Chapter 8 Avoidance Disorder:
Rong Xie's scalp tingled with dread. This time, he didn't even dare to look at Shen Bingsi, trying his best to minimize his presence between Shen Bingsi and the cutting board.
"I...I didn't."
Shen Bingsi moved closer and closer, almost overlapping Rong Xie. He wasn't particularly tall, but he had a youthful and upright stature. Smooth muscle lines covered his long arms and legs, and he exuded a light and powerful aura. Even so, he could easily cover up the tall and slender Rong Xie.
"Really?" Shen Bingsi observed Rong Xie. "You're hiding right now."
“Really…” Rong Xie whispered, “The soup is about to overflow.”
Shen Bingsi chuckled softly.
His close friend's diversionary tactics were completely useless against him. He only needed to spare a sliver of his spiritual awareness to watch the fire to ensure the fish soup was in perfect condition.
"I understand." Although it's cute to see my best friend curled up in a little ball, if I continue to bully her like this, she will eventually succumb to the pressure and burst into tears.
Shen Bingsi straightened up slightly. "You're worried about that test, aren't you?"
Feeling the pressure recede, Rong Xie breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, what kind of test?
"Don't think you can get away with this. You promised to show me that quick and effective cultivation method, didn't you?" Shen Bingsi thought she had guessed Rong Xie's little thoughts and smiled very smugly. "I was going to test you this morning... What, are you so scared? I'm not going to eat you."
Rong Xie: "..."
In that distant memory, Rong Xie finally remembered that there seemed to be such a thing.
As she spoke, Shen Bingsi grasped Rong Xie's hand, her fingers naturally resting on the pulse point on the inside of his wrist.
Rong Xie felt as if he had been electrocuted. The place Shen Bingsi touched felt like it had been electrified, and half of his arm instantly felt numb and tingly. He hurriedly pulled his wrist back, squeezed out from beside Shen Bingsi, and quickly returned to the stove.
Even Shen Bing Si was surprised by how quickly he darted away.
"No, it's just... I had a nightmare last night." Rong Xie racked his brains, trying to find a suitable topic to evade the question, but he inadvertently revealed the truth. His face paled, then a thought suddenly struck him. "I dreamt that I went to a place with many mirrors, and in the mirrors I could see all sorts of places. I saw our manor's armory..."
"Oh?" Shen Bingsi dropped her playful attitude, straightened up, and her expression became serious. "What else?"
Rong Xie's heart sank. He had only wanted to test how much the dream was related to reality, so he mentioned a place he had seen in his dream but could never see in reality—the Mirror Palace. He did not expect Shen Bingsi to react so seriously, which showed that the Mirror Palace in the dream was probably the real situation.
So... this dream... is very likely... not a simple dream.
"And... after passing through a long, enclosed corridor, I came to an open courtyard."
With each additional word Rong Xie spoke, Shen Bing Si's expression grew more serious.
"At the end of the courtyard is a door hidden beneath the flowering vines."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Bingsi covered Rong Xie's mouth.
It's over, they've all been right. Rong Xie's heart trembled. The result from the mirror that day... He looked at his dearest friend from above Shen Bing Si's palm, never having felt such despair. He had to leave Shen Bing Si, leave Huanxue Manor; it wasn't a simple dream...
"It's good that you know, don't tell anyone." Shen Bingsi awkwardly moved her hand away from Rong Xie's face and looked at the ground to the side. "It is said that cultivators do not dream easily, and every dream has meaning. I didn't believe it at first."
As he spoke, his gaze returned to Rong Xie's face, and his tone became heavy, "What you dreamed of was the interior of the Mirror Palace. Behind that door is where the Heavenly Mirror is stored."
Although he already knew what those places were, hearing it from Shen Bingsi's own mouth made Rong Xie feel that the last bit of suspense was gone. The sword hanging over his head finally fell, and there was no possibility of escaping by chance.
A feeling of being tightly bound by fate enveloped Rong Xie, making it hard for him to breathe...
“It’s Tianjing who’s urging me.” Shen Bingsi sighed. “I knew it. That guy is a real pain in the neck. If I’m even a little bit late, he’ll start urging me.”
Rong Xie was stunned.
Shen Bingsi looked up and smiled helplessly: "Isn't it all coming to you now?"
Rong Xie's frozen body seemed to come back to life. He could hear the bubbling sound from the pot and the birds chirping outside the window again: "Is...is that so?"
"What else could it be?" Shen Bingsi leaned against the cutting board, her hands behind her back, her long legs casually crossed. "Tianjing knows we're the best in the world, so when she's urging me, she'll definitely come to you."
The tense atmosphere vanished instantly, and the serious demeanor seemed to have never appeared on Shen Bingsi's face before. He became smug again, looking at Rong Xie with a grin: "How about that, were you scared?"
"It's...it's alright," Rong Xie whispered. The possibility offered by Shen Bingsi was like a lifeline; as long as he could grasp it, Rong Xie could climb out of the abyss of despair.
Is it the Heavenly Mirror urging us on? Or... a warning?
"Sizzle—"
An ominous sound rang out, and Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi both looked towards the iron pot.
Oh no, this time it's really overflowing.
Rong Xie rushed over and lifted the lid, while Shen Bingsi handed him a large spoon from the side. The two of them were busy working together.
After a long and arduous journey, the much-anticipated Heyang fish fillet soup was finally ready.
One fish, three ways to eat it: the sashimi is fresh, sweet and delicious, and melts in your mouth; the fried fish bones are crispy and golden, and fragrant; the fish head soup is delicious and warming, and makes you feel comfortable all over.
The two sat under the weeping plum blossoms in the courtyard, admiring the flowers and eating fish. Before they knew it, the bowls and plates on the table were empty.
Rong Xie was preoccupied and didn't eat much, leaving Shen Bingsi to devour the rest, shoveling the meat and bones into her mouth in one gulp.
Cultivators who reach the Nascent Soul stage don't actually need to eat, but these mortal habits are really enjoyable. Even the elders of various peaks who have attained enlightenment for many years will still be tempted by a plate of fish.
"Luckily, I didn't cultivate the Heartless Path that cuts off appetite," Shen Bingsi thought thankfully.
After finishing a delicious meal, Shen Bingsi took the initiative to wash the dishes. For him, this was even more troublesome than killing a demon dragon. He had to concentrate on controlling the water spirit and fire spirit to wash the bowls and dishes in the corners and crannies. The force could not be too light or too heavy. It was like dancing on a thin layer of ice. If he was not careful, he would mess things up.
After a lot of effort, Shen Bingsi finally finished washing all the pots and pans, straightened up, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"It's so clean." Rong Xie picked up a shiny plate and praised it.
Shen Bingsi was quite pleased, but still reminded Rong Xie with a stern face not to accept any more gatherings in the future. Even if the old men only ate one fish, they still made a lot of messy dishes. In all her years of cultivation in the Lingjing Sect, apart from her master, Shen Bingsi had never served any old man with such courtesy.
Rong Xie responded with a smile to his unserious description.
He knew that Shen Bingsi said this for his own good. He preferred quiet and disliked receiving guests. Over the years, Shen Bingsi had turned down countless visits and never brought outsiders to the villa, just to give him some peace and quiet.
If only I hadn't had that precognitive dream... If I hadn't had that dream... Rong Xie would be living such a happy and carefree life now.
Thinking of this, Rong Xie's smile dimmed.
Suddenly, his arm was grabbed and held warmly in someone's palm.
Rong Xie looked up and met Shen Bingsi's eyes. His eyes were always bright and sparkling, as if a fire was burning in his pupils. When he stared at people, you could feel his burning passion.
Let's do it!
If the dialogue wasn't this terrible.
"Don't just sit still after eating, you have to get up and walk around. Doesn't your foster mother always say that?" Shen Bingsi said with a smile. "Since that's the case, why don't we do it now? I'll pass on my skills to you, so you won't have to worry about irrelevant things all day long."
Rong Xie: "..."
Rong Xie felt something rush past him all of a sudden, and he burst into flames like an innocent pile of firewood by the roadside, burning from head to toe, inside and out.
The guy who had been carelessly tossing the flames turned around with an innocent look on his face and saw him standing silently in the raging flames. He asked him why he was so red and hot, and whether he was feeling unwell.
Rong Xie bit her lip.
He slowly but firmly pushed away Shen Bingsi's hand that was gripping his arm, put his arm behind his back, and took a step back.
"I don't……"
"We can't...we can't do this."
Rong Xie's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear.
Shen Bingsi looked at him in surprise and asked, puzzled, "Why? Your spiritual power is clearly almost exhausted. I just touched it—"
"I said no, we can't do this," Rong Xie suddenly said, disregarding everything. He didn't dare look Shen Bingsi in the eye, and his hands clenched into fists in his sleeves with excitement.
"...Why?" Shen Bingsi's tone also became indifferent.
“Because…” Rong Xie found it hard to say the reason, his tongue seemed to be stuck. Did he really need a reason to refuse dual cultivation as a close friend? Apart from Shen Bing Si, everyone else would think it was a matter of course.
"Is there anything more important than your life? Do you know what happens when your spiritual energy is depleted? Falling in cultivation level is a minor matter; the five signs of decay of a celestial being..." Shen Bingsi's words came to an abrupt halt. He tightly closed his lips, letting those unlucky words rot inside him.
The so-called Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man is the most terrifying state in cultivation, even more so than the demonic possession. The demonic possession at most results in the body exploding and dying instantly without much pain; but the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man, however, is watching oneself age and decay, with youthful and vibrant muscles collapsing little by little, and smooth skin covered with wrinkles... In cultivation, one seizes the power of the Heavenly Dao for one's own use, but the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man is the opposite. The power of the Heavenly Dao that the cultivator once seized will be returned in an instant, and a vibrant body will become a gruesome dried corpse, yet there is still a glimmer of life, and one can still breathe and be aware of what is happening to one's body.
Shen Bingsi mentioned the Five Signs of Decay because it is one of the extreme consequences of the depletion of spiritual energy. His rationality led him to blurt it out, but he regretted it as soon as he said it. He would not allow such a terrible thing to happen to his best friend, no matter what the cost.
"I can't be that unlucky, can I?" Rong Xie said with a wry smile. He couldn't expect all the bad luck to happen to him. He wasn't some chosen one. He was unlucky whether he chose dual cultivation or not. He was just an ordinary "passerby".
“Just listen to me. Dual cultivation is just a method of cultivation, no different from alchemy or seclusion. I’ve already read it in the ‘Dual Cultivation Secrets’ book. There’s nothing special about it. The union of bodies is just to connect the meridians of two people into an external Great Circulation…” Shen Bingsi tried to explain the rationale of dual cultivation to Rong Xie. Some things are not so great once they are demystified. The inability to accept them is just due to popular views. Rong Xie is not like those common people who cling to useless ideas. Rong Xie is very obedient. As long as he is guided, he will listen and do as he is told.
Rong Xie raised his hand and placed it on... his own ear.
Rong Xie covered his ears.
Shen Bingsi paused, feeling as if his chest was being squeezed, his jaw stiff and numb, his mouth dry. He subconsciously swallowed and finished speaking, "You don't need to worry... this won't affect... mine..."
Rong Xie kept covering his ears and shook his head.
Shen Bingsi felt his blood run cold. He had considered many things, but he hadn't considered one possibility: Rong Xie might not be willing.
Rong Xie was unwilling; Rong Xie hated this.
Rong Xie hates... him.
Shen Bingsi lowered his eyes, all his emotions shifting and subsiding in an instant. He was like a human puppet who had completed a soul-summoning ritual. All the joys and sorrows brought by the soul that had once possessed him vanished, leaving only a cold, lifeless human shell.
His lively, smug expression and unrestrained, arrogant smile all vanished behind a flawless mask. When he raised his head again and looked directly at Rong Xie, Rong Xie couldn't help but shudder.
"It's up to you." He nodded quickly, conjured an outer garment from the brocade pouch, and left Huanxue Manor without looking back.
————————
A person who avoids others quietly shattered.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com