Chapter 189 Between Father and Son:
“Strange,” Shen Bingsi stopped and pounded her chest, “It doesn’t feel so bad anymore.”
Rong Xie's eyes lit up, and he sat up straight: "That proves it works! Quick, continue!"
Shen Bingsi was skeptical. Could a knot in one's heart be untied so easily, just by talking about it? However, no one would resist the hope of healing.
Shen Bingsi continued to recall: "At the time, I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there waiting for them to come and catch me. It was Cui Yuqing who told me to leave and pointed out a shortcut down the mountain to me, which is this tree hole."
"This tree hollow?" A strange light flashed in Rong Xie's eyes. "What a coincidence?"
“Yes, I also think it’s quite a coincidence. You don’t know, when you reached out from the tree hole and pulled me, I thought Cui Yuqing had crawled out of her grave to take revenge on me,” Shen Bingsi laughed.
"..." Rong Xie knew Shen Bing Si was joking, but he still couldn't help but say, "He showed you a way out, so why would he seek revenge on you?"
“Yes,” Shen Bingsi did not deny it this time, “How could someone as weak as him dare to seek revenge on me? He probably submitted to his fate long ago and went to be reborn in the underworld. Why would he stubbornly wait for me here? If he really had the guts to become a vengeful ghost, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
"That young lady who traveled with Cui Yuqing... their engagement has also fallen through, hasn't it?" Rong Xie asked.
"No, they are not married."
"What? No marriage arranged!"
“Yes.” Shen Bingsi smiled bitterly. “That young lady also has the surname Cui, and in terms of seniority, she is a generation older than Cui Yuqing. The reason I haven’t met her is because she went to an overseas island to seek medical knowledge a long time ago. When I met her, she had just returned from her studies and came to visit Cui Yuqing after hearing that she was unwell.”
Rong Xie trembled with fear upon hearing this; such a huge misunderstanding had actually occurred!
Hearing Shen Bingsi's account now, he felt terrified, wondering how Shen Bingsi must have felt when she faced the cruel truth.
“There are no ladies who are a good match for you,” Shen Bingsi’s expression turned indifferent, and her eyes became vacant. “It’s just a rumor that Shen Yingmei heard.”
"How could this happen..." Rong Xie subconsciously bit his index finger knuckle.
“Actually, the truth is no longer important,” Shen Bingsi stared at the tree roots at the top. “Shen Yingmei hates Cui Yuqing. Even without this opportunity, there would have been another. She will definitely take her revenge.”
Rong Xie looked at Shen Bingsi with a heavy heart.
“As for Cui Yuqing, the Cui family has never respected his thoughts. Even if they didn’t arrange a suitable match for him one day, they would do it the next. He is powerless to resist,” Shen Bingsi said. “So, this tragedy was destined to happen. The only difference is… whether it happens through my hands or someone else’s.”
"I think your analysis makes a lot of sense." Rong Xie didn't know what to say. It was really unlucky to have parents like these.
After a pause, Rong Xie continued, "Since you've thought it through so clearly, what is there left to hold onto? You must... see Cui Yuqing in person to resolve your inner conflict?"
Shen Bingsi fell silent.
Having a clear understanding and letting go of inner conflicts are two different things. If having a clear understanding meant he could stop thinking about it, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
“I…” Shen Bingsi felt a sense of emptiness. “I don’t know what to say to him, anyway, he’s already dead.”
Rong Xie couldn't help but swallow, carefully observing Shen Bingsi's expression: "What if he hadn't died?"
"Hmm?" Shen Bingsi's gaze swept over, still filled with confusion.
"I mean, if you could treat him as if he were still alive, what would you want to say to him? Saying it like that might..."
Before Rong Xie could finish speaking, a hoarse voice came from deep within the tree hollow, continuing his words:
“Nephew Rong, I’m sorry to have troubled you to bring Bing Si here. I’ll talk to him about the rest.”
Rong Xie's expression changed, and Shen Bingsi was even more shocked, looking in surprise and doubt in the direction from which the sound came.
The tree hole appears cramped from the outside, but it's not simple inside. A seemingly impenetrable pile of vines parted at the back, and someone emerged.
This person was dressed in a gray-blue long gown, his attire unchanged from years ago, but his appearance had aged considerably. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with a pale face and gray hair. However, his eyes were exceptionally clear and gentle, and his every move exuded elegance and refinement. One could vaguely see glimpses of his youthful appearance. If he were out in the world, he would surely be the object of many female cultivators' desires.
“Cui Yuqing?!” Shen Bingsi called out his name, word by word.
Rong Xie helped Shen Bingsi to her feet, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He had originally wanted to find a good opportunity to tell Shen Bingsi that Cui Yuqing was not dead, but he did not expect that Cui Yuqing would come out on her own.
Cui Yuqing did not respond to Shen Bingsi immediately, but smiled and nodded to Rong Xie: "Thank you for taking such good care of Bingsi, Nephew Rong. I will talk to him in person about the rest."
Cui Yuqing repeated the same words twice, and Rong Xie knew that this was a way of telling him to leave, but the tree hole was too narrow, and he didn't know where to go to avoid it.
"Please come into the inner room." Cui Yuqing turned around and lifted the vine-covered curtain.
Rong Xie helped Shen Bingsi walk towards the inner room. He decided that it was best not to say anything unnecessary and to focus on resolving Shen Bingsi's inner conflict.
From the moment Cui Yuqing appeared, Shen Bingsi stared intently at him, her gaze filled with complex emotions.
The two followed Cui Yuqing through the vine curtain, and suddenly the space opened up before them. The tree hole led to a well-maintained underground stone chamber, which contained tables, chairs, and benches, just like an ordinary household.
"Bing Si, come and sit down." Cui Yuqing beckoned to Shen Bing Si, put down her cane, and pulled out a chair.
Rong Xie helped Shen Bingsi closer, released his arm, and was about to leave.
His hand was suddenly grabbed.
Rong Xie turned around and found Shen Bingsi looking at him with a puzzled expression: "Where are you going?"
"I...I'll go outside." Rong Xie pointed to the tree hole where they had just been. "You two have a good chat."
"Don't go, stay here." Shen Bingsi pulled Rong Xie to the table, pulled out a chair for him, and made him sit down.
Rong Xie was a little embarrassed. The square table was not big to begin with, and Shen Bingsi and Cui Yuqing were sitting face to face. What was he supposed to do with himself in the middle?
"Let me introduce you. This is my best friend who I grew up with, Rong Xie," Shen Bingsi stared at Cui Yuqing. "We will become Daoist partners in the future and spend the rest of our lives together."
“I see,” Cui Yuqing nodded, smiling as she looked at Rong Xie. “No wonder Nephew Rong was so willing to go through fire and water for you.”
Rong Xie's cheeks burned even hotter. He had met Cui Yuqing in a hurry and hadn't had time to introduce his relationship with Shen Bingsi. In fact, he wasn't the type to reveal his relationship with Shen Bingsi on the first meeting with someone's parents.
"What does this mean..." Shen Bingsi looked at Cui Yuqing, then at Rong Xie, "You've already met?"
The topic had come up again, and Rong Xie quickly explained, "When I came up, Uncle Cui was collecting flower pots in the yard... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you."
“I told Rong Shizhi not to tell you, and I also told him to hide in the tree hole and wait for you,” Cui Yuqing said gently. “I guessed that you were being chased and would definitely hide in the tree hole—you still remember this road.”
"..."
Shen Bingsi squeezed Rong Xie's hand, which was reaching out to him under the table, indicating that he did not need to apologize.
Shen Bingsi raised her head and looked at Cui Yuqing with a cold expression: "Then you've guessed wrong. I'm not that stupid as to think I'd hide on the road from thirty years ago."
Cui Yuqing choked on her words.
“However, I also had a premonition,” Shen Bingsi looked around, “An uninhabited courtyard wouldn’t be repaired so neatly, and a courtyard with a new owner wouldn’t allow the previous owner to build a grave in their backyard. When you compare the two, the answer is obvious: you are still alive.”
Cui Yuqing sighed softly, but a satisfied look appeared on her face. What father wouldn't be happy to have such a smart and highly skilled son?
"Of course, there is another possibility: the new owner misses you very much and is reluctant to change the old decor. Unfortunately, given your character, it is unlikely that you will find such a person."
Since driving Rong Xie away, Shen Bingsi had toned down her sharp tongue considerably, but now that she's met her father, she's regained all her former sharpness.
Cui Yuqing's smile became forced. He patted his left chest and coughed twice.
The father and son remained silent for a moment.
Rong Xie felt incredibly awkward for the two of them.
“I heard from Rong Shi’s nephew,” Cui Yuqing tried to salvage the conversation, “that you’ve encountered a bottleneck in your cultivation, which is very dangerous. You must resolve your inner conflict in order to get through this safely.” As she spoke, Cui Yuqing looked worriedly at Shen Bingsi’s white hair.
Shen Bingsi, however, did not appreciate the gesture and simply hummed in agreement.
“I overheard some of your conversation just now,” Cui Yuqing hesitated for a moment. “You already know the truth, and many things… are not as she said. I’m glad you have your own judgment, but I still have to clarify for you that if this helps you resolve your inner conflict, then I have never married, nor have I ever dated any ladies of equal social standing. I… have always been here alone.”
"..."
“That grave was built when I was seriously ill. I never expected to pull through. The past cannot be retrieved, so I consider myself dead as I was yesterday. That’s why I asked them to erect the carved tombstone in the backyard to constantly remind myself not to repeat the same mistakes.” Cui Yuqing said with great sincerity, “I hope I didn’t frighten you?”
Rong Xie thought to himself that he was indeed startled when he first saw the tombstone, but Cui Yuqing was asking about Shen Bingsi, so he probably wouldn't get the answer he wanted.
"I wasn't really frightened, just a bit surprised," Shen Bingsi said. "There are so many medical practitioners here, yet they still managed to kill you. It seems the medical skills of the Yunshan Sect are nothing special."
Cui Yuqing choked and couldn't speak again. He gave a bitter smile and said, "It seems you still hate me. You're right, I really don't deserve forgiveness."
Shen Bingsi stared silently at the table.
“But why should you hold a grudge against someone as unforgivable as me? Why let me affect you?” Cui Yuqing continued. Regardless of how many inhuman things he had done back then, now he only wished as a father, “I hope you live well and don’t punish yourself for unworthy people and things. Look, I’m living a good life, aren’t I? I’ve done such terrible things, causing my wife and children to despise me, leaving me all alone, but I’m still living well. If someone like me can live well, what can’t you get over?”
Shen Bingsi raised her head, looked at Cui Yuqing, and suddenly chuckled, "You're right."
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