Chapter 49: Incompatible
But Rong Xie didn't respond to him. He simply walked to his side and gazed at the dark blue sea.
"You said there's a village down there? That's terrifying," Rong Xie murmured. "How helpless the people must have been back then, such insignificant mortals, how could they possibly contend with the forces of nature? It's so pitiful."
Shen Bingsi was slightly taken aback when she realized that Rong Xie's focus had shifted to the village that had sunk in the earthquake.
“Yes, mortals are too fragile. They are completely helpless in the face of natural disasters,” Shen Bingsi said, echoing Rong Xie.
"It's not just ordinary people, cultivators are the same. They just seem a little stronger than ordinary people, but in reality they can't escape the control of fate."
Shen Bingsi couldn't help but turn to look at Rong Xie. He noticed that his best friend looked worried, no longer as hopeful as he had been when he rode the flying sword that morning. Was it all because of a major earthquake that happened hundreds of years ago? His best friend was still too kind.
“It is precisely because creation is powerful and fate is cruel that we must cultivate,” Shen Bingsi’s gaze turned to the distance again, “to continuously improve our own strength, so that when one day calamity comes, we can still trample it under our feet and surpass everything. This is the meaning of cultivation.”
Shen Bingsi's words always inspire passion and hope, as if as long as one has the determination to win, one can sweep away all hardships, surpass limits, and reach the perfect other shore.
This time, however, Rong Xie was not so sure.
"is that so……"
“Of course.” Shen Bingsi confidently took Rong Xie’s hand. “Come on, I’ll take you to see the Zhenhai Stone.”
"The Sea-Suppressing Stone?" Rong Xie asked in surprise. Were there any other attractions not on the itinerary?
You'll see when you get there!
Shen Bingsi pulled Rong Xie out of the bamboo building. He ran very fast and didn't seem to be using any spells, so Rong Xie had no choice but to run with him.
They walked through the paths between the bamboo houses, down to the sea, and then ran along the shore. The islanders stopped to watch them; some patted their bellies, some mumbled something, and then burst into laughter.
Rong Xie was a little embarrassed at first, but later, as Shen Bingsi kept running, his attention shifted to the running itself. He adjusted his breathing, kept up with the pace, and gradually, the islanders and other thoughts were left behind...
However, I have never been able to enjoy running.
He didn't know how long he had been running, but Rong Xie felt dizzy and lightheaded, and his chest felt like it was going to split open. The legendary feeling of floating on air after running for a while never came; instead, the feeling of dying came first.
"Huff...stop for a second..." Rong Xie tried to push away Shen Bingsi's hand that was gripping his wrist, "I...I can't take it anymore..."
"We've arrived." Shen Bingsi's voice came like celestial music, and his pace slowed down, turning from running to walking.
Rong Xie felt relieved. After walking for a while, his heartbeat calmed down and his breathing became much easier.
“Look, that’s the Sea-Suppressing Stone,” Shen Bingsi pointed ahead.
Rong Xie looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a black rock on the beach, about the size of a rockery, with a hole on its side.
"Phew..." Rong Xie touched his chest, "This rock... is pretty big."
He didn't know how to describe it. This stone was rather ordinary, not even as good as the artificial mountain in Huanxue Villa, let alone the strange rocks and craggy stones in Chief Minister Wang's Lanyuan Villa.
Shen Bingsi ran for almost half an hour, and this is all she brought him to see? Rong Xie found it hard to praise her.
“Don’t underestimate this ordinary reef. It actually represents the southernmost point of the South Island. If we fly over here on our flying swords, we will see that this coastline is protruding,” Shen Bingsi saw Rong Xie’s confusion and explained. “Didn’t I tell you that couples who have been to the southernmost point of the South Island can stay together forever? The southernmost point of the South Island refers to this Zhenhai Stone.”
Rong Xie suddenly realized that it was a scenic spot with special significance, and it was indeed worth a visit.
"How can I receive a blessing? Do I have to go up and touch it?" Rong Xie asked.
"Well... I'm not really sure either." Shen Bingsi had only heard the gist of it. "Since we're already here, let's touch it."
Rong Xie was pleased that Shen Bing Si did not try to distinguish between a Daoist partner and a close friend at this moment.
Rong Xie stepped forward first, his footsteps treading on the fine white sand. Despite being very careful, some sand still got into his shoes.
He approached the Zhenhai Stone little by little and reached out to touch it.
Just then, Zhenhai Stone suddenly burst into laughter.
Rong Xie's hand froze in mid-air.
A moment later, a young couple of Taoists emerged from a hole on the side of the reef and were stunned to find two people standing outside.
"Uh...you guys, are you here to pray for blessings too?" the male cultivator asked.
"We are not Daoist partners," Rong Xie quickly clarified, lest the male cultivator unknowingly offend Shen Bing Si. "We are just... friends traveling together, who happened to be passing by."
"Oh, I see." The male cultivator nodded without saying anything, but his expression clearly showed disbelief.
Rong Xie knew that what he said was outrageous, and he was too lazy to explain it back.
“We were just praying inside,” the nun said, pointing to a hole on the side of the reef. “It is said that only when you pray inside can the Sea Goddess hear you.”
“They are not Daoist partners,” the male cultivator reminded the female cultivator, “and they don’t need to know.”
The female cultivator rolled her eyes at the male cultivator: "Who hasn't had a boyfriend/girlfriend period? This time last year, you were still calling me a fellow cultivator."
"Qingqing, Qingqing, I was wrong." The male cultivator quickly put his arm around the female cultivator's waist, and the two became intimate, oblivious to everyone else.
Rong Xie felt a chill run down his spine.
He didn't even want to look at Shen Bingsi's face; he could imagine how dark it must be.
However, even after the couple finished their intimate moment, Shen Bingsi didn't utter a sound. She just stood there. Rong Xie turned around in surprise and found that Shen Bingsi was staring intently at their waists.
“We should be going now, see you later, friend~” the male cultivator said cheekily.
The female cultivator tugged at him, and the two walked toward the grassy slope.
"Wait a minute," Shen Bingsi finally spoke up, "Are those the jade pendants with telepathic communication hanging on your belts?"
The two stopped and turned around: "Yes, what's wrong? Your friends want to find a couple too? Only soulmates can achieve that—"
"Name your price," Shen Bingsi interrupted them. "I'll buy it."
"Huh?"
Although the Heart-to-Heart Communication Jade Pendant is a rare magical artifact, it is not a priceless treasure. Shen Bingsi paid three times the price and included a pair of ordinary communication jade pendants as a bonus, and still managed to buy the Heart-to-Heart Communication Jade Pendant for this Daoist couple.
The couple, having received both money and a means of communication, naturally had no complaints and left happily.
Only Rong Xie watched as Shen Bing Si bought things that other people's Daoist partners had used, as if he had seen a ghost. This was unimaginable in the past. Shen Bing Si would find such things dirty even to look at, let alone buy them.
Shen Bingsi did indeed find it dirty.
But there was one thing he desperately wanted to confirm; he felt uneasy every day he didn't know.
He used the invisible barrier of spiritual energy to cushion his hand, disdainfully picked up a jade pendant for transmitting telepathic messages, and gestured for Rong Xie to take another one.
Rong Xie understood what he wanted to do.
Since the jade pendant for communicating with the heart stopped working, Shen Bingsi appeared carefree and indifferent, always saying he would just buy another one. But in reality, he was still bothered by it. Now that he had the chance to see whether the jade pendant or the person was faulty, he certainly wouldn't let it go.
Rong Xie didn't care; it didn't matter whether he used the Heart-to-Heart Jade Pendant or an ordinary jade pendant. He took out a handkerchief, placed it in his hand, and picked up another one.
He didn't care whether the jade pendant had been used by his Daoist partner or not; as long as someone had used it, he would dislike it in the same way.
The two of them used something to cushion the jade pendant as they took it in their hands.
Shen Bingsi activated her spiritual power, and golden light instantly flowed into the jade pendant. The jade pendant slowly rose, emitting a long "hum" sound.
Rong Xie held the jade pendant and stood opposite Shen Bing Si, no more than ten feet away.
The golden light illuminated his face, so bright that he had to squint.
However, the piece in his hand remained silent and unresponsive throughout.
Shen Bingsi's expression changed several times, and his cheeks tightened as he clenched his teeth. He was unwilling to accept this result, and he poured spiritual power into the jade pendant with increasing force. The golden light illuminated the patterns inside the jade pendant in every detail, but Rong Xie still did not react.
"How...is this possible?"
Shen Bingsi gritted her teeth and once again forcefully pushed her spiritual energy into the jade pendant.
Rong Xie frowned, about to persuade him, when suddenly there was a loud "bang" and the jade pendant shattered into pieces, flying out in all directions.
Rong Xie hurriedly used his spiritual power to block it.
As the golden light faded, Shen Bingsi stood frozen in place, her hands still raised in an upward gesture, as if she had been immobilized.
Rong Xie lowered his arm and immediately went to check on Shen Bingsi's condition.
Fortunately, the jade fragments did not injure him; his face and neck were clean and without scratches.
Rong Xie breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Why..." Shen Bingsi murmured to herself, "Why can't we communicate anymore?"
Rong Xie looked up at him and found that his expression seemed to have shattered. His once bright and piercing eyes were now clouded with gloom, and he stared at Rong Xie blankly and helplessly.
Rong Xie couldn't answer either, and he didn't know why.
“Maybe…it was used by someone else.” Rong Xie avoided Shen Bing Si’s gaze.
"Impossible! The Heart-to-Heart Communication Jade Pendant isn't a magic artifact that recognizes its master, it's impossible!" Shen Bingsi said impatiently. He couldn't bear that Rong Xie was avoiding his gaze at this moment. In his anxiety, he grabbed Rong Xie's arm and pulled him in front of him. "Why, Rong'er, what are you thinking? Why can't I see you? What are you thinking?"
Under Shen Bingsi's coercion, their eyes met once again. However, their thoughts, which were once obvious, had now become obscure and difficult to understand.
Their eyes met briefly before looking away, Rong Xie turning his face away with a slight frown.
I feel a tightness in my chest.
In fact, Rong Xie also found it strange that the sound transmission jade pendant failed.
He accepted Shen Bingsi's explanation that the jade pendant was broken.
But now the test results are exactly the opposite: the jade pendant is not broken; it's the person... who has the problem.
What problems can happen to a person?
He was thinking about Shen Bingsi all the time, and Shen Bingsi didn't seem to be thinking about anyone else either. If there was any obstacle, it was that Shen Bingsi cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness. But the Path of Ruthlessness had existed for a long time, so why didn't it hinder their spiritual connection back then?
"I think... the problem might still lie with the jade pendant." Rong Xie frowned. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Let's wait until we get back... Ouch, why does it hurt so much?"
Shen Bingsi had been staring intently at Rong Xie's face, anxiously seeking an answer. Suddenly hearing him say he was in pain, she immediately asked, "Pain? Where does it hurt?"
He noticed Rong Xie looking at his hand, and immediately let go. A bright red sight pierced his eyes; a thin line of blood appeared on the outside of his pale arm.
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Waaah, too late! Red envelopes are dropping in this chapter! [Crying emoji]
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