Chapter 180 That Incident:
"So you're just waiting for him here?"
"Um."
The next day, the bamboo house was deserted. Rong Xie was alone in the front yard, lost in thought, when Lu Yinglin happened to pass by. The two talked about Shen Bingsi, and Rong Xie invited him into the bamboo house. The two drank a local specialty rock tea on the drafty first floor.
"Sigh, there's something I don't know whether I should say or not," Lu Yinglin sighed deeply.
Rong Xie held the teacup, not taking a sip: "Speak if you want to."
“Junior Brother Rong, are you really so comfortable with Sword Saint Chen going into seclusion alone?” Lu Yinglin looked at Rong Xie. “I thought you would be very worried about him and go with him.”
“I wanted to go with him, but he said he couldn’t be disturbed during his seclusion,” Rong Xie said. “He was very adamant at the time, and I was afraid of delaying his cultivation progress, so I didn’t insist…”
Recalling the sudden separation last night, Rong Xie was still a little dazed. Shen Bing Si not only didn't let him follow, but also wanted to return the communication jade pendant to him. However, seeing his absent-minded look, she couldn't bear to do it and changed her mind, saying that they should each keep one piece of the jade pendant, but he should not use the jade pendant to contact her or try to find her before he returned.
Rong Xie took a deep breath: "I believe him."
“With such a companion, what more could one ask for?” Lu Yinglin exclaimed.
After that, the two of them couldn't agree on anything.
After Shen Bingsi left, Rong Xie's life suddenly became empty, and he had no idea what to do.
The food that Rong Xie packed for Shen Bing Si that day had somehow been left out, and by the time he remembered it, it was already inedible.
Feeling guilty, she cleaned the food box and returned it to Ananda.
Anangu warmly asked Rong Xie if the food was good. Rong Xie thanked Anangu, and Anangu then asked him if he wanted to bring his own lunch today.
"No need," Rong Xie said with a forced smile. "I'm not hungry."
The unique taste of food can remind you of the person you ate with in the past.
On the way back, Rong Xie encountered Lu Yinglin again.
"By the way, what did you want to say to me last time?" Rong Xie remembered this and asked casually.
"Since you trust Shen Jiansheng so much, it's better not to know," Lu Yinglin said with a smile.
"Speak quickly." Rong Xie didn't want to beat around the bush with him.
“That’s right,” Lu Yinglin rubbed his nose, “Actually, the medicine that Shen Jiansheng asked me about that day wasn’t the Golden Spear Pill.”
"Um?"
“It’s a folk remedy that can cover up signs of aging. I found it for Xiao Ya before, but she passed away before she could use it.” Lu Yinglin’s tone turned somber.
Rong Xie stared at him in astonishment. In an instant, he felt as if a giant hand had slapped him in the face, leaving him completely stunned.
"What?"
Lu Yinglin looked at him.
Rong Xie suddenly lunged forward, grabbing his collar: "Why didn't you tell me sooner? How could you conspire with him to lie to me about something so important?"
“I’m sorry,” Lu Yinglin sighed, “I’m a businessman, and protecting my customers’ interests is my principle… If Shen Jiansheng doesn’t want to tell you, I can only keep it a secret.”
"You!" Rong Xie choked with anger.
“If you want to vent your anger on me, I’ll stand here and let you hit me…” Lu Yinglin rarely showed an expression that could almost be called sincere. “However, I still want to remind you to be prepared, as Shen Jiansheng may not be able to come back.”
Rong Xie shoved Lu Yinglin away and pointed to the path leading out of the bamboo forest: "Go."
Lu Yinglin stared at him for a while, then turned and walked out of the bamboo forest.
Rong Xie stood there for an unknown amount of time before quickly walking back to the bamboo house while wiping his face.
He lay down on the bed and found that he could not tolerate not only the special aroma of the food here, but even the smell emanating from the entire bamboo house.
Rong Xie pondered Lu Yinglin's words for a while, such as the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man and the medicine he found for Xiao Ya. It seemed that he was implying at all times that Shen Bing Si would also suffer the same fate. He said that he went into seclusion to cultivate alone just to comfort him.
However, Rong Xie knew that Shen Bingsi was not Xiao Ya. He had overcome countless difficulties to reach his current level of cultivation and possessed a willpower and vision far beyond that of ordinary people. No matter what the circumstances, Shen Bingsi would not sit idly by and wait for death, let alone refuse Rong Xie's help and go somewhere to wait for death.
Most importantly, before leaving, Shen Bingsi said three words to Rong Xie: "Wait for me."
Rong Xie will always remember these three words. If Shen Bingsi really has no other choice and really hides away to wait for death, he will never make Rong Xie wait for him.
What does that mean? It means that Shen Bingsi has truly found a way to resolve the shattering of her Dao Heart!
“He didn’t lie to me…” Rong Xie suddenly jumped out of bed, rushed downstairs in three steps, and headed straight for Elder Hong’s small building.
Although Shen Bingsi didn't lie to Rong Xie, Rong Xie could tell from Lu Yinglin's words that Shen Bingsi's condition was extremely critical, and that things weren't improving as he had previously thought.
As luck would have it, Elder Hong wasn't in the room. Rong Xie stood downstairs waiting for a long time but didn't see anyone. Suddenly, he heard a flapping sound, and a huge sapphire blue peacock descended from the sky, landing in front of Rong Xie and tilting its head to look him over.
Perhaps Rong Xie was dressed too plainly, or perhaps his expression was too unpleasant, because the Blue Peacock thought his looks were not enough to pose a threat to her, and dragged her long tail as she walked away from his feet.
"Rong Xie?"
Rong Xie turned around and saw that the Dharma Protector Seju was standing under the tree.
Rong Xie felt like he had grasped a lifeline and immediately went over to ask Elder Hong where he was.
"Elder Hong has gone out to inspect the various halls." Protector Seju noticed Rong Xie's expression. "What happened?"
Rong Xie's heart sank. Just then, Elder Hong left the main altar. If Protector Seju hadn't told him, he would have thought Elder Hong was deliberately sending someone to fob him off.
“After Shen Bingsi came to see Elder Hong last night, he left, saying he was going to go into seclusion elsewhere. Today I found that his condition is not optimistic,” Rong Xie paused, “So I want to ask Elder Hong what Shen Bingsi said to him yesterday, what he said to Shen Bingsi, and if there is anything I can do to help.”
"I see." Protector Seju nodded. "I can send a message to the sect leader to ask him for you. However, I don't know when he will reply."
"Thank you, Protector Seju!" Rong Xie perked up and immediately asked, "Could you please ask Elder Hong if he has time to meet? If he only set off today, he should still be at a nearby branch, right? There are some things I feel I can only clarify in person."
“Alright,” Guardian Seju agreed.
"Also, I can tell Elder Hong the jokes he wants to hear in person." Rong Xie added another bargaining chip, "If Elder Hong doesn't want to see me, I might just forget about it next time."
“Hmm, I’ll ask now.” Protector Seju whistled, and a grey parrot landed on his arm.
Later that evening, Rong Xie met Elder Hong.
It turned out that he was "patrolling" the hall next to the Mita Temple.
The head of the hall arranged a tea room for the two of them.
"Little disciple, you've come to see me again," Elder Hong said unhurriedly. "Well, are you ready to tell me a joke?"
"..." Rong Xie stared at Elder Hong. Although he was extremely anxious, so anxious that he wished he could open Elder Hong's skull to see what the old man had said to Shen Bing Si, the situation was beyond his control. He suppressed his impatience and said, "Elder Hong was 'patrolling' so close by. It seems that he knew I would come to find you, so he had Protector Se Ju guard over there."
"Hehe, I didn't tell him to keep watch; he's keeping watch over there himself." Elder Hong stretched his arms. "I'm getting old and can't sit still. How about we get straight to the point? You tell me a joke, and I'll answer a question for you, okay?"
"Anything related to Elder Bai is fine?" Rong Xie asked. "What if it's not funny? My sense of humor has always been unusual."
“Either is fine, either is fine,” Elder Hong immediately replied. “It’s alright, you can speak freely.”
"It has nothing to do with Elder Bai himself, but what about those around Elder Bai? For example, his recently deceased disciple, Xuan Tian Yi Jian? For example... your little Mei from back then?"
Rong Xie's casual remark immediately piqued Elder Hong's interest, and Elder Hong readily agreed.
Rong Xie knew what was going on, so he agreed to Elder Bai's conditions.
He started by investigating the Lu family case, and there was plenty of material to draw on.
"Hahaha, such a thing actually happened? Did Xiao Mei really tell you to go and ask that guy surnamed Bai?" Elder Hong laughed so hard he could barely breathe. "Did you ask him later?"
"That's in the next story."
After Elder Hong finished laughing, Rong Xie asked, "It's my turn to ask a question."
Elder Hong wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "Go ahead and speak."
Using a joke as an excuse to ask a question, Rong Xie basically found out what Elder Hong and Shen Bingsi had talked about in the small building, Shen Bingsi's condition, and what Shen Bingsi had been doing.
Yesterday afternoon, Shen Bingsi knew that her situation was not good. She had reached the limit of her Dao Heart shattering. If it continued, her meridians would burst sooner or later, or her whole body would rot. Shen Bingsi found Elder Hong and told him about her situation directly.
After examining his meridians, Elder Hong realized the seriousness of the problem and that the imitation method could not continue.
"What should I do now?" Shen Bingsi asked Elder Hong.
"Haven't you found the crux of the problem yet?" Elder Hong retorted. "What exactly is it that you can't let go of?"
Shen Bingsi pondered for a moment before answering Elder Hong: "I might have found it, but... I'm not sure."
“If you find it, change it,” Elder Red said.
"Change it?" Shen Bingsi asked doubtfully. "It's something that happened many years ago, can it still be changed?"
“Of course,” Elder Hong said affirmatively. “It’s never too late to change. The past doesn’t exist in the first place; it only exists because it affects the present. What you’re changing isn’t what has already happened, but its impact on the present.”
“But…” Shen Bingsi was uncertain, “What if I’ve made a mistake? What if it’s not about that matter? I don’t have much time left, I don’t have the chance to make a mistake, and I can’t afford to make one.”
"Whether it is true or not, only you know; no one can judge for you," Elder Hong replied.
Shen Bingsi pondered for a long time, then told Elder Hong that he had decided to leave for a while and hoped that Elder Hong could help take care of Rong Xie. He asked Elder Hong not to tell Rong Xie about their conversation, but only to say that he had gone into seclusion.
"..." Rong Xie felt he had heard a lot of information that he hadn't expected at all. However, right now, he only cared about one thing: "What exactly is the matter that Shen Bingsi mentioned?"
Elder Hong chuckled: "That's the next question. Let's start with a joke."
Rong Xie patiently explained the Spirit Locking Array to Elder Hong, focusing on the key points. Elder Hong was eager to know what happened to Xiao Zhi in the end, but Rong Xie dismissed him with "That's a story for the next one."
"The thing Shen Bingsi mentioned," Elder Hong said helplessly, "he didn't tell me either. Everyone has their own unresolved issues. From what he said, it must have happened a long time ago. Let me give you a suggestion: go to his hometown and find someone he knew when he was a child. Maybe you can find out the answer there."
Rong Xie was silent for a moment, then asked, "Anything else?"
"Um?"
"Other routes?"
"It's gone."
Rong Xie took a deep breath: "Then my story is finished. Thank you Elder Hong for answering my question. Unfortunately, I am the one who has known him since childhood."
Elder Hong choked, completely unprepared for this.
Rong Xie stood up and walked outside. Elder Hong quickly followed, saying, "Little disciple, haven't you told me yet that Xiao Zhi's spirit was finally found?"
Rong Xie turned around: "That's the next story. If Bing Si survives this ordeal, I'll tell you as many stories as there are."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com