Long Aotian’s Beautiful Butler Has Run Away chapter 42

Chapter 42: Keeping Him to Himself

“Playing the zither and performing music is one thing, but just for humming a couple of tunes, is it worth using such a complicated score?” Shen Bingsi said disdainfully, pinching the page with two fingers and flipping it with a loud swish.

Indeed, while Layman Baishui was hateful, he was merely a mortal. Shen Bingsi wouldn’t raise a hand against a mere mortal.

His method of teaching a lesson was—using his mouth. He was quite proud of this weapon; in terms of offensive power, it wasn’t much inferior to the Shengxie Sword.

Before his voice had even faded, Layman Baishui’s smile predictably shrank a little.

Just as Shen Bingsi was feeling triumphant, a gentle voice came from below:

“Bingsi, how can you say that? Playing the zither and singing songs must follow rhythm, just like wielding a sword or saber has basic moves. Why can’t wordless chanting have a score?”

Shen Bingsi’s smile froze.

He hadn’t heard wrong, right? Rong Xie was actually speaking up for Layman Baishui.

In such a major “choose one of two” situation, Rong Xie was actually siding with another person!

“Junior Brother Rong is right. All skills in the world have their rules. Without following the rules, one cannot achieve mastery,” Layman Baishui smiled.

Shen Bingsi looked incredulous. Though he had a thousand retorts in his throat, he couldn’t utter a single one.

At this moment, footsteps sounded on the stairs. A large monk walked up, pressing his palms together: “Three benefactors, it is getting late, and the Scripture Library is about to close. Please rest early as well.”

It was time to close up and clear people out.

Layman Baishui bowed to the monk and said, “Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother.”

The monk returned the bow with palms pressed together.

Layman Baishui gathered the books he had taken out, tucked them under his arm, and bid farewell to Rong Xie. Passing by Shen Bingsi, he shook his head and let out a high-pitched, bizarre chant. The trailing note broke three times, descending with superb skill into an endless, low hum.

Humming a little tune like this, Layman Baishui went downstairs, shaking his head.

Shen Bingsi’s face scrunched up as if he had accidentally stepped in dog poop.

Rong Xie also stood up to pack his books, carefully putting the Pattra-Leaf Scriptures together.

Shen Bingsi couldn’t help but walk around the table, approaching Rong Xie. While helping him pack, he asked, “Why did he call you Junior Brother?”

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“He mistook me for a lay Buddhist too. That’s how lay Buddhists address each other.” Rong Xie rescued the Gongche notation from Shen Bingsi’s hand and smoothed the curled edges. “Let me do it.”

“Ridiculous. He’s not a Lingjing Sect disciple; what right does he have to call you Junior Brother?” Shen Bingsi still held a grudge against the title.

“Mn… actually, I don’t really count as a Lingjing Sect disciple either.”

“Nonsense. Of course you are. You are a proper inner sect disciple.” Shen Bingsi immediately denied Rong Xie’s statement.

Talking as they went, they walked downstairs.

At the return desk, Layman Baishui was still talking to the large monk managing the Scripture Library.

Shen Bingsi’s brow furrowed instantly.

Fortunately, Layman Baishui didn’t stay long. He cupped his hands at Rong Xie from a distance and left.

The two went down to the return desk. Rong Xie placed the books on the counter, waiting for the monk to check them, and casually asked when it would open tomorrow.

The monk said, “Are the benefactors staying in the temple? After morning service ends, the Scripture Library will open.”

“Mn, thank you, Master.”

After checking the books, the monk looked up. “Are you Benefactor Rong?”

“I am.” Rong Xie was surprised; the monk remembered his surname.

“Just now, that Benefactor Bai asked this poor monk to pass a message to you. He will come tomorrow as well. If fate permits another meeting, he will bring you a few song scores he wrote.”

“Eh?” Rong Xie was surprised, then smiled. “Then many thanks to him.”

The monk nodded, signaling they could leave.

They hadn’t walked two steps outside when Shen Bingsi stopped.

“Let’s return to the city early tomorrow morning. I suddenly remembered I have some business,” he said with a frown.

“Eh… didn’t we agree to stay at the temple for two or three days?” Rong Xie asked. “Is it urgent business?”

“Yes, very urgent. Or let’s go back right now,” Shen Bingsi said seriously.

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“But the city gates…”

“It doesn’t matter. We can fly in on our swords.”

“Aren’t you afraid of being noticed?”

“Emergency measures for urgent matters.”

Shen Bingsi looked like he was about to die of anxiety. Rong Xie couldn’t help but worry. If it was truly important business, it seemed he had to let him go back.

“Then you go. I’ll wait for you here,” Rong Xie said.

Shen Bingsi looked like a duck being strangled, suddenly unable to make a sound, staring at Rong Xie in astonishment.

“If I go with you, it will only be more conspicuous. If you are alone, you can surely enter the city silently…” Rong Xie was truly considering Shen Bingsi’s best interests. “Anyway, we have Transmission Jades to contact each other. I’ll wait for you in the temple. Go handle your business with peace of mind; no need to rush back.”

No need to rush back.

Huh?

Shen Bingsi’s heart sank instantly.

He hadn’t expected this excuse to trap himself in the end.

That’s right, he had no business at all. He just wanted to take Rong Xie away from this ghostly place ahead of time.

Meeting again the next day? Giving you song scores I wrote? If this continued, something bad would happen sooner or later.

Shen Bingsi discovered that not only could he not share friendship, but he was also unwilling to cede even a fraction of Rong Xie’s time and attention to others.

Why should I! This is my best friend, the best friend I spend day and night with, the one I will be with for a lifetime. Why should I share time with you, some mountain spirit who popped out of nowhere!

The burning fire in his heart reached its peak when Rong Xie said “no need to rush back,” about to erupt.

But he couldn’t erupt.

Shen Bingsi took a deep breath, suppressed the anger, and forced a stiff expression. “I remembered wrong. It’s not tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

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Under Rong Xie’s puzzled gaze, Shen Bingsi smiled reluctantly. “Then it’s fine. I’ll stay. We’ll go to the Scripture Library together tomorrow. It just so happens I also want to learn singing, Gongche notation… or whatever. You can teach me too.”

The doubt in Rong Xie’s eyes grew thicker.

Was everything really fine?

Why did he still look like something was wrong?

Otherwise, why would Shen Bingsi say he wanted to learn singing?

…

The night in the mountains was exceptionally quiet.

Guided by a novice monk, the two settled into an empty meditation room.

For some reason, this sleep was very sound. Rong Xie fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, even though he usually had trouble sleeping in strange beds.

Shen Bingsi meditated on the bed next to him all night.

The next day, Shen Bingsi indeed followed Rong Xie to the Scripture Library and took a book of Gongche notation to read.

Usually, when Rong Xie read, he would at most keep him company for a while before running off to do something else.

This time, he was exceptionally patient, as if he really aspired to learn singing…

Yeah right.

Half an hour later, snoring sounds came from across the table.

Rong Xie looked up. Shen Bingsi was “nodding” at the Gongche notation.

Rong Xie shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to wake him and tell him to go back to the meditation room to rest instead of waiting here, heavy footsteps came from the stairs. The tall, thin man in the loose white robe appeared with his stubborn stride.

Layman Baishui arrived as promised.

From ten feet away, Layman Baishui raised the thick manuscript in his hand toward Rong Xie.

At the same moment, Shen Bingsi jolted awake.

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…

The atmosphere in the Scripture Library was very strange.

Layman Baishui and Rong Xie sat on one side of the table. Between them, where there was originally no partition, a chair had been added. Shen Bingsi sat on that chair.

His sitting height wasn’t tall. After sitting down, Layman Baishui was still a bit taller than him, so talking to Rong Xie wasn’t difficult.

If only someone hadn’t artificially created difficulties.

Shen Bingsi cast a spell on himself to float slightly above the chair. Suddenly, he was half a head taller than Layman Baishui. His build was already more upright than Layman Baishui’s; with the added height, he easily squeezed the man to the side.

Layman Baishui repeatedly tried to share his insights on composition with Rong Xie, only to be blocked by this “mountain” before him.

He pressed his lips together, revealing a helpless smile.

Rong Xie, on the other hand, focused intently on Layman Baishui’s music score, humming softly. Sometimes, when amazed by a melody, he would look up to communicate with Layman Baishui.

Unexpectedly, he met Shen Bingsi face-to-face.

When Rong Xie wasn’t looking at him, Shen Bingsi maintained a very difficult expression, looking at the music score as if looking at a pile of dog poop.

When Rong Xie’s gaze turned to him, he would transform into a sincere student, listening earnestly to Rong Xie’s insights and raising some basic questions.

Knowing he had no foundation in music theory, Rong Xie answered patiently, never suspecting his motives.

Until half an hour passed, and Layman Baishui stood up from the table to bid farewell to Rong Xie.

“Is the Layman leaving already?” Rong Xie looked up at Layman Baishui in surprise, thinking he would stay until closing like yesterday.

“Even a self-proclaimed Layman (Mountain Man) has to eat,” Layman Baishui laughed. The character for “Mountain Man” combined to form the character for “Immortal.” Immortals had to eat too—his words were a playful twist, carrying a bit of self-deprecating wit.

Rong Xie understood. He stood up, closed the music score, and returned it to Layman Baishui. “Many thanks to the Immortal for bestowing the score. I have benefited greatly.”

Layman Baishui waved his hand, took back the score, put it into his large cloth bag, and left with sleeves swaying in the breeze.

As soon as Layman Baishui left, Shen Bingsi stood up as well.

He stretched his arms and moved his shoulders and back, as if he had just completed a great task. His mood was light and happy, filled with a sense of achievement.

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“What a pity. I couldn’t communicate properly with the Layman,” Rong Xie secretly regretted.

Observing Rong Xie’s expression, Shen Bingsi proposed at the right moment, “We’ve been sitting in the Scripture Library all morning. Why don’t we go out for a walk too?”

“Is there any scenery around here?” As expected, Rong Xie’s attention was drawn.

“Yes. There’s the White Dragon River, the scenery is quite nice. By this time, some lotus flowers should have bloomed. There’s also a village on the river where we can have a simple meal.”

Although the temple’s vegetarian meals were delicious, eating them constantly got boring. Hearing this proposal, Rong Xie agreed.

“Will it take too much time?” Rong Xie asked. “I still want to come back early to read the Pattra-Leaf Scriptures…”

Other books didn’t matter, but those few scrolls of Pattra-Leaf Scriptures were unique to Xiangji Temple—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. According to the planned schedule, Rong Xie didn’t have much time left to read them.

Shen Bingsi smiled but didn’t answer. He conjured a rosewood box out of thin air and placed it on the table.

“This is…?” Rong Xie looked at Shen Bingsi in puzzlement.

“For you,” Shen Bingsi said.

Rong Xie’s face lit up. He hadn’t expected Shen Bingsi to suddenly give him a gift. He picked up the box, examining it fondly. “This box is made of top-quality rosewood, carved very elegantly. Eh, there are words carved here: Xiangji Temple?”

Could it be an auspicious item obtained from the temple? Rong Xie guessed in his heart as he opened the lid—the lid was unexpectedly tight, as if slightly deformed. Rong Xie had to use some effort to open it—revealing a rosewood token inside.

Rong Xie’s eyes widened.

It was another Scripture Library token.

Tokens for the Scripture Library of Xiangji Temple were rare items. Each one required Master Wubie’s permission and had the recipient’s name carved by his own hand before being gifted to the designated person.

Shen Bingsi had actually requested one for him too.

“Master Wubie knows you traveled a thousand miles to see the Pattra-Leaf Scriptures. Not many people can understand them nowadays, so this token is specifically for you,” Shen Bingsi explained.

Of course, Master Wubie wouldn’t know Rong Xie could understand Pattra-Leaf Scriptures for no reason. Clearly, Shen Bingsi had said something in front of the old master to secure this for Rong Xie.

This gift truly touched Rong Xie’s heart.

His eyes grew slightly hot. He flipped the token to the back and indeed saw the bold and vigorous characters “Rong Xie” on it.

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“Bingsi… thank you.” Rong Xie clutched the token tightly against his chest.

“No need to thank me too much. Actually, this token isn’t very useful. Since we are always together, I can just bring you in. But the design is quite nice, I thought you might like it…” Shen Bingsi was still murmuring something.

A fragrant breeze blew past. In the blink of an eye, his best friend was right in front of him. Shen Bingsi felt his hand hanging by his side being enveloped by a pair of hands as warm and cool as jade.

Rong Xie held his palm with one hand and supported the inside of his wrist with the other. Leaning forward into his embrace, his cheek lightly touched Shen Bingsi’s shoulder, then quickly retreated.

This incomplete hug happened too fast. Before Shen Bingsi could even feel it, it was over.

With the scent of honey locust and ink still lingering at the tip of his nose, Shen Bingsi said somewhat deliriously, “When you learn to fly on a sword in the future, if you want to come alone, you can come anytime. Seeing that Layman Baishui isn’t…”

Isn’t impossible?

No, that absolutely won’t do!

Shen Bingsi jolted awake and shut his mouth in time.

With the Scripture Library token, Rong Xie no longer worried about insufficient time. After all, the days ahead were long.

The two happily left the temple immediately, heading toward Lotus Town by the White Dragon River. Stopping and going along the way, they took in the mountain scenery to their hearts’ content.

Reaching the boundary of Lotus Town, they indeed saw a large river flowing between two low plateaus. In the quiet river bend, patches of lotus leaves were planted. White and pink lotus flowers dotted the greenery, all in full bloom.

A memorial archway stood at the village entrance, inscribed with the three characters “Lotus Town.”

The village was exceptionally lively today. Many girls walked on the road in bright clothes. Melons and fruits were displayed on window sills. Occasionally, a small boat paddled out from the lotus pond, with young men and women laughing and playing on board, their laughter drifting to the shore with the wind.

For some reason, standing under the Lotus Town archway, Shen Bingsi suddenly had an ominous premonition.