rong Xie quickened his pace, almost instantly moving to the "crime scene," and grabbed Shen Bingsi's arm. Shen Bingsi's hand was still tucked into the golden fish-patterned pouch; caught red-handed by Rong Xie, the muscles in her arm stiffened.
"What are you two doing here, sneaking around like this?" Rong Xie looked at Lu Yinglin with a half-smile.
Lu Yinglin touched his nose and glanced at Shen Bingsi.
Shen Bingsi desperately tried to signal Lu Yinglin to shut up.
Rong Xie's smile grew increasingly sinister: "Oh, so you're making faces at me right now? When did you two become so close?"
"I wouldn't dare. Sword Saint Shen is not my type. Besides, Sword Saint Shen is already taken. How could someone of my upright character do such a despicable thing? Junior Brother Rong has really wronged me," Lu Yinglin explained glibly.
"Being of good character has nothing to do with Manager Lu. I would never wrong you," Rong Xie sneered. "What kind of good medicine is it that you secretly traded behind my back? Show it to me!"
The two men's expressions changed simultaneously, clearly not expecting Rong Xie to have overheard them.
Shen Bingsi's face stiffened. She quietly switched hands to take the golden fish-patterned bag and stuffed it into her pocket, her attempt to conceal her intentions only made them more obvious.
Lu Yinglin chuckled awkwardly twice and said, "I also wanted to tell Junior Brother Rong, but in our line of work, the most important thing is to keep our clients' information confidential."
"Really?" Rong Xie mouthed "Light and white orchid".
"Alright, alright, if Junior Brother Rong insists on knowing..." Lu Yinglin looked at Shen Bingsi, who gave him a murderous look. Lu Yinglin sighed, "Junior Brother Rong isn't an outsider, he'll find out eventually. Actually, what Sword Saint Shen asked me to buy was—Golden Spear Invincible Pill."
"Golden Spear Invincible Pill?" Rong Xie began to quickly search his mind through various elixir manuals, but there was no record of this name. However, why did he feel like he had heard this name somewhere before?
“Yes,” Lu Yinglin said cryptically, “As people get older, there will always be times when they can no longer perform their duties…”
"..." Rong Xie now knew what the "Golden Spear Invincible Pill" was.
He looked at Shen Bingsi with a puzzled expression. Shen Bingsi looked completely at ease, but there was a hint of forced composure in her composure, and a hint of annoyance and embarrassment in her composure. It was quite a sight to behold.
Rong Xie felt that Shen Bing Si couldn't fake such a difficult expression, so it might be... real?
"Oh... so it's this 'it varies from person to person' thing?" Rong Xie thought of their previous conversation.
Lu Yinglin smiled but remained silent.
"Why tell him all this?" Shen Bingsi grabbed Rong Xie's hand and dragged him back. "It's just buying medicine, there's no need to say so much. Come on, let's go back."
When Rong Xie saw that Shen Bingsi's ears had turned red, he stopped teasing him.
Lu Yinglin's laughter came from behind, sounding like he was about to have a seizure.
Shen Bingsi dragged Rong Xie back to the bamboo house. Unknowingly, they went up to the second floor. There was nothing on the second floor except for clumps of plants and a large bed.
Shen Bingsi pressed down on Rong Xie's shoulder, and Rong Xie retreated until he reached the edge of the bed, bent his knees, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Shen Bingsi was still holding his shoulder, then leaned down and suddenly stopped.
The pose looked incredibly suggestive, and coupled with the lies Lu Yinglin had just told, it seemed as if Shen Bingsi really wanted to do something.
These days, although the two of them sleep in sync and are always together, they haven't had any intimate behavior because of Shen Bingsi's Dao Heart issue. Although they both want to, they don't dare to think too much about it.
Once the atmosphere is right, it's like dry wood meeting a fire, instantly igniting into a blazing inferno.
Rong Xie's cheeks flushed as he sat on the edge of the bed, glancing down at the floor with a slightly embarrassed look, which Shen Bingsi found exceptionally adorable.
Shen Bingsi suddenly had an idea. The imitation method had been making no progress and the backlash was like a dull knife grinding him down. Why not just go for it directly and see if he would die or be reborn from the ashes?
Thinking this, Shen Bingsi lowered her head, leaned close to Rong Xie's cheek, and kissed his warm, smooth skin.
Rong Xie gripped Shen Bing Si's clothes tightly. It was impossible not to be intimate. Having someone he had liked for so long and finally understood beside him, yet being unable to do anything with her, Rong Xie was incredibly frustrated.
However, his rationality always manages to erect the last line of defense at crucial moments.
"Wait, wait a minute," Rong Xie used his arm to separate Shen Bing Si's chest, "Where...where is that?"
"Huh? What?" Shen Bingsi rubbed her nose against Rong Xie's cheek and kissed his neck, too busy to think.
"The Golden Spear Invincible Pill," Rong Xie whispered, "aren't you going to take it?"
Shen Bingsi choked, remembering the lies Lu Yinglin had made up. That scoundrel Lu Yinglin was spouting nonsense and slandering his reputation!
Shen Bingsi was about to explain when he suddenly realized that he really should have taken that medicine.
Of course, it wasn't some magic cure for impotence, but rather a folk remedy to slow down aging and postpone the five signs of decay—something Lu Yinglin had found for Xiao Ya.
Not only did Shen Bingsi's hair turn white, but some parts of her skin also began to turn black and wrinkled, like a fruit that had been left out for too long, the internal rot gradually becoming undeniable.
Lu Yinglin said that as long as you take this medicine, at least the symptoms on your skin can be relieved a lot, but it only treats the symptoms and not the root cause.
Shen Bingsi didn't want to frighten Rong Xie, so she asked Lu Yinglin to buy this medicine.
Thinking of this, Shen Bingsi took out a small box from the golden fish-patterned bag, took out a small porcelain bottle from it, poured out a pill, and put it in her mouth.
Rong Xie had some doubts, but when he saw Shen Bingsi actually eat it at this moment, those doubts vanished, and he felt only heartache.
“Actually, if you’re not feeling well, you don’t necessarily have to do it now…” Rong Xie said softly.
“Too late,” Shen Bingsi pressed down on Rong Xie’s shoulder and pushed him onto the bed. “The effects of this medicine vary from person to person. The higher the cultivation level, the longer it takes. I think it will take me at least seven hours.”
Rong Xie was taken aback and turned around to try to crawl out from under Shen Bingsi's arm, but Shen Bingsi grabbed him by the waist and dragged him back to where he was.
The two embraced, their breaths mingling. Shen Bingsi whispered in Rong Xie's ear with a smile, "Didn't you want me to let go of the Path of Heartlessness? I'll let go completely now, and you'll see if I'm thorough enough—"
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